Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)

A minute and a half is very little time. If I had known that, I probably would have withdrawn the matter and resubmitted it at a later date.

I wish to raise the issue of the replacement of staffing funding for community child care services with the proposed community child care subvention. The change will have serious consequences, especially for rural child care facilities. Currently, 21 community groups provide sessional, full-day and equal opportunity school-age child care in County Limerick. A further 11 groups have recently received funding under the equal opportunities child care scheme and national child care investment programme or are in the process of applying for such funding. The County Limerick community child care forum feels the introduction of the new scheme will result in inadequate child care provision and that children from disadvantaged backgrounds will be segregated from their peers. It is also felt that the introduction of bands A, B and C, as proposed, will lead to classification of parents, thereby reinforcing the social class stigma. Further, the scheme will reduce the level of funding available to community child care services which are already experiencing shortfalls.

Under the community child care subvention scheme, children whose parents are in receipt of social welfare benefit will be subvented to attend community care services. The process will require parents to complete a form outlining PPS and social welfare details which will be available to those of their peers and neighbours who are organising a local scheme. The form will be submitted to child care services and the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children and the Department of Social and Family Affairs who will determine if a child is eligible for subvention. According to the type of social welfare being received, a parent is labelled "A", "B" or "C". Subvention is made in respect of categories A and B but not C.

The proposed scheme raises many serious issues. It is calculated on foot of case studies in the mid-west that many child care facilities will be put out of commission.

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