394. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to concerns related to the lack of flexibility under Section 8.2/8.3.2 of the national childcare scheme, specifically for children that are neurodiverse and benefit particularly from afterschool activities; and her views the current scheme acts as a disincentive for families to include their children in sporting or other afterschool activities. [75312/26]

The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help families with their early learning and childcare costs. The families of almost 247,000 children availed of National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidies in 2025 to help offset the costs of early learning and childcare. Up to 277,000 children are expected to avail of the Scheme this year.

The NCS is designed to be flexible, recognising that childcare needs are different for each family. Under the NCS, subsidies are awarded as an hourly rate, up to a maximum number of 45 hours a week for which the subsidy applies.

The Department designed the NCS to also be flexible around children’s attendance, recognising that children’s attendance may vary from week to week. If a child is occasionally picked up early or misses an occasional day, this will not impact on a family’s subsidy. This is outlined in Section 8.3.2 of the NCS policy guidelines under “Occasional under-attendance”, which is the section highlighted by the Deputy in their question.

Section 8.3.2 also states that ‘If a child is not using the hours registered on a consistent basis the under-attendance rules will apply. This happens when a child under attends every week for 8 consecutive weeks.’ If the pattern of under-attendance continues past the 8 consecutive weeks, then persistent under-attendance rules apply which can result in a reduction of subsidised hours in line with a child's actual attendance. Persistent under-attendance rules are detailed in Section 8.3.6 of the policy guidelines.

The hours-based nature of the NCS is designed to fit around the needs of families and ensure that the effectiveness of funding is maximised for all. The NCS enables families to agree the number of hours to be used with their service provider within overall scheme limits. The number of hours can be altered week to week so, for example the subsidy can be increased during a school midterm where a parent requires more hours of care.

This combination of flexibility and accountability provides an appropriate balance of supporting parents and providers while also ensuring the efficient use of Exchequer funding.

An independent evaluation of the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) commenced in March 2026. It is expected that the evaluation will conclude in Q3 2027. This evaluation aims to assess the performance of the NCS to date and its operation within the wider early learning and childcare funding and policy environment.

The evaluation will examine whether the NCS, as part of the wider funding model, is making high-quality early learning and childcare more accessible and affordable, particularly for families in the lowest income groups and the most disadvantaged households. It will also identify any improvements that could be made to enhance accessibility and affordability and to ensure that the NCS is working for as many families as possible. As part of this, the hours-based model will be reviewed. Any changes to the NCS will be carefully considered in light of the findings of this evaluation.