Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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719. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if payments can be claimed-applied retrospectively in cases where early childhood care and education scheme payments are made to a provider but then inadvertently stopped before the child becomes ineligible on age grounds and if the child is attending a preschool that is registered with the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33241/14]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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720. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a child is moved from one child care provider to another, the way his Department ensures early childhood care and education scheme payments continue, assuming the child is in the correct age cohort and the school is registered with the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33242/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 719 and 720 together.

Children are eligible to avail of the free pre-school year under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme when they are aged more than 3 years 2 months and less than 4 years 7 months at 1 September in the relevant year.

Generally the situation is that where parents wish to transfer a child to another service, four pre-school weeks advance notice of such a move should be given to the childcare service in which the child is enrolled. Where a child is moved to a new childcare service providing the free pre-school year under the programme and no advance notice has been given, the first service in which the child was enrolled will be paid four weeks capitation in lieu of notice and no capitation payment will be made to the new service for that child during that four week period.

During the first four weeks of the school year where advance notice is given, a child can transfer to a new service and the capitation payment will be provided to the new service at the end of that four week period. The first provider can opt to release the payment to the new service at any time following the transfer of the child and before the end of the four week period.

Where an eligible child enrols for the free pre-school provision and during that school year, because of health or other circumstances, ceases to avail of the provision, the childcare provider must inform my Department and the capitation payment for that child is discontinued. If the parent wishes to enrol that child in the following school year for the balance of the unused capitation entitlement, they will have to make application to my Department and when the circumstances are considered permission may be granted to allow the child to enrol again and avail of the unused free pre-school complement.

It is not clear from the questions submitted what the circumstances are that the Deputy is referring to, but the Early Years Policies and Programmes unit in my Department will clarify any issues or concerns that parents have in relation to the implementation of the programme.