Nicky McFadden (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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980. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the new national pre-school quality standards will be launched; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45673/13]

Nicky McFadden (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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981. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide detail on the increase in minimum qualification requirements for childcare staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45674/13]

Nicky McFadden (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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982. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs when the new pre-school laws to establish statutory registration of preschool services and new powers of inspectors to ensure standards are met will be introduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45656/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 980 to 982, inclusive, together.

Legislation to strengthen the current inspection regime and underpin the Pre-School Quality Agenda is expected to be enacted before the end of the year. This legislation will provide a statutory basis for registration of pre-school services and will introduce a range of new enforcement powers for Inspectors at pre-prosecution level. Under the proposed new system, all pre-school services will have to be registered in order to operate. Inspectors will be empowered to specify improvement conditions that a service must comply with; and the threat of removal of registration will be available. This system will, for the first time, provide for timely and effective regulation and enforcement of standards in pre-school services, backed up by statutory registration.

New National Quality Standards for pre-school services will be launched before the end of the year. These Standards will complement the existing Pre-School Regulations replacing previous explanatory notes; and will set out the quality outcomes and supporting criteria against which inspection under the pre-school regulations will be measured.

On foot of Budget 2014, I will be allocating €4.5m in Exchequer funding to support the implementation of the Pre-School Quality Agenda which will seek to support and assure higher standards in pre-school services. Of this funding, €1.5m is provided to support staff training to meet the new qualification requirements recently announced by my Department. The current minimum requirement of Level 5 for pre-school leaders delivering the pre-school year will be increased to Level 6. In addition, all pre-school assistants, and all other staff caring for children in a new pre-school service, will be subject to a minimum requirement of Level 5. These requirements will be effective from September 2014 for new services and from September 2015 for existing services.