Topics / Early Childhood Care and Education

A subject heading for parliamentary questions

Early 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
MonthQuestions
January 20252
February 202520
March 202523
April 202521
May 202524
June 20257
July 202537
August 20250
September 202532
October 202527
November 202546
December 202526
January 202637
February 202652
March 202627
April 202660
May 202626
June 202623
July 202611
August 20260
September 202612
October 20268

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.

  • 100% RDR1 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Aontú1 from 1 TD · 2 seats today
  • Fianna Fáil88 from 24 TDs · 48 seats today
  • Fine Gael92 from 18 TDs · 38 seats today
  • Green Party33 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Independent31 from 7 TDs · 15 seats today
  • Independent Ireland19 from 1 TD · 4 seats today
  • Labour Party58 from 9 TDs · 11 seats today
  • People Before Profit-Solidarity6 from 3 TDs · 3 seats today
  • Sinn Féin147 from 22 TDs · 39 seats today

The TDs who asked most

Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.

  1. 57
  2. 33
  3. 28
  4. 22
  5. 20
  6. 19
  7. 17
  8. 15

The questions

Barry Ward Written 13 May 2025 · to Children
961. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the shortage of school places in the Glasthule area in Dublin; the work being done by her Department to address this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23517/25]
Barry Ward Written 13 May 2025 · to Children
962. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions she is taking to address the shortage of afterschool places in the Dublin region, if any research is ongoing into the need to increase this provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23518/25]
Barry Ward Written 13 May 2025 · to Children
965. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the supports being provided to people working in early years and afterschool care services to ensure fair pay and working conditions and encourage people to maintain and take up new employment in this sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23553/25]
John Clendennen Written 8 May 2025 · to Children
384. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the eligibility in the ECCE scheme for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23063/25]
Michael Cahill Written 1 May 2025 · to Children
329. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to address the urgent need to increase the wages of early childhood educators (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21872/25]
Aidan Farrelly Oral 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
86. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update regarding the way in which she has initiated the lowering of the cost of childcare in the State since she took office as Minister; and the steps she has taken for broader reform of the childcare model. [21093/25]
Claire Kerrane Oral 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
87. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide an update on ongoing pay talks for early years educators. [21194/25]
Peter 'Chap' Cleere Oral 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
88. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her views on the €45 million allocated under budget 2025 to support further increases to the minimum rates of pay in the childcare sector. [20553/25]
Shane Moynihan Oral 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
89. 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. [20772/25]
Colm Burke Oral 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
90. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to confirm the staff retention rates among early years educators for the past five years; the actions being taken to improve staff retention in the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20975/25]
Naoise Ó Muirí Oral 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
97. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps being taken to develop a career path in the childcare sector in view of the staff turnover rates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20433/25]
Robert O'Donoghue Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
1801. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide details of the average rates of pay for each grade or role within the early childhood education and care sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18791/25]
John Paul O'Shea Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
1878. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the investment by the Government into the early years sector in recent years; the plans for investment in 2025 and beyond; if additional core funding is being considered for the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20168/25]
Pádraig Rice Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
1897. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she is aware that providers are having to withdraw from the core funding scheme for early learning and care and school age childcare (details supplied); if she is considering a review of the core funding scheme and increasing the funding provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20408/25]
Robert O'Donoghue Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
1932. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she is aware of the growing frustration among a union (details supplied) and early years educators due to the lack of progress on the new employment regulation order; if she has engaged with the employer representatives on the Joint Labour Committee to stress the urgency of concluding this process; the actio…
Claire Kerrane Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
1965. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide a timeline for the Programme for Government commitment to review and increase core funding, ensuring the fee cap is maintained and that the model is open, transparent and equitable, and that the early years educators in the private sector benefits from Employment Regulation Orders. [21195/25]
Claire Kerrane Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
1966. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to undertake a broad consultation and publish a detailed action plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and case system with State-led facilities adding capacity. [21196/25]
Claire Kerrane Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
1967. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on the Programme for Government commitment to progressively reduce the cost of childcare to €200 per month per child through the national childcare scheme and explore options to cap costs for larger families. [21197/25]
Mark Wall Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
1970. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she is aware of a recent media report (details supplied) suggesting that negotiations for an employment regulation order for the early years and school age care sector have stalled and the impact that this is having on staff recruitment and retention, if she will provide an update on this; and if she will make a sta…
Mark Wall Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Children
1971. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the estimated cost of bringing early years graduates - only NFQ Level 7, 8 and 9 - under public-sector pay and conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21255/25]
Roderic O'Gorman Written 8 Apr 2025 · to Children
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 statement on the matter…
Roderic O'Gorman Written 8 Apr 2025 · to Children
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]
Mark Wall Written 8 Apr 2025 · to Children
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]
Emer Currie Written 2 Apr 2025 · to Enterprise
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]
Claire Kerrane Written 1 Apr 2025 · to Children
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]