Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In my limited time I will only get the opportunity to raise two substantive points, one being the major gap for those children who are not yet two years and nine months but who have additional needs and whom the Minister has locked out of vital supports, ECCE and AIM. I am aware the Minister knows of a particular case in Clare which has been brought to his office. He has not taken action and, importantly, has not yet responded. I ask him to prioritise this case immediately.

On Friday, I will visit the Kidz Haven crèche in Shannon to see at first hand how a child with cerebral palsy is coping under such circumstances. I invite the Minister to join us. This child is in need of a specialised walker and a specialised chair, among other specialised equipment. This means the parents are dropping that equipment that is used at home daily. Why does the Department not recognise that a disability can exist before children turn two years and nine months? There should be no age requirement for children with needs and this must be addressed. The Department should create a special case dispensation or something similar to address this matter. The good-hearted provider has actually employed the SNA and is footing the bill themselves.

Next is the reality of the closures. If more providers are opening and fewer are closing, does that not directly imply that capacity should be increasing? However, that is not the case. I know of people in emergency accommodation who are on an 18-month waiting list for childcare in Ennis. The Minister's numbers are not reflective of reality. I brought this matter to him last year. The three strands of the sector, the parents, the providers and the staff, have been in despair. The reality is the Minister did not invest enough, did not listen enough and did not do enough of what those who knew best suggested. Instead, like many other areas he has responsibility for, he digs his heels in, ignores, deflects and, in fact, demonises. That is not the kind of politics that brings any benefits to society. I have taken real issue with how the Minister does business. There have been at least 475 closures between 2017 and June of this year. The fact is those providers that close are actually left on the register for an additional six months, and that is only if they have submitted their change of circumstance form. However, by the time they have made the decision to close, which is not a decision taken lightly, that step is easily missed.

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