Childcare Services · 5 Nov 2026

Mark Wall

Labour Party Question Link to this

79. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the development of a public childcare pilot site for Newbridge and Kilcullen. [78112/26]

Given the recent announcement of seven new sites for public childcare, can the Minister provide an update on the public sites for pilot childcare schemes for Newbridge and Kilcullen in County Kildare?

Emer Higgins

Fine Gael As a minister Link to this

Improving access to high-quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a priority for the Government. Overall, early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the annual early years sector profile in 2025 shows that the estimated number of enrolments had increased by 25% in the previous three years. In Kildare specifically, there was a 31% increase in enrolments in that period. Earlier this year, the Minister announced €135 million in capital investment in buildings for high-quality, accessible State-led early learning and childcare up to 2030. This is a ground-breaking initiative for Government and it began this year. Capital funding will be used to acquire and-or fit out buildings, depending on requirements. On 30 September, the Minister announced the proposed locations for the first new early learning and childcare facilities to be developed and delivered under the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme. The Department has received project proposals from a number of sources since the programme was launched. These projects are in very different stages of development. Some relate to existing buildings ready to be occupied or fitted out, while others are longer term prospects for future years. Not all proposals align with the programme objectives. Some projects are proposed by an existing early learning and childcare service provider, while others relate to a building or property only, for which a separate process to identify an operator would be required. The Department has a long list of projects under consideration, which includes project proposals received through preliminary appraisal forms from city and county childcare committees. I am advised that no project has yet been brought forward from either Newbridge or Kilcullen and no formal proposal has been made from County Kildare via the submission of a preliminary appraisal form, which would be done through the Kildare County Childcare Committee. The Department is aware that the long list it maintains is not an exhaustive list of all projects that could form part of this programme of investment. It continues to invite proposals for projects and seek potential projects for consideration.

Mark Wall

Labour Party In the chair Link to this

I thank the Minister of State. The reason I have tabled this question again is that only 4% of providers in County Kildare are community run, the lowest rate in the whole country. When I raised this with the Minister previously I asked her how we should go about changing that, given that childcare is such an important issue throughout County Kildare, in particular, in Newbridge and Kilcullen. The Minister of State will be glad to learn that since that discussion with the Minister, we have worked with a number of community providers and next week, we will submit a new application for Newbridge which will, hopefully, secure the approval of the Department. Newbridge is one of the major towns with a population of over 25,000 people where there is a dearth of childcare providers and are places. That needs to be addressed. We are also working with another community provider in Kilcullen to try to get a facility over the line, given the lack of facilities in County Kildare.

Emer Higgins

Fine Gael As a minister Link to this

I thank Deputy Wall for the update. It is very encouraging to hear. To be clear, local city and county childcare committees are supporting the development of projects. In the first instance, community early learning and childcare operators, local authorities, developers or anyone else who has suitable premises or projects should contact their local city and county childcare committee and submit a preliminary appraisal form. It is fantastic news that Deputy Wall is at an advanced stage with the operator in Newbridge. I suggest he go directly to the Kildare County Childcare Committee for support for the preliminary appraisal. It is also positive to hear he is having good discussions in Kilcullen. That project should go the same route. I know the Deputy is particularly interested in community childcare. Given the growing population in County Kildare, he should note that the Department provides capital funding under the building blocks extension grant scheme to support expansion of capacity by existing providers. That would, of course, include any providers in County Kildare.

Mark Wall

Labour Party In the chair Link to this

The other issue I raised with the Minister previously is that parents who contact me do not have the ability to do what we have been able to do with a community provider over the past couple of weeks. The answer the Minister gave me the previous day was that we go to the city and county childcare committees. Navigating that process is not an option for many hard-working parents who find it very difficult to secure childcare. I ask again that the Government work with those parents who are contacting me and every other public representative here, work with the childcare committees and reach out to areas where there is a lack of childcare. We all know where these areas are because the Minister has told me. Parents just do not have the time. The childcare committees need to engage with parents in those areas where there is a lack of childcare. We need to make it easier for parents, who are now travelling great distances, as I have said before. In one instance, I know of parents who travel from Kilcullen to Kilkenny every morning to access childcare. That is a journey of about an hour and a half each way. That is what is happening on the ground. We need to make it easier for parents to get more childcare places.

Emer Higgins

Fine Gael As a minister Link to this

Yes, we do. The Government is committed not only to reducing the cost of childcare, but also to increasing access to childcare. That is why we have invested in existing providers, to help them expand and offer more places, and in this new State-led facility. We provided €135 million this year to help State-led providers to acquire or fit out buildings. Seven projects have been approved under that scheme. We will continue to grow that list year on year. For this reason, it is important that the Kildare County Childcare Committee submit a form to us. In addition, we are also investing in the building blocks extension grant scheme to provide extra places. Two extension projects will be delivered in County Kildare under this scheme. When complete, these two projects will deliver 70 quality, affordable places in Kildare. That is another example of investing in childcare in Kildare.