Vol. 577 No. 4
255 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will make a statement regarding the application for staffing funding made by an organisation (details supplied) in County Cork, under the equal opportunities child care programme; if this application satisfies all the required criteria; if so, if this project will receive full funding; and when a decision will be made on this application. [31418/03]
Support towards staffing costs under the equal opportunities child care programme 2000 to 2006 is only made available to community based projects which can demonstrate that they are addressing disadvantage and are assisting parents who are in employment, education or training. All applications are assessed initially against the programme criteria by Area Development Management Limited and examined by the programme appraisal committee which is chaired by my Department. The committee makes a funding recommendation to me.
An appraisal of the initial application from the group in question led to a recommendation that the group receive staffing support for one year. The group was to be asked to show clear evidence of its focus on disadvantage in a development plan, the preparation of which would be a prerequisite to any further grant assistance. I agreed with this recommendation and the group was awarded funding towards its staffing costs of €65,000 for one year. I understand that while the group has yet to submit its development plan establishing its focus on disadvantage, it recently submitted a request for additional funding towards its staffing costs. While this application will be appraised, the completion of the development plan focusing on disadvantage is essential to the appraisal process.
