Written answers

Tuesday, 24 March 2015

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Child Care Services Provision

Photo of Tom FlemingTom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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526. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to ensure that adequate affordable child care places are available for the approximately 33,000 one-parent families who in July 2015 will no longer be in receipt of the one-parent family payment, in order to ensure that this sector will not be excluded from the workplace and forced into poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11870/15]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The issue of the One-Parent Family Payments is, in the first instance, a matter for the Department of Social Protection (DSP). My Department has been working closely with the DSP to streamline the implementation of a number of labour activation measures which support parents returning to the work force or availing of education or training opportunities.

The introduction of the After-School Childcare (ASCC) programme is designed to support low-income and unemployed people to take up employment. This programme is a particularly important support for one-parent families, who might not be able to access support within the family unit, by providing after-school care for primary school children of eligible parents for a period of 52 weeks. The programme contributes €40 per week for an after school place or €80 per week in situations where a pick-up service is provided to take the child from school to the childcare provider. The programme also provides a full day care rate of €105 per week, for a maximum of 10 weeks, to cater for school holiday periods. In all cases, the maximum fee payable by parents is €15 per week per child.

Under the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme, childcare services are contracted to provide childcare places to qualifying Solas or Education and Training Board (ETB) trainees or students for the duration of their courses. This programme also provides part time and after school places. Under the programme, €145 per week is provided towards the cost of a full day childcare place and the service is permitted to charge the parent up to a further €25 per week towards the cost of the place. The Programme has a budget of €17 million per year and in the region of 8,000 children are catered for annually. The programme has a funding allocation of €1.32 million in 2015, which will provide between 300 to 500 places.

The Community Employment Childcare (CEC) programme is targeted specifically at participants in the Community Employment (CE) schemes operated by the Department of Social Protection. Under the programme, €80 per week is provided for pre-school places for children up to the age of 5 and €40 per week for afterschool places for primary school children up to the age of 13, with a set charge of €15 per week to the parent in either case. The programme also provides a part time day care rate of €80 per week, for a maximum of 10 weeks, to cater for school holiday periods. Places are approved for 50 weeks. The CEC programmehas an annual budget of €7.5 million to provide 2,000 places.

These programmes are in addition to the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which provides a free pre-school year to all children in the age category 3 years and 2 months to 4 years and 7 months and the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme that provides funding to community childcare services to support disadvantaged or low income families. The programmes represent an overall annual investment of €260 million and supports more than 100,000 children each year.

The funding to support these childcare programmes has been maintained despite the difficult budgetary position. I am now looking at the question of appropriate supports for child care in a wider context. To ensure that all the benefits of our full range of childcare investments are fully realised, future public investment in childcare must be evidence-based and strategically coordinated. It is crucial that we develop a coherent whole-of-Government approach to investment in childcare services and I have established an Inter-Departmental Group to look at the provision right across the 0 to 6 age group as well as to consider the after-school needs of older school-going children. I have asked the Group to report to me by the Summer.

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