Vol. 474 No. 6
118 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a shortage of child care and child-minding facilities in the north city area of Dublin; the action, if any, he is taking to improve this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3760/97]
I presume the Deputy is referring to the provision fo creche facilities for children. Under the Child Care Act, 1991, health boards are empowered to assist voluntary organisations who are providing pre-school services such as creches as part of their general obligation to promote the welfare of children in their areas who are not receiving adequate care and protection. However, it is not a function of health boards to involve themselves in the commercial pre-school sector, aside from their obligation to inspect such services under the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations, 1996. I am not, therefore, aware of the problem referred to by the Deputy.
It should be noted that in order to develop a strategy which integrates the different strands of the current arrangements for the development and delivery of child care and early educational services, there is a commitment under Partnership 2000 to establish an expert working group involving the relevant interests. This group will be chaired by the Department of Equality and Law Reform and will devise a national framework for the development of the child care sector. The financing of child care provision by a variety of means in the interests of affordable and accessible child care is part of the remit of the expert working group.
