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

Roderic O'Gorman Written 25 Mar 2025 · to Children
648. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if flexibility can be applied to parents claiming the national childcare scheme but wish to pick children up early from childcare on a regular basis and are suffering a loss due to this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13427/25]
Roderic O'Gorman Written 25 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Roderic O'Gorman Written 25 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Colm Burke Written 25 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Aidan Farrelly Written 25 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Grace Boland Written 20 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Shane Moynihan Written 20 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Grace Boland Written 20 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Grace Boland Written 20 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Grace Boland Written 20 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Grace Boland Written 20 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Grace Boland Written 20 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Richard Boyd Barrett Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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 funding document does no…
James Geoghegan Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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 the Programme for Go…
Claire Kerrane Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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 supported; if she will revi…
Paul Nicholas Gogarty Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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 matter. [10867/25]
Paul Nicholas Gogarty Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Paul Nicholas Gogarty Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Paul Nicholas Gogarty Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Eoin Ó Broin Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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 service provided; and i…
Mark Ward Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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 service provided; and i…
Seán Ó Fearghaíl Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Claire Kerrane Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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 supported; if this will be…
Paul Nicholas Gogarty Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]
Paul Nicholas Gogarty Written 19 Mar 2025 · to Children
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]