Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 233: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the application for assistance by a person (details supplied) in County Offaly towards the cost of pre-school fees in respect of their son; the reason for the refusal of assistance to this person; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42291/08]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP) which has a total allocation of €575 million for the development of childcare services. As part of the NCIP, the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) was introduced in January of this year and supports community childcare services to enable them to provide reduced childcare fees to disadvantaged and low income parents. The Scheme has an allocation of €154.2 million over 2008 -2010 and is additional to the main supports available to all parents to assist them with the care of their children, that is Child Benefit and the Early Childcare Supplement.

Under the CCSS, community childcare services receive subvention to enable them to provide reduced childcare fees to parents who are in receipt of social security and social assistance payments or parents who are engaged in education, training or work experience programmes where an underlying entitlement to such a payment is established. Parents in receipt of low incomes and who hold a medical card or GP visit card or are otherwise disadvantaged can also qualify for subvention under the Scheme. Parents using a community childcare service are asked to complete a declaration form for inclusion in an annual return to my Office. Following verification of the information provided, my Office will advise each of the services participating in the Scheme of the level of subvention, if any, which individual parents qualify for.

While I am not in a position to comment on the particular circumstances of the case in question, I understand that three community childcare services in the Tullamore area are currently in receipt of funding under the CCSS. These are Ballycommon Community Playschool, the Tullamore Traveller After-School Care Programme and Pullough Community Pre-School. If the parent concerned is availing of a pre-school service in one of these facilities and considers that she is not benefiting from an appropriate reduction in her childcare fees, I would suggest that she contact the Childcare Directorate of my Office for further information.