Written Answers Nos. 379-398
379. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress to date in determining an application for citizenship in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24963/15]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the processing of an application for a certificate of naturalisation from the person referred to by the Deputy, who currently has permission to reside in the State until 31 August, 2015, is well advanced and the case will be submitted to me for decision in due course.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the granting of Irish citizenship through naturalisation is a privilege and an honour which confers certain rights and entitlements not only within the State but also at European Union level and it is important that appropriate procedures are in place to preserve the integrity of the process.
The Deputy may wish to note that queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be made directly to INIS by e-mail using the Oireachtas Mail facility which has been established specifically for this purpose. This service enables up to date information on such cases to be obtained without the need to seek information by way of the Parliamentary Questions process. The Deputy may consider using the e-mail service except in cases where the response from INIS is, in the Deputy’s view, inadequate or too long awaited.
380. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Justice and Equality given that the incentivised regime programme introduced in the Irish Prison Service in 2012 was supposed to be cost neutral, if she has undertaken any research to ensure that costs are not used to keep prisoners from accessing enhanced regimes and work, due to budget restrictions. [24974/15]
View answerI am advised by the Irish Prison Service that the Incentivised Regimes Policy was introduced on a phased basis across all prisons in 2012 and is now operational in all institutions. Incentivised Regimes provides for a differentiation of privileges between prisoners according to their level of engagement with services and quality of behaviour. The objective is to provide tangible incentives to prisoners to participate in structured activities and to reinforce good behaviour, leading to a safer and more secure environment.
There are three levels of privilege - basic, standard and enhanced and each prison has developed an information booklet on how the scheme operates and specifically on the criteria and privileges associated with each level of regime. The Incentivised Regimes Policy provides significant motivational factors in encouraging prisoners to engage in authorised structured activities and improve general behaviour. The hope is that these benefits are not just apparent in prisons and that the behavioural change effected will stay with the prisoner on his release. Experience in other jurisdictions has shown that an incentivised regime structure is a hugely valuable addition to prisons in the context of good order and prisoner compliance.
All prisoners have the opportunity to become eligible for enhanced regime status provided they have met the required criteria for the preceding two months. To qualify for progression to the enhanced level, prisoners must participate actively in structured activities in education, work/training and/or offender programmes with approved services for at least five defined periods a week, unless circumstances outside their control prevent this level of engagement.
I can reassure the Deputy that cost is not a determining factor in the operation and management of the Incentivised Regimes process. What is fundamentally important is that prisoners see that the scheme is operated in a fair and transparent manner and that appropriate behaviour and engagement with services on their part will result in increased privileges.
Prisoners wishing to earn enhanced privileges who cannot avail of structured activity because no place is currently available, are placed on a waiting list and are not eligible for enhanced privileges while on a waiting list. When this situation arises, every effort is made to transfer the prisoner to an institution where the appropriate, structured activities are available, subject to operational and security concerns. Prisoner participation in activities is voluntary. Prison management and multi-disciplinary teams within prisons make strenuous efforts to encourage prisoners to engage with services as part of the sentence management process.
The consistent application of the Incentivised Regimes (IR) Policy is under continuous review by the Incentivised Regimes Implementation Group chaired by the Director General of the Irish Prison Service and comprising of a representative from each prison and place of detention. The overall Incentivised Regimes Policy has been applied more strictly in the recent past as part of a national review to ensure the integrity of the policy and a fair implementation for all prisoners. This review will also include further training for prison officers overseeing the application of the policy on a daily basis and improvements to the central Incentivised Regimes database.
381. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Justice and Equality when the matters of concern and proposals submitted in regard to firearms licensing by the Sports Coalition will be decided upon; when the review will conclude in view of the impending renewal process commencement at the end of July 2015; if she will respond to the Sports Coalition’s proposal and allay the suspicion that absence of engagement creates; if she is aware that the Sports Coalition has found it necessary to meet legal advisers to discuss a contingency in the event that any currently licensed firearms are capped or banned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24976/15]
View answerAs part of the consultation process for the ongoing review of firearms licensing I have given a commitment that I would not make any decisions until I had met the key stakeholders, including the organisations who represent those who use firearms for sporting purposes. I had a useful meeting with the key stakeholders on 29 April 2015. Consideration of the issues involved, including the Sports Coalition proposal made last month, is continuing.
I am aware of the impending licensing renewal process and I intend to conclude consideration of the issues in the near future.
382. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the identification or markings a Garda Síochána roadside Gatso van must display; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24994/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the methods employed by An Garda Síochána in the detection or prevention of any offence are an operational matter for the Garda authorities. I am informed that there is no requirement to have identification markings on Garda Safety Camera Vans. An Garda Síochána has both ‘marked’ and ‘unmarked’ Garda Safety Camera Vans in operation. I am further informed that the outsourced Safety Camera Network vans are marked with high visibility reflective material which displays a safety camera symbol. Images of these vans are available on the Garda website.
383. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide, in tabular form, the way moneys received from the national lottery fund in 2013 were spent on each project to which they were directed, including projects that were part-funded and wholly-funded from the fund; if she will indicate, for each such part-funded project, where the balance of funding was sourced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25031/15]
View answer384. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide, in tabular form, the amount of money that was received by her Department from the national lottery fund in each of the years 2009 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; if she will provide a detailed breakdown indicating the way this money was spent, or otherwise directed, for each of these years; if any moneys are held in reserve arising from funds received over this period or before; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25047/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 383 and 384 together.
My Department receives monies from the National Lottery Fund as a contribution towards the cost of running the Charitable Lotteries Fund (CLF). The CLF was established in 1997 to provide assistance to the promoters of certain private charitable lotteries that have products similar to products sold by the National Lottery. The CLF is only open to organisations that were already running charitable lotteries in 1997.
Funding for the CLF was originally drawn exclusively from the National Lottery surplus but, as with other National Lottery funded subheads, since 2005 it has been drawn also from Exchequer funds. The CLF was transferred to my Department from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in June 2011.
Assistance available under the scheme has gradually been reduced in the following way:
|
Year |
- |
Amount |
|
2014 |
Total available fund: |
€2 million |
|
2015 |
Total available fund: |
€1 million |
|
2016 and subsequent years |
Total available fund: |
Nil |
The amount received from the National Lottery Fund in each year since the CLF was transferred to my Department is set out in the table below. All monies received in this manner were, along with the funding from the Exchequer, expended in providing assistance under the CLF.
|
Year |
Amount received from National Lottery Fund (€) |
Amount received from Exchequer funds (€) |
Total Amount disbursed under CLF (€) |
|
2011 |
3.78m |
2.22m |
6m |
|
2012 |
3.96m |
2.04m |
6m |
|
2013 |
2.9m |
1.1m |
4m |
|
2014 |
0.98m |
1.02m |
2m |
|
2015 |
0.49 (estimated) |
0.51m (estimated) |
1m (yet to be disbursed) |
385. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Justice and Equality her views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the Stardust fire tragedy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25102/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, I met with the Stardust Victims Committee last year and at that meeting the Committee and their representatives set out, in some detail, their concerns in relation to the Inquiries into this matter that have been undertaken previously and some related financial issues that have arisen. Following that meeting, I appointed an official in my Department to liaise with the Committee and they have engaged with representatives of the Committee in relation to the matters raised in the correspondence referred to by the Deputy.
A researcher associated with the Committee has submitted material relating to these events to my Department and a meeting was held with that Researcher, and the author of the correspondence referred to by the Deputy, on 23 April. The material previously submitted and the matters raised at that meeting are being examined. The Committee has been informed that they will be contacted when this examination is completed.
I wish also to inform the Deputy that allegations raised by the Stardust Relatives' and Victims Committee and their representatives in relation to certain matters are the subject of an ongoing investigation by An Garda Síochána. I am informed, by the Garda Commissioner, that this is a complex investigation and, you will understand, I cannot do anything that might cut across this investigation.
386. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding payment under the restorative justice scheme in respect of the estate of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25141/15]
View answerThe Deputy will appreciate that I cannot comment on individual cases.
However, I can advise that Judge Quirke recommended that any ex gratia payment in excess of €50,000 would be paid to the Magdalen woman by way of weekly instalments. Judge Quirke also recommended that "additional income ex-gratia payments, (payable to women entitled to payments in excess of €50,000) will not accrue to the benefit of the estate of any Magdalen woman", Recommendation No. 7.
Therefore, a maximum lump sum payment of €50,000 would be payable to the estate of a deceased applicant.
387. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to address the concerns of parents regarding the future of the ability of children with disabilities to avail of the free early childhood care and education year, as without adequate support, there are concerns by some parents that children with complex special educational needs will be unable to access appropriate mainstream placements to avail of this year. [24755/15]
View answer390. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to provide a free early childhood care and education year for those children with a disability, by county; the number of places, by county, for children with physical disabilities and learning difficulties, ranging from moderate to severe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24895/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 387 and 390 together.
The majority of children with special needs are able to access the free pre-school year, provided under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, in mainstream childcare services, without the provision of any additional supports. In the region of 65,000, including children with special needs, avail of the free pre-school provision each year. My Department does not collate figures in relation to the number of children with special needs availing of the programme.
