Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 206: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000 to 2006 an application by a group (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved; the reason her Department was unable to deal with the application within the normal time frame; if in the circumstances where the building in question has been renovated and ready to open and children readily available to attend there, she will approve the grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10644/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000 — 2006 (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 — 2010 (NCIP), which are being implemented by the Office of the Minister for Children.

As part of the process of closing the EOCP, the final date for reaching contract stage was 31 December 2006. As the Deputy will be aware, the EOCP is co-funded by the European Union, and timescales agreed with the Commission must be observed, as financial penalties will accrue to the State if they are not. The Group in question submitted their application to Pobal, which is engaged to assess all grants on behalf of my Office, in October 2006. Final information required to complete the assessment was received by Pobal from the Group on 6 December 2006.

As it was not possible at that stage for the application to be brought through the assessment and appraisal process and to contract stage by 31 December 2006, it was recommended by the Programme Appraisal Committee that the Group's application under that Programme be declined and that the application be considered in the context of the forthcoming NCIP staffing grant scheme. The Secretary General of the Department concurred with this recommendation.

In certain circumstances, including where an application is linked to a previous EOCP capital grant, applications for staffing grant assistance are continuing to be considered under the EOCP and, subject to the outcome of a review in each case, the applicants will be advised of the position as soon as possible. In the case of other Groups such as that referred to by the Deputy, which have been declined staffing grant funding under the EOCP as a result of being unable to meet the contractual deadlines of that Programme, and whose applications were not linked to a previous EOCP capital grant, the review of their applications for staffing grant funding will be undertaken as soon as the details of the new NCIP staffing grant scheme are announced. In each case, the review will be undertaken as quickly as possible to facilitate the Group concerned. Officials in my Office will be in contact with the Group in due course to inform them of the outcome of that review.