Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 517: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of community childcare places that have been created under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 to 2010 to date. [15292/07]

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 518: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of private childcare places that have been created under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 to 2010 to date. [15293/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 517 and 518 together.

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.

The NCIP came into effect from 1 January 2006, with an allocation of €575 million for the 5 year period of 2006 to 2010. The NCIP is a key element of the National Childcare Strategy 2006-2010, the aim of which is to deliver a more comprehensive approach to early years care and education. Unlike the EOCP, the NCIP is completely Exchequer funded. The NCIP is designed to deliver 50,000 additional childcare places, with a greater focus on pre-school places for 3 to 4 year olds and school age childcare. Childcare places are provided either through community based/not for profit childcare groups or by private providers.

The number of childcare places supported under the NCIP amounts to 1,567, of which 1,206 are new places in private childcare facilities. A longer lead-in period is generally required in the creation of new childcare places in communitiy-based facilities, partly due to large level of capital grant funding available to this sector. However, to date expenditure amounting to over €36 million has been approved under the programme in respect of 81 community-based facilities which is expected to result in the creation of 690 new full-time places and 1,577 new part-time places.

During 2007, funding also continues to be drawn down under the EOCP. To date, 34,359 new places have been created and an additional 25,443 places are being supported. Out of the 34,359 new places, 18,200 are in community-based facilities and 16,159 are in private sector facilities.