Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to develop a comprehensive, national pre-school service that is focused on early childhood development. [48596/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the vast majority of support for preschool services is not provided by my Department, but is provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The principle vehicle for delivery of preschool education is the free Preschool Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which was introduced in January 2010 and provides early learning to children in the year before they commence primary school. However, it is an accepted tenet that care and education are inextricably linked elements in a child's holistic development and younger children who attend early years services are also availing of a programme which must comply with Regulation 5 of the 2006 Child Care (Preschool Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006.

Regulation 5 covers the Health, Welfare and Development of the child and states that ' A person carrying on a preschool service shall ensure that each child's learning, development and well-being is facilitated within the daily life of the service through the provision of the appropriate opportunities, experiences, activities, interaction, materials and equipment, having regard to the age and stage of development of the child and the child's cultural context.' It is not within any administration's interests to develop a parallel system of preschool service that mirrors one that already exists.