Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 232: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the way a person can avail of child care subvention if there is no community child care facility in their neighbourhood or within a reasonable distance from their home; if, in those circumstances, they can use the subvention in a private facility which is willing to accept it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37040/08]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, I have responsibility for the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006-2010 (NCIP) under which the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) is being implemented. The CCSS, which has an allocation of €154.2 million over 2008 — 2010, came into effect in January this year replacing the previous support scheme which was implemented under the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme 2000-2006 (EOCP).

The main supports which are made available to parents to support them with their childcare costs are Child Benefit and the Early Childcare Supplement. These payments are universal and benefit all parents, regardless of their income, labour market status or the type of childcare they choose. The CCSS and the previous EOCP support scheme target additional funds to support community-based childcare services to enable them to charge reduced childcare fees to parents who qualify as disadvantaged or low income. Services qualify for grant aid on the basis of the level of service they provide and the profile of the parents benefiting from their service. There are no proposals at present to extend the scheme to private childcare providers.

The Government is continuing to support the further development of childcare services, in particular community-based services. €358 million has been allocated to the NCIP capital programme and, since its introduction in January 2006 more than 370 capital grants have been approved in respect of 337 community-based childcare services throughout the country.