431. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she recognises the financial pressure faced by families with multiple children in childcare where reduced hours of care lead to higher overall costs under the national childcare scheme; whether changes are planned to ensure the scheme supports affordability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33571/26]
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
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Showing questions asked by Grace Boland under the heading Childcare Services.
69 questions match, newest first.
432. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has received representations from families in north County Dublin regarding the lack of flexible childcare options under the national childcare scheme; the policy or operational changes planned to address these concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33572/26]
200. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the work her Department is undertaking to deliver accessible and affordable community childcare for families living in north County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28422/26]
803. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the extent to which childcare policy is considered economic infrastructure within Government policy, including in the context of increasing women’s labour market participation; the data available to her Department on the impact of childcare availability and affordability on female labour force participation rates in Ireland; and if she …
149. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the specific steps she is taking to deliver additional not for profit childcare places in the Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk area; the capital and current funding streams available for this purpose in 2026; the projects currently approved or under assessment in these areas; the expected timelines for delivery; and if she will make …
88. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if Fingal has been identified as a priority area by the forward planning unit; the criteria used to determine such prioritisation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61499/25]
868. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the Building Blocks Programme is on track to deliver the 1,500 new childcare places as announced in 2025; the reasons for any delays in delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61500/25]
869. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider introducing a streamlined capital delivery mechanism for high-need areas, particularly where community providers face high barriers to entering or continuing in a geographical area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61501/25]
870. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for updated benchmarking data on the average childcare costs, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61502/25]
871. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has assessed the economic impact of childcare constraints on workforce participation, particularly among women; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61503/25]
872. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has assessed the economic impact of childcare constraints on workforce participation, particularly among women; if her Department has examined the broader implications of these constraints for the Irish economy; if any analysis has been undertaken to estimate the potential positive economic impact of increased female w…
1555. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the timeline for the reopening of the building blocks capital grant scheme; if the eligibility criteria will remain the same, or be widened in the next round; if her Department has a strategy to encourage the establishment and expansion of community-based childcare services in areas of high demand where property and rental costs act as…
1556. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the timeline for the publication of the action plan to build an affordable, high-quality and accessible early childhood education and care system, as referenced in recent replies to parliamentary questions; if the action plan will include a specific focus on childcare infrastructure and the development of State-led capacity in areas of…
787. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current status of the national childcare strategy; when a formal strategy document is expected to be published; if stakeholder consultation has been completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55253/25]
788. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the forward planning unit within her Department will publish outputs from its work on mapping childcare provision and identifying gaps; if this data will be made available, by county and constituency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55254/25]
789. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the timeline for implementing targeted measures to address the deficit of childcare places in constituencies such as Dublin Fingal West; if capital investment or capacity-building supports are planned for areas with sustained population growth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55255/25]
790. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the building blocks capital grant scheme will be reopened; the eligibility criteria which will be appliable; the way her Department intends to prioritise areas with limited availability of places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55256/25]
791. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which north county Dublin scored in the most recent round of allocations under the building blocks capacity grant scheme; if any applications from the area were successful; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55257/25]
2010. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of public childcare providers operational in north county Dublin; the plans to expand the network to this area which is one of the youngest and fastest growing areas in the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47087/25]
2011. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childminders registered with her Department from north county Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47088/25]
2013. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare providers in north county Dublin that have withdrawn from CORE funding since its introduction; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47090/25]
2366. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the engagement her Department have had with childcare providers to determine how to reduce the administrative burden on providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42042/25]
2368. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on planned changes to the planning guidelines for childcare facilities to facilitate more applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42044/25]
2369. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the transformation of the supply management unit into a forward planning and delivery unit to determine the supply of childcare needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42045/25]
2370. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress that has been made to purchase or build state owned childcare facilities to create additional needs in areas who have the most unmet need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42046/25]