Bright Start

Oral Answers to Questions – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 2:00 pm on 8 September 2014.

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Photo of Seán Rogers Seán Rogers Social Democratic and Labour Party 2:00, 8 September 2014

1. asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister for an update on the implementation of the Bright Start school-age childcare scheme. (AQO 6533/11-15)

Photo of Martin McGuinness Martin McGuinness Sinn Féin

Mr Deputy Speaker, with your permission I will ask junior Minister Jennifer McCann to answer this question.

Photo of Jennifer McCann Jennifer McCann Sinn Féin

The Bright Start school-age childcare grant scheme aims to create or sustain up to 7,000 school-age childcare places in low-cost social economy settings.  Those will begin to address current unmet need for school-age childcare services.  Some 77 applications were received under the first round of applications for the scheme, which closed in May.  A second call for applications for the scheme projects will end on 30 September 2014. 

The childcare partnership strategic funding panels have assessed the 77 applications and agreed that 50 met the selection criteria.  The settings that will be funded will sustain 1,165 school-age childcare places and create 326 new school-age childcare places.  The 50 successful applications represent funding of some £1·9 million, to be paid over a three-year period.  All 77 applicants to the grant scheme have now been advised of the outcome of the assessment process.  No new or existing setting was required to deliver its places by 1 September this year, but we expect most of the settings funded under the first call to be operating by the autumn.  All the 40 childcare settings that are currently financially assisted by OFMDFM have applied for funding under the grant scheme, and those that were successful will continue to operate when their current funding ends on 30 September.

Photo of Seán Rogers Seán Rogers Social Democratic and Labour Party

I thank the junior Minister for the response.  Can OFMDFM confirm the number of new places that are available at the start of the school year?  How many are rural based?  How many are school based?  How many are based in social enterprises?

Photo of Jennifer McCann Jennifer McCann Sinn Féin

I do not have the exact figures for the different sectors that you mentioned, but I can say that they are all from the social enterprise sector.  The reason for that is that we are very clear that any surplus moneys are reinvested for more service provision to create more places and not for the distribution for owners.  I do not have the exact figures here, but I can assure the Member that a number of those childcare places are in a rural setting.

Photo of Chris Lyttle Chris Lyttle Alliance

What public consultation has the junior Minister's Department undertaken with regard to the Westminster proposals to replace the childcare voucher scheme with tax-free childcare payments?  Why does her Department believe that the new scheme will be better for families in Northern Ireland?

Photo of Jennifer McCann Jennifer McCann Sinn Féin

As you said, the coalition Government propose to introduce a new scheme to provide financial support to help working families with the cost of childcare.  The purpose of the new scheme is to enable those with responsibility for children to take up paid work or to work for longer.  We are in the process of looking at the scheme, but no definitive consultation has happened yet.  Part of our proposals for Bright Start are to ensure that all parents and carers are informed of all the schemes in respect of the childcare element of working families' tax credit and the vouchers.  Part of Bright Start is to do that, so we will be looking to roll that out.

Photo of Danny Kinahan Danny Kinahan UUP

How much of the £12 million budget for childcare is currently unallocated?

Photo of Jennifer McCann Jennifer McCann Sinn Féin

I have details of the £12 million.  In 2011-12, £3,222 was allocated to the fund.  In 2012-13, £1·482 million was allocated from the fund.  Again, in 2013-14, £692,000 was allocated from the fund.  I can give the Member details of where those specific allocations are, but I do not have time to go into them here.  If the Member wants, I can write to him with those details.  For example, in the last year, PlayBoard got £652,000 and £40,000 went to the Department of Health.  All of that went towards delivering childcare services for people in local communities.  As I say, there are quite detailed amounts.  I will write to the Member with those details.