John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is good to see the Minister of State back in the House. I want to follow up on a point made by Senator Currie. She said that she knows how much it means to families all over the country to have childminders. That comment brought be back to my own childhood. I am 33 now and my brother and I had a childminder in 1993. Our childminder was a woman called Rose English from Greengates in County Louth who had such a formative effect on our childhoods. She is still a huge part of our lives, even to this day. It struck me when Senator Currie made her remarks how much of an influence childminders have on children right around the country. I am convinced that if it was not for Rose and everything that she taught my brother and I, we simply would not be the people we are today. I just wanted to take the opportunity to acknowledge childminders and the hugely formative role they play.

One aspect of this Bill that I particularly welcome is how it will underpin regulation and sensible safeguards. That is a key point to acknowledge. It is also going to allow childminders to participate in the national childcare scheme which is both fair and equitable. It puts childminders on a level footing. There is one issue about which I seek clarity from the Minister of State. I received a pretty detailed email from Childminding Ireland outlining various issues its members have with this legislation, some of which I agree with, but there is one issue on which I hope the Minister of State can provide clarity. Childminding Ireland argues that the problem with childcare in Ireland comes from the "corporate" crèches, not locally-based childminders and that what the Government proposes is "an over layer of a centre-based regulatory model on childminders" with no regulatory impact assessment of this proposal. That is one issue that stuck out for me and I would be keen to hear the Government's view on it.

All in all, this legislation is important and welcome. It is delivering on a number of commitments that we made in the programme for Government. At the end of the day, childminders play such an important role both for the parents of the children they are minding and for the children themselves. We can all think of childminders who, many years after a child has become an adult, have had such an impact on that person's life. It is really important to take the opportunity to acknowledge that today.