AQW 4562/17-22

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 05/06/2020
Answered On Date: 23/06/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health what arrangements he has made in conjunction with the Department of Education and the Department for the Economy to ensure childcare arrangements will be in place for people to be able to return to work in sectors such as retail from 8 June 2020.

Answer:

A Childcare Sector Recovery Plan for Northern Ireland was published on Thursday 18 June. The objective of the plan is to return the childcare sector to full capacity as quickly and safely as possible and to ensure that childcare is available for any working parent who needs it. From 29 June, childcare will no longer be limited to vulnerable children and the children of keyworkers, and the number of families that childminders will be able to provide childcare to will increase to 4, rising further to 5 families in August. There will be no operating restrictions in terms of minimum or maximum numbers of children in daycare and school-age childcare settings. Guidance to support the sector through to full recovery was issued by my Department on 9 June 2020.