Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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226. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to increase funding or provide subsidies for child care to support families where both parents are working, in the upcoming budget; if he considers that such support is necessary, given the extremely high cost of child care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35277/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Funding of more than a quarter of a billion euro is provided annually by my Department towards childcare. All childcare programmes supported by my Department currently provide funding directly to childcare providers, either in the form of capitation or subvention payments. This kind of funding mechanism provides the leverage to progressively build the quality of childcare provision, while at the same time making childcare more affordable.

To deliver the free pre-school year under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, a standard capitation fee of €62.50 per week per eligible child is paid to participating services. To incentivise higher quality, a higher capitation fee of €73 per week is paid per eligible child to services with more highly qualified staff. Parents who qualify for support under this programme can have their annual childcare costs reduced by as much as €2,774 for each qualifying child.

The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme provides funding to community childcare services to support disadvantaged or low income families, and in the case of full day care, parents can have their weekly childcare costs reduced by up to €95 per week for each qualifying child.

Further childcare support is provided under a number of targeted programmes which support parents returning to the workforce or availing of education or training opportunities. These include the:

1. Childcare Education and Training Supports programme for parents availing of training and education courses;

2. Community Employment Childcare programme for parents in Community Employment schemes; and

3. After-School Childcare programme for after-school care.

For these three programmes, the maximum contribution a parent makes to the cost of childcare is capped at €15 per week for part-time and after-school care and €25 per week in the case of full-day care.

I recognise the difficulties being faced by both childcare providers and parents and I am looking at the question of appropriate supports for child care in the wider context. The Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment in Early Years and After-School Care and Education, which I established in February this year, has set out a range of options for current and future investment, including options to enhance affordability, options to increase the accessibility of provision and options to build the quality of provision of early years and school age care and education.

I published the report of the Inter-Departmental Group on 22 July to facilitate a further debate within the sector and among parents generally about the value of and priority that should be attached to the various options considered in the report. This process will help inform future decisions in relation to further investment in the early years sector.