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Child Care Services.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2004

Tuesday, 15 June 2004

Questions (435, 436, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441)

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

488 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will outline, in tabular form, the details of the successful recipients of grant aid under the equal opportunities child care programme for capital and quality improvements to child care; the name and address of the organisation; the number of childcare places provided: the number of child care workers employed as a ratio of child care places; the total amount of money granted from start to completion of the project; the date when the project came into operation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17313/04]

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Written answers

The Deputy will appreciate that in a programme such as the equal opportunities child care programme, under which some 2,000 individual grants are awarded, the volume of information being requested is extensive. My Department is completing a comprehensive document which will give the key information sought by the Deputy — the names and addresses of projects, the type and amount of grant received and the numbers of full and part time child care places in each facility. When the document has been finalised, it will be lodged in the Oireachtas Library. The level of additional information being sought by the Deputy would necessitate many weeks of work. If the Deputy has an interest in a specific facility, I can arrange for the collation of an extensive range of data in that regard. I am happy to inform the Deputy that almost 18,000 additional child care places had come on stream by the end of 2003, thanks to the support of the equal opportunities child care programme. The Deputy will recall that the programme's target is 28,000 new places by the end of 2006, so the progress to date is satisfying.

Ruairí Quinn

Question:

489 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many city and county councils are charging commercial rates to private or for profit child care facilities; if he is in negotiations or discussions with the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government with a view to having such childcare premises exempted from payment of commercial rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17314/04]

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Ruairí Quinn

Question:

490 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if child care centres, provided by community groups, in community halls or related similar structures are exempt from paying commercial rates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17315/04]

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Michael Ring

Question:

492 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will consider abolishing rates on child care centres, in view of the exorbitant cost of child care. [17361/04]

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Richard Bruton

Question:

501 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has conducted a survey of the typical rates bill being faced by newly establishing child care facilities in Dublin; if his attention has been drawn to the estimates of rate bills amounting to as much as €200 to €300 per annum for each child attending child care; his views on whether this heavy rates bill will prevent the development of child care facilities which his Department is seeking to promote; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17465/04]

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Liz McManus

Question:

502 Ms McManus asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has received a letter from companies (details supplied); if he will meet them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17471/04]

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Denis Naughten

Question:

527 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will respond to correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17764/04]

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I propose to take Questions Nos. 489, 490, 492, 501, 502 and 527 together.

The question of rates charged to commercial child care providers by local authorities is more appropriate to my colleagues, the Minister for Finance, who has responsibility for fiscal policy, and the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government, who has responsibility for the local authorities.

I have been advised that a parliamentary question on this issue was put to my colleague, the Minister for Finance, on 26 May 2004. In his response he stated that he has: no plans at present to provide for special treatment of crèches under the Valuation Act. The Valuation Act 2001 maintained the long-standing position that commercial facilities — including child care facilities such as play schools, pre-schools, crèches and Montessori schools — are liable for rates. Exceptions to this key principle would quickly be followed by demands for similar treatment from the providers of other useful services and products, which would be difficult in equity to resist. The process could thus substantially reduce local authority revenues, which would have to be made good by imposing corresponding increases on the remaining ratepayers.

The Minister also pointed out: the rateable valuation of commercial property is based on net annual value (NAV) i.e. the rental value of the property. Any ratepayer dissatisfied with the rateability of a property, the valuation assessed on a particular property or the method of calculation can appeal to the Commissioner of Valuation in the first instance and subsequently to the independent Valuation Tribunal. There is a further right of appeal to the High Court and ultimately to the Supreme Court on a point of law.

I am aware that there has recently been correspondence both with me and with my Department on this issue and I have been informed that this correspondence is being dealt with.

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