Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

179. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide an update on after-school care in Dublin mid west (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12482/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The objective of the After-School Childcare (ASCC) programme is to support low-income and unemployed people to take up a job, increase their days of employment or take up a place on a Department of Social Protection employment programme.

The programme, which provides after-school care for primary school children of eligible parents for a period of 52 weeks, 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.

The funding allocation for the programme in 2015 is €1.32 million, which is expected to provide between 300 to 500 places nationally, depending on the mix between after-school and after-school with pick-up places.

Figures on the uptake of the programme are collated based on the supports provided to qualifying parents in each County or City Childcare Committee area. Since the commencement of the ASCC programme, 24 parents with 31 children availed of support in the South County Dublin Childcare Committee area.