Childcare Services

79. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she is taking to improve access to early intervention services for children in rural areas given ongoing concerns from families regarding long waiting times for disability assessments and therapies, limited availability of specialist staff, and the impact that delayed supports can have on children’s developm…

86. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department is aware that private ECCE only childcare providers are now liable for commercial rates; and if she will raise this issue with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. [46908/26]

87. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans for additional childcare places and staff in Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47395/26]

88. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number and total value of successful applications under the 2026 Childminding Development Grant in Dublin bay north; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47470/26]

90. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her proposals to address the gap in levels of funding for childcare against the increased costs borne by providers. [47502/26]

94. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the work her Department is undertaking to support improved pay and sustainable wage levels within the childcare sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47465/26]

592. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount by which childcare fees will be reduced for a typical working family on the average wage with two children under five years under the national childcare scheme changes recently announced by her Department. [47222/26]

601. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on issues raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46946/26]

606. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that parents are charged for creche fees at Band F, based on the assessment that the creche is open for 55 hours per week, even though some parents only use the creche for 44 hours per week (over 5 days); if she can confirm if parents should pay the lower rate (Band E) where they use the creche for…

608. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that childcare providers operating 57 hours per week fall within a category that is not required to reduce its fees in line with the lower fee caps being introduced; if she is aware that parents cannot avail of NCS subsidies for those operating hours and therefore do not receive a corresponding benefi…

609. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a person (details supplied) who was not notified via email that they needed to renew their child's subsidy under the NCS and as such was cut off from the scheme unbeknownst to them, can be refunded the missed funds over the five month period that they were forced to pay un-subsidised rates due to an administr…

610. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if there is an awareness within her Department that parents are frequently unaware that they must undergo an annual renewal for their child under the NCS and as such many parents are cut off without knowing that they will be; the plans her Department has to create greater awareness for parents; her views on whether t…

611. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of individuals over the past three years who have missed the renewal date under the NCS and have subsequently later renewed post deadline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47201/26]

614. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in light of reports that more than 50 childcare providers have exited the core funding scheme in the past two years, to outline the analysis her Department has undertaken into the reasons for these withdrawals; whether rising operating costs are being fully met under current funding arrangements; the immed…

623. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is aware of the exclusion of certain rural families from accessing the national childcare scheme (NCS) where no NCS-participating childcare provider is practically available in their locality; whether consideration is being given to introducing a mechanism, including a rural access exception, refund, tax …

632. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the proposed new childcare facility in Glanmire, County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47565/26]

633. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware that some rural families are effectively excluded from the national childcare scheme due to the absence of participating providers in their locality; if consideration is being given to alternative supports, such as a rural access provision or financial assistance, for such families; and if she will ma…

642. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current capacity of registered school-age childcare (before-school and afterschool/“sherpa”) services in Ballincollig, Cork north central; whether her Department or Tusla holds data on unmet demand for such places in the area; whether her Department has been notified of any existing provider in Ballincollig withdr…

643. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the assessment her Department has made of the impact of population growth in Ballincollig, Cork north central on demand for school-age childcare places; whether the County Childcare Committee structure in Cork has flagged Ballincollig as an area of capacity concern; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [478…

645. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to review the NCS to facilitate greater flexibility of hours of attendance with no subsequent penalisation of NCS entitlement or provider funding. [47820/26]

99. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will commit to increasing the core baseline of social welfare rates such as the child support payment, to address the issues of poverty in the next Budget rather than relying on temporary measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46149/26]

436. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to urgently examine an issue regarding the provision of childcare (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46547/26]

448. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare services that have left NCS core funding and remain outside of it, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46715/26]

449. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has considered introducing additional supports for parents with children in childcare that fall outside NCS core funding, such as childcare tax relief; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46716/26]

170. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department is aware of concerns of childcare providers and parents over the core funding system and the fee structure of the scheme; and the actions her Department is taking to address these concerns. [46057/26]