Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I believe I understood the core of Deputy Smith's question but it is important to note that thousands of private providers currently deliver child care through publicly funded child care programmes including the early childhood care and education scheme, the training and employment childcare scheme and, since February of this year, the community childcare subvention programme. My Department is also currently developing a single affordable childcare programme that will enable any public investment in child care, be it for preschool or school-age children, to be directed to families through community or private child care providers.

As the Deputy outlined, the programme for Government indicates that community groups and private providers will be invited to tender to use school facilities, outside school hours, for child care purposes. A cross-departmental group has now been established to consider how best to implement this commitment. Officials from my Department and the Department of Education and Skills are developing a joint proposal for my consideration and the consideration of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton.

As part of this work, the group will assess, and this is part of the Deputy's question, the many issues surrounding this commitment and the funding implications of implementing an after-school scheme for school-aged children.

Matters to be considered by the cross-departmental group include the demand for services and the capacity to provide these, the development of an appropriate quality and standards framework and the development of criteria for the capital scheme providing €3 million in support for after school child care services to be funded by my Department as announced in budget 2016. In addition, the group will gather data, including the existing use of school buildings, and to consider collaborative models with existing community or private service providers.

I am also undertaking with my Department consultations with children to identify what children like and dislike about after school care and to identify the places where children most like to be cared for after school. A report on that consultation will be submitted to me shortly and I have asked the cross-departmental group to consider the voice of the child as part of its deliberations.

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