Childcare Services

1384. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures her Department has considered to expand childcare places in response to concerns in relation to accessibility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11593/25]

1400. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost to provide a €100 a week cap for childcare costs; and if she will consider the introduction of such a support for families. [11889/25]

1401. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost for the State to make an annual €3,000 childcare subvention available to mothers and fathers who choose to stay at home within the first three years of the child's life; and if she will consider the introduction of such a subvention. [11890/25]

1406. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she has considered amending the childminding services regulations 2024 to allow childminders employ assistants, or have emergency cover, for incidents in which the childminder is unavoidably occupied such as for medical appointments or illness; if not, the reasons why; and if she will make a s…

1408. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures that will be taken to progressively reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child through the national childcare scheme and explore options to cap costs for larger families, as per the Programme for Government; the timeline for this reduction; and if she will make a statemen…

1414. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the position 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. [12103/25]

1442. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the scoping carried out with regard to the opening of additional childcare facilities in Adamstown, Lucan. [12570/25]

368. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of her plans for affordable childcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10276/25]

371. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will consider creating more peer support for children who have lost a parent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10454/25]

147. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will establish a fund to assist childcare facilities to purchase a generator to ensure that when power is lost, they can open as normal, to ensure education for children is not interrupted and parents are not left without this essential service, as seen following storm Éowyn; and if she w…

610. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps that should be taken by a parent in Dublin south west when no childcare places are available for children under two years-of-age; how she intends to increase the number of affordable childcare places in the constituency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9231/25]

613. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the measures her Department is taking to ensure that there are enough early childhood education and care and school age childcare spaces made available to parents of children in Fingal west given the rising demand caused by rapid population growth; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

616. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of childcare spaces available in County Louth from 2020 to 2024, in tabular form; and what actions have been taken to increase those numbers over the years. [9360/25]

629. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will examine timelines for the further reductions in child care costs under the national childcare scheme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9792/25]

353. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports available to grandparents that look after their grandchildren on a full-time basis; if she is planning additional supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8750/25]

367. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 322 of 20 February 2025, if she will highlight by reference to the specific text provided in the reply which sentence or set of sentences replied to the specific question asked; if she agrees that the commitment contained in the programme for Government as …

118. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children in Louth benefiting from the national childcare scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7726/25]

120. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of children in Kilkenny benefiting from the national childcare scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7547/25]

122. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the efforts being made to urgently address the crisis within the childcare system, with many childcare facilities unable to attract and retain staff; whether childcare facilities struggling to retain staff and at risk of closure can receive additional funding to improve the staff pay and conditi…

123. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what steps she intends to take to implement the programme for Government commitment to extend the national childcare scheme to childminders working in the family home with sensible regulations that fit home-based care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7879/25]

134. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth how she plans to improve retention and quality in early years education, considering early childhood educators have had to fight for wages and conditions in the sector that are unsustainable. [7895/25]

140. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will commit to a timely, thorough review of Core funding, as committed to in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7764/25]

141. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will outline her plans to increase childcare places to meet growing demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7763/25]

143. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will outline all grant funding available to public and private operators of childcare facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7549/25]

145. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she agrees that childcare providers’ administrative burden is too high; the steps she will take to alleviate that burden, particularly for smaller providers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7878/25]