Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 11 Mar 1999

Vol. 502 No. 2

Written Answers. - Child Care Facilities.

Frances Fitzgerald

Ceist:

101 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the budget he has allocated for 1999 to develop child care facilities to cope with the extra demand in the Dublin area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7512/99]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. O'Donoghue)

The equal opportunities child care programme is a two year programme which contains three funding initiatives, each of which has a separate budget with distinct criteria and targets. All three initiatives are inter-dependent and strive towards the common aim of improving the quality and quantity of child care provision in Ireland from an equal opportunities / disadvantaged perspective. The equal opportunities child care programme is administered by Area Development Management Limited (ADM) on behalf of my Department. ADM is an independent company designated by the Government and the European Commission to support integrated local economic and social development in co-operation with relevant area partnership companies established by the Government.

In 1999, a total of £3.6 million has been provided in my Department's Vote for child care. This comprises 1½ million ECU – approximately £1.18 million from the EU, with the balance being provided by the Exchequer. Of this £3.6 million, £100,000 is being made available to the Shanty project in Tallaght, £50,000 for year two of the Dublin Institute of Technology EU NOW project, while the remainder will be provided to the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme on the basis of applications received in May/June 1998. The following organisations in the Dublin area are in receipt of funding under this two-year programme:

Initiative	Organisation	Amount
		£
CapitalInfrastructure	St. Aengus Community GroupFinglas Community Playgroups	3,50010,000
	Ringsend Community Playgroup	60,000
	St. Joseph's Training Centre	50,000
	Parents Alone Daycare Centre	20,000
	Bunratty Playgroup	30,000
	Connolly Information Centre	15,000
	TARGET	9,000
	Focus Ireland	30,000
	Cabra Childcare Group	50,000
	Ronanstown C.C.C.	10,000
	Fingal ICTU Centre	35,000
	Interact Ireland	15,000
	Pearse College Crumlin	65,000
	Fatima Groups United	10,000
	Mercy Family Centre	50,000
	Tallaght Childcare Centre	40,000
	Blakestown Community	15,000
	Mountwood Fitzgerald Park	10,000
	Southside Childcare Group	50,000
	Shanganagh Park House	5,000
	Finglas Childcare Centre	9,000
	Dublin Adult Learning Centre	50,000
	Deansrath Family Centre	5,000
	Ballyogan Community	14,000
CommunitySupport	Connolly Information CentreFatima Groups United	80,00080,000
	Fingal ICTU Centre	80,000
	Focus Ireland	80,000
	Larkin Unemployed Centre	80,000
	Lourdes Youth and Community	80,000
	Markiewicz Community Centre	80,000
	Parents Alone Daycare Centre	80,000
	Ronanstown C.C.C.	80,000
	St. Andrew's Resource Centre	80,000
	Tallaght Childcare Centre	80,000
Employer Demo.	Aer RiantaBallyfermot Partnership	100,00082,000
	Crumlin Childrens Hospital	85,000
	ESAT, IBEC	50,000

Applications were invited in relation to the Equal Opportunities Child Care Programme in the national newspapers and the closing date for receipt of applications for funding under this two year programme was May/June, 1998. All funding is being allocated on the basis of applications received in advance of the May/June 1998 deadline. The bulk of this funding was allocated in July of last year and a further £450,000 falls to be allocated this year in respect of applicants which met the qualifying criteria under the Capital Infrastructure strand. The allocation of child care funding to my Department post 1999 has not yet been addressed.