Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 27 Nov 2002

Vol. 558 No. 2

Written Answers. - Child Care Services.

Paul Nicholas Gogarty

Question:

199 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider allocating a tranche of separate funding to local authorities to ensure that the needs of children are adequately addressed. [23822/02]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell):

I assume that the Deputy is referring to the funding that has been made available under the equal opportunities child care programme for the development of child care services. My Department has been given responsibility for the co-ordination of child care service delivery during the period of the National Development Plan 2000-2006. The equal opportunities child care programme was established by my Department in April 2000 as a seven year programme to increase the number of child care facilities and places in Ireland and to improve the quality of child care services. The total funding allocated to my Department for these purposes during that seven year period of the programme is €437 million, of which €317 million was provided under the national development plan and is co-funded by the European Union. The funding allocated through my Department's equal opportunities child care programme towards child care represents the largest amount of funding ever provided for this extremely important sector.

The Deputy will agree, that to address the child care needs of the country it is vital that funding is wisely invested in quality child care services in a strategic manner. 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. In many cases it is necessary to provide support to groups to enable them reach a stage where they can formulate a child care plan for their area leading to a quality proposal for funding. This development of the capacity of the sector forms a vital component of the work undertaken by my Department and ADM Limited and will be greatly advanced with the coming into being of the county child care committees.

Some 33 county/city childcare committees have been established and each committee has developed a county/city child care plan, 2001-2006, for their respective areas, based on a shared vision and analysis of the child care needs within each area. The county/city child care committees are charged with the responsibility for the effective inclusion of child care needs within the county/city development plans being drawn up by the county and city development boards. The membership of the county child care committees is representative of statutory and voluntary child care interests in each city and county area including a representative of parents and child care providers. There are no proposals to provide funding directly to local authorities from the equal opportunities child care programme. I am satisfied that the structures that have been established by my Department represent the most effective means of delivering a quality child care infrastructure that will meet the needs of parents, children and the wider community.

My colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, also provides some funding for the provision of child care facilities in local authority housing estates. I understand that it is open to local authorities when they are constructing new social housing to provide community facilities including crèche facilities and this is usually funded as part of the capital cost of the project. The ongoing management and operational costs of such facilities is entirely a matter for the local authorities.

In so far as existing local authority estates are concerned I understand that the Department of the Environment and Local Government gave approval in April this year for the funding of ten projects involving the provision of child care facilities associated with local authority housing estates and other social housing projects. The funding of these facilities will assist in the provision of some 370 additional child care places. The implementation of the programme, including planning and execution of works, is the responsibility of the local authorities in whose areas the projects are situated.