Written Answers Nos. 76-99
76. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality to provide an update on the measures being taken by her Department to increase the provision of childcare places in east Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73195/25]
View answerImproving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government.
Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by over a third between 2021 and 2025. However, it appears that demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country, particularly for younger children.
A Forward Planning and Delivery Unit in the Department is progressing an important programme of work focused on identifying areas of need, forecasting demand, and planning for the delivery public supply within the early learning and childcare sector where required.
A forward planning model is in development which will be central to the Department's plans to achieve the policy goals set out in the Programme for Government to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system, with State-led facilities adding capacity.
This 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. Core Funding, which is in its fourth programme year, funds services based on the number of places available.
This provides stability to services, and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an already existing service. For the third programme year (2024/25), the allocation for Core Funding allowed for a 6% increase in capacity. Budget 2025 secured funding for the fourth programme year (2025/6) to facilitate a further 3.5% increase from September 2025. Budget 2026 has made provision for the fifth programme year (2026/7) for a further expansion in supply of 4.2%.
This increased investment will allow increases in the natural growth of the sector driven both by new services joining the sector and existing services offering more places and/or longer hours to families.
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, pre–Early Childhood Care and Education, 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.
Capital funding allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the National Development Plan has enabled significant investment in early learning and childcare. This allows existing Core Funding Partner Services to extend their existing premises or, in the case of community services, to construct or purchase new premises. The Scheme will deliver up to 1,500 full-day care places for 1- to 3-year-olds. Four applicants from Cork were approved for funding under the scheme.
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. State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand. This work will be supported through capital investment under the revised National Development Plan.
As announced in the context of Budget 2026, €36 million will be available in 2026 for early learning and childcare capital programmes. This will include investment in new buildings through the State-led early learning and childcare programme, investment in expansion of existing early learning and childcare operators through the Building Blocks scheme and a number of quality initiatives including supports to childminders.
The Department funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees, which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers. The network of 30 City/County Childcare Committees across the country can assist in identifying vacant places in services for children and families who need them and engage proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need.
Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee for assistance. Contact details for the Cork County Childcare Committee may be found at www.corkchildcare.ie.
77. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will consider regularising pay and pensions for creche and early years educators on an annualised basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73262/25]
View answerThe level of pay and conditions for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy. As the State is not the employer of staff in the sector, neither I nor the Department can set wage levels or determine working conditions for staff in the sector.
However, there is a formal mechanism established, through the independent Joint Labour Committee process, by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate terms and conditions of employment including minimum pay rates for different roles in early learning and care and school-age childcare services.
Outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by the Government through the Core Funding scheme. The Joint Labour Committee have agreed increases to minimum pay rates three times since 2022 with the support of additional Core Funding investment.
The new Employment Regulation Orders for Early Years Educators and School-Age Practitioners commenced on 13th October 2025. They provide for an average of 10% increase to minimum hourly rates of pay. It is estimated that 67% of those working in the sector will see their wages increase as a result of the new minimum pay rates.
The Government, through €45 million in ring-fenced Core Funding, is supporting early learning and care services in meeting the increased cost of minimum pay rates in the sector. This will bring total Core Funding for services to over €390 million in the 2025/26 programme year.
The Government remains committed to ‘continue to implement Employment Regulation Orders to attract and retain early years educators’ and has made available a further ring-fenced €45 million for the 2026/2027 programme year, to support a possible future round of pay improvements negotiations through the JLC process in 2026.
The Minister for Social Protection has announced that the collection of contributions for the auto-enrolment system, called MyFutureFund, will begin from 1 January 2026.
The base rates in Core Funding have been developed using the various components associated with the cost of delivery of service provision such as; staff pay and conditions, including contact and non-contact time, holiday pay, sick pay and other employer costs such as pension contributions; administrative staff/time and non-staff overhead costs. These components have been factored into the calculation of the budget for Core Funding since the scheme began in 2022.
78. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the commitments she has made to provide community childcare in multi-purpose community hubs and centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73015/25]
View answerFirst 5, the Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-208) has committed to exploring the potential for integrated service development and delivery for babies, young children and their families, through early learning and childcare settings as a natural hub for collaborative work with families.
A number of key initiatives are underway to support the delivery of this commitment.
