Noirin Hayes (PhD) is a lecturer and researcher at the Dublin Institute of Technology. She is the author of a number of reports and books including The Case for a National Policy in Early Education (1995); Window on Early Education in Ireland (1997) and Children's Rights - Whose Right: A review of child policy development in Ireland (22). She has served on a variety of government working groups, committees and commissions including the Expert Working Group on Childcare.