Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 November 2016
272. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the total amount of the child care budget for 2016 that is used to fund Pobal non-inspection services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36680/16]
View answerPobal acts as an intermediary for programmes funded by my Department and carries out significant work in the fields of programme development and management, project assessment, financial management and accountability, compliance, audit, data capture, monitoring and evaluation. Pobal also plays an active role in supporting recipients of programme funding to manage their services and to implement projects at national and local level.
Services provided by Pobal in relation to the childcare programmes operated by my Department include the administration of payments in respect of the targeted childcare programmes and, since 2016, the administration of payments in respect of the ECCE programme. Pobal also manage capital programmes including the Early Years Capital scheme on behalf of my Department and a number of other schemes as well as acting as management agent for the Department in relation to the performance of County/City Childcare Committees and National Voluntary Childcare Organisations. By end 2016, I anticipate that Pobal will have received funding of approximately €7m in respect of the provision of these services in 2016.
