Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2025
90. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to outline the steps taken to ensure that there are more creche spaces introduced in north Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32420/25]
View answerEarly learning and childcare capacity is increasing nationally.
Core Funding data shows that between Year 1 and Year 3 of the scheme, annual place hours increased by over 15% and the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% between 2022 and 2024. Enrolments in Kildare increased by almost 22% over the same period.
Moreover, data from the Tusla shows there was an increase of 5 services on the pre-school register and 15 services on the school-age register in Kildare in 2024.
However, demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain places, particularly for younger children.
The Forward Planning and Delivery Unit in my Department has been expanded with the allocation of additional staff and it is pursuing an ambitious programme of work. A detailed model is being designed to better understand the nuances of supply and demand at a local level.
We are continuing to support the sustainability and expansion of the sector through ongoing development and resourcing of Core Funding which supports providers with operating costs based on the number of places available.
The Government is also supporting the expansion of capacity through capital funding. The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is designed to increase capacity in the 1–3-year-old age range for full day care. Core Funding Partner Services could apply for capital funding to physically extend their premises or to construct or purchase new premises.
I was delighted to announce recently the 49 applications which are progressing to the next stage of the funding process. The 49 projects are a mix of Community Extension, Private Extension, Community Purchasing and Community Construction projects. When completed they will deliver almost 1,500 additional full time childcare places for 1-3 year olds across the country.
Among the 49 applications are three services from Kildare.
Additionally, the Programme for Government commits for the first time to provide capital investment to build or purchase state-owned early learning and childcare facilities, to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. Detailed design of this policy is ongoing and the implementation of this initiative will be underpinned by the capital allocation to be set out in the forthcoming revision of the National Development Plan.
