Adjournment Debate.

Natural Gas Grid.

Dr. Cowley

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this important matter on the Adjournment. The people of Erris, who have been compelled to have the Corrib gas upstream pipeline adjacent to their homes, are scared out of their minds. They have discovered, through the Minister's replies to my parliamentary questions, that no independent quantified risk assessment has been carried out on the Corrib gas upstream pipeline which passes near their homes.

When I phoned the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, I was informed that an independent QRA was carried out by Andrew Johnston on 28 March 2002. When I read the Johnston report, which the Department supplied, I was convinced that it was not a QRA. I subsequently learned from the Minister's replies to my parliamentary questions and from Shell that the Johnston report is not the QRA and is just a desk study of what the Department is now calling the QRA. The document referred to by the Minister as the QRA was "in fact a quantified risk assessment report commissioned by the then named developers in 2001, Enterprise Energy (Ireland) Limited, on the onshore pipeline". The QRA "was undertaken by a firm of consultants, J.P. Kenny, on behalf of the developer who himself had worked on the design brief for the pipeline and on which the QRA was based". This is scandalous because J.P. Kenny conducted the QRA on his own work. Where is the independence?

There is more. To me the old saying, "He who pays the piper calls the tune," sets the agenda here. I asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and National Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey, to make available for public examination the quantified risk assessment report commissioned by Enterprise Energy (Ireland) in 2001 on the Corrib gas pipeline. He replied to my parliamentary question on 1 March 2005: "Since the QRA report forms part of the deliberate process under which Shell has sought consent to install and commission the pipeline, it would not be appropriate to release the report at this stage." I do not know exactly what that means except that for some reason the Minister does not want the report released. I had asked the Department and Shell for this report to be released, but this did not happen. Why is it that this report is not being released? Is there something to hide? People believe there must be something to hide when it is not being released. Is there something the people are not supposed to know? Who knows?

I also asked the Minister in the same parliamentary question, which was answered on 1 March, whether he thought that the Enterprise Energy (Ireland) report was acceptable as an independent QRA since it was commissioned by the industrial promoters of the project, and whether he would consider commissioning an independent QRA in view of the health and safety concerns of the residents in the Erris area. I ask that again because I did not get an answer to it. The Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is responsible for this situation and for the safety of the residents since it is the Department that has given Shell permission to proceed. How can the Department reassure the residents, in the absence of an independent QRA, that everything is all right and that it is safe to live there?

One local resident who is familiar with fire hydrants says the 10 bar water pressure produced by a fire hydrant would pin a man against a wall at 50 yards. Yet the pipeline is designed for 345 bar pressure and will be 150 bar initially. This man has to live beside the pipeline with his family, and he is very concerned. These are serious concerns. Serious health and safety questions are involved. How can the residents of Erris be reassured? Releasing the QRA for public inspection would be a first valuable step and commissioning an independent QRA would also be essential. Would the Minister of State live beside the pipeline without an independent QRA or where the QRA has been commissioned by developers? I would not. The people need reassurance and answers and are not getting them.

Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources (Mr. Gallagher)

I am addressing this issue on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Communications and Natural Resources, Deputy Noel Dempsey.

The Minister stated in a recent parliamentary question reply to which Deputy Cowley alludes that he does not intend to release the quantitative risk assessment carried out for the onshore pipeline as it now forms part of the deliberative process in connection with the application for consent to install the onshore pipeline which he has received from the developers of the Corrib Gas field. In these circumstances it would not be appropriate for the Minister to release the QRA at present.

The QRA report carried out on the onshore section of the pipeline addressed and carried out an assessment on the risks present during the operational phase of the onshore section of the pipeline only, that is, the section between the mean low water mark and the first isolation valve upstream of the big trap in the terminal. The purpose of this assessment was to identify and assess all risks associated with the operation of the onshore section of the pipeline.

