To ask the Minister of Education to outline the immediate impact on the most vulnerable in society of the announcement that the Early Years Fund is to be reduced by over two thirds in the financial year 2015/16.

I have ensured that budget is available in 2015/16 to enable all recipient groups to receive continued funding to the end of the current academic year i.e. 31 August 2015. There will therefore be no immediate impact on the recipients of the DE Early Years Fund which is administered by Early Years – the Organisation for young people (EYO) on behalf of the Department.

The Fund was originally established in 2004 to help sustain certain early childhood services in areas of greatest need which were facing funding difficulties when Peace II funding ended. It has effectively remained as a “closed” Fund since then to applicants that were in areas of greatest need at that time.

I will continue to review my budget to establish if a fund can continue beyond 31 August 2015. However any such fund will have to be open to all and reflect the policy priorities of DE.