Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

345. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs how the recently announced preschool child care provision will be implemented; if he has had representations from existing preschool operators, who presently avail of classroom facilities to provide their service, enquiring if such facilities will continue to be made available; if his Department has discussed with the Department of Education and Skills if it intends to make such facilities available, solely for the new scheme, and not for existing private operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39124/15]

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

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is currently provided by private commercial and community/not-for-profit pre-school services with more than 4,300 services throughout the country participating in the programme.

I announced in Budget 2016 additional annual funding of €85 million to support the achievement of affordable, accessible, high quality childcare. This additional investment provides for a considerable expansion of the ECCE programme with children qualifying when they reach 3 years of age and remaining in the programme until they make the transition to primary school. The extended free pre-school provision will be introduced from September 2016.

Following the introduction of this new measure, services that are presently providing the free pre-school provision will continue to do so if they renew their contract with my Department. Pre-school services applying as new entrants to the ECCE programme will be considered if they satisfy the ECCE programme requirements.

In relation to the provision of the ECCE programme from primary school facilities, the issue of school ownership impacts on the extent to which the State can influence how primary schools use any additional facilities or space they may have. The vast majority of primary school buildings in the country are in private ownership. Of the 3,278 primary schools in 2014, only 190 (6%) were in the ownership of the Minister for Education and Skills. The remaining 94% of primary schools were in private ownership. The State has no authority to compel Patrons who are the owners of primary school sites to accommodate pre-school services on their own property or to direct them in relation to the selection of suitable pre-school providers to deliver these services.

I am aware that the Minister for Education and Skills is, however, supportive of coherent measures that facilitate greater community use of schools while respecting the core role of schools. In relation to use of existing school premises, my colleague is of the view that, in the first instance, the core role of a school in delivering education to its student body has to be paramount and any additional activities have to adhere to that core role. There are also a number of practical issues, such as lease terms, insurance, etc., that need to be properly examined for schools considering additional activities on their premises.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

346. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if a second free preschool year is available from now until June 2016 for a child born on 3 May 2011, who has already availed of one free preschool year, and who will start primary school in September 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39200/15]

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

At present, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides one free pre-school year for each eligible child before commencing primary school. Each qualifying child is entitled to one free pre-school year only. As this child has received the full free pre-school complement in the 2014-2015 academic year, no additional provision can be made.

The recent Budget decisions, which introduced an extended provision under the ECCE programme that allows children to access the free pre-school programme from the time they are three years of age until they start primary school, come into effect from September 2016. This extended provision, when fully rolled out, will mean that children will have access to free education - either in pre-school or primary school - from the age of three. The start up date for the introduction of this new measure was decided so as to allow pre-school providers an adequate timeframe to make any necessary infrastructural or service changes and to put in place extra staff resources to accommodate the additional numbers benefitting from the programme, which are estimated to increase to approximately 127,000 per year from the current average of around 67,000 per year.