Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 484: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the qualifications required for a person to operate as a registered childminder. [37060/11]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 485: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the guidelines in place for childminders. [37061/11]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 486: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the tax-free threshold applicable to childminders. [37062/11]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 487: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the grant aid available to a person opening a crèche and to a person setting up as a childminder. [37063/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 484 to 487, inclusive, together.

Preschool services, including child-minding services, are currently regulated under the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2) Regulations 2006, as provided for under Part VII of the Child Care Act,1991.

Under the Regulations childminders taking care of more than 3 preschool children from different families in the childminder's home are required to notify the Health Service Executive (HSE) of their services. Childminders taking care of not more than 3 preschool children from different families are exempt from this requirement under Section 58 of the Child Care Act, 1991. All preschool services which come within the scope of the Child Care (Pre-School Services) (No. 2) Regulations 2006 are subject to inspection by the Pre-School Inspectorate which operates under the HSE.

The National Childcare Co-ordinating Committee (NCCC), which oversees the development of an integrated child care infrastructure throughout the country, compiled national guidelines to assist childminders by providing them with guidance for good practice. These guidelines, which were published by the Child-care Directorate which now forms part of my Department, assist childminders in deciding if they are subject to the Regulations along with providing other useful information on the role of the childminder in the provision of child care services.

There are no regulatory requirements in relation to the qualifications held by childminders or preschool staff generally. However, childminders and other preschool services participating in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme must satisfy certain qualification requirements. From September 2012 the preschool leader in services providing the free preschool year under the ECCE programme must hold a full Fetac Level 5 qualification under the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ).

Childminders taking care of 3 or fewer children in their own home can avail of a tax exemption if their annual child-minding income does not exceed €15,000. If the child-minding income exceeds this amount then the total income will be taxable in the normal way under self assessment.

The National Child-care Investment Programme (NCIP) is implemented by my Department. This programme provided for capital grant funding for community and commercial child care providers, including child-minding services, for the development of child care facilities. However, due to the economic downturn, and following a review of capital expenditure, the previous Government decided to close the programme to new grant applications. There is therefore no capital funding to assist with the setting up of new creche or child-minding facilities currently available to my Department.