I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, to the House. Before we begin, I welcome to the Gallery the women from the Irish Countrywomen's Association group in County Meath. I thank them for being here in Leinster House. I hope they have a very pleasant morning.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Schools Building Projects
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. Tá fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit inniu go dtí an Seanad. Tá géarghá le foirgneamh buan a thógáil do Ghaelscoil Ruairí i Maigh Nuad. Tá an Ghaelscoil seo, a bunaíodh in 2019 le haghaidh oideachas bunscoile a chur ar fáil trí mheán na Gaeilge, suite ar shuíomh sealadach ar champas oideachais Mhá Nuad. Cé go bhfuil cead pleanála ag an scoil do shuíomh buan ar an gcampas ó mhí Lúnasa 2021, tá dúshlán fadálach le sárú ag an scoil agus tá gá le gníomh roimpi láithreach.
Faoi láthair, tá sé rang sa scoil, ó naíonáin bheaga go rang a trí, agus rang uathachais amháin. Tá 114 scoláirí ar na rollaí ag an scoil agus 30 eile cláraithe le tosú i mí Mheán Fómhair. Is scoil í atá ag forbairt agus ag fás go bliantúil go dtí go mbeidh sruth iomlán ranganna inti. Tá na scoláirí ag impí go láidir go ndéanfaí dul chun cinn ar an gceist phráinneach seo gan mhoill. Tá sé in am gníomh a dhéanamh agus ní leor gealltanais.
I am disappointed the Minister for Education is not present but I respect and appreciate that her absence is unavoidable. The school community at Gaelscoil Ruairí has a message for her, which I ask the Minister of State to convey. The message is that the time for words is over and the time for action has long since passed. The then Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, officially opened Gaelscoil Ruairí on Friday, 24 November 2023. On that occasion, she committed that the project for a permanent school building would go to tender by this summer. Unfortunately, the publication and issuing of that tender has not been forthcoming from the Department. The issues arising from the lack of space in the temporary school buildings continue to be a cause for serious concern. The ongoing costs associated with servicing a temporary school building are significant and do not make sense.
I commend Gaelscoil Ruairí on successfully opening a special class for autistic students last year. In doing so, it has provided support that is urgently and desperately needed by parents in the surrounding area who were struggling to find any appropriate school place for their children. The school principal, all the staff, the board of management, the parents and, most important of all, the pupils deserve to be commended. They have defied the odds. The school is a huge success. All involved are doing their best and are progressing heroically. The school is cherished in the local community. It is the pride of the community.
However, the school is being stymied in taking the next steps. In education, time cannot be taken back. Every day is precious. The parents and board of management have expressed to me their deep frustration that, after all their great work, the next steps in their journey have been inexplicably protracted, with delay after delay. All they want is a simple issuance and publication of the tender and to take the next steps they richly deserve to take. It is not too much to ask. Gabhaim buíochas.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. Ar son an Aire Oideachais, gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as an ábhar seo a phlé. Tugann sé deis dom eolas a thabhairt don Seanad faoin dul chun cinn atá déanta mar gheall ar an bhfoirgneamh nua do Ghaelscoil Ruairí. The school building project for Gaelscoil Ruairí will deliver a new, eight-classroom primary school and accommodation and that includes two classrooms for children with special educational needs. The project will be delivered under the Department's employer led design programme. This uses a professional, external project manager to co-ordinate and drive the design team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of architectural planning, tender and construction.
The project for Gaelscoil Ruairí currently has planning permission and it will, along with a number of other projects, be brought to the level of employer-led design with a design team assigned to do so under the supervision of the Department's project manager. The process of appointing the design team from the Department's framework of consultants was completed in September 2023 and the project is currently close to completion of stage 2b of the architectural design process. Stage 2b includes detailed design and the preparation of tender documents. The next stage, when stage 2b is approved, will be stage 3 and that is tender stage. Projects are subject to relevant due diligence at each stage in the process and within the context of overall programme and budgetary parameters.
