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Child Care Costs

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 April 2015

Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Ceisteanna (432)

Pat Deering

Ceist:

432. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs his plans to alleviate the financial burden on parents who have very large child care costs; and if consideration has been given to a second free year of preschool. [14667/15]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

A high level of funding support is provided by my Department each year to assist parents with the cost of childcare. This funding, which is in the region of €260 million annually, supports a number of childcare programmes and benefits more than 100,000 children each year.

These programmes, which are in addition to the support provided to all parents in the form of Child Benefit, includes the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme. This programme provides funding to community childcare services to support disadvantaged or low income families. In the case of full day care, parents can have up to €95 per week deducted from the overall charge. In the region of 25,000 children benefit each year from the CCS programme.

Further childcare support is provided under a number of labour activation measures which support parents returning to the work-force or availing of education or training opportunities. These include the Childcare Education and Training Supports (CETS) programme providing €145 per week for full day care where parents are availing of training and education courses provided by Solas or the Education Training Board (ETB). The After-School Child Care (ASCC) programme provides €40 per week for after-school care, or €80 per week where a pick up service is available, with €105 per week for full day childcare during the holiday period. A Community Employment Childcare (CEC) programme has also been introduced and provides up to €80 a week to support qualifying parents who are participating in Community Employment (CE) schemes.

The Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides one free pre-school year to all eligible children before commencing primary school. This programme represents an annual investment of more than €170 million in pre-school services. In the region of 67,000 children benefit each year from this free pre-school provision.

The introduction of a second pre-school year would require considerable additional funding, broadly in line with the cost of the current provision. I would like to be in a position to increase our investment in childcare-related programmes. This will take time, as the benefits of growth generate the required resources. However, I am determined that all such spending, whether existing or additional, will be based on good evidence and strategically co-ordinated, so that we achieve the best possible benefits for children and parents.

Accordingly, to develop a coherent whole-of-Government approach to investment in childcare, I have established an Inter-Departmental Group. 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.

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