Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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1673. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the estimated cost of increasing the ECCE capitation rates by €5, €10, €15, €20 and €25, respectively; and the estimated first and full-year cost of extending the duration of the ECCE year by 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks, respectively from September 2019 onwards in tabular form. [35424/19]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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€298.1m has been allocated to the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme in 2019.

The following table outlines the projected cost in 2019 of increasing the standard and higher capitation rates for the programme by increments of €5 over and above current levels, up to a €25 increase. This costing is based on the increases occurring from September 2019.

The following table outlines the projected full year cost in 2019 of increasing the standard and higher capitation rates for the scheme by increments of €5 over and above current levels, up to a €25 increase. This costing is based on the increases occurring from January 2019.

The below table outlines the projected full year cost in 2019 of increasing the standard and higher capitation rates for the scheme by increments of 2 weeks over and above current levels, up to a 12 week increase.

The ECCE programme occurs on the basis of a Programme Year. ECCE provision is therefore currently split, with 16 weeks of provision over September to December, and 22 weeks of provision over January to June in the following calendar year. Due to fixed holidays between September and December in 2019 the additional weeks would have to be added in the first half of 2020. Increasing the ECCE programme weeks would therefore have no year one (2019) costs.