Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this new legislation. While I warmly welcome and support the Bill, I find it difficult to participate in a discussion on legislation to put children first when the Government and Minister are doing nothing to support an excellent child care service in my constituency. Without the Minister's help and support in finding €100,000 in funding in the coming weeks, the Jigsaw centre in Darndale will be forced to close down. I raised this issue recently with the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Hayes, in the absence of the Minister. The Darndale and Belcamp integrated child care service is an excellent facility. Two weeks ago, I had the honour of being brought around the centre by board member Barbara Quinlan and the centre's manager, Kelda Barnes. I was immediately impressed by the top-class and high-quality care provided and the professionalism and commitment shown by its staff to 260 children from the local community. It is important that the Minister, her officials and Deputies hear directly from me about the valuable work done by the service.

The Darndale and Belcamp integrated child care service was opened in 2001. It was initially planned to cater for a maximum of 150 children from birth to 12 years. The facility consists of playrooms, a kitchen, a dining area and sleeping rooms. Over the years, the centre has evolved into the largest crèche in the country and currently caters daily for 260 children, 90% of whom are from the immediate area, namely, Darndale, Belcamp and Moatview. The local area is recognised as disadvantaged and includes a large Traveller community. One sixth of the children attending the service are young Travellers and the centre employs one core staff member and eight community employment participants from the travelling community. Some 100 people are directly involved in the project.

I am hopping mad about the sad news we have heard about the centre. Last Thursday, representatives of the service met representatives of Tusla. They explained the constraints applying to the funds provided by FÁS, which are purely for wages for FÁS participants and training and material costs. Funds allocated from the early childhood care and education free preschool year programme, ECCE, and community child care subvention programme, CCS, are based purely on child numbers and the status of parents. Tusla is the only funder which has discretion to allocate funding based on the needs and predicaments of children. The facility caters for the real needs of the community, as Tusla is fully aware. While the organisation fully supports the work being carried out in the centre, its bottom line is that it does not have sufficient funding to financially support the centre and is unable to prevent its imminent closure.

I urge the Minister to put children first in this project. She must immediately consider this urgent case and link up with the centre. Its closure would have serious consequences in an already disadvantaged community.

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