Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 December 2020
137. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his plans to provide for additional capital funding towards the development and expansion of community childcare centres. [40655/20]
View answerMy Department has, since 2015, administered an annual capital funding programme, under which early learning and care and childcare services can access capital funding.
The purpose or target of the funding is determined on an annual basis having regard to the needs of children, families and service providers and Departmental priorities. Additional funding has frequently been assigned to for community services, to enable them to improve and expand their services.
Whilst regularly in recent years an objective of the funding has been to extend capacity, private and community services, in 2021, I am responding to a different need.
COVID has reduced demand for some early learning and childcare services, and although this will hopefully be reversed soon, there is no evidence at this time of a need to increase capacity. Also, the rapid expansion we required in recent years, for example, to almost double ECCE places to accommodate a second year, has been delivered.
Given my absolute priority to keep children safe, I have decided that first call on the 2021 funding will be given to ensuring fire safety in early learning and childcare services around the country.
Tulsa, the independent regulator of the sector, requires that providers submit a fire safety certificate as part of the statutory registration process. Many services have already re-registered and submitted a fire safety certificate and some have re-registered subject to submitting an up to date Fire Safety Certificate in 2021. Some services may need to carry out remedial works to receive a Fire Safety Certificate, but the costs for this can be prohibitive, especially in the current extenuating circumstances of COVID.
As such, my Department and Pobal will offer a Fire Safety Capital Grant in early 2021 to contribute towards the costs of required remedial works. The total 2021 early learning and care capital grant of €8.3 million will be available for services, both community and private business operated, for fire safety works. Further details will be made available in the coming days.
If any of the €8.3million available is not required for this purpose, my Department will distribute the balance by way of a second round of grants, which will focus on outdoor play. Further detail on this will be announced in early April 2021.
