Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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167. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason preschool providers are required to submit details of children attending preschool in hard copy as opposed to by online application; why a similar system to that in place for the registration of children for the under-six general practitioner visit card has not been put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38862/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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My Department funds a number of childcare support programmes that assist parents in accessing affordable and quality childcare. These include the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which provides free pre-school education; the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme to support low income and disadvantaged families, and three Training and Employment Childcare programmes - Childcare Education and Training programme (CETS), Community Employment Childcare (CEC) programme and After-school Childcare (ASCC) programme - which provide childcare supports to eligible parents returning to work or to education.

The Programmes Implementation Platform (PIP) initiative was introduced by my Department and launched in September 2014. The system provides for childcare providers to submit applications for childcare funding through an online facility. The objective is to reduce paperwork and duplication of effort and to simplify the administration process of all of the programmes. This new development provides a more comprehensive, integrated set of management processes, more efficient work practices, greater visibility and control of funds and commitments and substantially improves the capacity of the stakeholders to dynamically manage service by service and case by case approvals and changes in each of the programmes.