Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on whether the reduction in child benefit will undermine her Department’s objective of achieving better outcomes for children and young persons and providing support for parents and families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56689/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The issue of Child Benefit payments is a matter for the Minister for Social Protection.

My Department currently provides support to parents to assist them with the cost of childcare through the implementation of two targeted childcare support programmes, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme. The total cost of these programmes in 2013 is expected to be in the region of just over €70 million.

The CCS programme provides funding to community-based childcare services to enable them to provide childcare at reduced rates to disadvantaged and low income working parents. Parents qualify where they are in receipt of social welfare payments or Family Income Supplement and where they hold a medical or GP card. Parents qualifying for the top rate of subvention, of €95 per week for a full-day childcare place, have their childcare costs reduced by that amount. Some 25,000 children are currently availing of subsidised childcare places under this programme.

The CETS programme is provided through both community and commercial childcare services and provides in the region of 2,500 full-time equivalent childcare places each year to trainees and students who are deemed qualified by FÁS or the VEC. Parents qualifying for places have their weekly childcare costs reduced by €145, in the case of a full time childcare place, and pro-rata amounts in the case of part-time or after school childcare.

In addition, my Department implements the universal free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, under which all children have equal access to free pre-school education in the year before commencing primary school. Some 65,000 children are currently availing of the ECCE programme at an annual cost of some €175 million. Together, these programmes represent a significant investment in supporting parents with the cost of childcare and the fact that they have been maintained at a time of on-going need for reductions in Government expenditure, demonstrates this Government's commitment to supporting services for children and families.

As part of Budget 2013, together with my colleague the Minister for Social Protection, I was pleased to announce a new school age childcare initiative. The initiative is expected to receive full year funding of €14 million to provide over 6,000 quality after-school places for children attending primary school, as well as supporting parents to take up employment. This is an important further support measure as a lack of access to affordable, quality childcare is a significant barrier to many low income and disadvantaged families when seeking to avail of work and training or educational opportunities.

By providing over 6,000 after-school childcare places, the initiative will provide an important support measure to enable parents to avail of job opportunities. This is in line with the Government's overall strategy to support parents of low income families to take up employment and represents how Departments are working together to deliver the Government's agenda on promoting employment and supporting children's development.

Oficials in both my own Department and the Department of Social Protection are currently working to finalise the details of the scheme and its operational arrangements. As is the case with the CETS scheme, the new scheme is expected to be open to both community and commercial childcare providers across the State and it is anticipated that places will become available on an interim basis from early 2013 with the full roll-out of the programme commencing in September 2013. As soon as this work has been completed, further information will be made available.

My Department is currently developing a five year Children and Young People's Policy Framework. This Policy will set out an overarching framework for the delivery of policies and services across Government which provide the best possible outcomes for children within available resources. As part of this overall Policy Framework, future developments relating to early years care and education will be considered during preparation of the new National Early Years Strategy which is currently being developed by my Department and is expected to be completed by mid 2013. This Strategy will cover a range of issues affecting children in their first years of life such as health, family support, learning and development and care and education and will identify the structures and policies needed to improve early years experience in Ireland.