Mr. Toby Wolfe:

It is in line with the national action plan for childminding. The change we are proposing is to remove the exemption of childminders from the potential to be regulated. That means the Minister will be able to introduce regulations. Work on the development of regulations has begun under the national action plan but their introduction is still some way down the line.

There is another inspectorate that inspects early years services, namely, the Department of Education inspectorate. It carries out inspections and will continue to do so. The basis for its inspections does not fall within the Act but, rather, derives from a memorandum of understanding between the two Departments.