Written Answers. - Child Care Services. – Dáil Éireann (28th Dáil) – Tuesday, 10 Apr 2001

Written Answers. - Child Care Services.

Paul McGrath

Question:

264 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if, in the context of the budget 2001 announcement concerning the use of spare classrooms in primary and secondary schools for child care facilities, he will indicate the number of such projects, per county, which are currently up and running; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10811/01]

Paul McGrath

Question:

277 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will outline the projects in each county which are up and running in the context of the budget 2001 announcement concerning a national after school initiative for child care. [10820/01]

Paul McGrath

Question:

278 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of applications per county in the context of the budget 2001 announcements concerning staffing grants for community based child care facilities; the number of approvals per county; the amount of grant-aid per county already approved; and the amount of grant aid paid per county to date. [10821/01]

Paul McGrath

Question:

279 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of applications per county concerning the availability of capital grants for commercial crèches and community-based child care facilities; the approvals to date per county; the amounts approved per county; and the amounts paid out to date. [10822/01]

Paul McGrath

Question:

280 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of applications per county received in relation to the budget 2000 allocation of £20 million for grant aid towards the infrastructural development of child care facilities; the number of approvals per county; the amount of grant aid approved per county; the amount drawn down per county as at 31 December 2000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10823/01]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 264, 277, 278, 279 and 280 together.

My Department has been given responsibility for leading the development of child care service delivery in Ireland over the course of the National Development Plan 2000-2006. A sum of £250 million has been allocated to my Department over this period. This funding has an equal opportunities perspective and focuses on provision of child care to allow parents, particularly women, to avail of training, education or employment. Capital funding is available to community and self-employed child care providers while staffing supports are available to community groups. Funding is also available for quality improvement projects. My Department was also allocated additional funding of £26.5 million under the Government's anti-inflationary package for child care.

Table 1 outlines the number of applications received, by county, for staffing grants as well as the total approved and paid out by county up to 30 March 2001. Table 2 outlines similar details in respect of capital grants.

Table 1 – Staffing grants

County	Staffing grantapplications	Of which approved	Total funding approved per county	Amount drawn down to30/03/01
Carlow	4	3	251,725	20,000
Cavan	11	8	441,202	28,175
Clare	6	1	31,200	20,000
Cork	36	24	3,286,525	260,000
Donegal	22	7	429,131	60,000
Dublin	70	47	6,702,431	450,000
Galway	24	15	1,169,685	60,000
Kerry	21	14	1,688,327	180,000
Kildare	4	2	255,258	20,000
Kilkenny	4	1	107,108	0
Laois	5	3	300,368	60,000
Leitrim	15	10	859,930	80,000
Limerick	13	9	1,362,345	100,000
Longford	7	4	673,606	80,000
Louth	2	2	475,100	0
Mayo	19	10	774,300	20,000
Meath	2	0	0	0
Monaghan	6	4	284,900	60,000
Offaly	4	2	94,187	20,000
Roscommon	7	5	375,969	60,000
Sligo	8	5	434,425.39	80,000
Tipperary	12	5	657,674	80,000
Waterford	7	5	708,435	20,000
Westmeath	8	4	476,158	80,000
Wexford	9	8	955,098	80,000
Wicklow	5	2	116,490	20,000
Total	331	200	22,911,577.39	1,938,175

In the case of staffing support applications, the difference between the amounts committed and the amounts paid out to date reflect the fact that the grants are allocated over a three year period and the requirements placed on groups in relation to recruitment procedures and Garda clearance.

