Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her views on whether it is fair and equitable that some children, due to their date of birth, will not be able to avail of the early childhood subvention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5924/10]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if appeals have been submitted to her Department in relation to the early childhood subvention; if so, the number of these appeals that were successful; if any appeals were successful, the reason for accepting the appeals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5925/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 154 together.

I have responsibility for the free Preschool Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme which was introduced in January of this year.

The scheme is open to children aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months in September of each year. This means that children born between 2 February 2006 and 30 June 2007 qualify for the free preschool year in September 2010 and children born between 2 February 2007 and 30 June 2008 will qualify for the free preschool year in September 2011. Exceptions to the upper age limit are allowed where children are developmentally delayed or it is necessary to accept children at an older age due to the enrolment policy of local primary schools. I understand that, to date, 108 appeals on these grounds have been allowed with 105 of these being allowed on the basis of developmental delay and 3 being allowed on the basis of the enrolment policy of local primary schools.

While the majority of children commence school between the age of 4 years 6 months and 5 years 6 months, it is accepted that some parents choose to send their children to primary school at an earlier age and the ECCE scheme allows for children to avail of the preschool year and still commence primary school when they are just over 4 years 2 months of age. However, the objective of the scheme is to make early learning in a formal setting available to all children in the key developmental year before they commence primary school, with appropriate age related activities and programmes being provided to children within a particular age cohort. Targeting the preschool year at a particular age cohort is clearly fundamental to the scheme and it is necessary, therefore, to set minimum and maximum limits to the age range within which children will participate in the scheme each year.

I am satisfied that the age range set for the scheme achieves a reasonable balance between supporting the provision of appropriate age related programmes and activities and providing flexibility to parents and their children and there are no plans to review the position at this stage.