Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 676: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the action which is proposed in respect of the Childhood Development Initiative ten year strategy; if he will detail the resources to be made available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29241/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I welcome the ten year strategy produced by the Tallaght West Childhood Development Initiative, which seeks to improve children's health, safety, learning and achieving and to increase their sense of community belonging.

I understand that officials from a number of Departments, including my own Department and from the National Children's Office, will be meeting representatives of the project in the near future. The strategy emphasises the need for joined-up thinking across Departments and agencies. I believe the co-ordinated response at departmental level recognises and supports this approach.

The Deputy may recall that child care was identified as an investment priority under the national development plan and in 2000 the Government embarked on an ambitious investment programme for child care, the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006, EOCP. It was launched following the recommendations of the Partnership 2000 expert working group on child care.

The total funding available to the programme stands at €499.3 million. This is allocated in the form of capital grants, staffing support grants to community-based not for profit child care providers which cater for very disadvantaged families, funding for quality improvement and ongoing supports to the city and county child care committees and a number of national voluntary child care organisations.

Under the EOCP, funding of more than €7.8 million has been allocated to child care facilities in the Dublin 24 area of south Dublin. This will lead to the creation of 450 new child care places and the support of 519 existing child care places. I believe the excellent work of the EOCP will be continued beyond its existing remit of 2000 to 2006 and that any follow-on programme will build on the momentum created by the success of the EOCP and will continue to invest in the development of quality child care services.