Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There is absolutely no question about the need for quality training for people who are working in child care. Some community child care facilities were reliant on members from community employment, CE, schemes. It had a double-edged benefit as some of the people on the CE schemes were parents getting training in child care for themselves as well as in the setting where they worked. It provided a service in the community as well, which was important. We know the figures in the more disadvantaged areas and the kind of backgrounds that children come from.

I note the Minister's comments about extra funding but it is about seeing that it gets to the areas of most need. Some of the staff from community child care services have been in touch with me and others here. As they do not have the staff at the level of training that we would all like to see and they relied on CE participants, they face being told they need a plan for sustainability. The only sustainable plan is to cut hours and nobody, including the Minister, wants to see that. We discussed the possibility of a DEIS status for some of these child care centres and the Minister stated it was being examined in her Department. Has there been any further move on that?

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