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Affordable and accessible childcare is a vital provision that has fundamental impacts on both our society and economy. A well-functioning early childhood education and care system is key to the future of our children as well as our own success. A public model of early childhood education … care is the only way we can achieve a system that is affordable, accessible and which addresses the childcare needs of families across this country. While we work towards that model, we must cap childcare fees at €200 per child per month. This fee cap is something

substitute the following: "welcomes the significant prioritisation by the Government of measures designed to: — reduce out-of-pocket costs of early learning and childcare for families; — better align the supply of State-subsidised early learning and childcare with demand; and — increase the pay and improve the working conditions … Early Years Educators and School-Age Childcare practitioners, as well as develop career pathways and promote careers in the sector, in line with Nurturing Skills, the Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare 2022-2028; acknowledges the unprecedented growth in State funding

move: That Dáil Éireann: acknowledges: — the importance of affordable and accessible childcare for children and parents, neither of which are being achieved for many families across the State; and — that there is no early years or childcare sector without the Early Years Educators and School-Age Childcare practitioners … work in it; notes that: — childcare costs remain far too high and are in excess of €800 per month in many parts of the State; — access to childcare is now a major labour market issue affecting our economy; — the need to ensure regulations for childminders are fair

opening remarks, there are three central elements that guide the programme for Government's commitment to early learning and childcare. First, while significant progress has been made, we recognise that challenges remain and are committed to addressing them. Second, meaningful and measurable improvements have already been delivered. Third … over the lifetime of this Government. That includes ensuring that parents will pay no more than €200 per month for early learning and childcare. Early learning educators and school-age childcare practitioners will be remunerated at a level that reflects the importance of their work. State-led services

Minister to the Chamber for this very important debate. I thank Deputy Kerrane and Sinn Féin for bringing forward the motion on childcare. We are all agreed on the importance of this issue, albeit it is somewhat ironic that we are discussing it after midnight. While … this debate, it is the view of my party that the Government must go further to ensure there truly is delivery of public childcare provision. The current system of early childcare education and care is simply not working for providers, educators and, most importantly, working families. Ireland needs

acknowledge the work that an Teachta Kerrane has put in on this important motion. Affordable childcare is a real challenge for families in my constituency, Dublin Fingal East, one of the largest and fastest growing areas. We are seeing large developments being built delivering thousands of much-needed … homes but there is little effort being put into planning good quality affordable childcare facilities to meet the needs of families. Those childcare facilities that are being built are not fit for purpose. They are not viable and the costs are way too high. Purpose-built childcare facilities

House. That is a great testament to everybody who has stayed here to contribute to the debate and be part of the debate. Childcare is one of the biggest issues that hits us at the doorsteps, certainly at the last general election. As my colleague just said … listening to people who said with great hope that childcare would be €200. Those people feel extremely let-down and disappointed with this Government and duped by this Government, to say the least. That needs to be on the record of the House. I respect the spirit behind

actually happy. I listened to people from Independent Ireland just before they exited the Chamber listing villages where, allegedly, closures of childcare facilities have happened in the past while. I think one was actually accurate. The rest of the villages were just thrown into the debate because … shortfall of places because there are. Trust me: I have been that parent with three kids under five looking for childcare and it is incredibly difficult living in an area like Glanmire, which is suburban. There are lots of young families. Glanmire is the only village that

Throughout this debate, not one person has argued that we do not need high-quality, accessible and affordable childcare. Everyone, including the Minister of State, agrees that we need it and need it now. The question is not one of need; the question is whether it is possible … deliver nationwide, high-quality, affordable childcare for every family overnight. If we are all honest here, the answer would be "No", unfortunately. That is why in our programme for Government, Fianna Fáil has committed to progressively reducing childcare costs to a maximum €200 per child per month over

provision of childcare services is an area in which I have had a particular interest and involvement for over 30 years. The Elm Park area childcare committee brought together community activists and parents from this area of Clonmel with the aim of providing a not-for-profit childcare … service for the area. Clever Clogs, as we know it, is a community-based facility which provides a not-for-profit, quality childcare service in a purpose-built unit, supported by the local community. It has a local board of management, committee staff and parents. It receives exceptional

Childcare is a cornerstone of society. It promotes and nourishes child well-being, gender equality and a sustainable work-family balance. Not many institutions or organisations can claim that. They are the backbone of our economy. If they do not operate tomorrow morning, the economy would collapse … half the workforce would not be able to go to work, yet childcare services are coming under enormous financial and structural pressure. In most parts of the country, childcare costs are in excess of €800 per month, and in major cities, costs are reaching well over

important issue. Last week when I raised these issues with the Taoiseach during Leaders' Questions, he outlined the level of Government investment in childcare, but investment is not the same as sustainability. The Taoiseach answered how much Government is spending; he did not answer whether providers can survive … around the country and particularly in rural communities, childcare providers are telling us the current funding model places enormous pressure on them. Participation in core funding is not proof that providers are financially secure. Many remain because they have no realistic alternative. The real question is this

