Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

646. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the measures she is taking to ensure the provision of affordable child care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29775/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department currently administers four targeted childcare programmes to support low income families. These are:

1. Community Childcare Subvention Programme (CCS)

2. Childcare Education and Training Support Programme (CETS),

3. After-School Childcare Programme (ASC)

4. Community Employment Childcare Programme (CEC).

These four programmes are administratively very complex and are widely varied in terms of budget, access and eligibility criteria, rates, duration and coverage (in terms of the type and number of childcare services participating in the programmes).

The Report of the Inter-Departmental Group on Future Investment in Childcare considered these targeted childcare programmes as part of their work and made recommendations for reform. Essentially, it was recommended that all targeted childcare programmes be merged into one single targeted childcare programme with eligibility for a childcare subsidy under the new programme being determined by income only.

Under Budget 2016 funding to convene a Design Team to develop a single affordable childcare programme was allocated. Work on the new single scheme has begun and is expected to be in place by September 2017. The intention of the new Scheme is to replace the existing targeted schemes with a new streamlined subsidy scheme which is more accessible for parents and providers, enhances affordability and provides a flexible platform for future investment in childcare in Ireland.

I recently brought the proposals for the new Scheme to the Cabinet Sub-committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform and intend to submit the proposals formally to Government in the near future.

Further details on the new scheme are expected to be provided as part of the Budget 2017 announcement on Tuesday 11^thOctober 2016.