As part of the National Development Plan review an allocation has been made of €197 million for capital investment in early learning and childcare over the next five years. This increased funding will be used in part to provide additional early learning and childcare places through future capital programmes, which will primarily focus on implementing the commitment to capital investment in State-owned early learning and childcare facilities as well as investment in existing providers to expand their capacity and a number of quality initiatives including supports to childminders.
State-led early learning and childcare is a substantial new development committed to in the Programme for Government. A number of specific sites for 2026 are under active consideration by officials although no definitive decisions have yet been made. Some of these sites may allow the potential for a range of services to be delivered in or adjacent to the building.
The Buildings Blocks Extension Scheme is providing investment over 2025 and 2026 to existing early learning and childcare providers to expand their provision by means of extensions to existing buildings, or in the case of community not-for-profit operators, to purchase or construct buildings on new sites. Some of these projects include the delivery of other child and family services in addition to early learning and childcare, as committed to in the previous NDP. Officials in the Department are currently examining options and detailed specifications for future Building Blocks schemes, and I expect to announce details in early 2026. There will be continued support to expand early learning and childcare provision alongside other child and family services where there are viable projects.
The Equal Start model and Access and Inclusion Model have also been embedding supports in settings, to deliver integrated service development and delivery by creating important links with Tusla, the HSE and other key community-based support organisations. This approach recognises early learning and childcare settings as a natural hub for collaborative work to support families.
Equal Start is a funding model and set of associated universal and targeted measures to support access and meaningful participation in early learning and childcare for children and their families who experience disadvantage.
Equal Start includes a suite of universal supports, child-targeted supports, and setting-targeted supports to ensure every child and every early learning and childcare setting will benefit from a continuum of supports that reflects a continuum of need.
Equal Start is embedding supports in all settings, supporting positive experiences and outcomes for all children.
The model supports the creation of important links with Tusla, HSE and Better Start amongst others, promoting inter-agency working.
The below actions support settings’ engagement in inter-agency cooperation:
• Roll out of the Traveller Parenting Support Programme in 17 Tusla areas, with responsibilities on Family Link Workers to engage with Traveller parents of young children, supporting them to attend and participate in early learning and childcare. Appointment of Traveller and Roma Advisory Specialists to work in Better Start to promote inclusive early learning and childcare.
• Roll-out of Early Talk Boost – an intervention for language delay - to settings with a priority designation. Training is delivered by Better Start Specialist tutors, Early Years Mentors within the Area Based Childhood (ABC) Programme and HSE tutors, supported by a HSE super tutor.
• Development of guidance and supports to support services to participate in inter-agency cooperation such as Meitheal.
• Appointment of Traveller and Roma Advisory Specialists to work in Better Start to promote inclusive early learning and childcare.
A new leadership role is currently in development under Equal Start. The Family Community Partnership Coordinator role will have as its key focus the deepening of engagement between early learning and childcare services, families and the wider community. The development of a dedicated training programme for the Family Community Partnership Coordinator role will commence in 2026.
This Department also provides funding for the Family Resource Centre (FRC) Programme. The FRC Programme is a community development initiative that is supported by multiple State agencies and Government departments in a partnership approach. FRCs may draw on various sources of funding provided by Government departments, agencies and private sources, FRCs provide a range of universal and targeted services and development opportunities that address the needs of families. FRCs are usually located in disadvantaged areas and serve as vital hubs for a wide range of community activities, catering to all age groups from early childhood to senior citizens. Funding was secured as part of Budget 2025 to allow membership of the FRC Programme to increase from 121 to 126 nationally, in line with the Programme for Government commitment.
79. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total expenditure in 2025 in assisting the upgrading or provision of new childcare accommodation, both for community providers and private providers; the level of funding to be provided for such developments in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72935/25]
View answerThe Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme was launched on 4th November 2024. The closing date for applications was 30th January 2025 and a total of 78 applications were received from across the country. 50 of these applicants were approved to progress to the next stage of the process involving the finalisation of legal formalities associated with the scheme. Some services have completed the grant agreement and other documentation and others are working through that process.
The total value of the projects approved for progressing was €23.2 million.
Some €2 million in expenditure will be incurred by Building Blocks Extension Grant applicants related to 2025, with the remainder being incurred in 2026.
80. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the greatest length of time a child is waiting in Laois-Offaly to have a referral for an assessment of needs, AON; and the greatest length of time currently to have an AON completed. [72810/25]
View answerUnder the Disability Act, an Assessment of Need is an assessment process carried out by the HSE where a person is of the opinion that he/she may have a disability, for anyone born after 1st June 2002. It first establishes whether the person has a disability (as defined within the Act). It then identifies the health and education needs of the person with a disability and the services required to meet those needs
It should be noted than an Assessment of Need is not required to access health services provided by Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or CAMH’s. Nevertheless, demand for Assessments of Need has grown on an exceptional basis in recent years.
HSE Midlands Integrated Healthcare Area advises that, for eligible applications, the average wait time to be progressed for an assessment is 21 months from application date. The greatest length of time currently to have an Assessment of Need completed is approx. 27 months.
It should be noted that significant efforts have been made to increase the completion rates of Assessments of Need in Laois/Offaly. This is reflected in the completion of 172 assessment of need reports in the first 3 quarters of 2025 which is a 45% increase when compared to the same period in 2024. Conversely, there has been a continued growth in demand for Assessments of Need in Laois/Offaly increasing by 14% in the first nine months of 2025, compared to the same period last year.
Last week, Government announced a series of reforms to the Assessment of Need process which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families. Over time, this should lead to a reduction in the waiting time to receive an assessment. This reform includes legislative and operational reforms to support the efficiency and effectiveness of the Assessment of Needs process.
The proposed legislative changes will not remove the right for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child, nor will they alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.
The provision of an effective and efficient delivery of assessments of need remains a priority for the Government.
81. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is considering a review of the childminding sector, appreciating that current regulations do not allow childminders to hire an assistant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73107/25]
View answerThe National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 set out a pathway for the extension of regulation to childminders. 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. In order to register as a childminding service, a childminder must provide a paid service for a minimum of 2 hours a day in their own home (principal residence) by themselves for children under the age of 15.
The regulation of childminding services is critical to the safeguarding of children. The route to registration under the new regulations requires childminders to undertake pre-registration training, as well as meeting certain regulatory requirements including Garda vetting, proof of insurance, first aid certification and child safeguarding training.
We are now in a 3-year transition period, to September 2027, during which childminders are being encouraged and supported to register, but registration is not yet mandatory. This phased approach aims to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector, the sphere of quality assurance, and access to Government subsidies, while recognising the time and supports required for childminders to learn about and prepare for registration.
The Department has committed to undertake a review of the initial implementation of the Childminding-specific Regulations during the transition period. The review will include consultation with childminders and other stakeholders. The review will provide an important opportunity to learn lessons from initial experiences with the regulations.
The review will commence in 2026. The timing of the review is crucial. In addition to hearing from childminders who have not yet registered, it is important that the review adequately captures, and benefits from, the experiences of those who have registered and been through the registration process and who have operated within the new Regulations.
September 2025 marks the first full year since the introduction of the Regulations. Those childminders who have registered need time to thoroughly test the Regulations in practice. The number of childminders who have registered will impact upon the thoroughness of this testing also. We are in a three-year process, from introduction of the Regulations to the end of the transition period. It is appropriate that a review would take place at a stage in this three-year process when, given sufficient time and numbers registered, the benefits of the review can be maximised.
Both the Steering Group for the National Action Plan for Childminding, and the Advisory Groups that have supported it, have included childminders, as well as organisations representing childminders. The scope and timing of the review of the initial implementation of the Regulations was discussed at the most recent Steering Group meeting, on the 2 December. Plans for the review will be considered further by the Steering Group before the review begins.
82. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the details of the way in which she envisages the new assessment of need process working; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72890/25]
View answerUnder the Disability Act, an Assessment of Need is an assessment process carried out by the HSE where a person is of the opinion that he/she may have a disability, for anyone born after 1st June 2002. It first establishes whether the person has a disability (as defined within the Act). It then identifies the health and education needs of the person with a disability and the services required to meet those needs.
On December 9th, Government announced a series of reforms to the Assessment of Need process which will make the process more effective and efficient for children and families. These reforms include changes to Part 2 of the Disability Act, 2005, which provides for Assessments of Need. The General Scheme of the Disability (Amendment) Bill 2025 was approved by Government on 9 December and will be published on the Department’s website shortly.
These changes will not remove any rights for parents to apply for an Assessment of Need for their child, nor will they alter the statutory six-month timeline set out in the Disability Act.
