Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
1311. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what funding streams are available to private childcare providers (details supplied) to invest, expand and develop new facilities in areas otherwise not serviced by preschool services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56369/23]
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
Building Blocks - Innovation Grant
Under the Building Blocks - Improvement Grant, €9 million was allocated last year in grants ranging from €35,000 to €75,000 for green energy upgrades and retrofit projects for services in need of upgrading. In total 151 services were awarded funding under this scheme. This scheme is now closed.
Some €45 million has been set aside under Pillar 2 for early learning and childcare capital projects over 2024 and 2025. On 7 December, I announced details of the Building Blocks - Capacity Grant Scheme which is aimed at addressing capacity gaps, where most needed. The scheme will be broken into two strands.
Under the first strand, €15m will be made available from early 2024 to providers to fund renovations and upgrades of existing premises to cater for more children. Under the second strand, funding to be made available to providers later in 2024, to commence larger-scale expansion projects that will be completed in 2025. Total funding available for this Scheme will be €20m. Both strands are open to services that have signed up to Core funding. My Department is undertaking a detailed needs analysis which will ensure that the funding is targeted towards communities with identified under-supply and categories of need.
While the Building Blocks – Capacity Grant Scheme is aimed at increasing capacity through the expansion of existing services, my Department is also looking at various options in increasing capacity, including the provision of new services. However, at this time, my Department is not in a position to fund new services, such as the one raised by the Deputy.
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.
