Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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1139. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to the recent Private Members' debate in Dáil Éireann on child care, her plans to increase pay for ECCE year from 38 weeks to 42 weeks in view of the fact her Department requires service providers to pay staff for 42 weeks. [34100/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I would note to the Deputy that the determination of wage rates, pay and conditions is a matter between each individual childcare provider as the respective employer and their staff.

When introduced, the ECCE scheme provided free-preschool for 38 weeks of the year, the 38 weeks broadly mirrored the primary school academic year. When ECCE was expanded as a result of Budget 2016, it enabled all children to attend ECCE from the age of three, entering at one of three entry points after their third birthday, September, January or April, and remain there until they started in primary school, with the exception that they could not be more than 5 years and 6 months when they finished ECCE in June. This followed a recommendation from the Expert Group " Right from the Start".

Any changes to the current scheme’s duration would require revision of rules around eligibility and enrolment dates and would need to look at issues of capacity with regard to physical space, staffing capacities and other associated matters.