It is also important to note that children do not require an Assessment of Need to access health services, including Primary Care, Children’s Disability Network Teams or Mental Health Services.
The proposed legislative changes to the Disability Act 2005 are intended to support more effective delivery of Assessments of Need, and to provide clearer guidance and supports so that the process can be made more efficient, reduce delays and allow therapists to spend more time delivering services.
Key features of the bill are to include:
• An increased focus on the identification of a person’s needs and the services to meet those needs, rather than on the nature of their disability.
• The creation of statutory guidelines to support and enhance the decision-making capacity of HSE assessment officers, who are responsible for the production of assessment of need reports.
• A focus on the use of appropriate and proportionate clinical assessment(s) during the assessment of need process to ensure that they should only be used where required to establish the child’s needs.
Ensuring that there are sufficient resources allocated to the delivery of the Assessment of Need process, both in terms of staffing and financial resources, continues to be a focus for the Department and the HSE. This includes a number of measures:
• The Assessment of Need Targeted Waitlist Initiative was introduced in May 2024 to support the delivery of Assessments of Need to those families who have been waiting longest. Under this Initiative, the HSE provides for the procurement of clinical assessments from approved private providers. Recent HSE data shows that over 6,300 clinical assessments have been commissioned from private providers since the Initiative started in June 2024. Budget 2026 provides for the continuation of this Initiative next year with €20 million provided for the delivery of some 6,000 clinical assessments.
• In 2026, the HSE is also establishing eleven new teams, initially, to support HSE assessment processes, including Assessments of Need. Each team will include a psychologist, a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist, and an administrator, to provide clinical guidance where required throughout the process.
• Work is ongoing to increase the staffing capacity of the HSE Assessment of Need Teams including assessment officers, liaison officers and administrative supports.
The provision of an effective and efficient Assessment of Need system continues to be a priority for the Government.
83. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason that CDNT 8 of CHO 7 based in Chamber House, Tallaght, has not seen an increase in staffing or resources given the extremely high waiting list for both assessment of need and therapies; her views on whether that an almost five-year waiting list for therapies hinders a child’s participation in education and vital socialisation; the additional resources that will be put in place for a CDNT that has one of the lowest staffing levels in the area, but the highest waiting list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64094/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
84. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II - Action Plan 2024-2026; the measures that are still outstanding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72964/25]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II 2024 – 2028 (NTRIS II) and accompanying first Action Plan 2024-2026 were launched by the then Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman T.D., on 31st July 2024. Under NTRIS II oversight arrangements, relevant Departments and State Agencies are responsible for their actions under the NTRIS II Action Plan. They are also required to provide progress updates on implementation of their actions on a bi-annual basis.
To date the Department of Children, Disability and Equality has published two progress reports on implementation, covering the periods October to December 2024 and January to June 2025, on the Traveller and Roma Inclusion webpages (gov.ie).
Based on updates received from Departments and their Agencies, broadly speaking progress has been made towards implementation of actions across all nine themes of the Strategy. The Department is currently compiling updates for the period July to December 2025, and will be publishing an Annual Report for 2025 in the coming months.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality has lead responsibility for a number actions in the first Action Plan. Key actions completed include:
• The Equal Start model, which was launched in May 2024, has been successfully rolled out since September 2024 and benefits Traveller and Roma children.
• In line with the roll out of Equal Start model, Family Link Workers have been appointed in all 17 Tusla areas. Family Link Workers engage with Traveller parents of young children, supporting them to attend and participate in Early Learning and Care and school-age childcare. Two Early Years Specialists (covering both Traveller and Roma) have also been appointed to work in Better Start Quality Support Service.
• The independent evaluation of the Traveller and Roma Education Community Development Worker Scheme has been completed.
• The National Traveller and Roma Consultative Forum was established in October 2025.
• 80th Anniversary of Roma Genocide commemorated in September 2024.
• Funding was provided for Traveller Pride Week and International Roma Day.
• The review of functions, processes and membership of the NTRIS II Steering Committee was completed with a smaller more strategic Steering Committee put in place for the oversight of NTRIS II.
• Reforms to the reporting arrangements for monitoring implementation of NTRIS II were completed and two NTRIS II Steering Committee Meetings were held in 2025. The terms of reference for the Steering Committee were also completed.
