Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. A key priority for me as Minister is to ensure all children can access early learning and care and school age childcare that is affordable, accessible and of high quality. My Department supports the growing sector through the provision of capital funding where it is most needed. After decades of low levels of investment in early learning and care and school age childcare in Ireland, we are finally making progress. Over the past four budgets, investment has increased by 117%, rising from €260 million in 2015 to €575 million in 2019.

Assisting childcare providers in extending their existing childcare services and establishing new childcare services has been one of the key areas of focus for my Department’s capital programmes. Each year my Department reviews the capital programmes as a whole and determines the priorities for early learning and care and school age capital grants. The capital strands have been made available to achieve the strategic priorities for 2019 as determined by the Department, having regard to the funding available, the current state of the sector, learning from previous capital programmes and feedback and input from key stakeholders, including childcare providers and Pobal.

In 2019, I have secured a capital budget of €9.6 million for the sector, which will enable a focus on increasing the number of places available and supporting the transition of services to the forthcoming national childcare scheme. I have allocated €6.1 million of this funding for the 2019 early learning and care and school age childcare capital programmes. This funding will be delivered in three strands. First, €4.23 million will be delivered under strand A, which will offer grants of up to €50,000 to early learning and care providers for the creation of new places for 0 to 3 year olds, where demand for these is clearly evidenced. Second, I have allocated €875,000 to strand B, which will offer individual grants of up to €15,000 to aid community and not-for-profit early learning and care services in addressing fire safety issues. Third, there will be €1 million for strand C, which offers individual grants of up to €20,000 to school age childcare providers for the creation of new school age places where demand for these is clearly demonstrated.

I remain committed to assisting all childcare providers, both community and private, in providing world-class childcare and meeting demand for childcare places. As the Deputy will be aware, the application window for the capital programmes closed on 27 March 2019 and the appraisal process for applications is currently under way in Pobal. As I am sure he can appreciate, in the interest of fairness and equity, I am unable to comment on any service’s capital application. However, I assure him that all applications for funding will be appraised in a fair, thorough and impartial manner. In accordance with principles of fairness and equality, no favour will be shown to any individual service or services, and all appraisals will be undertaken on the basis of the content of their applications for funding alone. Decisions are due to be delivered to applicants in June 2019, with the aim that capital works can begin as soon as possible following this. The results of the appraisal process, including the final decisions, will be communicated to providers directly following their completion.

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