The Minister for Children, Frances Fitzgerald, has insisted that HSE inspection reports on childcare facilities will in the future be made public online. She was responding to last night's airing of a documentary on crèche standards.

The Prime Time documentary, A Breach of Trust, showed disturbing footage which had secretly been filmed in three crèches - Giraffe in Belarmine in Dublin, Links in Abington in Dublin and Little Harvard in Rathnew in Wicklow.

The footage showed children being shouted at, cursed at, threatened and inappropriately punished, for example in one instance, a young child was locked in a room by herself. Some children were also strapped into chairs for long periods - up to two hours in some cases - with no stimulation. Others were manhandled and held down at naptime.

However, the programme also revealed that regulations governing crèches are being breached on a regular basis nationwide. HSE inspection reports, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that three in four crèches that had been inspected were in breach of regulations, with almost half of crèches inspected being in breach of staff ratio/staff vetting guidelines.

The reports also noted a ‘dangerous over-emphasis on the business interest of childcare providers'.

Speaking on radio this morning, Minister Fitzgerald described the Prime Time footage as 'unacceptable' and 'deeply distressing'. She acknowledged that staff in childcare facilities need more training and insisted that the practices shown in the documentary would not be allowed to continue.

Meanwhile, according to Irene Gunning, CEO of Early Childhood Ireland, which represents those working in the early childhood care and education sector, the majority of staff working in crèches are hardworking and dedicated.

However, she added that if childcare providers who provide the free ECCE (pre-school) year are found to be in breach of HSE regulations, they should have their State funding withdrawn.

She called for more funding to improve childcare services, particularly in the area of staff training.

In response to the controversy, children's charity, Barnardos, has compiled information on how to choose a crèche or pre-school for your child. For more information, click here