James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 166: To ask the Minister for Health if he will allow time to pay back a Pobal grant on hardship grounds, until the facility concerned, which is being forced to close due to the recession, leaving a person (details supplied) in County Longford in considerable debt; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18109/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I have responsibility for the implementation of the National Child Care Investment Programme (NCIP) under which capital funding was made available to community and commercial child care providers for the development and refurbishment of child care facilities.

The person referred to by the Deputy was approved under the programme for capital funding amounting to €100,000 in 2006. In order to protect this investment of public funding, applicants are contractually obliged to provide the child care service for which funding was granted for a set period from the date the final instalment was, in this case for seven years which will end in August 2015.

As the service closed in August 2009, my Department is obliged to ensure that decommital and recovery procedures are instigated. I understand that Pobal, who assist my Department with the administration of the NCIP, are taking the necessary steps in this regard. I regret to advise the Deputy that as these are legal obligations, my Department is not in a position to exempt individuals from their contractual commitments under the programme.