Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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3. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the affordable childcare scheme, in particular the efforts to build an information and communications technology infrastructure and make the scheme more accessible to parents using childminders. [52614/18]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to ask the Minister about the status of the affordable childcare scheme, in particular her Department's efforts to build an information and communications technology, ICT, infrastructure and make the scheme more accessible to parents using childminders.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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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.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I could not keep writing because I have so many questions for the Minister. It was a great answer and I appreciate it but the Minister has left me with a number of questions that I ask her to expand on. Could she expand on the school-age commitments? Where is the legislation at the moment because my understanding is that we were to expect that before the end of the year - possibly in the House? When can we expect it? I assume it will be on next year's legislative programme but what stage is it at and how can we support it?

On the registered childminders and the sum of €0.5 million, where are we with regard to recruiting those development workers? The Minister mentioned the company that is delivering the ICT programme and the awareness programme. Are we on target to ensure this awareness programme will be up and running for the spring because it will take time for people to get involved in and understand it? There is no point in having it up and running in the last week in August.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for those questions. The information I have on the school-age process is that the regulations are being worked on. As I understand it, they are on target. The objective is that, when we fully launch the affordable childcare scheme, it will be possible to include the groups or providers that offer services in that context.

The Deputy asked about legislation. I indicated that secondary legislation is being developed. I need to come back to her on the exact timeframe in that regard. I will be very happy to do so. I just do not have the information in front of me.

With regard to the ICT programme, there is a strict formal project management methodology. There is an executive board, a project board, an ICT subgroup, a Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection subgroup and a project operating team. We have two dedicated full-time project managers in place, one in Pobal and one in the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. They are working on the project. It is divided into 69 work streams. The project is moving forward on target and it is what we hope to pursue.

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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In the context of the €500,000 and the development officers, has the recruitment process started? If so, how many is it hoped to recruit? Will it be through the city and county childcare committees? If so, will it be nationwide? How many registered childminders are there? There are none in some counties, which does not truly reflect the reality. What is the honeypot to encourage as many childminders as possible to come into the fold? We can have a true reflection of the position on childcare only by bringing the childminders into the fold and encouraging them to participate as opposed to scaring them with bureaucracy, of which they are afraid.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Money for the creation of a team of childminding development officers has been allocated under budget 2019. As I understand it, recruitment of childminding development officers is on target. They will be available through the city and county childcare committees. I will revert to the Deputy on numbers. The intention is to have a nationwide system. As we have the city and county childcare committees, that is the way we connect in with our providers. That is an appropriate structure.

In the context of encouraging childminders to register in the short term and to be ready, we are providing additional moneys to support them in proceeding to level 5, if required. There is a fund for that. There are additional smaller funds to support the accommodation in the context of where they offer the childminding service.