This Department and other Departments and Agencies are continuing to work on a range of initiatives and actions under each thematic area of NTRIS II.
These include:
• Implementation of the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy
• Implementation of the National Traveller Health Action Plan
• Preparation of the first National Traveller Heritage Strategy
• Supporting the further development of counselling and mediation services available to Travellers and Roma
• Further development of the Civil Service Traveller and Roma Placement Programme.
Other initiatives that contribute to the achievement of the NTRIS II objectives include the National Action Plan Against Racism and the other national equality strategies such as National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II and the new National Strategy for Women and Girls.
85. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the plans to increase public funding for early learning and care and school-age care to bring it up to the same level as other countries in the EU. [73264/25]
View answerFirst 5, the Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families, 2019-2028, set a target of doubling the level of public investment in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) from €485 million in 2018 to €970 million by 2028. This initial investment target was exceeded 5 years ahead of time at €1.025 billion in 2023. The First 5 Implementation Plan 2023-2025 then set a new target that between 2023 and 2028 Ireland will work to close the existing gap in public investment in ELC against the EU average.
Budget 2026 continues to improve on investment for ELC and SAC with funding amounting to €1.537 billion provided for 2026. This will represent an increase of €163 million, or 12%, in 2026 compared to Budget 2025. The budget increase will support a range of measures to strengthen affordability for parents, facilitate capacity growth and quality improvements within the sector, and provide additional support for children who are experiencing disadvantage.
The most recent increases in public investment in ELC in Ireland are not reflected in comparative international statistics. The most recent international comparisons available relate to 2022. In 2022, the average public expenditure on ELC in EU countries was 0.68% GDP. In comparison, public spending on ELC and SAC in Ireland in 2022 amounted to 0.14% GDP or 0.27% GNI*, rising to 0.20% GDP or 0.35% GNI* in 2024. While the figures for Ireland and the EU average are not directly comparable, and the level of public spending in Ireland has more than doubled in nominal terms since 2022, the figures suggest the level of investment remains below the EU average.
Shaping the Future, the Early Years Action Plan, Phase 1 Report, sets out the Government’s approach to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible ELC and SAC system. It adopts a phased approach that allows for rapid action to improve affordability, accessibility and quality, while also ensuring adequate time for a broad public consultation. Phase 2 actions will be published later in 2026, following completion of the public consultation process.
In examining the need for additional investment in the sector during Phase 2, care will be needed to ensure continued strong financial controls and effective use of public funding. Phase 2 actions will also involve careful consideration of delivery costs and will be subject to ongoing review through the annual Budget Estimates process.
86. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has conducted or commissioned any recent analysis of the financial sustainability of small and medium-sized childcare providers under the current core funding model; and if she will publish the findings of such analysis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65167/25]
View answerThe introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259m of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme, of which €210.8m was entirely new funding. The scheme now provides over €390 million investment in this sector. I was pleased to announce that the State is increasing investment through Core Funding in 2026, with €480 million allocated for Core Funding in its fifth year which begins in September 2026.
In response to concerns raised by some sector representatives regarding the financial viability of sessional early learning and childcare services, the Department commissioned an independent financial review of sessional early learning and childcare services in 2023.
This review involved sessional services volunteering to participate in the research project that aimed to gather evidence on financial viability to underpin policy development and possible targeted measures through the new funding model.
The review was carried out by Frontier Economics and the report was published on 8 January 2024.
In response to these concerns, the Department also introduced targeted measures for sessional services in 2023 through Core Funding. These measures included a flat rate allocation for all sessional-only services and a minimum base rate allocation which benefits small and medium sized services. These targeted measures have since been strengthened annually.
The financial viability of all early learning and childcare services will continue to be kept under review by the Department through analysis of financial returns under Core Funding Financial Reporting Requirements.
Apteligen Limited were awarded the contract for the analysis of the first two years financial data collected through Core Funding in September 2025. Work is underway, and the project is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2026 with a report to be published thereafter.
This analysis will provide key insights into the Early Learning and Care and School Aged Childcare sector. Insights from this project will strengthen the evidence base available to inform the development of policies for this sector delivering a public good in partnership with the State.
In addition, an evaluation of the first year of Core Funding and the development of an evaluation framework for the scheme is currently underway. This project will examine the early implementation of Core Funding and make recommendations for future evaluations of the grant. Findings from the project are expected in Quarter 1 2026.
