John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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215. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the reason the new affordable child care scheme announced in budget 2017 ignores professional child minders as is the choice made by many parents for their children as the best child care option as opposed to a crèche setting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33080/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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In the best interests of children (and families) the scheme intends to make subsidies payable to services that are quality assured. Currently Tusla provides quality assurance for childcare services under the statutory registration and inspection regime.

Childminders who mind three or fewer pre-school children in the childminder’s own home are exempt from the Child Care Regulations, and are thus not subject to inspection by Tusla.

In order to meet the needs of parents whose preference is to use a childminder, and to build capacity to cater for increased demand in future years, the Department has commenced talks with Childminding Ireland (CMI) in recent months to explore a number of options around how quality can be assured within the childminding sector.

A Working Group has been established, chaired by CMI, and including officials from Tusla and the DCYA, to make recommendations on reforms for the sector including proposals in relation to quality assurance, whether on a voluntary/non-statutory basis in the short term, or on a mandatory/statutory basis in the long term. These would include recommendations in relation to childminders who are not currently eligible to apply for registration with Tusla (those minding three or fewer pre-school children, or those minding school age children only). The recommendations received are likely to include proposals to be progressed in the short, medium and long term.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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216. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on whether the new affordable child care scheme is permissible under the Constitution which pledges to hold the family at its core when the new scheme favours a centre-based scheme with no regard for the parent's choice for a child minder over a crèche setting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33081/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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In the best interests of children (and families) the scheme intends to make subsidies payable to services that are quality assured. Currently Tusla provides quality assurance for childcare services under the statutory registration and inspection regime.

Childminders who mind three or fewer pre-school children in the childminder’s own home are exempt from the Child Care Regulations, and are thus not subject to inspection by Tusla.

In order to meet the needs of parents whose preference is to use a childminder, and to build capacity to cater for increased demand in future years, the Department has commenced talks with Childminding Ireland (CMI) in recent months to explore a number of options around how quality can be assured within the childminding sector.

A Working Group has been established, chaired by CMI, and including officials from Tusla and the DCYA, to make recommendations on reforms for the sector including proposals in relation to quality assurance, whether on a voluntary/non-statutory basis in the short term, or on a mandatory/statutory basis in the long term. These would include recommendations in relation to childminders who are not currently eligible to apply for registration with Tusla (those minding three or fewer pre-school children, or those minding school age children only). The recommendations received are likely to include proposals to be progressed in the short, medium and long term.