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tabling this motion and the Minister, Deputy Foley, for her own response. In my time as Minister, I was privileged to meet many childcare professionals and see the skill and dedication they bring to their role. I was pleased to hear the Minister, Deputy Foley, talk about childcare … Minister of State agree with me that it is essential that the joint labour committee recognise the impact that low pay has on childcare professionals and agree that the highest possible hourly rate using that additional funding of €45 million, and any remaining funding from previous core funding

back to the HighScope Perry Preschool study in the US which found that for every $1 invested in quality early education in the childcare sector and in primary school there was a $7 return. In euro terms, it has the same positive impact on children's outcomes … importance in terms of investment or consideration for the people involved in the sector. My constituency is suffering from a severe shortage of childcare places. It is a rapidly growing area that is not helped by measures that have driven small, independent childcare providers out of business. There

Childcare costs are completely out of control, with many people now paying the equivalent of a second mortgage. A local man who came in to do a job in my office this week stated that most of his wages went towards the €1,400 per month charge … childcare, while his wife's income went towards the €1,600 per month mortgage. In view of the high cost of living, how are families supposed to cope? How are they supposed to survive? Childcare costs in County Wicklow average €11,000 per year per child, while across

Does the Minister envisage investing more in the national childcare scheme to bring down the costs directly for parents? This is what Sinn Féin had proposed with our €10 per day plan, which is around €200 per month. This is using what is there with the current mechanism … quickest way to bring down the costs of childcare. While the Government repeatedly tells us that the costs of childcare have halved there are families still paying well over €1,000 a month for childcare. Parents are really struggling to cover the costs. Accessibility was mentioned. Of course

While I welcome the Pobal scheme, 78 applications is not a lot and 78 additional childcare facilities, or not even childcare facilities, is not sufficient for the demand we have in Ireland and it will certainly not do anything to meet the demands of the people in Dublin … Fingal West. Will the Minister look seriously for more funding to support childcare providers in areas of high demand? As I said, I cannot understate the demand in Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk. It is one of the youngest constituencies in Ireland - Balbriggan is the youngest large town

young people and threaten our competitiveness in the areas of housing, transport and essential services that we depend on like education, disability and childcare. In Dublin West, we feel the cost of delay every day. We must tackle deeply-set barriers, whether they are systemic, structural or simply … roadmap and commitments in the programme for Government, through reform and delivery. Dublin has its challenges. In that context, a lack of childcare, after-school infrastructure and youth services needs to become a thing of the past. Not only is the lack to which I refer affecting

comes to the children and young people of Ireland and in our society, we cannot afford more of the same. The issue of childcare and early years education warrants an emergency policy consideration. In Kildare, we know of families travelling upwards of 60 minutes each way, and that … they are lucky enough to have a place in childcare. Yesterday, I spoke with a family who have been on waiting lists for seven different childcare facilities since April 2024. They told me there are 400 children on the waiting list for one of the crèches. It impacts

regret that section 17 makes no provision whatsoever for the people I represent in Dún Laoghaire. It is unfortunate and a missed opportunity. Childcare is important and I welcome that we are introducing the cap of €550. I welcome the progress that has been made in that respect … have a problem in Dún Laoghaire and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown generally where there are more and more centres - some 25% of childcare providers - that are outside the scheme. We need to support all families, not just families who happen to live near a childcare facility that is within

community in Raphoe. I think the Minister of State appreciates that. In one way, this is kind of simple. This is a community childcare facility. The building is going to fall down. We have all accepted that. We know that with defective blocks. It has been tested … fall down. It is going to become unsafe. There are 100 kids and 20 staff in it. There are no other services for childcare in the vicinity. There is now a scheme for State-led childcare facilities. Raphoe has benefited from that, which is brilliant because Raphoe

thank the Deputy. He has been very specific in his ask. He asked that the State-led community childcare scheme be extended and that is the intention of Government. He has also asked that Ardara be considered in the next round. I cannot pre-empt what the decision … applications but what I can say is that those applications come from county and city childcare committees. The fact that Donegal county childcare committee is in touch and doing such collaborative work with the childcare organisation in Ardara is a really encouraging sign. I would certainly encourage

keep more of what they earn, with the higher-rate threshold moving to €46,500 and the main tax credits increasing by €125. Childcare supports families who work and women returning to the workplace and driving our economy forward. According to the Department of children, the vast majority … families use 45 hours or fewer of childcare. The Government is bringing their maximum monthly cost down from €735 to €550 through a mix of core funding caps and an increase in universal national childcare subsidies for children up to senior infants. This amounts to a saving

ongoing development of existing and new services in the sector through its range of funding schemes and support infrastructure, including city and county childcare committees. In particular, core funding offers supply side funding to services. Core funding is a grant to providers designed to support quality, sustainability … current programme year. This will ensure the Department can continue to support the service’s sustainability. Following engagement with Dublin City Childcare Committee and Pobal in July, the Department approved a sustainability funding request from Pobal on 7 September totalling €22,342. Funding will be provided

