Questions

1990. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of a business case (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46559/25]

1995. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a family can avail of support through a fund (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46683/25]

208. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measure being taken to address the 25% decrease in the number of services who have listed capacity for children under the age of one on their core funding application; to increase the capacity for children under the age of one more generally across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39963/25]

743. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department intends on strengthening the rules and regulations around illegal parking in disabled parking spaces during the lifetime of this Government; the measures being considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37681/25]

744. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department made any proposals on strengthening the rules and regulations around illegal parking in disabled parking spaces in the draft national disability strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37684/25]

644. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early years students on degree courses (NFQ Level 7 and above) who attended work placements in early years settings in 2023 and 2024; the number of new early years graduates (NFQ Level 7 and above) who began working in early years settings in 2023 and 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35438/25]

306. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to report on her Department's engagement with the planning and building unit of the Department of Education and Youth, regarding the development of State-led childcare facilities in tandem with the school building programme; the number of meetings that have taken place; the dates when these meetings took place; the main findings of each …

307. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the inception meeting held on 9 June 2025 concerning the review of the 2001 planning guidelines for local authorities on early learning and childcare settings; to summarise the key findings discussed; to outline when the next meeting is scheduled; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35147/25]

308. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the number of times the working group between her Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Education and Youth has met from 2024 to date in 2025; the dates when these meetings took place; when the next meeting will take place; to outline the number of times the working group is…

364. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of families on enhanced childcare subsidies that were negatively affected by the fee adjustment process in 2024 and are now paying higher fees than they were in August 2024. [33277/25]

376. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on an audit on the number of childcare facilities per local authority that have undergone a change of use from childcare to housing, retail, community infrastructure or any other purpose; if she will share that data; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33487/25]

377. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on an audit that then Taoiseach Simon Harris requested in 2024 in relation to the number of childcare facilities in each local authority that have not been put to use, are lying empty, have had applications for a change of use, or have undergone a change of use; to share that data; and if she will make a statement on the ma…

378. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for any data she has on childcare facilities where there has been a planning application for a change of use, whether that application has been successful or not, and for what new use was requested, in the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33489/25]

379. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for any data she has on childcare facilities per local authority that are lying empty and have not been put to use, in the past ten years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33490/25]

380. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of people working full-time and part-time in her Department and bodies under the aegis of the Department in roles that are fully on-site, hybrid, or fully remote from 2022 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33495/25]

111. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on her engagement with local authorities regarding a review of the 2001 childcare facilities for planning authorities to ensure childcare spaces are provided and put into use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32456/25]

670. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason AIM support educators funding is withdrawn when a child is absent due to illness or holidays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31905/25]

671. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason for the current policy under which AIM support educators funding is withdrawn when a child is marked as absent due to illness or holidays on the HIVE system; if she is aware that services must continue to pay the AIM support educators during these absences; the actions her Department is taking to address providers concerns; an…

672. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason services are required to pay AIM support educators when they are out sick, while the provider is still caring for the supported child without any replacement or additional funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31907/25]

673. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the latest figures regarding number of childcare providers in Dublin that are eligible for core funding; the number that signed up for core funding in 2024 and 2025; the number that have applied for a fee adjustment for 2024 and 2025; the number of those successful, rejected or pending a decision; the number of crèches that have appealed…

465. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the detailed breakdown of the number of early learning and childcare providers that have received financial support under the Sustainability Funding strand of the Core Funding programme from 2023 to date; the individual amounts allocated to each provider, broken down by local authority area, in tabular form; and if she will make a statem…

283. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of services that have engaged with the Department regarding the sustainability fund or case management support for services that are having difficulty with viability under core funding; the number of services that have availed of additional supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31217/25]

1205. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of his/her Department’s engagement with the WRC to restore pay parity between Section 38 and Section 39 workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30158/25]

1213. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total value of applications received under the recent building block grant scheme; if all eligible applications were funded under the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30357/25]

1214. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a breakdown of unsuccessful applications under the building block grant scheme, by county; the reason each application was unsuccessful; if there is an appeal mechanism for unsuccessful applicants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30358/25]