Dr. Anne-Marie Brooks:

I will comment and then invite my colleagues to contribute. The AIM report being undertaken by the University of Derby is close to completion and the Minister hopes to publish it by the end of this year. As mentioned in regard to budget 2024, we are already looking to introduce enhancements to AIM on foot of the findings from that evaluation. Budget 2024 allocated an additional €14 million for the AIM. Some €7 million was to support an increasing number of children who are coming through the ECCE programme requiring AIM supports. That is around 7,000 children this year. There is an additional €7 million then allocated for an expansion of AIM beyond the ECCE programme from September 2024. In the first phase of the expansion the AIM supports will be extended to children who are in the ECCE programme. Those in receipt of AIM supports who may be in full daycare or part-time provision will be supported to stay beyond the three hours of the ECCE programme. The funding is in place for both in-term time and outside it. The ECCE programmes run for only 38 weeks of the year but this funding will allow a child to remain and have extended supported hours in early learning and care over a 52-week period, should that be what the parent is looking for. Those improvements will come into place from September 2024.

I invite Mr. Considine to talk about the NCS rules of attendance.