Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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290. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of plans for the single affordable childcare scheme announced in budget 2017; the way in which it is intended to allocate the funding provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3310/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Following the decision in Budget 2017, a new Affordable Childcare Scheme will be introduced later this year 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 will include “wraparound‟ care for pre-school and school-age children.

The universal element of the Scheme will be available to all families with children between the age of 6 months and 36 months (or until the child qualifies for the free pre-school programme if later than 36 months). The targeted element of the scheme will involve a progressive system of income-related subsidies for parents with children between 6 months and 15 years, with eligibility based on net parental income. The Scheme will be available in childcare providers who are registered with Tusla, including both centre-based childcare providers (e.g. crèches, preschools and daycare centres) and child-minders.

The Scheme is designed to be flexible, with the ability to adjust income-thresholds and subsidy rates over time as additional state investment becomes available. The policy paper on the Scheme was approved by Government in October 2016. A report on the national public consultation on the scheme, which was carried out in November 2016 and yielded 4,000 responses, will be completed in February 2017. The Heads of Bill and General Scheme were approved by Government on 24th January 2017. Work will now commence on the drafting of legislation in line with the Heads of Bill and General Scheme.