Early Childhood Care and Education

1428. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her plans to enact key commitments outlined in the Programme for Government (details supplied) in relation to childcare provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12306/25]

1449. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of staff employed in early learning and care services who work directly with children. [12832/25]

1450. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average annual staff turnover rate in early learning and care services, nationwide and by county, in tabular form. [12833/25]

1451. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of early learning and care services that have an annual staff turnover rate of 80% per year or more. [12834/25]

365. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her plans to increase the number of early years education places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8314/25]

366. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth her plans to attract and retain more early years educators, as per the programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8313/25]

238. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to provide financial supports to ECCE centres, for the provision of sensory rooms for children who are neuro diverse, on the spectrum, require speech/occupational therapy and in particular in relation to the case of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8232…

111. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the action she intends to take to ensure that parents have access to State-provided early years education facilities where there is a lack of provision; her plans to reduce the cost of child care; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8541/25]

114. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she will outline in relation to core funding, for each programme year, the total value of core funding, the amount allocated towards improving pay, and her Department's estimate of the cost to employers of implementing the employment regulation; and if she will make a statement on the matter.…

117. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the work ongoing within her Department toward the reduction of childcare costs and making childcare more accessible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7540/25]

756. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her Department has undertaken a review of the ECCE funding provided to the sector with a view to increasing the rates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7485/25]

784. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the current demand for early childhood care and education scheme in Cork county; how any deficits in supply are being identified and resolved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7853/25]

192. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are plans to offer grants and subsidies to the small and medium childcare and early-years education providers within Dublin mid-west; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6611/25]

196. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average annual staff turnover rate in early learning and care services from 2022 to 2023, nationally and on a county basis, in tabular form. [6672/25]

197. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average annual staff turnover rate in large, private early learning and care services from 2022 to 2023, nationally and on a county basis, in tabular form. [6673/25]

198. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average annual staff turnover rate in large, community early learning and care services from 2022 to 2023, nationally and on a county basis, in tabular form. [6674/25]

199. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number of early learning and care services with a staff vacancy; the total number of staff vacancies in 2022 and 2023; and the total number of unfilled child places resulting from these staff vacancies. [6675/25]

273. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the supports her Department can provide to a group (details supplied) in County Galway to establish a new community creche in Caltra; if funding is available for construction and initial operational costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5379/25]

246. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 902 and 903 of 5 February 2025, the plans in place to address the loss of ELC and SAC places in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4907/25]

515. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if any consideration is being given to reducing ratio requirements in childcare/early years education/ECCE settings in certain circumstances to alleviate the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3963/25]

516. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if any consideration is being given to reducing ratio requirements in childcare/early years education/ECCE settings in certain circumstances to alleviate the recruitment and retention crisis in the sector, with specific reference to Irish-language centres/naíonraí and the particular challenges …

547. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what measures are being taken to increase the budget for early years and school age care, which currently stands at just 0.1% of expenditure, far below the OECD average of 0.9%; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4531/25]

975. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline the options for the parent of a child who has been unable to secure an ECCE placement (details supplied). [2836/25]

1010. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline her Department’s policy on the charging of non-refundable registration fees by early learning and care centre providers; whether this breaches the requirements of the core funding contract; if there is any upper limit to the registration fees that can be charged; and if she will ma…

1213. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 91 of 15 May 2024 and 372 and 374 of 24 September 2024, when the Pobal early learning and childcare data website will be updated to include data gathered in relation to the 2023-2024 programme year; if he will provide details of what fee levels were charged …