Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 October 2012
490. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide details of the cuts to funding of pre-schools in the Dublin Central constituency; the alternatives he proposes to put in place if pre-schools close as a result of his reduction in funding. [41897/12]
View answerMy Department currently provides funding, in the region of €230 million annually, to support three childcare programmes - the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme.
Due to the economic situation, officials in this Department engaged in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure last year. While the Department was successful in maintaining all three support programmes despite the budgetary constraints that the Government is facing, it was necessary to revise certain payment rates and subvention levels under each programme.
The ECCE programme provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. Approximately 95% of children in the year before school are availing of the free pre-school provision at this time. The ECCE programme is being maintained on a universal and free basis but a reduction of €2 per week was made to the capitation rates paid to providers from September 2012. However, to give some flexibility to childcare services to manage this modest reduction, the staff to child ratio for the pre-school element of childcare will increase from a ratio of 1:10 to a ratio of 1:11.
The ECCE programme, which will be evaluated and developed as resources permit, continues to provide a guaranteed source of income, payable in advance of each term, to participating childcare services, and is considered a very beneficial support for the private childcare sector at this time of economic difficulty.
The CCS programme enables community-based childcare services to provide childcare at reduced rates to disadvantaged and low income families. From September 2012, the higher subvention rate payable for full day care, under this programme, of €100 per week has been reduced by €5 to €95. Parents in receipt of a social welfare payment but who do not have a medical card entitlement qualify from September 1, 2012 for a payment of €50 per week for full day care.
The CETS programme was introduced in September 2010. The eligibility criteria under which trainees and students qualify for the programme is determined by FÁS and the Vocational Educational Committees (VECs). From 1 September 2012, the CETS programme provides €145 towards the weekly cost of full time childcare places to participating childcare services for qualifying FÁS and VEC students for the duration of their course. Students on part-time courses are funded on a pro rata basis. This had been the only category of parents who paid no contribution to the cost of their childcare requirements. Childcare services providing FÁS and VEC places will, from 1 September, be allowed to charge a weekly fee of not more than €25 per full-time childcare place.
