Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree wholeheartedly with the final paragraph of the Minister's response. There is no question that the recent budgetary change represents a major improvement for children. The specific point in the matter I raise relates to the fact that one of the particular children whose parents I spoke to will start school next September. The child is already in a second preschool year. It appears to me that many children would be in that category. By its nature, the intention of the preschool year was that most children would go to school directly afterwards because there was not a second preschool year but in certain limited cases, parents may take the decision that their child is still a little too young to go to school. The situation prevailed in advance of the Minister devising the new programme. I expect that cohort of children to be quite small and in those circumstances, I did not think it would affect the industry and the provisions the Minister has made to cater for the expansion many facilities must undertake. The crux of the matter is the new entitlement in terms of the cut-off date, which comes into effect from September 2016. That puts an end to any case the child in question would have for a second preschool year.

In case the Minister thinks I do not know what I am talking about, a limited number of children are availing of a second preschool year, where that was not the original intention, but who would otherwise have gone to school. I thought that perhaps the second half of that year could have come under the remit of the new regulations for children who are already in the system. I do not anticipate the number involved would be large. However, I appreciate the great efforts that have been made to introduce the second preschool year and the attempt to get children into preschool at different stages with the three entry points. I congratulate the Minister on his work in that regard. I do not know the number of children in the category I have raised but perhaps the Minister considers it would be too many to facilitate.