Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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628. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if there are supports for community child-care facilities to pick up children for provision of after school care; and if not, if she will review same. [43022/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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As the Deputy will be aware my Department provides subvention through a number of childcare schemes. Two of these schemes:

- Childcare Education and Training (CETS) which provides childcare to eligible participants on certain training courses provided by Education and Training Boards, and secondary school students

- After-school Child Care Programme (ASCC) for parents of primary aged children on certain DSEAP employment programmes

include provision for enhanced subvention rates to cover transport requirements.

In financial terms, this means that for 5 days provision per week, the parents fees (not counting the initial 14 week top up that applies) can be subvented by €35 extra per week to cover transport.

In addition, on the 17th of August this year I announced €1.2m of funding to improve existing school age childcare services. As a result, 263 after school services benefitted from grants from my Department. Some of these grants were put towards after school services purchasing vehicles to facilitate the pick up and drop off of school aged children from their services.