Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 October 2012
496. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide an update on the introduction of a Scandinavian style childcare system; the timeframe in which such a system will be implemented; if she will provide a detailed breakdown of the cost of introducing such a scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41840/12]
View answerThe Government currently supports the provision of early childhood care and education through three support programmes - the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme.
There are currently no proposals to reform these schemes or childcare provision generally. However possible developments relating to early years care and education are being considered as part of the preparation of the new Nation Early Years Strategy 2012. This new strategy will cover a range of issues affecting children in their first years of life and will seek to identify best practice in other jurisdictions that might be applied here.
