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

Pearse Doherty Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1163. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 755 of 20 May 2025, if he will provide a breakdown of the 48% of early learning and care and school-age childcare providers with vacant places, for each area, per provider, in County Donegal, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29203/25]
Albert Dolan Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1167. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the Government's plans to further reduce the cost of childcare for families under the national childcare scheme; the timelines in place for the implementation of any additional cost-reduction measures; and the specific steps being taken to prevent the closure of early years and crèche services and to su…
Duncan Smith Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1176. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 143 of 24 April 2024, to provide an update on the hiring of 300 therapy assistants to work on CDNTs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29497/25]
John Connolly Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1196. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the CDNT 5–west Galway city service is currently operating with a full cohort of staff; the roles within the west Galway city CDNT that are currently vacant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29968/25]
John Connolly Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1197. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the CDNT 6–central Galway and east Galway city service is currently operating with a full cohort of staff; the roles within the central and east Galway city CDNT that are currently vacant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29969/25]
John Connolly Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1198. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the CDNT 7–north Galway service is currently operating with a full cohort of staff; the roles within the north Galway CDNT that are currently vacant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29970/25]
John Connolly Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1199. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the CDNT 8–east Galway and south Roscommon service is currently operating with a full cohort of staff; the roles within the east Galway and south Roscommon CDNT that are currently vacant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29971/25]
Cian O'Callaghan Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1204. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality following the recent visit to a school (details supplied) by the Minister for Special Education, if she will respond to the urgent issue of a 7 year old child in that school’s autism class who is pre-speaking and has had no access to speech and language therapy, or any other form of therapy to date; and if she will make a statement…
Cathal Crowe Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1208. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she and her Departmental officials are aware of the shortage of creche and child-minding facilities in County Clare that cater for babies under 12 months-of-age; the measures her Department is taking to address this deficit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30241/25]
Emer Currie Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1220. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department is carrying out a mapping exercise to identify the parts of the country where State intervention in the provision of childcare is most acutely required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30364/25]
Emer Currie Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1221. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for a breakdown of the number of new childcare providers who have entered the sector in each of the past five years, by county; the number of childcare providers who have left the sector in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30365/25]
Emer Currie Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1233. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to examine the establishment of a professional register for childminders and early years educators, reflecting the professionalism of the sector as committed in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30377/25]
Emer Currie Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1235. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the engagement she has had with the with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage in relation to a review of the 2001 childcare facilities for planning authorities to ensure childcare spaces are provided and put into use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30379/25]
Emer Currie Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1236. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on her plans to examine and expand the access and inclusion model and make it available to younger children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30380/25]
Emer Currie Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1240. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of services providing a baby room for babies aged 0-1, by county; the number of baby rooms available in each county in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30384/25]
Emer Currie Written 10 Jun 2025 · to Children
1241. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of community childcare facilities who have entered the sector in each of the past five years, by county; and the number of community childcare providers who have left the sector in each of the past five years, by Local Authority; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30385/25]
Emer Currie Oral 29 May 2025 · to Public Expenditure
87. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if the immense challenges facing the childcare sector, including a lack of spaces, will be considered by the new infrastructure division of his Department and by the new accelerating infrastructure task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28049/25]
John Connolly Written 29 May 2025 · to Children
522. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of applications for funding under the building blocks extension scheme by organisations in County Galway; if the applicants were successful or otherwise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28762/25]
Paul McAuliffe Written 28 May 2025 · to Children
356. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the assessment of need through the psychology service for a person (details supplied). [27757/25]
Claire Kerrane Written 27 May 2025 · to Children
539. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she plans to record data on payroll as a percentage of the overall income of each early years and SAC service participating in her Department’s funding streams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27106/25]
Claire Kerrane Written 27 May 2025 · to Children
540. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she plans to record data on the overall percentage of deficit and up to surplus each early years and SAC service participating in her Department’s funding streams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27107/25]
Claire Kerrane Written 27 May 2025 · to Children
542. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage portion of childcare costs that is made up by private fees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27109/25]
Aidan Farrelly Written 27 May 2025 · to Children
555. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated average cost, per month, of full-day childcare, broken down by county, and the average cost nationally, for the most recently available time period, in tabular form. [27549/25]
Réada Cronin Written 27 May 2025 · to Children
559. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if there has been engagement with her Department on building a childcare facility in a location (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27661/25]
Eoin Ó Broin Written 27 May 2025 · to Children
562. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department is aware of a situation presenting for parents of children attending a childcare service regarding a transfer of location (details supplied); and if correspondence will be considered with a view to providing a reply to the parents concerned. [27698/25]