Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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66. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to make special arrangements in relation to the funding of crèches on offshore islands to ensure they are viable with a small number of children attending due to the smaller populations on islands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30909/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department oversees a case Management process through which local City and County Childcare committees and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to early learning and care and school age childcare services experiencing difficulties. This can include help with completing and interpreting analysis of staff ratios, fee setting and cash flow, as well as more specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances.

Financial supports, which may also be accessed through the Case Management process, are available for community services presenting with sustainability issues following a financial assessment by Pobal.

Community childcare services that are situated on off-shore islands and are anticipating a decline in their attendance may be eligible for a specific strand of sustainability grant, namely the Rural and Isolated Services Sustainability Support.

This purpose of this grant is to allow not-for-profit childcare services in isolated locations to remain viable during a sustained period of low attendance due to a low population density. However, I note that while my Department does provide funding to assist childcare providers through specific challenges to their sustainability, these supports are currently only available to community not for profit services.

As you are aware, service providers may also be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including services located on off-shore islands. Where providers are struggling with an imminent threat to the viability of the service arising from a demonstrated decline in occupancy and/or demonstrated increase in costs due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, my Department has made available financial support in the form of COVID-19 Sustainability Support funding. This sustainability funding is available to both private, for-profit providers and community non-profit providers, subject to eligibility criteria and an assessment of need.

Support for ELC and SAC providers in relation to the completion of the application form and workbook for this funding is available via a service's local City and County Childcare Committee..

Contact details for the CCCs can be found in the Guidelines document, or at www.myccc.ie.