Gaelscoil Ruairí is currently located in interim accommodation on the Moyglare campus site in Maynooth and the school has sufficient accommodation for September 2024. The Department will continue to address the school's interim accommodation requirements, pending delivery of its permanent accommodation.
As the Minister of State said, you would think the difficult part was getting planning permission. That is long since secured. A permanent building with sufficient facilities and indoor and outdoor space would do so much to support the students and others, including the staff, and provide stability, facilities and space so the school could naturally grow and accommodate more students with additional educational needs. Delaying the tendering for a permanent building will only result in additional costs to the State and displace students who require additional supports and who are being let down and whose school experience is not what it should be.
I am asking the Minister of State to talk to his colleague, the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, and to please give us that assurance. We are not looking to the past; that is for another day and there should be an investigation about this delay. We are trying to look forward here and to be positive. I am asking the Minister of State to do all using his influence and power and to talk to his fellow Government Minister.
This system will have to be overhauled. We have a school community here doing heroic work. It is really keen and anxious and it deserves to take the next steps but it is being held back by red tape in the Department and it is just not good enough. I thank the Minister of State for his presence today and ask him to talk to the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, to get things moving and translate words into action without any further unnecessary delays. Gabhaim buíochas.
Like all public representatives, I am familiar with the process of new schools starting up. There is a lot of enthusiasm at the start and then there are the challenges of trying to find the school buildings. There are temporary buildings at first and then there are permanent buildings along with the process of planning permission and so on. I understand it is frustrating and difficult to start a school. It is a challenge.
Gaelscoil Ruairí started in 2019. It had just 13 pupils and now has 113 pupils for the 2023-24 school year and it is currently in temporary accommodation but it needs permanent accommodation. It is one of 90 large schools that are at this stage where they are waiting to go to tender. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Foley, who I meet regularly. I hope I can meet her this week. I will raise the case of this school with her and I will ask what we can do to speed it up or how we can deliver this school as soon as possible.
Coastal Erosion
The second Commencement matter is in the name of Senator of Malcolm Byrne. The Senator has four minutes.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter which is on the question of coastal erosion. The Minister of State, like I, comes from a coastal area. We are very familiar with the importance of our coasts and indeed our beautiful beaches. I know the Acting Chair will also be very familiar with this in his home patch. We are very fortunate as an island nation to have such beautiful coasts, in fact we have about 5,800 km of coastline right around our shores.
I very much welcomed the actions taken by Government when last October, the Department of housing and the OPW jointly published a national strategy to deal with the problem of coastal erosion and indeed how we look specifically at coastal management. We are very much aware of the threat of rising sea levels. If we continue to see the problem of the polar caps melting, that will have an impact on our shore. We can look at all the scientific evidence but I grew up very close to the sea and now when I walk along the coast, I can see how it differs from when I was child. You can see the accretion of sand, the movements of sand along the shore, the loss of land and the impact there. I very much welcomed it when the Government put together this strategy but as the Minister of State will be aware, simply putting together a strategy is not good enough and I hope we will hear today about progress on a number of the measures.
There was an indication that a number of them would be set up immediately. One was that there would be this interdepartmental working group to address all the issues. Another was that there would be greater levels of training for local authority staff in how to manage coastal change and that we would also start to establish a research database looking at the impact of coastal erosion of our coasts. Another was that a register of coastal infrastructure would be established because we know the reality is we are going to have to make decisions as to what it is we are going to have to save. We will continue to lose land to the sea.
What is also critical and very welcome in this document is a commitment to engage with the coastal communities. I certainly know that in Wexford the coastal communities are very familiar with what is going on in the areas where they live. They see the loss of habitat as well as obviously the loss of shoreline and the loss of some of our beaches. They want to work actively with Government agencies to protect insofar as possible our beautiful beaches but also our coasts. There is that commitment in there.
