Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
1039. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what funding is available to a facility (details supplied) for works considering that the works are urgent as there are health and safety concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27518/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department was allocated €69m under the National Development Plan to meet current and long-term early learning and childcare infrastructure needs. This allocation will enable significant capital investment across three pillars: Building Blocks - Improvement Grant, Building Blocks - Capacity Grant and a Building Blocks - Innovation Grant.
Under the Building Blocks Improvement Grant €9m was allocated offering grants ranging from €35,000 to €75,000 across two separate strands: Green Energy and Retrofit. Services that signed up for the Core Funding Scheme were eligible for funding under the scheme.
The volume and quality of applications received and the amounts sought were particularly high. Overall, 946 services submitted applications out of a total eligible cohort of 4,200 services, which had signed up to Core Funding. In total, 141 services were offered funding under the scheme, totalling just under €9m.
Work is currently underway on the design and delivery of the Building Blocks – Capacity Grant which will address capacity gaps, fund an expansion in existing services and invest in the development of new services where most needed. The Building Blocks – Innovation Grant will pilot a range of innovative initiatives such as outdoor early learning and childcare services and I hope to announce details of these schemes in the coming months. Funding under both Grants were be allocated over 2024-2025. As it stands, there is no further capital funding available to my Department for the early learning and childcare sector in 2023.
I am encouraging services to maintain contact with their local County Childcare Committees, which will be in a position to advise them on all aspects of the remaining Building Block Grants (Capacity and Innovation), once they are launched.
