Early Childhood Care and Education

815. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will clarify whether her officials track the fee levels charged by services after they exit Core Funding; and the average % scale of fee increases. [70295/25]

816. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on whether the current exit rules give adequate protection to families from sudden fee shocks; and if changes are being considered. [70296/25]

817. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the analysis which has been done on the impact of the current model on long established services compared with new services. [70297/25]

818. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will clarify the basis for requirement of ECCE deductions to be spread over 10 months rather than 12 months; and the impact this has on monthly costs for parents. [70298/25]

819. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports available to families when a service exits Core Funding and imposes major fee increases. [70299/25]

820. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current number of Core Funding services and places in County Kildare, Meath and Wicklow; and the assessment of risk of further exits. [70300/25]

821. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide a schedule of all funding and grant aid provided by heading and subhead to Kildare, Wicklow and Meath local authorities in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; the amount returned and or not expended over the same period. [70302/25]

415. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of a case (details supplied); and if she will instruct her Department to investigate the matter and ensure the programme has sufficient resources to ensure children with additional needs are able to fully benefit from creche services. [68858/25]

485. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current supports and planned measures to expand the number of early learning and childcare places nationally and within Dublin Bay North in order to address long waiting lists and capacity pressures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67504/25]

504. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the building blocks extension scheme will open again for 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68007/25]

508. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans for any reforms to ensure that rural based early years services remain within the Core Funding system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68105/25]

509. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early years services in Louth that are currently supported through the core funding model; the number of services in the county that left the core funding system in the years 2022 to 2024, and to date in 2025, respectively; if she will provide the names of the services that have left the system in each of t…

290. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has reviewed the impact of its own ECCE guidance for late-December births, specifically where parents were advised they could defer entry in the child’s best interests; and if she will publish any internal analysis on cases where children were subsequently locked out of their second ECCE year as a re…

291. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department will establish an exceptional review mechanism for children who miss the ECCE upper age limit by fewer than seven days due to guidance provided by the Department or by ECCE operators; and if she has assessed the financial and developmental impact of this situation on families. [66576/25]

499. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm that community-based, not-for-profit early years services are exempt from commercial rates; the guidance provided to local authorities to ensure that such community services are treated consistently with regard to rates liability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65980/25]

500. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that Tailte Éireann has recently contacted community-based, not-for-profit early years services in Waterford indicating that they may be liable for commercial rates; if he will clarify Government policy regarding the rates status of such community services; if he will engage with Tailte Éirea…

761. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage of sponsored CHICK's across community creche setting versus private operators.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65378/25]

762. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total funding allocated to early learning and school age care from 2011 to 2025, by year; and the percentage of that yearly funding by modified GNI. [65379/25]

772. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will take steps to improve the working conditions of early years workers, recognising the valuable contribution they make to the lives of our youngest children and acknowledging the retention crisis facing the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65868/25]

890. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early learning and childcare providers in County Louth that are in receipt of Core Funding; the proportion of total providers this represents in the county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62863/25]

892. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early learning and childcare providers in County Louth that have applied for, or are currently receiving, Sustainability Funding; the primary reasons cited for such applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62865/25]

893. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently receiving support under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) in County Louth; if she will provide a breakdown of supports by level, including the number receiving level 7 one-to-one assistance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62866/25]

894. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average processing time for AIM level 7 applications in County Louth; if measures are being taken to reduce processing times; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62867/25]

932. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the National Plan for Provision of Irish in Early Years Childcare; the likely publication date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63576/25]

940. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the rationale behind the cutoff age being two years and eight months on 1 September of a given year to qualify for 15 early childhood education hours; whether there are any cases for flexibility for children slightly younger than the cut off; to provide details of any proposed changes to eligibility for these hou…