Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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1925. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the full year cost of the targeted portion of the ACS in each of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. [27439/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The full-year cost of the targeted schemes (Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) and the Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) Scheme) was €61 million in 2015, and €58 million in 2016.

For 2017 an additional budget of €19 million was secured, to provide for both a new universal subsidy and increased targeted subsidies through the introduction of the ACS. While the start-date for the ACS has been delayed and the scheme will not start in September 2017, the new universal subsidy and the increased targeted subsidies will be introduced in September through the existing childcare schemes (CCS and TEC). Of this additional funding, approximately €7 million is expected to be spent on the universal subsidy from September.

The ACS will commence at the earliest possible date. It is estimated that the full-year cost of the ACS will be approximately €150 million, of which it is estimated that the targeted portion of the scheme will account for approximately €132 million.