Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 December 2012
573. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding the community childcare subvention programme in respect of an organisation (details supplied) in Dublin 11; if she will consider an application to facilitate the early payment of the subvention from 1st February 2013, which would enable the opening of a much needed new baby and toddler unit. [56901/12]
View answerThe Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme provides funding to community childcare not-for-profit services to enable them to charge reduced child care rates to parents in receipt of social welfare payments or on low to middle incomes. The child care service referred to by the Deputy is currently participating in the CCS programme.
Community childcare services participating in the CCS programme qualify for grant aid on the basis of the level of service they provide and the profile of the parents benefiting from their service. The level of funding provided to services for the year is based on the information in the parental declarations which are submitted in the Autumn each year to my Department. The information provided is verified by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and the HSE.
No further funding is made available over and above what is generated by the parental returns which, this year, would have included all the eligible children enrolled in the week commencing the 15th October 2012. Children wishing to enrol for the programme but who did not meet the deadline for enrolment can only be accommodated if they are replacing a child that has opted out of the programme.
Parental returns have been submitted by the service provider referred to by the Deputy and provisional payment has been made with a further payment due to issue in January 2013. The next opportunity for enrolment in the programme is expected to be in October 2013.
