Vol. 1072 No. 3
6. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans to reduce the cost of childcare; the steps being taken to prevent the closure of early years and crèche services; if there is a timeframe in place to cap childcare costs as per the programme for Government commitment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50181/25]
I thank the Deputy. He will be aware that the maximum fee caps were extended to all partner services in core funding this month. The introduction of fee caps is an important step towards the reduction of parental fees to €200 per month over the lifetime of this Government. While the fee caps were introduced for new services last year, they now cover all services that are in core funding. In addition, the fee caps are set at a lower level than before. The maximum fee for a full-day place of between 40 and 50 hours per week, which is the most common full-day care service, is €295 per week before State subsidies under the national childcare scheme and the ECCE programme are deducted. For those on the minimum level of subsidy, this will bring their out-of-pocket costs down to less than €200 per week with those on income-assessed subsidies paying less again. While this is an important development for those paying the highest fees, with a median fee of €200 per week nationally, or just €100 after the minimum subsidies are deducted, the reality is many families pay less than this figure.
This latest measure builds on a range of supports already in place. The ECCE programme provides two years of preschool without charge and has participation rates of 96% to 97%. More than 70% of families say that if it were not a free service, they would never have been able to access it. The national childcare scheme complements the ECCE programme, giving universal and targeted subsidies to reduce costs for parents. Recent improvements include the extension of the universal subsidy to children under 15 and two increases to the minimum hourly subsidy, now worth €96.30 per week for 45 hours. Almost 220,000 children benefited from a subsidy in 2024. Since last September, children in childminding settings can also benefit from these subsidies. The fee management system introduced through core funding has made sure the investment in affordability is not absorbed by unnecessary fee increases. Core funding has enjoyed high participation rates to date. Currently, the rate of uptake for the upcoming year is 90%.
I acknowledge the massive investment made in recent years. Since the introduction of core funding in 2022, something in the region of €259 million has been allocated. In many constituencies, particularly in suburban areas like mine, we still face a severe lack of childcare places. One of the largest childcare providers in the country closed its doors to the scheme a couple of months ago in Carrigtwohill, east Cork, namely Mary Geary's Childcare. That facility has 450 children. When somebody like that turns their back on the scheme, it is not that they wanted to; it is that the offering they give to parents far exceeds the minimum standards required. You might say that is a decision they make, but they have set those high standards. Will the Minister talk about caps for large-scale providers like Mary Geary's Childcare? There is a cap in the region of €700,000 or €750,000 that prevents them from-----
We are already at 90% of providers having joined core funding, which is 5% ahead of where we were at this time last year. The opportunity to engage in core funding remains open and services can sign up to the fourth year of the scheme at any point in the year. It is significant to be able to say that at this stage of the year we have reached 90%. We are in an Estimates period and will in the next couple of weeks have the budget. I am committed to seeking to do even more to provide resources, notwithstanding, as the Deputy said, the significant resources provided for in terms of core funding.
The Deputy referred to services closing. Every year some services will close while new services will open. That is the reality of it but 2024 saw a net increase of 226 services.
I think we both got stuck for time when we were trying to address the question. I specifically asked about the Mary Geary set-up in Carrigtwohill. I ask about it because it is the largest provider in Munster, if not the country. We are concerned because there are no alternatives for people who choose to go elsewhere. I asked the Taoiseach about it last week but have still not received a response. We are particularly concerned because there are about 300 families with 450 children affected and they are faced with the prospect of a 34% hike in fees because the provider has decided to go outside of the core scheme. It is perfectly entitled to make that decision but there are very few alternatives for people. They feel tied to the service and that is a massive increase for any household to take on. I ask for clarity on the threshold. I think there is a threshold of some €700,000 or €750,000 that they are not allowed to exceed. In cases of a massive provider like this, is there any way those thresholds can be looked at?
There is, as the Deputy conceded, unprecedented Government funding going into the sector. If a provider steps out at any point, that provider can return. The Department has a sustainability fund. If a provider is of the view it is not viable to continue or is having particular sustainability issues, it can in the first instance engage with the city and county childcare committees and it can engage with the Department on the sustainability fund. The purpose is to ensure there is a free line of communication between all concerned and that these services are sustainable.
On areas of significant demand, which I have already discussed with other Deputies, we are looking at areas across the country via the forward planning unit we have. Where private providers are not in a position to provide, Government will seek to step in through State-led facilities.
7. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the review of the 2001 planning guidelines for childcare facilities. [50179/25]
I ask the Minister for an update on the review of the 2001 planning guidelines for childcare facilities whereby for 75 new homes, there should be the provision of 20 childcare places. The link between supply of new homes and childcare places has not been working effectively. I welcome how the Minister has addressed this as an issue of concern and I seek an update on her progress.
The 2001 planning guidelines for local authorities on early learning and childcare settings were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. The guidelines are intended to ensure a consistent approach to the treatment of planning applications in respect to the land use planning aspects of early learning and childcare provision. The programme for Government commits to reviewing the 2001 childcare facilities guidelines for planning authorities to ensure early learning and childcare spaces are provided and put to use for the purpose they were intended. The Planning and Development Act 2024 and the publication of the national planning framework now provide a strong basis from which to pursue this work.
An early learning and childcare planning matters working group, with officials from my Department and the Departments of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Education and Youth was established in 2024 and has met on a number of occasions in 2024 and 2025. In addition, meetings have been held over summer of this year with members of the working group and officials from different local authorities who were nominated by the County and City Management Association planning and land use committee. This engagement with nominated planners was effective in identifying a number of important considerations for the review and is now informing a wider engagement with local authorities. These issues include ensuring that buildings developed on foot of the guidelines meet the needs of the local population and are fit for purpose, and balancing the need to ensure sufficient provision for children and families, regardless of the size or housing type of the development, with ensuring that buildings are effectively operated as intended. In parallel, planning is under way to ensure the views of other stakeholders who will have an interest in the revised guidelines are catered for.
