Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 340: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if grant assistance is available to develop childcare facilities, particularly when demand for such services has been identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16431/11]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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Question 341: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if there are any schemes in her Department to grant aid childcare facilities. [16454/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 340 and 341 together.

Preschool services can apply to participate in the free Preschool Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) scheme, which was introduced by my Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in January 2010. Under the scheme, in return for providing the free Preschool Year to eligible children, a preschool service will be paid an annual capitation for each eligible child enrolled. The standard capitation rate is €2,450 per annum and a higher capitation rate of €2,850 per annum is payable to services with more highly qualified staff.

Children are eligible to participate in the scheme when they are aged between 3 years 3 months and 4 years 6 months in September of the relevant year. At September 2010, some 4,300 preschool services, or 95% of all such services, are participating in the scheme. 63,000 children, or 94% of all eligible children are availing of the free Preschool Year. The ECCE scheme cost approximately €154 million in 2010 and is expected to cost €166 million in 2011. Applications for new services to enter the scheme from September 2011, will be available shortly from the local City or County Childcare Committee.

The Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme was introduced in September last year and is also implemented by my Department, on behalf of FAS and the Vocational Educational Committees (VECs). Under this programme, which is open to full day-care and part-time services, qualifying students and trainees can avail of childcare places free of charge, with my Office paying providers a weekly capitation rate of €170 for each full-time childcare place contracted in their service, €95 for each half day care place and €50 for an after school place.

My Office also has responsibility for the implementation of the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP) which includes a capital grant programme to develop childcare facilities. However, as this programme closed to new capital grant applicants in 2009, I regret to advise the Deputies that capital expenditure in 2010 and 2011 is confined to existing capital grant commitments.