Unfortunately, we will be subject to much of this until the general election. I have a seven year old and a nine year old at home, and if they behaved the way the two leaders in the House did-----

I asked a simple question. The Deputy should not be so disparaging.

-----I would take them into a corner and have a good talking to them.

At least I asked a question.

I want to go back to an issue-----

The Deputy has a lovely soft-spoken voice.

I have never believed in the process of kneecapping people before asking questions.

I am not talking about Deputy Doherty but about the movement that he supported for years. That was its modus operandi when asking questions.

That is absolutely scandalous. Maybe if the Deputy wants to talk about where Fianna Fáil put the donations it received from the dodgy developers, I will give way.

Deputy Doherty, to pose his question.

Deputy Martin should withdraw his comment. It was scandalous.

It was unbelievable, scandalous.

Deputy Doherty, without interruption. Please, Deputies.

I want to return to an issue that concerns parents throughout the State in respect of where their children will go on 1 January. There are serious issues in the childcare sector. There have been reports of crèches operating without registration, of staff taking up positions without qualifications and of crèches that will be unable to open their doors on 1 January because of the insurance crisis. This disjointed sector is overseen by a number of Departments, is seriously dysfunctional in the way it is monitored, funded and so on, and has led to the crisis we face.

As the Taoiseach will be aware, Tusla was given powers in 2016 in respect of re-registration, the deadline for which was 12 December. I understand that many crèches have not re-registered and that there could be as many as hundreds. There is an issue with insurance. The Taoiseach stated earlier that crèches will not need insurance for 2020 to register. Is he suggesting in some way that crèches should operate without insurance on 1 January? There is a serious crisis, about which neither the Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, or the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, has found the time to have a conversation.

The Taoiseach dismissed my call earlier for a Cabinet sub-committee. He can forget about me. What parents and workers in the sector expect is the Government to intervene where there has been a serious failure and that is clearly the case at this point. Many operators will be worried as they close the doors this weekend, as will many parents and employers, because of the important role that such centres play.

The Government is very much aware of these issues. We know that many parents are concerned that their child's crèche or childcare facility may close in the new year, or that they may find a steep increase in the charges they have to pay.

We want to ensure that no crèches close in the new year, unless it is for a very good reason, such as, for example, as a result of issues relating to the health and safety of children. The Minister, Deputy Zappone, is aware of this and is working on it. I will meet her to discuss the matter later this evening.