Vol. 475 No. 2
20 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Equality and Law Reform the current level of child care facilities for parents with family responsibilities to enable them to participate in the workplace; his views on the number of children currently availing of child care facilities and services; the likely demand on such facilities and services over the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4447/97]
There is no authoritative source of data on the current level of child care facilities. Such information as does exist does not differentiate between child care facilities or parents with family responsibilities to enable participation in the workplace, in education or training or for any other reason.
It is appropriate that provisions of child care facilities should have a child centre rather than a working parent centre of focus. For this reason the Department of Health is the primary authority in overseeing child care arrangements. Statutory arrangements for the compulsory registration of certain child care facilities with local health boards are the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Health. The Deputy may wish to put a question to the Minister for Health on the level of registered child care facilities.
I am conscious of the need for child care facilities for parents with family responsibilities to enable them to participate in the workplace or undertake education or training. The pilot child care initiative which I set up in 1994 has sought to address this issue by providing grant assistance to delelop new and innovative child care projects in disadvantaged areas. To date grants totalling £1,850,000 have been issued to 109 approved projects.
The first tranche of funding under the initiative, which comprised £1,250,000 to 73 projects, was the subject of an evaluation which was published recently. This evaluation indicates that nearly 2,000 additional children are being cared for by the projects funded under the initiative. It is clear therefore, that the pilot child care initiative has made a very significant impact in stimulating expansion of capacity in child care facilities. Following publication of the evaluator's report on 7 February last I am considering how best to progress the child care initiative. In doing so I will obviously bear in mind developments generally in the provision of child care facilities including those arising from recent statutory registration developments with the health authorities.
