Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 556: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the position regarding funding in respect of an organisation (details supplied) in Dublin 3. [29335/12]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The maximum grant available was €50,000 (including VAT). The aim of the funding is to provide support to childcare settings to address remedial, maintenance and renovation work, or to purchase equipment. The successful applications were those that represented the most complete, coherent, precise and compelling cases for funding. The investment has been directed, to the greatest extent possible, to addressing the most urgent works, and supporting the quality of services making the greatest impact for disadvantaged children and communities. All applicants were notified by Pobal of the outcome and the Pobal website provides a facility for unsuccessful applicants to request by call-back, information to assist them in understanding the reasons for the outcome of their applications.

My Department also provides funding to support three childcare programmes - the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme, and the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme - which provide a range of supports to both employed and unemployed parents of pre-school children and also after school care for children older than 6 years.

I understand that this group is already participating in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which provides a free pre-school year to all eligible children in the year before commencing primary school. To meet the additional costs of the increased number of children eligible for this programme and to provide for savings identified in the Comprehensive Review of Expenditure process, to which all Government departments were subject, it will be necessary to make some changes to the capitation payments in the school year commencing in September 2012. A reduction of €2 per week will be made to the capitation rates paid to providers from September 2012. However, to give some flexibility to childcare services to manage this modest reduction, the staff to child ratios and the space ratios for the pre-school element of childcare services only, will be increased in September 2012. The staff to child ratio will increase from a ratio of 1: 10 to a ratio of 1: 11. To allow for the implementation of these new ratios it is proposed that a new space/area requirement of 1.818 square metres per child will be applied. The Water Closet/Wash Hand Basin ratios will also change in line with the adult/child ratios.

The Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme enables community-based childcare services to provide childcare at reduced rates to disadvantaged and low income families. For the purpose of the CCS programme, disadvantage and low income are determined by reference to a range of means-tested allowances and payments including receipt of a social welfare payment, Family Income Supplement (FIS) and qualification for a medical or GP visit card. Eligibility for a GP visit card is based on net income and takes account of outgoings such as rent and mortgage repayments and other expenses including childcare costs and travelling expenses. As a result, parents with middle incomes may also benefit from subvention. Childcare services wishing to enter this programme can only be considered if they are replacing an existing participating service which is opting out of the programme, and when they are in a position to provide for the needs of the parents using the service that they are replacing.

The Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) programme was introduced in September 2010 and provides funding to participating childcare services in return for the provision of childcare places to qualifying FÁS and Vocational Educational Committees (VECs) trainees and students. Both community and commercial childcare providers are eligible to apply for entry to this programme.

In relation to funding for CE workers, I understand from information supplied to me by the Department of Social Protection, that the budget for CE placements in childcare related positions is ring fenced specifically for that purpose. Furthermore, I have been informed that there are no plans to reduce the number of childcare related CE participants nor to reduce the related amount of ring fenced funding.