Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the greater priority focus being afforded to the early years and child care sector, as evidenced by the first two questions today. I have previously stated my commitment and that of the Government to improving quality in preschool services. Improving quality also represents an essential building block toward the extension of universal early years provision.

As previously indicated my Department and I are working on a comprehensive preschool quality agenda addressing actions in eight areas: publishing inspection reports online; strengthening the national inspection system; introducing new protocols on compliance and enforcement; increasing and widening the sanctions which can be taken for non-compliance; increasing the qualification requirements for all staff in preschool services; introducing in September a registration system for all preschool services; implementing the new National Quality Standards, which will impact on the quality of inspection reports; and supporting implementation of the Síolta framework and Aistear curriculum.

In response to the Deputy's question, I wish to provide a further update on the actions relating to regulation and inspection.

The implementation of National Quality Standards for preschool services will commence later this year. The standards will replace previous guidelines and explanatory notes, which the inspectors currently use, and will set out the quality outcomes and supporting criteria against which the inspections under the preschool regulations will be measured.

A new registration system for preschool services will be introduced, commencing in September of this year. At present, child care providers are only required to notify the Health Service Executive, HSE, at least 28 days before they open. That is an extraordinary situation when one thinks about it. Under the new registration system services wishing to open will be required to register with the HSE and be deemed fully compliant and suitable for purpose before they will be permitted to operate.

The HSE pre-school inspectorate is working to put preschool service inspection reports online. In the first instance I want to inform the House the reports will be available from the Pobal website via a direct link on the HSE website. Background work has been done to ensure that happens. A commitment has been given to place new reports, once completed, online from last Monday, 1 July 2013, therefore any new reports that come into the system will be placed online as soon as they are available. Work is ongoing to ensure that any historic reports will be placed online also but it is important to emphasise that parents can contact providers and ask for reports. The inspectorate has been extremely busy with requests from parents and responding to parents in recent weeks and giving them information on inspections and report, and I would encourage that.

Information not given on the floor of the House

My Department is supporting the inspectorate and Pobal in this work, which will commence in August.

Management reforms are under way within the HSE in advance of the creation of the child and family agency. This includes a programme of work to strengthen the preschool inspectorate to ensure a greater nationwide consistency of practice in line with new National Quality Standards and to address concerns regarding local inconsistencies and fragmentation.

In addition, the HSE is currently reviewing the regional spread of resources including to determine whether either additional resources or redeployment of existing inspectors is required. I am engaging with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, on additional resource implications.

There is a need for greater clarity and consistency of approach as to how inspection reports record serious non-compliance and what happens as a result. For that reason I have directed that a new and different approach will be taken to enforcement, prosecution, closure, and suspension or termination of State funding. New protocols between the Department and the pre-school inspectorate and, as appropriate, with Pobal, will mean a more graduated approach where very serious non-compliance will be singled out from more minor breaches and steps taken, up to and including prosecution and closure, which are proportionate to the breaches.

I have previously stated that there must be a substantial deterrent for non-compliance. I have asked my Department to undertake a review of the penalties currently in place for breach of the pre-school regulations, as provided for under the Child Care Act 1991, so as to increase the range and severity of the existing penalties including the actions which can be taken by inspectors without recourse to court prosecution.

I believe an enhanced focus on regulation and inspection is essential in light of the unacceptable practices witnessed in a number of crèches. The measures which I have outlined will ensure a considerable strengthening of the regulatory and inspection systems.

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