I have engaged with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to discuss how best to support and inform the drafting of revised guidelines under the new planning and development Act. I will be meeting him and his officials again shortly. The approach more widely to ensuring appropriate levels of early learning and childcare supply is core to the work of my Department and will be further articulated in the context of the action plan to build an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system.
We have a rudimentary system from 2001, which provides that for every 75 homes the developer must provide 20 childcare places, but it is not working for a variety of reasons. The provision of childcare infrastructure cannot be based on such a basic formula alone. Like schools, we need a proper forward planning system based on demographics, assessment of need, new residential developments and that delivers appropriate childcare buildings based on the needs of that community. Instead, what we have now is crèches being built that are not fit for purpose or too expensive to be bought, kitted out and made financially viable for providers. We have empty crèches in areas of massive childcare demand. We have developers building crèches as future houses because they view them as a liability. They are trying to get out of building them. This is not just happening because developers want to sell crèches as houses. It is because we currently do not have a joined-up planning system that views the provision of childcare in local communities as essential. We have the opportunity to address that through the programme for Government. What are the timings? Will it be part of the action plan?
The Deputy and I have discussed this at length. It is my strong view that the notion of 75 homes and providing 20 childcare places is not fit for purpose. We have also discussed that there are many units across the country that were built-for-purpose childcare but either went for a change of use or were certainly not used for the purpose for which they were intended. As the Deputy referenced forward planning, the forward planning unit of my Department, which is up and running, will be a significant tool to identify where there are specific issues. We rely on the laser-like commitment of local authorities in this regard. To ensure that we have the appropriate guidelines in place a series of meetings took place over the summer. I acknowledge the engagement we have had with city and county managers and the specific work being done with nominated planners and wider planners to ensure that we have a system that is fit for purpose and will inform the work we are doing. I acknowledge the engagement of the Minister for housing, Deputy Browne, and indeed, my ongoing engagement with him. Another meeting is scheduled shortly.
Is it envisaged that the review will form part of the action plan? I am looking forward to that action plan because to address any of the issues in childcare, whether that be affordability or availability, we have to address all the issues in childcare, such as infrastructure, staff and retention and funding models. Does the Minister agree? Some of our small providers are struggling with core funding. I wish to give one example. A service opened in 2004 and it is a Montessori and after school. In those 20 years, the owner raised the fee twice. Each time it was less than 5%. She applied for a fee adjustment because she is desperate to keep her service open and stay in core funding. She was permitted to increase her full-time monthly fee by €4.40. She is still €100 under the county average while the two nearest services can charge €250 and €300 more per month because they were established after her. How does the Minister envisage addressing sustainability issues and an equity between services through the action plan? We want to keep trusted services that have been operating for 20 years open.
The entire purpose is to ensure that we can maintain the services that we have, and indeed, provide for new services to meet the demands that are out there. The Deputy will have to concede that the Government is the most significant contributor at this point in time to this sector. The investment from the Government is quite phenomenal but equally so, it is the objective of the Government where necessary for it to step in with the provision of State-led facilities, to do that going forward and to support existing providers to be sustainable going forward.
I am not familiar with the case the Deputy raised. I am happy for that case to be examined. However, there is a sustainability fund within the Department. There is a fee adjustment in the review, but it does take into account what happens throughout the county. The purpose of the action plan is to ensure that it focuses on all aspects of delivering or building an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system. The Government is committed to publishing that.
8. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to set out the timeframe within which her Department intends to bring forward proposals for the establishment of a child death review mechanism; when implementation is expected to commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50199/25]
In light of the recent and heartbreaking death of Daniel Aruebose, I raise the urgent need for a statutory child death review mechanism. The Ombudsman for Children in the April 2025 child death review again raised his concerns as to the current system and provided clear recommendations for the Government. Such a mechanism is also provided for in the programme for Government, which is very good to see. Can the Minister provide us with an update as to where we are on implementing that commitment?
The establishment of a child death review mechanism, while very welcome, is not in the remit of the Department of children. As the Ombudsman for Children’s recent child death review report outlined, the majority of deaths take place in medical settings, which the Deputy will appreciate is outside of the scope of the Department. It is important to state that.
I welcomed the report entitled Child Death Review: The Case for a National Statutory Review Mechanism for the Deaths of Children in Ireland. I am conscious that the data outlined in the report also highlights that deaths of children in care are only a small subset of the overall number of child deaths occurring in the State. In that regard, the Department has a limited overall input in this respect. However, I assure the Deputy that the Department and I will proactively engage with the nominated lead Department responsible for the delivery of such a mechanism over the lifetime of this Government.
The death of a child in care or known to State services, whether at home, in care or aftercare, is a tragic event and, indeed, the death of a child in any circumstance is a tragic event, but it deeply affects family, friends, carers and staff connected to the child and local communities. Specifically in relation to a child in care, we are fortunate to have in place the national review panel, NRP, which conducts reviews of child death and serious incidents where the child is in care or is known to Tusla. The NRP is independent in the performance of its functions, making findings of fact and producing reports that are objective and independent of Tusla. The NRP produces reports that are factually based and identify points of learning to improve services provided to children and families.
I am conscious that since its establishment the NRP has played a critical role in identifying systemic issues, obstacles to good practice and areas for learning to improve services. Tusla has advised that out of the 133 reports that the NRP has produced to date, 90 reports or executive summaries have been published and are available on its website.
I can inform the Deputy that in instances where the NRP makes recommendations which fall outside the remit of both my Department and Tusla, officials within my Department ensure that these recommendations are brought to the attention of the appropriate Department.
