Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 488: To ask the Minister for Health and Children when Pobal will allocate payments due to the various community and not-for-profit child care groups, many of whom are left in a position whereby they do not have any resources left to keep the facilities open and operating; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that same has been due from Pobal since 1 January 2009; if she will ensure that these moneys which are overdue are immediately paid out to these groups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1887/09]

Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Community Childcare Subvention Scheme (CCSS) which is implemented under the National Childcare Investment Programme 2006 -2010, payments are made by Pobal to community based childcare groups, generally on a quarterly basis. The final payments in 2008 were made during October — December, and the first payments for 2009 are being made this month (at the equivalent of the quarterly rate payable at the end of last year). As the Deputy will appreciate, it is necessary to provide for CCSS payments in respect of 2009 from within the 2009 allocation. As a result, the first CCSS payments issued in 2009 were made on 9 January.

To date, I am informed that approximately 80% of services have received a payment for 2009, and that a majority of the remainder are required to submit additional outstanding documentation to Pobal. My Office and Pobal have been in contact with these services on an ongoing basis, in order to resolve such matters, and I understand that a number of groups will receive a payment this week.

There are some 850 services participating in the CCSS, and to qualify for a 2009 payment, they were required to make an electronic return, and also to forward signed parental forms from parents and a form signed by the service manager confirming adherence to measures which ensure compliance with Data Protection legislation. If a group made a late return, or made a return where the parents did not sign the forms authorising this sharing of information, or where the service manager did not sign his/er declaration regarding Data Protection, this has delayed that process for those groups.

These returns were made in respect of a reference week last September, and groups were asked that this be completed by 26 September, as they have to be checked with the Department of Social and Family Affairs (D/SFA). Unfortunately, only a minority of groups met the deadlines for submission of full and compliant returns, and so this deadline was extended to the end of the year, and an initial batch of services which had made returns with no outstanding issues were forwarded to D/SFA. Of these, some 230 groups were informed of their 2009 funding during November and December 2008. A further 58 groups have been informed of their 2009 funding this month, and it is hoped that all outstanding groups will all know their 2009 funding in full by the end of next month.