Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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378. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to revert to this Deputy on (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43028/15]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I indicated in my previous reply to the Deputy the various childcare support and capital programmes which are implemented by my Department and their availability to private providers. To summarise:

- The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme is provided through both private and community/not-for-profit providers

- The Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) programmes (i.e. Childcare Education and Training programme (CETS), Community Employment Childcare (CEC) programme and After-school Childcare (ASCC) programme) are provided through both private and community/not-for-profit providers, and

- The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme is currently provided through community/not-for-profit providers only.

The original rationale for opening the CCS Programme to community/not-for-profit providers only was to ensure that children and families could access childcare in areas of market failure (i.e. in areas where private providers did not traditionally operate) and, due to economic constraints, Budget 2012 closed the CCS programme to new applications from providers wishing to enter the programme and to the expansion of services by existing providers.

However, as I also indicated in my previous reply to the Deputy, under Budget 2016, I lifted these restrictions and provided €16 million in additional funding to further expand the CCS programme, to include its roll-out to private providers, in a targeted manner. During 2016, work will also commence on developing a new simplified childcare subsidy programme. This programme, which will replace the existing CCS and TEC programmes, will be available through both private and community/not-for-profit providers in 2017.

- In 2012, capital funding of €6m was provided to fund a maintenance programme for services (i.e. to address remedial, maintenance and renovation work and to purchase equipment). This funding, which provided grants up to a maximum of €50,000, was available to both private and community/not-for-profit providers.

- In 2013, capital funding of €2.75m was provided to support the on-going improvement of services. Both private and community/not-for-profit services participating in one of the childcare support programmes implemented by my Department were eligible to apply.

- In 2014, capital funding of €2.5 million for the maintenance and upgrade of community/not-for-profit servicesto ensure that these previously-funded community/not-for-profit services remained fit-for-purpose thus protecting State investment. For this reason, private providers were not eligible to apply.

- In 2015, capital funding of €7 million was provided. Under Strands 1-3 of the 2015 programme, €5 million was made available to community/not-for-profit servicesto ensure that these previously-funded community/not-for-profit services remained fit-for-purpose thus protecting State investment. The remaining €2 million, which was made available under Strand 4 of the 2015 programme, was made available for both private and community/not-for-profit providers.