New inspection standards for crèches from September, Minister says

The Minister for Children said new standards for crèche inspectors will be introduced by September.

It comes after the first tranche of crèche reports were published online yesterday by Pobal.

It found that a number of crèches failed to comply with Garda vetting rules.

Minister Frances Fitzgerald says there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to care for children in crèches - and she says the whole inspection process is changing.

"The inspectors themselves want this," she said.

"We want a greater focus on the quality of relationships the children have in childcare, and we're bringing in new standards in September, which will form part of the new guidance document for inspectors."