Adjournment Debate. - Equal Opportunities Child Care Programme. – Dáil Éireann (28th Dáil) – Tuesday, 3 Apr 2001

Adjournment Debate. - Equal Opportunities Child Care Programme.

Mr. Ring:

I am grateful to the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for the Adjournment debate. I have been contacted by a number of people who have in the recent past made application to the Department for funding towards the provision of child care facilities.

The Department allocated £20 million for this programme in 2000. There was a great furore about the announcement. It was in RTE's news programmes and in all the national media. The public welcomed the allocation with open arms. Later that year a second announcement was made in relation to the scheme. I must compliment the PR staff in the Department. They did an excellent job because the story was in the news headlines on RTE at six o'clock and nine o'clock. The PR staff earned their money.

A sum of £3.8 million was allocated to capital projects but only £58,000 of that amount was spent up to November last year. The rest of the money stayed in the Department. I am sure there will be further announcements in relation to child care in the next few months, more furore and extra money for the PR people.

One would need to have several degrees to complete the application forms, as well as being an accountant and health expert. That is probably the reason so many applications have been returned and there have been so many refusals by the Department. It is also the reason only £58,000 was spent out of the £20 million last year. That is political fraud at its worst.

There is huge need for proper child care facilities in the State. People are crying out for them. There is also a need to increase the £40,000 grant. That sum is not sufficient, given the price of building materials. The success of the economy has resulted in costs increasing and £40,000 is not a reasonable contribution from the State. It should be increased to £100,000.

I am not surprised that neither the Minister nor the Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform is present for this debate. Both must be embarrassed. One could not defend what has happened in the Department over the last year. I am sorry they have sent my colleague, Deputy Moffatt, to fight this case. One cannot fight a case where only £58,000 of an allocation of £20 million has been spent on child care provision even though parents are daily seeking child care facilities.

The Minister of State might look at a problem within the Department of Health and Children. The Western Health Board region lost a substantial number of child care places as a result of over-checking by the Department. That is fine if the State were doing its duty and helping these people by giving them the grant aid. That would make child care viable for the providers instead of reducing the number of places. If the business is so profitable, why are more people not involved in it? There is a shortage of child care places throughout the State; the State has let people down in that regard.

The heavy folder I have with me is an application form from one of my constituents. It took them almost 12 months to put it together. It is outrageous that more obstacles are being put in people's way instead of helping them to get into this sector. We should help people who want to do the job well. Of course, nobody condones people such as those involved in the court case last week. We cannot condone people who do not fulfil their responsibilities, collect money under false pretences and do not look after the children in their care. I and the Minister would condemn that.

There are genuine people, however, who are trying to provide these facilities and to make a small profit. One arm of the State is putting every possible rule and regulation in their way while another provides application forms that are so difficult the applicants are unable to draw down the grant aid. In addition, the capital allocation of £40,000 is not enough.

Dr. Moffatt:

The Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, regrets that he cannot be here for this Adjournment debate. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has been allocated £250 million, comprising EU and Exchequer funding, over the course of the National Development Plan, 2000-2006, to improve child care provision and quality throughout the country. The objectives of this funding are to increase the availability of child care places, to improve the quality of child care provision and to ensure the co-ordination of child care service provision on a local and national basis.

The Deputy has raised the matter of simplifying the application forms. Applications are considered by a programme appraisal committee established by the Department. The programme appraisal committee makes a recommendation on each application, following an initial assessment carried out by ADM Limited on behalf of the Department. In order to give each application a full and fair assessment, it is necessary for each applicant to give information relating to their child care service. The assessment of applications is based on material supplied by the applicant and each application is considered under the following five assessment criteria – the socio-economic profile of the area relating to the application, the quality of the proposal, the capacity of the applicant to implement the project, the level of integration/co-ordination and the costings/value for money of the proposal.

During the development of the equal opportunities child care programme application forms, extensive consultations were undertaken with the national voluntary child care organisations, community based child care providers and other Departments. ADM Limited, who has operated many other schemes on behalf of Departments and is most experienced in this field, was also consulted during the process. Much of the information requested in the application form is of a basic nature, for example, name of applicant, tax details, ownership of premises, experience in the child care sector, management procedures, details of the child care service to be provided, compliance with health board regulations and so forth.

If required, assistance is available from the Department and from ADM Limited when the application forms are being completed. Both officials of the Department and ADM Limited have held information sessions throughout the country and are available to do so when requested. Funding has also been provided by the Department to the national voluntary child care organisations, area partnerships and community groups to provide support to child care providers. This support would include assistance during the application process.

An important development in each county is the establishment of county child care committees, currently at an advanced stage. The county child care committees will be charged with formulating a child care plan for each county. The county child care committees will be best placed to provide the facilities for assistance and advice at local level.

The Deputy will understand that to address the child care needs of the country it is vital that funding is invested in quality child care services. Any child care service that receives funding under the Department's equal opportunities child care programme must be of the highest standard and be a service that will be available and viable into the future. Where community projects are concerned they must serve the needs of the parents and children of the whole community. There are also financial requirements of the State and the EU for which information is required.

The Minister does not consider that there is a need to change the application forms at this stage of the programme. Over 675 completed applications for funding under the capital and staffing grants schemes of the equal opportunities child care programme have been returned up to 14 March 2001. A total of 373 of these applications have been approved for funding. However, if the Deputy is aware of any specific difficulties that are being experienced by applicants, the Minister, Deputy O'Donoghue, would be glad to look into them.

The capital grants currently available under the Department's equal opportunities child care programme were developed in line with the recommendations of the expert working group on child care, established under Partnership 2000. Capital grants of up to £40,000 are available to self-employed or private child care providers for building, renovation or upgrading of child care facilities and for the purchase of permanently based child care equipment.

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform is satisfied that the current grant level is meeting the requirements of self-employed or private child care providers.

Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 3 Apr 2001