James Bannon (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, and wish her well in her new term of office.

I wish to draw her attention to the urgent need for funding under the equal opportunities childcare programme for Granard, Ardagh and Legan, County Longford. Dedicated and hard-working groups are struggling to provide essential child care assistance in often highly unsuitable premises and conditions. Granard, Ardagh and Legan are extremely handicapped areas with high unemployment and its ensuing problems. Low income families struggle to provide child care facilities and pre-school education to their children. Over the years, projects in these areas have endeavoured with much success to provide low-cost child care for all, regardless of income.

In Granard, 58 children attend the play group and Montessori school. Set up in 1985, it has now reached a stage where expansion is essential. Granard, a small town situated on the Cavan, Westmeath and Longford border, is approximately 16 miles from Longford town. Historically, this town was known for lack of employment, single-parent families, early school leavers and a high percentage of settled Travellers. Unemployment stands at 18.1% in the urban area, which far exceeds the national average. Similar situations apply to both Ardagh and Legan, details of which are in their respective applications for funding.

The lack of education has been identified as a recurring problem in these areas with a high illiteracy rate among the unemployed and disadvantaged. This problem relates to early school leaving and the lack of interest of some parents in education. Many other parents are in the unfortunate position of being unable to help their children in the most basic areas of literacy and numeracy. In 2002 R&H Consulting was commissioned to examine the problems in Granard. It suggested that a full day care service should be provided to assist in breaking the illiteracy cycle. The same applies to Legan and Ardagh.

The Granard community play group is successfully trying to provide such a facility and it is important that it is given every possible assistance. This group provides low-cost child care for parents and children. It is trying to establish an after-school homework group as part of the proposed new development which would include full day care facilities, after-school service and an enhanced existing play group and Montessori school. Marginalised parents of school-going children would greatly benefit from the support of the staff of after-school services and would allow parents to avail of employment or education opportunities which would otherwise not be available to them due to the constraints of child care. This valuable project has requested funding at the most cost effective level possible and has full support from everyone in the area concerned with education and provision of services for young people. The future expansion and prospects of extending its services to the community depends on an ability to provide necessary and essential facilities.

The people of Longford have waited years for funding for child care services. The future prospects of the children of these Longford towns and the important breaking of the cycle of illiteracy and deprivation depends on early intervention and the provision of funding to ensure that facilities are available in the interest of both the young people, their parents and the community as a whole.

I understand an announcement will be made soon as the Department is at the final stages of assessment. We wait with bated breath. There is an enthusiastic local committee. One of the chairpersons of the committee, Ms Mary Lyons, is in the Visitors Gallery this afternoon and I acknowledge the work and effort she and her committee have put into bringing this project to fruition in the area. However, it now awaits an imminent announcement on funding. I plead with the Minister of State to facilitate those three groups. It is not often that I look for project funding but on this occasion I plead from my heart that these three groups be allocated it. I understand the time, effort and energy that these three communities have put into getting these projects up and running. I hope the Minister of State does not now dash their hopes. I look forward to a positive response from her.