Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
2325. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if there is discretion which can be exercised in a case of a person (details supplied); if not, if there is an appeals process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33221/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince the inception of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme in 2010, age limits have been used to determine eligibility for the scheme. These rules are a necessary component of any Government scheme and ensure that Exchequer funding is used for its intended purpose.
In 2010, only one ECCE year, or 38 weeks, was available. I enhanced this in 2016 and, on average, children benefited from 61 weeks of ECCE. From this September, the additional investment I secured in Budget 2018 will enable all children from the age of 2 years and 8 months to be eligible for two programme years.
There are two factors that prevent absolute standardisation of how much time children will utilise from the two years available.
Firstly, as the Deputy is aware, school entry occurs at one point in the year, September, but children are born across the full year. Secondly, parents can opt to start their children in school at either four or five years of age.
I fully accept that the use of age limits in a scheme such as this creates a situation whereby a child can fall just outside the age range. In current rules, children born in January are most affected. However, in the interests of fairness and consistency there can be no discretion or appeals process in this regard.
The scheme as it exists provides eligibility for two years but enables parents to decide how much of ECCE is in the best interest of their child. While all children will be eligible for two years of ECCE, not all parents will choose to avail of it.
Finally, I am conscious that age-based rules can be somewhat confusing, but my Department will continue to promote good communication of the ECCE scheme, so that parents and providers are clear about the rules involved.
