Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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214. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the cost to provide all staff working with children at least three hours paid time per week to plan their work. [24044/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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My Department provides funding to childcare services for the delivery of a range of subvented childcare schemes to support families to engage in work or training (CCS and TEC). These scheme subsidies are deducted from the cost to the parent of the childcare they require. The ECCE / pre-school scheme provides early years care and education to 117,000 children approximately per annum.  DCYA is not the employer of staff in the sector and makes no payments directly to them. Childcare services are delivered predominantly by private businesses and about 30% by community  / not for profit services.

The subvention rates for the September 2017 measures which were introduced as an interim measure in advance of the ACS were increased substantially in September 2017, by as much as 50% in some instances. The rate of capitation for ECCE will increase by 7% from September 2018, up to a maximum of €80.25 per child per week for services receiving the Higher Capitation rate. The subsidies for the Affordable Childcare Scheme which is in development were designed to include all overhead costs ( face to face time with children, admin costs etc.).

An important point to note is that my Department made  €18 million in Programme Support Payments (formerly known as 'non-contact time' payments) to Early Years providers in 2017 and has secured this in our base for 2018. We plan to administer this payment again in the coming weeks.

I have commissioned the first Independent Review of the Cost of Delivery of Quality Childcare, which is currently being conducted by Crowe Horwath.  The outcomes of this review will inform us re all costs associated with delivering childcare and will be critical to future Estimates processes  relating to early years care and education. 

Notwithstanding the general position set out it is estimated that the cost of providing an additional 3 hours paid time, based on the numbers working in the formal, settings based, early years sector and having regard to current pay rates in the sector, would be in the region of €50m.