Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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180. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost to increase the capitation fee from €62.50 per child to €64.50 for 38 weeks and 52 weeks. respectively. [29445/15]

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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181. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of Irish children of early childhood care and education scheme age who currently reside in this State. [29446/15]

Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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182. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of free preschool places that are available under the early childhood care and education scheme from September 2015 for the next 38-week period. [29447/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 180 to 182, inclusive, together.

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides a free preschool year to all eligible children before commencing primary school. Funding of over €170 million is provided for the ECCE programme annually in which some 67,000 children receive one year free preschool care and education.

The approximate additional extra cost of increasing the capitation rate for the ECCE programme to €64.50, based on the current cohort of eligible children, is €5m for 38 weeks and €6.8m for 52 weeks. The programme is designed to be delivered for three hours per day, five days per week, over 38 weeks (183 days per year), and capitation fees are paid to participating services on the basis of this provision. The programme is based on the primary school model, under which primary schools are required to open on 193 days per year (equivalent to 38.6 weeks). There are currently no plans to extend the programme to a 52 week model.

The ECCE programme is a universal and free programme for which all children qualify when they are within the qualifying age range, which is between 3 years and 2 months to 4 years and 7 months in the September of the relevant year. Therefore, in 2015 children born between 2 February 2011 and 30 June 2012 will be eligible and funding will be made available by my Department to provide for those children that are enrolled in the programme. Data from the Central Statistics Office (CS0) indicates that 74,033 children were born in Ireland in the calendar year 2011 and 71,674 in the year 2012. A more detailed breakdown of these figures may be available from the CSO.