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

I look at the sustainability fund in another way. I do not know many other sectors where the Government provides a safety net for private providers. We are doing that because we recognise the importance of this sector. Where there is a situation where a private provider has a sustainability issue, the Government is ready to step in. There are not many other sectors of private enterprise where the Government provides that safety net. That is how I look at the importance of the sustainability net - it is a final level of protection.

I emphasise that the ECCE two years and ECCE-only services remain a fundamental part of the offering. We recognise that different parents have different needs and terms. Some want full childcare and some just want the ability to do the early learning and care, the three hours per week or the sessional element. As part of our commitment to ECCE, we are undertaking a significant evaluation of it at present. It is an evaluation I believe will result in ECCE being put on a statutory basis and enshrined in law, further copper-fastening the place of ECCE in the system. In terms of the access and inclusion model, AIM, which everybody recognises, last week I increased the capitation for AIM workers. AIM workers are only in ECCE services. I increased the capitation from €210 to €240, a 14% increase.

We are continuing to look at the system and where there are pressures. In the case of AIM workers, ECCE services were experiencing a pressure there, and we have responded to that pressure by increasing the capitation. We will continue to look at, address and refine core funding. Fundamentally, core funding is going to deliver for the sector, for services, for parents and for children.

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