Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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267. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his attention has been drawn to the fact that childcare costs continue to pose a serious financial challenge for families; the measures he will introduce to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38579/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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One of my top priorities in Government is to improve affordability for parents. The Programme for Government commits to reforming the childcare system to create one that brings together the best of community and private childcare provision, is focused on children’s rights and quality outcomes, reduces inequalities, supports staff retention, and substantially reduces costs to parents.

State investment in this sector has increased by an unprecedented 141% since 2015. This funding has been used to remove barriers to access so that children can enrol and meaningfully participate in high-quality Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC). It has, for example, funded a second year of the universal Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) pre-school programme and enabled the introduction of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS).

The ECCE pre-school programme provides for ELC provision for all children in the two years before they begin primary school for fifteen hours per week, entirely free for parents.

Families may also be entitled to subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme. The NCS represents the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare in Ireland. The Scheme aims to improve outcomes for children, reduce poverty, facilitate labour activation, and tangibly reduce the cost of childcare for tens of thousands of families.

The Scheme comprises two types of subsidies:

- A universal subsidy is payable for children between the ages of 24 weeks and 36 months (or until the child qualifies for the ECCE programme if later) who are availing of childcare services from an approved childcare service provider. The universal subsidy is not means-tested and is available to all qualifying families of any income level.

- An income assessed subsidy is payable for children from 24 weeks to 15 years of age who are availing of childcare services from an approved childcare service provider. The level of subsidy is determined by the family’s assessable income (i.e. gross income minus tax, PRSI and other deductibles and minus any applicable multiple child discount).

Information on the Scheme can be found at www.ncs.gov.ie and by phoning the Parent Support Centre at 01 906 8530, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. Parents can also contact their local City/County Childcare Committee to learn more about Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare supports available to them. Details about local CCCs can be found at www.myccc.ie .

Looking to the future, First 5, the whole-of-Government strategy for babies, young children and their families, commits to at least doubling investment in ELC and SAC in the decade to 2028. A key vehicle to ensure that such significant additional investment delivers for children, families and the State will be a new funding model. The new funding model will be the framework for additional investment in services in return for clear evidence of quality and affordability to ensure effective use of public funding.

An Expert Group has been leading the work on developing this new funding model since 2019. The Group is independently chaired and includes national and international experts in ELC and SAC systems, funding, quality, economics, and relevant policy experts from the Government Departments who will be involved in implementing the new funding model. They have met seventeen times to date and it is expected that their report will be submitted in November 2021. It is anticipated that the Expert Group’s work will inform the Budget 2022 process and Department officials are already engaged in this.

ELC and SAC services are private businesses and are free to set their own policies regarding the charging of fees and contract conditions. First 5 sets out as part of the reform of the funding model, the development of an appropriate mechanism to control fees charged to parents in return for increased State investment in affordability, quality and sustainability. As set out in the Terms of Reference for the Expert Group, an essential and top priority for this Group will be to make recommendations for a mechanism to control fee rates for different types of provision for ELC/SAC. The Programme for Government sets out a commitment to examine the approach of other European countries to set a cap on parental fees, irrespective of income.

The research partner for the funding model project, Frontier Economics, has produced eight working papers, with three that directly address affordability issues including international comparisons of fees and public investment, approaches to funding the early learning and care sector, and mechanisms to control fees charged to parents. Further information on the work of the Expert Group and documentation related to the process is available at www.first5fundingmodel.ie.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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268. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his views on a matter (details supplied) in relation to proposed childminding regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31564/21]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The National Action Plan for Childminding, which was published in April 2021, aims to improve access, through childminding, to high quality and affordable childcare. The Action Plan sets out a pathway over the next eight years towards regulation, support and subsidies for all paid, non-relative childminders. The Action Plan will involve change and will bring significant benefits for childminders, and for the children and the families using their services.

A National Action Plan for Childminding Steering Group is in the process of being formed, to drive, oversee and monitor implementation of the National Action Plan. The Steering Group will be supported by four Advisory Groups in relation to: regulation and inspection; training and support; funding and financial supports; and consultation and communications.

The National Action Plan commits to representation of childminders, parents and other key stakeholders on the Steering Group, which will be chaired by my Department. Additionally, the National Action Plan commits to representation of childminders on all four Advisory Groups.

Initial work on some aspects of future training for childminders began prior to launch of the National Action Plan, in the context of on-going work on developing a Workforce Development Plan for early learning and care and school-age childcare. In order to draft proposals, a working group was established specifically on childminding, with strong representation of childminding views. All decisions on the design and implementation of training programmes for childminders will be made by the Steering Group of the National Action Plan for Childminding.

The National Action Plan itself was based on extensive consultation and engagement with childminders, and the blueprint for the National Action Plan was the 2018 report of the Working Group on Reforms and Supports for the Childminding Sector, which was coordinated and chaired by Childminding Ireland. The National Action Plan commits to further consultation with childminders, especially during Phase 1 of the Plan when developing regulations specific to childminders.

While the organisation referred to in the correspondence temporarily withdrew from processes related to the National Action Plan on 2 June, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that officials in my Department received written confirmation on 5 July that the organisation is now re-engaging in the National Action Plan processes. They have confirmed that they will accept the invitation to take up a seat on the Steering Group for the National Action Plan.

Their agreement to re-engage is very welcome as I believe that active engagement and consultation with childminders and their representatives will be key to successful implementation of the National Action Plan.