Government to tackle that. There are other things the Government could be doing to tackle the cost of living, particularly its promise around childcare. Where are the reduced childcare fees? Where is the real delivery of affordable childcare? We in the Social Democrats have put forward a public … childcare model that would actually deliver affordable childcare. Simon Harris has now been in government for 12 or 14 years. Where is his promise to reduce the cost of GP care for children? Someone with a child who is eight now has to pay the full cost

thank the Deputy. I announced €135 million in capital investment in buildings for high-quality, accessible State-led early learning and childcare up to 2030. This is a ground-breaking initiative for Government and it began this year. Capital funding will be used to acquire … tools have been developed to assess projects’ alignment with the programme objectives, including a forward planning model to analyse early learning and childcare supply and demand. The Department has received project proposals from a number of sources since the programme was launched. These projects are in different stages

children and equality committee, her leadership in that respect and her personal commitment to the issues in relation to early years in childcare. The view shared by the committee that the Deputy chairs excellently, and across Government, is that we should improve access to quality and affordable early … learning and childcare opportunities. Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the annual early years sector profile for 2024-25 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 25% from the 2021-22 programme year. A 25% increase in those three years is significant

understand where the Deputy is coming from. I genuinely do. Empower is the community childcare provider in her area. It does phenomenal work. As the Deputy knows, SICAP does not directly provide that community childcare place. I am meeting John Logue and Richard Bruton from Social Enterprise Republic … them in terms of this piece. I will pose the question in a rhetorical and adversarial way right now. What is the community childcare committee doing in the case of Fingal? I will just ask that question. If we look at the overarching scenario, to be fair

Minister of State asked me what the community childcare committee in Fingal is doing. I will tell him that it is battling against the privatisation of childcare day in, day out. In our community centres, the vast majority - over 70% - are occupied by for-profit childcare providers … absolutely delighted that the Minister of State is meeting with him next week and I hope he gets to discuss the issue of childcare because it is essential. There is so much more that can be done in the social enterprise space. There are areas in which

Families who rely on childcare and those who work in the sector are being profoundly let down. I will speak about the families who rely on it first. For many that is €800 or €900 a month if they are relying on it full time. There are also … them the costs are crippling. This is true at all stages and we need to get to a place where we have wraparound childcare. This is quite a stressful time for parents because schools have finished. Parents up and down the country are trying to work a patchwork

this motion. I remember five or six years ago Kathleen Funchion, the former TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, began a process of speaking to childcare providers and families around the country about this issue. It was an issue for everyone in every constituency in the country. We were meeting … families who could not get childcare and when they could it was extremely expensive. Those working as early-years educators were in the very same position. They could not afford to continue to work in the sector after going to college and qualifying. They loved working with children

Budget 2026 invested almost €1.5 billion in early learning and childcare, which is a 12% increase. Going back a decade, that figure was €260 million. Numbers speak for themselves in terms of the funding. A total of 277,000 children will benefit from the national childcare scheme … That is 27,000 more than last year. That is not collapse; it is expansion. Childcare prices have fallen by 36% since October 2022, with fees held at 2021 levels while the rest of the cost of living has risen. Some 105,000 children accessed two free preschool

mention Boyle in north Roscommon. The needs analysis, which was very well done, showed that the national benchmark is 20 childcare places per 75 households. In the town of Boyle and in the surrounding rural area, there are 20 childcare places per 1,043 households. There … Minister and the forward planning unit, which very kindly gave us an extremely helpful briefing this morning on the model. A former childcare facility on the outskirts of Boyle has become available again. It was available and then it was not. It is now available again. The childcare

Parents in Cork could be spending €800 to €900 a month for childcare. That is if there is only one child they need childcare for. It could be well over €1,000, or €1,500 if they have two children. It is absolutely breaking families, and that … they can find childcare facilities at all. In large parts of my constituency, in places like Douglas and Carrigaline, it is effectively impossible to find a place. The Tánaiste went to the people in the last election and talked about €200 a month. The new maximum

childcare is a major cost of living for many working families across this country. In too many cases, parents are paying a second mortgage in childcare fees while others are struggling to even find a place for their children. Many community and small providers are barely getting … while educators are leaving the sector day by day. At the same time, we hear that a major childcare chain is being sold to a UK investment firm for €75 million, a chain that has come to Leinster House with its begging bowl and lobbied hard

