Fine Gael is making childcare more affordable for hard-pressed families in Cork — Jim Daly TD

Cork families with children aged 3 months – 36 months will receive universal payment of €960 per year.

THE new childcare assistance scheme must take family’s mortgage and rental payments into account when they are being means tested for it, Fine Gael TD Jim Daly has said.

Deputy Daly who represents the Cork South West constituency and is Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs, said families seeking childcare assistance will soon benefit by up to almost €1,000 annually through the new Affordable Childcare Scheme.

However, Deputy Daly insisted that the mortgage or rental payments of hard pressed families must be included in the means testing for all applicants. Under the proposed bill, as outlined in last October’s Budget, the scheme will benefit all families with children between 3 months and 36 months with universal payments up to €960 annually.

“Currently, there is no mention of mortgage or rental payments when it comes to the means testing of the scheme. This is absolutely essential when it comes to the application process,” Deputy Daly said.

“Families are being pushed financially to keep a roof over their heads and provide for their children. This has to be taken into account when they apply for this scheme which will be of immense benefit to them,” he added.

“In the future, I would like to see mortgage and rent payments taken into account, as this is currently not the case. In theory, parents availing of the targeted subsidy could have the cost of their repayment tailored into the overall figure,” Deputy Daly added.

The childcare package is aimed at supporting parents who wish to return to work or education. The new scheme will be both universal and targeted in its approach, with the targeted aspect aimed at families with lower incomes earning under €47,500 per year.

“The cost of childcare is something that impacts many families across Cork South West, with many making sacrifices elsewhere in order to afford it. This measure is aimed at giving those families a bit more breathing room and will make it easier for them to return to work or education.

“The scheme will be available to families with children in childcare, either in a crèche or Tusla registered child-minder, aged from 3 months to 36 months. There is no lower age limit in referrals from Tusla as the welfare of the child is the most important deciding factor and subsidies are payable for a maximum of 48 weeks per year. The scheme will be easy to apply for,” Deputy Daly said.

“The universal payment will benefit all families with children that qualify. Initially the scheme will provide a subsidy rate of €0.50 per hour up to a maximum of forty hours a week and parents will not have to undergo any means-test in order to avail of this.

“In the case of full-time (40 hour per week) care, this will equate to €80 per month or €960 per year. This is a significant payment and will benefit many families across Cork South West,” Deputy Daly said.

“This is just the first step. We cannot achieve all we want to in one year, but we are using the benefits of a strong economy to improve people’s lives and make childcare more affordable for hard-pressed families,” Deputy Daly added.

“The Affordable Childcare Scheme builds on significant measures, which Fine Gael has recently introduced, including:

• Second free pre-school year (saving parents on average €4,000 per child);
• Two weeks’ paid Paternity Leave for new fathers;
• Free GP care for under 6s.

“Supporting hard-pressed families is a priority for Fine Gael. By supporting families in this way, we are ensuring that children get the best start in life and making life a bit easier for the parents by reducing the financial burden of childcare,” Deputy Daly added.