Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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2. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the steps she has taken to address the disturbing lack of management standards and the clear breaches of regulations exposed in the recent RTE "Prime Time" programme which focused on a number of crèches in the greater Dublin area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32643/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I have previously outlined to the Oireachtas that I found the scenes broadcast on the "Prime Time" programme distressing, shocking, and absolutely unacceptable. There is no question about that. The mistreatment of young children is currently, and rightly, the subject of a thorough and comprehensive investigation by the HSE and Garda.

The owners and managers of child care services, in deciding to offer care services to parents, assume important responsibilities. They are entrusted with the care of the youngest members of society. A primary responsibility of pre-school managers, as set out in the child care regulations, is that they must ensure that a sufficient number of suitable and competent adults are working directly with pre-school children at all times. As well as ensuring that staff receive Garda vetting, management must put in place proper human resource procedures for the recruitment of staff, including the seeking and careful scrutiny of references. The onus is on management to ensure that staff new to a service are supervised and monitored on an ongoing basis.

As advised in response to the previous question, I am working on a comprehensive pre-school quality agenda. This will make a difference to the quality of care provided. As already stated, this agenda includes the introduction of national quality standards which will be implemented later this year. These standards contain a section on organisation and management which includes the following criteria: that all staff should commence induction training in respect of all the policies and procedures of the service during their first week of employment; and that each staff member should receive regular supervision and support regarding all areas of their work. People were stunned by the lack of intervention in the footage broadcast on the "Prime Time" programme and inquired about the absence of supervision and support. Another criterion which will come into play in this regard relates to ensuring that the ongoing training needs of all staff will be identified, addressed and provided for on a regular basis.

It is essential that the owners and managers of child care services have in place proper management structures and procedures to ensure their staff are properly managed and supervised in order to make certain that children attending the service receive the highest quality care. A robust inspection regime provides a system of external verification but this reinforces - rather than replaces - the requirement for providers to have quality at the centre of the services they offer. That is what parents expect and it is what young children should receive.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

In line with my pre-school quality agenda, the pre-school inspection service will develop a clear set of national pre-school standards according to which services will be inspected; ensure that those wishing to operate in this sector will be subject to advance registration based upon an assessment of suitability; ensure the inspection system operates on a nationally consistent basis and is robust and proportionate in response to non-compliance; ensure that inspection reports are published online so that they will accessible to parents and the general public; and advise my Department in its review and updating of sanctions for non-compliance. There are many excellent providers who are motivated by the highest standards of care and professionalism. If there are any who are ambivalent on these matters they should engage themselves elsewhere. The pre-school inspection services will robustly tackle those who are in serious breach of the regulations and will have my fullest support in doing so.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for her reply. It is appropriate to say that what we witnessed on our television screens in the "Prime Time" programme was absolutely appalling. It represented a dereliction of duty and care, the appalling mistreatment of children and examples of the poorest practice in terms of the conduct and management of care provision. Is there an update on the engagement by Pobal with the three child care providers featured in the "Prime Programme" programme? Is there a further indication of the steps being undertaken to address those particular child care providers or those particular multiples, to which some of them clearly belong?

Mr. Gordon Jeyes, the CEO designate of the Child and Family Agency, has commissioned a review and analysis of past inspection reports to identify whether there is a pattern of non-compliance with particular reference to the for-profit chains. Will an interim report be published? When does the Minister expect to have receipt of it? That is hugely important.

I refer to the eight areas of action the Minister indicated at the last meeting of the Joint Committee on Health and Children at which we addressed this. The first of those was publishing inspection reports online as soon as possible. Has that happened? Can the Minister indicate when comprehensive online access will exist for parents throughout the country whose concerns are real as a result of the exposure of the incidents shown on "Prime Time"?

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I can confirm that Pobal is in contact with the particular providers because it provides the compliance for my Department in regard to the early child care and education scheme. Those providers provide the ECCE scheme, so it would be appropriate that Pobal meet the providers and investigate the various issues in regard to compliance which arose. It is in the process of doing that and has completed some of those exchanges. I do not want to say anything which would prejudice, in any way, the investigation being carried out by the HSE and the gardaí but that interaction is taking place.

That is important because Pobal has a role in regard to compliance in those services. I would want Pobal to discuss with those providers what I saw on television. I have also asked Pobal to make a link between the work it and the HSE inspectorate is doing, which was not happening in the past but which is very important.

I expect an interim report from Mr. Gordon Jeyes. Obviously, that had to go to tender. He has asked for the report in two parts - a preliminary report and a more substantial report later in the year. It will be a two part process and it should be published. I will arrange for its publication as soon as we have those reports. It is extremely important that we analyse the pattern of compliance in the voluntary and community sector and in the businesses which were under review in the television programme. That has not happened before.

I refer to the Deputy's question about accessing reports online. I repeat there has been a huge amount of contact from parents asking about reports. Parents will be given the details and they can ask providers for a copy of the report without having to go online at all. However, we have made arrangements with Pobal for it to host the online reports. From 1 July, any new reports done will go up as soon as they become available and the providers have had a chance to respond to them. We will also put up any reports done in recent weeks and months.

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister for her reply. It is the case that only new reports will go up and it will take a period of time before there is a full complement of reports relevant to the various care facilities throughout the country. In some areas of the country, including in my own area, a situation is not in place for regular and repeat checks. It is clear from the information to hand that some areas of the country are less catered for but that is not to suggest for one moment that care providers in those parts of the country are in any way deleterious in regard to their responsibilities as, in my experience, the contrary is the case. However, I urge the Minister to look at what can be done to ensure that early reports are secured and that they are put up online. This is not just an issue of concern in the greater Dublin area but it is of concern to people throughout the jurisdiction.

One of the points the Minister highlighted at the Joint Committee on Health and Children engagement was increasing and widening the sanctions which can be imposed for non-compliance. Would she like to comment further on that? I am interested to know if they will be imposed. Increased and wider sanctions are one thing but most people who saw the expose on "Prime Time" want to know that sanctions will be enforced.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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In regard to the Deputy's question about access to inspection reports online, I have asked that any recent reports, reports prior to 1 July, which can be put online are put online. I have asked that any other reports, which are ready and are suitable, are put online, although there is a question about, and much background work to be done on, formats and there are legal, insurance issues etc. I expect we will see some of those more recent reports going online shortly.

The Deputy made the point about different parts of the country. The reports will go up online county by county. The Deputy was right that there are gaps in certain areas, which is unacceptable. I am in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, to ensure we have basic services throughout the country because inspectors from other areas are being asked to go in, on a priority basis, to counties where there is no inspection. That will be dealt with. What was the Deputy's third question?

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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It was about enforcement of the sanctions.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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This is linked to the way the inspection reports are done. We need a very clear statement in those reports as to whether a prosecution is taking place. If a prosecution is deemed necessary, that must be very clearly indicated. We must start to put a range of sanctions in place because there is not a range of sanctions in place currently. There were three prosecutions last year, of which I informed the committee, but we need more clarity in the inspection reports where standards are not being met and we need a greater range of sanctions if there is not compliance. We need to implement them but I believe that will require changes to the legislation.