Niamh Smyth
Ceist:50. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the affordable childcare scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31226/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 4 July 2017
Ceisteanna (50)
Freagraí scríofa
As announced in April of this year, the Affordable Childcare Scheme (ACS) will not commence this September, as development continues on the legislation and IT system to underpin it.
As the ACS will not be ready in time for this September, my focus turned to ensuring that the benefits of more affordable childcare could be delivered to as many children as possible from this September and that additional funding I secured in Budget 2017 would be delivered to families. Existing targeted childcare supports provided under the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) and the Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) Schemes will be enhanced significantly from September, some by up to 50%. In addition, every child in Tusla-registered childcare services, between the ages of 6 months and eligibility for ECCE (3 years or over) will be eligible for some level of childcare support totalling as much as €1,040 per year.
I remain strongly committed to introducing the ACS and will do so at the earliest possible date. My Department has made considerable progress in this regard. The Government has approved the Heads of Bill for the Scheme, and officials are working intensively to plan for successful implementation of the Scheme. However, I am conscious that this is a complex project which we must get right from the beginning. We need to have the legislation, business processes and a new robust IT system in place. We will need to test the Scheme rigorously to ensure that it works properly for families and providers.
Whilst delivering the scheme as soon as possible remains a priority, I believe that it is prudent to take time to ensure we get the new systems right, so that they operate smoothly for everyone. I want to build a system that will underpin childcare supports for children and investment in the childcare sector for years to come. We are well on our way to introducing the ACS. When fully operational it will be a state of the art system which will be capable of delivering, not just for this generation of children, but also for generations to come. In the meantime, I am satisfied that the September measures will honour the Government’s commitment to delivering more affordable childcare to families.