Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to raise this issue. I note that the Minister of State with responsibility for this area is not here. I hope there is a good reason for this and it is not part of the ongoing policy of Ministers to ignore issues raised on the Adjournment.

The Páistí le Chéile project is an inter-agency pilot initiative run through Roscommon County Childcare Committee. It has been funded by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform since March 2006 and this funding will continue up to June of this year. The objective of Páistí le Chéile is to enhance the level and quality of access for children with special needs to mainstream child care services within the county. The project works collaboratively with parents, pre-school practitioners, the HSE, the Brothers of Charity services and other voluntary organisations within the county. The four main objectives of the project are the provision of support workers to children with special needs and-or disabilities so that they can attend pre-schools; the provision of disability-related training to pre-school workers and parents; the development of protocols for inter-agency working; and the development of an information resource pack on disability and child care services.

This innovative pilot project provides individualised support to 19 children, enabling them to attend and be included in their local pre-schools. Without this service, these children with learning difficulties would have to rely on the current non-existent HSE service and would, in the long term, put significant demand on the HSE paramedical specialties. In County Roscommon, there is a large waiting list and no availability of such specialists. There would also be significant additional demands in terms of the support needed for these children within the mainstream educational system. We are talking about children with a learning difficulty but not those who would fit into the category of intellectual disability. These children are already provided for by the Brothers of Charity and funding is available for them.

This project represents a win-win situation. From a purely financial perspective, it would save significant current spending on such children in our overstretched health and education systems. From a personal perspective, the programme has had a dramatic effect in helping the children involved to meet their developmental milestones. The Páistí le Chéile project has provided training for up to 158 pre-school practitioners in disability awareness, behavioural support, child development and communication, including sign language.

When I raised this issue with the Minister of State with responsibility for children through a parliamentary question on 11 March, he washed his hands of the issue, stating that Roscommon County Childcare Committee had received funding of €295,000 for 2008 and would have to find the money from its existing budget. This is totally unacceptable. As the Minister of State knows, Roscommon County Childcare Committee submitted a case for the Páistí le Chéile project as part of its actions for 2008, with a budget of €51,000 to continue the programme to the end of 2008. The child care committee was asked by the Minister of State to remain within its indicative budget for 2008 so it has no option but to remove the funding sought for the Páistí le Chéile project. However, the yearly budget currently received by the child care committee only covers salaries, with a small amount remaining for specific actions identified in the strategic child care plan. That money would not provide for the continuation of the project. It is well known to the Minister that the funding is not there within the existing budget as that money is already committed.

The cost of continuing this project for a full academic year is approximately €150,000 and inquiries are already being received for September of this year. There is at present a waiting list of 12 children who have applied for support, and more referrals are anticipated. The evaluation currently being submitted to the Minister of State with responsibility for children clearly shows the success of this pilot project. If the child care budget is not the appropriate avenue, the Minister of State has two other possible sources of funding, through either the Department of Health and Children or the Department of Education and Science, within his control and he should use one of those to fund and mainstream this valuable project.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I apologise on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for children, Deputy Brendan Smith, who is unavoidably absent as he had another engagement outside the city in an area under his responsibility. He asked me to convey his apologies to Deputy Naughten.

To respond to the Deputy, it is necessary first to give a brief explanation of the equal opportunities child care programme and the national child care investment programme, for which the Minister for Health and Children is responsible. The programme for Government and the progress of the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-06, EOCP, and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-10, NCIP, represent confirmation of the Government's commitment to developing child care services to support the child care needs of the parents of Ireland. The EOCP, which has now concluded, had both an equal opportunities and a social inclusion perspective and aimed to increase the supply of centre-based child care places by 55%, or an additional 31,300 places, by the end of the programme. This target was exceeded, with some 39,000 additional places created by the programme.

In order to build on the success of the EOCP, the Government introduced the NCIP to cover the period 2006 to 2010. This programme will build on the success of the EOCP and incorporates a number of key objectives. It will increase the supply and quality of early childhood care and education services across the board. It will support families in breaking the cycle of disadvantage and provide a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of child care that is centred on the needs of the child. The decision of the Government to create a major new investment programme immediately, rather than waiting until the previous programme had expired, is evidence of the Government's commitment to drive progress in the child care field.

The NCIP has a funding allocation of €575 million and aims to create an additional 50,000 child care places. It is expected that approximately 22,000 of these places will be in the private sector and 28,000 in the community and not-for-profit sector. A total of 20% of the overall places will be for children in the three to four year age group and will provide an early childhood care and education focus. When considered with the other child care measures introduced by this Government, such as increases in paid and unpaid maternity leave and the introduction of the early childhood supplement, now worth €1,100 per year per child under six, and tax relief for childminders, no one can doubt that the Government is giving this issue the priority it deserves.

I turn now to the matter in question this evening.

The Páistí le Chéile project in County Roscommon was a pilot——

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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A very successful pilot.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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——funded by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform under the enhancing disabilities services programme. The Office of the Minister for Children provides funding on an annual basis to support activities set out in the action plans of the 33 city and county child care committees. The total funding provided to the 33 committees to support their action plan activities this year amounts to €13.3 million, which represents an increase of more than 7%.

In 2008, funding amounting to €295,360 has been approved for the Roscommon county child care committee to enhance quality in child care in the county.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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But nothing for Páistí le Chéile.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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On a per capita basis, this is one of the highest allocations in the country. Many child care services throughout Roscommon have benefited from grant assistance under both programmes. To date, funding of more than €10 million has been approved for child care in Roscommon under both child care programmes. Funding provided under the EOCP supported the provision of 579 new child care places and also supported 376 existing places in the county up until the end of 2007.

The Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-06 was central to the development of child care in Ireland. The Government expects that the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-10 will be equally effective. The substantial investment provided under these programmes demonstrates the Government's commitment to the ongoing development of child care.