John Bruton
Question:86 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Health the cost of the immediate implementation of the regulations provided for in Part VII of the Child Care Act, 1991.
Written Answers. - Child Care Regulations.
Part VII of the Child Care Act, 1991, provides for the supervision of pre-school services for children under the age of six years and for the making of regulations in relation to such services. When this Part is brought into operation health boards will be required to inspect services from time to time to ensure compliance with the regulations. It will be necessary for the boards to put in place a new inspectorate for this purpose at an estimated annual cost of £1 million.
As I indicated to the House in reply to questions on 10 March, the next phase in the implementation of the Child Care Act will involve the commencement of Parts III, IV, V and VI which deal with the taking of children into care, court proceedings and the powers and duties of health boards in relation to children in their care. These are the most complex provisions of the Act and also the most significant in terms of their resource implications. It is my intention that they will be brought into operation as soon as the necessary staff, services and facilities that are required to underpin them have been put in place.
When these provisions have been successfully implemented, I will proceed with the commencement of Part VII and the remaining provisions of the Act.