To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) the number of registered child minders that have closed since September 2021; (ii) the estimated number of children affected by these closures; and (iii) the closure or sustainability funding currently available to registered child minders.

The Department of Health (DoH) has statutory responsibility for the regulation and inspection of childcare services. The Health and Social Care Board (HSCB), who maintain the register of all childcare providers on behalf of DoH, has confirmed that 87 childminders have de-registered during the period September 2021 – December 2021. However, there were 37 new childminder registrations for the same period. Equating to a net reduction of 50 childminders and 278 childcare places.

The HSCB data does not collect information on the number of children occupying the registered places in each setting, and therefore the number of children affected is not available.

Work to extend the Covid-19 Childcare Temporary Closure Fund, from 1 January to end of March 2022, is at an advanced stage. Subject to business case approvals, I hope to make an announcement on this shortly.

I had also committed to keeping the need for a further phase of the Childcare Sustainability Fund under review. Scoping work on this is underway and my officials are meeting with key childcare stakeholders to assess the current situation and consider what an appropriate response would be.