Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Section 7 of the Childcare Support Act 2018 provides for the persons who are eligible to apply for financial support under the national childcare scheme. The Government, through this Bill, is amending section 7 to ensure that all British citizens, whether resident in Northern Ireland or elsewhere, will retain the same right as Irish citizens to apply for the national childcare scheme. Section 7(1)(b)(iv) provides that persons who are nationals of a member state of the EU are eligible to apply for financial support under the scheme. Irish citizens ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland are already covered in section 7 and there is no need to refer specifically to Irish citizens ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland in section 7 as they will continue to be nationals of an EU member state after Brexit. British citizens who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland are captured by the amendment proposed at section 10 of the Bill. This is because British citizens, regardless of their ordinary residence, will be eligible to apply for the scheme. There is, therefore, no need to refer specifically to British citizens ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland in section 7.

On amendment No. 8, section 15 of the Childcare Support Act 2018 provides that financial support under the national childcare scheme shall not be paid unless the person satisfies the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria includes a reference to a person who is a national of a member state of the EU. Irish citizens who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland will continue to be nationals of a member state of the EU after Brexit and the proposed amendment referring to "Irish citizens ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland" is not, therefore, necessary. British citizens who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland are captured by the amendment proposed at section 10 of the Bill as they are British citizens, regardless of their ordinary residence. In terms of a consequential amendment to section 15 arising from the amendment made to section 7, there is no need to refer specifically to British citizens ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland. I do not, therefore, propose to accept the amendments proposed to sections 7 and 15 of the Childcare Support Act 2018 but I hope that this explanation reassures the Senator with regard to the eligibility of persons living in Northern Ireland.