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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 28 and 65 together.

The policy paper for the introduction of the affordable child care scheme was approved by Government in October 2016. Since then, officials of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and Pobal have been working intensively to plan for the implementation of this scheme. This is an extremely complex and ambitious project because of what is involved, namely, legislation, new business processes, data protection and building a new IT system. We will need to integrate data from the Department of Social Protection and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners so that the system can calculate every family’s net income and affordable child care scheme subsidy. We will need to test the IT system rigorously to make sure it works, even in complicated family circumstances. As a result of this, the fully automated system that delivers everything will not be in place initially. However, we are working intensively to ensure that a satisfactory interim measure is in place and that the fully automated system for the affordable child care scheme is introduced at the earliest possible time.

I recognise that parents and providers urgently need detailed information about the way in which the scheme will be delivered. I can assure the Deputy that I and my officials are fully committed to delivering on the objectives of the scheme, and we are determined to minimise any administrative burden or inconvenience. In the next few weeks I will provide a detailed update on delivery plans. Full information on implementation plans will then be made available to parents and child care providers, and change management supports will be provided to all participating child care services.

I emphasise that I want us to get the IT systems right from the very beginning. I would prefer to hold back on a fully automated system initially if it means that we avoid the costly and frustrating problems that other major new services have experienced elsewhere in recent times.

See this speech in context