Jonathan O'Brien
Question:324. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to introduce Garda vetting for child minders. [42885/14]
View answerTuesday, 11 November 2014
Questions (324, 325)
Jonathan O'Brien
Question:325. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to introduce a central statutory register of child minders. [42886/14]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 324 and 325 together.
Pre-school services are subject to the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No.2) Regulations 2006, as provided for under Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991.
Section 58 of the Child Care Act 1991 provides for exemptions to certain categories of childcare providers to the provisions of Part VII of the Act. Those exempted include childminders taking care of not more than three pre-school children from different families in the childcare provider's own home. Childminders in this category are not, therefore, required to notify their services and are not subject to the further requirements of the 2006 Child Care Regulations, which include the requirement to ensure appropriate vetting of all staff, students and volunteers in the service who have access to children
Part VII of the Child Care Act 1991 was amended under the Child and Family Agency Act 2013, and revised Child Care Regulations as required under those amendments are currently being developed. Part VII as revised retain the exemptions in the original Part VII, including those exemptions applicable to childminders.
The exemption provided to childminders with fewer than three children recognises parental choice to place children with friends and neighbours, and the challenges of the over-regulation of the more informal arrangements chosen by parents. Such childminders are encouraged to voluntarily register their service with their local City or County Childcare Committee. Both registered and voluntarily registered childminders can avail of the Childminders Tax Exemption which exempts childminding earnings of up to €15,000 from income tax. My Department will continue to promote the voluntary registration of childminding services and the participation of childminders in quality and training programmes. However, the Department is not in a position to prevent parents from entering into informal arrangements with childminders who are outside the scope of the Regulations.
Some €10 million of funding, allied to the childminders supports, was invested over a period of 10 years to encourage childminders to notify their service. This was seen as a potential first step to ensuring that non-family childminders were subject to all of the requirements of the Regulations. This stepped approach has worked in some countries, such as Scotland. However, only 1,250 childminders voluntarily notified in this country and a further 2,000 to 3,000 participate in training. It is clear that there are barriers specific to Ireland in bringing childminders under the regulatory framework.
The Early Years Strategy will include consideration of how this complex issue might be addressed in the future.