Topics / Childcare Services

A subject heading for parliamentary questions

Childcare Services

1,438 questions from 125 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.

1,438
questions
1,397 written, 41 oral
125
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
8
departments asked

Questions per month

The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.

Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
MonthQuestions
January 202511
February 202562
March 202543
April 202571
May 202535
June 202570
July 202593
August 20250
September 202587
October 202541
November 2025155
December 202574
January 202671
February 202676
March 202655
April 202678
May 2026107
June 2026144
July 202664
August 20260
September 202638
October 202663

Who asks, by party

The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.

  • 100% RDR2 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Aontú18 from 2 TDs · 2 seats today
  • Fianna Fáil284 from 33 TDs · 48 seats today
  • Fine Gael467 from 20 TDs · 38 seats today
  • Green Party11 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Independent64 from 9 TDs · 15 seats today
  • Independent Ireland43 from 2 TDs · 4 seats today
  • Labour Party152 from 11 TDs · 11 seats today
  • People Before Profit-Solidarity40 from 3 TDs · 3 seats today
  • Sinn Féin267 from 31 TDs · 39 seats today

The TDs who asked most

Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.

  1. 130
  2. 88
  3. 70
  4. 69
  5. 47
  6. 40
  7. 36
  8. 33

Asked of

Debated under the same heading

Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.

The questions

Séamus McGrath Written 8 Jul 2025 · to Children
735. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on actions already taken or commenced to improve the critical accessibility issue as set out in the programme for Government (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37546/25]
Barry Ward Written 8 Jul 2025 · to Children
740. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the position regarding creches not participating in the core funding scheme; if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of parents who will by extension not benefit from the fee cap coming in September; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37662/25]
Mark Ward Written 8 Jul 2025 · to Children
742. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to examine the childcare provider case (details supplied); if access and inclusion model funding can be backdated and clarity given for providers around timelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37674/25]
Eoin Ó Broin Written 8 Jul 2025 · to Children
748. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to confirm receipt of correspondence from an inclusive preschool provider in relation to AIM level 7 non-term funding (details supplied); if she will take the matters outlined under consideration with a view to improving the process; if a review of the specific case is underway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37735/25]
Erin McGreehan Written 3 Jul 2025 · to Children
334. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if childcare providers can require parents to take up and pay for a full 45 hours of childcare per week as a condition of enrolment; and if she will clarify whether parents remain eligible to receive the national childcare scheme subsidy if they do not avail of the full 45 hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36775/…
Réada Cronin Written 3 Jul 2025 · to Children
337. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps being taken by her Department to increase capacity for childcare services in north Kildare; the number of families currently on a waiting list for childcare services in north Kildare; the average waiting times on those lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36809/25]
Barry Heneghan Written 2 Jul 2025 · to Children
208. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the immediate and long-term measures being taken to address the severe shortage of childcare places; how the Government is planning to reform the national childcare scheme to better support working families and promote flexible working arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36311/25]
Barry Ward Written 2 Jul 2025 · to Children
209. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the case of childcare fees outlined to her office by email (details supplied); if clarity will be provided regarding the qualifying criteria under the proposed fee cap; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36368/25]
Maeve O'Connell Written 2 Jul 2025 · to Children
211. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on her Department’s work to progress the public provision of childcare. [36386/25]
Maeve O'Connell Written 2 Jul 2025 · to Children
212. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to report on her Department’s estimates for the supply and demand of ELC/SAC over the next five years. [36387/25]
Rory Hearne Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
638. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of creche groups that have pulled out of core funding in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35391/25]
Rory Hearne Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
639. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of creches that have signed up to the core funding scheme in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35392/25]
Rory Hearne Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
640. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether there is a plan to support families whose only accessible creches are in the 7% of creches that are not signed up to the core funding scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35393/25]
Sorca Clarke Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
645. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any costing has been done on integrating early years mental health supports into childcare settings, including inpatient child therapeutic interventions or staff training. [35471/25]
Richard Boyd Barrett Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
648. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated full-year cost of increasing childcare subsidies to 100% of fees paid by parents availing of childcare subsidies from the national childcare scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35658/25]
Richard Boyd Barrett Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
650. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated full-year cost of increasing wages for all childcare workers by €2 an hour via a public subsidy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35660/25]
Darren O'Rourke Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
656. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures she is taking to provide extra resources and support to creches in Dunshaughlin (details supplied) in order to cater for the growing demand of creche and afterschool places.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35988/25]
Pat Buckley Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
658. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare places currently available in the constituency of east Cork [36033/25]
Pat Buckley Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
659. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of new childcare places that have been opened in the constituency of east Cork for the years 2020 to 2025 respectively. [36034/25]
Pat Buckley Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
660. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare providers that have closed; the childcare places that have been lost as a result of these closures in the constituency of east Cork in each of the years 2020 to 2025, respectively.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36035/25]
Shane Moynihan Written 1 Jul 2025 · to Children
661. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the shortage of childcare places in the Citywest and Saggart area; and to set out what action her Department is taking to address it. [36088/25]
Colm Burke Written 26 Jun 2025 · to Social
275. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a domiciliary care allowance application for the daughter of a person (details supplied) for who it is documented and has medical difficulties; if serious consideration will be given to granting this allowance due to these difficulties and the level of care required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35061/25]
Conor D McGuinness Written 26 Jun 2025 · to Children
303. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a child (details supplied) with severe and complex needs will receive the occupational therapy and speech and language therapy interventions they urgently require; the reason for the ongoing delay in service provision despite repeated contact from the child’s school to the relevant CDNT since November 2024; whether she consi…
Paul Donnelly Written 24 Jun 2025 · to Children
718. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether TUSLA has emergency out-of-hours social workers available nationwide. [33976/25]
Claire Kerrane Written 24 Jun 2025 · to Children
722. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will examine the new regulations for childminders to ensure that they are not leading to increased paperwork for childminders, who want to be spending time with the children they look after rather than sitting doing paperwork; if she will ensure the additional requirements are as straightforward as possible to ensure good child…