351. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the reason there is only one speech and language therapist (SLT) working in the early intervention services team in Nenagh, County Tipperary and if there are any plans to increase that number as that SLT has to cover all of the north Tipperary area. [35161/25]
Topics / Early Childhood Care and Education
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsEarly Childhood Care and Education
521 questions from 96 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
521
questions
506 written, 15 oral
96
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
9
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
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 2 |
| February 2025 | 20 |
| March 2025 | 23 |
| April 2025 | 21 |
| May 2025 | 24 |
| June 2025 | 7 |
| July 2025 | 37 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 32 |
| October 2025 | 27 |
| November 2025 | 46 |
| December 2025 | 26 |
| January 2026 | 37 |
| February 2026 | 52 |
| March 2026 | 27 |
| April 2026 | 60 |
| May 2026 | 26 |
| June 2026 | 23 |
| July 2026 | 11 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 12 |
| October 2026 | 8 |
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.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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57
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33
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28
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22
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20
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19
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17
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15
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
71. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps she is taking to retain early years educators in the sector, and therefore retain capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32746/25]
282. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her assessment of the Early Learning and Childcare Survey of Parents 2025 results; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31173/25]
1239. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of Early Learning and Childcare and School Age Childcare closures, by county in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30383/25]
1244. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider expanding the access and inclusion (AIMS) model to support children below the current age of eligibility which is two years and eight months; the equivalent supports that exist for children who otherwise would qualify for AIMS but do not meet the age eligibility requirement; and if she will make a statement on t…
1248. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps her Department is taking to ensure there is incentives for graduates to remain in the early years education sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30574/25]
283. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will address delays in social welfare payments for ECCE preschool staff and ensure timely processing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27917/25]
353. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality how the National Development Plan can be improved to ensure additional funding is allocated to childcare development, owing to the lack of spaces, unmanageable costs and inadequate salary levels facing the sector and parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28092/25]
354. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to promote greater flexibility in crèche drop-off policies, in view of concerns that rigid enforcement of arrival times, such as refusing entry for minor delays despite prior communication places undue pressure on working parents and fails to accommodate the realities of family life; and if she will make a sta…
355. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will examine recent childcare increases of 40% in a Dublin creche (details supplied); the action she is taking to ensure childcare costs are brought down; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27756/25]
357. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a response will issue to communications from a parent who urgently requires available childcare spaces in County Donegal (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27902/25]
360. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the estimated cost of providing an additional €10,000 to every naíonra in the State. [28001/25]
361. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the first- and full-year cost of funding a year free of charge at an Irish-medium naíonra for every pre-school-aged child living in the Gaeltacht currently availing of a pre-school service funded under the ECCE scheme. [28006/25]
363. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the closure of a childcare centre (details supplied); if her Department is engaging with the owners to ensure the families impacted are supported; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28328/25]
525. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the next round of building blocks capital programme for early learning and childcare will be open for applications; the process relating to same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26744/25]
541. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the metric which determined in September 2024 that ECCE only services needed to move from a minimum of €5,000 in core funding up to €14,000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27108/25]
543. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the projected 2024/2025 costs of all the funding streams that are available to early years and SAC services, ECCE, NCS, core funding, AIM, LINC, graduate uplift and early start in a list form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27110/25]
544. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the percentage of graduate uplift funding that goes to graduate lead educators and graduate managers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27111/25]
545. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when a child with AIMS requirements presents to pre-school, whether extra places at a school (details supplied) will be made available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27157/25]
550. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if a draft will be published of the National Plan for Irish Provision in the EY and SAC sector; if this draft will undergo a public/stakeholder consultation before it is finalised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27366/25]
551. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will honour the State’s commitment to promote the Irish language by implementing a rights-based approach to Irish-medium immersion early childhood education and care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27367/25]
552. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an official definition of Naíonra; if she will clarify if this is an Irish immersion education setting that operates through the Irish language only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27368/25]
553. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will explore the possibility of developing a public directory for Irish-medium preschool services, Naíonraí, in order that parents can access their local setting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27369/25]
331. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if funding options are available from her Department, or any agency under the aegis of her Department, to support persons who wish to establish a pre-school business; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26453/25]
304. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions her Department has taken to support Irish speaking early years childcare settings and to increase the number of these settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25059/25]