Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Question 122: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position in relation to the payment of a child care grant in respect of a group (details supplied) in County Cork. [6859/09]

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 (NCIP) 2006-2010, which is the successor programme to the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) which concluded at the end of 2007. The EOCP was, and the NCIP is administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department.

I understand that the service in question was approved a capital grant of €250,000 in November 2005 under the EOCP. As the applicant could not proceed to contract at that time the grant was transferred to the NCIP and approved in June 2007. An additional €40,000 was approved in February 2008, bringing the total to €290,000.

In November 2008 the group informed Pobal that the local authority had granted planning permission for the development of the facility. As the terms of the planning permission did not satisfy the requirements of the NCIP, a decision has been made to decommit the funding and officials in my Office are in the process of advising the group of the outcome. It is, of course, open to the group to appeal the decision.