Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 298: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the recent capital grant allocations for the provision of child care facilities to community groups are up to €400,000 less than the amount required to build the facilities. [16193/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Among the key criteria for the award of capital grant assistance under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 is a requirement that the proposed project represents value for money. ADM Limited, which manages the day to day operation of the programme on my behalf, engaged consultants to review the design and cost of new child care services and prepared guidelines with regard to typical costs for a range of different service types. These guidelines have been updated and the amounts of funding now being awarded to groups are based on these guidelines, although cognisance is taken of special circumstances, such as a difficult site, where appropriate.

It is appropriate to maximise the benefits which can be derived from this large programme through the prudent allocation of funding. It is always open to groups to appeal the amount of their allocation if there are particular circumstances which they may have overlooked in their initial application.

The EOCP is the central pillar in the Government's child care strategy and is intended to increase the availability and quality of child care supports for parents in employment, education or training. The programme is funded by the Exchequer and the European Union structural funds as part of the regional operational programmes of the national development plan.

The programme makes capital grant assistance available to community based-not for profit organisations to build, renovate or equip a childcare service, if their proposal meets with the objectives of the EOCP programme. In areas of significant disadvantage, multi-annual staffing grants may be available to community based groups providing child care which meets the needs of disadvantaged parents, to enable them to avail of work, education or training opportunities.

Considerable progress has already been achieved in terms of increasing the number of child care facilities and places available, as well as increasing the number of people employed directly in child care facilities and the programme is now ahead of and will exceed the targets.

Total funding committed under the EOCP to date amounts to over €357 million, of which over €302 million has been allocated to child care facilities and almost €55 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 principles of the programme state, inter alia, that child care is the provision of day-care facilities and services for preschool children and for school-going children out of school hours. To receive grant support, an application must show that the proposed service will facilitate parents to avail of employment, educational or training opportunities; be sustainable; be of high quality; have sound management, a good child care programme and training; represent value for money; and not displace existing facilities.

Area Development Management Limited, which administers the grant assistance applications on behalf of my Department, carries out a technical assessment of each project to ensure that the project meets with the EOCP criteria. This assessment includes a detailed study of costings, including cost per child care place being provided compared with other facilities funded under the EOCP, reports supplied by external building specialists and likely value for money of the proposal.

When the assessment is completed, ADM makes a recommendation regarding the allocation of funding to the programme appraisal committee, chaired by my Department, which makes a recommendation for funding to me. Where a positive recommendation is made, the amounts recommended are considered appropriate for the facility under consideration.