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Minister Zappone publishes Heads of Bill on new Affordable Childcare Scheme
Affordable quality childcare is another step closer as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Dr Katherine Zappone today (30th January 2017) published Heads of Bill and General Scheme to allow for a radical new approach.
The Affordable Childcare Scheme, which was announced as part of Budget 2017, aims to make childcare more accessible for families, by providing universal subsidies for all children under 3 and targeted subsidies, based on net parental income, for children up to 15 years.
Announcing the publication, Minister Zappone said, “Our timelines and goals are ambitious to turn Irish childcare around from being one of the most expensive in the world to the best – however we continue to make steady progress.
I know that parents who face costly childcare, and those who simply cannot afford it, are carefully watching our progress. Their needs and the needs of children lie at the very centre of our proposals.
We are working hard to ensure the legislation and the IT infrastructure are in place and that full information on the scheme will be available in good time.”
Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs, Jim Daly TD, added:“This is a further demonstration of the commitment of this Government to assist working class people to cope with the costs of raising a family. This scheme will provide payments of up to €1000 per year for families at all income levels, with higher rates of subsidy for families with lower incomes, and will greatly ease the burden on parents.
I look forward to its speedy passage through the Oireachtas and will continue to work closely with Minister Zappone and her officials to ensure every assistance is provided to parents who are struggling with child care costs.”
Work will now commence on turning the Heads of Bill into legislation, which the Government has prioritised with a view to having the legislation enacted prior to the opening of the scheme later this year.
The Heads of Bill are available on the website of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.