Questions

1042. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the rationale for changes to attendance for children in ECCE to register five days per week; the consultation that took place on this change before its implementation; and if she acknowledges the importance of flexibility in ECCE for parents and the difficulty for providers in enforcing attendance that may not suit parents and child…

675. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 485 and 486 of 28 May 2026, if room closures, rather than the service overall closure has any impact on core funding payable; if in the case of a multi-room service where different rooms close at different times, almost on rotation, whether this breached core funding rules, given the service rema…

689. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount set aside for the Sustainability Fund in her Department in each of the years since it was introduced; and the amount paid out in each of those years, in tabular form. [51889/26]

551. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration whether his Department is engaged with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth regarding potential reforms to Garda vetting and safeguarding-disclosure arrangements in the Early Years sector; and if he will outline the status of any such engagement. [48848/26]

813. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if there are plans to remove childcare facilities who are not in receipt of core funding, from ECCE and the national childcare scheme, given concerns have been raised by providers in relation to this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45888/26]

485. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will examine core funding guidelines, specifically in relation to temporary room closures (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40974/26]

486. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will extend reporting obligations by early years providers in core funding in order that it is not just in cases in which there is a closure for more than four weeks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40975/26]

998. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average time being taken currently (in weeks) to attain garda vetting to work in the early years and school age care sector as an educator; the number of applications that were received in 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of those applications have been approved and rejected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39…

999. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if, ahead of Budget 2027, she will look at the amount being offered for children in early years who are sponsored to raise the sponsorship amount to ensure it meets the actual cost associated with a childcare place to ensure that providers are not left covering the difference and ensuring that children who are sponsored can access a p…

215. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has undertaken costings for additional non-contact time for early years settings under core funding; and if so, the details of any costings undertaken by her Department regarding the cost of non-contact (detail supplied) time for early years educators and school age care settings. [37987/26]

216. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated cost of an increase to the Graduate Lead Educator premium rate to €8.88; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37988/26]

217. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has considered the cost of increasing the number of graduate lead educators working per room at a time under the core funding rules, as set out under Together for Better. [37989/26]

218. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated cost of bringing early years graduates Level 8 and 9 under public-sector pay and conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37990/26]

169. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on her engagement regarding possible charges of commercial rates to childminders and ECCE providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28751/26]

2405. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a fee assessment process for early years providers in receipt of core funding for the current programme year, as committed to in Budget 2026, will commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24378/26]

2406. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the stage the 2025/2026 fee increase process is at; when it will be communicated to the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24379/26]

1544. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 91 of 19 February 2026, if she can give an urgent update on this matter; the steps being taken to alleviate this situation; to provide a timeline to resolve this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19263/26]

766. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has considered the views of ‘An Independent Review of the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme in Ireland’ in relation to the impact of the rigid age eligibility for the ECCE programme; if her attention has been drawn to the review’s suggestion for a degree of flexibility, especially for children who are just missing ou…

908. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the cost of increasing the estimated first-year, full-year and annual cost of increasing the current minimum rate of pay for early years educators by €0.50, €1, and €1.50; and the first-year, full-year and annual estimated cost to increase all other grades covered by the early years employment regulation order by the same amounts. [15…

91. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is concerned at reports of early years services and childminders receiving bills for commercial rates; if she will act to ensure rates are not applied; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13520/26]

348. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether, under plans for State-led early years services, areas with need not being met will be identified and will be limited to those areas where there are willing existing operators; whether areas with need without a willing existing operator will be excluded given this will impact areas with need most; and if she will make a statem…

1906. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will recommend the inclusion of the early years sector on the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, critical skills list to address the immediate staffing, retention and recruitment pressures across the early years sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74372/25]

1907. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason little or no consultation with large full-time early years providers took place during the process of formulating phase one of the early years action plan, with just one large provider of only part-time services on the new childcare forum; her views on whether this lack of adequate consultation may have negatively impacted…

83. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the measures announced in budget 2026 for the early years sector, including the 2,300 places to be created via extensions to schools and community centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61736/25]

164. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans she has to ensure further increases in pay for early years educators and school age care practitioners; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61495/25]