Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)
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Question 336: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason a school (details supplied) in County Kerry was refused a grant under the equal opportunities child care programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7540/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I understand that an application for capital grant assistance under the equal opportunities child care programme, EOCP, 2000-2006 was submitted by the group to my Department some time ago. The EOCP is a seven-year development programme which aims to increase the availability and quality of child care to support parents in employment, education and training. The level of demand for capital grant assistance was such that I considered it important to increase the capital provision for the present programme. Following discussions with my colleague, the Minister for Finance, an additional capital provision of €90 million was made available over the period 2005-2009, in the context of the 2005 budget.

Of this amount, €50 million is being made available under the present programme and the remaining €40 million will flow under the next phase of the post 2006 EOCP. This augments the increased EU funding of some €12 million made available last year in recognition of the progress of the programme. This brings the total funding available for the programme to €499.3 million and now includes an increased provision for capital developments for which €205 million has been set aside. Since budget 2005, I have announced a record allocation totalling almost €68 million in capital funding to community-based, not for profit groups, in two tranches, one in December 2004 and another on 4 March 2005.

The availability of the additional capital funding will enable me to make further capital grant assistance available to groups which address significant child care service gaps and where the project proposal represents good value for money when considered in relation to the current guidelines on building costs. In the light of this, the group in question was advised in December 2004 that, while their project had not been prioritised for immediate funding at that stage, it will be reconsidered in the future. I hope to make further significant capital commitments during the remainder of 2005 and thereafter.

The ongoing assessment of the applications in the pipeline will be concluded as speedily as possible to facilitate the development of additional child care facilities and places at the earliest opportunity, with an emphasis on filling child care service gaps at local level and obtaining good value from capital being invested. When the assessment on the project in question is completed, the application will then be considered by the programme appraisal committee, PAC, chaired by my Department, before I make a final decision. In the interim, it would be premature of me to comment further on this application.