While the State cannot control every tragedy, we do have a duty to respond to tragic deaths such as this with clarity and compassion, and that means heeding the ombudsman's recommendations. One of the ombudsman's recommendations relates to the Minister's Department where he is looking for immediate engagement with his office to find a resolution to the many limitations with the NRP in accessing information, engaging with other agencies and fundamental governance pending the establishment of a new statutory child death review mechanism. Which is the lead Department? Can we get some clarity on that? When will that happen? Will a cross-departmental group be set up and will we see progress on this? Unfortunately, these tragic deaths really underscore the need for this mechanism and we need to see follow through from the Government. I want to make sure I can do that and I need to know who I will be following up with.
It is a commitment in the programme for Government and therefore there is agreement across the Government. I was party to the negotiation of that programme for Government so I am very committed to that initiative. I believe it is hugely important. On the matter of full disclosure, I have also met the Ombudsman for Children and was happy to do so. The lead Department has not yet been determined by the Government. My understanding is it will be determined in the next short while. There are a number of engagements related to that matter and finding the appropriate Department. In terms of the Department of children there is already the very specific review around the national review panel for children who are in the care of the State or known to Tusla, but the vast majority of children's deaths are recorded in medical settings, so it is not clear cut. It does demand that there be a cross-departmental look at this matter and that is ongoing.
The Minister will know from the review and also from engagement with the ombudsman that one of the things he is really calling for is that the reports of the NRP should be shared with families and every effort be made to remove barriers to information. The frustration with timelines and communication with families can be seen throughout the report. Like everything in life, communication and clarity are key and that people are not left ghosted and left hanging. People are really suffering when they lose someone and we need to treat them with compassion.
In terms of the NRP, I would really appreciate if the Minister could make sure there is a commitment in the interim to communicating with families and delivering finalised reports to them. We need to make sure learnings from tragic deaths like this are responded to by the State in a co-ordinated and efficient way. It can be seen in the report that the ombudsman does not believe this is happening. We are not learning from these deaths and we have to do everything to make sure we can avoid future deaths.
I reiterate, for the purpose of accuracy, that the national review panel is entirely independent, and that is right and proper. There should be no interference with its work. It is entirely independent in its functions, making findings of fact and producing reports that are objective and independent of Tusla or anyone else. That is important.
I point out, and it is important this is stated accurately, that at least 90 of the national review panel's reports or executive summaries have been published and are available on Tusla's website. It is important to allow the NRP to do its work and do it independently. I agree 100% that utmost in our minds at all times must be the feelings, emotions and experiences of the families. There has to be extraordinary humanity here. When a child dies, it is the greatest tragedy, certainly in the lives of the immediate family and wider society, so the compassion the Deputy speaks of must be a given.
9. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of issues childminders are experiencing with the new regulations; if she is concerned that childminders are leaving the role; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49910/25]
I want to ask the Minister about the regulations that came into effect for childminders across the State in September 2024. They have now been in place for a year and there are issues being raised, primarily by Childminding Ireland. Given the severe capacity issues we have within our early years sector and the very high turnover of early years educators, particularly out of private childcare settings, we need now more than ever to retain our childminders and ensure they can work within these new regulations. Is the Minister aware of issues that have been raised?
I will say clearly that childminders are a hugely important part of early learning and care and school-age childcare provision, and they continue to be the option of choice for many families. I am firmly behind the regulation of childminding services, which is critical to the safeguarding of children.
The childminding-specific regulations, which came into effect in September 2024, are designed to be proportionate and appropriate to the home and family setting in which childminders work. Childminders were consulted on and involved in all aspects of the development of the regulations. Both the steering group for the national action plan for childminding and the advisory group on regulation and inspection of childminding included childminders as well as representatives of Childminding Ireland.
The phased, supportive approach to registration put forward in the national action plan for childminding seeks to consult and support childminders throughout the transition, to increase recognition of the important role that childminders play, and to strengthen this vital service. A key objective of the national action plan for childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to benefit from State subsidies through the national childcare scheme.
As a result of the commencement of the relevant parts of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2024 and the childminding services regulations, childminders are now able to apply to register with Tusla and can therefore take part in the national childcare scheme. Only Tusla-registered providers are eligible to participate in the scheme. The limitation of public funding schemes to Tusla-registered providers helps to ensure that public funding is provided where there is assurance of quality of provision.
Childminders now have a three-year transition period during which they are able to register with Tusla, but are not yet required to do so. They actually have until September 2027. During the transition period, supports are available for childminders at local level through the city and county childcare committees. Each city and county childcare committee employs a childminding development officer who provides a range of supports to local childminders. Supports available include a short pre-registration training course as well as the childminding development grant. The annual grant scheme provides up to €1,000 to assist both registered and unregistered childminders who are providing a childminding service in their own homes.
I welcome and acknowledge the fact childminders can now provide supports of the national childcare scheme and that will perhaps encourage or allow parents the choice rather than choosing a formal childcare setting. This is particularly so in rural areas where childminders would be used a lot, especially where they can provide flexibility that perhaps the formal childcare setting cannot. I have met representatives of Childminding Ireland and there are significant concerns and issues in regard to the regulations. Childminding Ireland's ask has been that, 18 months into the regulations, which is coming up shortly, there would be a review of those regulations. I think that is a reasonable request to make sure the regulations are working and see if there need to be tweaks to ensure childminders are getting on board with them. Childminding Ireland's most recent survey found that more than 30% of childminders intend to pull out of childminding rather than sign up to these regulations and to Tusla. The issues of paperwork and inspections, etc., have been raised. Would the Minister consider that review mechanism 18 months in?
