Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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186. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the position regarding supports available for those categorised as essential workers with regard to childcare and crèche fees; if those who are currently working from home and therefore not availing of crèche services are obliged to pay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4733/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Government decided on 6 January that, in order to reduce movement in the population, the ECCE programme would be suspended. Other Early Learning and Childcare and School-Age Childcare services (ELC/SAC services) can remain open on a restricted basis, to offer services to the children of essential workers and to vulnerable children only.

Essential workers are those that work in the list of essential services published on gov.ie. One parent who is an essential worker confers eligibility on the child to access a service. For the purposes of accessing early learning and childcare services, an essential worker may be working from home.

Significant financial supports have been made available to ELC and SAC providers and I have asked that providers make arrangements to waive or refund fees to parents who cannot take up services at this time. The Department has also asked providers to bear in mind that parents who are essential workers or who have vulnerable children have a broad range of personal circumstances and to consider what arrangements (e.g. refunds or fee credits) can be made for eligible parents who do not wish not to take up an ELC/SAC place at this time. The Department has been made aware of many ELC/SAC providers who are waiving fees for any parents who are not taking up places and welcomes this.

ELC and SAC services are provided by private enterprises, either privately owned or operated by community organisations. While service providers are contracted by the Department to provide services at a subsidised rate to parents, they are free to set their own policies regarding the charging of fees and contract conditions.

Funding arrangements for February are currently being finalised and will be publicised shortly.

For parents who work in essential services or parents of vulnerable children who wish to access an ELC place at this time, new applications for the National Childcare Scheme continue to be accepted during this time. City/County Childcare Committees can assist parents of eligible children who need a childcare place to find one locally.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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187. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports available from his Department to crèche operators and to parents of children attending crèche facilities in circumstances in which those attending are categorised as children of essential workers; if he will clarify who qualifies as an essential worker in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4734/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Government decided on 6 January that, in order to reduce movement in the population, the ECCE programme would be suspended. Other Early Learning and Childcare and School-Age Childcare services (ELC/SAC services) can remain open on a restricted basis, to offer services to the children of essential workers and to vulnerable children only.

Essential workers are those that work in the list of essential services published on gov.ie. One parent who is an essential worker confers eligibility on the child to access a service. For the purposes of accessing early learning and childcare services, an essential worker may be working from home.

Under the current Covid19 restrictions, financial supports continue to be available to the Early Learning and Childcare and School Age Care sector, notably the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS). EWSS is an economy-wide enterprise support for eligible businesses in respect of eligible employees. It provides a flat-rate subsidy to qualifying employers based on the numbers of eligible and paid employees on the employer’s payroll; and it charges a reduced rate of employer PRSI of 0.5% on wages paid that are eligible for the subsidy payment.

ELC and SAC services are exempt from the normal EWSS turnover requirements which require employers to demonstrate a decline of 30% turnover to be eligible . Furthermore, the rate of subsidy the employer will receive per paid eligible employee under EWSS was enhanced on 20 October 2020 in response to nationwide level 5 restrictions and will continue to be made available during this period.

Under the enhanced rates, ELC and SAC services with EWSS will have on average approximately 80% of payroll costs covered. This equates to approximately 50% of the usual operating costs of the average service – allowing them to operate sustainably with lower occupancy rates and higher delivery costs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

During January, my Department has continued to provide all ELC and SAC subsidy schemes at existing capitation and subsidy rates during. These include the National Childcare Scheme (NCS), Community Childcare Subvention Plus (CCSP) Saver Programme, Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) Saver Programme and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Scheme.

Given the significant financial supports being made available to ELC and SAC providers, I have asked that providers make arrangements to waive or refund fees to parents who cannot take up services at this time. The Department has been made aware of many ELC/SAC providers who are waiving fees for any parents who are not taking up places and welcomes this.

Funding arrangements for February are currently being finalised and will be publicised shortly.

For parents who work in essential services or parents of vulnerable children who wish to access an ELC place at this time, new applications for the National Childcare Scheme continue to be accepted during this time. City/County Childcare Committees can assist those who need a childcare place to find one locally.