Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

Some people have a brass neck to raise these issues when in those days nothing was done. Since budget day last December, I have already made one significant announcement of over €25 million in additional capital funding and I expect to make another such announcement in the near future. The programme has already created more than 20,000 new child care places and a further 16,000 have been commissioned using EOCP funding. The programme has exceeded our expectations in terms of achievement. The programme also includes a measure which offers grant assistance towards the staffing costs of community-based child care services which offer child care services to disadvantaged parents who may be in employment, education or training. More than 775 community based, not-for-profit projects receive ongoing staffing grant assistance and about €30 million of EU and Exchequer funding goes towards this measure each year.

It was originally envisaged that some groups would receive such funding for a period of three years as they moved towards sustainability, which is normally achievable if the groups are operating at full capacity and with a level of fees which enables them to break even. Some of the children who go to these centres are disadvantaged while other parents are in a position to pay the full commercial rate for the child care they receive. Other groups, particularly in very disadvantaged areas, are likely to offer services to a client group who are unable to meet the economic fee structure and these services will, therefore, require ongoing staffing grant support to ensure that they can continue to support the child care needs of their disadvantaged client group. This is particularly important in assisting families to break the cycle of disadvantage.

Deputy Breeda Moynihan-Cronin will be aware that levels of staffing grant assistance have been maintained and guaranteed at existing levels until 31 August 2005 for all groups, regardless of circumstances, whose first three-year funding had elapsed, unless the level of service being offered has declined significantly below that which they had originally undertaken to deliver.

My Department is examining a wide range of options to ensure that staffing grant assistance is provided on an ongoing basis and in a fair and equitable manner for those services which cannot support themselves with a fair, equitable and economic fee structure due to the level of disadvantage of their client groups. Every service, especially those in Kerry about which the Deputy is concerned, will be given an opportunity to present its case before any change is made to funding levels. I hope to be able to increase the level of funding for those services which are at the bottom of the scale — the most disadvantaged. We hope to be in a position to take firm decisions on future arrangements in the near future and as soon as we do, we will advise all groups accordingly. Every Deputy will agree with me that it is in the interests of society to ensure that the ongoing financial supports which are made available under the equal opportunities child care programme specifically target those who experience the greatest disadvantage in society.

It is also noteworthy — again I emphasise this by way of contrast to what happened before this Government took office — that the Government has increased child benefit by 272% since 1997. This is the uncaring Government which the left has castigated for many things, according to what we read in the newspapers.

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