Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 June 2016
641. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she is aware of the potential closure of a company (details supplied); if she will assist in averting its closure; her responsibility when she becomes aware of the potential closure of such a company; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15649/16]
View answerThe childcare facilities in question have been operated as private limited companies and my Department was made aware of the impending closure of these services late on Thursday June 2nd. My Department is aware of the difficulties the closures of the three Tic Toc Nursery Services have imposed on families and on staff who work there.
My Department funds 30 City and County Childcare Committees around Ireland to assist both parents and childcare providers in matters relating to childcare. In response to the closure of Tic Toc, Limerick County Childcare Committee immediately carried out an assessment of local availability of childcare places in other services in the proximity of the affected services and it is working with parents to assist them in making alternative childcare arrangements.
The Department understands that all children registered in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) free pre-school year at the three Tic Toc services have received their full entitlement for the 2015-2016 year. This represents the vast majority of children registered in the impacted services.
My Department is keen to ensure that the areas served by the Tic Toc facilities continue to have access to childcare. Where it is possible for replacement services to be established at, or close to, the sites in question, my Department, the CCC and Pobal will provide all possible assistance to potential new management. My Department understands that some preliminary discussions have already taken place in this regard.
My Department is working with the childcare sector to prepare for the significant expansion to pre-school provision under the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme announced in Budget 2016, commencing September 2016. The Department is in the process of rolling out a number of measures to increase the supply of ECCE places across Ireland from that time. This expansion will see the number of children benefitting from the Programme rise from around 67,000 to around 127,000 in a given programme year. From September 2016 both the standard and higher rates of capitation for the ECCE programme will increase by €2 per child, per week; and the rules relating to higher capitation rates will also be reformed to enable more services to benefit from the higher rate.
My Department made detailed information available to the CCCs at the beginning of this year indicating the number of children, by every electoral division across the country, who would be eligible for an ECCE place in September 2016, January 2017 and April 2017. The Department is working closely with the CCCs, including Limerick, to match this data against reported capacity in the sector to meet the increase in demand, and to develop action plans for areas where a shortfall in supply may be identified.
