I welcome that Tusla is to be assigned guiding principles, particularly in relation to the best interests of the child as a paramount consideration as well as the duty to co-operate between relevant bodies and the establishment of the implementation and the interagency committee. They would seem to be sensible proposals. At this point, people rightly expect more from the Government. While we are 30 years on from the primary legislation, we are nearly three years on from the pre-legislative scrutiny report of the Oireachtas committee's consideration of this legislation. It is disappointing that a number of concerns and recommendations of the committee still remain unaddressed. My fear is that it is broadly representative of the lethargic pace at which the Department brings proposals from announcement to implementation. If we take the Garda vetting as an example, this Bill includes related provisions, which I welcome. However, only a fortnight ago, the media was reporting that Tusla had taken over responsibility for Garda vetting applications and issues around registration persist. Some 17 crèches have had registration issues, which, we were told, were mainly due to Garda vetting. In one instance, a crèche operator was told she could keep her crèche open but staffed by others because she had to submit documents already provided. Another woman faced vetting issues, again, not of her own making, who was already in possession of two separate vetting certificates and was told she could not open her crèche. It is another example of childcare policy that is simply not working as it is needed. This is at a time when people struggle to access a crèche and if they can, are left to struggle to pay among the highest childcare costs in Europe. The Tánaiste promised, before the election, an action plan on capping childcare costs at €10 per day within 100 days of Government. Last Friday was 365 days but no plan is yet in sight. It does not seem like much of an action plan to me. Children in Ireland deserve better, especially those for whom the State has an additional responsibility. My appeal to the Minister is also in relation to the price-cap promise and it is to understand and appreciate that Irish families and children require the Government to be more capable of bringing ideas to the table. These need to be not just announcements; they need to come to fruition.

Sentiment score: 0.03