Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

161. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way that he plans to respond to the expert group report partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5313/22]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

196. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the way that he plans to respond to the Expert Group report Partnership for the Public Good: A New Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5476/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 161 and 196 together.

An Expert Group to develop a new funding model for Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) was established in 2019. It was independently chaired and comprised of national and international experts across multiple fields. It met 21 times and has now completed its work.

The report of the Expert Group, Partnership for the Public Good: A new Funding Model for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, was published on 7 December 2021 following consideration by Government and acceptance of its 25 recommendations. Work has now commenced on implementation of these recommendations.

Announcements in Budget 2022 signaled the commitment to the first stage of implementation of the Expert Group’s recommendations. Full implementation of all recommendations will be progressed in the coming years as additional funding is secured through the annual Estimates process.

I was very happy to have had the opportunity to meet the chair of the Expert Group in advance of the Estimates process to allow the emerging recommendations to inform the developments being introduced in Budget 2022.

In particular, a new Core Funding stream for services to support improved quality, affordability, and sustainability and the establishment of an Employment Regulation Order, is being introduced and will be worth up to €69 million in 2022, equivalent to €207 million in a full year. Participation in Core Funding will require services not to increase fees to parents above the September 2021 rates.

A Transition Fund will be also available to ELC and SAC services from May to August inclusive, during the period between the phasing out of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) in April and the introduction of the new Core Funding stream in September. Transition Fund will also include the condition that services do not increase the fees charged to parents above September 2021 levels.

Budget 2022 also announced an extension in the age of children who are eligible for the universal National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidy and a change to how 'wraparound hours' for NCS subsidy are determined. These measures were also recommended by the Expert Group.

The recommendations of the Expert Group are designed to deliver quality for children, affordability for parents, stability for providers, and support employers to improve pay and conditions for staff. The report of the Expert Group is available here: first5fundingmodel.gov.ie/report/.

The new funding model outlined in Partnership for the Public Goodcomprises four key elements: two new elements (Core Funding and Tackling Disadvantage funding) and two elements which are developments on the existing funding approaches of the ECCE programme and the NCS.

These four elements, and their associated conditions, will form an interlocking and integrated system of funding which is designed to ensure progress on each of the main goals of ELC and SAC policy, and move in the direction of enhanced public management.

In order to deliver such significant change, the Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare Division within the Department. Officials has been reconfigured and scheme development and ICT planning is underway in collaboration with Pobal in order to put in place the systems and processes for services to apply for Core Funding, calculate allocations, disburse funding and report on funding.

An impact monitoring element of this approach to funding is also being developed which will capture data on key indicators that it is anticipated will be addressed through the scheme including workforce pay, qualifications, turnover rates, non-contact time etc.

Progress on the implementation of the Expert Group’s recommendations will be reported in the context of the Annual Implementation Report for the First 5whole-of-government strategy for babies, young children and their families.

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

163. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of applicants for the national childcare scheme in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5314/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for childcare costs in Ireland. Since the introduction of the NCS in November 2019, over 177,324 applications have been submitted, relating to over 137, 000 children. 85, 000 children have received NCS subsidies since the programme launched.

76, 000 applications for the NCS subsidies for individual children were made in 2021.