Vol. 574 No. 5
234 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will reconsider a grant application by an organisation (details supplied) in view of the effort of this organisation to extend the opening hours of the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27697/03]
A grant application for capital grant assistance from the 2000-2006 Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme was received from this community based group in March 2003.
In September 2003, having considered this application in light of all information available at that time, the programme appraisal committee did not recommend that I fund this project under the capital measure of the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006. The project had limited impact on the objectives of the programme due to short opening hours and therefore did not represent value for money.
I understand from the child care directorate that the group in question has submitted an appeal which has been forwarded to ADM Limited. This appeal is currently undergoing a thorough re-assessment and all new or additional information will be considered. On completion of the assessment process, this application will be reconsidered by the programme appraisal committee before I make a final decision.
