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

Reducing the cost of child care is a key priority for me and for the Government. We have a number of commitments in the programme for Government relating to enabling access to high quality and affordable child care, including subvention of child care for nine to 36 month old children. I am determined to deliver on these commitments. From September 2016, the extension of the early childhood care and education, ECCE, scheme will make free preschool available for 15 hours per week, 38 weeks per annum, to all children from the time they turn three until they go to school. Children can enter at three points in the year: September, January and April. On average, children will benefit from 61 weeks, up from the current provision of 38 weeks. Access to the average 61 weeks of ECCE can reduce the cost of child care by €4,000 per child. The current ECCE programme is accommodating 67,000 children, and this figure will increase to 127,000 next year.

We have also provided an extra €16 million in 2016 to create an additional 3,200 full-time equivalent community childcare subvention, CCS, child care places, or approximately 8,000 places based on average uptake. My Department also extended the terms of this programme in March so that it could be provided by private child care providers across the country as well as community and not-for-profit providers. This was to ensure that eligible families, regardless of where they live, can access this important child care subvention. The full rate of CCS will reduce child care costs by €95 per week and is available to parents in receipt of social welfare payments including the one-parent family payment or family income supplement.

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