I propose to take Questions Nos. 838, 850, 853 to 856, inclusive, 858 and 862 together.
Under the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No 2) Regulations 2006, the inspection of pre-schools is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE), and I have referred the Deputies’ specific queries to the HSE for direct reply.
I understand that, in 2011, 2,789 childcare providers were subject to inspections by the HSE Pre-School Inspectorate. This is an inspection rate of over 61% in a single year. This compares very favourably with comparable jurisdictions such as England, where Ofsted operates a policy of inspecting childcare providers on a 3 – 4 year cycle.
An issue that has been raised is the need to ensure national consistency in the approach to inspections. The HSE recently introduced Standard Operating Procedures to facilitate this and I welcome that step. I have also arranged for pre-school inspection reports to be published on-line from July of this year.
It is important to realise that inspections alone are not the answer to improving quality. What is required is a multi-faceted approach, and since this Government came to office we have been working to ensure issues relating to child protection and welfare are put front and centre. The establishment of a Department of Children and Youth Affairs was recognition of the huge body of work which needs to be done in this area.
As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, driving the early childhood care and education quality agenda is one of my key objectives. I believe we can achieve this objective by taking a number of steps in conjunction with the Department of Education and Skills, including the adaptation of the existing pre-school inspection system to provide a more comprehensive and broader-based inspection regime for pre-schools, moving to a greater focus on outcomes for children.
In support of this, a Joint Pilot Inspection of Early Years Services was carried out by Inspectors from the HSE and the Department of Education and Skills between September 2011 and May 2012. This pilot will inform the proactive approach being taken.