Mr. Kevin McCarthy:

In respect of the compliance levels, non-compliance can mean a number of things. There is quite a high bar for compliance because in the inspection regime, depending on the scheme, there could be anything from 28 to 44, and beyond, compliance checks. Where a provider is found to be non-compliant on a small number of those, it is deemed to be non-compliant. The compliance regime is very much about trying to support providers in identifying where they are not compliant and to rectify that and take actions to get to a level of compliance. Sanctions do not kick in until successive non-compliance is found through successive inspections. There are a number of means through which those providers that are found to be non-compliant can be supported through support funding and so on to help them to address the findings that are identified.

The intention, which is very much underpinned by the new model, relates to a public private partnership and to the State becoming much more involved as a co-founder of activity in the sector, in return for which providers sign up to fee arrangements that involve no increase in fees for parents and, ultimately, reductions in fees for parents. It is about trying to move what has historically been a very independent sector into being a publicly funded and publicly supported model of provision, recognising the vital importance of early years education and care for the development of children and the State's absolute responsibility to ensure that is funded, supported and overseen in terms of quality. The compliance aspect is important in providing parents with the assurance that the quality of provision their child is getting in a given setting is tested and benchmarked against expected standards and that the provider is supported in achieving those standards where it is falling short, for whatever reason.

The Deputy is correct. Historically, it is a sector with a lot of small providers that has had a lot of complicated schemes and complicated funding arrangements. The new funding model will help to put it on a better plane from that point of view.