Outrage over four-year gap in creche inspections

SOME creches have not been inspected in more than four years it emerged yesterday, with the country’s main nurseries association claiming the inspection rate was “an outrage”.

The director of services at the National Children’s Nurseries Association (NCNA) Teresa Heeney also criticised the lack of Government action over rental rates for creches at a time when there are a growing number of vacancies due to the recession.

Almost one-third of NCNA members surveyed for the body’s annual report had not received a HSE pre-school regulations inspection last year – 22% of those are in the Dublin area. She said the NCNA had plenty of anecdotal evidence regarding the shortfall in inspections and said in parts of Dublin some members had not had an inspection in four years.