Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The HIVE is part of the new early years platform which Pobal uses to administer the various early learning and childcare schemes. It is a self-service portal which has been designed to be accessible, intuitive and meet the current and the future needs of service providers.

To date, for this programme year, September 2020 to August 2021, there are almost 130,000 children registered on the early years platform for the either the NCS or ECCE scheme so it is clear that a significant number of children have been successfully registered on the platform. However, it is a new platform and with any IT service there is a bedding in period. I am aware, particularly in early autumn, that it is taking time and energy for some providers to become familiar with the new requirements and that this came at a particularly challenging time as many of them were reopening in the Covid-19 context.

Pobal continues to provide support and assistance directly to childcare providers through its dedicated Early Years Provider Centre. It experienced a very high volume of calls. I accept there were delays and lengthy response times. I know Pobal has been actively trying to improve on that. I and my Department have been engaging with it on that particular issue. Some of the issues have been addressed. I am aware of that from correspondence I have received from childcare providers. My Department will continue to work with Pobal to enhance the system and ensure it becomes responsive to childcare providers' business needs. Pobal is continuing to engage with providers to determine the additional training it can provide to support them.

My officials will continue to engage with providers every time changes are made. I know from my own engagement with the sector that there were problems, particularly in September. My sense is that a significant number of those have been addressed and that Pobal was able to identify them but where specific issues arise I am always happy to engage directly with the Deputy.

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