Mary Coughlan
Ceist:292 Ms Coughlan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the proposals, if any, he has for child care provision in 2000. [5996/00]
Written Answers. - Child Care Services.
My Department has been allocated £250 million to develop child care provision over the next seven years under the National Development Plan 2000-2006. The funding will facilitate my Department's child care measure, details of which I announced in December 1999. The criteria and the eligibility requirements for these measures are being developed at present and it is intended to promote some of the initiatives in the coming weeks, at which stage detailed information leaflets and application forms will be available from the equal opportunities child care section of my Department.
The initiatives that will be funded by my Department include the following measures: expansion of the equal opportunities child care programme combining the following aspects, capital grants to community based-not for profit organisations to support the establishment, upgrading and enhancement of child care facilities; staffing grants to assist community based-not for profit projects to fund the salary costs of child care workers; training supports designed to improve and expand the provision of child care training; and support for innovative projects in the child care area.
Funding will also be provided towards the development of local child care network initiatives to provide mutual support for providers and facilitate the dissemination of information and learning materials, thereby assisting the provision of a high quality service to parents and children.
A further element will be the provision of a new capital grant scheme for self-employed child care providers, providing up to 20 child care places, to assist in establishing and upgrading their facilities thus helping them to provide a better quality environment for children under their care.
My Department has also been given the responsibility to co-ordinate child care in the context of the national development plan. My Department has established and is chairing a national co-ordinating child care committee which will oversee the development of a child care infrastructure in a co-ordinated manner throughout the country. In addition, a synergies group has been established which focuses on co-operation and co-ordinating between Departments and State agencies which have a role in child care funding or training. County child care committees will also be established to advance the provision of child care facilities on a county basis.