Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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304. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she has reviewed funding and support for the early years sector as promised for early 2016. [14044/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I understand the Deputy is referring to a commitment by my Department to a review of the functions, structures and governance of the City/County Childcare Committees and the National Voluntary Childcare Organisations. 

This review has not been progressed to date due to the requirement to prioritise other important initiatives within the early years care and education area. The review in question continues to feature in my Department's Business Plan, but my Department's main priority in 2016 to date has been to deliver on the increase in funding announced in Budget 2016 and the associated developments. The 30% increase in budget from 2015 now allows delivery of €345m per annum in schemes to subsidise childcare, ensure delivery of early years education, and initiatives to improve the quality of services. 

Recent priorities have included a number of initiatives to  ensure that sufficient capacity is available in the sector to meet the demands of the expanded Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme from September of this year, the introduction of the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) for children with disabilities availing of ECCE from September of this year and the expansion of the Community Childcare Subvention to private childcare providers to ensure that more eligible families can avail of this subsidised childcare, particularly in geographical areas where no community provision exists. 

My Department has also dedicated a resource to developing a Single Affordable Childcare Programme (SACP) in 2017 which will amalgamate the various subvented schemes into one single, user friendly programme. The SACP, when developed, can be used as an infrastructure from which any future investment in early years care and education can be delivered, be it on a universal or a targeted basis.

The funding and support delivered to the Early Years sector by my Department has expanded significantly in the past year, and it is my intention that this will continue.  The Programme for Government contains several commitments relating to the funding of and support for the sector. These include a commitment to conducting and publishing an independent review of the cost of providing quality childcare in private and community settings, consistent with the principle of ongoing professionalisation. The City and County Childcare Committees, the various National Voluntary Childcare Organisations and various other stakeholders continue to play an important role in assisting my Department with its critical role in making high quality, affordable, early years care and education accessible to all.