Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plan of action to tackle the crisis in child care services. [5536/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I reject the Deputy's assertion that there is a crisis in child care services. As the Deputy will be aware, there have been significant improvements in the provision of supports for the development of child care over the last number of years as the Government took steps to develop a child care infrastructure in Ireland by assisting the voluntary community sector and the private sector to develop capacity in the child care area. This Government has brought investment in child care in Ireland from a benchmark of approximately €1 million per annum to €499 million for a seven year strategy.

Child care was identified as an investment priority under the National Development Plan 2000-2006. This was in direct response to the recommendations of the expert working group on child care established under Partnership 2000 to develop a strategy for the development and delivery of child care to support parents in employment, education and training.

My Department has been designated as the lead Department with respect to the development of child care to meet the needs of parents in employment, education and training. The programme for Government, and the progress of my Department's equal opportunities childcare programme, are confirmation of the Government's commitment to developing child care services and to remaining focused on child care issues.

The current seven year equal opportunities child care programme, EOCP, has an equal opportunities and social inclusion perspective and facilitates the further development and expansion of child care facilities to address the needs of parents, in reconciling their child care needs with their participation in employment, education and training. The EOCP 2000-2006 aims to increase the supply of centre based child care places by 55%, some 31,372 places, by programme end. It also aims to provide support and assistance to the many childminders who are providing a childcare service across the country. The programme also encompasses many quality issues which were identified in the childcare strategy, and aims to ensure that there is co-ordination in the delivery of child care services nationwide.

Since its inception in 2000, the funding for the programme has increased from €318 million to €499.3 million or by 57%, the most recent increase being €50 million in budget 2005. The multi-annual capital envelopes announced on budget day include increases that will give an increase of €50 million in the availability of capital under the 2000-06 phase and also the injection of a further €40 million in additional capital funding into child care between 2006 and 2009.

Total funding committed under the EOCP in the period to the end of March 2005 amounts to €347.8 million, of which €292.2 million has been allocated to child care facilities and €54.7 million to quality improvement measures. It is projected that this will create some 36,000 new child care places, and will support over 30,200 existing places. By the end of 2004 over 24,600 of these new child care places were already in place. A significant part of the remaining funding will be required for continuing support to existing projects and for the provision of capital grant assistance for the development of child care facilities in areas where there are gaps in service provision.

The above measures relate to the supply of quality child care, but I would also like to draw the Deputy's attention to Government policy in the area of child benefit which aims to provide assistance to parents in paying for child care in whatever care options their parents choose for them. In the 2005 budget, this benefit was increased by €10 to €141.60 per month, per child, for the first two children and by €12 to €177.30 per month for the third and each subsequent child, from April 2005. Effectively since 1997, child benefit has almost quadrupled. This clearly indicates the Government's commitment to assisting all parents in relation to the care of their children irrespective of income and employment status.