CHILD CARE CENTRES (Review of grants)

Dr S. Vasoo asked the Acting Minister for Community Development whether there are plans to increase the number of child care centres and review the grants for such centres.

The Acting Minister for Community Development (Mr Abdullah Tarmugi): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry will set up more child care centres to meet the needs of parents who require the service. As at the end of October 1995, there were 376 child care centres with 29,343 places. By the end of FY 95, the target is to provide 402 centres with a total capacity of 30,562 places. The target set for FY 96 is 434 centres to provide for 32,642 places. The Ministry continually monitors the demand for child care services and sets up centres in tandem with demand.

As for grants, Sir, child care centres set up by voluntary welfare organisations, non-profit organisations and workplaces receive capital grants for equipment and furnishings and for conversion costs. Grants are adequate and MCD will review them periodically as the need arises.

Then there is a child care subsidy for working mothers which was increased from $130 to $150 for full day care and from $65 to $75 for half day care with effect from April this year. This amounts to a $6.24 million increase in the budget for child care subsidy bringing the total to $40.82 million. Child care subsidies are reviewed on a regular basis in order to keep child care fees affordable and to make them attractive for working mothers to use child care centres.

Dr S. Vasoo (Tanjong Pagar GRC): Sir, would the Minister inform the House where are most of these child care centres being established and whether there are adequate child care centres in the new towns where there is a growing number of young working mothers who have been demanding for additional child care places?

Mr Abdullah Tarmugi: Sir, we have adequate child care centres as of now. In fact,, as at October this year, there were 2,682 vacancies in child care centres all over the island.

In our projection for child care centres, we do take into account where the demands are and where the new satellite towns would be. These would be the places where we will concentrate the child care centres.