Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 July 2024
168. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated first- and full-year costs associated with the proposed early years and childcare State agency; the status of the establishment of the agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28405/24]
View answerSignificant progress has been made in advancing plans for a dedicated state agency for early learning childcare and school age childcare. It is envisaged that this agency will undertake the functions carried out by Pobal Early Years (including Better Start), the 30 City/County Childcare Committees, as well as operational functions currently undertaken by my Department.
A Programme Oversight Board has been established to ensure that proposals for a new agency are based on offering the best possible service to children and their families, educators and practitioners and service providers while ensuring value for money.
My Department is currently engaging with independent consultants who have been contracted to carry out a phase of research, analysis and stakeholder engagement to inform the design of the agency. This work, which is expected to take 18-24 months, is currently focused on information gathering, analysis and an initial design phase to take place throughout 2024 and 2025. A second phase relates to a more in-depth design and costing exercise to take place from 2025 and is scheduled to take 6-9 months. The work will culminate in a costed agency design, including the remit, organisational structure and service delivery model, which will be presented to Government for approval.
While full costs will not be available prior to the completion of the design and costing phase, the independent Review of the Operating Model conducted by Indecon presented indicative costs for a dedicated agency at an estimated €14.5m for one-off establishment costs and an annual cost of approximately €50m which represented an additional annual cost of €4.5m compared to the current model. However, economies of scope and scale in the new agency may potentially result in cost savings over time. It should be noted that these costs are only preliminary and may change subject to the completion of the detailed design of the new agency, a full analysis of TUPE obligations, and a comprehensive, robust and evidence based exercise to determine detailed costings.
My Department is committed to ongoing consultation with all stakeholders throughout the design process. In that regard, a series of stakeholder consultation sessions have already been held with key stakeholders in December 2023, January 2024, May 2024 and June 2024 with valuable input being received as part of a collaborative co-design process to develop a vision, mission and values for the agency, and a mapping exercise on the proposed functions for the new agency.
