2026-04-23

124. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the building blocks grant. [29531/26]

As I said earlier, I am pleased to have announced on Tuesday that next phase of the building scheme. It is a €10 million capital funding scheme to deliver a significant number of additional early learning and childcare places. The scheme is being funded under the updated national development plan. The purpose of the building blocks scheme is to deliver additional capacity in the sector by supporting existing early learning and childcare services to undertake physical extensions to existing premises. The scheme will be open to community and private services that are signed up to the core funding scheme and commit to continuing in the scheme and adhering to its conditions, particularly in respect of the fee management rules. The aim of the scheme is to tackle undersupply of full-time places, particularly for children aged from one to three years of age. Places for children in other age brackets will also be eligible for funding, once services create at least the minimum number of places in the priority age cohort. The scheme will have two strands, one for extensions to existing premises for community services and another for extensions to existing premises for private services. Community services can avail of investment of up to €530,000 for projects up to a total value of €650,000. Private services can avail of investment of up to €265,000 for projects up to a total value of €650,000, with a minimum of 50% funding to come from the operator. Thresholds from the scheme have been updated since the previous scheme to reflect construction price inflation. All projects will be required to accept a charge on the premises to protect the State's interest in the property and ensure that the capital investment continues to be used for its intended purpose over a long period of time. That is important. The State needs to protect the investment. It is important that if funding is being given to provide additional places, it will be used in the long term for the provision of the additional places, as set out in the building blocks extension scheme phase 2.

I thank the Minister. That is positive information and it is a positive scheme. I have had many inquiries over the last while from childcare providers in my area, both private and community-run, as to when it would be announced. It is important that it is for private and community facilities. We need all of our facilities to avail of it. I know people in Trim who are putting their children's names on waiting lists before they are even signing up for antenatal classes. The demand is that strong and this will make a big difference. Aiming the scheme, as I hope we will, primarily at one- to three-year-olds is also vitally important. They are children for whom we are lacking the most spaces. We need to help parents as much as possible to get back into the workforce if they wish to do so. This is a good scheme for achieving that. The scheme for State-led provision of childcare the Minister is working on will be hugely positive and beneficial.

I thank Deputy Dempsey very much. I acknowledge her personal engagement with me on all matters related to early years and childcare. I know it is a particular priority for her and her constituents. The Deputy is correct that it is important to look at two schemes. The building blocks scheme has incredible potential to support private providers but also community providers and, indeed, to provide additional places. The previous scheme is seeking to deliver 1,500 additional places and this will be a further addition. The State-led scheme is also an important scheme. As we discussed previously, it is a €135 million investment, with a €10 million investment into the building blocks scheme. However, the €135 million investment is specifically State led, looking at areas where there is an absence of provision and where no other provider, either private or community run, has stepped in, for whatever reason. It involves the State stepping in proactively. It will be not for profit. The opportunity this year is for the purchase of the building and in 2027-28, we will look at other options as well.

I ask that the Department and the city and county childcare committees engage with providers, both community and private. I know a lot of places have identified to me a need for extensions, but some have not yet done so. It would be helpful if they were made fully aware and there was a good advertising campaign and engagement through the childcare committees to make them aware that this funding is available. I understand it is not matching funding for community facilities. It could be hugely impactful in our communities.

I acknowledge the role of the city and county childcare committees. We are indebted to them for their expertise and the manner in which they provide engagement on the ground with local providers, both private and community. I give them a shout-out because we have 50 engagements taking place right across the country on developing phase 2 of our action plan. Part of the discussion or conversation is around education, particularly early years education. Those on-the-ground consultations are very important and, as I said, they are being facilitated by early learning and childcare committees. On the consultation, we have already had over 11,000 engagements online. There is, therefore, phenomenal interest in the whole area of early learning and childcare. The Deputy can be assured, through the city and county childcare committees, that every opportunity will be taken to advertise and promote the State-led and building blocks schemes to make people aware of the opportunities available to support them in the delivery of early learning and childcare.