Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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453. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the granting of an extension for a childcare service (details supplied) under the building blocks improvement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52932/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Some €69 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars:

1. Building Blocks - Improvement Grant;
2. Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and
3. Building Blocks - Innovation Grant.

This scheme is now closed and all grant recipients are contractually obliged to complete works and submit expenditure returns by 31st December 2023.

Pobal are administering the Building Blocks - Improvement Grant Scheme on behalf of my Department. Pobal is working with officials in my Department in relation to the request from the service referred to by the Deputy. I am advised that the service will be notified out the outcome of this process in the coming weeks.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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454. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will address the major bureaucratic hurdles facing childcare providers in Ireland, particularly in relation to the need to produce two separate sets of accounts for both TUSLA and POBAL in order to avail of core funding (details supplied); if he is aware that many accountants are refusing to complete these accounts for childcare providers due to their unnecessary complexities; how he intends to reduce the bureaucratic burden on childcare providers so that they can focus on the job they are trained to do and are exceptionally good at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52934/23]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Core Funding, which commenced in September 2022, is a grant to Early Learning and Care (ELC) and/or School Age Childcare (SAC) providers towards their operating costs. 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.

All Partner Services that had an active Core Funding Contract during the 2022/2023 Programme Year must provide validated Financial Returns as per their Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement.

Core Funding payments to providers must run on a programme year, September-August, in line with the school year, the operation of the ELC and SAC sector, and the payments made to providers under the other DCEDIY schemes. Therefore, the financial returns cover the period from 1st September 2022 to 31st August 2023 and must be submitted by an accountant from a registered practice or a registered professional body (ACA, ACAA, CPA, and CIMA), on behalf of each Partner Service.

My Department is not requesting audited accounts, Partner Services are instead being asked to provide financial information mapped to the Core Funding Chart of Accounts, which has been reviewed, signed off and submitted by an accountant.

Services that already use accountancy packages should be able map to the Core Funding nominal codes from the Chart of Accounts. However, if a service does not use an accountancy package, a series of resources have been designed to assist services with meeting this requirement.

My officials have, in recent weeks, engaged with the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum (ELCSF) on issues raised by providers on the financial reporting requirements under Core Funding.

To date, three meetings have taken place on 7th , 20th November and on 27th November involving members and nominees from Childhood Services Ireland (CSI), Childminding Ireland, Early Childhood Ireland (ECI), the Association of Childhood Professionals Ireland (ACPI), the Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP), the National Childhood Network (NCN), the National Community Childcare Forum and Seas Suas as well as representatives from City/County Childcare Committees (CCC) and Pobal.

Arising from these meetings, official has developed and discussed proposals to significantly simplify and streamline the reporting requirements under Core Funding and to support providers in preparing and submitting these returns. They are now in the process of finalising updated financial reporting requirements and templates, which will be shared with members and nominees of the ELCSF in advance of publication. Once finalised, updated financial reporting requirements will be shared with providers and all communications, including templates and training material will be updated.

My Department acknowledges that there is additional administration for providers with the introduction of new schemes such as the NCS and Core Funding, and has allocated €32.13 million for administration under Core Funding in year two, and €35.34m for the third year of the scheme. In addition, a number of targeted supports are being considered by my Department to enable Core Funding Partner Services to comply with the financial reporting requirement.

In any instances where a service is experiencing financial difficulty, they can reach out to their local City/County Childcare Committee and avail of Case Management Supports. This can include operational supports as well as financial supports through Sustainability Funding if deemed appropriate.