I am looking for an update on the implementation of the strategy. I will probably regularly look for this because in order to protect our coastal communities and our beaches, it is essential. It is vital for tourism but also for the people who live in those areas. For the natural habitats that are there, it is a really serious issue and I hope the Minister of State will be able to provide us with an update.
I thank Senator Byrne for raising this matter. The challenge posed by rising sea levels is clear. The practical implementation of measures to mitigate these risks, particularly for coastal communities, is of critical importance. I welcome the opportunity to bring some clarity on the matter.
Ireland’s coast faces many challenges associated with climate change, for example, due not only to projected sea level rise but also from increased storm frequency and intensity. These challenges have complex and multifaceted effects and there is a need for a framework to inform key decisions on how the State should best manage its changing coast having regard to such future risks and taking account of the complex inter-relationships that result from the interaction between the marine and terrestrial environment.
The Government established an interdepartmental group to prepare a national coastal change management strategy to scope out an approach for the development of a national co-ordinated and integrated strategy to manage the projected impact of coastal change to our coastal communities. The interdepartmental group was jointly chaired by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the OPW and supported by a technical working group.
The scoping report on national coastal change management was approved and published by the Government in October last year. That report set out 15 recommendations that inform an evidence-based coastal change management strategy to address and manage the impacts of coastal change over the short, medium and longer terms that will be put in place.
The strategy set out in the scoping report involves an integrated whole-of-government approach with actions across many sectors and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is going to play a key role in co-ordinating and delivering the essential work programme. This work is being progressed through the establishment of an interdepartmental steering group. That group met in May 2024 and is due to meet again in the coming weeks. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage acts as chair of the steering group and as policy lead. In particular, it co-ordinates the work across Government with respect to responding in a co-ordinated way to the challenge of coastal change.
The OPW will act as the national lead co-ordinating body for the assessment of coastal change hazards and risks and the assessment of technical options and constraints.
With regard to responding to coastal change, local authorities are generally responsible for the management of matters associated with coastal change and erosion in their respective administrative areas. Other coastal risks, such as those to transport and agricultural business, are addressed locally and through appropriate sectoral responses. There are a number of ongoing programmes to inform how mitigation of the effects of coastal erosion can be tackled. For example, the OPW has an ongoing coastal monitoring survey programme and initial target sites were selected based on their significant exposure to coastal erosion and change. They are based on the recommendations of associated detailed coastal studies. The information that is derived from the programme will help inform and support the planning, design and testing of new adaptation measures to tackle the effects of climate change in the coastal zone.
I thank the Minister of State. Senator Byrne has one minute to respond.
I thank the Minister of State and I welcome the establishment of the interdepartmental working group but it is critical that this is followed through with action. I want to see a situation whereby we see beaches like those at Courtown Harbour replenished. Obviously, there are many homes and other critical pieces of infrastructure around our coast that are at real risk. Establishing that database of infrastructure that needs to be protected is important. This is a multi-annual strategy that we are going to be dealing with for quite a long period and the urgency of this cannot be underestimated. As the Minister of State mentioned, every year we are seeing parts of our coast falling into the sea, not just from rising sea levels but particularly from storms. We really do need implementation of this strategy.
The Minister of State has one minute to respond.
There is a railway line that runs from Dún Laoghaire, which is my constituency, to Wexford. Along that route, Irish Rail has done a lot of work to map out where the likely erosion risks are within my own constituency and within Wicklow, near Wicklow town and probably within Wexford as well. Historically, that railway line has been moved back from the coast, close to where I live. Over 100 years ago it was moved back and I wonder whether it will have to be moved again. There are houses that are closer to the coast.
