Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 February 2015
153. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide a capitation grant for all children in child care until they are eligible to attend primary school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7742/15]
View answerThe Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides for one free pre-school year for all eligible children before commencing primary school. Almost every pre-school service in the State is participating in the programme with approximately 67,000 children availing of free pre-school provision each year.
The standard capitation currently provided is €62.50 per week for each eligible child enrolled with a capitation of €73 per week provided where services have staff who hold higher qualifications. A total of some €175 million is spent on the free pre-school year annually.
The Government succeeded in maintaining the pre-school year on a universal and free basis despite the difficult budgetary situation that prevailed in recent years. While considerable progress has been made in correcting the overall budgetary situation, the funding available to my Department does not allow for any increase in the current provision within the pre-school year or to extend the age range for eligibility. Consideration will be given to the introduction of a second free pre-school year when quality issues in the sector have been addressed and the necessary funding becomes available.
In addition to the children supported under the ECCE programme, my Department also provides support to approximately 35,000 children in the 0 to 6 age group and children availing of after-school care. These supports are provided through the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme, which provides subvention payments to disadvantaged and low income families availing of childcare services in community childcare facilities, and through a number of labour activation measures that have been introduced to assist parents who are returning to the work force or engaging in training or education opportunities.
Together these childcare support programmes represent an annual investment of €260 million by my Department. I would like to be in a position to increase our investment in childcare-related programmes as resources allow. However, I am determined that all such spending, whether existing or additional, will be based on good evidence, and co-ordinated strategically, so that we achieve the best possible benefits for children.
To this end, I have established an Inter-departmental Group which will look at the provision right across the 0 to 6 age group as well as to consider the after-school needs of older school-going children.
This new Group will include representatives of the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Finance and the Department of the Taoiseach and will be led and supported by my Department. I have asked the Group to report to me by the Summer.
