Vol. 568 No. 2
147 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science the Minister who is in charge of early years education; the way in which he has delegated responsibility for pre-school and early years education to his various Ministers and Ministers of State; his further plans in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16126/03]
Currently, my Department supports early childhood education through the provision of infant classes in national schools, which cater for the majority of children aged four and five. In addition, my Department also funds a number of pilot pre-school initiatives focusing in particular on children at risk. Such initiatives include the early start project and a number of Traveller pre-schools.
A White Paper on early childhood education, Ready to Learn, was published in 1999, setting out a comprehensive strategy for the development of early childhood education for all children from birth to six years. The principal objective of the White Paper is "to support the development and educational achievement of children through high quality early education, with particular focus on the target groups of the disadvantaged and those with special needs."
In late 2001 my Department established the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education. The centre has a three-year brief to promote the development of quality early education in line with the proposals set out in the White Paper, Ready to Learn.
My Department has commissioned the OECD to conduct a review of early childhood education and care in Ireland. The review focused on quality, access and co-ordination issues, which are seen as key to the development of early childhood care and education in Ireland. It is expected that the review, which will inform policy and programme development in the sector and will assist the work of the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education, will be available within the next few weeks.
In addition to the services provided by my Department, a number of other Departments have involvement in pre-school provision and care, including the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
