Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 179: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when a group (details supplied) in County Mayo will be approved and awarded a grant; the outcome of the review in this case; and if funding been provided in view of the fact that there is only two to three months before the break-up of play-schools for the summer months and many of these children will lose out on play-school prior to junior infants if funding is not immediately provided. [13455/07]

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, for Groups applying for funding under this programme, 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 an EOCP staffing grant application to Pobal, which is engaged to assess EOCP and NCIP 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.