Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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7. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the progress to date in progressing a new childcare capital grant scheme to assist in the provision of new childcare facilities in cases in which there is an identified need for additional places and in which the maximum level of grant aid under the present scheme would be inadequate to help a community childcare organisation to provide such accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37999/18]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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21. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to introduce a new childcare capital grant scheme to assist childcare providers to extend or provide new childcare facilities in cases in which there is an identified need for additional places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38000/18]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister will recall that I raised with her on a number of occasions the need for a substantial increase in the grant aid to assist with the provision of additional childcare places. This is particularly important for the community childcare sector. The Minister mentioned to me in July, when we discussed this matter, that she would be discussing it with stakeholders, and she hoped to achieve a substantial increase in her funding for 2019. She might give us an update.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 21 together.

Supporting the childcare sector through the provision of capital funding where it is most needed continues to be of the utmost priority for me as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. As part of this commitment, I have allocated significant grant funding in recent years for the creation of new childcare places in areas of need. This year, from a total budget of €6.86 million, my Department's early years and school age capital programmes allocated €4.62 million in capital funding for the creation of new childcare places. This funding was targeted specifically where evidence of demand for new places exists. The maximum grant available under the 2018 programmes was €50,000 for early years services and €20,000 for school age services. I am pleased to note that the awarding of these grants is expected to result in the creation of 2,757 new early years and school age places across 130 childcare facilities nationwide. Some €1.16 million of this was specifically awarded to community services, resulting in the creation of 628 new childcare places in 34 services.

Officials in my Department are engaged in planning for capital spending in 2019. The details of this are to be made available to childcare providers later this year. I assure the Deputy that the needs of childcare services, both community and private, are of foremost concern in the development process. Ireland benefited from much larger-scale capital investment under the equal opportunities childcare programme and the national childcare investment programme. These programmes provided individual grants of more than €1 million in value for some community services.

I am delighted to have ensured that childcare was identified as a strategic priority under the national development plan, as I mentioned to Deputy Rabbitte, with an emphasis on the later years covered by the plan. That is how large-scale capital funding will inform our early years strategy, due to be published later this year.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for her detailed response. We all support the provision of additional childcare places. It is great that there is demand for such places and the refurbishment and upgrading of some facilities that have been in use for some time.

The Minister mentioned the €1 million grants. I spoke to her privately about a certain project. I had the privilege of approving €1 million when I was Minister with responsibility for children and youth affairs. I am thankful the initiative has been very successful. It is in a medium-sized town in my constituency. The facility has a capacity of almost 170. It is full to capacity. There are children attending on alternative days to try to reduce the waiting list. In the small town in question, there is a waiting list of 40 children who need to gain access to the services in the good childcare facility. The service providers had to open a second facility in another premises in the town, where nearly 40 children attend. This project, which I am sure is replicated throughout the country, has been very successful in providing childcare facilities. The community project to which I refer needs a very substantial increase in accommodation. The levels of grant aid available - €50,000 and €20,000 - are not nearly adequate enough to ensure the service providers can provide the facilities to meet the demand in their town and the rural catchment area. I hope that, after the Minister's consultation with the relevant stakeholders, there will be a substantial increase in the grant aid available for such facilities.

I spoke to the Minister privately and appreciate the fact that I had the opportunity to meet her. Might she have the opportunity to meet the people on the ground providing the services and note the pressure on them as they try to meet local demand? We might have a further meeting on that specific request.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I fully appreciate that the Deputy understands this so well, not just because he is a Deputy representing his people now but because he also had my job. Therefore, he understands what is happening from the inside. He also realises the impact larger-scale grants can make. I accept his points, therefore.

I indicated in my response to other Deputies that the Department will consider the need for greater investment by way of capital grants and consider the research required to ensure the grants are provided at the appropriate scale in each local area. My understanding is that this is probably something for which we will have to wait a little longer based on the commitments I received regarding the national development plan. In the meantime, however, we are trying to ensure the capital funding we make available provides the necessary increases in places, in appropriate geographical spreads, in both community and private services to meet the needs of the people. The Deputy's people are in conversation with my officials, and that is important in respect of our planning for the future.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for her response. The last day we discussed this issue during Oral Questions the Minister of State used a phrase indicating it was her absolute priority to get enough moneys for capital provision to increase childcare infrastructure. I support fully that strong commitment. I appeal to the Minister of State to ensure there is a strand within the capital budget of the childcare provision grants to enable community childcare providers, in areas where there is a huge demand for accommodation for such facilities and no private providers in the catchment area, to continue the excellent work being done in those facilities. I refer to ensuring that no child is denied the opportunity to access a childcare facility.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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That is fine, yes.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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We can meet and discuss it.

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I support fully the sentiments that Deputy Brendan Smith is outlining. We have got significant investment. As the Deputy knows so well, we make decisions on what is current and what capital we will need taking into account demographic changes and what the gap might be. All of that analysis is going on and is informed by research but also through conversations with people in the local communities and what is going on there. Deputy Smith has raised this issue a few times as he said. There is a significant need as there is in other areas. I cannot commit at the moment to large scale capital funding in the near future. We hear what Deputy Smith is saying and I am willing to meet with his people to understand the needs more fully.

Pat Gallagher (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose we take Question No. 6 from Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan. Agreed? Agreed.