A provision of £2.460 million has been made available to my Department in the financial year 2001 to support child care for participants on VTOS, Youthreach and senior Traveller training programmes operated by the Vocational Education Committees (VECs). The funds can be used for: direct provision of crèche facilities, including staffing, overheads and refurbishment, where appropriate; purchase of places in existing crèches, subject to a maximum of £50 per week per child for full sessions; and payment to childminders to a maximum of £50 per week per child, subject to appropriate invoicing arrangements, compliance with registration requirements under the Childcare Act and satisfactory implementation of tax clearance arrangements.
Figures available for the academic year 2000-01 show that 1,050 students on VTOS, Youthreach and Traveller programmes are benefiting from the measure, catering for 1,308 children.