Vol. 502 No. 3
40 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has regarding the future development of the pre-school sector; his responsibility in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7796/99]
71 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will set a deadline for the publication of the White Paper on early childhood education in view of the fact that it is almost two years since a commitment was made to provide a specific budget for pre-school education; and, if not, if he will consider making provision to expand the existing pilot approach to meet increasingly urgent needs. [8184/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 71 together.
I have responsibility in the early education area and am happy to inform Deputies that work on a White Paper on early childhood education is under way in my Department. The White Paper will set out Government policy on early childhood education and will provide a blueprint for the development of the sector for the future.
Initial work on the preparation of the White Paper commenced early in 1998, when I hosted the National Forum for Early Childhood Education. This forum provided an opportunity for all those involved in the area of early childhood education to come together and to share their views on future policy for early childhood education. The report on the forum, which was compiled by an independent secretariat, was published last November. It is my intention that the White Paper will be completed as soon as possible.
In advance of the publication of the White Paper, and to avoid delays, I announced last December that I will provide £1.2 million for special initiatives on early education. My intention is that these will focus in particular on early education for children with disabilities.
