Mary Coughlan
Question:123 Miss Coughlan asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the amount of money expended by his Department for the care of children; and the way in which such money is administered. [19373/96]
Written Answers. - Child Care Initiative.
My Department's scheme of grant-aid to voluntary organisations providing marriage counselling has been extended this year to include voluntary organisations providing counselling to children whose parents' marriages have broken down. Expenditure for the year to date is £502,400. It is not possible to determine what proportion of the Department's grant is expended on the provision of counselling to children because a number of recipient organisations provide both marriage and children's counselling. The scheme is administered by staff of my Department.
In addition, a pilot child care initiative was introduced by my Department in 1994 to assist with the initiation of projects for the establishment, on a pilot basis in designated disadvantaged areas, of child care measures. These measures would utilise the skills of trained local people to enable local residents to undertake education, training, re-training and employment opportunities which they would otherwise be unable to do, in the absence of a child care facility. The scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by Area Development (ADM) Limited. This is an independent company designated by the Government and the European Commission to support integrated local economic and social development in co-operation with the relevant area partnership companies established by the Government in designated disadvantaged areas. Since its inception in 1994, a total of £1,250,000 has been expended on the scheme.