Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue. As he said, the national childcare scheme is a scheme of financial support to help parents with the cost of childcare. A component of the scheme is a sponsorship referral which makes special provision for vulnerable children. Officials in the Department are aware of the issues the Deputy has highlighted regarding the sponsored subsidy rates to date. The issues are currently being examined as part of an internal review of the sponsored subsidy. Any changes will be considered as part of the forthcoming budget. It is important to note that supports are available to all services with financial viability concerns though a case management process. I think the Deputy probably has taken the cases to the Department. The Department oversees the process with the local city and county childcare committees and Pobal, working together to assess early learning and childcare services experiencing difficulties and to provide support as necessary. In the overall context, we are committed to dealing with disadvantage, tackling it through high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible.

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