Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 June 2023
394. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he still intends to reduce childcare fees for parents by a further 25% in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31788/23]
View answerOver the last two Budgets, I have made a number of enhancements to the NCS to reduce the cost of childcare for parents availing of the NCS, these include:
• The removal of the practice of deducting hours spent in pre-school or school from NCS awards, meaning that parents are able to use their full awarded subsidised NCS hours regardless of whether their children are in pre-school or school.
• The increase in the upper age eligibility for the NCS universal subsidy from 3 years to all children under 15 years.
• An increase in the NCS minimum subsidy from €0.50 to €1.40 per hour.
• The fee freeze in place in 95% of services participating in the new Core Funding Scheme gives families greater certainty about what they will be charged and ensures that these enhancements to the NCS subsidies will not absorbed by fee increases. Through a combination of these measures I am working to ensure that high quality early learning and childcare is accessible and affordable to all regardless of means.
• The NCS is specifically designed to allow for rapid changes to subsidies, income thresholds and certain other eligibility criteria as Government decisions are made and exchequer funding becomes available. Any further changes to the NCS will be considered as part of of Budget 2024 and announced on Budget day.
