Frances Fitzgerald
Question:123 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the Government policy regarding planning and the development of child care facilities; and if further guidelines are necessary. [20975/00]
Written Answers. - Child Care Services.
Charles Flanagan
Question:132 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he has satisfied himself that in relation to the provision of child care places the guidelines are being adhered to by local authorities having regard to the severe shortage of child care places in the State and in view of the recent Government guidelines to local authorities urging the taking of a more supportive view; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24796/00]
Ivan Yates
Question:330 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the proposals he has to review planning regulations or guidelines to facilitate the development of child care facilities in view of the amount of planning refusals and impediments towards the establishment of such crèches in the context of current needs. [25014/00]
Frances Fitzgerald
Question:379 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the situation regarding the planning guidelines for the development of child care services; the outcome of the consultation in this regard; if the will take further action; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25250/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 123, 132, 330 and 379 together.
Government policy on child care is to increase the number of child care places available and to improve the quality of child care services for the community. I published draft guidelines for planning authorities on child care facilities for public consultation in May of this year. The consultation period has now elapsed and the submissions received during the public consultation process are now being considered with a view to publishing finalised guidelines as soon as possible. The draft guidelines explicitly acknowledged that planning permission for child care facilities had been identified as an area of concern in relation to child care service development. The draft guidelines are intended to address this concern by ensuring a consistency of approach throughout the country to the treatment of planning applications for child care facilities and to identify to the planning issues appropriate to child care facilities.
The guidelines will assist planning authorities in their efforts to make suitable provision for child care in their development plans and will also be of interest to developers, builders and child care service providers. The guidelines will also assist the planning authorities in fulfilling the requirement under the recently enacted Planning and Development Act, 2000, that the provision of services for the community, including crèches and other child care facilities must be included as an objective in development plans. This provision will apply from 1 January 2001. In view of the importance of the issue and the advanced state of the guidelines, when issuing the draft guidelines I asked planning authorities to take the draft guidelines on board immediately. The final guidelines will be issued as ministerial guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, which has been commenced from 1 November 2000. Section 28 requires that planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála shall have regard to those guidelines in the performance of their functions.
Question No. 124 taken with Question No. 100.
Question No. 125 taken with Question No. 119.