Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) whether any assessment has made of the (a) adequacy; and (b) affordability, of childcare provision during school holidays; and (ii) any steps his Department is taking to ensure that childcare costs do not prevent parents, particularly women, from remaining in employment.
Minister of Education: In 2022, my Department commissioned independent research on the childcare market in Northern Ireland. The research found that most providers continued to operate during school holidays, with only 17% providing childcare during term time only.
To help ensure that childcare costs do not prevent parents, particularly women, from entering employment, the Department introduced the Northern Ireland Childcare Subsidy Scheme (NICSS) in September 2024. The scheme reduces the cost of registered childcare for eligible working families and has provided more than £26 million in savings to date.
ENDS
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