It appears that dozens of child care centres nationally are at risk as a result of the communication on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform under the equal opportunities child care programme. Staffing grants for child care facilities are to be reviewed after 31 August. I draw the Taoiseach's attention especially to the statement in the communication that the Department wishes the services to be sustainable with effect from 1 September 2005 through a fair and equitable fee structure. In other words, the Department intends that with the exception of those in what it calls "gravely disadvantaged areas", a definition the meaning of which is unknown, the grants made available to community-based, not-for-profit child care facilities will be terminated and their sponsors directed to charge economic fees.

Does the Taoiseach know what the imposition of economic fees for child care will mean for parents on middle and lower incomes? Many families on middle incomes pay as much and in some cases more on child care than they do in mortgage repayments. The Taoiseach must know from being out and about at present that people living in the commuter belts around the city find it extremely difficult to source child care facilities and that where they can, fees sometimes exceed mortgage repayments. The little the Government is doing to address child care provision it now proposes to partially discontinue thereby putting dozens of child care centres at risk.

That is certainly not what the Government is doing. Our policy is to respond to child care needs by increasing the availability of child care places through the implementation of the national child care strategy in the equal opportunities child care programmes. We also assist parents with the cost of caring for their children through the provision of significantly increased child benefit which supports all parents irrespective of economic status throughout the childhood of their offspring.

The Government has no idea of the cost.

The decision was made some years ago that the provision of child benefit in this manner was the fairest approach to take. The equal opportunities child care programme was funded as a key element of the national economic development plan to increase the supply of centre-based child care places by 50% to 28,300.

It is a bureaucratic nightmare. Community representatives cannot even fill in the forms as they are so difficult.

Allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption, please.

Funds have been committed to facilitate the creation of 33,000 new places. There are no plans to close centres. We are endeavouring to extend them under the equal opportunities programme.

It is a joke.

None of the places in question existed a few years ago. They are all new.

It is Alice in Wonderland stuff.

There was no system or order in the provision of child care places. Funding for the equal opportunities programme has increased from an original package of €318 million to €499 million. It is not the Government's policy to reduce places or close centres, it is, rather, to create more places.

What about the staffing grants?

The Taoiseach has no familiarity with the issue. The Government is not aiding child care through what the Taoiseach called "equal opportunities child care programmes" as there is only one programme, the staffing grants of which he proposes to cut. By falling back on an argument about child benefit, the Taoiseach showed he has no knowledge of the cost of child care. Does the Taoiseach know the average cost of child care in this city and its surrounding areas is €150 per child per week and it is very little different in the rest of the country? In the Book of Estimates for 2005, the Government has frozen the provision for child care.

While there is no commitment to child care in the programme for Government, the Progressive Democrats promised in its manifesto to provide 40,000 additional child care places. Through its Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the party is actually cutting the number of places which exist. It is a further example of the sort of spin we saw in relation to medical cards. The Progressive Democrats promised 40,000 additional places, but is cutting the number that are there. I cannot for the life of me understand why child care is the responsibility of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. I cannot see it being a priority for the Minister. The communication the Department has issued puts at risk dozens of child care facilities, such as they are, around the country.

Hear, hear.

To repeat a number of points——

Answer the question.

Allow the Taoiseach to speak without interruption, please.

I would like to answer Deputy Rabbitte's questions, not those of his backbenchers. Expenditure on child benefit has increased four fold to assist people with children. I understand its purpose very well. Expenditure has increased from €500 million to €2 billion and it benefits everybody regardless of circumstances. Child care places have been increased by over 50%. When the approved additional resources are implemented, 33,000 places will be provided. Deputy Rabbitte is only wrong on one fact, which is that child care is far more expensive than he states. For one child the cost is from €800 to €900 per month, including in Kildare and Meath as he will have heard.

Child benefit——

It was acknowledged in numerous reports that the fairest approach with the best socio-economic impact was to provide child benefit to everyone regardless of income. There are still significant difficulties for young families, especially those with mortgages, whether they are in the commuter belt or not.

Why is the Government cutting the staffing grants then?

The issue has already been identified as one to be dealt with in the next round of negotiations with the social partners. We should avoid glib comments to the effect that an increase from €500 million of taxpayers' money to €2 billion is nothing.

The Taoiseach should answer the question.