Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I also wish the Minister well in his endeavours in the near future. I also pass on my best wishes to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who has always been approachable. There is probably still an issue or two I could do with the Minister getting across the line before he finishes. He spoke about future plans and the impact of politics on family. I pass on those best wishes.

This Bill is fairly straightforward on some level. I do not think there is anyone who does not recognise the importance of childminding and how different it is from many of the other subjects that we deal with in the House. The idea behind the Bill is, first, to provide enhanced enforcement measures in relation to early years and childcare services and, second, to provide for the extension of regulation to all paid and non-relative childminders. A number of definitions need to be dealt with as regards childminding services, etc. The Bill sets out a framework in which Tusla will play a huge part in enforcement.

I add my voice to the call for a greater level of engagement with those involved in childminding, many of whom do not believe there has been a sufficient amount of consultation or that their voices have necessarily been heard. That engagement is needed. We would all like to see circumstances where more families could avail of subsidies for childminding. We need to make sure there is some sort of incentive for childminders to sign up to these draft regulations.

There needs to be a change of tack regarding the interaction with childminders. We need to make sure their voice is heard and we need a system they can trust and engage with, and which benefits them. It must provide all the necessary supports. We must also make sure we have the correct level of regulation from the point of view of making sure children's rights are looked after. That is an absolute necessity. We all get the aim of the Bill. It is a matter of making sure it is fit for purpose.

We dealt previously with the national childcare scheme and we discussed homework clubs and so on, particularly in disadvantaged areas. In fairness, the Minister worked to correct some of the problems that existed with that, resulting in the continuation of necessary services. I would like to see the same commonsense approach in relation to this from now on.

In talking about childminding and Tusla, huge effort needs to be put into early family support and early intervention. This is a missing piece. Many of us end up dealing with chaos that could have been avoided if those interventions had been made earlier.

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