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would be helpful to provide that to him, but it is no problem if he does not want that. Tusla and the childcare committee engaging is where the nub of this is. That needs to continue. The Deputy mentioned that he had secured offers of mediation. My experience … then we can figure out if we can support or intervene in a further way. However, Tusla and the Mayo county childcare committee are the bodies that can help. I am really encouraged that they are offering to do that. We need to make sure that

Dublin Mid-West, I hear about the pressures families face every day, whether it is heating their homes, filling their cars, paying for childcare or simply keeping on top of bills. People are working hard, they are raising their families and they are doing their best … money through income tax changes, we are increasing the minimum wage and we are supporting working families. We are reducing the average maximum childcare cost from €750 per month to €550 per month. We are helping families with the cost of heating their homes and filling

million by making sure those vulture funds paid an adequate amount of tax. What could that revenue have delivered? It could have delivered childcare for €10 a day. We do not have that, however. We have talk of a €550 cap. A huge number of people are trying … find out whether they can avail of this €550 a month childcare. There is no clarity on who can actually avail of it. We would need that. We have all heard that students have to pay €350 more in fees today than when the promise was first made

worse off. No one can argue this in terms of disability, with the cost-of-disability payment and other measures. In terms of childcare, we now have a clear pathway to get down to the €200 a month cost of childcare over the next number of budgets

Exchequer funding from the existing Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine allocation. The programme for Government commits to bringing down the cost of childcare to €200 per child per month. This is a key area for me and my Independent colleagues, and I recognise that childcare costs

proposal - the responsible proposal - was to end that scheme. That would have raised €335 million, which would have paid for €10-a-day childcare with change left over. That was another big promise that the Government made before the last election. Our young people, including young parents … Ireland can be affordable. We can build the homes that our people need. We can have a healthcare system that works, affordable childcare, education that is open for every child, and opportunity for our young people. I know that, right now, that could seem really far away

living in. I do not doubt that there will be good things there. When a family that is struggling to pay for childcare heard yesterday that there is to be a reduction in the cost of childcare, inevitably they would have thought it is a great thing. However

There should be a payment of €55 every week to cover the additional costs they face at a minimum. I also welcome that childcare costs will be capped at €550, but, again, it does not go far enough. It is a far cry from the election promise … month. More than 1,500 children over the age of three in Donegal remain on waiting lists for childcare places due to ongoing staffing challenges, yet nothing has been done to address that. I welcome the allocation of 2,000 SNAs, but the budget does not seem

fail ordinary workers and families from the cradle to the grave. It is welcome that costs for families have been reduced but childcare costs would already be €10 per day if the Government had implemented Sinn Féin's plan, which was published more than two years … Public Accounts. The taxpayer is not getting value for money. Sinn Féin's alternative budget outlined a different path: €10-a-day childcare; reducing and working on abolishing third level fees; USC abolished on the first €40,000 for all; an increase of €1.10 in the minimum wage

State. It really is something to behold. When the Minister made a commitment in the run-up to the last budget to reduce childcare costs to €200 a month, that was our plan and the Government was welcome to take it and more than welcome to implement … have parents in Longford-Westmeath who are not only struggling to find childcare places but are put to the pin of their collar trying to pay for those places every single month. They believed the Government. They wanted it to do this. They would have been grateful

today is a progressive one. It is a budget for working families. For the second-year running, Government has reduced the cost of childcare in a meaningful way, easing the pressure on parents, and giving them the opportunity to return to work. It also takes further steps … permanently reduce the contribution families pay towards third-level education. This means that a married couple with one child in full-time childcare, both working and with a combined net income of €95,000, can expect to see a gain of over €3,500 next year

work across government to ensure that the planned population growth is linked directly to funding for the workforce and planning for healthcare, gardaí, childcare, libraries and community services? My ask is very straightforward. The people of Belmayne and Clongriffin in the area I represent, after more than … years of development, are entitled to know where the other half of the bargain is. That means transport with enough capacity, childcare that is actually available, healthcare, community facilities and policing. I welcome that we are pushing housing. One of the biggest things we need

their payslips look like at the end of the week or month, that is a way of helping. If people are dependent on childcare services and we can drive down the cost of childcare, that is a way of helping. If people are at particular risk of fuel

months later and for the second time in their lives, they have been evicted through no fault of their own. Caoimhe is a childcare worker and because the Government has not raised the social housing income thresholds - because, in my opinion, it wants to deny people eligibility … social housing - she is homeless. However, she has now been taken off the housing list because as a childcare worker, she has gone over the eligibility limit. For a single person, that is now €43,930 and she earns €44, 272. Here is someone, to use Government phraseology

available; notes that: — households, workers, students, pensioners and families continue to face significant cost of living pressures, with rising costs across housing, energy, childcare and everyday essentials; — the Government has chosen to increase the cost of public transport for those who rely on it, and at a time … across the State are being hit by surging costs from every side. From the soaring cost of energy to higher grocery bills and childcare, households have no reprieve. They are living from week to week and they need a break. However, instead of making life easier, the Government

their wages grow or careers progress or they get promotions or work overtime. I know the Deputy feels very passionate about childcare because we have also discussed it. We have to continue to really invest in childcare. I know the Minister for children will bring forward measures there

heating oil and gas. There will obviously be a personal income tax package. The Government is clear about that. The Deputy is right. Childcare is a social issue and an equality issue but it is also an economic issue. I am meeting lots of people across the country … making career decisions not on the basis of their choice but on the basis of the lack of affordability or accessibility of a childcare place. Next week in the budget, we are determined as a Government to take a big step in that direction and to build

