Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 7 Nov 2000

Vol. 525 No. 2

Written Answers. - After School Childcare.

Richard Bruton

Question:

916 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps he is taking to ensure that a substantial number of schools make their premises available for after school child care if he has assessed whether there are any barriers to the rapid take-up of this, such as insurance for security costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24715/00]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods):

I am anxious that, where feasible, spare accommodation would be made available for child care purposes by school authorities.

As part of the Government's £40 million anti-inflation package, a total of £7.5 million is being made available to support the development of after school child care in a school setting. This includes: £2.5 million to facilitate minor refurbishment works to make the premises suitable for child care purposes; and £5 million to support the development and management of services that combine educational and recreational elements of child care through the provision of a financial contribution to schools towards additional heating, lighting and insurance costs.

To ensure an integrated approach, details of the scheme to support schools in this way will be finalised in consultation with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Departments of Social, Community and Family Affairs and Health and Children.

As an initial step, my Department has undertaken a survey of spare accommodation in all primary and post primary schools. To date 932 primary schools – 28% – and 417 post primary schools – 55% – have submitted returns. Over 140 schools have indicated that they have spare capacity and are willing to consider use of such capacity for child care purposes while 85 have spare capacity currently being used for other purposes which may have potential use for child care purposes. Detailed follow up on each positive response will be necessary, however, to establish the precise position with regard to individual cases. This will include identification of barriers to rapid take-up which may include insurance.

In addition to the above, an amount of £5 million was provided in the 1999 budget to provide grants to schools that set up and run after school child care services. My Department is currently finalising details of a scheme for an after schools support service in consultation with the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs which has also been allocated £5 million to support community based groups to develop after school child care services in disadvantaged areas.

It is envisaged that my Department's scheme will be confined to schools in disadvantaged areas. In the case of the primary sector, schools will be selected on the basis of criteria developed by the Educational Research Centre for the new more targeted child centred programme being introduced following the survey of all primary schools. Selection at second level would generally be based on retention levels but would include the schools currently being selected for inclusion in the stay-in-school retention initiative.

Finally, my Department has also provided £2.3 million this year for child care to support access of participants to Youthreach, Traveller Training Centre programmes for early school leavers and the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme for unemployed people. The funds are allocated to the vocational education committees for direct provision of crèches, purchase of places on existing commercial or community crèches and for the payment of childminders subject to compliance with tax and registration requirements under the Child Care Acts.