Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 193: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if financial assistance, funding or grants are available under the child care system for a person (details supplied) to permit the person's child to play in a safe environment given the child's medical condition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3941/06]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy's question relates to the management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the parliamentary affairs division of the executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.

The Government has committed €575 million in funding to the new national child care investment programme 2006-2010 which is being implemented by the office of the Minister with responsibility for children. This programme aims to provide a proactive response to enable the development of quality child care supports and services which will be planned for and developed locally. The funding is directed at increasing the supply of early childhood care and education services nationally. The remit of the programme is focused on the development of child care services, primarily those which come within the scope of the Child Care (Pre-school Services) Regulations 1996 and amendment regulations of 1997. This includes child care or early childhood care and education, such as crèches, playgroups, childminding and school age child care but does not include schools or residential centres. The case as described by the Deputy does not come within the remit of the programme.

It is important to note that in addition to the national child care investment programme, the Government has made provision for an early child care supplement of €1,000 for each child under the age of six years. This payment comes into effect from 1 April. The logistics of the payment are being finalised and details of the arrangements will be announced once they are complete.

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 194: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the recent report, How are our Kids, in Tallaght west; if her Department had any meeting specifically in relation to the report; the new measures, sanctions or proposals she proposes to introduce in response to the considerable problems highlighted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4282/06]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 195: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if, in view of the recent report, How are our Kids, in Tallaght west, her Department is co-ordinating the State's response to the considerable problems outlined in the report. [4283/06]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 194 and 195 together.

It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to the How Are Our Kids research project undertaken by the childhood development initiative and Dartington social research unit which was published in October 2004. This report was one of eight preliminary research documents which culminated in the publication of A Place for Children, a ten-year strategy by the childhood development initiative in Tallaght west.

The ten-year strategy was launched by the Taoiseach in October 2005. At that time, the Government welcomed the goals and aims of the initiative and it is clear the strategy is the result of an enormous amount of work at community level.

The objective of the strategy is to improve children's health, safety, learning and achieving and to increase their sense of community belonging. The Government has put a number of initiatives in place with the ultimate aim of improving children's lives in areas such as Tallaght west. As a Government designated geographic area of disadvantage, namely, a RAPID area, it has been estimated that approximately €27 million was spent in the year 2004-05 by statutory bodies on children's services in the part of it covered by the strategy. I know the project recognises this. This is a substantial sum in the area concerned. Developments through this and other programmes in the areas of education, health and youth justice at national level are mirrored in the approach outlined in the childhood development initiative's ten-year strategy.

A number of meetings between representatives of this and other related projects have already taken place with the relevant Department's officials. In December 2005, the Government announced the bringing together of a number of functions relating to children and their well-being in the office of the Minister with responsibility for children, OMC, to bring greater coherence to policy making for children. In that context, the office of the Minister with responsibility for children will co-ordinate developments in this matter on behalf of the Government.