To be fair, we want the system to work. We want childminders to feel they can register with Tusla and that this is in their best interests as much as it is in the best interests of the children they care for as well. The work childminders do is invaluable. The Deputy is correct; it is a matter of choice for parents as well. Some parents opt for this and want this. I come from a rural constituency myself and know of the great work childminders do. I can say that, at this point, 511 childminders have completed their pre-registration training. Notwithstanding that, they have until September 2027. Like most things, we find there is a greater imperative to complete registrations closer to the timeframe. In regard to the review the Deputy referenced, rather than it taking place post September 2027, a commitment has been given that that will take place during the transition period. I think that it is only right and that we would learn as we go along. I am committed to that review taking place during the three-year transition period.
There will be a review between now and September 2027, which is the transition period. That is really welcome.
I encourage the Minister, if she has an opportunity between now and September 2027, which I would like to think the Minister will, that she might meet with representatives from Childminding Ireland. I was very impressed with them. The organisation obviously represents a huge number of childminders right across the State. The Minister has said we need to get this right. That is why that review is so important. We want to retain childminders. We want to bring more in. It needs to be regulated and nobody disagrees with that. I met a childminder in my own constituency recently. She said she wanted to be down sitting on the floor with the kids and not up at the table doing paperwork. She did not want to be doing administration; she wanted to be down with the kids on the floor. That is very much the essence of childminders. They do it for the love of the children and the care they provide is second to none. For parents, particularly in rural areas, it is so important we get this right. I welcome this review taking place and ask the Minister, if she has the opportunity, to meet Childminding Ireland.
I thank Deputy Kerrane. I have no argument with what she is saying. Childminders do provide a valuable service. It is important that they would be open to the registration process too though. That is important and will be a gain not just for children but for the childminders themselves. It also allows the supports to be put in place like those we have currently such as the €1,000 support to assist both registered and unregistered childminders. It is also only right and proper that parents themselves would benefit from the national childcare scheme. That is also a support to childminders. I am very happy to engage and do so an ongoing basis with all of the different organisations. The review will be helpful because it will smooth out the immediate challenges or difficulties that childminders are finding. It is not the purpose of the system or the registration system to make things difficult; rather it is to make it accessible. It is for that reason that we specifically funded the childminding development officer with the city and county childcare committees to work with and to support childminders. If anybody has any specific difficulties, I suggest they make direct contact with that development officer in their own area.
10. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans for community neurorehabilitation teams for children with neurological conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50196/25]
Anois, tógfaimid Ceist Uimh. 10 in ainm an Teachta McAuliffe ach tá an Teachta Daly ag glacadh leis ar a shon.
I wish to draw the Minister's attention to the lack of a policy framework and service infrastructure for rehabilitation supports for children with a neurological condition. She will be aware that the national neurorehabilitation strategy only applies to people over 18 years of age and there is no equivalent of community neurorehabilitation teams for children. That means there is extremely limited access to therapeutic supports.
I thank the Deputy for his question. The Government and I recognise the need for all children to receive the right services at the right time. We are committed to improving services for all children with disabilities. We have and will continue to do so. As the Deputy will know, there are currently 93 children's disability network teams, CDNTs, across the country and these teams provide services and supports for children from birth to 18 years of age. Children with neurological conditions receive supports through these teams as well as through other community services. Almost 45,000 children and their families are being supported by children’s disability network teams and in respect of the number of children waiting to access the CDNTs, it has been decreasing by 15% in the first half of this year. HSE data from April 2025 shows there has been a nationwide increase of 26% in CDNT staffing levels since October 2023. Most significantly, the CDNT national vacancy rate has reduced from 29% in 2023 to 18% this year, a reduction of 11 percentage points, and we will continue to improve that.
The model of service for all CDNTs is family-centred and based on the needs of the child. It is centred on the objectives of empowering and supporting parents and others who are with the child on a daily basis to facilitate the child’s developmental needs. The programme for Government includes a commitment to advancing neurorehabilitation services nationally, including the completion of the national roll-out of HSE community neurorehabilitation teams. To date, the Government has provided funding for community neurorehabilitation teams in four regional health areas around HSE Galway, Roscommon and Mayo; HSE south west; HSE Dublin, South and Wicklow; HSE Dublin south west, south city and west; and Kildare west Wicklow. The Deputy's issue was in relation to children in particular and we will be increasing focus on children’s neurorehabilitation going forward. The HSE is progressing plans to examine the demand for paediatric neurorehabilitation services for children in Ireland. I will come back in afterwards.
As the Minister of State will know, in Ireland, 450 children suffer a moderate or traumatic brain injury each year yet the CNDTs do not have the capacity to provide neurorehabilitation. Moreover, the children's disability network teams cannot cater for children with complex neurological disability in areas such as spasticity management, orthotics, gait analysis, feeding issues, assistive technology, seating, neurorehabilitation vision and hearing assessment. The national model of care for pediatric healthcare recommends the development of neurorehabilitation services in the community for children with neurological conditions. Will the Minister of State provide an update on that?
As I was saying, we will be increasing our focus on children's neurorehabilitation. The HSE is progressing plans to examine the demand for those rehabilitation services for children in Ireland with acquired disability and to examine the current capacity of rehabilitation services, as well as designing a service delivery model for children with acquired disability in line with national strategies for children with disabilities. Consideration of the children’s disability services and the funding requirements for budget 2026 is ongoing. The Department has been actively engaging with the Department of public expenditure and reform and digitalisation and with the HSE throughout this process. As the budget has not yet been announced, confirmation regarding funding in specific regions cannot yet be provided. Following confirmation of 2026 funding, the HSE will publish its 2026 national service plan, which will set out the expected activity for 2026.
I welcome the announcement of additional services in the community. We need to point out that there are gaps in the current system. Children are discharged from paediatric, neurology and neurodisability services in hospital at 16 years of age. Adult disability services, including day services, accept clients from 18 years and over and therefore there is a gap there. There is also a clear lack of care co-ordination for children with acquired neurological conditions. There is a critical need for case management and key worker support for children with complex neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions. It is like everything in the community. We need more co-ordination and deeper capacity and we need services for children who have acquired brain injury most especially.