We cannot take a short-term-only strategy. We cannot just say to these homeowners that we will help them if their houses are about to fall into the sea; we have to take a longer-term strategy as well. However, we cannot ignore the short-term risks. That document from last year with 15 recommendations is meant to cover short, medium and long-term approaches. The Minister for housing acknowledges that there is a need for a longer-term, co-ordinated approach to tackling the issue of coastal change and to provide a framework for key decisions to be taken on how Ireland can best manage its coasts, being aware of future risks and the associated planning requirements.
I absolutely agree that coastal communities need to be included. If somebody is living in a house and is seeing, metre by metre, the cliff face getting closer to him or her, I can understand the anxiety of living there and wondering whether the house the person paid a mortgage on or inherited is going to be lost. In some areas this is the case, particularly where there have been glacial deposits and the type of soil is such that it can simply be washed away, a metre at a time, as we have seen in some cases along the east coast. Dealing with this is really complex and as the Senator knows, when one fortifies one part of the coast, often it has an effect further up the coast. We put in barriers, such as rock armour, but whatever we do in one part of the coast affects another part. It is a difficult thing. It needs co-ordination across Government and it also needs at the involvement of local communities.
I thank the Minister of State.
Traffic Management
I thank the Minister of State and it is great to have the opportunity to have him in the Chamber to discuss this issue.
Kinsale is a thriving town and is the second biggest town in Cork South-West. It has a population of nearly 6,000 people and the population increased quite significantly in the last census. There has been a 13% increase in population in Kinsale since 2016. It is the start of the Wild Atlantic Way and has wonderful things going for it. The hand of history and the hand of geography have been really kind to Kinsale over the last millennium. However, we need to look at the key issues affecting the town and how we try to make sure the town is a fit-for-purpose town in this day and age.
It is a heritage town and has so much going for it such as Charles Fort, James Fort and Desmond Castle, as well as real historic sites like the Battle of Kinsale sites. Unfortunately, traffic and congestion are a huge issue in the town itself. At present, 70% of traffic goes through the town and does not stop there. Last Sunday, when I was going through the town of Kinsale, I was in a traffic jam for 25 minutes. It is unfortunate that we have a scenario whereby Kinsale is suffering from a huge traffic issue that affects the town.
As for my vision for Kinsale, it is that the majority of streets be pedestrian-only. We should have fewer cars in the town and should take the cars out of the town. What a gem and a wonderful place it then would be. It really would be an iconic visitor location and people would visit in higher numbers than they do at the moment.
We need to do more about trying to work on this congestion issue. We have increased the frequency of the bus service, which has doubled in the last few months. We now have a bus service every 30 minutes going to Cork city, which is really welcome and has provided a great connectivity for the town. However, the key issue is trying to make sure that we have a solution to get the cars around the town, because beaches are at the other side of Kinsale. I speak of Garrylucas, Garrettstown and Coolmain Strand, which are wonderful locations the Minister of State should visit himself if he has the opportunity. That is the key issue that we have for the next six or seven months, namely, that people will be trying to get through Kinsale and will not have the ability to go around it.
This strategy that has been brought forward is really welcome and is something that has been talked about for so long. What engagement will there be, what engagement will there be with the local authorities and how will that engagement happen? We need to make sure that that engagement is going to include both local authorities and community groups. I am speaking in particular about Kinsale Chamber of Tourism and Business. That has produced a really dynamic report about how we can make sure that Kinsale is going to be a thriving town going forward when it comes to the key issues of infrastructure. It produced a significant report that reimagines Kinsale. They got their own private consultant in to do it. We need to engage with groups like that, that have done so much about trying to make sure Kinsale is a thriving town going forward. We also need to engage with the local authority. Our relationships with the local authority, the public and Kinsale businesses need to be worked on.
This issue about trying to get a bypass to relieve the traffic around Kinsale is something we need to start generally talking about. There is no major plan or line in the map there and the conversation needs to begin somewhere. I hope that this document brought forward is the start of an actual conversation about how we can reduce the congestion issues that are damning the wonderful town of Kinsale. The Minister of State might give me an update on where this proposal is, where he plans to go regarding the consultation and whether there is a possibility of a roadshow. Could the Department go to locations that are being affected by congestion in order that they can take into consideration the people's views regarding what can be brought forward?