The assessment makes recommendations for risk reduction where appropriate and demonstrates that the residual risk associated with the operation of the onshore pipeline have been reduced to tolerable levels. It showed that even in the worst case of the pipeline being ruptured and the gas being ignited, the occupants of a building 70 metres away would be safe. The design of the pipeline means that the risk of such an event or any other type of gas escape is infinitesimally small. The Deputy will be aware that the QRA formed part of the information supplied by the developers to the Minister's predecessor, Deputy Fahey, with their application to construct a pipeline. He commissioned an independent assessment on the pipeline design code by Mr. Andrew Johnston, a very reputable petroleum pipeline consultant. Mr. Johnston's study covered design, methodology, operating conditions, pipeline commissioning, public safety, welding and testing, pipeline material and quality and protection from interference.

Mr. Johnston's report suggested certain updating of the QRA and the developers duly agreed to carry this out. Mr. Johnston's report was entitled Corrib Gas Pipeline Project: Report on Evaluation of the Onshore Pipeline Design Code and was submitted at the end of March 2002. The report, a copy of which has been provided to Deputy Cowley and many other persons in north-west Mayo, makes a number of recommendations for risk reduction where appropriate. Mr. Johnston's conclusions were as follows. The pipeline design code has been selected in accordance with best public safety considerations and is appropriate for the pipeline operating conditions. The design of the onshore pipeline is generally in accordance with code selection and best national and international industry practice, provided that the actions recommended in section 2.2 of his report are followed. The pipeline is considered to be adequately protected from third party interference by burial to a depth of approximately 1.2 m and provision of marker tape above the pipeline. The pipeline is considered to meet public safety requirements as outlined in the selected design code, provided that the actions recommended in section 2.2 are followed. The recommendations of section 2.2 of Mr. Johnston's report have been incorporated in the statutory approvals issued for the Corrib pipeline development.

As the Minister stated, his Department is considering an application for consent to install the onshore pipeline. Both the QRA and the Johnston report will form part of this process. In so far as there may be issues in the QRA that need further clarification, elaboration or even additional material, Mr. Johnston will provide the necessary advice for the Department.

Prior to approval for the production of first gas the Minister will need to be satisfied that condition 3 of his approval of the plan of development has been complied with. This condition states, inter alia, that all production operations regarding Corrib be conducted according to all requirements of the rules and procedures for offshore petroleum production operations. It also requires, prior to commencement of gas production, the receipt of a letter or letters of acceptance for all Corrib installations, pipelines and associated engineering infrastructure from the Minister’s auditor indicating that third party independent verification has been carried out and completed satisfactorily on the development.

Road Network.

Mr. Naughten

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this issue this evening. I believe that the NRA is in breach of the regulations in the upgrading of the N5 between Scramoge and Ballaghaderreen in County Roscommon. This section of the road carries 4,500 vehicles per day, 20% of which are heavy goods vehicles, HGVs. The NRA guidelines state that the single carriageway width of such a road should be 7.3 m. There should then be a 2.5 m hard shoulder on the edge of the road. There are other specifications regarding junctions and so on. I want to focus on the issue of the hard shoulder as there is no hard shoulder on this section of road. It has been upgraded but it does not comply with the NRA's guidelines and regulations. There are no verges on the section of road in question.

The worst section of road is between Strokestown and Tulsk and it is not much better between Tulsk and Ballaghaderreen. The works carried out on the road have caused an increase in speed of traffic and have moved traffic nearer to the entrances of properties and the entrances into adjoining lands. Due to the type of upgrading works that are taking place, there is no room for pedestrians and that is making the road even more dangerous than it was prior to this. As the NRA is not implementing its own road specifications, vehicles are now being moved nearer to homes and other entrances.

There are stone walls along the boundary of the road. If an animal knocks a stone off the wall at the moment, it will fall on to the middle of the road. That was not the situation prior to the upgrading works taking place as there was a grass margin on the side of the road. Who is liable should a stone end up in the middle of the road? We have not got the type of specification that should be in place.

At the location of Rath Cruachan national school, the speed limit has been increased from 60 mph to 62 mph thanks to the Department of Transport. The wall outside the school is the only boundary between that and the passing heavy goods vehicles. The door of the school is within a couple of yards of that wall. We need a higher specification for this section of the N5 between Scramoge and Ballaghaderreen. I ask the Minister to ensure that an independent safety audit is carried out. A safety assessment has been carried out, but I want a full safety audit done because the road does not comply with the NRA's specification that it would identify the potential hazards that affect every type of road user, including pedestrians and residents along the road.