promising things is just part of electioneering. It is not. People believed the Taoiseach when he said there would be a reduction in childcare fees. People believed this Government when it promised to roll out a plan for a public model of childcare. I just hope that people … Taoiseach says I will not acknowledge progress and is talking about workers in this sector. Does he acknowledge that workers in the childcare sector have the same level of training and qualifications as other teachers but get paid minimum wage and in the summer months have to sign

efforts of judges, courts officials, and legal representatives, be very challenging for those involved; — family law proceedings concerning child custody, access, guardianship and childcare matters allow attendance and reporting from specified persons under statutory provisions, including Section 40 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, provided that … permitting attendance and reporting by accredited journalists and legal bloggers. I remind him that family law proceedings concerning child custody, access, guardianship and childcare matters allow attendance and reporting from specified persons under statutory provisions, such as section 40 of the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004, provided

reason a child (details supplied) was denied an under attendance exemption to allow them continue to attend a creche under the national childcare scheme in the afternoons after completing early intervention appointments for non-verbal autism in the mornings; if she accepts that the failure to approve this … under attendance exemption leaves this child's family in a position where they must choose between early intervention and childcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25876/26

Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps being taken to ensure all childcare providers participate in the childcare scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22533/26

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

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of units that have been flagged to her Department regarding the State-led capital childcare programme as potential childcare facilities, by county, in tabular form. [21528/26

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding developments towards reaching the commitment to reducing childcare costs to €200 per child, per month, in the context of a number of childcare providers pulling out of the core funding scheme

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions she is taking to reduce the cost of childcare in the short-term as the wider project of reaching the commitment of hitting childcare costs of €200 per child, per month, is progressing

Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on an expression of interest from Cork City Childcare for a service in Glanmire under the state-led early learning and childcare services capital fund; and if she will make a statement

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether, in the context of ongoing childcare reform work, her Department has produced estimates for the average parent which will pay for childcare per month and per year in the short to medium term; the way these

Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her Department's position regarding deposits paid to childcare facilities for places; if it is intended to regulate the practice given the widespread use; and given the difference in amounts charged the way in which refunds … obtained in the case that the childcare place is not used by the family; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14255/26

Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will address the growing crisis of 'childcare deserts', and the 40,000-long waiting list for children under three; if she will commit to a definitive date for introducing pay parity between early years … graduates and primary school teachers to stem the exodus of qualified staff, which is currently preventing the opening of 17,000 unused childcare places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13309/26

Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child through the national childcare scheme; if she will consider options to cap costs for larger families, as per the Programme for Government

Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she has plans to introduce new rules to regulate non-refundable childcare deposits, given that they can be substantial, particularly for families who join multiple waiting lists in order to secure a childcare place

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether existing childcare services will be acquired by the State through The State-led Early Learning and Childcare Capital Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11783/26

Aird asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has examined the role of remote working in supporting parents with childcare responsibilities; whether this will inform future childcare policy or workforce participation strategies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12040/26

increased availability of crèche places, particularly for children under one year of age; if this will include greater flexibility within the national childcare scheme, including consideration of regulated childminders, and immediate short-term supports for parents who are unable to return to work due to the childcare crisis

Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the main reasons cited by childcare providers for withdrawing from or refusing to participate in the core funding scheme; the assessment her Department has carried out on the impact of these decisions on childcare availability and affordability

Equality the specific measures being undertaken to address the challenges being faced by parents in County Louth to find early learning and childcare places for children aged one to three years-of-age; the engagement which have taken place with Louth County Childcare Committee regarding these challenges

Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early learning and childcare providers in County Louth which have sought supports through the existing case management process, where her Departments City/County Childcare Committees and Pobal work together to assess and provide support

Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average parental fee for full-day childcare in 2025 under the national childcare scheme, by county. [5677/26

Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether, once areas of high unmet demand for early learning and childcare have been identified through her Department's forward planning work, if her Department will engage locally to identify suitable vacant or under-utilised childcare premises

Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the number of approved but vacant childcare facilities in an area will be taken into account in decision-making on forward planning and State-led acquisition of childcare infrastructure; and if she will make a statement

Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether, under the new State-led, not-for-profit childcare facilities plan, her Department would consider purchasing a childcare facility which is to be built shortly by a developer at Castlefield Hall, Dublin 15. [5940/26

owned and operated by the State or leased to community providers; and the way this initiative will address long waiting lists and childcare shortages across the country, particularly in rural areas where access to childcare has historically lagged. [6021/26

Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding the ongoing engagement she is having with childcare providers in relation to the administration of the national childcare scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6029/26

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. [4871/26