This project is being undertaken by Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service or IGEES policy analysts working in the Research and Evaluation Unit of the Department.
IGEES is an integrated cross-government service established in 2012 with the objective of enhancing the role of economics and value for money analysis in public policy making. It is part of the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform.
In addition to this formal evaluation, since the Scheme was introduced, its effectiveness has been subject to ongoing review and the scheme itself has evolved year on year.
87. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality when the action plan on childcare will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71910/25]
View answerShaping the Future: the Early Years Action Plan, Phase 1 Report was published on 17th December 2025.
Shaping the Future sets out the next steps in delivery of the key commitments in the Programme for Government to improve affordability, quality, and access in early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC). While the Action Plan is ambitious in outlook and it will take the full lifetime of the Government to complete, the issues it addresses are affecting families, providers and educators here and now. There is a need for rapid action. That is why we are using a phased approach.
This publication sets out Phase 1 actions, which will be carried out in 2026 using existing policy tools. In fact, progress has already been made. In September 2025 maximum fee caps were extended to all Partner Services in Core Funding – an important step towards the ambition of reducing parental fees to a maximum of €200 per month over the lifetime of this Government.
2026 actions on affordability will include further reduction in some of the highest fees paid by parents by lowering the maximum fees that Core Funding Partner Services can charge. In addition, from autumn 2026 we will reduce fees for lower-income families through the National Childcare Scheme, to ensure that families with incomes below the relative income poverty line receive the maximum subsidies.
Phase 1 actions will include increasing supply through investment in State-led ELC and SAC services as well as co-funding the expansion of existing providers. The allocation for Core Funding will be increased to €482m for programme year 2026-27 (an increase of up to 23%) to support capacity growth in the sector and sustainability of providers, and to support providers to meet the costs of increases in staff minimum wage rates through a possible 2026 round of negotiations for new Employment Regulation Orders.
To enhance the quality of provision, during 2026 comprehensive regulations will be introduced for School-Age Childcare services as part of a wider revision of regulations.
Phase 2 actions will be undertaken from 2027 to 2029. While we need to make progress quickly, the actions we take must be sustainable, underpinned by public consultation and research, and delivered in a way that supports families, the workforce and service providers. That is why a broad public consultation will be undertaken, in line with the Programme for Government commitment, to inform the identification of further actions. Phase 2 actions will be published later in 2026.
There is a lot to be done, but I look forward to working with all stakeholders to move towards an ELC and SAC system that is of high quality, affordable and accessible for all, supporting children, families, educators, and providers.
88. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the implementation of a programme of acquisition and fit-out of State-led early learning and childcare services, as proposed in the programme for Government and budget 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72982/25]
View answerThe 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.
State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand. This work will be supported through capital investment under the revised National Development Plan.
As announced in November, the NDP has committed €197m over the next five years for early learning and childcare which will include investment in new buildings through the State-led early learning and childcare programme and investment in expansion of existing early learning and childcare operators through the Building Blocks scheme as well as other quality initiatives.
State-led provision – complementing private, community and childminding provision – will allow the Department to respond to market failure, creating additional capacity in areas or types of service where unmet demand exists. This new development will also ensure long-term use of capital assets for their intended purpose and greater security of supply, and through reducing the vulnerability of supply through over reliance on specific kinds of provision.
The focus in the State-led services will be on services to meet demand for affordable, accessible, high quality early learning and childcare that is not otherwise being delivered, including on full day provision particularly for younger children. Up to eight new services will be acquired over the course of 2026.
Preparatory work for this programme of capital investment well advanced, with the multi-year programme planned to commence from 2026 onwards. A detailed plan will go to Government in the new year.
A number of models of ownership and delivery are intended to be trialled in the early part of the capital programme. A number of specific sites are under active consideration by officials although no definitive decisions have yet been made. The number of places provided at each facility, and the time that they will be available from, will vary depending on a number of site-specific factors.
89. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently missing from Tusla’s care; and the longest length of time any one child has been missing. [71657/25]
View answerThe Government recognises that Children reported missing from care are recognised as being some of the most vulnerable in society.
Information on children missing from care are now captured under two categories; children who go missing from mainstream services for children in the care of Tusla and those children who are Separated Children seeking International Protection who go missing. Most Children Missing from Care are 16/17 years of age.
