Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 29th April, 2022.

I, RODERIC O GORMAN, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, in the exercise of the powers conferred on me by section 13 of the Childcare Support Act 2018 (No. 11 of 2018), and with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, hereby make the following regulations:

Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Childcare Support Act 2018 (Calculation of amount of financial support) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.

2. These Regulations shall come into operation on 2 May 2022.

Interpretation

3. In these Regulations –

“Principal Regulations” means the Childcare Support Act 2018 (Calculation of amount of financial support) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 378 of 2019).

Amendment of Principal Regulations

4. Schedule 4 of the Principal Regulations is amended by the substitution of the following schedule for schedule 4 –

“SCHEDULE 4

Maximum number of hours in respect of which an applicant may qualify for financial support

Maximum number of hours for non-income related financial support

In the case of an application for non-income related financial support, the maximum number of hours per week for which an applicant may qualify for financial support shall be:

(a) 45 hours per week where the child is under 3 years of age, or

(b) 45 hours per week where the child has reached 3 years of age and does not yet qualify for the ECCE programme or any other pre-school programme funded by either the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs or the Minister for Education and Skills, until such time as they are eligible for ECCE at which point eligibility for non-income related financial support ceases.

Maximum number of hours for income-related financial support

In the case of an application for income-related financial support, the maximum number of hours of financial support for which an applicant may qualify shall be:

(a) where the applicant and his or her partner both satisfy one or more of the following -

i) are engaged in work or study,

ii) are transitioning into or out of work or study, or

iii) are unavailable to care for the child who is the subject of the application,

the maximum number of hours per week of income-related financial support for which the applicant qualifies, is:

- 45 hours

(b) Where the criteria specified in paragraph (a) above are not met, then the maximum number of hours per week of financial support for which an applicant qualifies is:

- 20 hours.”

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform consents to the making of the foregoing Regulations.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform,

21 April, 2022.

MICHAEL MCGRATH,

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

25 April, 2022.

RODERIC O’GORMAN,

Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

These Regulations are made pursuant to powers conferred on the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs under section 13 of the Childcare Support Act 2018 with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

The Regulation amends the Regulations previously made under section 13 of the Childcare Support Act 2018 (S.I. 378/2019) and (S.I. 33/2020) to allow for the discontinuance of the practice of deducting hours spent in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECCE) or any pre-school programme funded by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs or the Minister for Education and Skills or school from the entitlement to National Childcare Scheme (NCS) subsidised hours.