Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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15. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to expand the qualifying criteria for community child care scheme to allow families who are not in receipt of Social Protection but are on low incomes to be included in the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22964/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I share the Deputy's concern to ensure that those on low incomes have access to appropriate childcare supports, irrespective of whether they are in receipt of a social protection payment. With this in mind, the Programme for Government commits to streamlining the existing targeted childcare programmes, including the Community Childcare Scheme, into a new single affordable childcare scheme which would be more accessible for both parents and providers.

This commitment reflects a recommendation of the 2015 Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment in Childcare in Ireland. That group recommended that all targeted childcare programmes be merged into one single targeted childcare programme with eligibility for a subsidy being determined by income. This would ensure that subsidies are available to all those who qualify on income grounds, rather than just being available to specific groups such as families in receipt of certain Social Protection payments.

A project team has been established to develop the proposed new single affordable childcare scheme and work is underway with a view to having the new scheme in in place by September 2017.

I believe that the new scheme will also provide a robust platform for future investment in childcare in Ireland so that childcare is more affordable for more families.