Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 December 2023
103. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if it is proposed to increase capital investment in the early learning and childcare sector for 2024 and 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55735/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraSome €69 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars:
Building Blocks - Improvement Grant;
Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and
Building Blocks - Innovation Grant.
Under the Building Blocks - Improvement Grant, €9 million was allocated earlier this year in grants ranging from €35,000 to €75,000 for energy upgrades and retrofit projects, which supported services in need of upgrading, such as kitchen refurbishments, roof repairs and the replacement of flooring.
Last week, I was pleased to announce Pillar 2 - the Building Blocks Capacity Grant. Under the Grant, €45m will be made available over 2024 and 2025 to deliver additional early learning and childcare places. The primary focus of the Grant is to increase capacity in the 1-3 age range for full day or part-time care.
The Capacity Grant will be split into two strands, an Expansion Grant Scheme, and a larger-scale Extension Grant Scheme. Both schemes will operate from 2024, to fund expansion projects in areas of identified undersupply. Funding under the Expansion Grant Scheme will be made available to providers from early 2024, with the larger scale Extension Scheme to be made available later in 2024.
The Capacity Grant will be open to Core Funding partner services. The awarding of grants will be informed by the results of a detailed needs analysis, which is currently underway, and which will identify capacity gaps and areas and categories of need.
A full mid-term review of the NDP will be undertaken in 2025, to allow Government to:
• take stock of progress in terms of delivery of the planned projects and programmes; and
• review and reaffirm investment priorities of Government.
The review will be carried out in order to prepare and publish a new updated 10-year plan for public capital investment in 2026, covering the period 2026 to 2035.
