I thank Deputy Crowe for his kind wishes. It is nice to be back, even if it is on the day that I am faced with questions. I will try to answer his supplementary questions as best I can.
The issue of child care has caused a good deal of concern. Some 27 vocational education committees contacted my Department directly to see if there was a possibility of getting further funding because, if not, it meant that certain programmes might have to be closed down and certain other cuts made. Obviously, I did not want to see that situation arising if at all possible, so I sought a review on how my Department could further supplement the VEC allocation. It is in this context that the €2 million arose, as I explained in my initial reply.
The 27 vocational education committees that approached me were accommodated. We asked each VEC to notify us of the amount needed to deal with what it saw as immediate concerns. We were able to provide 87.8% of the total the vocational education committees said was needed to maintain the level of service. This allocation was a one-off. It is important to realise that this money was channelled specifically to deal with this problem this year.
I have established a joint review between my Department and the Irish Vocational Education Association to ensure that these programmes will be in place to help those most in need. I await the outcome of that review.
The Deputy raised a specific question about the number of Travellers on such schemes. I do not have that specific information but I will try to accommodate the Deputy by way of correspondence.