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

The new affordable childcare scheme will open to applications in October 2019 with payments flowing from November 2019. Its launch will mark a milestone in our quest to transform Ireland's childcare system from one of the most expensive in the world into one of the best. Positive progress continues to be made in the development of the legislative, administrative and ICT infrastructure for the scheme.

Under the auspices of the Childcare Support Act 2018, detailed secondary legislation and policy guidelines are being prepared. I also hope to sign regulations in the coming weeks which will provide for the first time for the registration of school-age childcare services. This will allow these services to participate in the new scheme from the start.

With regard to ICT, our IT development contractor, Codec, is busy working with officials from the Department and Pobal to develop the system on schedule and in advance of the scheme's October launch. A comprehensive awareness campaign for parents and the public will commence in the spring alongside training and information supports for childcare providers and other key stakeholders.

The affordable childcare scheme will be open to all registered childminders. I am committed to publishing a childminding action plan in the near future. The plan will contain short, medium and long-term goals for the sector setting out steps to move towards the wider regulation, support and professional development of childminders. In the short term, it will include actions to support childminders to register and participate in the affordable childcare scheme.

Budget 2019 allocated €0.5 million to create a team of childminding development officers to support the registration of childminders with Tusla and to help them upskill to the required regulatory standards to be introduced in the coming years. It also provided for significant enhancements to the affordable childcare scheme that will ensure that an even greater number of families will now benefit from the scheme once launched.

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