I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address this issue. There is an awareness of the need for and a commitment to the provision of more child care facilities throughout the country. Everyone recognises that there is a need for more facilities. While the Government targeted more money at this area recently, it does not appear to have been spent or allocated to any great degree, judging from replies to parliamentary questions.
It has emerged that there is a major problem regarding planning applications for child care facilities throughout the country. Quite a number of refusals for child care facilities by planners have been given and quite a number of temporary permissions, as opposed to final permissions, have been given. In a number of cases that have come to my attention, particularly in the Dublin area, decisions made have been contrary to the inspectors' reports on the facilities. Inspectors have recommended that permission should be given for the proposed facilities, but the planning authorities have decided that permission should not be given or that they should be given only temporary permission. Child care providers are concerned permission for their facilities with be withdrawn, in other cases they are encountering difficulties in getting permission and in other cases that have been referred to An Bord Pleanála permission has been refused.
This must be set in the context of draft planning guidelines issued by the Department earlier in the year for the development of child care facilities. I refer to the consultation draft guidelines for planning authorities on child care facilities. They state specifically that development plans should include proposals for child care facilities and other community development projects. That is important because too many housing estates have been without facilities for children and families. Too much development has taken place without taking account of community needs. These guidelines are a welcome development regarding the land use planning aspects of child care provision.
Current providers are uncertain about the current position and those considering establishing facilities wonder if it is worth the bother of trying to get planning permission. Will the Minister of State outline the scale of this problem? Has it been brought to his attention or to the attention of the Department? Can he indicate the number of refusals for permission for facilities throughout the country given by planning authorities and the number of refusals given by An Bord Pleanála? We need an overall picture of the position. If the Minister of State does not have those figures, perhaps he would organise to obtain them.
If provision of a service for community facilities is included in the guidelines and will be included in the regulations when they are issues, what is happening at present? Why are planning authorities not taking the guidelines into account? There have been many examples of cases where they apparently have not been taken into account. A discussion on this area is required. What are the planning issues that need to be discussed? What criteria need to be in place regarding the development of child care facilities, as there are different rights and obligations on both sides. We need to be clear on what those are from a planning perspective. Can the Minister of State tell us when the new guidelines will be issued to local authorities and to An Bord Pleanála? What action will the Minister take to monitor their effectiveness? Can the Minister of State outline the position that applies at present and what action can be taken to resolve it, as it must be resolved if we intend to ensure the removal of the stress faced by parents due to the shortage of places and if we are to ensure there is a greater supply of child care facilities throughout the country. They can operate very well and in a way that does not affect anyone else. Will the Minister of State move with all possible haste to put new guidelines in place and to monitor their implementation by local authorities and by An Bord Pleanála.