The NRA specification must outline the measures that would either eliminate or mitigate against those hazards, one of which is the introduction of a hard shoulder along the section of road. I want that assessment done independently of the NRA. It is critically important that it is put in place. The Minister for Transport, under section 41 of the Road Traffic Act 1993, can ensure that it happens.

In the longer term, I want to see the N5 properly upgraded. We have been told time and again that the road will not be upgraded because of the current and projected traffic volumes. The fact remains that under the NDP, the capital expenditure on infrastructure to date has been €5 billion. The forecast projected by the Government should be €6.25, which means we have underspent considerably in the BMW region. The Government should use this opportunity to upgrade this key element of infrastructure to the west of Ireland. The specifications currently being implemented by the NRA are increasing the probability of accidents, especially in County Roscommon. I want to see this decision overturned and a proper specification implemented on that section of road.

Mr. Gallagher

I apologise to the House for the inability of the Minister for Transport to attend this Adjournment debate. The planning, design and implementation of national road improvement projects is a matter for the National Roads Authority and the local authority concerned, in this case Roscommon County Council. The NRA published the specification for road works in 2000 and the NRA design manual for roads and bridges in 2001. The NRA design manual is monitored on an ongoing basis and updated regularly, as required. The specification and design manual are applicable for all new works carried out on the national primary and secondary routes by local authorities.

The works on the N5 in County Roscommon between Scramoge and Ballaghaderreen consisted basically of a pavement rehabilitation project and these works are not subject to the strict design manual for roads and bridges requirements which are reserved for new road schemes on greenfield sites. The works are subject to a safety audit. Over the past four years, extensive works on the N5 between Scramoge and Ballaghaderreen have been carried out. The pavement was in very poor condition and a five-year pavement rehabilitation programme was developed and agreed between the NRA and Roscommon County Council. The works had to be carried out between the fence lines due to the archaeological sensitivity of the area especially in the vicinity of Rathcroghan. The NRA has provided funding for 2005 of the order of €200,000 to advance the N5 strategic corridor study on the Ballaghaderreen to Strokestown route. It is anticipated that the study will be completed by the end of the year. In addition to the works outlined, the 8 km N5 Strokestown to Bumlin Bridge project opened to traffic in 2004 to replace a single carriageway which had a poor alignment and substandard visibility.

Údarás na Gaeltachta.

Mr. McCormack

Táimid ag caint anois faoina lán daoine nach mbeidh seans acu votáil i dtoghchán Údarás na Gaeltachta ar 2 Aibreán. Táim sásta go bhfuil an seans agam é sin a ardú anocht. Is rud uafásach é nach bhfuil seans ag cuid daoine a vótanna a úsáid i dtoghchán Údarás na Gaeltachta nó in aon toghchán eile ach oiread. Tá díomá orm go raibh an tAire míchúramach san ábhar seo. I think that the Minister took his eye off the ball, mar a deirtear. Is dóiche go bhfuil sé sin ceart, ach tá brón orm gur tharla sé.

It is important to clarify the eligibility criteria for the postal vote. People are eligible to apply for and receive a postal vote if they are unable to leave home or a nursing home to cast their ballots or if they are on the register of electors but are working or studying away from home on the day of an election. Obtaining a postal vote was intended to be a simple matter and it usually is, but in this instance the Minister has made it far more difficult than is necessary.

While people can apply for a postal vote for up to two days after the order for an election is signed, the intended signing date for the order for the Údarás election was something of a mystery. I inquired of the Department and the returning officer every day for the past fortnight as to when the order would be signed, but nobody could tell me. Ní raibh fhios ag aon duine. Quite suddenly on Friday afternoon, the order was signed. I assumed that as it was signed on a Friday, people would have two working days and would still be eligible to apply for a postal vote until Tuesday. The returning officer told me that as the Act refers to "two days", Saturday and Monday were counted, leaving out Sunday.

