Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the discussions she has had on increasing the proportion of Exchequer expenditure on children that is dedicated to childcare services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17303/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government commits to developing early childhood care and education as resources allow, and the Government has made a very significant commitment to maintaining the childcare support programmes implemented by my Department. In 2013 the total expenditure by my Department on these support programmes is expected to be in the region of €260 million. These programmes have been maintained and expanded despite the ongoing need to reduce Government expenditure. I believe this is an investment in our country’s future prosperity. It is recognised that intensive and targeted early childhood services have the potential to significantly enhance the life chances of many children. Investment in early childhood care and education benefits not only the individual child but also the wider economy. I believe there is significant international evidence of the benefits for children's outcomes of the provision of quality education and childcare in the earliest years. Childcare services also make an important economic contribution through direct employment of staff in service delivery and through support for labour participation on the part of working parents.

The Early Years Strategy, which is currently being developed by my Department, will be Ireland's first ever national strategy for early years. It is expected that it will cover a range of issues affecting children in their first years of life such as health, including physical and mental development, vaccination programmes and population health issues such as nutrition and exercise, as well as parenting and family support, learning and development, play and recreation and early childhood care and education, including literacy and numeracy.

The Strategy will bring together and consider a significant amount of international and domestic research on the importance of early years for child development, including findings from the 'Growing up in Ireland' study. It will also be informed by the evaluations from the Prevention and Early Interventions Projects which have been funded jointly by my Department and philanthropic organisations. The Government has committed an additional €4.5 million to a new Area Based Response to Child Poverty which will build upon and extend the learning from the Prevention and Early Intervention initiative.

As part of Budget 2013, I announced with my colleague the Minister for Social Protection, a joint school age childcare initiative which will provide further additional support to both the community and private childcare sector. This initiative, which represents a full year investment of €14 million, will provide important support to parents in low income families wishing to take up employment, along with ensuring that quality after-school care is in place to support children's development.

As shown by these developments the government is prioritising childcare and other early years services through the continuation and further increase in the resources devoted to such evidence based responses.