Childcare Services

1934. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 919 of 18 November 2025, her views on the merits of creating a targeted financial support for families that have children attending childcare centres classified under Band F; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74772/25]

1935. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to extend the national childcare scheme to all working families, as childcare is a necessary cost of employment, regardless of income band; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74827/25]

1936. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to extend the national childcare scheme to working families that use private childminders due to the lack of available creche places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74828/25]

1942. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children which have been transferred outside the jurisdiction of Ireland for care; the legal basis; the settings and the countries, over the past 36 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74947/25]

1953. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of ELC services in each county division; the number of SAC services in each county division for 2023/2024 in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75040/25]

1955. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the vacant childcare places in ELC and SAC services for the years 2020- 2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2024-2025; and the overall national average from 2020 to 2025, by county, in tabular form. [75082/25]

1957. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average national childcare fee in 2025 encompassing the NCS subsidy and parent contribution. [75124/25]

1958. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the payment to early years provider by the State in respect of a sponsored child. [75125/25]

1959. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to account for the difference, if any, between the combined parent contribution and NCS relative the payment made in respect of a sponsored child. [75126/25]

1996. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to conduct an analysis on the impact of the 2024 fee adjustments on families who receive income assessed subsidies through the national childcare scheme based on their income of €26,000 and below; the number of families that were out of pocket by the fee increases as they did not receive an increase in subsidies in S…

1997. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of times the national childcare scheme subsidies for families on incomes of €26,000 or less have been increased since it launched in 2019. [1695/26]

1998. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if flexibility can be built into the Core Funding contract when new childcare rooms are opened after the Core Funding submission deadline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1769/26]

1999. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the level of direct engagement she has had with groups representing childcare providers since she took office; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1770/26]

2002. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an overview of the capacity of creches in County Clare (most especially the Shannon / Newmarket-on-Fergus / Bunratty / Sixmilebridge locality) to meet the needs of local families; her plans to increase creche places in the aforementioned areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [185…

2016. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the revised Early Learning and Childcare Planning Guidance will be issued; whether it will require childcare facilities to be fully fitted out and operational before a set proportion of dwellings are occupied, with reference to an area (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [221…

2017. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the Building Blocks Capital Programme will be expanded to include crèche fit out costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2216/26]

2018. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a county level operator pipeline for Kildare, including all allocations since 2022, will be published, in order to combat delays such as the continued non operation of a purpose built crèche in an area (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2217/26]

2019. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to publish quarterly county level dashboards detailing new childcare capacity, waiting lists by age band, and the number of estate crèches opened versus those permitted, with reference to County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2218/26]

2020. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she intends to introduce updated childcare planning guidance requiring childcare demand assessments for large residential schemes in Kildare north; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2219/26]

2021. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the 2001 Childcare Facilities Guidelines will be updated; whether the revised guidance would include a modernised demand assessment for apartment developments, including one bed, studio and appropriate two bed units; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2220/26]

1. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will carry out a review of the regulations for childminders in Q1 of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71885/25]

7. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is satisfied that the number of childminding services registered with Tusla, and the numbers of childminders undertaking the pre-registration training, will be sufficient to meet the future demand in Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73088/25]

20. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if consideration has been given for capital funding for community based not-for-profit childcare facilities. [72882/25]

21. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she has engaged with trade unions, representative organisations and childcare providers in the development of her Department’s action plan to reduce childcare costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73392/25]

22. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans to review the funding models for childcare including anomalies in core funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73196/25]