Vol. 544 No. 3
284 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of child care places which have been closed due to inspections in each health board area in each of the years since 1998 and to date in 2001. [28883/01]
285 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of child care places lost in the Dublin area from 1998 to date as a result of inspections. [28904/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 284 and 285 together.
Responsibility for the inspection of pre-school facilities under the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations, 1996, rests with the health boards and the area health boards in the eastern region. My Department has, therefore, asked the chief executive officer of each health board and the regional chief executive of the Eastern Regional Health Authority to reply directly to the Deputy with the information sought in respect of their area.
The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced that a review of the Child Care (Pre-School Services) Regulations, 1996, will commence shortly. A review group is being established to undertake the work and nominations have been invited. The review group will include representatives from the health boards, the national voluntary child care organisations, the National Children's Office; relevant Departments such as my Department, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of Education and Science and the Department of the Environment and Local Government, and a parent.
The Deputy will also be aware of the Government's commitment to the development of child care supply in Ireland having identified it as a priority area for investment in the National Development Plan 2000-2006. A sustained level of funding has been allocated to the equal opportunities child care programme, which is administered by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. This programme, announced in April 2000, now has an overall budget of £344 million for child care service delivery and includes capital grants for community based and self-employed private child care providers and staffing grants for community based child care providers. Funding in excess of £76 million, 96 million, nationally has been allocated to date including £64 million, 80 million, to child care services on the ground. This funding will support over 25,000 child care places nationally including the creation of over 11,000 new child care places.
