Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last night, people were shocked, horrified and traumatised having witnessed cruelty, emotional abuse, physical heavy-handedness, and a blatant abuse of parents' trust. There was a clear failure to deliver professional care and high standards for children in early child care settings. We cannot have a quality service without a quality workforce.

In terms of what needs to be done, the Health Service Executive must immediately establish a helpline for parents; provide additional inspectors where gaps currently exist; publicise inspection reports; and publish the two critical items of legislation.

This crisis provides the Minister with an opportunity to secure the much-needed additional resources from her Cabinet colleagues to ensure full implementation of Síolta, Aistear and the workforce development plan.

I ask the Minister for a definite timeframe for the publication of the Children First guidelines and the setting up of the Child and Family Support Agency. Can we have a timeframe for the implementation of the workforce development plan? Will she consider the possibility of introducing CCTV cameras, where parents are agreeable? Will she withdraw State funding for facilities found guilty of breaches and replace the model of inspection of compliance with a model focused on outcomes for our children?

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