Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

It is my pleasure to speak in support of the amendment. It is important that we stand back to reflect on where we have come under the equal opportunities childcare programme. A total of 35,000 extra child care places that did not exist in 2000 have been created with an investment of €500 million. It is on that basis that we move on to the new programme outlined by the Minister of State. The figures are quite staggering. The sum of €575 million has been allocated with a target of creating 50,000 extra child care places. Combined investment of approximately €100 million will lead to the creation of 80,000 child care places. With that kind of investment on the part of the Government it was essential to have a value for money audit. It is important in every way that the reporting would be tightened up so that everybody involved in managing the sector could be assured the investment was being targeted in the proper direction.

It is important to reflect on the Minister of State's remark that the scheme is under review. The review will be based on the returns that were due to be submitted last Friday week. Those returns will show the exact level of disadvantage among the current clients of the community child care scheme. Based on the information given in the returns, we will then be able to make a proper assessment and adjudication of the new scheme.

From my experience of the sector and from what I have heard from constituents in recent weeks, it appears the data from the forms will reveal flaws in the new system. The jump from band B to band C, from families on family income supplement with a certain level of support, to virtually no support under band C, is too severe and restrictive. I am confident when the data come back they will show a large numbers of families which are not eligible for FIS, but which will need support. The national child care investment programme will require the benefit of a higher subsidy than is currently on offer in order to allow people to maintain their place and to keep working.

The data will show that in some areas and in some facilities the original aim of the programme has become skewed and that children are in facilities enjoying rates that were intended for families who are disadvantaged or on low incomes, whose parents are able to afford a higher rate. The places they are currently occupying are at the expense of other children.

The new system presents a particular difficulty for child care facilities in rural areas. I refer in particular to the minimum numbers required to access the grant and retain viability. As a rural Deputy, the Minister of State, Deputy Smith, appreciates and understands this point. It should be possible to provide an administration grant for rural facilities whose geographic catchment area is probably quite large but whose population centre is quite small, which are forced to look in many different directions in order to fill the places and maintain the viability of the centre. This option should be examined for rural services whose viability could not otherwise be maintained. The grant could be subject to conditions in regard to quality, service need in the area and the capacity to deliver.

There is significant concern among organisations and committees involved in running child care facilities about data collection. Even though the data required is quite basic, and is information that is freely available to many people, there is an understandable concern about information getting into the hands of the wrong people. The data collection aspect of the scheme should be transferred to the county child care committees or even to the Office of the Minister for Children so as to take the local manager out of the data collection system altogether. This approach would ensure we would still manage to acquire that information.

It appears people have forgotten about the allocation of the child care supplement of €2,000. In many centres this payment should be diverted to supplement the payment of child care. The Government must reflect on this payment and redesign it in the context of the new scheme.

The Fine Gael motion is premature. It is only two weeks since the deadline for the submission of the data from all the centres around the country, which will no doubt provide proof for the various claims that have been made. Given that much of that data will not get back to the Minister before next February, I suggest this motion is premature. I am confident that when the data come back, the Minister will act in the interests of the community sector but, more importantly, in the interests of disadvantaged children and parents to ensure they continue to have access to the places in the community child care sector and that they can continue to work, should they wish, while using the facility. I am confident that given the level of investment in the previous programme — €500 million is a great deal of money — the Minister will ensure white elephants are not created in some of the fantastic centres that have been established.

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