I thank the Deputy for his contribution. It is important. He is correct that we should address those gaps. As I travelled the country I have met those who look after people who acquire a brain injury - mostly adults - but issues around that gap between the ages of 16 and 18 are issues that have been raised with me. I appreciate the Deputy raising the issue here and it is something we will have to look at to make sure we are rolling out these hubs as is happening for adults across the country but also looking at gaps in the service.
11. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being implemented to ensure that the shortage of after-school childcare places does not act as a barrier to parents returning to the workforce; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50173/25]
We have seen the enormous demand for childcare throughout the country, particularly in my own constituency of Kildare North. However, a lot of the focus has been on preschool and not on after-school childcare. It is extremely difficult for parents to find after-school care and also to go back to work. What measures are being implemented to ensure this shortage of after-school childcare places does not act as a barrier to parents returning to the workforce?
I thank the Deputy. Improving access to quality, affordable early learning and care and school-age childcare is a key priority for the Government. Capacity in this sector is increasing. Data from the annual early years sector profile for 2023 to 2024 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% over the previous two years. School-age childcare has shown particular growth in recent years. The estimated number of enrolments for schoolgoing children nationally increased by 56% during this period. Moreover, 261 new school-age childcare services were added to the Tusla register in 2024, leading to a net increase of 225 new school-age childcare services in one year alone. That is significant, notwithstanding the fact that we always need to do more.
It does appear, however, that the demand for early learning and care in school-age childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country. The Deputy specifically referenced his own area. While this is more generally a bigger issue when it comes to younger children, there may be instances of misaligned supply for local demand for school-age childcare, notwithstanding the substantial increase in provision. Demand for places beyond sessional preschool provision is highly elastic and shaped very substantially by families’ individual composition, circumstances and preferences; employment patterns and income, and the price and availability of services.
My Department continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of core funding, which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced, including school-age childcare places. Additional funding was secured in budget 2025 to facilitate a further expansion in capacity from September 2025. Expansion in school-age childcare has also been supported by the extension of the national childcare scheme subsidies to all children up to 15 years of age, and particularly the incremental increase in the rates of universal subsidy from 50 cent per hour in 2023 up to €2.14 per hour since 2024.
The Department also funds 30 city and county childcare committees, which provide support and assist families and providers. The network of 30 childcare committees across the country can assist in identifying vacant places in services for children and families who need them.
I recognise the progress that has been made and the advancements, particularly around the additional funding with the national childcare scheme, NCS, and with core funding. The reality of the situation still stands that the shortage of affordable childcare drives what is called the motherhood penalty, which is the economic setback that parents, mostly women, face after having children. This leads to many women having to reduce hours, turn down promotions or leave the workforce due to childcare constraints. It deepens gender pay gaps and limits career progression, particularly for single women and low-income women. I have multiple constituents and friends who have come to me on this. One example is a parent in Kilcock who has highlighted the shortage of after-school care in Kilcock. She says that she cannot financially afford not to work but that, like many other working mothers, she is being forced out of the workplace due to this severe lack of childcare support. I agree that the county childcare committees have a large part to play in this as well.
It is an absolute objective of this Government to ensure that we make provision for children of all ages. More specifically, the Deputy is interested in school-age childcare. We have had some very significant innovations I can point to. For example, in my time as the Minister for Education, I published procedures on the use of school buildings and sports facilities outside of school hours. The purpose here was to ensure that in the first instance community opportunities would be utilised such as school buildings and sports halls, and very specifically that there would be opportunities for early learning and childcare providers to make use of school buildings or whatever, in this instance because the building would be empty after school and would be in an ideal location for after-school services. There are now 565 school-age childcare-only services located on school premises, which represent almost two thirds, or 59%, of school-age childcare-only services in operation. That is quite significant. We need to do more work in this space with schools.
I was going to reference next the work the Minister did as Minister for Education in ensuring that more schools opened their facilities after hours for childcare, particularly for after-school care. The Minister will be aware, however, that there have been difficulties with some school boards in getting those schools open. There needs to be a co-ordinated effort between the Minister's Department and her former Department of education to ensure that schools are directed to open those facilities for after-school care and for childcare in general.
It would be great to see a national strategy for after-school and wraparound care. At the heart of this is allowing parents to get back to work knowing their child is being cared for safely, and to ensure that women are not being discriminated against in going back into the workplace. The affordability issue also comes up time and again. I appreciate the work the Minister is doing and has been doing.
I want to be clear that I 100% agree with the Deputy. It is only right and proper that everybody who wishes to participate in the workforce get that opportunity. It is certainly not acceptable or right that anyone's opportunities would be hindered because of a lack of childcare or that it would be one particular cohort of people. The Deputy specifically instanced women who would be disadvantaged here, and that is not acceptable. It is one of the key agendas of the Government to ensure that this is not the case.
Notwithstanding the progress that has been made on the use of our school buildings, there is scope to do more there too. Equally, it will be hugely helpful to us that the forward planning unit that is now up and running in the Department will be able to provide for us extensive data on where there is specific need in specific areas. The need in some areas is greater than in others. The unit is drawing on the expertise of statisticians on secondment from the Central Statistics Office, along with other specialists, which will allow us to future-proof so that the Government is aware and that the State can step in where that is required.
12. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of people waiting to access children's disability network team, CDNT, services in Cavan and Monaghan for a period up to three months, three to six months, six to 12 months and greater than one year. [49902/25]
The Minister will acknowledge that one of the more difficult parts of our job is dealing with the families of children waiting to access children's disability network team services. My question relates to CDNTs in Cavan and Monaghan. How many children are waiting to access those services for up to three months, from three to six months, up to 12 months and greater than one year?
