Childcare Services

371. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has had any engagement with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality regarding increased childcare provision using school sites; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5357/26]

491. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when an assessment will take place for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5178/26]

499. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has had any engagement with the Department of Education and Youth regarding increased childcare and early years provision on school sites; if this has been considered regarding increasing capacity, specifically in areas where there is a lack of options for parents; and if she will make a statement o…

500. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of a lack of available, affordable and appropriate childcare placements in the Lucan, County Dublin area; the efforts underway to increase options and capacity to ensure childcare services are available to young people who require them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5356/26]

835. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if children in a variety of childminding settings can also benefit from national childcare scheme subsidies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3657/26]

836. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if childminding done outside of commercial setting, such as registered creches' and Montessori’s, should be considered within the national childcare scheme, this would include the use of childminders, such as au pairs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3658/26]

837. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a list of early years and school age childcare services that have withdrawn from the core funding scheme; the number and percentage of services that have signed up to the scheme to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3721/26]

838. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has identified small to medium early years and school age childcare services that are not primarily ECCE-funded and are now receiving less funding than they did prior to the introduction of the core funding scheme; if a review of the funding allocations to these services has been carried o…

843. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to criticisms of the independent external review of the draft childminding regulations that was carried out by a person (details supplied) specifically in relation to claims that the report did not adequately engage with the childminding sector; and if she will make a statement on the ma…

863. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a resource centre (details supplied) can apply to the building blocks scheme to fund/part-fund a new-build to replace an older, not-fit-for-purpose premises; if so, the application process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4157/26]

865. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a mechanism will be introduced to allow funding under the AIM, NCS and sponsored childcare schemes to be backdated in cases where administrative issues prevent applications from being submitted immediately, in order that providers are not financially disadvantaged; and if she will make a statement on the…

877. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to detail her plans to improve the provision of childcare facilities, in particular in areas such as Shankill, County Dublin, where there has been significant demographic growth in recent years and demand for services due to new housing development, and if she will consider the Shankill area to trial a new State-bas…

504. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 23 of 18 December 2025, if she will provide the breakdown of costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3286/26]

1168. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth to consider implementing an early screening programme for children with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75035/25]

1169. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Departments plans to improve access to dyslexia supports for students in school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75036/25]

1185. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth given the publication of the revised estimated volume in December 2025, if she can provide a breakdown on how the figures for the number of children and young people to benefit from engagement in a youth service figure has been worked out; how the outturn and output targets have been developed; the resources being made availab…

1221. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education and Youth if assistive technology can be provided for a child in County Kildare (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1671/26]

1879. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on her engagement with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to the review of the 2001 planning guidelines for childcare facilities; if she has met with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to this matter; the outcome of the me…

1880. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has identified suitable properties for purchase in order to progress the commitment to State-led childcare facilities; the engagement her Department has had with local authorities and the Land Development Agency in relation to this matter; her views on whether properties built under the 2001 plannin…

1897. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to reform the national childcare scheme to cover children with complex medical needs who are deemed unsuitable for group childcare settings due to their circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74272/25]

1905. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide further details of phase one of the early years action plan; if she will provide specific details regarding how the plan will assist childcare service providers tackle rising and immediate costs and administrative burdens; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74371/25]

1929. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the alternative funding streams available to a community-based project (details supplied) which previously relied in part on the national childcare scheme support but now faces a funding shortfall as age-based eligibility thresholds for NCS funding have changed, notwithstanding the fact that the project prov…

1930. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has a policy or continuity plan to prevent the loss of community-based services for vulnerable teenagers where a programme has historically relied on the national childcare scheme support but now faces a shortfall as participants age out of eligibility; and whether she will engage with…

1932. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason the national childcare scheme (NCS) which is available to children from 6 months of age and offers up to 45 hours per week, while the AIM model which supports ECCE programmes with additional resources and capitation to accommodate children with additional needs is only available to those aged two …

1933. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 919 of 18 November 2025, the actions she will take to address the significant additional costs imposed on families that have children attending childcare centres classified under Band F; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74771/25]