Taoiseach aware that parents of children with additional needs are now facing the prospect of being unable to access early years childcare services because of the Government's failure to support the childcare sector? In 2021, the Government made two clear promises, namely, that childcare costs would … month and that providers would be supported through a new core funding model. The reality is that it has failed on both counts. Childcare providers honoured their side of the agreement. When core funding was introduced, they accepted fee freezes because they believed the Government would work with

solutions, which I hope the Minister takes on board. I want to get to a point where we have the €200 per month childcare promised not just by a lot of parties before the last election but also by Government representatives. That simply has not been delivered. Even … that point though it is not going to be of value to many parents because they cannot get access to childcare in the first place. I attended a public meeting in Tramore, County Waterford a number of weeks ago. All the Oireachtas Members and local councillors were invited

Government and at this point, we have neither affordability nor accessibility. It does not work for childminders. It does not work for childcare providers. It certainly does not work for those who work within it or the parents who are contacting all of us. A constituent wrote … stated: I am writing to ask for your assistance regarding an urgent childcare issue that is placing my employment at risk. I am a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Mental Health ... in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda. I am passionate about my work and have worked hard

thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. I am always happy to speak to childcare because, particularly as someone who raised my daughter alone, I know how important childcare is for gender equality and for families across this country who are just gasping for it at this … stage. The other issue that stands out from my own experience is that having paid for childcare in the early 2000s for my daughter, who was a millennial baby and is an adult woman now, I see that the crisis has not improved and has, in fact, only

petrol pump, at the grocery till, in the utility bills and beyond. For working families, one of the most expensive monthly outlays is childcare fees. Families in Limerick with both parents working full time who are not fortunate enough to have additional family support are paying … cost-of-living crisis that has stripped families of available income. These are, of course, families who have been fortunate enough to secure childcare places in the first place. Up to 50,000 children across the State remain on waiting lists for childcare places that do not exist

work on this. The programme for Government sets out a number of priorities for Government on access to early learning and childcare services, including a commitment to review the 2001 childcare facilities guidelines for planning authorities to ensure childcare spaces are provided and put to use. Further … Planning and Development Act 2000. The timing of the issuing of national planning statements is based on Government priorities. The current childcare facilities guidelines for planning authorities, which remain in place until revoked or replaced by a new national planning statement, set out the methodology for calculating

roadmap, an Teachta Kerrane has showed it how it can be done in terms of delivering for parents and children. Access to affordable childcare allowed me to finish college, to work part-time and then to move on to full-time employment. Affordable childcare was a game-changer … family. The best way to deliver affordable childcare, and the Minister knows this, is by delivering it on a not-for-profit basis yet in my constituency of Dublin Fingal West we see the Government attitude to community childcare laid bare. I represent the youngest constituency in this

thank Sinn Féin and Deputy Kerrane for bringing forward this motion on childcare, which I will be supporting. Ireland is in the grip of a serious childcare crisis which has been allowed to continue for far too long. Parents are not only struggling to afford childcare but they … children are left without a place. The latest figures from Pobal show there were over 2,000 children on a waiting list for childcare places in Donegal, with childcare costing, on average, €180 per week. It is unacceptable that families are competing for just a handful of places

thank Deputy Kerrane for bringing forward this motion. I will raise two discrete issues that have been raised by childcare providers with me in my constituency of Dublin West. The first is the concern about the time it is taking for Garda vetting of applications from childcare professionals … address, it is an extra 20 days for an application. This is really problematic because, as the Minister of State knows, many childcare providers are operating close to ratio. If they go below ratio, they may well have to shut a room, which creates great disruption for parents

families. It is about whether taking on extra hours or returning to work actually pays and whether the balance between wages, taxation, childcare costs and commuting costs works in their favour. That is particularly true in fast-growing commuter areas like Fingal. In towns such as Skerries, Balbriggan … young children, are working part time, not by choice but because it is the only viable option available to them. That is where childcare becomes central. While we have seen an increase in investments in childcare and more families benefiting from supports, availability remains a real issue

motion recognises a simple truth. Affordable childcare is not a luxury. It is an essential public service, a service families must be able to access. Crucially, childcare providers and early years educators must also be properly supported. In Galway, the reality is very different from the picture painted … Government. Parents contact me all the time because they cannot secure a childcare place. Many are forced onto lengthy waiting lists even before their children are born. Others are travelling significant distances because there simply is not the capacity in their local communities. That places a huge amount

cúram leanaí ró-chostasach agus níl dóthain áiteanna ann. For far too many families childcare is no longer just a challenge but a barrier to having children, returning to work or simply making ends meet. I am aware of couples who have delayed starting a family because … pressures bought about by the combined costs of childcare and housing. That is not their failure but a failure of Government. This is one of the wealthiest states in Europe. There is no excuse for parents still paying over €800 a month per child for childcare while also

announcements from local government representatives, but no meaningful action to deliver the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael election promises of €200 per month childcare in the first 100 days of Government has come. Childcare is not a luxury and it needs to be given priority in investment … Louth, and almost 7,000 of those families have a child under the age of four. In sharp contrast, we only have 113 childcare providers, with 46% of these estimated to have a waiting list. We have parents waiting for places that just do not exist. The Government

Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports that are available to a childcare facility in a rural village that must find a more appropriate or purpose built facility to continue providing a childcare service in the area; the supports that are available … ensure this facility does not close; the supports that will be available to parents seeking childcare in the area when all childcare facilities in the wider area are full; if her Department will work with the community to ensure the continuance of the childcare facility

Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to review the early withdrawal provisions of the national childcare subsidy scheme with the objective of eliminating the subsidy penalty imposed on families who withdraw their children early; if her Department will conduct a consultation … with childcare providers to understand the actual fee structures and charging practices used in the Irish childcare market, and realign the subsidy system accordingly; to consider alternative approaches that account for the fixed-fee, full-time charging model that dominates Irish childcare; and if she will make

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare places in County Waterford in each year since 2020, according to information available to her Department; the number of children aged under five years residing in the county in each of those … years; the resulting number of childcare places per 100 children aged under five years; if her Department has assessed the adequacy of childcare capacity in County Waterford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49786/26

Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps her Department is taking to engage with childcare providers on the impact of the core funding levels; if her Department can engage with a specific childcare provider (details supplied) on their concerns … measures being considered to prevent childcare facilities leaving core funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47909/26

Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps her Department is taking to engage with childcare providers on the impact of the core funding levels; if her Department can engage with a specific childcare provider (details supplied) on their concerns … measures being considered to prevent childcare facilities leaving core funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47910/26

asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is aware of the exclusion of certain rural families from accessing the national childcare scheme (NCS) where no NCS-participating childcare provider is practically available in their locality; whether consideration is being given to introducing a mechanism, including … families who have no feasible access to an NCS-participating providers due to geographical and logistical constraints, and rely on verifiable, ongoing childcare arrangements such as registered and insured childminders; to demonstrate that their exclusion from the NCS arises from rural access limitations rather than personal choice

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare services participating in the core funding scheme in County Waterford in each year since the scheme was established; the total amount of core funding allocated by her Department to those services … each year; the number of childcare places associated with those services in each year, according to the information available to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49783/26

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare services in County Waterford that, to her knowledge and based on information held by her Department, have ceased operating in each year since 2020; the estimated number of childcare places thereby lost

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of new childcare services that, according to information available to her Department, commenced operation in County Waterford in each year since 2020; the number of additional childcare places thereby created; if she considers this

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total value of capital funding allocated by her Department to childcare providers in County Waterford in each year since 2020 under all capital investment and expansion schemes; the number of successful applications; the number … additional childcare places projected to result from those investments; the number created to date, where known to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49787/26

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare services in County Waterford participating in the national childcare scheme in each year since 2020; the total value of subsidies paid in respect of children attending those services in each year

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department holds information on the average fees charged by childcare providers participating in Core Funding nationally and in County Waterford; if so, the average annual fee in each year since 2022 and the annual … increase or decrease; if not, how her Department assesses whether Core Funding is reducing childcare costs for parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49790/26

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of staff employed in childcare services participating in Core Funding in County Waterford in each year since 2020, according to information available to her Department; the corresponding national figures; if she is satisfied that … staffing levels are sufficient to meet existing and projected childcare demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49791/26

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare services in County Waterford that have received support under the building blocks expansion grant scheme and any successor expansion scheme; the value of funding approved in each case; the number of additional … childcare places her Department expects each project to deliver; the number delivered to date, where known; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49793/26

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of additional childcare places her Department projected would be created nationally and in County Waterford through core funding, capital investment programmes and childcare expansion schemes since 2022; the number actually created to date, according

Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department collects, receives or holds information on childcare waiting lists nationally or on a county basis; if so, the latest figures available for County Waterford and nationally; if not, whether she considers it appropriate … that neither she nor her Department has access to comprehensive waiting list data despite the acknowledged shortage of childcare places; how she assesses unmet demand in the absence of such information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49795/26

Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the review of the 2001 planning guidelines for local authorities on early learning and childcare settings in order to increase childcare supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48705/26

Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early learning and school-age childcare facilities that have been found to be non-complainant on staffing ratios, staffing qualifications, Garda vetting, and basic needs, broken down by private or community service, service size … full day care, part-time, sessional, school-age childcare and county, in 2025 and 2026. [46906/26

Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress being made to increase the number of newly qualified childcare professionals, in order to adequately staff childcare services throughout Carlow and Kilkenny; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47403/26

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide capacity data for 2025-2026 programme year for early learning and care and school age childcare for cork county as part of the early years sector profile; the way in which this data is being used to address the urgent … issues of supply meeting childcare demand for County Cor; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47537/26

Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount by which childcare fees will be reduced for a typical working family on the average wage with two children under five years under the national childcare scheme changes recently announced by her Department. [47222/26

Equality the assessment her Department has made of the impact of population growth in Ballincollig, Cork north central on demand for school-age childcare places; whether the County Childcare Committee structure in Cork has flagged Ballincollig as an area of capacity concern; and if she will make

Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has considered introducing additional supports for parents with children in childcare that fall outside NCS core funding, such as childcare tax relief; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46716/26

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

Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children in Longford-Westmeath who are currently without an available childcare place; the number of children on waiting lists for crèche, preschool and early years services in each county; the number of childcare places currently