James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is just a technical situation. To be honest, nobody has lost out as a consequence of the change, although some have not gained as much as others. Senator Noone's point about the school starting age is an issue that did consume us for a while. We were very concerned about the fact that due to expense, many parents feel under pressure to send their children to school a little bit younger than they might otherwise like to. International evidence shows us that in some such instances, children are disadvantaged because they are not as intellectually mature or physically mature. By extending the programme from three years to three years and two months and stopping at five and a half years rather than four years and seven months, we will double the number of children in the preschool sector in a couple of years. That was done purposely in order that the sector itself would grow into the space and grow capacity because there was concern that providers would not be able to cope.

I pay tribute to preschool leaders and providers who perform a most valuable service. This service has been proven not alone to improve the ability of children to read and in other areas but also in terms of being able to socialise. Another benefit is that later in life, they might attain higher educational achievements, which also leads to better employability and more independence for them. The core of what we are doing is to try to give every child a fair chance because some children, through no fault of their own, are disadvantaged and that must be addressed. They are the ones who have been shown to gain the most from the preschool curriculum. I am very pleased with the new scheme which means that children from the age of three onwards will be able to stay in preschool until they are ready to go to school at five years and six months. I thank Senator Noone for her support.