Ms Teresa Heeney:

I agree with Ms Lane that there is much to be learned from each other; there is no doubt about that. I have said this already so forgive me for repeating myself, but we must be ambitious discussing this. There are more children in childminder homes than in any centre. The State has a responsibility to make sure that the people working in those settings and those children are doing the best they possibly can.

It is important that we acknowledge that qualify cannot be assumed. We should not assume that everyone has the same understanding of what quality looks like. While there may be good quality in one setting, it may not be objective quality and we have seen, to our cost, evidence of that over the years. It is important to inspect these services and to provide the supports that are needed for this sector.

It is brilliant that we are having this discussion. Our colleagues in Scotland and Northern Ireland are registered. They have achieved this ambition for children. I welcome today’s discussion and I look forward to getting though phase 1 anyway, and then moving on to phase 2 and 3 of this plan.