I thank the Senator. The Minister of State has four minutes.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, asked me to answer this and gave me a comprehensive answer. I hope I have time to read it. He wants to provide an update on the new moving together strategy, which is currently out on public consultation. As well as extensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders during development of this draft strategy, I understand the Department of Transport is planning further engagement with critical stakeholders over the coming months while the public consultation is under way. Alleviating traffic congestion is important to everyone. This new strategy has potential to deliver efficiency across our national transport system for the benefit of all. I would encourage the Senator to engage with the Department of Transport as a key stakeholder.
Senator Lombard will know that in recent decades, like most other countries, car and road based freight have become the dominant means for moving people and goods within Ireland. Through urban planning and road building programmes, this trend was supported by allocating more and more of our public and civic spaces to cars, vans and trucks. While this makes sense from several perspectives, it did give rise to some problems. One of those is traffic congestion and there has also been a cultural shift in how we think about public space and how we prioritise its use. Motorised transport became the priority, while space for people rather than cars became inadvertently demoted. Communities became severed by heavily trafficked streets and active transport became a much greater challenge.
Knowing what we now know, we may have adopted a different approach; however, there is still a lot to be learned from our past. Before motorised transport was all-pervasive, people walked and cycled to the local shops, supported local businesses and lived in a way that limited waste and used resources efficiently. Our towns were thriving marketplaces as well as vibrant centres for community living. Today, however, many of our historic medieval and market towns are choked with traffic. Narrow streets in beautiful towns like Kinsale mean space is at a premium. Congestion, as well as causing localised pollution and health implications, makes it difficult to access shops and services. Equally, it makes it difficult for people to move about safely. This particularly affects children and the elderly, which has implications for independence and community life. Congestion does not work for anyone. It does not work for drivers or users of public transport, and it certainly does not work for anybody who wants to walk, wheel or cycle. Therefore, we need a new approach.
In its 2022 report Redesigning Ireland's Transport for Net Zero, the OECD advised that Ireland is unlikely to achieve its climate goals without a systemic change in its transport system and substantially different patterns of travel behaviour than those observed today. The OECD called for policies of high transformative potential, such as road space reallocation. With a growing population and a buoyant economy, the transport sector is now at a critical juncture and there is growing recognition that, across the world, the prevailing car-centric model is reaching the limits of its efficiency. It is having impacts on towns like Kinsale, which have a rich historical heritage but that need to meet the service and retail needs of surrounding areas as well as those of visitors and tourists. To this end, the new strategy, Moving Together, is being developed to help alleviate the impacts of car dependency on the economy, environment and health of our society. Cars, vans and trucks will continue to be a vital part of our transport mix but we must plan for their use in a better way. Local authorities like Cork County Council will be critical in this planning. It is intended that the strategy will provide the guidance needed for local authorities and local council representatives to develop bespoke plans for their own areas — plans that are co-created with local communities in towns like Kinsale.
Later in the year, after the public consultation has concluded, on 21 August, and the Department of Transport has completed its engagement plan, it is intended to bring the draft strategy, along with an implementation plan, to the Government. The Minister for Transport urges local government representatives to engage as much as possible in the development of this strategy so it fully reflects the types of issues faced by towns up and down the country in their efforts to address congestion.
I thank the Minister of State for that very comprehensive response. Moving forward together is the key to making sure we find a suitable solution to traffic congestion in Kinsale. Part of this involves making sure parts of Kinsale are pedestrian only, which would be really positive for the town. Potentially, there could be a one-way system, which would really work, but the bypass is the key to ensuring we get 70% of the cars out of the town. The cars are choking the town at the moment. We have seen the increase in public transport, which has been really welcome, but it is a matter of getting cars out of the town centre, which is choking. I ask that we have a roadshow. We need to meet the people. Fundamentally, the Department officials, instead of seeking consultation, need to go to the towns and villages and engage. They should go to Kinsale, in particular, and form a view of what is happening in such towns, which is probably happening in every town and village around Ireland. This is to give an indication that something outside the Pale might be something different. I suggest we do this. I believe that if we do so, the knock-on implication will be that we will all move forward together. If we do that, we will see a better place for everyone.
