Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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216. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way the proposed system of administering the new affordable child care scheme will determine eligibility via the online system for persons that do not opt for joint assessment of income; her views on whether persons, for example, unmarried and-or cohabiting that have not opted for joint assessment of income could be considered eligible if they input the PPSN of one partner earning below €47,000, even if both their collective incomes taken together would be above the threshold; and her further views on whether the system proposed to determine automatic eligibility could be discriminatory against persons that have opted for joint assessment of income. [36480/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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From September 2017 a new Affordable Childcare scheme will be introduced which will provide financial support for parents towards the cost of childcare. The new scheme will provide a system from which both universal and targeted subsidies can be provided towards the cost of childcare. This new scheme will replace the existing targeted childcare programmes with a single, streamlined and more user-friendly scheme and is intended to provide “wraparound‟ care for pre-school and school-age children.

Parents will be able to apply for a subsidy via an online application system. In order to support a user-friendly process, this online system will involve linkages to Revenue and Department of Social Protection IT databases which should enable automated verification of income data and automated approval of applications in a large number of cases. To facilitate this approach, the income assessment will be based on the most recent available tax year, while the applicant’s ‘work/ study’ status will be determined by way of self-declaration. This approach will be balanced by a strong system of audit and inbuilt checks.

Applicants will be required to renew their application for a childcare subsidy annually and to notify Pobal where there is a material change in their means or circumstances. Similarly, childcare providers will have a duty to notify Pobal where there is a change in the level of childcare provided to a scheme beneficiary. In all cases, applicants will enjoy a right of review and appeal in relation to decisions reached.

The scheme aims to provide progressive financial support towards the cost of childcare. It is proposed that it should be the income of the immediate household with legal responsibility for the child that is taken into account. This means that it is the income of the parent or guardian (applicant) and his or her spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, as appropriate, that will be taken into account in calculating assessable income and eligibility for a subsidy. It is intended that the scheme will treat all couples on the same basis, regardless of whether the couple has opted for separate or joint assessment of income for tax purposes.