The Government and I recognise the importance of early intervention for children with disabilities and of ensuring they receive the right service at the right time. Under the programme for Government we are committed to ensuring that children and their families who need early intervention and therapy input can access that support in a timely way.
The key vehicle for change and improvement is the roadmap for service improvement for disability services for children and young people. The implementation of this roadmap is well under way and will continue until 2026. The roadmap contains an important set of actions that collectively will enhance children's disability services in Ireland. They include significant measures to integrate and improve access to services, to expand the workforce and to advance better communication and engagement with families. A key part of this work has been the improvement of access to services through the CDNTs. These are providing supports and services to almost 45,000 children.
I fully acknowledge that there is still a lot more to do to address the current delays faced by children with disabilities who are seeking services. The latest data received from the HSE for the second quarter of 2025 show that there are currently 41 applications waiting one to three months, while there are 334 applications waiting longer than three months in the Cavan-Monaghan area, CHO 1.
Recruitment and retention of health and social care professionals, HSCPs, is the most significant challenge. Work is ongoing to increase staffing levels. The HSE data from April of this year shows there has been a nationwide increase of 26% in CDNT staffing levels since October 2023. Most significantly, the CDNT national vacancy rate has reduced from 29% in 2023 to 18% in 2025. This is a reduction of 11 percentage points.
The Minister of State has outlined that 41 children have been waiting up to three months but, if I am correct, she also said that 334 are waiting over three months. The question itself was fairly specific in asking for more detail with regard to those figures. I wonder if the Minister of State has that data for three to six months, six to 12 months and over a year. From dealing with a number of families in Cavan and Monaghan, which are two distinct CDNTs, I know that in some cases the wait is inordinate, with difficulties in getting initial meetings and then difficulties in accessing occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and physiotherapy after that. In many ways the initial contact is just the beginning of a very hard journey the families have to go through. Does the Minister of State have more detail on those figures so that we can have a better sense of the delays that are there?
That is the breakdown I received but I will go back and see if there is a further breakdown. The Deputy's question was specific but those were the figures I got back. I will come back to the Deputy if there is a further breakdown.
My Department and I know that more needs to be done in this area. My Department is working with the HSE to introduce specific recruitment and retention measures and incentives for therapists to work in our CDNTs, including the CDNT sponsorship initiative and facilitating direct access for funded agencies to existing professional panels. In 2025, we allocated €10 million in additional funding to be made available specifically for children's services, and that funding focused on recruiting for various positions right across our CDNTs. That included 20 senior therapist posts, 20 staff-grade posts, 20 health and social care assistants posts and 15 clinical trainee posts. Measures have also been provided to assist with sustainability. That is to address the assessment of need backlog while freeing up resources for therapists to actually carry out the therapeutic supports.
I appreciate the Minister of State indicating that she would get that additional information. It might give her a sense of the challenges we have sometimes in actually getting information from the CDNTs. I thank the Minister of State for that and I note what she said with regard to staff recruitment and the need to recruit additional staff and fill vacancies. There is also a big piece of work to be done in retaining the staff that we have. I often comment that probably the most difficult job is for those staff operating within the CDNT, obviously in very stressed conditions. Naturally, they are probably getting the ire of the families who have waited a long time to get them.
In a follow-up or supplementary, could the Minister of State give an indication, if she has it, with regard to the number of vacancies that are currently outstanding in Cavan and Monaghan? The figures I have, dating back to spring of this year, show that in Monaghan there were just under ten outstanding vacancies and in Cavan, it was over 12. If the Minister of State has those up-to-date figures I would appreciate them, or, if not, she could follow up in writing with them.
I will come back and follow up in writing on that. The Deputy makes a good point as well. I always stress when travelling around the country and visiting services that there is a lot of fantastic work happening within the disability sector. Sometimes those working within the sector talk to me about the narrative out there. We all understand the challenges that have to be dealt with and there are families out there who are waiting too long on these waiting lists for their children to access these services. As part of this, we need to be recruiting and retaining more, which we will be doing, and that will also hopefully build the morale of these fantastic teams on the ground who are dealing with very challenging situations in trying to get through these waiting lists.
We are also looking at our third level system. We had 150 extra therapists going through our third level system last year, going into first year. There will be more placements this year, developing the future pipeline. We are also looking at the national CDNT training programme. We have the expedited CORU registration process, which is for bringing therapists in from abroad, making sure we are doing absolutely everything we can to recruit qualified therapists in this area. We also have bespoke initiatives designed to provide specialist supports for children with complex needs and their families.
13. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her plans for introducing a reimbursement scheme for families who have had to pay for private therapies for their child due to long waiting lists for public services. [50027/25]
We are all aware - and it has been discussed already tonight - of the length of waiting lists of families waiting for therapies in this country. I ask the Minister of State to address the House tonight on any plans she may have for a reimbursement scheme for families who have had to pay privately for their child due to these long waiting lists.
The Government and I recognise the importance of early intervention, and the programme for Government, as the Deputy knows, commits to ensuring children and their families get that early intervention and therapy input, and that they can access that support in a timely way.
A key response to this issue is the recruitment and retention of health and social care professionals, and I alluded to that in my last response. Substantial effort and investment has been made in this regard. Our CDNTs support almost 45,000 children with complex needs. HSE data from April of this year shows there has been an increase of 26% in CDNT staffing levels since October 2023 and the vacancy rate has reduced from 29% in 2023 to 18% in 2025, an 11% reduction.
I acknowledge that some families, as the Deputy said, are still facing unacceptable delays. Access to therapies for a child should not depend on whether their family can afford it. Rather than diverting funding to reimburse individuals for private therapy, we should utilise public funding to invest in our public system and to enhance the capacity to deliver these therapies free of charge. This is an issue of equity and it also speaks to our focus on building a sustainable service for children with disabilities. Notwithstanding this, individual health regions may procure private providers to provide therapies and interventions on a case-by-case basis. However, this is usually only in exceptional circumstances. This is about improving the pipeline of required therapies and a continued focus on recruitment and retention. We also need to develop that pipeline of future therapists through our third level education system, which we are doing.
