Vol. 518 No. 2
20 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the proposals, if any, he has for additional funding for child care in the current year; the level of grant aid available to child care providers for upgrading premises; the level of employment grants, if any; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11203/00]
My Department will operate a number of funding measures under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-06. The funding will be aimed, in the context of the national development plan, at increasing the quantity of childcare places and improving the quality of child care services and will include capital grants to non-profit organisations and community groups to establish, upgrade or enhance childcare facilities; staffing grants to non-profit organisations and community groups towards the employment of trained childcare personnel; capital grants for self-employed child care service providers catering for up to twenty childcare places; supports for training initiatives; grants to enhance the services of the national voluntary child care organisations; and grants towards the development of local child care networks.
It is my intention to advertise the following measures under my Department's Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-06 in the national press at the end of April: capital grants for community based – not for profit child care providers; staffing grants for community based – not for profit child care providers; and capital grants for self-employed child care providers catering for up to 20 child care places. The criteria and the eligibility requirements for the measures being provided under the programme are being developed at present. The application forms and guidelines for these initiatives are at the design stage and will shortly be going to print.
Following promotion of these schemes, application forms and guidelines will be available from my Department's equal opportunities child care section. It is envisaged that the application process will be open-ended thus allowing prospective applicants adequate time to prepare their proposals. An appraisal process for the various measures is being established which will take into account various factors such as the location of the facility, cost-effectiveness and the overall quality of the proposal.
The funding measures being put in place over the course of the national development plan will ensure that the objectives of the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme, (2000-2006) are met. The range of these measures will ensure that the supply of quality child care will be increased, particularly in disadvantaged areas, and that these facilities will benefit from staffing supports for qualified childcare workers. At the same time there is provision in the new programme to support the smaller private childcare providers. This will allow both the community based and private childcare sectors to grow to meet the demand for childcare in Ireland.
