Early Childhood Care and Education

83. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the measures announced in budget 2026 for the early years sector, including the 2,300 places to be created via extensions to schools and community centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61736/25]

93. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the Programme for Government commitment to increase the number of State-owned early learning and care facilities progressively; the number of facilities planned to be purchased in 2026; if it is her intention to move forward with a public model of childcare delivery as a significan…

112. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason she accounts for the trend of more naíonraí outside the Gaeltacht closing than opening in recent years; the steps she is taking to counter that trend; if she will intervene with emergency funding to save those at risk of closing in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61619/25]

126. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the progress within her Department towards the development of a new programme of acquisition and fitout of State-led early learning and childcare services, to increase places to meet demand for affordable, accessible, high quality early learning and childcare that is not otherwise being delivered; and if she will ma…

135. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will publish the methodology and outputs of the forward planning unit established in January 2024, including any mapping or prioritisation framework used to identify areas of acute childcare need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61498/25]

164. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans she has to ensure further increases in pay for early years educators and school age care practitioners; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61495/25]

166. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider extending payments to ECCE providers to the month of December given the long duration between the last 2025 payment in November and next payment in January 2026. [61747/25]

895. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether flexibility or discretion can be applied in situations where a child narrowly misses the upper age threshold for availing of a second year of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, specifically in cases where a parent decided in good faith based on official ECCE guidance at the time (details …

908. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of naíonraí closures over the last five years; and the number of closures forecast for next year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62240/25]

1. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps she will take to increase the number of early intervention classes to meet current and projected demand across the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60168/25]

1539. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if additional capital funding will be made available to early years providers in County Meath to expand or upgrade facilities participating in the ECCE program; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59117/25]

1540. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when she plans to increase the capitation rate for ECCE providers to reflect on the rising operational and staff costs in County Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59118/25]

1541. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide details on staffing shortages within the early years and ECCE sector in County Meath; the supports being provided to recruit and retain qualified staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59119/25]

1548. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is considering an increase in the capitation grant for ECCE services given the grant has not been increased since 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59330/25]

1549. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the breakdown of the children who do not take up the second year of free ECCE, by birth month, which could constitute approximately 17% of children who avail of the first year available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59331/25]

1553. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the potential operational impact of the work-to-rule action by Pobal early years specialists on the delivery of supports to childcare providers and early-learning settings; the contingency arrangements that are in place to mitigate any disruption to services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59363/25…

1554. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the amount of Exchequer funding provided to Pobal in 2025 for early years and childcare programmes; if any part of this allocation may be affected by the current industrial dispute; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59364/25]

1567. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage of early years and SAC services that have signed up to the current core funding scheme 2025-2026; and the way in which that percentage relates to previous years. [59495/25]

1568. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in relation to services that have chosen not to participate in core funding if any work is being carried out to collate the reasons these services have chosen not to sign up to core funding; if not, if she will consider collating this data to ascertain that the reason services have not signed up to core funding is…

1569. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of the proposed core funding evaluation; the terms of reference for the evaluation; and the time period that evaluation covers. [59497/25]

1570. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the status of the NCS review and the terms of reference for that review; and her views on same. [59498/25]

1571. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider, in line with recommendation 7 of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth report on challenges facing the ECEC sector (March 2024), unification of the existing funding schemes. [59499/25]

1572. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether consideration has been given to reviewing the entire funding system as a whole, inclusive of the following annually accessible funding streams: ECCE, NCS, LINC, AIM, Core Funding and Graduate Uplift; if she will consider a whole-picture review instead of the current pattern of reviewing each scheme separat…

1573. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if any changes to the ECCE scheme are to be expected, in line with the recommendations of the independent review of the ECCE programme in Ireland (April 2024), the enhancement of daily hours or improved ratios for younger children; and her views in relation to same. [59501/25]

1574. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of services participating in schemes (details supplied); and the percentage of the entire sector that number correlates to, in tabular form. [59502/25]