Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 13 Apr 2000

Vol. 518 No. 2

Written Answers. - Child Care Services.

Jim Higgins

Question:

92 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Health and Children the amount of money allocated to the child care sector in each of the years from 1995 to 1999; the number of applications for funding received; the number of applications granted; the organisations or projects to which financial assistance was made available; the criteria used to assess applications; the mechanisms in place for monitoring the use of funds; and the amount of moneys made available directly to parents to help with the cost of child care. [11283/00]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Ms Hanafin)

The additional revenue funding allocated to the child welfare services in each of the years from 1995 to 2000 is detailed in the following table:

1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m
9.000	6.500	12.000	8.000	15.000	31.75

Additional funding is issued each year by my Department to the health boards to enable them to strengthen and further develop services to meet their statutory responsibilities under the Child Care Act, 1991, the Adoption Acts and other legislation that enables courts to request welfare reports from the boards. The funding is allocated by the boards for specific services, including voluntary agencies in their area, depending on each individual board's priorities and the policy priorities as indicated by the Department in the annual letter of net determination. The health boards are obliged to submit for approval each year annual service plans in which they outline their proposals for development funding that they have been allocated. In addition they are obliged to submit an annual report on the adequacy of the child care and family support services available in its area under section 8 of the Child Care Act, 1991. There are also regular contacts between officials of my Department and officials of the health boards.

My Department does not collect, as a matter of routine, the details of all the organisations which apply to the boards for funding. Where applications are made directly to the Department they are referred to the health boards for their observations and attention. Some years there are a small number of projects in which funding is specifically earmarked in the net determinations. In addition, grants are allocated from the national lottery to voluntary organisations. There is a set protocol for issue of these grants. When an application is received it is referred to the relevant health boards for their assessment, evaluation and recommendation and all applications are then considered in the context of the recommendation and the overall level of funds available.

My Department is compiling a list of all organisations that made applications and received such grants for the years requested and I will forward this to the Deputy in the near future. I will also forward a list of the specific organisations indicated in the letters of determination.