Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The conditions for those working in the provision of child care are not directly tied to the provisions, but they are related. Deputy Kathleen Funchion has kindly offered her services as a rapporteur for the committee to prepare a report on that issue. The committee is concerned about it, but I am anxious to separate it from today's business - the early child care scheme. The delegates might bear in mind that I do not want to stray too far into that issue.

It is too narrow a focus for the committee to think child care will be provided by current child care providers because with the ambition of the scheme, they cannot do so. According to the figures I have, there are 20,000 people minding children. In the area I represent, Skibbereen, Clonakilty and Bandon, many of those minding children are relatives, grandparents, aunts and so on. There are also many childminders in the system who are unregulated. Tusla's figures show that approximately 120 of the 20,000 childminders are regulated by it. We need to rely on that cohort of people, but how can we bring them into the system and regulate their services? There is a provision for the Minister to do this, but will she elaborate on it to help the committee because capacity is a greater and immediate challenge? We have to acknowledge those who are already doing the job and ensure they will be able to avail of the subsidy the Government is providing.