There are a number of measures currently in place in my Department to ensure that the free pre-school year is more accessible to children with special needs. These include an exemption from the upper age limit where a child would benefit from starting primary school at a later age. In addition, children with special needs can apply to have the pre-school year split over two years on a pro-rata basis, for example availing of the programme for 2 days a week in the first year and for 3 days a week in the second year.
On the specific issue of children with special needs that require additional supports to enable them to access the free pre-school provision, the Department of Health has informed my Department that while the Health Service Executive has no statutory obligation to provide assistant supports for these children, it does work at local level and in partnership with the relevant disability service providers to address individual needs as they arise. This is done, for example, by funding special pre-schools that cater specifically for children with disabilities. In some limited cases at local level, disability services have also facilitated children with disabilities in some instances to attend mainstream pre-schools by providing assistant supports where possible and subject to resources. The provision of such pre-school assistant supports should not be confused with Special Needs Assistants who are funded by the Department of Education and Skills to support children with special educational needs in primary and post-primary school settings.
Improving access to the pre-school year for children with special needs is a priority for my Department.
The intersectoral work done under the chairmanship of the Office of the Minister for Disability and Mental Health and through the Cross Sectoral Team on children’s disability issues agreed that the best approach to meeting the needs of children with a disability of pre-school age was through mainstream pre-school services, but no agreement was reached on what the model of provision would be, or who would lead out on developing this.
The Secretary General of my Department has recently agreed with his counterparts in the Departments of Health and Education and Skills that my Department will seek to gain agreement, in a relatively short time-frame, between the three sectors (children, education, health) on the most appropriate, workable model for supports to pre-school children with special needs. This will be followed by very close co-operation between the sectors in defining/developing the model and in making an agreed cross-departmentally supported proposal for the resources required to implement it. The team will use information from recent consultations with parents and providers to inform their work and will conduct further consultation as the tight time-frame allows.
There will be several challenges to agreeing an appropriate and workable model – including reviewing existing resources in the system to determine how they can best meet children's needs, and accessing the additional investment needed. My Department has committed to leading this process and it is my intention that a proposal will be available in time for the Estimates process.
388. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding funding in respect of a child care facility (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24569/15]
View answerA total of €7 million is being made available under the Early Years Capital Programme in 2015. Of this funding, €5 million is being made available for grants specifically for community/not-for-profit early years services. This funding will provide for the allocation of capital grant aid in the region of €500,000 for significant upgrades of services such as major refurbishment or relocation to new premises. Grants of up to €50,000 for essential maintenance, or works undertaken to improve the energy performance of community/not-for-profit services are also being provided. The remaining €2 million is being made available for both private and community/not-for-profit services to access grants of up to €500 for quality improvement measures, specifically in the area of upgrading IT facilities.
I understand that the early years service referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application for funding for essential maintenance to Pobal, who is administering this Programme on behalf of my Department. Pobal has now commenced the process of appraising all of the applications and applicants will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible.
389. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will address the concerns raised by the parents of a child (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24811/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, it is not appropriate for me to comment on an individual case or on the day to day management of a case which is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. I have forwarded the information provided by the Deputy to Tusla for immediate attention and direct reply.
391. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will confirm that appropriate funding will be made available through his Department to support programmes such as the Kilkenny school completion programme, as its current funding is scheduled to cease in August 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24938/15]
View answer392. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he envisages that appropriate funding will be ring-fenced by his Department for the Child and Family Agency to continue to support programmes such as the Kilkenny school completion programme when their current funding ceases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24939/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 391 and 392 together.
The School Completion Programme aims to retain young people in the formal education system to completion of senior cycle and to improve the school attendance, participation and retention of its target cohort. It is a targeted intervention aimed at school communities identified under the Department of Education and Skills DEIS Action Plan. It involves 124 locally managed projects and provides targeted supports to approximately 36,000 children and young people.
Since 1st January 2014, the Child and Family Agency has had operational responsibility for the School Completion Programme, including the allocation of funds to local projects. In 2014, Tusla allocated €24.756 million to this programme, and a similar allocation is being made for 2015. I am informed that Kilkenny School completion programme was allocated €260,171 for the 2014/15 school year. Tusla has asked Chairpersons of Local Management Committees to prepare their school retention plans for the 2015/2016 school year based on the expenditure allocated last year and to return them to the Agency by June 16th last. I am advised that the Agency is currently assessing these plans. Local Projects including Kilkenny SCP will be informed of their 2015/16 budgets before the start of the new school year. The ESRI is currently reviewing the School Completion programme which will help in future decisions on its structure, governance and operations. The report is almost finalised and it is expected to be available in the coming weeks.
