Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the Senators who contributed to the debate.

There was cross-party and Independent support on the vital importance of the early years in any child's life and on what I am trying to do as Minister for Education and Skills. I deliberately highlighted this area because it is crucial. I am delighted to see that there is so much understanding, experience and support in this House. In having had this debate today, it strengthens my hand. I thank the Senators for that.

I need not repeat what has been said on the research showing that what one invests in early years is returned manyfold at a later stage. I will not repeat any of the points made, but thank Senators for making them. Maybe I will clarify a few of the areas that were highlighted by Senators, where issues were raised to which I might respond.

Quality, in terms of the educational quality of the early years, is my area of responsibility and that is why I am establishing the review of qualifications. I note Senators Quinn, Barrett and others have raised that issue around qualifications. We are reviewing all of the qualifications, including higher education and further education, to ensure that there is quality across the board and there are quality trained staff working in the sector. That is also why we have the inspectorate. Senator van Turnhout and others raised the issue of the number and different kinds of inspections. We want to co-ordinate the inspections. In fact, recently I attended a conference where I took part in a question and answer session where there were staff from the two Departments answering persons working in the sector on the different inspectorates. We want to ensure that we co-ordinate the inspections and do not place too much of a burden on the sector. I stress that the purpose of the education inspectorate is centred on support where help is needed rather than on judgment, closing anybody down or anything like that.

Primarily, the two Departments - although the Department of Health is also involved, particularly for young people with disabilities - are working together. In answer to Senator Power's question on the early years strategy, we expect that will be published in the first half of this year. My Department is feeding into it as well. Alongside that, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Reilly, has received approval from Cabinet to set up a cross-departmental group on the cost of child care. As has been repeated across the House, Ireland has not invested in this sector in the way that it should have over the years. The preschool year was a good investment but we need to catch up on other countries. I would certainly be committed to working with Government colleagues to see where we can invest further because investment is important in this area. Deputy Reilly's cross-departmental group will help to both inform the early years strategy and give us solid evidence in terms of where and how we need to invest. With the economy a little better than it has been in recent years, we hope we will be able to proceed along those lines.

Senator Moran, in particular, raised the issue of disability and the early years, working across the early years sector with the primary school sector as well and having supports. The National Council for Special Education conducted a review of the way in which we support children with special needs in schools and made recommendations on changes in how we do so. We want to use the data from the early years, and from the disability services through the HSE, on which there is cross-departmental work being done at present as well, so that we have a better idea of what the needs will be when the children get to schools because one of the criticism of the current system is that one must get a diagnosis before one gets the supports in schools. We want to get as much information as we can to ensure that we can put the supports into schools where they are needed so that they will be there for the child and there is that continuum between children with special needs in the early years and their support right up through school. I acknowledge that children with special needs, in particular in the early years, need to have their needs addressed. That is one of the areas on which I will ensure the advisory group focuses. I also take the point that we need to ensure that the group reports regularly, but the group will conduct broader consultation and it will not be only the groups which are represented on the advisory group that will be consulted. They intend to conduct consultation within the sector across a wider area.

I responded to Senator Power about the strategy. I am not sure whether she had come back in at that time.