127. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress being made on the urgent need for reform of core funding in order that it actually benefits both providers and parents, increase NCS subsidies to provide direct financial relief to families and in addressing the childcare crisis by ensuring sustainable funding for all providers to encourage more services to remain in operat…
Topics / Childcare Services
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsChildcare 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
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 11 |
| February 2025 | 62 |
| March 2025 | 43 |
| April 2025 | 71 |
| May 2025 | 35 |
| June 2025 | 70 |
| July 2025 | 93 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 87 |
| October 2025 | 41 |
| November 2025 | 155 |
| December 2025 | 74 |
| January 2026 | 71 |
| February 2026 | 76 |
| March 2026 | 55 |
| April 2026 | 78 |
| May 2026 | 107 |
| June 2026 | 144 |
| July 2026 | 64 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 38 |
| October 2026 | 63 |
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.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
-
130
-
88
-
70
-
69
-
47
-
40
-
36
-
33
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
130. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for a list of all registered childcare providers in North Kildare, in a tabular form. [26315/25]
746. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department can provide any funding supports to creche and pre-school business owners who have been obligated to upgrade toilet facilities at great cost; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25093/25]
752. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of ELC/SAC services that were found to be non-compliant in relation to staffing ratios, staff qualifications, Garda vetting, and basic needs, broken down by private or community and private service, service size, full day care, part-time, sessional, school age child-care and county, in 2023 and 2024, in tabular form. [25279…
753. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the allocations for the building blocks extension grant scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25329/25]
754. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide a timeline for the implementation of a €200 per month childcare cap, as outlined in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25330/25]
755. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current capacity of childcare services in County Donegal; her plans to increase the number of childcare facilities in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25332/25]
766. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current status of childcare waiting lists in Wicklow; the measures being taken to address the shortage of places for children under three years old; the means by which she plans to expand capacity and improve access to early learning and care services in the region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25724/25]
300. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to help reduce fees in creches not in the core funding model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25031/25]
301. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of applications under the building blocks scheme that were received; the number processed by the OPW; the number of projects that have received approval in order for them to go to the e-tender stage, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25034/25]
302. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason for the delays in making approvals in the building blocks scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25035/25]
303. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider extending the end of December deadline for full use of the building blocks funding, in light of the delays to approving the applications submitted in January 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25036/25]
175. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 1897 of 29 April 2025, when the review to the provision of core funding scheme will take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24743/25]
820. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of concerns among childcare sector workers that they must claim jobseeker’s benefit for every school holiday; if there are plans to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24205/25]
957. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide details on the percentage of early years providers accessing the Government’s core funding scheme that pay an hourly educator rate of €15 or above; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23476/25]
960. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality regarding the gradual reduction of childcare costs as committed to in the Programme for Government, the steps she has taken to progress this policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23515/25]
979. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if all families deemed to have been over-charged by a facility (detailed supplied) in respect of their participation in national childcare scheme were repaid; if the payment was made in full; when that payment took place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23972/25]
980. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if all families deemed to have been over-charged by early years services in respect of their participation in national childcare scheme were repaid in full; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23973/25]
981. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures her Department has taken to ensure no family is being currently overcharged as per the fee structure agreed under the National Childcare scheme. [23974/25]
982. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the penalties or other actions that have been taken against a facility (details supplied) in respect of its breach of the national childcare scheme and over-charging of parents in contravention of the fee freeze. [23975/25]
988. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to detail the number of children who benefited from supports under the national childcare scheme in 2022, 2023 and 2024, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24368/25]
382. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to clarify the length of the waiting list for an assessment of needs appointment in Laois for children with special needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22927/25]
405. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if an audit of childcare availability in south Dublin has been conducted; if so, the actions being taken by her Department to increase the availability of local childcare places in the area, especially given the recent announced closure of a facility (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22691/25]
325. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she is aware of the prohibitive cost of daycare experienced by parents; and to provide a timeline for the implementation of a €200 per month childcare cap, as outlined during the previous general election. [21751/25]
327. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when all provisions of the Child Care Amendment Act 2024 will be brought into force. [21773/25]