Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 136: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the funding which is available for the building of a crèche child care centre; the way in which a person can apply for the funding; the criteria which must be met; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10538/06]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 137: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if child care funding for building crèches has been put on hold; the reason for same; when they will be open to application again; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10552/06]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 136 and 137 together.

The Government's commitment to a major investment in child care services is reflected in the fact that it has introduced a new €575 million national child care investment programme 2006-10 in advance of the completion of its predecessor, the €499 million EU co-funded equal opportunities child care programme, EOCP, 2000-06, which will continue to operate until the end of 2007. Consequently, while grant applications under the EOCP continue to be processed, new grant schemes under the national child care investment programme 2006-10 may be applied for.

Responsibility for both the EOCP and the new child care investment programme have been assigned to the new Office of the Minister for Children, OMC, under the Minister of State, Deputy Brian Lenihan. The establishment of the OMC is an important development for children's services as responsibility for key policy areas affecting children, including child welfare and protection, early years education, youth justice, the national children's strategy and the child care strategy, have been brought together in a single office under one Minister.

With regard to the national childcare investment programme 2006-10, the necessary arrangements to implement the new programme are now in place and new applications are being processed. A key objective of the new programme is to ensure the development of quality child care supports and services in a proactive way which takes account of identified local child care needs. As a result, arrangements have been put in place to enable the initial developmental stage of grant applications to be facilitated at local level by the city and county child care committees, CCCs.

Applications may be made by completing expression of interest forms and returning them to the relevant local CCC. The expression of interest forms are available from the CCCs and also from Pobal, www.pobal.ie, and the OMC, www.omc.gov.ie. Full contact details for the CCCs are available on the OMC website. Following completion of the developmental and technical stages of the assessment process, the applications will be forwarded to the OMC for final appraisal and decision.

As in the case of the EOCP, different levels of large scale capital grants are available to private and community-not for profit sector child care providers under the new programme. Private sector child care providers may apply for grant assistance of up to €100,000 towards the capital cost of developing a child care services in a catchment area where there is a demonstrated child care need. An applicant may apply for more than one grant provided the subsequent child care facilities are in different catchment areas and subject to an overall ceiling of €500,000. In each case, an applicant must provide at least 25% of the total cost of the project. Community-not for profit child care providers may apply for grant assistance up to a maximum of €1 million per project.

Eligibility for grants under the national child care programme 2006-10 will be determined having regard to an applicant's rating across a range of criteria each of which is intended to contribute to the overall objectives of the programme. These include the service being located in an area of identified need for the type of service proposed, its resulting in an increased provision of child care places for particular child care services, including pre-school places aimed at three to four year olds and school age child care, a focus on the needs and development of the child and compliance with regulatory and other legal obligations.