Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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391. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will intervene in the case of a childcare provider (details supplied) and its reopening support payment. [60180/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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As part of the emergency measures implemented by my Department in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Reopening Support Payment (RSP) was a once-off payment to service providers to assist them in adhering to reopening health guidelines. The amount of funding that a service could receive was based on the number of individual children registered on Department of Children, Equality, Integration, and Youth (DCEDIY) beneficiary schemes as at 12^thMarch 2020.  Services who opened on a full-time basis and were open for at least 6 of the 8 weeks between 29^thJune and 23^rdAugust 2020 were eligible for Enhanced RSP (ranging from €2,000 to €10,000), while services operating part-time hours or who reopened in late August or September were eligible for Standard RSP (€1,000 to €5,000).

The verification checks carried out by Pobal for the RSP involved verifying the service was open for the required periods and durations, confirming RSP was expended in full and on eligible expenditure as outlined in the RSP guidelines, confirming public procurement guidelines were met and confirming fee increases were not implemented for the period of the funding agreement.

Officials in my Department worked closely with Pobal to ensure that payments fully adhered to scheme guidance. I am advised in this instance the service provider in question was eligible for Standard RSP, and not the Enhanced RSP.

While my Department recognises the important work carried out by service providers and staff, both throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and at all other times, it is vital to protect the integrity of the schemes by ensuring that all funding is claimed correctly and in line with scheme rules. At the same time, my Department would be very cognisant of the need to ensure sustainability of services and the challenging operating environment at this time and therefore we would arrange repayment of the Reopening Support Payment in instalments over a suitable time frame.

Whilst the scheme does not have an appeal process, and there is no legal obligation to have such a process in place, my Department in the interest of reasonableness and transparency has requested that Pobal CAR initiate a desk review of the verification. This review will be carried out by a different verification officer than the officer that undertook the initial review.  Pobal CAR will inform you of the outcome of the review in due course.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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392. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports that are in place to support mothers of children under three years of age who cannot find childcare before they return to work after maternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60193/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority.

Since 2015, significant increases in State investment in early learning and childcare has given rise to a substantial growth in the numbers of children participating in these services. Every year, more than 100,000 children participate in the universal pre-school programme (ECCE) and the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) is currently subsidising 95,000 children.

Before the onset of Covid-19, national data indicated that, on the whole, supply of early learning and childcare places was meeting demand, with evidence of undersupply for certain age groups and in certain areas.

Data gathered throughout the Covid-19 pandemic revealed lower demand for early learning and childcare, and reduced occupancy among early learning and childcare services.

Data captured earlier this year parallels the pre-Covid-19 context, whereby the supply of early learning and childcare places is meeting demand though there is evidence of undersupply for certain age groups including children under 3, and in certain areas.

In April of this year, City/County Childcare Committees (CCC) undertook a nationwide survey of capacity in early learning and childcare services. This survey was followed in May by the Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey that is undertaken by Pobal.

Preliminary analysis of the latest data captured by CCC and Pobal reveal a drop in vacancy rates across the country – with the national vacancy rate now averaging at 13.3%.

The network of 30 CCCs across the country are in a position to match children and families to services operating with vacant places. In addition, the CCC has been mobilised to engage proactively with services to identify vacant places and to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need. Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local CCC for assistance. Contact details for CCCs may be found on www.myccc.ie.

In addition to this, a range of other steps are being taken by my Department to address issues of under supply.

Some €70m has been allocated to my Department through the revised National Development Plan (NDP) – with the majority of this funding earmarked for new places.

Under the National Action Plan for Childminding, my Department has committed to opening up access to the NCS to parents who use childminders following the extension of regulation to childminders, which is expected to happen within the first 2-3 years of the Plan.

My Department, in partnership with the Department of Housing Planning and Local Government, is in the process of updating the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings.

In addition, the new Core Funding scheme, introduced on 15 September, has given rise to a significant growth in capacity - with initial analysis showing a significant capacity growth for certain cohorts (such as babies and toddlers) and in areas where there has been significant pressure on places.

To meet the cost of this capacity growth, I recently announced that the original allocation for Core Funding will be increased to €259 million for Year 1 of the Scheme. In addition, the full year value of Core Funding will increase by €28 million to €287 million in Year 2 of the Scheme.

Funding earmarked for the Scheme in Year 2 will be informed by the emerging data from Year 1 and may focus on promoting further capacity expansion.