Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2017
52. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the status of the legislative and ICT infrastructure that will be required to deliver the single affordable childcare scheme; the date by which this will be delivered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50219/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraBudget 2017 announced a radical redesign of how we deliver support to make quality childcare accessible and affordable for families in Ireland. The new Affordable Childcare Scheme (ACS) will provide financial support for parents towards the cost of childcare. This new Scheme will replace the existing targeted childcare programmes with a single, streamlined and more user-friendly scheme and will include “wraparound care for pre-school and school-age children. The ambition of this project is immense; its scope matched only in size by its complexity. This scheme aims to reduce poverty, facilitate labour activation, improve outcomes for children and tangibly reduce the cost of childcare for tens of thousands of families.
My Department is currently putting in place the legal and technical infrastructures to underpin the Affordable Childcare Scheme. I am delighted to report that draft legislation to give our new approach a legal backbone is well advanced and publication of a draft Bill is expected before the end of the year.
The building of a state of the art IT system to make subsidised childcare more accessible is also being advanced. The IT development is subject to scrutiny by a peer review group (PRG) at the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO). The project has passed the first stage of the peer review process (reviewing the Business Case) and is close to completing the second stage (Request for Tender Stage).
Whilst delivering the scheme as soon as possible remains a priority, I believe that it is prudent to ensure we get the new systems right, so that they operate smoothly for everyone. Accordingly, in progressing our work, we strive to meet the highest standards available and avoid mistakes made on previous government IT projects. In doing so, we have committed ourselves to extensive consultation and peer review processes.
While intensive work is underway, the project is heavily dependent on timelines beyond its immediate control, such as the advancement of legislation through the Oireachtas. In particular, the timeframe is dependent upon ICT development. Once we have completed the Request for Tender element of the project and have the successful developer in place, we will be able to confirm and communicate a timeline for the full introduction of the scheme. Until then, I am not in a position to make a commitment on the exact launch date of ACS.
We are well on our way to introducing the Affordable Childcare Scheme. In the meantime, the families of 64,000 children or 91% of the children eligible for the measures introduced by my Department are already benefiting from financial support for their childcare, on a par with what will be delivered under the new scheme. This number is increasing daily.
