Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 5 Oct 1999

Vol. 508 No. 3

Written Answers - Child Care Services.

Deirdre Clune

Ceist:

231 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will re-examine the 1996 regulations on child care places in view of the number of places lost to the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19011/99]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Cowen):

The purpose of the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations, 1996, is to build on the existing good standards in our pre-school services and gradually improve standards throughout the sector to secure the health, safety and welfare of pre-school children and to promote the development of children attending pre-school services. Under the regulations, pre-school providers are obliged to notify their local health board that they are carrying on or proposing to carry on a pre-school service. On receipt of notification the health board will provide relevant information to the applicant and arrange for an inspection to be carried out by an authorised person.

The notification and inspection process is kept under review by the health boards. The main deficiencies identified by the inspection process relate to having a second adult on the premises to ensure adequate supervision of pre-school children at all times and the availability of adequate space per child in the premises.

Where deficiencies are identified, the health board and the providers work in a co-operative manner to make specific improvements in a planned way provided that any delay would not adversely affect the welfare of children. The plan may include a reduction in numbers achieved through natural reduction, that is, not replacing children who leave during the year, reducing numbers on a phased basis, reducing numbers at the beginning of the next school year or the provider moving to a larger premises. The timescale for making improvements varies from a requirement for immediate action to a phased implementation which may extend to six months.

The Deputy will be aware that the Partnership 2000 expert working group on child care under the auspices of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, examined the provision of a co-ordinated national framework for the development of a child care infrastructure, including the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations, 1996. The report of the group was launched on 3 February 1999. Following publication of this report the Government established an interdepartmental committee on child care chaired by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to evaluate, cost and prioritise the proposals in the report and the child care proposals in An Action Programme for the Millennium, the report of the Commission on the Family and the report of the Forum on Early Childhood Education. The report of the committee has been noted by Government which has referred the report for consideration to a ministerial group.

It is intended to review the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations, 1996, and this review will take place in the context of the other developments which have occurred since the regulations were introduced.