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

Some 43 inspectors should be in place by the end of the year. The Louth recruitment is happening this week. The others are at an advanced stage. I expect that those four inspectors will be in place in the coming weeks.

Regarding the funding I have received for the extra ten inspectors next year, the HSE will consider the areas of greatest need. For example, two of the inspectors being recruited now will be allocated to the Dublin area. Some parts of the country have more early years services than others. The allocation of the ten extra posts will be based on levels of need in various counties. In the UK, for example, inspections are carried out approximately every two years. In Ireland, the average is 18 months. However, we want to ensure that this is the case in every area. Where there are many early years school services, we will clearly need more inspectors. If a concern about a particular service arises, we want to ensure that inspectors are in a position to visit it at short notice. Allocations will be based on levels of need in various counties. For the first time, a national manager is in charge of this area. I expect that the team will be in a position to make those decisions.

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