Like other Senators, I congratulate Senator Terry Brennan. The former President, Mary McAleese, spoke about building bridges. Senator Terry Brennan is a member of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly and is involved in North-South relations. Senator Mary White was mentioned as well in this regard. Building bridges between North and South is of great importance for the country.

I rise today on the child care issue. I go back a long way with Montessori education. I was not involved in the actual child care section but in the Montessori section. I was on the expert working group on child care set up in 1991 or 1992. For years a cry has been going out from the child care sector for proper education and training for staff in child care. This is a serious issue. There is absolutely no excuse for what happened last night. I was crying last night watching the television. I was absolutely upset. No one could look at that programme and say what was happening to those poor children in the crèches was acceptable. It was absolute abuse. There is no excuse for that at all and there can be none.

It has been found that in 75% of inspections carried out the HSE regulations have been breached. It was on foot of a HSE examination that RTE went in because those crèches-----

One of the crèches was inspected by the HSE one month before the undercover worker went in.

Yes, that was the one in Malahide. The HSE was in there. I have a problem with sanctions. It has been found that the crèche was grant-aided after being found to be in breach of regulations. I support Senator Jillian van Turnhout. This is such an important issue. Our children are our most precious beings. Fully 80% of their intelligence is developed before they are three years of age. The period between nought and three years is the most important time in a child's life. We have to talk of society as well as an economy. I want the debate to turn to children, the family, society and how we treat the whole family.

Some person mentioned the formal and the informal setting and the lack of regulation. We must consider supporting the informal sector and those who wish to care for children in their own homes.

This is the first Government to set up a dedicated Department. As another Senator said, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, is the first reforming Minister we have had that has brought together-----

That has nothing to do with it.

Children are not-----

Senator, you are way over time.

The Minister for Children and Youth Affairs is doing that and involving the Department of Education and Skills as well as the Department of Health.

Go away out of that.