The approach is not in line with the spirit of the Act. It should have been possible to apply for a postal vote for two working days after the order was signed. I cannot understand why the Minister was so secretive about signing the order or why he signed it on a Friday. Why did he not sign it on a Monday? If he had, there would be no confusion about whether Saturday was a working day. The Fine Gael Party has three candidates for Údarás na Gaeltachta in the Galway electoral area. I told them that while I did not know on what date the order would be signed, they would have two working days from the date to lodge the last of their postal vote applications. One of the candidates went with a bundle of applications to apply on Tuesday but was denied the opportunity to obtain postal votes for his constituents. The Minister's party has six candidates in the area. I do not know if they were aware of when the order would be signed, but I certainly could not find out in advance.

Apart from the fact that my party has been left at a severe disadvantage, an issue of fairness is involved. People who cannot attend a polling booth on election day for whatever reason should be facilitated, but on this occasion it was made difficult for them to obtain a postal vote. Last week, the Minister introduced 35 pages of regulations to govern the Údarás na Gaeltachta election and denied those of us with an interest in the matter the opportunity to debate them in the House. I might have been able to draw to his attention during a debate the difficulty that would arise in the context of postal votes. I would certainly have warned him to avoid signing the order on a Friday afternoon as he might count Saturday and place people at a disadvantage.

The Minister has a great deal for which to answer to the disadvantaged, disenfranchised Údarás electorate. Fine Gael has been put at a severe disadvantage also.

Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Éamon Ó Cuív)

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Cheann Comhairle agus leis an Teachta as ucht an deis seo a thabhairt dom dul ar an taifead faoin gceist seo.

Tá iontas orm faoin gcaoi a bhfuil an Teachta ag láimhseáil na ceiste seo. An tseachtain seo caite, ghlaoigh an Teachta ar an oifig eolais, agus d'iarr sé cóip de na rialacháin. Glaodh orm agus d'ordaigh mé ar an bpointe go dtabharfaí na rialacháin sin dó, mar is maith liom bheith oscailte sa méid atá le rá.

Chomh maith leis sin, má sheiceálann an Teachta, gheobhaidh sé amach cad a tharla, nó bhí mé sa Roinn sna Forbacha Dé hAoine. Tháinig oifigigh de chuid na Roinne chugam, agus tá súil agam nach bhfuil sé ag cur i leith oifigigh na Roinne go raibh siad ar aon bhealach ag gníomhú go polaitiúil. D'iarr siad orm an t-ordú a shíneáil mar rinne siad an cás go raibh daoine ag iarraidh go síneofaíé le go bhféadfaidís na fógraí a chur sna nuachtáin áitiúla. Ní raibh a fhios ag éinne i bhFianna Fáil cén uair a shíneofaíé, agus déanaim an iarraidh seo leis an Teachta. Bhí seisean ní ba mhó ar an eolas faoi chúrsaí vótanna poist ná mé féin. Go deimhin féin, mar a thuigfeadh sé féin, níl sé sna rialacháin.

At the outset, I wish to clarify that matters relating to the electoral register and supplements to the register do not fall under my remit as Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. I propose in my reply to outline the facts about the register of electors before moving on to outline my role in the Údarás na Gaeltachta election.

The register of electors is provided for under section 13 of the Electoral Act 1992 and forms part of the remit of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche. Specific responsibility for compilation and publication of the electoral register rests with local authorities. A new register is compiled each year, published in draft form on 1 November and made available for inspection at several places including the offices of a county councillor or county registrar, public libraries, post offices and Garda stations. Amendments to the register can be made until 25 November. An amended register is published in February of the following year. A person who is qualified to vote but has missed the deadline to include his or her name on the register can apply to be included in a supplement to the register. This will enable him or her to vote at any election or referendum held during the year provided the relevant application has been made at least 13 days, excluding Sundays and bank holidays, before polling day.

