Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 183: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children when funding will be allocated to the various county child care committees to enable those involved in the provision of child care facilities to plan for September 2006 onwards; if grants towards the building of such crèches are awarded retrospectively; and the maximum amount payable involved. [6422/06]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Child Care Investment Programme 2006-2010 is being implemented by the newly established office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children, under the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Brian Lenihan. The new programme aims to provide a proactive response to the development of quality child care supports and services which are grounded in an understanding of local needs.

To achieve this, arrangements are being put in place with the city and county child care committees to facilitate the initial development stage of applications for grant assistance for child care facilities at local level. It is envisaged that both private and community or not-for-profit sector child care providers will apply for large-scale capital funding under the new programme through their local child care committees and that the committees will provide any necessary assistance to applicants in developing their application to the pre-appraisal stage.

To assist in correlating the distribution of funding with local child care needs at county level, a strategic mapping exercise is being undertaken to inform the approach of each child care committee in working to achieve the objectives of the programme. While this is being completed, the initial stages of the application process will continue to be dealt with at central level in the coming months. In addition to ensuring a more strategic approach to matching child care needs with child care services, the new approach is expected to bring increased efficiency to the application process and shorten the timeframe in which new child care places are provided. At the appropriate stage in the process, applications will be forwarded by the child care committees to Pobal, which administers the programme on behalf of the office of the Minister of State with responsibility for children and, in due course, will be decided on within the office, under the Department of Health and Children.

Private sector child care providers may apply for grant assistance of up to €100,000 towards the capital cost of developing a child care service facility in a catchment area where there is a demonstrated child care need. An applicant may apply for more than one grant under this scheme provided the subsequent child care facilities are in different catchment areas and subject to an overall ceiling of €500,000 per applicant. In each case, an applicant must provide at least 25% of the total funding for the project and all grant payments are subject to the relevant criteria having been met. Community or not-for-profit child care providers may apply for grant assistance up to €1 million per project based on a demonstrated child care need in the area. The level of funding granted will be determined by the number of places which the group proposes to provide and the sustainability of the project, and will be subject to the relevant criteria having been met.