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]
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
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. [8232/25]
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. [8181/25]
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 therein; and if she …
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 make a statement on th…
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 by each individual s…
1226. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if the age eligibility for children starting the ECCE scheme can be reviewed to prevent some families from being at a disadvantage where their child falls just short of being two years and eight months by 1 September; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1268/25]