Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
1337. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth why the NCS portal closes at 11 p.m. on Tuesday evenings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56701/23]
View answerEarly learning and childcare providers are required to submit a ‘Weekly Return’ under the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) in order to be included in that week’s payment run. These weekly returns can be made from the last day (Sunday) of the reporting week and must be completed no later than 23:59 on the following Tuesday on the Early Years Hive, which is the payment deadline for that week's payment run.
Providers who make a return after the Tuesday deadline, will be paid in the payment run of the subsequent week.
As such the Service Provider Portal (i.e. the Hive) does not ‘close’, rather there is an 23:59 deadline on Tuesdays for providers to submit returns to ensure inclusion in the payment run of that week.
Providers experiencing difficulty completing their weekly returns should refer to the Early Years Hive website for further information. Alternatively, the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC) remains available to address queries related to the Scheme. The quickest way of contacting the EYPC is by submitting a Request on the Early Years Hive. Further contact details may be found here.
