Gerry Reynolds
Ceist:494 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when two community playgroups (details supplied) in County Leitrim will receive funding for the improvement of facilities and equipment. [17052/01]
Written Answers. - Community Play Groups.
As the Deputy may be aware, a capital and staffing grant scheme for community based-not for profit groups is part of the Government child care funding initiatives administered under my Department's Equal Opportunities Child Care Programme, 2000 to 2006. Under the capital grant scheme, works of a capital nature would be eligible for consideration, including, for example, renovations, building work and child care equipment costs. Under the staffing grant scheme, salary costs for child care staff working directly with children would be eligible for consideration.
To date, no application for funding under the capital grant for the community-based-not for profit groups scheme from the community groups in question has been received by my Department's equal opportunities child care section.
Applications for funding towards staffing costs were received on 20 November 2000 from the first group in question and on 15 November 2000 from the second group. I understand from my officials that both of these applications were forwarded for technical assessment to Area Development Management Limited in November 2000. To date, this application has not been submitted to me for consideration.
Applications for funding are considered by a programme appraisal committee chaired by my Department. The programme appraisal committee makes a recommendation on each application following an initial assessment carried out by Area Development Management Limited on behalf of my Department. The assessment of applications is based on material supplied by the applicant in the original application or any additional material requested. No single factor determines the outcome of any application. As outlined in the general guidelines for funding measures which are available from my Department, applications are assessed according to the following five criteria: the socio economic profile of the area relating to the application; the quality of the proposal; the capacity of the applicant/s to implement the project; the level of integration-co-ordination; and the costings-value for money of the proposal.
To enable the assessment of an application under these five criteria, information on a wide range of issues is gathered throughout the appraisal process. A number of factors are considered in assessing applications, including the profile of parents accessing the service; whether the provision of the particular service enables parents from disadvantaged circumstances return to education, training or employment; how the location of the applicant group is rated on the Haase Index of Relative Affluence and Deprivation; the fee structure implemented by the group and its implications for the disadvantaged in the community accessing the service; whether or not the facility facilitates children with special needs or those of ethnic diversity; and the mechanisms that the applicant has put in place to target-focus the service to attract disadvantaged families.
I have made inquiries as to the current position and I am informed that, as part of the assessment process, there have been ongoing discussions between ADM Limited and the groups in question regarding the extent to which the projects meet the above criteria. I understand that arising from these discussions the groups are considering the possibility of submitting revised applications and that a further meeting is being arranged in the next few days.
Once the assessment and appraisal process is complete, I will make a decision shortly thereafter. In the interim, it would be premature of me to comment further on these applications.
Question No. 495 answered with Question No. 481.