Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My Department is working very closely with the city and county childcare committees to ensure the recruitment this summer of a team of regional childminding development officers. I understand that we have the national person in place. The immediate task of the regional development officers will be to work with all of the city and county childcare committees to maximise the number of childminders who can register within the current regulatory framework and to take part in the national childcare scheme, NCS, in the short term. As the Deputy has indicated, a huge number of childminders are used by parents for the purposes of ensuring that their children are well looked after with regard to their requirements. I am, however, committed to finding ways to bring in more of them but they need to come in to register. We have to find ways to regulate in an appropriate way that perhaps is different than the centre-based regulations.

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