Children missing from care who are unaccounted for is predominantly a phenomenon involving Separated Children Seeking International Protection.
Some of these Separated Children Seeking International Protection indicated that it was never their intention to remain in Ireland, that they intended to travel on to other countries to join family members and left soon after they arrived in the country.
Nonetheless, for those who did not subsequently make us aware of their whereabouts, these young people are counted as missing and An Garda Síochána are notified accordingly. Tusla and An Garda Síochána work together on Children Missing from Care through the An Garda Síochána / Tusla Joint Working Protocol.
Children in mainstream Tusla services also go missing. It is also important to note that most of the young people in mainstream care reported as ‘missing’, return to their placement after a brief period of time and remain in a safe and caring environment.
Any of the children and young people reported missing from mainstream care during 2023 and 2024, returned to the care of Tusla.
As of 4 December 2025, there were eight young people missing from Mainstream and twenty-eight young people missing from Separated Children Seeking International Protection Services.
Of the eight children missing from mainstream care as of 4 December 2025, seven were missing between 1-3 days, and one young person was missing for more than two weeks at that point in time.
Of the twenty-eight young people missing from Separated Children Seeking International Protection Services as of 4 December 2025, one is missing for between 3-7 days. Of the 27 young people missing for more than two weeks; 22 young people went missing in 2025 and five went missing in 2024.
Of those missing from the SCSIP service, from the beginning of this year, 78 young people have been returned or accounted for. Some unaccompanied minors who go missing from care communicate their intention to travel on to other countries to join family members.
The Department is engaging with Tusla about its data collection process around children missing from care to develop more accurate and nuanced reporting of this important matter. It wishes to assess how Tusla records a young person’s intent to stay in the country when first presenting to Tusla’s services and how Tusla record children and young people as missing.
90. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-2030; the measures still outstanding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72965/25]
View answerThis Department leads on cross-government policy to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
The Programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, commits my Department to publish and implement an updated National Strategy for Women and Girls. On the 18th of November 2025, I launched the new National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-2030, marking a significant step towards meeting this commitment.
The Strategy sets seven overall objectives to address gender inequalities across a range of policy areas. These are:
1. Being Counted: Embed gender mainstreaming in public policy making.
2. Being Me: Reduce the prevalence and power of harmful gender norms and stereotypes.
3. Being a Leader: Enable equal leadership, visibility and participation of women.
4. Being Safe: Eradicate violence against women and harassment of women.
5. Having a Fair Share: Empower women through economic and financial equality.
6. Being Well: Enable women to maximise their health and wellbeing throughout their lives.
7. Being Supported: Acknowledge, reward and more equally share caring.
The new National Strategy runs from 2025 to 2030. Two action plans will be published, one at the outset, the other halfway through, to implement the Strategy. The Department is currently working with stakeholders and colleagues across Government in developing the first of these action plans, which is expected to be published early in 2026.
A Monitoring Committee, comprised of stakeholder representatives with relevant expertise, is in the process of being formed. This Committee will monitor and report on progress, providing both insight and feedback over the life of the Strategy.
91. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of children who have been reported missing from Tusla’s care since the agency was founded; the number located; and the number whose whereabouts remains unknown. [71658/25]
View answerThe Government recognises that Children reported missing from care are recognised as being some of the most vulnerable in society.
Information on children missing from care are now captured under two categories; children who go missing from mainstream services for children in the care of Tusla and those children who are Separated Children seeking International Protection who go missing. Most Children Missing from Care are 16/17 years of age.
Children missing from care who are unaccounted for is predominantly a phenomenon involving Separated Children Seeking International Protection.
Some of these Separated Children Seeking International Protection indicated that it was never their intention to remain in Ireland, that they intended to travel on to other countries to join family members and left soon after they arrived in the country.
Nonetheless, for those who did not subsequently make us aware of their whereabouts, these young people are counted as missing and An Garda Síochána are notified accordingly. Tusla and An Garda Síochána work together on Children Missing from Care through the An Garda Síochána / Tusla Joint Working Protocol.
Children in mainstream Tusla services also go missing. It is also important to note that most of the young people in mainstream care reported as ‘missing’, return to their placement after a brief period of time and remain in a safe and caring environment.
Any of the children and young people reported missing from mainstream care during 2023 and 2024, returned to the care of Tusla.
