Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 July 2022
126. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of ELC and SAC providers who have closed down in each of the past five years and to date in 2022, by county in tabular form; the steps he intends to address any increase in closures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36694/22]
View answerEvery year it is normal for some Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) services to close while other new services open. Services close for a wide variety of reasons including retirement of owners or other personal circumstances.
Tusla is the independent statutory regulator for the sector. Services intending to close must notify Tusla within 28 days of closure. The number of reported closures of ELC services for the period 2017-2021 and to the end of May 2022 is as follows:
My Department is currently leading an ambitious programme of reforms in the ELC and SAC sector. This reform agenda is underpinned by a significant increase in investment with the additional €78 million I secured in Budget 2022 bringing investment in the sector to a record €716 million.
We will continue to build on this in Budget 2023 and into the future with the aim of reaching the Government commitment of investing at least €1 billion a year by 2028. This significant investment will help to sustain high quality ELC and SAC services into the future.
