Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the amount of funding allocated to a company (details supplied) in Dublin 11 under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 to 2010 covers only 40% of the total costs associated with completing the project; the action she proposes to take to address this shortfall; if this allocation will be reviewed and improved in view of the shortfall; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19292/07]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, 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.

The Group in question was approved €1.5 million in capital grant assistance under the EOCP in June 2005 as a contribution towards capital costs, conditional on the Group concluding contractual arrangements with Pobal, who manage the day to day operation of the EOCP and NCIP on behalf of my Office. The Group subsequently requested a review of this decision. The Programme Appraisal Committee (PAC) reviewed the decision, and having considered all information available, recommended to the Secretary General to uphold the original decision. The Secretary General concurred with the recommendation of the PAC not to increase the level of funding as the original approval was deemed a sufficient contribution to the development of a purpose built childcare facility in the area. The Group was informed of this outcome in March 2006.

To comply with the closing timeframes of the EOCP, applicants for capital grant funding were required to reach contractual stage by the programme's closing date of 31 December 2006. The Group did not meet this deadline and their application could not, therefore, proceed under the EOCP. In view of the fact that the Group had been approved in principle under the EOCP, they were invited to apply to have their capital funding approval under the EOCP transferred to the NCIP and this process was completed in April 2007. I understand that further progress on the application is awaiting the Group's return to Pobal of a completed Project Development Plan and templates. It is noted that the maximum capital grant for Community Based/Not for Profit projects under the NCIP is €1.2 million and the Group is currently approved for considerably more than this limit.