John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

For most services, the scheme will see an increase in their income and this will allow them to meet the higher standards required for participation relative to the existing requirements under the child care regulations. These higher standards concerning qualification of staff and the educational programme guided by Síolta will ensure that a quality service is provided to all children in their preschool year and not just those whose parents can afford to pay higher fees.

Some high cost services may choose to stay out of the scheme in much the same way as fee paying private primary schools choose to operate outside the national school system but the very large majority of eligible services will participate in this scheme. To allow commercially based preschools and Montessoris to continue to charge fees in addition to collecting the capitation fee, in the form of a top-up, would greatly reduce the benefit of the scheme for those families, and would also make the scheme inaccessible for families who are under financial pressure, inevitably leading to disadvantaged children losing out. Research demonstrates that the greatest benefit from preschool is found among children who are from disadvantaged backgrounds so this would be doubly unfair.

Participating services may charge for additional hours or extras such as dancing classes, provided these are offered on an optional basis. However, the principle of free access for all eligible children in participating services will not be undermined, and all participating services must remain available to all in their community, regardless of the ability of parents to pay for additional services.

I am delighted that the Government has made the far-sighted decision to introduce this new scheme. It will give equal opportunities to all children, particularly the most marginalised, who would not otherwise be able to attend preschool, as well as helping parents who, up to now, had to meet the cost of preschool provision themselves. It will also benefit services which will gain certainty and sustainability in what are, for most, very trying times.

The long-term benefits will be enormously significant to all of our children and to society as a whole. It will involve time and effort to ensure the greatest possible levels of participation in the scheme and to reach the highest standards of early years care and education provision but I am confident that the scheme which is being introduced provides the framework to achieve this ambition.

I commend the Government's amendment to the motion to the House.

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