I propose to take Questions Nos. 391 and 392 together.
Assisting childcare providers in extending their existing childcare services, or establishing new childcare services, have always been key areas of focus for my Department's capital programmes.
The 2018 Early Years and School Age Childcare Capital programmes provide two strands of funding for the set-up or expansion of childcare facilities, with the aim of creating additional new childcare places (Strand 1 Early Years and Strand 4 School Age, details provided in the attached applicant guidelines). The application window for the Early Years and School Age Childcare Capital programmes closed on 14th March 2018, with appraisals now under way. Approximately 2,000 individual applications were received, including over 560 applications for funding across Strand 1 and Strand 4. Decisions on capital grants will be delivered to providers in late May 2018. Both of the strands mentioned above are open to all providers, community and private, who wish to create new childcare places. In addition to this, there are two strands of funding dedicated to community childcare services only (Early Years Strand 2 and School Age Strand 5) to provide grant funding to contribute towards essential maintenance and repair of facilitates. The final strand of funding (Early Years Strand 3) provides for the creation of a new natural outdoor play area, and is open to all early years providers, both community and private. I am happy to have secured €250m in capital funding for childcare under the National Development Plan (NDP, 2018-2027), as part of which childcare has been confirmed as a strategic priority for capital investment. Officials in my Department are currently undertaking research to determine capital need both current and future, with a view to focusing state capital investment in the sector. The preliminary results of this research are due later this year, and will inform any capital plans or programmes administered by my Department from there on. The shape and focus of capital investment under the National Development Plan are as such yet to be determined. Furthermore, I would like to assure you that the structure and priorities of 2019's Capital programmes are under review by officials in my Department, and these will be shared with childcare providers and the general public as soon as they are confirmed in late 2018. As part of this, the scale of individual grant amounts available is being reviewed along with all other aspects of Early Years and School Age capital funding.
I remain committed to assisting all childcare providers, both community and private, in providing world-class childcare and meeting demand for childcare places, and I anticipate that next year's Capital programme will build on this year's good work in the sector, as well as that of previous years.
