Vol. 486 No. 2
25 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress to date on the implementation of the regulations on child care throughout the country; the resources which have been allocated to date; the personnel involved; and his views on whether the scope of the regulations should be broadened to include child minders. [2079/98]
The implementation of the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations, 1996 is being funded as part of the ongoing process of the implementation of the Child Care Act, 1991. Under the Regulations, pre-school providers were obliged to notify their local health board, by 30 June, 1997. Health boards have established inspection teams and have started to inspect facilities on a phased basis. All pre-school services should be inspected by mid 1999 and inspections will take place on at least an annual basis hereafter.
An additional £5 million was approved in 1997 for the development of child care services including the work in progress on the provisions of the inspection service provided for in the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations. An additional £8 million has been approved in 1998 to strengthen child care services. This includes £500,000 for the continued implementation by the health boards of Part VII of the Child Care Act, 1991 in regard to pre-school services.
The Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations apply to pre-schools, playgroups, day nurseries, crèches, child minders looking after more than three children and other similar services which cater for children under six years of age. Child minders looking after less than three children were exempted from the provisions of Part VII of the Act in order to avoid interfering with arrangements made by working parents with a relative or neighbour, to look after their children for them.
It is intended that the operation of the regulations will be reviewed after three years, with a view to effecting any changes considered necessary at that stage. In the interim, a working group on the implementation of the regulations has been established by my Department. The group is representative of all the health boards and is concerned with ensuring a consistent approach to the implementation of the regulations.
