Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the Seanad. He is no stranger to it. I think he said he served two terms in this House. I congratulate him on his recent elevation to Minister of State and wish him all the best in his new portfolio. I look forward to working with him in the next couple of months and, hopefully, years.

Home-based childcare providers across the country are deeply concerned about the new childminding regulations. Many have contacted me in recent months expressing real anxiety about the future of their work, which is essential to families and communities nationwide and rurally. That is a big issue for us.

Childminders are not opposed to regulation. They support safeguarding, high standards and accountability but they feel that what is being introduced resembles a centre-based childcare model imposed on a family home. They fear that the administrative burden, inspection regimes and associated costs could drive many experienced childminders out of the sector. If even a fraction of these providers step away, the impact on parents, particularly in rural areas, will be very significant. Families rely on the flexibility, continuity of care and, more importantly, affordability that home-based childcare providers provide. Losing those options at this stage would place real strain on households.

Childminders are asking for proportionate childminding-specific regulations that recognise the unique nature of care in their home. They need clearer and more accessible pathways for Garda vetting for all relevant adults, stronger financial supports to meet compliance costs and reassurances around privacy, particularly concerning the publication of their home addresses.

The three-year transition period is welcomed but it must be backed by a robust and genuine mid-transition review. This review needs to be transparent, responsive and a real opportunity to fix what is not working instead of tick-box exercise. Many childminders are feeling a bit unsure about what exactly they need to do over the next three years. Many of them tell me they are confused about the steps, the paperwork and what an inspection will actually look like in the context of a family home. I ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to engage with their concerns to ensure that regulations strengthen rather than undermine home-based childcare and to protect the vital services childminders provide to thousands of families in Ireland.