The Deputy referred in particular to the list of postal voters which, with the list of special voters, constitutes a supplement to the register of electors. While it is the norm during an election to vote in person at an official voting centre, a person may be eligible for a postal vote if, for example, he or she is a member of the Defence Forces, a member of the Garda or an Irish diplomat posted abroad or his or her spouse. Persons who suffer from a physical illness or disability or who are studying full time at an educational institution away from the home address at which they are registered to vote may also be eligible for inclusion on the list of postal voters.

Applications for inclusion on the electoral register, including the postal voters list, must be completed by 25 November each year. Application forms are readily available at county councils, corporations, post offices and public libraries nationally. The statutory deadline for giving effect to applications to have names entered in the supplement to the postal voters list is set out in section 15(a)(iv) of the Electoral Act 1992, as inserted by section 7(c) of the Electoral Amendment Act 2001. It states: “An application by an elector to have his name entered into the supplement to the postal voters list received by the registration authority on or after the third day after the dissolution of the Dáil at a general election or on or after the third day after the date of the making of the order appointing polling day at a Dáil by-election or a presidential, European or local election or an election to Údarás na Gaeltachta or a referendum shall not have effect in relation to that election or referendum.”

Under section 28 of the Údarás na Gaeltachta Act 1979, as amended by section 1 of the Údarás na Gaeltachta (Amendment) Act 1999, elections to an tÚdarás shall be held as may be prescribed by regulations made by me as Minister. Section 31 of the 1979 Act sets out that persons are entitled to vote on the basis of qualifying to vote in a local election in a Gaeltacht constituency. The generality of Údarás regulations which I have prescribed follow the regulations agreed for the local election code. The rules pertaining to the register of electors, which are outside my remit, also apply.

I signed an tÓrdú um Údarás na Gaeltachta (An Lá Vótaíochta) 2005 last Friday, 25 February 2005. Applications to the registration authority to have names entered on the postal voters list therefore could be accepted until close of business on the following Monday, 28 February. The Údarás elections regulations require that statutory notice of 28 days be given of any election and in the case of the election announced for 2 April 2005, this means before Saturday, 4 March. To publish the statutory notice in the regional newspaper network it was necessary for me to sign sooner rather than later.

It was deemed important to reach the local media on this occasion in light of significant changes to the nomination procedures, namely, that the former system of deposits no longer applies but nominations must instead be supported by a certificate of political affiliation or assented to by 15 members of the relevant constituency. While the changes are significant in terms of the Údarás election, last run in 1999, they do not consist of anything new in terms of the existing local election code.

Mr. McCormack

Why did the Minister not sign them the previous Monday?

Éamon Ó Cuív

Applications for entry in that register were sought publicly in November and incorporated in the official register of electors published on 1 February 2005. It was open to persons to apply at any time between that date and prior to 1 March for inclusion to the supplement to the postal voters list which will apply to the Údarás election on 2 April 2005.

Advance notice was given of my intention to hold the next Údarás election in April 2005 as far back as 8 July 2004 in my response to Parliamentary Question No. 345 to Deputy Ó Snodaigh. It was also highlighted in my press release of 7 January 2005 relating to the review of powers and functions of Údarás.

I chose a Saturday for the poll to facilitate persons who work or study away from home during the week, and this will once again prove successful. The purpose of the vote list is to franchise persons who are generally not available at their place of registration and not to accommodate sporadic absences.

An Ceann Comhairle

The Minister has gone three minutes over his time.

Éamon Ó Cuív

Arising from a meeting today of my officials with returning officers, a substantial number of applications was received in advance of the statutory deadline.

Mr. McCormack

Why did the Minister not sign it the previous Monday?

An Ceann Comhairle

The Deputy's matter took up 13 minutes when only ten were allotted.

Mr. McCormack

My question was not answered.

Child Care Services.

Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin

I welcome the opportunity to raise this important issue this evening. Unfortunately, it is not the first time I have pursued the matter in this House, which refers to the proposed removal of staffing grants from certain child care facilities in County Kerry from next September, under the equal opportunities childcare programme, EOCP.

In recent months many community based, not-for-profit, child care centres and services in County Kerry and elsewhere received letters from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform stating that a review was being initiated which would, in effect, result in the loss of staffing grants from next September.

