Gino Kenny
Ceist:129. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to outline his plans to increase childcare places; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55580/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 14 December 2023
Ceisteanna (129)
Freagraí scríofa
The availability of high quality early learning and childcare is a key Government priority. My Department monitors early learning and childcare capacity on an ongoing basis, with a particular focus on responding to the unmet early learning and childcare needs of families. My Department is progressing a range of actions to ensure the supply of Early Learning and Childcare meets demand.
Some €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 for energy upgrades and retrofit projects.
Last week, I was pleased to announce Pillar 2 - the Building Blocks – Capacity Grant Scheme. Under the Scheme, €45m will be made available over 2024 and 2025 to deliver additional early learning and childcare places. The primary focus of the scheme is to increase capacity in the 1-3 age range for full day or part-time care.
The Capacity Grant Scheme will be open to Core Funding partner services. The award of grants under the Capacity Grant Scheme will be informed by the results of a detailed needs analysis, which is underway, and which will identify capacity gaps and areas and categories of need.
In addition, Budget 2024 provides funding to allow for the extension of regulation and supports to childminders and the inclusion of childminders in the National Childcare Scheme from September 2024 – widening access to State funded early learning and childcare and school age childcare places and offering choice for parents.
In line with a commitment in First 5, my Department is working with Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), to progress the updating of the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings. These Guidelines provide the current framework to guide both local authorities, developers and providers in formulating and considering development proposals. Arising from my Department’s engagement on this work, the Department has been included in the updated list of prescribed bodies that need to be notified on certain planning matters, including the formulation of County Development Plans and Local Area Plans.
The ongoing development of Core Funding has also given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. As announced in Budget 2024, the allocation for Core Funding in Year 3 will be increased by 15%, which will allow for a 3% increase in capacity in the sector, driven both by new services joining the sector and existing services offering more places and/or longer hours to families.