Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 March 2015
175. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the ongoing efforts to address the cost and provision of child care to further support parents who are working and incurring significant child care costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10948/15]
View answerIn the region of €260 million is provided annually by my Department to support a number of childcare programmes which assist parents in accessing quality and affordable child care. More than 100,000 children benefit from this investment each year. These programmes are in addition to the support provided to all parents in the form of Child Benefit.
The childcare programmes include the free preschool year provided under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme. In the region of 68,000 children benefit each year from the free preschool provision. The standard weekly capitation payment for each eligible child enrolled is €62.50 with a higher capitation of €73 paid for eligible children enrolled in services where staff hold higher child care qualifications.
The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme provides funding to community child care services to support disadvantaged or low income families. In the case of full day care, parents can have up to €95 per week deducted from the overall charge. In the region of 25,000 children benefit each year from the CCS programme.
Further childcare support is provided under a number of labour activation measures which support parents returning to the work force or availing of education or training opportunities. These include the Childcare Education and Training Supports (CETS) programme providing €145 per week for full day care where parents are availing of training and education course provided by Solas or the Education Training Board (ETB). The After-School Child Care (ASCC) programme provides €40 per week for after-school care, or €80 per week where a pick up service is available, with €105 per week for full day childcare during the holiday period. A Community Employment Childcare (CEC) programme has also been introduced and provides up to €80 a week to support qualifying parents who are participating in Community Employment (CE) schemes.
The funding to support the childcare programmes has been maintained despite the difficult budgetary position. I am now looking at the question of appropriate supports for child care in a wider context. To ensure that all the benefits of our full range of child care investments are fully realised, future public investment in child care must be evidence-based and strategically co-ordinated. It is crucial that we develop a coherent whole-of-Government approach to investment in child care services and I have established an Interdepartmental Group to look at the provision right across the 0 to 6 age group as well as to consider the after-school needs of older schoolgoing children. I have asked the Group to report to me by the Summer.
