Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 April 2025
138. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for an update on progress to date on the provision of capital investment for the construction or purchase of State-owned childcare facilities; whether strategic investment in childcare facilities will be sufficiently expanded under the revised National Development Plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20788/25]
View answer150. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps she is taking to ensure Programme for Government commitments to provide capital investment to build or purchase State-owned childcare facilities and create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exist, are delivered; if this will be a priority as part of the forthcoming NDP review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16251/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 150 together.
Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government. The National Development Plan identifies access to quality early learning and childcare as a component of National Strategic Objective 10.
Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2023/24 show that the estimated number of enrolments increased by 10% from the 2022/23 programme year. Core Funding application data shows that between Year 1 and Year 2 of the scheme, annual place hours increased by almost 8%. The Tusla register of services demonstrates a net increase in the numbers of registered early learning and childcare services in 2024. However, it appears that demand for Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare remains higher than available supply, particularly for younger children and in certain parts of the country.
Last year, a Supply Management Unit within the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Division was established, and the Programme for Government articulates an intention that the unit be resourced and transformed into a Forward Planning and Delivery Unit to identify areas of need, forecast demand, and deliver public supply within the childcare sector where required.
A forward planning model is in development which will be central to my Department's plans to achieve the policy goals set out in the Programme for Government to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system, with State-led facilities adding capacity.
The Programme for Government commits for the first time to provide capital investment to build or purchase state-owned early learning and childcare facilities, to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. State ownership of facilities is a a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand.
Some early scoping work has been carried out to explore options to introduce a segment of public provision. This will require much more detailed and extensive policy development and design in order progress to implementation stage, having regard to the wider emerging policy context as set out in the Programme for Government. This work will form part of my Department’s contribution to the review of the National Development Plan. My officials and I will continue to engage with colleagues across Government on the review.
