Early Childhood Care and Education

70. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures she is considering in budget 2027 to expand childcare capacity, particularly in rural areas experiencing significant shortages of places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65983/26]

As the Minister will know, families in Ireland, especially in rural communities, are continuing to face significant challenges, not only in affordability but also in accessing childcare. I know that she is concerned about it, as am I, and I know we have many programme for Government commitments, including the creation of additional childcare places, initiating State-led childcare, especially in areas of unmet need, and getting to that €200 per month. With budget 2027 approaching, will the Minister outline what measures she intends to consider in supporting childcare provision in rural Ireland?

I recognise the Deputy's sterling work in a personal capacity as Chair of the children and equality committee, her leadership in that respect and her personal commitment to the issues in relation to early years in childcare. The view shared by the committee that the Deputy chairs excellently, and across Government, is that we should improve access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare opportunities. Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the annual early years sector profile for 2024-25 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 25% from the 2021-22 programme year. A 25% increase in those three years is significant. However, it appears, and I absolutely accept, that demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country, particularly for younger children. The Department supports the ongoing development and resourcing of core funding, which has given rise to significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced, and this will continue to be the case in 2027. Core funding, which is presently in its fifth programme year, funds services based on the number of places available. This provides stability to services and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an already existing service. Budget 27, as the Deputy is aware, is currently being considered by the Government in the context of the annual Estimates process, which officials are actively engaging in. I have also engaged directly with the Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers. The Deputy will therefore appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage other than to say openly that I am pursuing an ambitious budget package intended to reduce costs to parents, to support providers in the workforce and to increase the availability of places. In addition to current funding to expand capacity, the Government is also supporting the expansion of early learning and childcare capacity through capital funding. We are doing this through a number of different mechanisms, including schemes like building blocks and the State-led initiative. In terms of building blocks, capital funding schemes have been in operation since 2024. The building blocks extension scheme is currently operating and will deliver quality, affordable, full daycare places for those aged under three across the country.

I thank the Minister. I welcome the increase in enrolments. I am really thinking about my own county of Mayo. Even when we have increases in the national childcare scheme, and I hear about these great subsidies, I know many parents in my county are not able to access them. The last data I got was that we only have one registered private childminder in the whole county. There has been a bit of an uptake on the pre-registration course, with the deadline of September 2027 approaching, but after that course there has not been a sign-up. I am very concerned that right now we only have one registered childminder. People are already struggling to find a place with a private childminder or within a centre, and now we have this looming deadline coming in September. I am extremely concerned. What I want to see addressed is the potential crisis with private childminders if they do not start registering soon. In relation to State-led childcare, in my own area, because we are focusing more on the voluntary boards of management and the community-led element, we do not have any proposals in that area yet for Ballina.

Just to be clear, significant work is under way to encourage more childminders into the registration process. A review is under way in terms of how that is working and what we could do differently in future, including what further supports we could provide or whatever the case might be. I am very pleased to have brought that review forward to give us a clearer line of sight of what we need to do to get more of the childminders on board, recognising their invaluable work and the important contribution they make to early learning and childcare. Specifically, in terms of the building blocks and the scheme that is there, a large proportion of the projects supported through building blocks have been in rural areas. It is important to make that point. The State-led process was announced in January. We are working at speed and I acknowledge the work of everybody involved. In the coming weeks, we are hoping to make announcements around the State-led projects.

State-led childcare will be a game-changer but we cannot just rely on the community and voluntary boards. In cities like Dublin and Cork, the boards may have accountants, HR professionals or solicitors guiding them. In rural Ireland, the same people who are on their GAA board are also often on the board of the community childcare facility, so we need to look at that. I also really welcome that a review is ongoing in relation to how we can better support private childminders to get registered. We need to reach out and allow people, even in a confidential way, to come forward. Good representative organisations are speaking for childminders but a lot of childminders are not even registered with those organisations. I held a public meeting and childminders were nearly afraid to come to it. An anonymous survey where they can engage in a confident way would be welcome. If we do not get increased registration soon with this deadline approaching, we could be in an even bigger crisis by September than we are in right now.

I reiterate that the process is an open one. It is open to anyone to get involved and to engage in the process. We would absolutely welcome existing childminders, including those who are registered and those who are not registered, all of them, coming forward to share their thoughts and views on what might be done to support it better going forward. I again reiterate that we hope in the coming weeks to make the announcement around eight proposals for State-led childcare this year. Including for rural Ireland, opportunities remain open for any group, individual or organisation that wants to reach out to the city and county childcare committees with proposals whether a proposed building, a site, a building that requires purchase or even a building that simply requires fit out. The Department is very flexible in offering any kind of support we can to enhance the availability of the provision of early years and childcare facilities.