Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if a person (details supplied) can be facilitated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40743/10]

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 provides for a free pre-school year to eligible children in the year before they commence primary school.

Parents of children eligible to avail of the free pre-school provision enrol their child in a service participating in the scheme in September of the relevant school year. Capitation funding is provided at the beginning of each school term based on the enrolment returns submitted to my Office by participating services . Parents whose child is enrolled in a childcare service at the beginning of the school term can transfer that child to a new service during that term but the capitation payment in respect of the child remains with the service in which the child was initially enrolled. The capitation payment will only transfer to the new service from the start of the following school term and any childcare provision availed of in the period between the date of transfer and the start of the new term must be paid for by the parent.