Kinsale is really a special place. It is one of the most beautiful towns in Ireland. It is thriving because there is so much demand. It is famous not only for its restaurants but also for its beautiful buildings, its landscape, its bay and sailing. This is reflected in the demand for holiday homes and so on and the vast number of visitors. I certainly had some very nice holidays there.
I am delighted that the Senator has a vision for the town that involves fewer cars, more life in the centre and streets coming back to life. I take his point that there should be something like a roadshow. I will bring that to the attention of the Minister for Transport and discuss it with him. The Senator can contact me directly about it.
In my town, Dún Laoghaire, we went through a process called Living Streets, whereby we had a plan and vision for reducing the amount of traffic. The aim was that you would still be allowed to drive for A to B but that it would be easier and safer to walk, cycle and use a bus. It involves a lot of public debate. We had five public debates. There was considerable discussion and there were people for and against the proposal. At the end of the consultation, most wanted to make the change. There were those who doubted it and thought it might have been a fix. Then we had an election and the first two elected – the top two councillors – were the people who had supported the scheme. Now we have a very strong demographic movement in favour of it. It does not mean you steamroll over the people with concerns, because you have to address all the concerns. You do not want to divide your community. It is not an easy thing to do. The prize is that Dún Laoghaire is increasingly becoming a destination that people want to go to, hopefully not one that is congested with cars.
Childcare Services
I thank the Minister of State for coming to the Chamber today to take this Commencement matter. Before I speak about childcare and childminders, it is important to acknowledge the incredible work the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has done in his Department to reduce childcare costs for parents right across the country. In budget 2023, there was a reduction of 25% and in budget 2024 there was a reduction of 25%. I was applying to participate in the national childcare scheme two days ago and noted there has been an increase in the subsidy from €1.40 per hour to €2.14 per hour for 45 hours, which represents significant savings for families right across the country. Only a couple of years ago, the cost of childcare was almost like a second mortgage for people. The changes the Government has made have been very impactful. Most parents across the country can see the benefit of the service that childcare providers provide. I see it myself. My child graduated from his childcare on Friday. The staff and childcare are incredible. They are teachers, in my view, and the work they do is incredible.
Childcare services and childcare providers are not suitable for everyone, however, so childcare minders play a critical role in the State in supporting people, for whatever reason. Some people have different hours of work than others. For people such as gardaí and nurses and those who do shift work, a childcare facility is not suitable, but a childminder is very suitable.
The reason I raise this is the new legislation being introduced concerning the number of children childminders may look after. It is causing great concern within the sector. At a time of full employment and when the number of childcare providers right across the country is low, the introduction of important legislation is critical, but the restrictions being placed on childminders are causing a genuine problem. I know of a childminder in Tipperary who looks after several kids. She has four children herself at home but those four children will be categorised as four children she is minding, which means that if she has to abide by the new legislation, she will have to turn away those using her service at present. Such childminders provide a wonderful service. Parents are thrilled with the service provided by childminders, who educate their children while they are away at work. We have full employment and actually need more workers, but to meet this need we have to ensure we have enough services, whether they are provided by childcare providers or childminders. I ask that the Minister reflect on this, have further discussions with groups and organisations that represent childminders and consider a realistic package.