Unit 1, Sarsfield Court and the vacant units on the site. Deputy Gary Gannon - To discuss the development of intergenerational community hubs alongside childcare and services for older people as part of the expansion of public childcare infrastructure. The matters raised by Deputies Paul Lawless, Barry Ward, Darren

want to raise the concern among providers about the fee arrangements under the core funding programme and the disparity between long-established childcare providers and numerous service providers entering the scheme. I welcome what the Minister has outlined - the continuous improvement in funding from €259 million when … while new service providers are able to establish their fees based on current operating conditions, subject to applicable fee caps, which puts established childcare providers at a disadvantage

suggest, as I have already outlined, that the first line of contact is the local city and county childcare committees. That is the process. I would be surprised at this point if Deputy Wall has not engaged with them because I know he is very active … proposal, suggestion, idea or vision can be discussed on the ground with the local facility, which is the local city and county childcare committee. I suggest that if Deputy Wall has a number of proposals he engages with them first and if they are viable they will come

welcome the increase in enrolments. I am really thinking about my own county of Mayo. Even when we have increases in the national childcare scheme, and I hear about these great subsidies, I know many parents in my county are not able to access them. The last data … want to see addressed is the potential crisis with private childminders if they do not start registering soon. In relation to State-led childcare, in my own area, because we are focusing more on the voluntary boards of management and the community-led element, we do not have

State-led childcare will be a game-changer but we cannot just rely on the community and voluntary boards. In cities like Dublin and Cork, the boards may have accountants, HR professionals or solicitors guiding them. In rural Ireland, the same people who are on their GAA board … also often on the board of the community childcare facility, so we need to look at that. I also really welcome that a review is ongoing in relation to how we can better support private childminders to get registered. We need to reach out and allow people, even

Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in the targeted plans to reduce childcare costs for parents, whether there are plans in place to review the Core funding programme to ensure that funding reflects the increasing costs faced by childcare providers and if consideration

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to give an update on the sites to be selected for the rollout of the State-led childcare pilot; and if she has considered the inclusion of County Kildare given it has one of the lowest levels of community childcare provision. [65891/26

through the indexation of tax bands, again as the Labour Party has sought. We need to see a cap on the cost of childcare, set at €200 a month. We need to see real, tangible measures that would give working families real breathing space and real certainty … hearing from people around Ireland. He knows this. They cannot afford to cover the basics. They are facing high rents, high bills, high childcare costs and inadequate public transport, and he expects them to be grateful for another untargeted subsidy for fossil fuels that may barely keep pace

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total amount provided by her Department in each year since its introduction to support increases in childcare worker pay arising from Employment Regulation Orders and Joint Labour Committee agreements; the amount allocated to services in County Waterford; if her Department

Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare providers who have been found to be non-complainant with Core Funding obligations to freeze fees for parents; the number of active investigations into such non-complainant providers; the number of complaints received

Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Health the number of childcare facilities located within the vicinity of public hospitals that are for hospital staff only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49537/26

Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he is exploring the potential of a tax credit for childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48386/26

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to support working families with the cost of childcare in Budget 2027; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47673/26

Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions she and her Department have taken to support access to afterschool childcare in Cork City, as a number of providers have either closed or restricted access to the service; and if she will make a statement

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the gap in childcare provision affecting children who have completed their final year under the ECCE scheme, are due to commence primary school in late August, but are not currently

Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount of core funding paid to a childcare provider (details supplied) in 2025; whether any reduction, adjustment or clawback has been applied in respect of room closures or reduced capacity during this period. [48033/26

Disability and Equality her plans to publish a detailed timeframe, including milestones and key performance indicators, for the provision of €200-per-month childcare, as set out in the commitments in the programme for Government. [47642/26

Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the roll-out of State-led childcare facilities; when the eight locations for this year will be chosen; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47735/26

Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the fact that no childcare facility has been built within the new national children’s hospital, and if she has raised this with the Minister for Health. [47221/26

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she intends to take to implement the Programme for Government commitment to extend the national childcare scheme to childminders working in the family home with sensible regulations that fit home-based care; and if she will make a statement

Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has considered a model of childcare based on direct public provision to ensure access, affordability for families and quality pay and conditions for staff in the sector; and if she will make a statement

Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the action being taken to reduce the cost of childcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47437/26

Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans for additional childcare places and staff in Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47438/26

Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update in relation to the State led provision of childcare scheme. [47573/26

asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of service providers who have applied to become state-led providers of public childcare facilities, and to provide a breakdown of the number of providers that are private, community and not-for-profit. [46907/26

asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the Programme for Government commitments on affordable, accessible, and high-quality childcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47435/26

Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update in relation to reducing the cost of childcare to €200 per month. [47574/26

Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to increase capacity in the childcare sector for babies under a year old. [46780/26

Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to increase the affordability of childcare for families across the country in 2026 and 2027. [46783/26

Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the work her Department is undertaking to support professionalisation within the childcare sector, including measures to strengthen career pathways and workforce development; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47463/26

Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she will take to make childcare more affordable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47542/26

Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to detail the actions that will be taken to entice childcare providers who have exited core funding back into core funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47286/26

Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she is taking to cut the cost of childcare for families; if this is forming an important part of her Budget 2027 negotiations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47281/26