Funding will be cut from creches which breach regulations, Tanaiste warns

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has confirmed the Government's intention to cut State funding from childcare facilities which breach regulations.

He made the pledge as the Coalition was accused of advertising “yellow-pack” positions in creches for unskilled workers for €50 a week.

Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald highlighted the adverts on JobBridge, the website of the Government’s national internship scheme. She said the site was offering work placements in creches, including Giraffe childcare, one of the “brands” investigated in the RTÉ documentary, which sparked the controversy over childcare.

The internships advertised for people “to work with children, with no experience, for €50 a week”, she said, describing the placements as “yellow-pack posts”.

Debate on childcare continued in the Dáil for the second day yesterday after the controversy that erupted over the documentary which highlighted apparent abuse of and cruelty to children at three creches in Dublin and Wicklow.

The Dublin Central TD asked Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore how the Government squared that advertising "with your proclaimed commitment to quality and safety for children".

Interns
Mr Gilmore said two of the three creches never had interns while the third had an intern whose placement finished in April. He also said "there will be no JobBridge approved for any of the facilities named in that programme". But the Sinn Féin TD said "JobBridge posts should not be approved for any childcare facility".

Mr Gilmore said the allegations of mistreatment and poor quality care in creches were a very serious issue that had to be dealt with and “will be dealt with”, quickly.

The Sinn Féin deputy leader also accused the Tánaiste of being “coy” about current and future Government funding of childcare facilities. The Tánaiste was being very careful with his language about State funding for creches breaching regulations, that “the funding can be stopped, that the funding should be stopped”.

Ms McDonald said “we need to hear that the funding will be stopped. If you’re not prepared to say that very clearly, Tánaiste, then you’ve no prospect of restoring parents’ confidence and protecting the good reputation of the many good childcare facilities”.

Mr Gilmore told her "the funding will be cut where standards are not being maintained. This Government will not tolerate a situation where taxpayers' money is being used to subsidise facilities that are not treating children properly."

Serious breaches
Earlier, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin had called for funding to be cut from the creches highlighted in the TV documentary, because of the uncovering of serious breaches.

Mr Gilmore said “the funding can and, I believe, should be cut” where creches were not complying with standards.

Mr Martin said there was no clear timeline for the Children First legislation and the establishment of the Child and Family Agency.