Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 433: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on broadening the child care employment and training support scheme to incorporate registered child minders; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28236/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme was introduced in September last year and is implemented by my Department, on behalf of FAS and the Vocational Educational Committees (VECs).

The CETS programme replaces the previous childcare support programmes implemented by FAS and the VECs under which qualifying students and trainees were paid a weekly Childcare Allowance of up to €63.50 per child as a contribution towards their childcare costs. Under the new programme, funding is provided by my Department to participating services in return for the provision of free childcare places to qualifying students and trainees. Students and trainees can avail of free childcare places for the duration of their course.

A capitation fee is paid for each childcare place contracted, at a weekly rate of €170 per full-time place, €95 per half day care place and €50 per after-school place. After-school places with a "pick-up" facility attract €95 capitation. The eligibility criteria under which students and trainees qualify under the programme continue to be determined by the FAS and the VECs. Some 2,800 full-time equivalent childcare places are provided for under the programme.

The CETS programme is confined to centre-based childcare services, generally services which are participating in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) and/or the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programmes as well as after-school services which cater for primary school children. This is in accordance with the sanction given for the programme and there are no proposals at this stage to extend it to include home-based childminders.