Written answers

Tuesday, 29 November 2016

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Child Care Costs

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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775. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her views on the measures announced recently in budget 2017 and the way they impact on parents; the way parents will avail of or be identified for the affordable child care scheme; and her views on whether parents should be able to apply online prior to September 2017. [37191/16]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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A major policy priority for me is the development of a new Affordable Childcare Scheme, which is a major step in making quality childcare more affordable, and will enable both universal and targeted subsidies for parents towards their childcare costs. Under the new scheme, parents will qualify for a targeted subsidy based on their net income, and the highest levels of support will be offered to those on the lowest incomes.

Budget 2017 allocated funding for the development of an online IT application system that will allow parents to apply for subsidies, via an online application system, by entering their PPS number and other details such as their work or training status. In order to make the application process as easy as possible for parents, it is intended that the means-testing will, in most cases, be carried out through an automatic link with income data held by the Revenue Commissioners and by the Department of Social Protection.

It is envisaged that the scheme will be available from September 2017 and, as such, applications for eligibility from parents will commence prior to September 2017. Detailed development and implementation planning, including relating to the development of new legislation and ICT infrastructure, is currently underway. This is a major project and it will be underpinned by a comprehensive communications strategy which will involve regular updates to the public and to all key stakeholders regarding progress and precise timeframes for implementation.

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