Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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578. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if childcare providers have to provide childcare five days per week in order to qualify for the new funding package to support them reopening post-Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13846/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Early learning and care services which reopen in the summer months do not need to provide services on five days a week to avail of supports under the Government's €75million support package for the childcare sector, including the €14.2million Covid Capital grant and the continuation of the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme However services which reopen for a minimum period of time over the summer months may get an increase Reopening Support Payment (RSP) if they are open on a full time basis. The total value of the RSP is €18million.

Enhanced RSP is worth twice as much as standard RSP and is available to all services who operate for more than 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, for 6 of the 8 weeks between 29 June and 23 August 2020, with at least one child who is registered on a Department funded scheme attending regularly during that period.

Standard RSP is available for all other services that open for 6 of the 16 weeks between 29 June and 16 October 2020, with at least one child who is registered on a Department funded scheme attending regularly during that period.

The value of the Reopening Support Payment grants is set out in the following table:

IN addition to the Reopening Support Payment.