Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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997. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the progress being made on her plans for a nationwide childcare scheme. [1592/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The new Affordable Childcare Scheme will open to applications in October 2019, with payments flowing from November 2019. Its launch will mark a milestone in our quest to transform Ireland's childcare system from one of the most expensive in the world into one of the best.

Positive progress continues to be made in the development of the legislative, administrative and ICT infrastructure for the scheme.

Under the auspices of the Childcare Support Act 2018, detailed secondary legislation and policy guidelines are being prepared. In December, I signed regulations to provide, for the first time, for the registration of school-age childcare services by Tusla. This will allow these services to participate in the new scheme from the start.

With regard to ICT, our IT development contractor, Codec, is busy working with officials from DCYA and Pobal to develop the system on schedule and in advance of the scheme's October launch.

A comprehensive awareness campaign for parents and the public will commence in the spring, alongside training and information supports for childcare providers and other key stakeholders.