In line with the requirements of the Child Care Act 1991 (as amended by Part 12 of the Child and Family Agency Act, 2013), those wishing to operate an early years service (whether an early learning and care service or a school-age childcare service) are required to register with Tusla, which is the statutory regulator of early years services. Each year a number of early years services also decide to close of their own volition. Where an early years service closes, they are required, in line with these statutory provisions, to notify Tusla of their planned closure.
All data collected by Tusla including information relating to new applications for registration and reported service cessations is collated and verified on a quarterly basis.
The number of closures reported to Tusla in 2018 was 138 and in 2019 was 196. The number of reported closures so far in 2020, broken down by county for Q1 and Q2 2020, is as follows:
-
|
Q1 2020
|
County
|
Number of Cessations
|
Dublin
|
3
|
Kildare
|
1
|
Meath
|
2
|
Wexford
|
1
|
Total Q1
|
7
|
-
|
Q2 2020
|
County
|
Number of Cessations
|
Cork
|
7
|
Dublin
|
17
|
Kildare
|
6
|
Kilkenny
|
1
|
Meath
|
2
|
Offaly
|
2
|
Tipperary
|
1
|
Westmeath
|
4
|
Wexford
|
1
|
Wicklow
|
4
|
Total Q2
|
45
|
Q1 and Q2 Total
|
52
|
The number of new applications for registration, broken down by county, for Q1 and Q2 2020 is as follows:
-
|
Q1 2020
|
County
|
Number of Applications to Register
|
Cork
|
1
|
Dublin
|
7
|
Galway
|
1
|
Kildare
|
1
|
Longford
|
1
|
Mayo
|
1
|
Monaghan
|
1
|
Sligo
|
1
|
Total Q1
|
14
|
-
|
Q2 2020
|
County
|
Number of Applications to Register
|
Donegal
|
1
|
Kildare
|
1
|
Limerick
|
1
|
Q2 Total
|
3
|
Q1 and Q2 Total
|
17
|
Finally, I have been advised by Tusla that they do not systematically record or collate information in relation to the numbers of individual childcare places available per registered service and are therefore not in a position to provide the Deputy with the requested figures. Where such data is collected on inspection, that is primarily for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the prescribed adult-child ratios as set out in the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016.