Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 May 2022
316. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the grant aid that is available at present towards the provision of childcare facilities by community groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27199/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraDuring 2021, my Department successfully secured €70m in the revised National Development Plan (NDP) allocation. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare over the period 2023-2025. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during the lifetime of the NDP over three pillars as follows:
(1) Modernisation: Much of the existing early learning and childcare infrastructure that was previously delivered by large scale capital programmes is now in need of upgrading and modernisation in order to be fully compliant with new regulations and more recent guidelines, as well as to maximise energy efficiency. This investment will prioritise follow-up funding for buildings that were funded through the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP), with funding also available for previously non-funded infrastructure.
(2) New Capacity: Ireland is approaching the limits of capacity, with shortfalls for early learning and childcare places already evident in some areas and for some cohorts. The rates of participation in early learning and childcare are also lower than European averages. As investment in subsidisation grows in the coming years as committed to in First 5 and the Programme for Government, demand from parents will also increase.
In the coming years, NDP capital funding allocated to early learning and childcare will be used to increase the stock of early learning and childcare infrastructure, in order to address capacity challenges including the undersupply for certain types of provision and in specific areas of the country.
(3) First 5 Initiatives: First 5 (Government Strategy for babies, young children and their families 2019 -2028) was launched in 2018 and was re-committed to in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future. First 5 envisages a range of innovative initiatives for the early learning and childcare sector, including piloting Family and Early Childhood Centres and piloting outdoor early learning and childcare provision, piloting meal provision. Each of these initiatives have capital requirements.
Further information on the Department’s NDP allocation and the application process will be communicated to the sector in the near future.
