S.I. No. 701/2022 - Childcare Support Act 2018 (Calculation of Amount of Financial Support) (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2022

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 27th December, 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 No. 3) Regulations 2022.

2. These Regulations shall come into operation on 2 January 2023.

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 1 of the Principal Regulations is amended by the substitution of the following schedule for schedule 1.

5. Schedule 3 of the Principal Regulations is amended by the substitution of the following schedule for schedule 3.

“SCHEDULE 1

Amounts per hour of non-income related financial support

Non-income related financial support shall be calculated at the following rate:

€1.40 per hour in the case of a child who is older than 24 weeks of age and under 15 years of age.”

“SCHEDULE 3

Methodology in accordance with which the amount per hour (if any) of income-related financial support shall be calculated

(a) The base income threshold shall be €26,000.

(b) A minimum amount of income-related financial support at the rate of €1.40 applies to a child aged between 24 weeks and under 15 years of age.

(c) If an applicant qualifies for income-related financial support, the scheme administrator shall determine the amount per hour of income-related financial support as follows:

(i) where an applicant’s reckonable income is below or equal to the base income threshold, the maximum amount per hour will apply;

(ii) where an applicant’s reckonable income is at or exceeds the income limit, the amount per hour shall be zero;

(iii) where an applicant’s reckonable income is between the base income threshold and the income limit, the amount per hour shall be determined by the following formula:

Rate per hour = NS + (((XS-NS)(MT-RI))/((MT-BT)))

where–

NS is the minimum amount of financial support per hour,

XS is the maximum amount of financial support per hour,

MT is the income limit,

BT is the base income threshold, and

RI is the reckonable income.

(d) In determining the amount per hour, if any, of income-related financial support, a Multiple Child Discount shall be applied to net income by the scheme administrator in relation to children under the age of 15 years -

(1) who reside with the applicant or with his or her partner, and

(2) where the applicant or his or her partner is a parent of the child.

The discount which shall be applied to net income to determine the amount per hour of income related financial support shall be:

(i) €4,300 in relation to two children;

(ii) €8,600 in relation to more than two children.”

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,

15 December, 2022.

MICHAEL MCGRATH,

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

15 December, 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.

These Regulations amend the Regulations previously made under section 13 of the Childcare Support Act 2018 ( S.I. 378/2019 ), and (S.I. No. 367/2022) to increase the hourly minimum award from €0.50 to €1.40.