James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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567. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the schemes she provides for subsidised child care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17074/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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My Department administers a number of childcare support programmes. These are the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme, the Community Childcare Subvention Private (CCSP) Programme and the Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) programmes. These programmes primarily provide support for childcare and early years education in formal settings such as preschools and creches, some of which are run by community/not-for profit organisations, and some by private providers.

With a budget of €233m for 2016, the largest scheme is the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, which from September 2016, will make free pre-school available for 15 hours per week for 38 weeks per annum to all children from the time they turn three, until they go to school, entering at three points in the year: September, January and April. On average, from September 2016, children will benefit from 61 weeks, up from the current provision of 38 weeks. Access to the average 61 weeks of ECCE can reduce the cost of childcare by €4000 per child. The current ECCE programme is accommodating 67,000 children; this figure will increase to 127,000 next year.

The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme provides funding to childcare services to enable them to provide quality childcare, including after-school care, at reduced rates to disadvantaged and low income working parents. Parents qualify as disadvantaged or low income on the basis of means-tested entitlements. With a budget of €45m it is anticipated that over 25,000 children will benefit from this programme this year in over 900 community (not for profit) childcare services. In the case of full day care, parents qualifying for the higher rate of subvention under the CCS programme can have up to €95 per week deducted from the overall charge for childcare in the participating childcare facility.

As part of Budget 2016, the Department announced an expansion of the CCS programme to allow private services to offer the programme. This expansion provided for a further 3,200 (full-time equivalent) childcare places on the programme, or approximately 8,000 children based on average uptake. The expansion also saw the inclusion of private childcare providers in the CCS Programme for the first time. The Community Childcare Subvention Private (CCSP) Programme launched in March 2016. The 2016 budget for CCSP programme is €16m.

The following three programmes ASCC, CEC and CETS are known collectively as the Training and Employment Childcare ('TEC') programmes.

My Department administers two programmes, ASCC and CEC, on behalf of the Department of Social Protection. ASCC provides subsidised childcare to support low-income and unemployed people who have primary school children in returning to work or to increase their days of employment. CEC supports people engaged in Community Employment Schemes who have preschool children and/or primary school children. Eligibility for these programmes is the responsibility of the Department of Social Protection.

- The After-School Childcare (ASCC) programme has a budget of €1.3m and has capacity to provide 300 whole-time equivalent after-school places annually. Each eligible parent is given a maximum allowance of 52 weeks of ASCC which does not have to be used consecutively, but when it is exhausted, the parent's eligibility ceases. ASCC childcare places are subject to availability and are allocated on a first-come first served basis. The programme pays childcare services €40 per week for an after-school place or €80 per week in situations where the childcare service provides a pick-up service that collects or brings the child to and from school. The programme also provides a full day care rate of €105 per week, for a maximum of 10 weeks, to cater for school holiday periods. In all cases, the maximum fee payable by parents is €15 per week per child.

- The Community Employment Childcare (CEC) programme, with a budget of €6.7m, has capacity to provide 1,200 preschool places and 800 afterschool places. It is targeted specifically at participants in the Community Employment (CE) schemes. Each eligible parent can avail of a maximum of 50 weeks childcare per academic year. Eligible parents must reapply for childcare each September. CEC childcare places are subject to availability and are allocated on a first-come first served basis. Under this programme, childcare services are paid €80 per week for pre-school places for children up to the age of 5 and €40 per week for after-school places for primary school children up to the age of 13, with a set charge of €15 per week to the parent in either case. The programme also provides a part time day care rate of €80 per week, for a maximum of 10 weeks, to cater for school holiday periods.

My Department administers the Childcare Education and Training Support programme on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. With a budget of €17m, the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme provides 2,500 childcare places, including part-time and after-school places, to qualifying Solas or Education and Training Boards (ETB) trainees or students for the duration of their courses. Eligibility for the CETS programme is determined by the Department of Education and Skills.

In late 2017 my Department plans to replace ASCC, CEC, CETS and CCS/CCSP; with a single and simplified programme that will be available through community (not for profit) and private childcare providers. This programme, when developed, will provide an infrastructure through which any further investment in the subsidisation of childcare can be delivered.