Questions

805. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which she intends to deliver €200 per month childcare via core funding when this excludes parents whose provider are not in core funding; and if Government commitment to €200 per month is only for some parents. [73229/26]

806. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of parents who will benefit from the reduction of childcare fees from €735 to €550 per month. [73228/26]

807. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in relation to the announced funding in Budget 2027 for 212 residential places in 2027, the number that are new beds; and the number that are reserved for emergencies only. [73227/26]

808. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of contracts a company (details supplied) has had with her Department in 2024, 2025 and to-date in 2026; and the nature of services this company provided to her Department in each of the years in question, in tabular form. [73531/26]

809. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department, or Pobal, will engage with a school-age childcare service in County Clare (details supplied) regarding capital support to transition from a prefab into a modern modular facility that incorporates new preschool places to meet growing local demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73596/26]

810. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will review the eligibility criteria for the building blocks capital scheme to accommodate independent, school-age childcare providers operating out of leased school prefabs who are not currently enrolled in the Core Funding scheme but provide an essential service to prevent rural school depopulation; and if she will m…

811. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated percentage and number of parents currently availing of early learning and childcare services who will not benefit from the recently announced €550 monthly childcare fee cap, particularly families whose existing fees exceed this amount due to accessing more than 40 hours of childcare per week and those required to pay …

812. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the application of a person (details supplied) for the ECCE programme can be reviewed given the case details; and if contact can be made directly with the applicant's parents. [73458/26]

813. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department's budget allocation in 2027 is sufficient to implement the recommendations of a HSE report on disability service needs (details supplied), alongside other planned spending; and if not, the approximate size of the budgetary shortfall. [73662/26]

814. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in relation to her recent announcement concerning State-led early childhood provision, when a facility (details supplied) in Tallaght will be ready to take children for preschool care. [73677/26]

815. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the precise participation rate of early learning and childcare services for the 2026-2027 Core Funding programme year; the number of early learning and childcare services that withdrew from Core Funding ahead of the current programme year; and the number of early learning and childcare services that joined Core Funding for the current p…

816. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare providers that have withdrawn from core funding in each county, in each month of this year; if the reasons for withdrawal, as supplied to the local county/city childcare committee, are collated and published by her Department; and if so, if she will supply the reasons supplied for withdrawal, in tabular form. [737…

817. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated number of children attending creches operating outside of core funding. [73796/26]

818. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the process and criteria for selecting not-for-profit operators of facilities developed under the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme; whether selection will be conducted through open competitive procurement or another process; and the eligibility requirements for prospective operators. [73804/26]

819. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which the fee structures will operate in the sites earmarked for the State-led childcare programme. [73800/26]

820. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the seven sites earmarked for the State-led childcare programme; and when she envisions these units being fully operational. [73799/26]

821. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the independent evaluation of the national childcare scheme. [73798/26]

822. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of childcare providers eligible for core funding; and the estimated number of childcare providers operating outside of core funding. [73797/26]

823. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to address the situation that arises due to a lack of availability of childcare places whereby parents must join waiting lists during early pregnancy, without any guarantee of a place, and that such early application requirements create a situation whereby parents are more likely to have to notify providers of a pregnancy loss,…

824. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the proposed funding model for childcare services established under the State-led capital programme; whether the State will fund the full capital costs of acquisition, construction and fit-out; the ways ongoing operational costs, including staffing, maintenance, insurance and utilities, will be financed; and whether operators will receiv…

825. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the proposed fee-setting arrangements for childcare services established under the State-led capital programme; whether these services will be subject to the same maximum fee caps as existing core funding providers; and whether her Department intends to establish a separate or lower fee structure for State-led facilities. [73802/26]

826. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide the estimated capital expenditure for each of the seven proposed State-led early learning and childcare projects announced on 30 September 2026, in tabular form. [73805/26]

827. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department intends to develop a standardised national operating framework for facilities established under the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme; whether this framework will prescribe requirements relating to staffing, enrolment and admissions policies, parental fees, opening hours, service provision an…

828. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the process and criteria for selecting not-for-profit operators of facilities developed under the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme; and whether selection will be conducted through open competitive procurement or another process; the eligibility requirements for prospective operators. [73803/26]

829. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if an assessment of need will be expedited for a person (details supplied). [73433/26]