Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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630. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of children currently availing of the free child care place for four year olds; the cost of the scheme; the approximate cost of extending it to entitle parents to two years of free child care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36617/13]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education programme was introduced in January 2010 and provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. In line with the Programme for Government, my Department has made a significant commitment to maintaining this universal programme. It is expected that the programme this year will cost up to €175 million when all of the costs are taken into account. Almost every pre-school service (more than 4,300) in the State is participating with over 68,000 children, or 94% of the eligible age cohort, availing of free pre-school this year. No specific cost analysis has been commissioned in relation to the provision of a second free pre-school year. However, it is estimated that the additional costs of providing a second year would be similar to the costs incurred in providing the one year free pre-school provision. It is not anticipated that the participation rate in a second pre-school year would be as high as that currently experienced and on this basis it is estimated that the cost of the second year would be in the region of €150 million to €175 million. I have on a number of occasions emphasised my commitment and that of the Government to improving quality in pre-school services, and my Department and I are working on a comprehensive pre-school quality agenda. Improving quality represents an essential building block towards the extension of universal early years provision. Future developments relating to early years care and education are being considered in the context of the National Early Years Strategy for children aged from birth to six years, which is being developed by my Department and expected to be completed later this year.