A genuine worry of mine is that a number of childminders in Tipperary just do not see a future in service under the new legislation. It would be desirable to reach some sort of middle ground where childminders are not viewed in the same light as childcare providers. There are differences because a childcare provider, unlike a childminder, has a facility in place that is not someone's home, and it is very difficult for a childminder to meet all the new requirements being put in place. I welcome the three-year grace period, which is very important, but I think we need to engage a little more to determine what can realistically be done by the childminders. As a State, we cannot afford not to have as many childminders and childcare providers operating.
I thank Senator Ahearn for raising this important issue and for offering the Minister the opportunity to respond and update on the progress being made toward the regulation and registration of childminders. The Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, is very aware of the level of concern among childminders at present.
The Bill to amend the Child Care Act 1991 is progressing through the Houses. It deals with a number of reforms, including the removal of the exemption from regulation for childminders and allowing for the extension of regulation and supports to all paid, non-relative childminders with a view to the introduction of the childminding-specific regulations in the autumn. It also includes a proposed transition period of three years before the regulations become mandatory. In line with the national action plan for childminding, this phased approach is intended to give childminders the time to prepare for and meet the new regulation and registration requirements that will be put in place.
The draft regulations were opened to the public for consultation in early February for a period of 12 weeks. During that time the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, met a number of childminders and received representations from childminders around the country. Those representations were included as submissions for the purposes of the consultation. An independent company has been contracted to undertake an analysis of the submissions and of other elements of the consultation process and to report on its findings.
The steering group of the national action plan met in recent days to examine the consultation findings and consider any changes that need to be made to the draft regulations. Childminders and the representative organisation, among others, sit on the steering group. Their proposals for change will then go to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, for review and consideration.
I can assure the Senators that the Minister is fully committed to ensuring the regulations are proportionate and appropriate to the home and family setting and that they respect the unique way in which childminders work. The Minister has also ensured, through budgetary measures, that there is a childminding development officer in every city and county childcare committee in the country to ensure there are sufficient supports available to childminders at local level. In addition, a pre-registration training programme will be rolled out across the country to assist childminders with the new regulations and registration processes. An additional €3 million was allocated to Tusla in budget 2024 to ensure it has sufficient resources to prepare for the registration and regulation of childminders.
I thank the Minister of State for his response. The response from the Department and the Minister is essentially what I have been asking for. With regard to that draft legislation, if proposals are put forward by the groups representing childminders, I hope the Minister will agree to them. There is no doubt about the Minister's commitment to supporting childcare. It is about the changes being appropriate to the home and family setting and making sure that is recognised in the proposals. I look forward to seeing the final legislation. I acknowledge the Minister's good work on it. We are at a point with the legislation where there is a fear within the childminding sector of what the outcome might be and a fear for the service they provide. These people love the kids they care for, look after and educate and all they want to do is to be able to provide the best care they can for those kids, on behalf of the parents, and be in the best position possible and with the best support from the Government. All I ask is that we, and I know the Minister will, listen to the childminders about the requests they make for the supports they need to be able to provide that critical service.
I agree with everything the Senator has said. The Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, has told me he is committed to regulating childminders in a way that is appropriate and proportionate and he is committed to ensuring sufficient resources are in place to ensure the path to registration is as supportive as possible.
The national action plan for childminding was underpinned by extensive consultation with childminders and parents. A total of 1,000 inputs were received during the public consultation and these included online surveys, direct submissions and focus groups. Most of those submissions came from childminders and parents. Those submissions have been analysed and the results will be used to inform changes to the regulations. Time and support will be given to all childminders to engage with and understand the regulations and what is being asked of them. The core of this is that it has to be based on listening and consultation. It has to be doable and workable in practice. We will only know that by speaking directly to the childminders and parents involved. We cannot rush something in. We do not want to bring something in that is impractical. At the same time, basic protections for children have to be in place. There have to be some standards and what is being done is not being rushed. It is being done in a respectful and consultative way. I encourage anybody who has any other suggestions to continue to liaise with the Department.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 11.15 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 12.05 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 11.15 a.m. and resumed at 12.05 p.m.