Michael Brennan (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate him on his new responsibilities as regards the child care programme and his recent allocation of €12 million for 62 new projects as well as the inclusion of €575 million in the 2006-10 national child care investment programme.

The total funding committed to the previous scheme, the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme, EOCP, 2000-06, under the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, is expected to provide 40,000 new child care places as well as enhancing 32,000 existing places by the end of June. Some 26,000 new child care places were already in place. While the new scheme clearly identifies the ground rules and the funding cap available under the new applications, the cost structure for first applications was not available under the old programme which was administered by Pobal. I understand that €140 million has been decommissioned under that programme. This relates to the four programmes in County Limerick — St. Colman's child care service, Kilcolman, the Desmond Complex ability resource centre, Newcastle West, the Broadford voluntary housing project and Rathkeale Childcare Limited. These account for a total investment of €4.5 million in west Limerick, an area deserving of child care places.

A number of anomalies have come to light as regards the funding of those projects. Local committees have entered into substantial investment arrangements as regards planning applications and where those sites are unserviced and special circumstances obtain, will the Minister of State say whether additional allocations could be made to make these projects viable in the interest of providing adequate child care facilities in west Limerick?