Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left)
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108. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views on the need for more quality affordable child care; his views on the need to increase funding for these community-based not-for-profit facilities or provide them with a derogation respecting the mandatory Further Education and Training Awards Council level 5 qualifications, as stands now (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36234/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The introduction of the minimum qualification requirement for staff working in early years services is an integral part of the Early Years Quality Agenda, which is being advanced by my Department. These requirements apply equally to services in the community/not for profit sector as well as in the private sector.

My Department has already made €3 million in funding available to support staff to achieve this minimum level, and a further €0.5m is now being made available to ensure that all staff have the opportunity to upskill in order to meet the requirement. I have already announced that the minimum qualification requirement will be delayed to take account of a number of factors, not least of which is the fact that some community/not-for-profit services rely on Community Employment workers as core staff within the adult:child ratio. I understand that such services would face issues of sustainability if Community Employment workers were to become supernumerary. My Department will work closely with the Department of Social Protection and the community/not-for-profit service providers to agree a way forward for the Community Employment workers in the early years sector.

My Department currently provides approximately €260 million annually to childcare services in both the private and community/not for profit sectors for the delivery of a number of childcare support programmes. This investment supports more than 100,000 children each year. Community/not for profit childcare providers are eligible to participate in all of the childcare programmes implemented by my Department. I announced in Budget 2016 additional annual funding of €85 million to support the achievement of affordable, accessible, high quality childcare. This funding represents an increase of 33% in the annual investment in childcare supports and provides for the significant enhancement of a number of programmes implemented by my Department.

Regarding the specific childcare service referred to by the Deputy, my officials have made enquiries with Pobal, who administer the funding under the Community Childcare Subvention on behalf of my Department. Pobal report that, based on the financial returns made by the service to Pobal, they would have no concerns with regard to the sustainability of the service at this point in time.