Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 845: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason a person (details supplied) in County Cavan was declined a second year under the early childhood care and education scheme; and if this decision can be reversed in view of the findings by her consultant and Enable Ireland that her speech, language and developmental delay would benefit form a second year. [34094/10]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I have responsibility for implementing the free Preschool Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which was introduced in January of this year and provides a free preschool year to all children within a certain age range in the year before they commence primary school.

The ECCE scheme is a universal scheme which provides for one free Preschool Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for all children within the qualifying age range. The scheme takes account of the fact that some children with special needs may benefit from a mainstream preschool setting at an later age than would normally be the case, by allowing an extension of the upper limit of the age range within which children qualify. In addition, the scheme allows children with special needs to avail of the preschool year on a pro-rata basis over two years, for example for 2 days per week in the first year and then for 3 days per week in the second year.

It is recognised that the introduction of the scheme has raised a number of issues in relation to service provision and supports for children with special needs and the need to ensure a coherent approach across both specialist and mainstream settings. While many children with special needs may require specialist services, others will benefit from attending mainstream services or a mixture of the two. To achieve these outcomes, earlier this year this Office asked the Office of Disability and Mental Health to set up a Working Group to look at existing services and supports and the allocation of resources for preschool children with special needs. This Group is expected to report shortly following which the arrangements for children with special needs under the ECCE scheme will be further considered.

In the meantime while the scheme as initiated does not provide for any additional provision for children with special needs, pending any arrangements which are put in place following the report of the Working Group, a limited number of children with severe disabilities who had availed of the scheme in the introductory period of January to June 2010 have been approved for re-entry into the scheme in September 2010, the first full year of the scheme, on an exceptional basis in respect of that academic year only.

In the case referred to by the Deputy, the information provided to my Office did not confirm a diagnosis of severe disability for the child in question and re-entry to the scheme in September 2010 was not approved.