Just 15 of 4,300 childcare centres assessed

Education standards have been assessed at just 15 of the 4,300 childcare centres paid more than €600m to provide a free pre-school year since 2010.

It also has emerged it will be next year at the earliest before new national education standards are applied and inspected, even though a framework for an early learning curriculum has been in place since 2009.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn was told when he took office in Mar 2011 that pilot inspections of learning would take place that autumn, in records seen by the Irish Examiner.