I am aware that the National Children's Nurseries Association (NCNA) carried out a survey with its members last summer. However a copy of the final report has not been presented to my Department. Upon request, on the 8 November 2001 the NCNA provided my officials with part of the initial results of their survey. The initial results do highlight a difference in the costs of child care depending on the location of the service. However, the information obtained by my officials does not show that the mean weekly fee for child care in Dublin is three times as much as the mean weekly fee in rural areas. The NCNA have informed my Department that, leading on from this survey, they have undertaken to gain further details of the costs of delivering child care.
As regards the costs of child care arrangements my Department has approved funding to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to carry out research on the child care arrangements of union members. This research project was undertaken in autumn 2001 and the report should be available in the not too distant future. The ICTU research in conjunction with the NCNA findings, when completed, will provide valuable information on the actual costs of childcare arrangements today as reported by those who participated in the surveys.
This Government identified child care as a priority area for investment in the National Development Plan, 2000-2006. In total £344 million, 436 million, comprising EU and Exchequer funding has been allocated to my Department over the course of the National Development Plan 2000-2006 to improve child care provision and quality throughout the country.