In June, the Government approved an expansion in training places from September 2025 in disciplines critical to disability, health and education services. Additionally, alternative pathways into health and social care professions are being developed to widen access to critical skills areas. That includes apprenticeships, tertiary programmes, graduate conversion and mature entry.
I thank the Minister of State. I am all for public services and I welcome the fact the Minister of State is chasing down the maximum number of public services we can and increasing the number of consultants and clinicians we have in that area. Unfortunately, too many families are waiting too long for those much-needed services for speech and language, OT, physiotherapy or whatever their child might need. I know we spoke already about Cara Darmody and the €10 million fund that was created for private assessments of need, and I welcomed that at the time. It was discussed in this House.
In supporting any public development, the question around case-by-case basis emergencies remains. Does the Minister of State have any idea how many CDNTs have used that facility of using private services for case-by-case basis emergencies? The number of people coming to my office are probably not aware of that but they are definitely not using that particular emergency service.
I do not have the figures for that but I can tell the Deputy that the focus of Government, and my focus and that of the Minister, Deputy Foley, is to make sure we are increasing the number of speech and language therapists and occupational therapists so that they are actually going out there providing the therapies. As the Deputy knows with regard to the backlog of assessment of need, a lot of them are carrying out the assessments. What many people want and what parents send their children to get these assessments for is to get access to the therapies, which is a huge part of this. That is the drive we are working on through the legislation around the assessment of need process to make it more efficient and effective, and to meet the needs of our children who really need these services. That is our sole focus. Yes, we provided €10 million to try to address the assessment of need backlog, for example, and we will continue to work our way through that. People do have a right to an assessment of need but we need to make sure that we are looking at our third level institutions, recruitment abroad and speeding up the registration process for those coming back from abroad through CORU but also looking at bursaries. If the Deputy has other suggestions, my door is open with regard to recruitment and retention of these therapists.
I always welcome the Minister of State finishing with a question like that. I am going to use the opportunity once again to raise Sensational Kids, a new building in Kildare town. I am sure the Minister of State is aware of this particular building. It remains unbuilt since November 2024. This building could have allowed up to 300 children per week in the greater Kildare and Leinster area to receive those services I mentioned but also training for those therapists in speech and language, OT and physiotherapy. That was a proposal that was part of Sensational Kids. I understand that proposal is with the HSE now but it would make a difference for so many families in Leinster. I still state that as much as I support public services, families are crying out for that early intervention and those emergency services. Maybe if the Minister of State or her Department get the chance, they might come back to me on how many have availed of those emergency services, and they might also look at that Sensational Kids proposal, which would be so beneficial to so many people in the area I am from.
I thank the Deputy, and I will come back to him if I have those figures available to me. He raised an important point around early intervention. I refer to the earliest milestones, and a child not reaching them.
What is happening now is a lot of these pressures are coming into the education system. Where a need is identified we need to be flagging it much earlier and providing the services much earlier. That is where that single point of access to the HSE will be so important as well as us dealing with the assessment of need process, recruiting and retaining our therapists at home and abroad but also getting that earlier intervention through the primary care setting, for example. Just one area is not going to resolve this. This is a whole-of-government approach but the HSE, the Department of Education and Youth and my Department will also ensure we are reaching those at an earlier level and allowing CDNTs to deal with those with the most complex needs.
15. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of parents with children attending a childcare centre (details supplied); the actions she will take to engage with management of this childcare centre on these concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49128/25]
My question relates to a childcare provider in Dublin who has indicated it is withdrawing from the market. Has the Minister plans to do anything to prevent such things as this happening and thereby increasing the costs hugely for parents using those facilities?
I am aware of the facility to which the Deputy refers. As he indicated in the question, Once Upon a Time has regrettably chosen to withdraw four of its ten services from core funding. They are Once Upon a Time services in Ballymount, Dublin 2, Dundrum and Shankill, with six other sites remaining in the core funding. The Department, through the local childcare committee, has engaged directly with the provider in question to highlight the benefits of staying in core funding not only for their services but also for the families who avail of them. The provider has not reversed the decision to date.
Core funding has been designed with maximum participation of providers in mind as reflected in the year-on-year growth of investment in the scheme rising from €259 million in year one to more than €390 million in year four. Moreover, the annual changes to the allocation model and in the conditions attached to the funding have ensured that the scheme remains responsive, balancing the needs of providers while seeking also to meet a range of other objectives. Among those objectives is ensuring taxpayers' money is used in a way that sustains services while not excessively increasing private profit.
Core funding translated into €1.5 million in year one of the scheme for Once Upon a Time services. It then rose to €2.1 million in year two and to €2.5 million in year three when all ten of the services in the chain participated. The Department projects that core funding for these services would be in the region of €3.3 million for year four of the scheme which would be an increase of 109% on funding for the chain since 2022. However, Once Upon a Time, regrettably, decided to withdraw four of its ten services from the scheme in year four, forgoing an estimated €1.1 million in core funding for those services.
As core funding is an optional scheme, this company has the autonomy and business freedom to choose not to join core funding, even though this will result in the loss of the significant financial support it offers and the substantial benefits and certainty it brings to the families accessing the services. For this coming programme year Once Upon a Time remains eligible to provide the national childcare scheme, the early childcare and education programme and the community childcare subvention plus saver programme.
I accept what the Minister said. This scheme is optional for companies and I understand why that is the case. I also understand that we campaigned on this issue last year and we promised the parents we would deliver serious cuts to the cost of childcare, reducing it to €200 per month.
