Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I would also like to raise the issue of the "Prime Time" programme last night on crèche care. I express my sympathies to the parents of the children featured in the programme and those whose children were being cared for in the various crèches. I can fully understand why the programme is not being rebroadcast on the RTE Player website.

I raised this issue in the House last week. While I have every respect for the investigations unit of RTE, it is entirely inappropriate that a matter that is being investigated by the Garda has to be brought to public attention by RTE and not in the manner in which it ought to have been - namely, via proper and appropriate supervision by the HSE.

I found the statements made by the HSE spokesperson today disturbing and unacceptable. Some of the justifications it gave were insufficient, to say the least. I support the call for the Minister to come in to the House, a call that I made last week. I am not aware whether that could happen today. If it could, it would be most welcome. It should be done at the earliest possible opportunity.

This matter raises long-term and short-term issues. Senator van Turnhout referred to a difficulty in the formal child care sector, but there is also a sincere and serious difficulty in the informal child care sector, which is subject to little or no supervision. In the current environment, where parents are very stretched, many children are being cared for informally, including increasingly by au pairs. There is no vetting or supervision whatsoever. A lot of children in formal situations are being cared for by people who are earning the minimum wage with no training to speak of. This is an important issue and it behoves us to take it seriously. Nothing will suffice but for the Minister to come to the House to answer questions.