Vol. 574 No. 1
481 Mr. O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if the proposed child care facility at the Institute of Technology in Tallaght will be funded by his Department; if his attention has been drawn to the importance of such a project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26550/03]
A grant application for capital assistance from the 2000-06 Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme was received from this community based group in 2002.
All applications for grant assistance undergo a thorough assessment and appraisal process against the programme criteria by Area Development Management Limited. As a large scale capital project, it was necessary to carry out a thorough appraisal through an external building specialist. On completion of the assessment process, applications are considered by the programme appraisal committee, chaired by my Department, for a recommendation before I make a final decision.
There has been considerable demand from community based groups for capital grant assistance under the programme and every county has benefited from significant grant commitments to provide new and enhanced community based childcare facilities.
All applications for capital grant assistance are appraised in accordance with the programme criteria in order to ensure that those projects which best meet the aims and objectives of the programme receive the capital grant assistance which will enable them to provide quality childcare in areas where there are service deficits.
It would be premature of me to comment further on specific applications for capital grant assistance until these review processes have been completed.