These grants are used for staff wages and costs and are a vital source of income for child care centres and crèches. They are usually paid for a period of three years to allow a facility to become financially sustainable. The departmental review proposes that after September next only groups in very disadvantaged areas will receive staffing grants.

The letter asks child care facilities to review their services and their fee structures so that, where possible, they may become sustainable from 1 September 2005 through a fair and equitable fee structure. In other words, if one does not fall into the "very disadvantaged" category, one has until 1 September to become financially sustainable by pushing up fees. The Department will take away the staffing grants, and child care facilities must increase their fees to make up the shortfall.

This is a simple cutback and an attempt to starve child care services in County Kerry and elsewhere of funding. It is an attempt to force child care services to increase their fees and to make child care less affordable to families and lone parents.

I raised the matter regarding the situation at the Tír na nÓg child care service in Ballydesmond, on the Cork-Kerry border, which is experiencing funding difficulties. I recently received representations from South Kerry Development Partnership on this same issue. The child care co-ordinator there informs me that this threat to staffing grants has caused untold worry and confusion in pre-school, crèche and child care facilities in County Kerry.

At a recent meeting of community child care groups in Kerry, concerns were expressed about the plan to remove staffing grants. It has been reported to me that standards cannot be maintained in these facilities if EOCP funding is in jeopardy. Child care committees are reaching burn-out and are already finding it difficult to get new staff. According to local child care centres, the removal of staffing grants would result in reduced places for children, further increases in fees, reduced opening hours, staff redundancies and the closure of some services.

Will the Government sit back and ignore such warnings from those who work at the coalface of the child care sector? What does the Government mean by "disadvantage"? It is a very woolly statement. There is disadvantage in every area. It could apply to rural or financial disadvantage. The Minister should outline what he means. Such talk of disadvantage is merely a cover-up for this cutback. My party leader, Deputy Pat Rabbitte, raised the matter this morning, and it was rich to hear the Taoiseach say the Government is giving the money through child benefit. Child care facility funding was not meant to come under child benefit.

The child care co-ordinator in Kerry has rightly pointed out that these changes, if introduced, will have two major consequences. The most vulnerable families in the community will lose out, especially in rural and isolated areas, which are disadvantaged areas. Unemployment will increase because parents will not be able to avail of affordable child care when in training or education. They will have to stay at home and care for their children when their local crèche increases its fees as a result of the Minister's proposals.

There is disillusionment among child care workers at this decision. They are being placed in a financial straitjacket by this so-called review of staffing grants. Many crèches and child care centres will be unsustainable and will have to close their doors.

I appreciate the Minister came in for the Adjournment debate. He should not pursue this review and should assure child care facilities around the country that staffing grants will not be removed and that he will allow such facilities to maintain and enhance their existing level of services.

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

I thank Deputy Breeda Moynihan-Cronin for affording me the opportunity to update the House again on this issue. I understand that the matter was also raised on the Order of Business.

The equal opportunities child care programme is the Government's key response to the need to develop child care to help to support the needs of parents, with a particular emphasis on those who may be in employment, education or training to prepare for employment. The programme for Government and the progress of the equal opportunities child care programme represent confirmation of the Government's commitment to developing child care services and to keeping child care at the forefront of its social agenda. The EOCP has both an equal opportunities and a social inclusion perspective and aims, among other things, to increase the supply of centre-based child care places by 55% by the programme's end. The broad objectives of the EOCP are to improve the quality of child care, to maintain and increase the number of child care facilities and places and to introduce a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of child care services.

The first meeting of the expert working group on child care established under Partnership 2000 was held within a month of the Government changeover in 1997. I have to say, without any element of rancour, that all the evidence shows that, unlike the case of the previous Government, child care has been high on the agenda of the present Government since that time. The Government has moved consistently, promptly and purposefully to facilitate the development of a top quality child care programme throughout the country. The achievements in child care are a testament to that commitment and have helped in no small way to support the child care needs of parents in employment, education and training as well as helping many parents to break the cycle of disadvantage. Since it was launched in 2000, the total funding package for the 2000 to 2006 phase of the EOCP has increased from €317 million to €499.3 million, or by 57%, the most recent increase being €50 million in additional capital in the budget for 2005. I am grateful to my Government colleague, the Minister for Finance, Deputy Cowen, for making that possible.

