Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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207. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funds or funding streams that are available for after school homework clubs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48356/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The School Completion Programme (SCP) is a core element of the Educational Welfare Service of Tusla the Child and Family Agency.

SCP work focuses on targeting and providing supports to young people identified to be most at risk of early school leaving. This work includes the identification and support of children at risk of not reaching their potential in the educational system because of poor attendance, participation and retention via initiatives such as breakfast clubs; homework clubs; afterschool supports; mentoring programmes; and therapeutic interventions. SCP's also work to ensure that schools have in place the appropriate procedures to monitor, identify and respond to attendance, participation and retention issues;

I can confirm that the SCP budget for 124 SCP projects for the school years 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 was €23.3m per annum.

For the school year 2015-16, the total level of spend for SCP projects on Interventions was €7.4m. Homework clubs fall within this element of the SCP budget and feature prominently in the returns. Interventions are split between In-School Interventions, After School Supports and Summer Supports. Figures for the 2016-2017 school year will become available in due course.

My Department also offers childcare subsidies to families eligible under the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS), Community Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP) and Training and Employment (TEC) programmes. This childcare funding may be used towards a place in an afterschool setting. The subsidies are paid to childcare providers for eligible families. The rates of subsidy vary according to certain eligibility criteria including social welfare and/or medical card entitlement or participating in a Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection employment programme. While the childcare funding is not specifically for homework clubs, the childcare place may involve homework supports.