Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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937. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if any funding is available to support a crèche project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12992/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The childcare service to which the Deputy refers is participating in the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) programme which is implemented by my Department. The CCS programme provides funding to community childcare not-for-profit services to enable them to charge reduced childcare rates to parents in receipt of social welfare payments or on low to middle incomes.

Community childcare services qualify for grant aid on the basis of the level of service they provide and the profile of the parents benefiting from their service. The objective of the funding provided under the programme is to ensure that disadvantaged and low income families can have access to quality childcare support. Parents qualifying for subvention support can have up to €95 per week deducted from the overall charge. The weekly difference between the subvention support and overall cost, which should include all costs associated with providing the service, must be met by the parent. As the CCS is a specifically targeted programme, there is no provision to provide additional funding over and above that generated by the parental profiles. There is no other funding available to my Department to fund the event outlined by the Deputy.