I have advised the Agency of my commitment to ensuring that there is no diminution in the school completion programme services. The School Completion Programme is an important service within the Agency’s educational welfare services. It is highly regarded as a key response in securing improved educational outcomes for children and young people at risk of early school leaving.
393. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the programmes of capital assistance available for development or extension of family resource centres, as administered by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24951/15]
View answerFamily Resource Centres, funded by Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, under its Family and Community Services Resource Centre Programme, provide a range of universal and targeted services and development opportunities that address the needs of children and families. There are over 100 Family Resource Centres throughout the country which are in receipt of funding from Tusla.
Tusla has advised that it does not fund a programme of capital assistance for the development or extension of Family Resource Centres under its Family Resource Centre Programme.
In seeking to improve outcomes and wellbeing for children and young people, Tusla must ensure that it makes the most efficient use of its resources in a way that is efficient, equitable, proportionate and sustainable. In 2015, Tusla is giving priority to the protection of front-line services provided by Family Resource Centres and those which are best aligned to the priority outcomes as set out in their Corporate Plan.
394. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his views that it is fair that persons who are unemployed are able to receive considerable child care discounts under the subvention scheme, whereas persons who are receiving minimum wages are charged almost 100% of the fees under the scheme (details supplied). [24980/15]
View answerMy Department administers the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme which is confined to community not-for-profit childcare services. The CCS programme provides subvention support to parents on low incomes and parents in receipt of certain social welfare payments, whose children are enrolled in community childcare facilities. Parents in receipt of Family Income Support or who hold a medical or GP visit card can also qualify for support. The subvention is used by the services to reduce the weekly fees charged to disadvantaged or low income working families based on eligibility criteria.
Parents qualifying for the higher rate of subvention under the CCS programme can have up to €95 per week for each eligible child deducted from the overall weekly charge. To ensure that access to subvention support under the programme is not a disincentive for parents to return to employment, the CCS programme allows parents to retain the approved level of funding verified during the designated week for the remainder of the academic year even when the parent's eligibility for the CCS programme is reduced by the taking up of employment. If the parent is on the highest level of subvention, the programme also allows for a reduced level of funding support for one further school year.
I understand that the person referred to by the Deputy prior to returning to work was in receipt of subvention funding based on his eligibility for Jobseeker's allowance and his holding of a medical card. He had during this period one child enrolled in the programme for 3 days full-day care. However, during the designated verification week this year he was not in receipt of a social welfare payment but received a lower level of subvention on the basis of continuing to hold a medical card. It should be noted that parents who return to work and are in receipt of low income may be eligible for Family Income Supplement payments which, if held during the designated week together with holding a medical card, would entitle the parent to a higher rate of subvention.
The level of subvention payable to parents with children enrolled for the CCS programmes was notified to participating childcare services in March this year with an opportunity of one month provided to parents, who considered that they were entitled to a higher level of support, to appeal the decision. My Department has not received any appeal in relation to the person in question. I am satisfied that, based on the available information, the correct level of subvention has been provided in this case.
Eligibility details for all childcare programmes are available from City and County Childcare Committees and from the Department's website www.dcya.ie.
395. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide, in tabular form, the way moneys received from the national lottery fund in 2013 were spent on each project to which they were directed, including projects that were part-funded and wholly-funded from the fund; if he will indicate, for each such part-funded project, where the balance of funding was sourced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25022/15]
View answer396. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if he will provide, in tabular form, the amount of money that was received by his Department from the national lottery fund in each of the years 2009 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; if he will provide a detailed breakdown indicating the way this money was spent, or otherwise directed, for each of these years; if any moneys are held in reserve arising from funds received over this period or before; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25038/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 395 and 396 together.
The National Lottery Grants distributed by my Department, from 2011 up to 2014 are being forwarded to the Deputy in tabular format as requested.
The tables give a brief description of the type of activity, for which funding was applied for by each organisation over the four year period concerned.
Whether the funding granted was required to part or fully fund a project, would be a matter for individual organisations who were successful in obtaining Lottery funding.
The Deputy should also note that the full allocation of National Lottery funding was awarded annually and no monies were held in reserve or carried-forward in any given year.
397. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in view of the significant increase in the demand for its services, if he will review the recent cuts to the funding of the rape crisis centres of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25052/15]
View answerWith effect from its establishment on 1 January 2014, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has taken on statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual or gender based violence.
