Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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55. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 12 of 22 February 2018, her plans to commission an independent review of the operating system for childcare with particular regard to Pobal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18841/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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As referenced in Parliamentary Question No. 12 of 22 February 2018, I intend to conduct a review of the systems and structures which operate nationally and locally to support childcare provision. This will include consideration of the role of 30 City and County Childcare Committees, various National Voluntary Childcare Organisations and Pobal.

I am currently advancing a cross-Government, ten year strategy for children aged 5 and under and their families. I plan to publish this before the end of the year and it will contain significant content relating to the provision of accessible, high quality and affordable childcare and the governance, administrative systems and investment required to achieve these objectives. It is important that the review of systems is consistent with the policy direction set in this strategy and hence, the review will follow from the publication of the strategy. Development of the review therefore remains in the early planning stages but is particularly timely given the increased investment (80%) in the sector in budgets 2016, 2017 and 2018.

A review of this kind represents an opportunity to take stock of existing governance arrangements and examine the high-level Early Years operating model to ensure that it will be adequate to support the delivery of the Affordable Childcare Scheme, the ECCE scheme,  and all the childcare related elements of the Early Years Strategy.

In the interim, my Department will continue to have robust governance arrangements in place with Pobal.