The question of legislating for child care facilities is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Health. This Government is committed to the full implementation of all provisions of the Child Care Act by 1996 including those relating to the regulation of child care facilities.
I am conscious of the need for child care facilities for working parents to enable them participate in the employment market and my Department is devoting increasing attention to measures which facilitate parents', particularly womens' access to employment.
Last year I set up a scheme of local child care projects to develop child care facilities in disadvantaged areas administered by local partnership structures. Funding of £1 million for this scheme has been provided by my Department.
I have been concerned, too, to ensure that programmes run under EU Structural Funds from which Ireland receives significant assistance should also be directed towards the development of child care facilities, in line with the National Development Plan. The human resources operational programme which was launched last month acknowledges the need to develop child care facilities to support women's access to training and employment schemes, and outlines the child care initiatives which will be undertaken by FÁS and the Department of Education.
I am pleased to say that FÁS has also indicated its intention to co-operate in my Department's child care schemes, and to assist in developing child care enterprises and community-based child care facilities by using what I hope will be an imaginative approach to targeting child care actions under the Community Employment and Community Training schemes.
The local urban and rural development programme, launched last month, also provides scope for developing child care facilities. My Department is actively involved in working with local development structures and partnerships to encourage them to include the development of child care infrastructure in their operations and action plans.