I contrast that, however, with the sad state of assistance in this area under the previous Government. I can only describe it as very sad.

Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin

That is the past. The Minister should not go back.

Mr. McDowell

Some people have a brass neck to raise these issues when in those days nothing was done. Since budget day last December, I have already made one significant announcement of over €25 million in additional capital funding and I expect to make another such announcement in the near future. The programme has already created more than 20,000 new child care places and a further 16,000 have been commissioned using EOCP funding. The programme has exceeded our expectations in terms of achievement. The programme also includes a measure which offers grant assistance towards the staffing costs of community-based child care services which offer child care services to disadvantaged parents who may be in employment, education or training. More than 775 community based, not-for-profit projects receive ongoing staffing grant assistance and about €30 million of EU and Exchequer funding goes towards this measure each year.

It was originally envisaged that some groups would receive such funding for a period of three years as they moved towards sustainability, which is normally achievable if the groups are operating at full capacity and with a level of fees which enables them to break even. Some of the children who go to these centres are disadvantaged while other parents are in a position to pay the full commercial rate for the child care they receive. Other groups, particularly in very disadvantaged areas, are likely to offer services to a client group who are unable to meet the economic fee structure and these services will, therefore, require ongoing staffing grant support to ensure that they can continue to support the child care needs of their disadvantaged client group. This is particularly important in assisting families to break the cycle of disadvantage.

Deputy Breeda Moynihan-Cronin will be aware that levels of staffing grant assistance have been maintained and guaranteed at existing levels until 31 August 2005 for all groups, regardless of circumstances, whose first three-year funding had elapsed, unless the level of service being offered has declined significantly below that which they had originally undertaken to deliver.

My Department is examining a wide range of options to ensure that staffing grant assistance is provided on an ongoing basis and in a fair and equitable manner for those services which cannot support themselves with a fair, equitable and economic fee structure due to the level of disadvantage of their client groups. Every service, especially those in Kerry about which the Deputy is concerned, will be given an opportunity to present its case before any change is made to funding levels. I hope to be able to increase the level of funding for those services which are at the bottom of the scale — the most disadvantaged. We hope to be in a position to take firm decisions on future arrangements in the near future and as soon as we do, we will advise all groups accordingly. Every Deputy will agree with me that it is in the interests of society to ensure that the ongoing financial supports which are made available under the equal opportunities child care programme specifically target those who experience the greatest disadvantage in society.

It is also noteworthy — again I emphasise this by way of contrast to what happened before this Government took office — that the Government has increased child benefit by 272% since 1997. This is the uncaring Government which the left has castigated for many things, according to what we read in the newspapers.

Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin

They would not be complaining unless they had a problem. The Minister should be fair.

Mr. McDowell

Child benefit has increased by 272% since 1997. It has risen in real terms from a minimum of €54 per child per month in 2000——

Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin

I am not dreaming up these stories.

Mr. McDowell

——when this programme started——

Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin

My constituents are telling me about it.

Mr. McDowell

——to over €141 per child per month this year. This payment, made every month for every child aged under 18 years who is still at school, affords considerable additional financial support to parents above what was available in 1997 and gives all parents options concerning the child care arrangements they consider suitable for their family.

It is only fair to emphasise that the EOCP has been central to the development of child care over the last five years. We all recognise that the child care sector has flourished over the past seven or eight years.

Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin

Agreed.

Mr. McDowell

It will continue to do so under the careful stewardship of this Government which has recognised, for the first time, the need to foster the sector and which has provided significant funding, both directly and indirectly, to support that growth. The range of supports available under the EOCP and in the broader range of Government actions to support the child care sector is a testament to its commitment — and a contrast to the performance of the previous Government — to support parents in meeting their child care and employment needs for the economic and social betterment of our country.

Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin

I am not dreaming it up and neither are my constituents.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.30 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Thursday, 3 March 2005.

Dáil Éireann debate - Wednesday, 2 Mar 2005