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Child Care Services.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2004

Tuesday, 15 June 2004

Questions (457)

Gerard Murphy

Question:

509 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the status of an application for funding from a company (details supplied) in County Cork; if it satisfies required criteria; and when a decision will be made on the application for funding. [17530/04]

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Written answers

I understand from enquiries I have made that an application from the group for a substantial capital grant of almost €1.4 million was submitted in February 2003.

The equal opportunities child care programme is a seven-year development programme, the progress of which was commented on favourably by the mid-term evaluators of the regional operational programmes and the national development plan. Expenditure under the programme covers the period until the end of 2007 and must take place in a planned manner. Grant approvals must be planned to ensure that the programme can meet its financial commitments at all times. There has been great demand from community-based groups for capital grant assistance under the programme. Every county has benefited from significant grant commitments to provide new and enhanced community-based child care facilities and to support capital developments in the private child care sector.

On behalf of my Department, ADM Limited is conducting an extensive review of the programme's capital commitments to date, numbering over 1,100 and at a value of €114 million, to ensure that grant commitments previously entered into will be realised. Projects may await planning permission or the completion of tender processes before it can be reasonably assured that they will proceed. If they do not proceed, the funding set aside can be recommitted and made available to another project.

My Department recently reviewed the different budget lines under the equal opportunities child care programme, including the capital programme, to ensure that the most effective use is made of all remaining funding in accordance with the programme's objectives. Some transfers between measures were recommended and require the approval of the regional assemblies. I expect that this technical process will be completed shortly and that it will bring to at least €157 million the total allocation for the capital development of child care under the present equal opportunities child care programme. This amount includes an element for the administration by ADM Limited of the capital programme.

At the same time, an extensive review of child care provision on the ground has taken place to identify obvious service gaps, the filling of which will be a priority using the remaining capital funding which currently amounts to about €35 million. I intend to allocate the remaining capital funding under this strand of the Government's commitments to child care to address the most immediate service gaps. As a result, all the projects in the pipeline are being reviewed again by ADM Limited on the basis of geographical need, the range of services being offered and the capacity of the groups to complete a project before the end of the programme. Those projects which best meet the criteria will receive priority. The review process will be repeated as necessary to maximise the benefits deriving from this phase of the equal opportunities child care programme.

The day-to-day administration of the equal opportunities child care programme is undertaken by ADM Limited, which has been engaged by my Department to carry out thorough assessments against the programme criteria of all applications for grant assistance under the programme. All large-scale capital projects are referred by ADM Limited to an independent external building specialist to assess the suitability of the proposal and its value for money. On completion of the assessment process, applications are considered by the programme appraisal committee, chaired by my Department, which makes a funding recommendation to me before I make a final decision on the matter. The current review of the applications in the pipeline will be concluded as speedily as possible to facilitate the development of additional child care places at the earliest opportunity and to ensure that the funding is drawn down in the planned manner I referred to earlier before the end of 2007.

I do not doubt that the success of the present strand of the equal opportunities child care programme, as well as the need to continue to make child care services available to support the child care needs of our growing work force, will support my case for ongoing capital and current funding from the Government for this key sector. If additional funding becomes available before the end of the present national development plan, I expect that the programme will benefit from transfers again.

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