208. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the immediate and long-term measures being taken to address the severe shortage of childcare places; how the Government is planning to reform the national childcare scheme to better support working families and promote flexible working arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36311/25]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
Browse the questions
Showing questions under the heading Childcare Services.
1,391 questions match, newest first.
209. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the case of childcare fees outlined to her office by email (details supplied); if clarity will be provided regarding the qualifying criteria under the proposed fee cap; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36368/25]
211. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on her Department’s work to progress the public provision of childcare. [36386/25]
212. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to report on her Department’s estimates for the supply and demand of ELC/SAC over the next five years. [36387/25]
638. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of creche groups that have pulled out of core funding in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35391/25]
639. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of creches that have signed up to the core funding scheme in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35392/25]
640. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether there is a plan to support families whose only accessible creches are in the 7% of creches that are not signed up to the core funding scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35393/25]
645. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any costing has been done on integrating early years mental health supports into childcare settings, including inpatient child therapeutic interventions or staff training. [35471/25]
648. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated full-year cost of increasing childcare subsidies to 100% of fees paid by parents availing of childcare subsidies from the national childcare scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35658/25]
650. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated full-year cost of increasing wages for all childcare workers by €2 an hour via a public subsidy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35660/25]
656. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures she is taking to provide extra resources and support to creches in Dunshaughlin (details supplied) in order to cater for the growing demand of creche and afterschool places.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35988/25]
658. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare places currently available in the constituency of east Cork [36033/25]
659. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of new childcare places that have been opened in the constituency of east Cork for the years 2020 to 2025 respectively. [36034/25]
660. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare providers that have closed; the childcare places that have been lost as a result of these closures in the constituency of east Cork in each of the years 2020 to 2025, respectively.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36035/25]
661. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the shortage of childcare places in the Citywest and Saggart area; and to set out what action her Department is taking to address it. [36088/25]
303. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a child (details supplied) with severe and complex needs will receive the occupational therapy and speech and language therapy interventions they urgently require; the reason for the ongoing delay in service provision despite repeated contact from the child’s school to the relevant CDNT since November 2024; whether she consi…
718. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether TUSLA has emergency out-of-hours social workers available nationwide. [33976/25]
722. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will examine the new regulations for childminders to ensure that they are not leading to increased paperwork for childminders, who want to be spending time with the children they look after rather than sitting doing paperwork; if she will ensure the additional requirements are as straightforward as possible to ensure good child…
724. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on a review into administration for childminders as referenced by her at the Joint Committee meeting on children on 12 June in which she advised that “in terms of red tape, a review is ongoing with a view to minimising it. Our purpose is to make things easier, not more difficult, as we go forward”; where this revi…
726. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that communities seeking to establish new childcare facilities are precluded from accessing Building Blocks, the only financial support available, as they are not an existing service; if she will rectify this to ensure the funding is more accessible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34188/25]
738. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of complaints received by HIQA relating to residential public and private childcare settings in 2020 to date in 2025, by county, in tabular form. [34447/25]
739. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the shortage of childcare facilities available in Carrigaline in Cork; to provide an update on the predicated opening of a new childcare service (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34486/25]
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…