David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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811. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she is aware of the lack of funding for a centre (details supplied) and the impact this is having on service provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20558/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I am acutely aware of the difficulties the proposed closure of Larchville Lisduggan Childcare Centre will have on families who avail of the service and staff who work there. My Department has provided significant funding over the years to the service through various childcare schemes such as the free pre-school year, the Community Childcare Subvention, the various Training and Employment Childcare programmes and through some capital funding.

My Department, Waterford County Childcare Committee (CCC) and Pobal has been working with and supporting Larchville Lisduggan Childcare Centre since November 2014 when sustainability issues arose, primarily as a consequence of a reduction in funding from Tusla, the Child and Family Agency and operational matters within the Childcare Centre. In March 2016, following intensive developmental and support assistance from both Pobal and Waterford CCC to the service, the Board of Management advised Pobal and Waterford CCC that the service would close over the summer months to reduce costs. However, on 4th July 2016, Waterford CCC notified Pobal of the Larchfield Lisduggan's Board of Management's intention to close the service. Pobal subsequently received a letter from the Board of Management advising that, further to legal advice, the service would close and enter into liquidation. On hearing of this decision, Pobal and Waterford CCC immediately sought a meeting with the Board to offer further support in seeking alternative options for the service and the use of buildings.

My Department, Pobal and Waterford CCC will continue to work over the summer months with the Board of Management of Larchfield Lisduggan Childcare Centre to advance options for the families who avail of this service. All payments made for children attending the service can be reactivated and with the expansion of ECCE from this September, and CCS places still being available, an opportunity exists for a new provider to increase income generation.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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812. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding model which is in place for the various county child care systems; to outline the weighting system for this funding and if this has changed recently; the particular services her Department requires county child care committees to provide; and the level of funding the child care committees of Longford and Westmeath have received in each year from 2008 to 2016 to date. [20569/16]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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33 City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) were established in 2001 to advance the provision of childcare facilities in their local areas. They comprise local representatives from the statutory, community and voluntary sectors, childcare providers and parents. There are now 30 CCCs, as Limerick City and Limerick County CCCs have amalgamated, as have Waterford City and Waterford County and North and South Tipperary. Each committee has a distinct legal identity and board of directors. City and County Childcare Committees receive funding from my Department for the operations of the Committee, allowing each one to employ staff and implement actions contained in its strategic plan, which is approved by my Department to reflect national policy objectives. Pobal acts as managing agent on behalf of the Department in relation to the performance of individual CCCs. Pobal appraises and monitors the local planning and implementation of activities and outcomes of each CCC associated with my Department's funding, and supports CCCs individually and collectively.

The CCCs support the delivery of the three national childcare programmes; the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme, the Community Childcare Subvention (CCS) Programme and the Training and Employment Childcare (TEC) Programme, the CCCs provide support and guidance to local service providers and parents in relation to the childcare programmes and support quality in keeping with national frameworks and policy objectives. CCCs are also available to co-ordinate and provide training to providers and offer support to families with regard to Early Years services within their respective catchment areas.

Following the economic downturn, the funding of County Childcare Committees (CCCs) nationally was cut in Budget 2011 by 12.5%. My Department communicated the rationale for the cut in funding to the CCCs at this time. It is also my understanding that my Department advised the CCC Chairpersons of the requirement to implement reductions to CCC staff salaries aligned to the agreed Local Authority pay scales.

In 2012, my Department and Pobal conducted a review of funding allocations to the CCCs under a Revised Allocations Framework. The rationale for the Revised Allocations Framework was to implement a more balanced allocation of available funding and also to implement further required savings of 8% in the overall CCCs' budget over the two years 2013/2014. The analysis of funding allocations indicated that a number of CCCs, when compared with each other, had allocations that appeared to be disproportionate to their population and service profiles. The review resulted in a reduction in the funding to some CCCs in the years 2013/2014. The relevant CCCs were informed by my Department of this reduction and the rationale and methodology used to arrive at this decision.

Under the Revised Allocations Framework, each CCC was weighted with a combination of 4 variables:

1. (% of National Population of 0-4 years Census 2011) x 0.35;

2. (% of National Population of 5-12 years Census 2011) x 0.15;

3. (% of DCYA contracted services 2011/2012) x 0.35;

4. (% Pobal-HP Deprivation Resource Allocation Model) x 0.15

The result was a relative percentage weighting for each CCC area. The weighting was compared to the percentage of funding each CCC was allocated in 2012 in order to identify those CCCs that were relatively underfunded and to inform funding allocation options and implications. Since 2014, there have been no further reductions in the funding allocations to the CCCs.

The Deputy refers to funding allocations to Westmeath and Longford CCC between 2008 and 2016. The allocation of funding to these two CCCs is outlined below. Both CCCs were affected by the cuts outline above and levels of funding have remained unchanged since 2014.