Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

While I may not have been present in the Chamber, I was listening to the debate and thank everyone for their contributions. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, I want to thank Senators for their engagement on these important reforms. Regarding the Bill itself, the Minister thanks the Senators for their support in enhancing the Tusla early years inspectorate enforcement tools by strengthening some of Tusla's powers and placing others on a statutory footing for the first time. It is vital that Tusla has the necessary tools to address non-compliance where it arises. As the Minister stated previously, he commends the vast majority of services that operate in the early years sector and the high standards to which they operate. These enforcement tools are aimed at the small minority of services that do not comply with the standards expected.

The Minister has listened to the concerns expressed by Senators regarding the proposals contained within the Bill relating to the regulation of childminding and to those expressed in the Dáil as well. As he mentioned, the majority of the issues that have been raised are not contained within the Bill but relate to the draft childminding regulations. He is still examining the findings of the recent public consultation and will take these into account when finalising the regulations. The Minister believes that the three-year transition period offers an appropriate period of time for childminiders to learn about and prepare for regulation. The active support of Tusla and childminding development officers in the local city and county childcare committees will allay their fears and prepare them for registration. The Minister continues to work with stakeholders, including childminding representatives, to ensure the regulations are appropriate and proportionate to the home and family setting in which childminders work, while at the same time offering the necessary assurance to parents and safeguarding children.

While the Bill will be brought to a conclusion today, the Minister does not intend to commence it or the childminding-specific regulations until September. In the meantime the Minister will continue to engage on the finalisation of the draft childminding regulations to ensure they meet the needs of all of those concerned, including children, parents and childminders. He appreciates that the Bill has moved quite quickly and thanks all those involved in the process of assisting with its progression. It is vital that the Bill is commenced to ensure that childminders can register with Tusla from September, thus allowing parents to access the national childcare scheme.

In conclusion, and on behalf of the Minister, I thank Senators for their engagement on this important legislation. The Minister also wishes to thank the Office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for their assistance and commitment and the Joint Oireachtas Committee for its valuable contributions.