Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she intends to develop a Scandinavian model of childcare in this country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7324/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As part of Budget 2013 I, together with my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, was pleased to announce a new After-School Childcare initiative which will be targeted at low-income families and supporting parents availing of employment opportunities.

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 in order to support parents to take up employment. Lack of access to affordable, quality childcare is a significant barrier to many low income and disadvantaged families seeking to avail of work opportunities.

This 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 demonstrates how Departments are working together to deliver the Government's agenda on promoting employment and supporting children's development.

The After-School Childcare Scheme will further augment my Department's programme of childcare supports for low income families. These include the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programmes, both of which provide subsidised childcare for low income parents, including qualifying parents who are on approved VEC and FÁS education and training courses. In 2013, my Department expects to spend over €70 million on the CCS and CETS programmes, supporting over 30,000 childcare places.

My Department also 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 66,000 children are currently availing of the ECCE programme which is expected to cost in the region of €175 million this year.

Future developments in the area of early childhood care and education, will be considered by my Department in the context of its National Early Years Strategy. The Strategy is currently being developed within my Department and is expected to be completed later this year. It is my intention that it will cover a range of issues affecting children in their first years of life as well as identifying best practice in other jurisdictions. Such international practices can inform our thinking in the policy choices we face in further developing early education and care for children, while recognising that specific solutions must be tailored to our current needs and priorities in this country.