This year, Tusla will spend over €19m in supporting:
- 44 Domestic Violence services
- 16 Sexual Violence/Rape Crisis services
Tusla, has a total budget of €643 million in 2015, including €631 million in current funding, and €12 million in capital. This represents an increase of €34 million, or 5.6%, on funding provided to Tusla in Budget 2014.
This funding increase demonstrates that, despite the budgetary constraints, this Government remains strongly committed to delivering the critically important resources and reforms needed to support Ireland’s children and families. This additional funding is helping to drive key priorities in the reform of services, and is assisting the Agency to deliver on its mandate from Government.
Sexual violence services are being developed by Tusla, as a national specialist service, so as to enable better outcomes for both children and adults who are survivors of sexual violence.
In this regard, Tusla has appointed a national manager to ensure a single line of accountability for all resources in this important area.
In addition, Tusla is currently in the process of recruiting eight additional staff to ensure that domestic, sexual and gender based violence services are further developed.
In my discussions this year with Tusla, regarding service delivery, I asked that particular priority be given to protecting frontline services. In this context, I am pleased that funding for the 16 Rape Crisis Centres nationwide which provide services directly to rape survivors has been protected in 2015, with funding of almost €4m allocated to them.
The Deputy may be referring to funding for the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI). Tusla undertook a comprehensive review of sexual violence and domestic violence services with the purpose of identifying strategic priorities and setting out a roadmap for the delivery of these services. Following this review Tusla identified that there was scope for a more co-ordinated and more equitable provision of these services across the country. In reviewing the make-up of current services, Tusla is seeking to address any identified gaps in services, to avoid duplication and to support effective delivery of frontline services nationally.
The specific funding provided for RCNI by Tusla was to develop and maintain a database of information recorded by workers in Rape Crisis Centres. Tusla had concerns that this database did not capture information from all 16 Rape Crisis Centres as only 11 centres are affiliated with the Network.
In addition, Tusla did not always have timely access to the data collected, which is essential to support the delivery of high quality services across both the domestic violence and sexual violence services sector.
It was in this context that Tusla took the decision to cease funding of the RCNI and to take on direct responsibility for the development and maintenance of a database of information recorded on behalf of the Rape Crisis Centres.
Tusla has taken the decision to put in place a comprehensive data system that best meets the current and future data needs of a developing service. In order to plan properly for the future, Tusla needs access to complete and reliable information.
I would just like to reiterate that funding for the 16 Rape Crisis Centres nationwide which provide services directly to rape survivors has been protected in 2015.
398. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the level of consultation he had, and the rationale for his decision to extend the requirement for Further Education and Training Awards Council level 5 for early childhood care and education scheme to the workforce by 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25122/15]
View answerPrior to the introduction of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in 2010, there was no minimum qualification for staff working in the early years sector. Under the ECCE programme, all pre-school leaders were required to hold a Level 5 qualification. In addition, pre-school services could qualify for a higher capitation rate where all the pre-school leaders, in the ECCE room, held a Level 7 qualification, and all the pre-school assistants held a Level 5 qualification. This represented a major step forward in improving the quality of early years services.
When the Early Years Quality Agenda was introduced in 2013, in order to improve quality in pre-school services, one of the items to be progressed was the introduction of a requirement that all staff working with children in early years services should hold a qualification in early childhood care and education at a minimum of Level 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications or equivalent, and that pre-school leaders in ECCE services would be required to hold a minimum Level 6 qualification, or equivalent. These requirements were to be introduced with effect from September 2015 following the publication of new Childcare Regulations.
In order to support existing staff to achieve the minimum qualifications, the Government introduced the Learner Fund. €3m was provided under this Fund and almost 3,000 staff have completed (or are currently completing training) to allow them to meet the minimum requirements.
Despite this investment, my Department has received feedback from various City and County Childcare Committees, Voluntary Childcare Organisations, early years services and staff that the commencement of the qualification requirement in September 2015 would pose a number of challenges, particularly for staff who are currently in the process of upskilling but will not have fully completed their training by September 2015.
In response to the concerns expressed surrounding the imposition of the minimum qualification requirement from September 2015, I decided to postpone the commencement of this requirement for existing services for a period of 12 months, that is, until September 2016. However, my Department will require evidence that:
- the pre-school leader is enrolled and engaged in training to meet the Level 6 qualification.
- the pre-school assistants are enrolled and engaged in training to meet the Level 5 qualification, or hold a signed grandfathering declaration form.
The ECCE contract for any new services applying to participate in programme for the first time from September 2015 will stipulate that all childcare staff must meet the minimum qualification requirements, and all pre-school leaders must hold a Level 6 qualification.
I remain wholly committed to ensuring that everyone working with pre-school children holds a minimum qualification.
