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

As for the identification of where the money will go and what it is for - let us say it is €9 million this time - our policy is to target the under-three cohort in particular this year. We know there is a capacity issue in that regard. That affects the design of the scheme. The assessment for capital applications also has regard to Pobal’s geosparsity index, which means we also look at geography.

When the applications come in they must be of a certain quality for us to be assured that the money invested will deliver what is required. We try to support that too. All of those things need to be in place.

The Deputy asked whether we can provide more investment. I would like to see that. Let us see how the first round goes. If there is a need, we can request additional applications from providers that are ready to ensure they can provide facilities of the quality that is required.

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