Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 347: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform when funding will be provided to a playgroup (details supplied) in County Mayo under the equal opportunities childcare programme 2000-2006; and when this group applied for funding. [7675/05]

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 was submitted by the group in question to the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform in March 2004. The child care programme is a seven-year development programme that aims to increase the availability and quality of child care to support parents in employment, education and training. The Deputy may be aware that the group in question has received staffing grant assistance of over €51,000 from the programme.

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 the Minister for Finance, an additional capital provision of €90 million was made for the period between 2005 and 2009, in the context of the 2005 budget. Some €50 million is being made available under the present programme and €40 million will be made available under the next phase of programme after 2006, in addition to the increased EU funding of €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 includes an increased provision for capital developments, for which €205 million has been set aside. Since budget 2005, I announced a record allocation of almost €68 million in capital funding to community-based not for profit groups in two tranches, in December 2004 and on 4 March 2005.

The availability of additional capital funding will allow me to make further capital grant assistance available to groups which address significant child care service gaps, if the project proposal represents good value for money when considered in the context of current guidelines on building costs. The group in question was advised in December 2004 that while its 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 rest of 2005 and thereafter.

The ongoing assessment of the applications in the pipeline will be concluded as quickly as possible to facilitate the development of additional child care facilities and places at the earliest opportunity. When the assessment of the project in question has been completed, the application will be considered by the programme appraisal committee, chaired by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, before I make a final decision. In the interim, it would be premature of me to comment further on the application.