Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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49. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the childcare supports available to one-parent families. [15454/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The National Childcare Scheme represents the first ever statutory entitlement to financial support for early learning and childcare.

The scheme is designed so that those on lowest incomes receive the greatest support.

Where parents are not engaged in work or study, the NCS subsidises up to 20 hours per week. Where parents are engaged in work or study, the NCS subsidises up to 45 hours of per week.

A recent review of the National Childcare Scheme found that, amongst family types, single parents, particularly working single parents were most likely to report that the NCS had had a positive impact on family finances.

In addition the ECCE, the 2 year preschool scheme is universally available and free for parents.

The recommendations of an Expert Group to develop a new funding model for early learning and childcare were adopted by Government in December. This marks a new departure in State funding of the sector and is a significant step towards ensuring high-quality, affordable, sustainable and accessible services.

The Expert Group report informed the transformative package of measures for the sector committed in Budget 2022, including the Core Funding stream. Core Funding will operate from September 2022 to support improved quality, affordability, and sustainability.

Core Funding will be worth up to €69 million in 2022, equivalent to €207 million in a full year. It will require a commitment not to increase fees to parents from September 2021 rates. This feature of the scheme will ensure that parents feel the full affordability benefits of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Early Childhood Care and Education programme.

Full implementation of all recommendations will be progressed in the coming years as additional funding is secured through the annual Estimates process.

Once core funding is embedded and the concurrent changes to ECCE and NCS take effect, my Department will be looking to build a wider strategy targeting disadvantage informed by the work of the Expert Group across ELC settings. This strategy will aim to provide for a proportionate mix of universal supports and for targeted supports to support services and families who use them in alleviating the effects of socio-economic disadvantage.