Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone has said she was deeply shocked and appalled at the manner in which children were treated in a chain of Dublin crèches.

An undercover investigation had revealed a pattern of disturbing behaviour and practices including fire-safety breaches and rough handling of children.

The investigation was carried out by RTÉ Investigates into Hyde & Seek, a multimillion-euro company that runs four crèches in Dublin with a fifth due to open shortly.

Ms Zappone told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that she had been deeply upset by the revelations and she urged parents to “listen to their gut” if they were concerned about their child’s care.

She was particularly concerned that despite regulations and improvements that “this appalling behaviour is happening.”

However, when asked if she would be seeking the closure of the Hyde & Seek chain, she said that as Minister she did not want to say anything that would “inhibit the process.”

Tusla inspectors are engaged in enforcement proceedings.

She advised parents to check the Tusla website for reviews of childcare facilities and warned that Tusla can only know of problems if they see them and if they are brought to their attention.

“If they (parents) have any form of concern, if they report it to Tusla, they will go in very quickly.”

The Minister was adamant that no government money goes into any deregulated services and that Tusla has the power to deregulate facilities.

Two-thirds of the providers of pre-schools who offer places under the government’s free pre-school scheme are in the private sector, these are also inspected by the Department of Education, she said