Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

25. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the date by which she plans to have the single affordable child care scheme operational, including measures to include childminders as eligible providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31458/17]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister have a date by which the single affordable child care scheme will be operational and what measures are being introduced to include childminders as eligible providers?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Children, parents and families will start enjoying the benefit of our radical new approach to child care from September. An additional €19 million will be available to an estimated 70,000 children. This is a first big step, one from which there can be no row back. All children aged between six and 36 months, or until they are eligible for the free preschool scheme, will be eligible for some level of support totalling approximately €1,040 per annum. In addition, there will be targeted child care supports for those who need it most. In particular, I want to offer support to parents who cannot take up work, training or education because they cannot afford child care. However, changing one of the world’s most expensive child care systems into the best system is not easy. Our goals are ambitious, as they must be if we are to deliver genuine affordable accessible quality child care.

Despite the changes in September, some of which I referred to in regard to the affordable child care scheme, there are still challenges to delivery of the new scheme. Developing the high-tech part of our new approach is not easy. As well as technical issues, there are data protection and other legal requirements which must be met. The systems we are building now will last generations. We simply cannot afford to get this wrong. Strong progress is being made and I will update Deputies as we progress.

When it comes to our children there can be no compromise on safety. Parents must be assured that their children are being cared for in a safe environment. For this reason, the financial supports on offer can only go to those providers where quality is assured. The affordable child care scheme will be delivered through Tusla-registered providers, centre-based or childminders. A report has been requested from an expert group on how the childminding sector can be developed to meet appropriate quality standards. This report will inform future policy.

I acknowledge Deputies' support and their input. I hope I will continue to have their support as I seek more child care funding in budget 2018.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I, too, acknowledge that this is not an easy process. This time last year, I asked the Minister for an update on the ICT system. I understand roll-out of this scheme is being held up because it is not up to standard. What is the status of the ICT project at this point, which was supposed to be in place for August 2018. What is the current timeline in this regard?

I understand that 70,000 children will benefit under this scheme but that there are 9,000 families which do not make the cut in terms of eligibility for it. These families do not qualify for the GP services card either. What is the Department doing to assist the 9,000 families who will lose out on €12 per week? What is being done to assist that sector?

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Rabbitte for her questions, which provide me with an opportunity to clarify the situation. In regard to the 9,000 families which may not be able to participate in the full affordable child care scheme vision, which we hope will be the best in the world and will be less expensive, the figure of 9,000 is an estimate. We are being upfront and honest in terms of our first effort to put in place mechanisms through which parents can access substantially more subsidies as and from September 2017. It is important to get that message out. For parents wishing to determine to what extent they can access those subsidies all the information in that regard is available on www.affordablechildcare.ie. We have initiated a huge information campaign for parents. We are also travelling the country with a roadshow to ensure providers have that information. As we move towards the roll-out of an affordable child care scheme from September, which is a significant step, parents will have the information to determine how they can access it.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

What is the status of the legislation for the single affordable child care scheme? As the committees will be going into recess in two weeks' time, I presume the scheme will not be in place before the end of the summer. Also what engagement or work is being done by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs with the Department of Social Protection and the Revenue Commissioners in relation to that legislation? As I understand it, legislative change is required in terms of the remit of the Department of Social Protection and the Revenue Commissioners in relation to this scheme. Each time we try to move forward on the child care issue we are hit with the road block of legislation. This has certainly been the case during the past 12 months. Perhaps the Minister will outline the timeline in regard to the ICT system.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am, again, grateful to the Deputy for these questions. In terms of the legislation and the ICT, the Deputy will be aware that I will be before the committee discussing these issues in more detail before this session ends. In regard to the ICT, we are in a process.

The development of the ICT infrastructure for the affordable child care scheme has gone into what is called a peer review process in the context of the development of complicated systems within the Oireachtas that are helpful to ensure that, ultimately, we get it right, even though it takes time. We have begun a significant part of the process. A number of steps have been gone through already. The business case is currently being reviewed. Work on the business support requirements is under way and the functional requirements specification will be finalised by the end of June. We have done some data sharing requirements with the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Social Protection. Those have been finalised with the plan for the ICT system, and this links with the development in that respect. For example, the Department of Social Protection has agreed to host the affordable child care scheme, ACS, data. I could go on. There are a number of ways in which the different Departments are working very closely with us, both in terms of ICT and data protection, to ensure we get it right.

Eugene Murphy (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Question No. 26 is in the name of Deputy Smith. She cannot make it to the Chamber and could not get one of her colleagues to be here, but I am sure we can agree that if she comes into the Chamber in the next five minutes, we will let her ask the question.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

That is fine.