Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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822. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the way applications by persons and registrations and payments to Tusla registered child care providers will work with respect to the targeted subsidy (details supplied). [10220/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The policy paper for the introduction of the Affordable Childcare Scheme was approved by Government in October 2016. Since then, officials of the DCYA and Pobal have been working intensively to plan for the implementation of this Scheme.

This is an extremely complex and ambitious project because of what is involved – legislation, new business processes, data protection and building a new IT system. We will need to integrate data from the Department of Social Protection and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners so that the system can calculate every family’s net income and ACS subsidy. We will need to test the IT system rigorously to make sure of applicability, even in complicated family circumstances.

Because of all the matters mentioned above, the fully automated system will be delayed. However, we are working intensively to ensure a satisfactory interim measure is in place and that the fully automated system for the Affordable Childcare Scheme is introduced as soon as possible.

Full information on the Scheme, including process for applications, registrations and payments, will be made available to childcare providers well in advance of its introduction, and change management supports will be provided to all participating childcare services.