Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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191. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding allocated for the upgrading of existing childcare accommodation in counties Cavan and Monaghan and the provision of new childcare facilities in 2017; the number of new childcare places provided; the funding drawn down by the end of 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8982/18]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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192. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding allocated for the upgrading of existing childcare accommodation and the provision of new childcare facilities in 2017; the number of new childcare places provided; the funding drawn down by the end of 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8983/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 191 and 192 together as they relate to 2017's Capital funding programmes for childcare, both nationally and in relation to Counties Cavan and Monaghan.

In 2017, €12.4m in total was made available for the 2017 Early Years and School Age Capital programmes, with a view to improving the quality and capacity of childcare services in Ireland. This amount was allocated in full following a competitive appraisal process.

An estimated 6,093 childcare places were created as a direct result of this funding.

The funding strands for 2017 Early Years and School Age Capital programmes were as follows:

Early Years Strand 1 - New places

Early Years Strand 2 - Building improvements and maintenance

Early Years Strand 3 - Natural Outdoor Play Area

School Age Childcare Strand A - Establishment of new SAC

School Age Childcare Strand B - Expansion of existing SAC

School Age Childcare Strand C - Improvement of existing SAC

The latest figures available (February 19th 2018) detail the total sum of contract values under both 2017 Early Years and School Age Capital programmes as €11,193,295.

Per your query, as of 31^stDecember 2017, a total of €10,804,758 of this had been drawn down.

The remaining balance awaiting draw-down at this point can in part be attributed to successful applicants not having reported on their capital works - and therefore not being able to complete draw-down - by year’s end, for which many applied for and received extensions in acknowledgement of their particular circumstances.

It should be noted that the 2018 Capital programmes, which are intended to operate on a significantly earlier and co-ordinated timeline for delivery, with appraisal decisions due in May 2018, should assist providers in achieving their goals of completing works and final draw-down by year's end.

With respect to your query regarding Cavan and Monaghan, I can inform you that, as of 19th February 2018, the total value of contracts issued under the 2017 Capital programmes in the two counties was €533,168.34. 

This funding directly resulted in the creation of an estimated 230 new childcare places.

A breakdown of these figures is as follows:

At present the application process for Early Years and School Age Capital 2018 is underway, and I hope that it can build on the successes of 2017's programmes, increasing the quality and capacity of childcare services in all counties in Ireland.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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193. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the funding allocated for 2018 towards upgrading of existing childcare accommodation and the provision of new childcare facilities; the number of new childcare places to be provided with the assistance of such grant aid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8984/18]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The budget allocated to Early Years and School Age Childcare Capital programmes for 2018 is €6.86 million. The programmes will operate under the following five strands:

Early Years Care and Education

Strand 1: New or expanding services; €50k maximum grant size

Strand 2: Essential maintenance; €20k maximum grant size

Strand 3: Natural outdoor play area; €7k maximum grant size

School Age Childcare

Strand 4: New or expanding services; €20k maximum grant size

Strand 5: Essential maintenance; €5k maximum grant size

Grant funding under each strand will be allocated in a competitive process, for which applications opened on 12^thFebruary 2018 and will remain open until 3pm on Friday 9^thMarch 2018. Full details can be found in the applicant guidelines.

Of the five strands of funding available, Strands 1 (Early Years) and 4 (School Age) relate specifically to the creation of new childcare places. In predicting the outcomes of these strands at such an early stage, it is important to note that every application for funding is subject to a number of variables. For example, for Strand 1 (Early Years), applicants may apply for any amount between €20,000 and €50,000 in grant funding; for Strand 4 (School Age), the equivalent amount is between €3,000 and €20,000. Individual projects for these strands can exceed the maximum available grant but evidence of funding for the full project must be demonstrated.

Further to this, there is a large variance in the amount of childcare places that must be created per grant approved under each strand. In early years services, the age group for which places are being created is a significant factor. As you will be aware, childcare regulations require different staff ratios and floor-space per child. This is considered in the design of the Early Years capital programme so that, for example, under Strand 1 (Early Years), applicants must create a minimum of either 3 new places for 0-1 year olds, 5 new places for 1-3 year olds, or 11 new places for ECCE (3-5 year old) children.

For an applicant seeking funding under Strand 4 (School Age), the minimum amount of places to be created is determined by whether the project for which funding is sought is a relocation/expansion project (11 places), or a new build project (8 places).

At this early stage, and given the variables mentioned above, it is not possible to give an accurate prediction of the amount of new childcare places to be created under the Early Years and School Age Capital programmes in 2018. In particular, it will not be possible to estimate how many places might be created - and for which age groups - until the appraisal process is concluded in May 2018.

As the Minister I am committed to continuing to ensure access to high quality and affordable childcare. To this regard I ensured that childcare capacity was identified as a strategy priority in the recently published National Planning Framework which attracted additional funding of €250m in the National Development Plan. I am also committed to further research to comprehensively identify the capacity needs of the sector which may emerge over the next decade.