Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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231. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of households that use child minders for part or all of their childcare needs. [19377/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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As the vast majority of childminders are currently unregistered, I can provide estimates of the number of individuals involved in childminding, but not concrete figures. According to CSO estimates, 10% of children in Ireland from infancy to 12 years of age receive childcare services from childminders, au pairs or nannies, often in combination with other forms of parental and non-parental childcare. This equates to approximately 88,000 children.

On 26 March this year, Childminding Ireland launched their report 'Pathway to a Quality Support and Assurance System for Childminding in Ireland ', which contains a number of recommendations drawn up by a working group with representation from across the sector. My Department is giving this report careful consideration and will devise an action plan for childminders which will guide the future policy direction for childminders in the sector.