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1240/5/1(62)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION BY THE DEPUTY OF ST. JOHN
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 30TH JANUARY 2017
Question
Further to the answer provided on 29th November 2016 to oral question 9738, will the Minister confirm what funding has been put in place to ensure certainty for the parents of children at private nursery providers from September 2017; and will he advise from where such funding has come, whether its provision has affected what was agreed in the Medium Term Financial Plan Addition, and, if so, how?
Answer
The MTFP proposal to means-test nursery places has been postponed until September 2018. The Department has requested that the shortfall created by not achieving the MTFP saving will be met through carry forwards (although these have yet to be agreed). Parents should therefore not be affected in the 2017- 2018 academic year.
This can only be a short-term solution as the scheme continues to exceed its budget on an annual basis. Work continues on implementing the means-testing in both private commercial nurseries and States school nursery classes, as agreed by the States.