To ask the Assembly Commission for an update on steps to provide childcare facilities for staff.

At its meeting on 5 November 2019, the Assembly Commission was advised that the then Permanent Secretary of the Department of Finance (the Department), had liaised with the Assembly’s Clerk/Chief Executive, to explore the feasibility of opening a pre-school childcare facility on the Stormont Estate. The intention was that such a facility could be used by Members, Members’ staff, Assembly Commission staff and Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) staff working on the Estate.

While some exploratory options and designs had been developed, considerable work was still needed to prepare a fully-worked business case. This was being developed by the Department, and it was intended that once a detailed proposal was developed, it would be brought to the Assembly Commission for its consideration.

Given the many interruptions to normal work activities since March 2020, arising from the Department’s response to COVID-19, the project was paused at that time.

The Department has advised that, at the time, the feasibility of a childcare facility on the Stormont Estate could have been considered as a potential action for inclusion in a draft Childcare Strategy. The Department has also advised that work on developing a Childcare Strategy has restarted with an indicative date of March 2023 for completion of a draft Strategy. Consultation is planned for summer 2023 and Executive approval is anticipated in late 2023/early 2024.

The Department envisages that a new action plan would be developed when the Strategy receives Executive Approval, however, it is not known at this stage if the Department’s response will include the provision of a childcare facility within the Stormont Estate, as consideration would be given to the significant changes within the working arrangements of NICS staff on the Estate (i.e. the implementation of Hybrid Working and the use of Connect2 hubs) which may impact on the requirement for an on-site location.

It is worth noting that since 2017, Members and Assembly staff can avail of HMRC’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme. This scheme is administered centrally by HMRC, and allows the payment for approved childcare (for example, from a childminder or nursery), to be made via an online childcare account. Up to £2,000 per year for each child is available to help with the costs of childcare. As with all schemes set up by HMRC, it has specific rules and regulations that must be met before it can be used.

In addition, some Members who met the relevant conditions, were able to purchase childcare vouchers using a salary sacrifice scheme. This arrangement meant that childcare vouchers could be purchased in a tax efficient manner. While the salary sacrifice arrangement ended in 2017, the scheme has remained open to Members who were already included in the scheme.