Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 March 2017
618. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if the new affordable child care scheme will be applicable to children in part-time child care (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15351/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Affordable Childcare Scheme will provide childcare subsidies for both full-time and part-time childcare, including after-school childcare. While the number of hours of childcare subsidised per week will be capped at a maximum of 40 (or 15 for families in which a parent is neither engaged in work nor in study), it is not intended that there will be any minimum number of hours of childcare for participation in the scheme. Parents availing of subsidies under the scheme – whether for part-time or for full-time childcare – will be subsidised on the basis of the number of hours of childcare per week, with the subsidy per hour determined by the age of the child and the family income. Maximum subsidy rates, for families with the lowest incomes, will range from €3.76 per hour for school-age childcare to €5.11 per hour for children between 6 and 12 months. Recognising the importance of flexibility to families, arrangements in terms of the numbers of hours per day or days per week of childcare that is used will be a matter for parents to decide, depending on the childcare options available to them locally.
The Affordable Childcare Scheme will provide a system from which both universal and targeted subsidies can be provided towards the cost of childcare.
The universal element of the Scheme will be available to all families with children between the age of 6 months and 36 months (or until the child qualifies for the free pre-school programme if later than 36 months). The targeted element of the scheme will involve a progressive system of income-related subsidies for parents with children between 6 months and 15 years, with eligibility based on net parental income. A family may receive either the universal or the targeted subsidy per eligible child, but not both. The subsidy provided will be whichever of the universal and targeted payment is most favourable to a family.