There are 11 centres throughout Dublin. As the Minister mentioned, the owners of this facility have changed the facilities in three, one of which is in my constituency in Shankill but there are two others in my constituency in Dún Laoghaire and Cherrywood. Parents in my area are really worried that the contagion, if I can call it that, is going to spread to their facilities. The increase in cost is going to be up to €340 per child per month. It is totally unacceptable. We need to take action. I accept the Minister has engaged but it does not seem to be working. Can we make sure it is going to work?
Core funding remains open and Once Upon a Time may reapply for the withdrawn services during the year and can join the overwhelming majority of providers. Already 90% of all providers are involved in core funding, which is a 5% increase on the number of providers involved in core funding this time last year. The opportunity remains open to Once Upon a Time to reapply for the services it has withdrawn. The Department is always exploring the potential for further changes to enhance core funding. Any changes for year five, starting 26 September, would be based on the operation of year four of the scheme, starting this month as well as stakeholder input. The issues faced by families accessing Once Upon a Time services will inform that work.
I also want to acknowledge the fourth year of core funding began on 1 September 2025 and as of that date, 4,336 services have signed up for the fourth year. Core funding has been designed with maximum participation of providers in mind, as reflected in the year-on-year growth of investment in this scheme from 259 in year one to 390 in year four.
I accept everything the Minister said. The owners of this facility say that the core funding model traps services in outdated, frozen fee structures while the cost of delivering quality childcare has continued to rise. I want this scheme to work. I want to make sure that the Minister's engagement with this company works and that we bring them back into the fold. However, the reality is there are parents in my area who are genuinely concerned that they are facing fees in the region of €1,400 per month, per child. It is an astonishing amount. It is a massive burden on parents throughout the country, which is why we all campaigned to bring that down to €200 per child per month. That is what we are trying to do. Does the Minister agree that if the companies are not buying into it - and yes, it is their option to do that - does that not massively compromise our ability to reduce the cost of childcare? They have changed it in respect of three centres but there are 11 in Dublin. Is the Minister not concerned that if she is not successful in engaging with these companies that it will compromise this policy?
I reiterate that the Government is absolutely committed to the €200 per month payment as outlined in the programme for Government over its lifetime. I took note of the Deputy's commentary that this provider and other providers are suggesting that core funding "traps services". That is not an accurate phrase to use insofar as I can point to the fact that core funding provided €1.5 million in year one of the scheme for Once Upon a Time services. That increased to €2.1 million in year two and indeed €2.5 million was made available in year three through core funding to those services. I am not so sure trapping the service is accurate nor indeed is it accurate when we reflect upon the fact that at this point in the year 90% of services have all engaged with the core funding model and have signed up to the core funding model. Clearly, the vast majority of services we have believe in the core funding model, notwithstanding that we can always improve the situation. They have subscribed to the core funding model.
I thank the Minister.
16. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the supports she is providing for naoínraí. [49985/25]
Will the Minister give an update on the supports being provided for naíonraí?
The funding provided by the Department for early learning and care, ELC, and school-aged childcare services is provided on the same basis to both Irish medium and English medium services, whether inside or outside Gaeltacht areas. In line with commitments in the five-year action plan for the Irish language, the Department recruited an Irish language support co-ordinator in 2020 to drive the development of a national plan. It has provided funding since 2023 to Better Start to recruit an Irish language early years specialist to support mentoring and advice to Irish medium ELC settings. The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht provides additional supports for Irish medium ELC services in the Gaeltacht through its agencies and organisations such as Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta. In addition, in June 2024, the Department's predecessor with responsibility for the Irish language announced five-year funding to provide a comprehensive support and development service to naíonraí outside of the Gaeltacht to be administered by Gaeloideachas.
Furthermore, my own Department has provided funding to Gaeloideachas in 2025 to support Irish medium ELC settings. Additionally, the Department is currently working in collaboration with other relevant Departments and agencies to develop a national plan to further the development of Irish language provision in the ELC and the school-age childcare sector. The development of such a plan is a commitment in the five-year action plan for the Irish language. The national plan is expected to support the delivery of two commitments in First Five, the whole-of-government strategy for babies, young children and their families: to introduce measures to ensure children in Gaeltacht areas have access to Irish medium ELC provision and to develop mechanisms to provide Irish language supports to ELC provision where huge proportions of children are learning through the medium of Irish.
I thank the Minister for her comments and for recognising the importance of naíonraí in our communities. As a TD for Meath, which has two of the only Gaeltacht areas in Leinster, namely Ráth Chairn and Baile Ghib, the importance of the Irish language and culture is not lost on me. We have some quality settings in the Gaeltacht area, for example, in Navan. At present, thankfully, we are seeing the Irish language under the spotlight like we have not for a while. The importance of speaking the language and being proud of it is coming to the fore. Naíonraí provide the best start for children who we want to be at least bilingual. Full immersion has significant and long-lasting benefits for our children. We all understand the pressures on our early education settings, including attracting and retaining staff. It is my belief that those who are fluent Irish speakers should be given extra incentives to work in early education.
I thank the Deputy. I know this is a matter close to her heart. As she has articulated so well in the context of her constituency, it is of particular importance given the Gaeltacht provision. The national plan is particularly important in advancing the supports and the vision we have for naíonraí. I agree with the Deputy that the earlier we can support the language and ensure our children have access to and experience of it, the better it is in the long term.
The plan, to outline it, will support the delivery of the commitments in the programme for Government. There is a specific commitment in the programme for Government to directly support naíonraí and crèches to ensure early education access in Gaeltacht communities and beyond, and plan the development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme, including Irish-medium naíonraí. There are specific commitments in the programme for Government.
In addition to the focus on Irish-medium ELC and SAC services, it is anticipated that the new national plan will also include measures to support English-medium early learning and care services to work within the updated Aistear early childhood curriculum framework, which was published in December 2024.
