137. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when details of the next building blocks scheme will be published; the likely timescale for the opening of applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13006/26]
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.
-
57
-
33
-
28
-
22
-
20
-
19
-
17
-
15
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
143. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number, and age, of ECCE scheme applicants in the towns of Leixlip, Maynooth, Celbridge and Naas in the past five years, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13386/26]
150. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the likely timeline for when State-led learning centres could be seen in our communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13387/26]
169. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of community services awarded the building blocks grants in 2025; the number of these services that have subsequently decided not to proceed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13304/26]
176. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to improve provision in the early years sector for children with disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12772/26]
178. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if any of the State’s acquisition of buildings intended for the purpose of developing early child care facilities will be located in Kerry. [13365/26]
182. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline any measures to support early years service providers to meet the increased costs of operating; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13375/26]
497. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether the current statutory framework governing Garda vetting requires mandatory re-vetting at defined intervals for individuals working in regulated child-care or early years settings; if so, to specify the legislative provision underpinning such requirement; and if not, whether legislative amendment has been considered [13461/26]
498. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps her Department is taking to address staff shortages and recruitment challenges in Irish-language preschools, including measures to attract and retain qualified Irish-speaking staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13811/26]
499. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans in place to improve the availability of Irish-medium training programs and qualifications for staff in Irish-language early childhood services, including the reinstatement of discontinued QQI modules and the development of Level 8 qualifications with parity to primary teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1…
500. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of additional funding and investment proposed for Irish-language preschools, including increases to annual grants, capital funding for buildings, and support for operational sustainability in rural and island areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13813/26]
501. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions being taken to upgrade infrastructure and facilities in Irish-language early childhood services to address limitations leading to waiting lists, including support for co-location with schools or community buildings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13814/26]
502. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures her Department will implement to meet the growing demand for Irish-language preschools, particularly in Gaeltacht areas with long waiting lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13815/26]
503. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the proposals to improve pay rates and employment conditions for staff in Irish-language early childhood services, including the introduction of fixed salaries, language premiums, permanent contracts, and benefits such as maternity top-ups; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13816/26]
504. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps being taken to ensure the expansion and sustainability of Irish-language early childhood services outside Gaeltacht areas, including in areas such as County Offaly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13817/26]
505. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the initiatives to enhance integration between Irish-language early childhood services and the broader education system, including collaborations with primary schools via programs like Mo Scéal and support for children with additional needs through schemes like AIM or Better Start; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13818/2…
506. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of strategic planning and future goals for Irish-language early childhood education, key performance indicators for growth, and efforts to preserve the Irish language through these services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13819/26]
507. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of a potential Judicial Review of the 2025 ERO for the childcare sector being brought before the courts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13265/26]
530. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the payment of a building blocks improvement scheme 2023 grant for a creche (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13640/26]
541. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department accepts that the Children First Act 2015 and Children First National Guidance do not provide an express statutory basis for early years services to share serious staff-conduct safeguarding information between employers where the conduct falls short of a criminal threshold, including for recruitment references, suit…
542. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has conducted, commissioned or received any legal, policy, or regulatory review since 2020 on “lawful information-sharing” in the early years sector for safeguarding concerns relating to adults working with children, including analysis of data protection, employment law and fair procedures constraints; and if she w…
543. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has considered establishing a statutory safeguarding-disclosure scheme for early years services, including (a) a defined threshold for disclosure based on risk to children, (b) independent assessment prior to any adverse finding, (c) notice to the staff member, (d) an appeal mechanism, (e) time limits and proportio…
544. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality what guidance her Department has issued to early years services on the recording, retention, and sharing of staff-related safeguarding concerns that do not meet the mandated reporting threshold, including guidance on risk assessments, internal investigations, and reference requests; and if no such guidance has issued, whether she will pu…
545. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether her Department has engaged with Tusla, the Data Protection Commission, and representative bodies for early learning and childcare providers on the practical barriers to safeguarding information-sharing about staff conduct across early years settings; and if she will provide the dates of engagement and the key issues raised. [138…
550. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether she is formally notified, either directly or through structured reporting arrangements, of substantiated governance or safeguarding failures identified by Tusla in early years services that receive public funding; if so, to outline the reporting mechanism, frequency and thresholds for notification; and, if not, to state how she i…