Early Childhood Care and Education

790. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her Department will assist an early years service (details supplied), which is now without a room as its current room is being developed by the school as an ASD special class; if her Department will help provide an alternative location for the early years service; and if she will make a sta…

833. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps her Department is taking to make provision for the early years service (details supplied) which is now without a room as its current room is being developed by the school as an ASD special class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17263/25]

841. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on the development of a national early learning and childcare agency; the actions her Department has taken to date to set up the agency; the further actions her Department plans to take; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17456/25]

112. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will provide an update on progressing employment regulation orders to attract and retain early years educators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16273/25]

687. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the action that has been undertaken in furtherance of the stated commitment in the Programme for Government to ensure ‘early years educators in the private sector benefit from Employment Regulation Orders’; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15793/25]

852. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will extend the free fees initiative to the BSc programmes in education studies and early childhood education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15704/25]

354. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the role her Department takes on the provision of early years education and care in rural communities; to outline their locations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14933/25]

363. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when she expects the planned review of core funding to take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14899/25]

365. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current uptake on the ECCE scheme; the number of childcare providers involved in the scheme; to provide a breakdown of these by location; what plans she has to reform or amend the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14940/25]

175. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will outline the Government's plan to introduce a maximum fee of €200 for early childhood and education places; how her Department intends to manage this fee reduction; and what measures will be in place to support providers to implement this while maintaining quality and ensuring affo…

269. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his views on whether only two institutions in the country providing the early childhood education degree, the Marino Institute and the National College of Ireland, are excluded from the free fees initiative (FFI) scheme, when in fact other courses provided by these institutions are in…

650. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports offered for upgrading and maintenance of playground facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13437/25]

655. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the percentage of the building blocks grant that has gone to private services versus community service in each year it has been available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13454/25]

411. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the age of eligibility for children starting the ECCE scheme can be reviewed (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13026/25]

412. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will consider a second lower age eligibility criteria for children starting the ECCE scheme to prevent families from missing out on a full-year of the scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13027/25]

413. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when she intends to evaluate the eligibility of the ECCE programme, as outlined in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13028/25]

414. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth when she intends to explore making available an extra hour of ECCE each day to families in the second year of preschool, as outlined in the Programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13029/25]

428. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her attention has been drawn to a shortage of pre-school places in Shankill; the work her Department is doing to ensure that this is addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13107/25]

575. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education to proactively ensure that a preschool (details supplied) can continue to operate from a location; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10866/25]

1316. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps she is taking to address issues with the national childcare scheme, as raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10829/25]

1336. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the additional financial supports available to parents in receipt of a subsidy for each child attending creche when the provider of the service increases the fees; and the financial supports available generally to the sector. [11173/25]

1382. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the intended withdrawal of a childcare facility from the core funding agreement (details supplied); the actions being taken by the Department to ensure this can be avoided given the number of children and families relying on the service and given the commitments…

1391. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm the rules regarding split place exemptions as part of the ECCE scheme. [11720/25]

1392. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a parent accepts two days per week in a community care facility (because there are only two days available), whether they may later apply and qualify for a split place exemption if they find a place in alternative childcare facility ECCE scheme for the remaining three days; and if she w…

1397. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps being taken to develop ASD places in pre-school settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11833/25]