Child Care Services Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015

Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Ceisteanna (3)

Seamus Healy

Ceist:

3. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if, in view of the fact that, effective from 2 July 2015, single parents of children over seven years of age will be required to participate in activation measures outside the home in order to receive the full jobseeker's transition payment, he will provide free child care outside school hours and in school holiday periods for the children affected as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14646/15]

Freagraí ó Béal (5 píosaí cainte)

Deputy James Reilly

This question relates to the one-parent family payment. As the Deputy knows, this is, in the first instance, a matter for the Department of Social Protection. However, my Department has been working closely with that Department to develop a range of targeted child care support programmes for low-income families, parents returning to the workforce and parents engaging in training and-or employment initiatives. Among these targeted child care support programmes is the after-school childcare programme which provides after-school care for primary school children of eligible parents for a period of 52 weeks. The programme contributes €40 per week for an after-school place or €80 per week in situations where a pick-up service is provided to take the child from school to the child care provider. The programme also provides a full day care rate of €105 per week, for a maximum of ten weeks, to cater for school holiday periods. In all cases, the maximum fee payable by parents is €15 per week per child. The community child care subvention programme and child care education and training support programme also provide a range of child care supports for eligible parents, including after-school care.

These targeted child care support programmes, together with the universal early childhood care and education programme which provides a free preschool year for all children in the age category three years and two months to four years and seven months, represent an overall annual investment of €260 million and support more than 100,000 children each year. This level of investment has been maintained, despite the difficult budgetary position in recent years. To ensure all of the benefits of this and future investment are fully realised, it must be evidence-based and strategically co-ordinated. Accordingly, I have established an interdepartmental group to develop a coherent whole-of-government approach to investment in early years and after-school care and education.

This group is considering the needs of children in their early years as well as the needs of school-going children. The group, which is still in the early stages of its deliberations, will submit its final report to Government in June 2015.

Deputy Seamus Healy

Question No. 3 relates to the one-parent family payment and the situation after 2 July next when the payment is lost once the youngest child reaches seven years of age. Prior to any such change being introduced, the Government promised that Scandinavian style child care would be available but that has not happened. Single parents will be required to be available for work after 2 July this year, once their youngest child is over seven years of age. Child care services will need to be put in place on a full-time basis, including after-school services. What plans does the Department have to do that?

Deputy James Reilly

The short answer to the question is that I am awaiting the outcome of the interdepartmental group's deliberations and it would be premature to make any statement about it before then. This is a broadly based group of interdepartmental individuals who have engaged in a number of open consultation days with many of the stakeholders in the area. Shortly, an online questionnaire will be issued for both parents and providers to feed into this process.

I will now outline to the House several child care schemes that are currently in place. The child care education and training support scheme programme offers €145 per week towards the cost of a full day child care place. It also provides part-time and after-school places. The programme has a budget of €17 million per year and caters for approximately 8,000 children annually.

Deputy Seamus Healy

The Government is putting the cart before the horse. As I said already, the Government promised child care services comparable to those available in Scandinavia prior to this change taking effect. However, from 2 July next, single parents will be required to be available for job activation measures with no child care services being made available to them. This is definitely putting the cart before the horse. Will the change due to take effect from 2 July be deferred, given that the services are not in place to support it?

Deputy James Reilly

I respectfully disagree with the Deputy's contention that the Government is putting the cart before the horse. I have already described the child care education and training support programme and the Deputy's contention that there are no services available is simply not true. There is also the after school child care programme, which is designed to support low-income and unemployed people to take up a job, increase their days of employment or take up a place on a Department of Social Protection employment programme. It provides after school care for primary school children of eligible parents for a period of 52 weeks. The programme contributes €40 per week for an after-school place or €80 per week in situations where a pick-up service is available to take the child from school to the child care provider. The programme also provides a full day care rate of €105 per week for a maximum of ten weeks to cater for school holiday periods. In all cases the maximum fee payable by parents is €15 per week. I do not have time to go into detail on all of the other services available, but there is also a community employment child care programme and a community child care subvention programme.

Deputy Healy would have to agree that in the past we saw ample examples of Government throwing money at problems but not fixing them.

In this instance, we want a properly costed and analysed plan that will give the Government access to a range of options that will allow it to provide the greatest benefits for parents and children from the money it collects from taxpayers and spends in this area.