Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 268: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the number of concluded questionnaires received to date from parents whose children at present use not for profit crèche and child care facilities with regard to the review being undertaken concerning the child care subvention scheme; and if she will publish the data obtained from such review and the date when it is anticipated the review will be complete. [30024/07]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Transitional arrangements have been made under which existing Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP) staffing grant recipients will continue to be funded at their current levels until 1st July 2008, provided they enter the new Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) by submitting the data required as part of the application process of the new scheme. Therefore I would urge Groups with applications outstanding to forward the completed applications to the Childcare Directorate of my Office as soon as possible to avail of the transitional funding. This funding is to ensure that existing childcare services are facilitated to adjust to the new scheme, including making any adjustments necessary to their fee structures. As signalled when I announced the new scheme in July this year, the transitional period between now and 1 July 2008 will also be used to monitor and review the impact it will have on individual groups, on the basis of the more detailed and comprehensive data which has been received from applicants this month.

Initially 780 Groups in receipt of EOCP staffing grants who had no compliance issues in respect of their current grant aid were requested to complete applications for the new subvention scheme. Of these, some 550 had forwarded returns to the Childcare Directorate of my Office by last week. A further 52 Groups were forwarded applications with a deadline of completion and return of later this month. These returns, together with a significant number of Groups who have contacted the Childcare Directorate and the City/County Childcare Committees requesting an extension, are expected by the end of November. The data from these returns is being collated and analysed and this analysis will be completed and published by early 2008. If appropriate, adjustments necessary to the scheme to secure the best outcomes for childcare services and for disadvantaged parents and their children will be considered on the basis of this data and well in advance of the commencement of the new funding levels in July 2008.