Imelda Henry (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister. I say to Senator Terry Leyden that the Minister is alert to the issues involved and working on them. RTE took an opportunity to make a programme which was very disturbing for many, in particular parents who use the facilities of a crèche. Some parents decided not to look at the programme. We have some wonderful and well run crèches. Parents make a decision to have their children minded by private childminders or in crèches which are regulated and unregulated. As the Minister said, 70% of people opt for private childminding services. Inspections are taking place. I know nurses were mentioned, but it is important to know who the inspectors are and what qualifications and expertise they possess.

I am a parent who used crèche facilities in the past. It is important that the staff employed in crèches have the necessary qualifications to work in them, but, most important, parents have an obligation when they hand over their children to a crèche to ask questions and know what is going on. For infants who cannot talk, parents should ask more questions. Last year I took the Minister to a fantastic crèche in Sligo which had been in business for several years, but I was told this morning that no parent had ever asked for an inspection report. I find this worrying. Parents must take more interest in where they send their children and what is going on in the crèche. It is frightening to think they do not.

The last Administration spent a lot of money on bricks and mortar but not on children. We are very lucky to have the Minister and for the past two and a half years she has done an enormous amount of work. Her commitment and passion were evident in her speech. She is someone people in different parties admire and we know she is committed to doing what is best for children. She has done so much work on the Family Support Agency and Children First and in the referendum campaign. It is very unfair for anyone in this House to say otherwise.

The Minister acted very swiftly following the "Prime Time" programme. It is important that excess staff are redeployed to this area, as in the case of vetting when 25 staff were moved from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I welcome the national approach the Minister will take. We have the tools, knowledge and the resources. As a parent, I have complete trust in the Minister. I am sure that when the term of the Government comes to an end, she will be one of the Ministers who will have made huge changes, of which I as a parent of two children will be very proud.