James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 344: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the details of non-pay expenditure reductions of €3.5 million by her Department and its directly funded agencies in view of the health Estimates for 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48511/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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As the Deputy is aware, the vast bulk of the funding voted for my Department relates to directly funded agencies, and as such the majority of the non-pay savings will fall to be met by these agencies. My Department is currently finalising the allocations for these agencies, which will encompass their share of the €3.5m. I expect be in a position to approve these allocations shortly, after which, the information requested by the Deputy will be made available.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 345: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the details of the savings of €2.5 million in 2010 and €7.5 million in a full year in the national child-care investment programme in view of the health Estimates for 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48512/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) is implemented by my Office under the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP). In Budget 2010, the Minister for Finance announced that the CCSS would be succeeded by a follow on scheme with effect from September 2010. The new Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) scheme will continue to provide support funding to community based childcare services to enable them to charge reduced childcare fees to disadvantaged and low income parents.

The weekly subvention rates payable in respect of parents in receipt of social welfare payments will be maintained at the rate of €100 for full-time daycare. Parents in receipt of Job Seeker's Benefit and Assistance will continue to qualify and be subvented at the full rate but will be restricted to part-time provision (i.e. not more than 5 hours per day). The weekly subvention rates payable to low income parents in employment will be increased from €70 to €100 for full-time daycare, in the case of parents in receipt of Family Income Supplement, and from €45 to €50 for full-time daycare, in the case of parents marginally above this threshold (e.g. parents holding medical or GP visit cards). My Office will also be consulting in the coming months with the Departments of Education and Science and Enterprise, Trade and Employment with a view to replacing the current childcare supports for participants in VEC and FÁS courses, currently limited to not more than €133.50 per week for full-time daycare, with a CCS strand which provides free childcare places at a weekly capitation fee of up to €170.

The transitional arrangements which applied to some services participating in the CCSS will end with the cessation of that scheme on 31 August 2010. The changes as outlined are expected to be generally cost neutral. However, as the Deputy will be aware, I also have responsibility for the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme which came into at the beginning of this year. The ECCE is a universal scheme open to all children within a certain age range each year. In return for the provision of a pre-school year place, participating services will be paid an annual capitation fee, the standard rate for which is €2,450. It is expected that some 4,000 children currently subvented under the CCSS will instead avail of the free pre-school year and, as a result, it is estimated that the annual cost of the CCSS, and subsequently the CCS, will reduce by approximately €7.5 million.