Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply and I welcome the recent grant approvals. In any grant scheme there will be some disappointed applicants.

12 o’clock

In previous replies the Minister gave a commitment to have a widespread consultation with both community childcare providers and private childcare providers on the 2019 capital grant scheme. More grant aid is required to assist in the expansion of some existing childcare facilities. Some such facilities in my own area, particularly the community childcare facilities, need to literally double capacity to meet demand. I ask the Minister to try to put in place a scheme with larger-scale grant assistance to make it realistic, obtainable and feasible for community childcare providers in particular to extend and enhance existing facilities and meet the demand that exists in their localities. In a substantial town in my constituency, there is only one community childcare provider. It has to double its capacity and it is looking forward to the Minister announcing a scheme with larger-scale grant assistance later this year.

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