Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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1383. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will detail in tabular form on a county by county basis the number of children in each county that benefitted from supports under the national childcare scheme within the first six months of 2023; and the number in each county benefitting within the first six months of 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37713/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help families with their early learning and childcare costs. There are two types of subsidies available for children aged between 24 weeks and 15 years of age:

-A universal subsidy which is not means tested and provides €1.40 per hour, for a maximum of 45 hours per week;

-An income assessed subsidy which is means tested and will be calculated based on a family’s individual circumstances.

Since 2 January 2023, the minimum hourly subsidy for families using registered early learning and childcare is €1.40 per child - offsetting up to €3,276 in annual out of pocket costs for early learning and childcare per child. Higher levels of subsidy – which are means assessed – are available to families on lower incomes, up to a maximum of €8,775 per child.

In the first six months of 2023, a total of 135,267 children availed of supports under the Scheme – compared to 71,213 for the same period in 2022. The number of unique children by county is as follows: