Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
1934. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will provide estimates of the cost to the Exchequer to increase the subsidy or weekly fee reduction available to recipients of the community childcare subvention scheme and the community childcare subvention scheme private, by 10% for all bands and all rates; and the number of recipients in each scheme at each band and partaking of each rate, in tabular form. [25842/16]
View answerBudget 2016 provided €16m to create an additional 3,200 (full-time equivalent) Community Childcare Subvention ( CCS) childcare places, or approximately 8,000 places based on average uptake. Traditionally, CCS has only been available through community (not for profit) childcare services of which there are 900 across the country. Eligible families who did not live in an area with a community service could not traditionally access the scheme. At the end of 2015, using savings from that year, my Department lifted the cap on the number of CCS places available though community services and encouraged these services to provide additional CCS places. However, there was insufficient capacity within the community sector to meet all eligible families needs and hence my Department extended the terms of the CCS scheme so that it could be provided by private childcare providers across the country. This was to ensure that eligible families, regardless of where they lived, could access this important childcare subvention. The Community Childcare Subvention Private (CCSP) programme launched in March of this year.
My Department has calculated that the cost of the increase described, across the various CCS bands would be approximately €4.85m in a full year.
The 2016-2017 CCS programme opens for registration on Monday 19th September, so numbers enrolled and therefore costs are likely to change significantly from current estimates. Also an increase in funding to providers/decrease in payment required of parents is likely to change demand, and the impact of this change is not possible to calculate.
The table sought is presented below. Please note that, for financial purposes, the Department calculates costs on the basis of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) children, and the actual number of children participating in the CCS programme is significantly higher than the FTE numbers.
|
Weeks |
CCS |
10% |
CSSP |
10% |
||||||
|
Rate |
Provided |
FTE's |
Increase |
Children |
Increase |
|||||
|
Band A Full-time |
€95.00 |
50 |
2,421 |
€11,498,800 |
€9.50 |
€1,149,880 |
323 |
€1,534,250 |
€9.50 |
€153,425 |
|
Band A Part-time |
€47.50 |
50 |
4,697 |
€11,154,900 |
€4.75 |
€1,115,490 |
127 |
€301,625 |
€4.75 |
€30,163 |
|
Band A Sessional |
€31.35 |
50 |
2,539 |
€3,980,196 |
€3.14 |
€398,020 |
103 |
€161,453 |
€3.14 |
€16,145 |
|
Band A Half-session |
€15.20 |
50 |
714 |
€542,944 |
€1.52 |
€54,294 |
10 |
€7,600 |
€1.52 |
€760 |
|
Band AJ Full-time |
€50.00 |
50 |
279 |
€698,000 |
€5.00 |
€69,800 |
30 |
€75,000 |
€5.00 |
€7,500 |
|
Band AJ Part-time |
€47.50 |
50 |
1,285 |
€3,051,400 |
€4.75 |
€305,140 |
57 |
€135,375 |
€4.75 |
€13,538 |
|
Band AJ Sessional |
€31.35 |
50 |
577 |
€904,134 |
€3.14 |
€90,413 |
39 |
€61,133 |
€3.14 |
€6,113 |
|
Band AJ Half-session |
€15.20 |
50 |
138 |
€105,184 |
€1.52 |
€10,518 |
6 |
€4,560 |
€1.52 |
€456 |
|
Band B Full-time |
€50.00 |
50 |
1,412 |
€3,530,000 |
€5.00 |
€353,000 |
476 |
€1,190,000 |
€5.00 |
€119,000 |
|
Band B Part-time |
€25.00 |
50 |
2,883 |
€3,604,000 |
€2.50 |
€360,400 |
219 |
€273,750 |
€2.50 |
€27,375 |
|
Band B Sessional |
€17.00 |
50 |
1,914 |
€1,627,240 |
€1.70 |
€162,724 |
190 |
€161,500 |
€1.70 |
€16,150 |
|
Band B Half-session |
€8.50 |
50 |
569 |
€241,740 |
€0.85 |
€24,174 |
17 |
€7,225 |
€0.85 |
€723 |
|
19,429 |
€40,938,538 |
€4,093,854 |
1,597 |
€3,913,470 |
€391,347 |
|||||
|
Total Increase |
€4,485,201 |
