Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will support the case of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 5. [18977/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I have responsibility for implementing the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which was introduced in January of this year.

As I pointed out the Deputy in my previous reply, children aged more than 3 years and 2 months and less than 4 years and 7 months at 1 September each year are eligible for the ECCE scheme. There is no provision under the scheme for children to avail of the free pre-school year who are below the qualifying age. There is provision to make exceptions for children who are required to start primary school when they are older than 5 years and 7 months because of the local schools enrolment policies.

In the case referred to in details attached to your question, where a parent was granted an exception, the parent in question advised my Office that there was a particular high intake of children into the Junior Infants class in the local national school in September 2009. As a result and in the interest of spreading the high numbers more evenly, several parents, with the approval of the school, opted to start their children in the school from September 2010. Following consideration of the circumstances as outlined, it was decided to allow the exceptions on the grounds of the school's enrolment policy.

As stated in my previous reply, the child in question is not eligible to avail of the scheme in September 2010 but will be eligible in September 2011.