Questions

1244. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider expanding the access and inclusion (AIMS) model to support children below the current age of eligibility which is two years and eight months; the equivalent supports that exist for children who otherwise would qualify for AIMS but do not meet the age eligibility requirement; and if she will make a statement on t…

1248. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps her Department is taking to ensure there is incentives for graduates to remain in the early years education sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30574/25]

353. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how the National Development Plan can be improved to ensure additional funding is allocated to childcare development, owing to the lack of spaces, unmanageable costs and inadequate salary levels facing the sector and parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28092/25]

354. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to promote greater flexibility in crèche drop-off policies, in view of concerns that rigid enforcement of arrival times, such as refusing entry for minor delays despite prior communication places undue pressure on working parents and fails to accommodate the realities of family life; and if she will make a sta…

355. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will examine recent childcare increases of 40% in a Dublin creche (details supplied); the action she is taking to ensure childcare costs are brought down; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27756/25]

357. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a response will issue to communications from a parent who urgently requires available childcare spaces in County Donegal (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27902/25]

360. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated cost of providing an additional €10,000 to every naíonra in the State. [28001/25]

361. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the first- and full-year cost of funding a year free of charge at an Irish-medium naíonra for every pre-school-aged child living in the Gaeltacht currently availing of a pre-school service funded under the ECCE scheme. [28006/25]

363. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the closure of a childcare centre (details supplied); if her Department is engaging with the owners to ensure the families impacted are supported; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28328/25]

525. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the next round of building blocks capital programme for early learning and childcare will be open for applications; the process relating to same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26744/25]

541. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the metric which determined in September 2024 that ECCE only services needed to move from a minimum of €5,000 in core funding up to €14,000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27108/25]

543. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the projected 2024/2025 costs of all the funding streams that are available to early years and SAC services, ECCE, NCS, core funding, AIM, LINC, graduate uplift and early start in a list form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27110/25]

544. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage of graduate uplift funding that goes to graduate lead educators and graduate managers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27111/25]

545. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a child with AIMS requirements presents to pre-school, whether extra places at a school (details supplied) will be made available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27157/25]

550. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a draft will be published of the National Plan for Irish Provision in the EY and SAC sector; if this draft will undergo a public/stakeholder consultation before it is finalised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27366/25]

551. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will honour the State’s commitment to promote the Irish language by implementing a rights-based approach to Irish-medium immersion early childhood education and care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27367/25]

552. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an official definition of Naíonra; if she will clarify if this is an Irish immersion education setting that operates through the Irish language only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27368/25]

553. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will explore the possibility of developing a public directory for Irish-medium preschool services, Naíonraí, in order that parents can access their local setting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27369/25]

331. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if funding options are available from her Department, or any agency under the aegis of her Department, to support persons who wish to establish a pre-school business; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26453/25]

304. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions her Department has taken to support Irish speaking early years childcare settings and to increase the number of these settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25059/25]

961. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the shortage of school places in the Glasthule area in Dublin; the work being done by her Department to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23517/25]

962. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions she is taking to address the shortage of afterschool places in the Dublin region, if any research is ongoing into the need to increase this provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23518/25]

965. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the supports being provided to people working in early years and afterschool care services to ensure fair pay and working conditions and encourage people to maintain and take up new employment in this sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23553/25]

384. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the eligibility in the ECCE scheme for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23063/25]

329. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to address the urgent need to increase the wages of early childhood educators (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21872/25]