Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for raising the matter. I have been discussing the matter with Senator Keane and I am happy to respond to Senator Zappone, who raised the issue in the House. Almost all of the early years services in this country are provided by either private commercial or community not-for-profit providers. A small number of these services are provided in workplace locations.

In general, private and community child care facilities are developed in response to the needs of the local community. Child care services in workplace developments result from an agreement between employers and employees to put in place a child care facility that is conveniently located and which addresses the child care needs of the parents who are part of the workforce. The on-going viability of such enterprises is a matter between the employer and the facility management. In this case, I understand that a sub-committee of the hospital board of management is responsible for governance decisions about the service.

A number of representations have been made to my Department by parents who use the facility at Tallaght Hospital about the proposed closure of the facility. I must inform the Senator that my Department has no responsibility for the sustainability of commercial or community crèches or those facilities established specifically to meet the child care needs of a particular workforce. Representations made to my Department have suggested that proposed changes to the child care regulations will impose additional costs on child care providers and that this is a factor in the proposed decision to close this facility. This was mentioned with Senator Zappone in respect of compliance with regulations. I am not sure if she makes a valid point.

There have been a number of amendments to the Child Care Act 1991 which were introduced to underpin a number of key reforms being implemented as part of the preschool quality agenda. The amended legislation aims to strengthen the current inspection regime, provides a statutory basis for the registration of early years services, and also provides for the setting of minimum qualification standards for staff working with children in early years services. To provide for the implementation of the changes to the Child Care Act, it will be necessary to amend or make additions to the child care regulations and these are currently being finalised. It is not intended to impose any additional costs on services as a result of the new regulations, other than an increase in the annual fee payable by services to the early years inspectorate. In the case of the facility in Tallaght Hospital, the increase in the fee payable is expected to be in the region of €80 per annum.

Mandatory training qualifications for staff working with children in early years services are being introduced. Legislative provision for these mandatory qualifications has been made and it has been announced that, from September 2015, all staff caring for children in preschool services will be required to have a training qualification in early childhood care and education at level 5 on the national qualifications framework. This requirement will apply to staff in new services from September of this year. In order to enable existing child care staff to upskill to meet the increased qualification requirements, a new learner fund has been put in place. Funding of €3 million has been committed over the two years 2014-15. More than 2,200 child care staff have applied for funding and a range of accredited training providers have been identified to provide the required training courses.

Considerable capital funding was made available to develop child care infrastructure in this country in the period up until 2009, with approximately €425 million in capital grants approved. This investment has ensured that there are now sufficient child care places available to meet current child care needs. There are currently some 4,500 preschool services operating across the State and providing the free preschool year programme. The South Dublin County Childcare Committee, which is funded by my Department to provide support to parents and to child care services, is well-positioned to offer advice and support and I know that it has been engaging with the Tallaght facility since the proposed closure was announced. The committee has established that there are sufficient child care places in the local area to accommodate the children if the closure proceeds. I acknowledge the Senators' point about the quality of child care available on site at Tallaght Hospital. I agree with Senator Zappone that it is a first-class crèche and I acknowledge, as she did, the valuable role of the staff and all involved with the unit. While I am sympathetic to the fact that the parents who have been using the service would like to be in a position to continue doing so, the service is privately operated and I am not in a position to intervene in the closure.