Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2004
115 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if her attention has been drawn to the closures of crèche facilities in the aftermath of her decision to withdraw the crèche supplement. [17726/04]
View answerSubject to certain conditions, a person whose means are insufficient to meet his or her basic needs and the needs of any adult or child dependant may be entitled to assistance under the terms of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme administered on behalf of my Department by the health boards.
The objective of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme is to meet immediate, short-term income maintenance needs. The scheme is not intended to be a long-term solution in any individual case and it was never intended to be an ongoing source of funding for crèches.
My Department is not aware of the closure of any crèche as a result of the withdrawal of crèche supplement payments under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme. Necessary child care services should be funded directly in a sustainable and appropriate manner. In that regard, I point out that this approach has been successfully adopted in certain health boards. The boards in question, along with other agencies have put in place appropriate, long term and sustainable arrangements to meet the needs of the families concerned without requiring them to apply for supplementary welfare allowance. I want to see that approach taken up in the other health board regions so that we have sustainable child care arrangements in place throughout the State.
I have held discussions with officials from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Department of Health and Children, the Department of Education and Science as well as health board representatives regarding a more co-ordinated approach to the provision of crèche and pre-school supports. It is a matter for the agencies with responsibility for child care to ensure that adequate arrangements are put in place to meet child care needs. As an interim measure, crèche supplements in payment prior to 1 January 2004 are being allowed to continue. The changes introduced relating to crèche supplements paid under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme are necessary to refocus that scheme on its original objective of providing short-term income support.
In the meantime, health boards retain discretion to provide assistance by way of once-off exceptional needs payments in any case where a board considers that the circumstances of the case so warrant.
