THOUSANDS OF new childcare places which were due to be created by next year will not come on stream despite record numbers of births in recent years.
Under the Government’s national childcare investment plan, a total of 50,000 childcare places were due to be created between 2006 and 2010.
Latest figures show the number of places likely to created by the end of next year will be in the region of 25,000 to 30,000 according to official documents.
Despite the reduction in the number of new places, the Office of the Minister for Children anticipates there will be more than enough places for children to avail of its plan to provide a year’s free pre-school.
This scheme, due to come into force from January next year, will provide a year’s free pre-school place for all children born on or between February 2nd, 2005 and June 30th, 2006.
In documents submitted by the Department of Health to the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes, also known as An Bord Snip Nua, it states that €97 million out of €188 million in capital grant aid has been expended since 2006.
This, it says, will result in the creation of 25,500 childcare places. When investment planned for 2010 is factored in, it says the total number of places is likely to be more than 30,000.
If the economic downturn had not happened, it says the existing level of capital grant commitments would be significantly higher and the programme’s targets would have been fully met by the end of this year.
In a statement yesterday, Fine Gael’s spokesman on children, Alan Shatter TD, said a substantial number of childcare projects were being left in limbo without any realistic prospect of receiving funding.
“There is no doubt in anyone’s mind as to the dire financial circumstances the Fianna Fáil/Green Government has landed the country in, but it makes no sense to cancel capital projects like this which are vital to communities when the building industry is crying out for jobs and it is possible to get work done more economically than for over a decade,” Mr Shatter said.
In a statement yesterday, the Office of the Minister for Children confirmed that over 25,000 new childcare places will be provided by the end of next year.
It said a total of €180 million in capital grant applications was allocated by the end of 2008 of which €100 million was drawn down. The outstanding €80 million will be drawn down during 2009-2010.
Significant amounts of funding had not been drawn down due to a review of public expenditure, in particular in relation to new capital commitments.
As a result, these applications were put on hold until April of this year and the investment plan was closed to new applicants.
In addition, just over €10 million has been sanctioned in recent months to enable a number of existing services, which were in urgent need of funding to meet Health Service Executive requirements, to stay in operation.
A key criteria in determining priority applications were severe disadvantage and where an existing community service was in danger of closure if necessary repairs required by Health Service Executive inspectors, could not be carried out.
Mr Shatter said there has been a “veil of secrecy” over the way the childcare investment programme’s budget was reduced.
“The operation of this important programme to provide childcare facilities of a proper standard has lacked essential transparency,” he said.