Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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8. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way she proposes to improve the quality and qualifications of the workforce in child care facilities with specific emphasis where services are being provided in the age groups zero to six years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32556/13]

Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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10. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the resources that will be required to ensure the successful implementation of the Síolta and Aistear strategies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32563/13]

John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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14. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to improve the regulation and inspection of child care facilities with specific emphasis where services are being provided in the age groups zero to six years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32550/13]

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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19. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide an update on the actions her Department is taking in terms of child care provision, inspections, rules and regulations following on from the RTE "Breach of Trust" programme. [32350/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 10, 14 and 19 together.

I thank the Deputies for the range of questions on early years services. I have already outlined to the House the eight action areas through which we are addressing the Deputies' concerns. It is important to introduce qualification requirements for all staff working in preschool services. For this reason, I have indicated my intention to increase the minimum requirement for preschool leaders delivering the preschool year from level 5 to level 6. It is also my intention to require all preschool assistants and all other staff caring for children in preschool services to hold a minimum qualification at level 5. These new requirements will apply from September 2014 for new services and from September 2015 for existing services.

As the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, driving the early childhood care and education quality agenda is one of my Department's key objectives. I am working closely with the Department of Education and Skills in this regard. I wish to clarify that Síolta and Aistear are not strategies, but practice frameworks developed to support quality early childhood care and education. They have been in place for a number of years and are based on extensive research. We must ensure that the various services have the supports necessary to implement them. I am in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, regarding a number of initiatives in the budget that would support the development of Síolta and Aistear in the services throughout the country.

The implementation of these frameworks to date has included the publication and dissemination of manuals and guidelines as well as an online toolkit. In addition, the Department of Education and Skills has developed a Síolta quality assurance programme, which has been field-tested in 135 early childhood care and education settings. An evaluation of this mentoring-based programme is being completed. This will provide the model for the roll-out of the frameworks. It is important that this sector be supported in delivering them and in developing the quality services that providers want to ensure children receive.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I call Deputies Troy, Ó Ríordáin and Harris. They may ask one question each, as we are almost out of time.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I will be brief. I acknowledge that raising the quality of standards will require a concerted effort by the Government and that this will take time.

I know the Minister is committed to the roll-out of Síolta and Aistear, which is welcome. Both documents were produced by the previous government. The Minister said that the quality of adults working with children is a key factor, and I accept that.

With regard to the increase in qualification levels from FETAC level 5 to level 6, how will the Minister ensure that parents will not be charged increased fees for child care as a result? The cost of child care is already quite high.

In answer to my earlier question, the Minister said she was in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, regarding approval for additional inspectors. Has that been successful and, if so, will those inspectors be in place in September? In the interim, when we are moving to implement Síolta and Aistear, could inspectors work with the county child care committees to ensure that the implementation of regulation 5 is adhered to? In that way, the education, development and welfare of the children will be protected. The way to do this, as the Minister herself suggested in committee, is to amend the Child Care (Amendment) Act to ensure that stricter penalties apply for breaches of regulations. Perhaps the Minister could examine that matter. Earlier this year, we facilitated an amendment of the Child Care Act, which went through both Houses of the Oireachtas in a matter of hours when we worked with the Minister. This could also be done in a matter of hours before September.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour)
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I very much welcome the Minister's comments on the qualification standards that are being rolled out. Compared to child care workers, education professionals such as teachers have a level of job security and status, as well as being trusted and respected. They are reasonably well paid in addition to having solid terms and conditions. People who work in the child care sector tell me that they were horrified by what they saw on the RTE programme. It is for their benefit that these qualification standards will be rolled out in Síolta and Aistear. However, they feel that their terms and conditions of employment are not great. They do not have much job security and their pay is very low.

If we are to genuinely invest in this sector, we need people who feel they are respected and wanted and that their contribution is valued. Not only must we concentrate on the qualifications of such workers, but we must also ensure that their terms and conditions and conditions of employment are improved, for their own benefit and that of the entire sector.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I very much welcome the Minister's work on qualifications for the child care sector. I wish to raise a slightly different aspect, however. In my constituency, the Bray Institute of Further Education already offers a level 5 course in childhood care and education and a level 6 course in early childhood and education. BIFE is really leading the way in this regard, but the difficulty is capacity. More people are applying for these courses than there are places.

This week, the new education and training boards were established to replace VECs. Surely there is a degree of overlap in the work the Minister needs to do and what the Department of Education and Skills needs to do to ensure there is capacity for people who, as Deputy Ó Ríordáin correctly says, want to improve their skills and obtain these qualifications.

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As regards Deputy Troy's question, of course the child care committees have a role. They are working with providers and clearly have a role to play in ensuring that regulation 5 is effectively being met. They do work with inspectors; there is no question about that.

I do not expect that the implementation of Síolta and Aistear will lead to an increase in fees for parents. Irish parents already pay among the highest fees for child care. That is certainly not envisaged.

As Deputy Ó Ríordáin rightly pointed out, the sector needs support. The sector has been neglected, yet we give the care of our under-fives to workers who have terms and conditions such as he described. It is to their credit that despite those terms and conditions - which are as the Deputy outlined - so many of them give such a wonderful, professional service in providing high-quality care for children. What can we do to support them and ensure they remain in the sector? The way to do this is to support them in undertaking further training, which many of them are doing voluntarily at present. The mentoring scheme must also be developed. I have seen it in operation in the Deputy's own area. It is terrific to see Síolta and Aistear being supported in some services, but we need to support mentoring also. I am in discussion with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Howlin, about how we can roll out a mentoring support service to child care providers around the country. It is essential to give that kind of support to child care workers and to value the work they do. There is no doubt that parents also value that work. We must ensure, however, that the sector gets the kind of support that has been lacking up to now. They are doing such an important job with very young children, so they need training and support. Many of those workers are undertaking training voluntarily, but we need to encourage further training for them. By laying down those basic qualifications we can ensure that the sector is recognised more and more in a variety of ways.

The universal ECCE year is a great financial support to the services. It helps them to continue delivering the other services they also provide. If we were in a position to develop a second free school year it would be a major boost to the sector. Clearly, however, we will have to deal with these training and quality issues first before introducing a second year. It is my objective to introduce a second year once these quality issues have been dealt with. It would be a great support to parents, as well as doing the right thing for children. In addition, it would ensure that the sector would continue to develop to the highest possible standards.

As regards Deputy Harris's question, I have met with the Department of Education and Skills about the number of places that are available. The Department has undertaken to examine the quality and number of courses. If the Deputy can give me details of the particular courses he referred to which have capacity issues, I will undertake to have that matter examined.