Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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514. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the takeup of the affordable childcare scheme rolled out in September 2017 by area and cost of subsidies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43797/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I am committed to ensuring that childcare is affordable, accessible and of a high quality.

The increase in supports I have provided for the 2017/2018 programme year represents a major step towards accessible, affordable, quality childcare after decades of neglect and under-investment by successive Governments. There are two supports being rolled out under the Community Childcare Scheme. These include universal (non means tested supports) of up to €1,040 per year, and enhanced supports of up to €7,500 targeted to assist families to return to work and training.

So far in 2017/2018 the number of registrations submitted by service providers is as follows:

- targeted schemes (CCS, CCSP and TEC): 25,775 children

- The universal scheme (CCSU): 25,339 children

It should be noted that for most of the programmes, providers can continue to register children throughout the year and children may enter the programmes at different times. My Department projects that almost 60,000 children will avail of the targeted and universal schemes (excluding ECCE).

The number of service providers that have signed up to deliver the affordable childcare scheme, which includes the universal element, is 3,199.

As the expanded schemes only commenced in their current form from Sept 2017, I am providing the estimated cost for September to December 2017 and also for the full fiscal year 2018. These are

- €32.9m for the targeted childcare schemes in 2017 and €75.2m in 2018

- €7.4m for the universal scheme in 2017 and €16.8 in 2018

This represents an investment of €40.3m from September to December 2017 and €92m for the full year 2018.

I would also note that 86,711 children have signed up so far to the free preschool scheme (ECCE) for this programme year, 2017/18. There are three cumulative registration cycles for ECCE and this intake is only the first cycle. In 2016/2017 over 120,000 children registered for ECCE.