Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

Obviously, inspection of childminding facilities is critical and very clear rules are laid down in that regard. If the Deputy has information about any service which is not being inspected and which has been brought to his attention, I advise him to contact the HSE or my Department. We have very vigilant oversight. When I visit centres throughout the country, I hear of the ongoing challenges in regard to inspection, which the centres are happy to meet. There is a very proactive inspectorate. However, if there are services operating outside of that of which the Deputy is aware, he should bring them to the attention of the HSE.

One of the initiatives I would like to see in regard to childminding is more contact between childminders, who are often somewhat isolated, and local services. There is scope for work between the two. The child care committees are also working very proactively with the National Childminding Association of Ireland, which I have met on a number of occasions. Just last month, I launched a childminding development grant scheme, which has been welcomed by everyone in the sector and which seeks to encourage people to discuss standards and training and to access educational support. A lot is happening in this area.

The regulations are very important and a particular point is that staff must be vetted by the Garda. When the Government came into office, vetting was taking 13 weeks but it is now taking an average of two weeks. There has been a huge initiative in regard to vetting and dealing with the chronic delays which have been a feature in recent years.

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