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

41. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there will be an increase in his Department's core funding to support the childcare sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15665/23]

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

In September 2022, I launched Together for Better, the new funding model for early learning and childcare. This new funding model supports the delivery of early learning and childcare for the public good, for quality and affordability for children, parents and families as well as stability and sustainability for providers.

Together for Better, the new funding model comprised of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, including the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM), the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the new Core Funding scheme, is about getting the most out of the three early learning and childcare programmes, for children, parents, providers, the workforce, and society overall, and ensuring stability and sustainability in the sector.

Core Funding has a budget of €259 million in full year costs for year 1 of the programme (September 2022-August 2023) to start the partnership for the public good between the State and providers. Its primary purpose is to improve pay and conditions in the sector as a whole and improve affordability for parents as well as ensuring a stable income to providers.

In Budget 2023, an additional €28 million was secured to increase the Core Funding allocation to €287 million for Year 2 of the Scheme. I have committed €4 million of that additional allocation in Year 2 to remove the 3-year experience rule for graduate premiums (subject to an amendment to the EROs) with the remaining €24 million to introduce other developments to the Scheme. Further interrogation of the new Core Funding application data is required in order to most effectively design developments in Year 2 of the scheme.

Budget 2023 allocates €1,025m to early learning and childcare – a clear demonstration from Government of the value of the sector. I am committed to working with Partner Services delivering early learning and childcare for the public good.

Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

42. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he has engaged with childminders regarding their concerns about increased regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15557/23]

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

The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 commits to develop new, childminder-specific, regulations that are proportionate and appropriate to the home environment and the family setting in which childminders work. This is a necessary step in enabling non-relative childminders to register with Tusla and take part in the National Childcare Scheme, thus allowing parents who use childminders to access subsidies. I am keen to open the National Childcare Scheme to childminders at the earliest possible opportunity, but I am very conscious that the drafting of new regulations needs considerable care in order to get the regulations right, and needs engagement with childminders themselves.

That is why I have ensured there are childminders on the Steering Group for the National Action Plan as well as on all four Advisory Groups, including the Advisory Group on Regulation and Inspection of Childminding. That is also why engagement and consultation with childminders has been key to the process of bringing childminders into the scope of regulation ever since work on this began in 2016, when the Government established a working group on reform and asked Childminding Ireland to chair it. The Draft Action Plan was based on the report of this working group chaired by Childminding Ireland, and there was extensive consultation with childminders – and parents – on the Draft Action Plan.

Consultation will continue this year, with childminders and the wider public as we work on drafting the new regulations. I wish to acknowledge that positive engagement with childminders at local level is and will continue to be critical to success. An Advisory Group on Consultation and Communications has been formed to support the other Advisory Groups in their consultations.