Childcare Services

653. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage of community childcare services as a proportion of the total number of childcare services in each local authority area, in tabular form. [13452/25]

654. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage of full day care community childcare services as a proportion of the total number of full day care childcare services in each local authority area, in tabular form. [13453/25]

659. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will permit the extension of a sponsored claim through the national childcare scheme for two children (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13526/25]

668. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will engage with and provide supports to a company in order for it to continue with the provision of services while it provides her Department with documentation; and if she can provide any interim funding. [14073/25]

400. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will consider reopening the building blocks scheme through Pobal for 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13061/25]

406. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the efforts being undertaken to progressively reduce childcare costs, including plans to review core funding to establish a forward planning and delivery unit within her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12978/25]

416. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports available to childcare providers looking to open new childcare premises; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13060/25]

417. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her plans to encourage more childcare providers to engage with CORE funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13062/25]

418. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of childcare providers that removed themselves from CORE funding in 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13063/25]

419. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her plans to improve access to childcare in Dublin Fingal west; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13086/25]

420. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the progress that has been made to develop a public model of childcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13087/25]

1301. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide details of how she will progressively reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month through the national childcare scheme (NCS), as promised in the Programme for Government, and also provide a timeframe; provide core funding documentation for 2025/26; explain why the core fund…

1304. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 367 of 27 February 2025, if she accepts that the Programme for Government commitment concerned childminders working in the child’s family home whom the national action plan for childminding describe as nannies, babysitters or au pairs; if she accepts that …

1312. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she is aware of early years education jobs being advertised with ‘no English/Irish required’; if she will review this from the point of view of the importance language plays in a child’s early development; the difficulty a lack of English could pose in such settings; how this will be support…

1322. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she is aware that a preschool (details supplied) is being forced to vacate from its current location; if her Department can liaise to ensure that this important facility remains open at this location through whatever creative means necessary; and if she will make a statement on the ma…

1323. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the proactive steps being taken to provide additional ECCE places in the Lucan and Adamstown area given that four businesses have closed down in recent years and given that a preschool (details supplied) is under threat; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10868/25]

1324. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are plans to expedite community-based childcare in the Lucan and Adamstown and Clonburris areas, to supplement existing businesses, given the significant shortage of places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10869/25]

1325. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the financial supports in place to aid the parents who have children in childcare, when their crèche has withdrawn from the core funding agreement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10909/25]

1328. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the case of a preschool service (details supplied) which has been advised it may have no premises for the 2025/2026 school year and beyond; if there is support and assistance available from her Department to ensure the preschool remains open, given the vital ser…

1329. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the case of a pre-school service (details supplied) which has been advised they may have no premises for the 2025/2026 school year and beyond; if there is support and assistance available from her Department to ensure the pre-school remains open given the vital ser…

1339. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her views on the issues raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding core funding financial reporting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11198/25]

1341. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her attention has been drawn to early years education jobs being advertised with ‘no English/Irish required’; if this will be reviewed given the importance language plays in a child’s early development, and the difficulty a lack of English could pose in such settings; how this will be suppor…

1362. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the plans in place to stop the significant number of withdrawals from the core funding scheme, including several in Dublin Mid-West, which is adding unaffordable cost increases to parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11285/25]

1363. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the core funding scheme is being reviewed in light of the significant number of operators withdrawing due to inability to operate solvently, which is adding additional costs to parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11286/25]

1367. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the reopening of Before 5. [11393/25]