Table 2 – Capital grants

County

Capital grant applications

Of which approved

Total funding approved per county

Amount drawn down to 30/03/01

Carlow5

12,424

Cavan7

154,644

30,000

Clare11

144,930

24,000

Cork53

1,527,696

294,281

Donegal23

685,782

63,800

Dublin87

4,457,032.4

365,708

Galway27

558,722

54,406

Kerry14

1,181,104

259,593

Kildare20

205,518.7

33,953

Kilkenny12

110,600

40,000

Laois10

20,681

5,753

Leitrim15

734,309.1

122,121

Limerick11

60,978

37,696

Longford8

160,356

28,000

Louth10

170,013

17,803

Mayo12

176,099

12,000

Meath11

163,035

40,999

Monaghan10

345,800

47,625

Offaly8

54,064

7,674

Roscommon10

149,910

40,994

Sligo6

142,416

10,313

Tipperary14

55,325

3,000

Waterford13

249,060

82,971

Westmeath6

42,600

Wexford14

1,306,264

90,019

Wicklow12

140,975

35,000

Total429

227

13,010,338.2

1,747,709

In the case of capital grant applications, the difference between the amounts committed and the amounts paid out to date reflects the fact that payments are made in stages as work progresses. In many cases contractors are unable to begin work on projects as soon as had been expected due to other work commitments.

The Deputy has asked about the number of applications per county received in relation to the budget 2000 allocation of £20 million for grant aid towards the infrastructural development of child care facilities. I assume the Deputy is referring to the funding available for capital works in child care facilities. Table 3 outlines the capital funding approved during 2000 as well as capital funding paid out to the end of 2000.

Table 3 – Capital grants (up to 31/12/00)

County	Capital grants approved	Total capital funding approved per county up to 31/12/00	Amount drawn down at 31/12/00
Carlow	0	0	0
Cavan	2	56,144	30,000
Clare	3	127,000	12,000
Cork	14	841,841	0
Donegal	9	290,727	46,750
Dublin	28	2,444,631.4	54,407
Galway	9	297,241	8,843
Kerry	5	713,806	0
Kildare	9	199,343.7	0
Kilkenny	2	44,000	0
Laois	2	17,056	5,753
Leitrim	7	725,011.1	9,589
Limerick	6	156,978	34,671
Longford	3	95,756	12,000
Louth	2	17,803	11,250
Mayo	6	164,437	0
Meath	3	47,735	30,616
Monaghan	3	63,500	4,875
Offaly	2	8,632	6,474
Roscommon	4	123,930	0
Sligo	4	142,416	0
Tipperary	2	10,000	3,000
Waterford	7	209,066	34,088
Westmeath	1	2,600	0
Wexford	8	306,264	0
Wicklow	3	76,000	35,000

Total144

7,181,918.2

339,316

Due to the fact that the equal opportunities child care programme is EU-funded within the National Development Plan 2000-06, the funding for the 2000 could not be allocated until the operational programmes and the Community support framework was agreed between Ireland and the EU. For this reason funding could not be released until July 2000, six months into the finance year. The allocation for the first six months of 2000 was, therefore, backloaded for expenditure during 2001 to 2006.

As the Deputy may be aware, following a recent decision of the Cabinet Sub-committee on Social Inclusion and Drugs aimed at streamlining the processing of applications for child care facilities, responsibility for £12.5 million towards schools-based child care initiatives was transferred to my Department from the Department of Education and Science. Of this, £2.5 million is intended to promote the release of spare classrooms for use as child care facilities. Under this initiative, grants will be made available to schools where the management makes spare classrooms available for the provision of child care.

The funding available could cover the refurbishment of the classroom as well as heating or insurance costs. A survey of primary and post-primary schools in relation to this matter was recently carried out by the Department of Education and Science and is currently being examined by Area Development Management Ltd. in terms of the practicality of the rooms for use as child care facilities.

The balance of £10 million transferred from the Department of Education and Science includes £5 million allocation under the Government's anti-inflationary package for child care targeted at a national after school initiative, which will be a schools based scheme open to all schools. The Government had already made £5 million available for the provision of after-school child care which is being targeted at schools and communities which experience significant disadvantage. These initiatives are still in the developmental stage.

Dáil Éireann debate - Tuesday, 10 Apr 2001