Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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266. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she has received correspondence (details supplied) sent to her from this Deputy in which representations were made on behalf of a child care provider; if so, when a reply will issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6647/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I can confirm that the correspondence referred to by the Deputy has been received in my Department and a reply has been issued.

I am acutely aware of the sustainability challenges facing certain childcare providers; including those that are struggling to maintain consistent levels child registrations. As the Deputy may be aware, my Department made €1m of ‘Sustainability Funding’ available in 2017 to support services, which was directed towards those services that had been most severely impacted by staff qualification requirements in the 2016 Regulations.

Having received feedback from multiple stakeholders in the childcare sector, including Pobal, CCC’s, and directly from childcare providers themselves, my Department has determined that future sustainability efforts should be broader in scope. Accordingly, in Budget 2018, I obtained an increase in funding for services experiencing sustainability issues (to €1.7M in total). My officials are currently developing policy priorities in respect of this additional funding; which I hope will be of assistance to many services in the coming year. Once the Department moves forward with their revised policy, services will be notified through their CCC’s. I would encourage Churchill Community Childcare CLG to apply should they consider themselves eligible and in need of the specific strands of financial assistance available.

In terms of wider sustainability efforts, I have secured funding to increase the revenue of childcare settings through their standard programme funding, and also ensured that the provision of €18m in Programme Support Funding in 2017 will be replicated in 2018.

I am also keenly aware of the pressures on the sector with regard to availability of places and sustainability and, following on from significant investment in 2016 and 2017, my Department is providing €6.86m for its capital funding programme under Budget 2018. This capital funding programme will be open for applications from Monday February 12 and will close on Friday March 9. Further information on the programme and information on how to make an application is available to providers through the Pobal Programmes Implementation Platform (PIP). In addition, providers interested in making an application are encouraged to contact their local City/Country Childcare Committee (CCC) for advice and support.

Finally, I would advise the Service Provider to contact the relevant officials in their local CCC and Pobal, outlining the current situation. Pobal have a dedicated team that assess services facing crisis situations and upon reviewing the particulars of this case, they may be in a position to provide or recommend supports in respect of the challenges identified.