Written Answers. - Child Care Facilities.
Jan O'Sullivan
Question:
122
Ms O'Sullivan
asked the
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
the plans he has to increase the ceiling for capital grants for child care in view of the unspent money in his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[15022/01]
I assume that the Deputy is referring to self-employed/private providers and not community based-not for profit groups. It is open to self-employed/private providers to apply for a capital grant under the equal opportunities child care programme, 2000-06 which is operated by my Department. A sum of £344 million comprising EU and Exchequer funding has been allocated to my Department over the course of the National Development Plan 2000-06 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. This funding has an equal opportunities and social inclusion perspective and focuses on provision of child care to allow parents, particularly women, to avail of training, education or employment.
The capital grants currently available under the equal opportunities child care programme were developed in line with the recommendations of the expert working group on child care established under Partnership 2000. Under the programme, capital grants of up to £40,000 were made available in April 2000 for the first time for self-employed/private child care providers who cater for no more than 20 children at any one time for the purchase, building, renovation or upgrading of child care facilities and for the purchase of child care equipment. The schemes in place are kept under constant review. For example, I announced in October 2000 that capital grants of up to £40,000 would be provided to larger private child care providers for the purchase, building or renovation of child care facilities and for the purchase of child care equipment. Budget 2000 also provided improvements to the capital allowances in relation to the costs of construction, refurbishment or extension of premises.
To date, I have allocated funding of £2,508,259 to 112 self-employed child care providers catering for no more than 20 children at any one time at an average grant rate of £22,395 per applicant. In addition, I have allocated funding of £518,630 to 18 larger private providers at an average grant rate of £28,813 per applicant.
With regard to the Deputy's reference to unspent money in my Department, there will be no unspent money for child care as spending is taking place over a seven year period with a total allocation of £344 million available over the seven years for child care. Not only will there not be unspent money but what is invested in child care will be spent carefully and strategically.
The original allocation of £250 million for child care purposes under the national development plan has been supplemented by Exchequer investment of £94 million giving a total allocation of £344 million to be expended by my Department to end 2006. This, as the Deputy will acknowledge, represents the most significant investment in child care by any Government in the history of the State.