Prior to August 2023, missing children from care data was not part of Tusla's collated data or national metrics. Missing children in care information was held on individual case files. The information is now collated manually at a point-in-time, on a bi-weekly basis.
The table below sets out the number of children who have not returned or been accounted for at the closest data point to the end of year for 2023 and 2024 and the most recent available data in 2025.
Table: Missing Children in Care (Mainstream) and Separated Children Seeking International Protection (SCSIP) who have not returned or been accounted for
|
Point in Time |
Number of Children Missing Mainstream |
Number of Children Missing SCSIP |
|
As of 4 January 2024 |
10 |
16 |
|
As of 2 January 2025 |
11 |
29 |
|
As of 4 December 2025 |
8 |
28 |
The data for 4 December 2025, is provisional and subject to verification at the end of every quarter.
Of the eight children reported missing from mainstream care as of 4 December 2025, seven were missing for between 1 and 3 days and one young person was missing for more than two weeks at that point in time.
Of the twenty-eight young people missing from Separated Children Seeking International Protection Services (SCSIP) as of 4 December 2025, one is missing for between 3-7 days. Of the 27 young people missing for more than two weeks; 22 young people went missing in 2025 and five went missing in 2024.
The Department is engaging with Tusla about its data collection process around children missing from care to develop more accurate and nuanced reporting of this important matter. It wishes to assess how Tusla records a young person’s intent to stay in the country when first presenting to Tusla’s services and how Tusla record children and young people as missing.
92. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the programme for Government commitment to provide capital investment to build or purchase State-owned childcare facilities, to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72947/25]
View answerThe 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.
State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand. This work will be supported through capital investment under the revised National Development Plan.
As announced in November, the NDP has committed €197m over the next five years for early learning and childcare which will include investment in new buildings through the State-led early learning and childcare programme and investment in expansion of existing early learning and childcare operators through the Building Blocks scheme as well as other quality initiatives.
State-led provision – complementing private, community and childminding provision – will allow the Department to respond to market failure, creating additional capacity in areas or types of service where unmet demand exists. This new development will also ensure long-term use of capital assets for their intended purpose and greater security of supply, and through reducing the vulnerability of supply through over reliance on specific kinds of provision.
The focus in the State-led services will be on services to meet demand for affordable, accessible, high quality early learning and childcare that is not otherwise being delivered, including on full day provision particularly for younger children. Up to eight new services will be acquired over the course of 2026.
Preparatory work for this programme of capital investment well advanced, with the multi-year programme planned to commence from 2026 onwards. A detailed plan will go to Government in the new year.
A number of models of ownership and delivery are intended to be trialled in the early part of the capital programme. A number of specific sites are under active consideration by officials although no definitive decisions have yet been made. The number of places provided at each facility, and the time that they will be available from, will vary depending on a number of site-specific factors.
93. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the way in which her Department is ensuring that multi-annual capital funding for disability services in Dublin Bay North is aligned with rising local demand, particularly in relation to respite provision, therapy spaces, and residential supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70844/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
94. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will provide an update on the current and future funding allocations for an organisation (details supplied), including any planned increases to support service delivery and disability provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64600/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
95. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the current average waiting times for early intervention autism assessments across the Cork region; the actions being taken by her Department to reduce delays for families seeking urgent supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73259/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
97. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the actions she is taking to address the shortage of creche and preschool places in south Dublin; if her attention has been drawn to significant waiting lists in many areas including Blackrock, Dún Laoghaire and Shankill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71465/25]
View answerImproving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government.
Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2024/25 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by over 25% from the 2021/22 programme year. In Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, enrolments have increased by 26% over that period.
However, it appears that demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country, particularly for younger children.
A forward planning model is in development which will be central to plans to achieve the policy goals set out in the Programme for Government to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system, with State-led facilities adding capacity.
The 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. Core Funding, which is in its fourth programme year, funds services based on the number of places available.
This provides stability to services, and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an already existing service. For the third programme year (2024/25), the allocation for Core Funding allowed for a 6% increase in capacity. Budget 2025 secured funding for the fourth programme year (2025/6) to facilitate a further 3.5% increase from September 2025. Budget 2026 has made provision for the fifth programme year (2026/7) for a further expansion in supply of 4.2%.
This increased investment will allow increases in the natural growth of the sector driven both by new services joining the sector and existing services offering more places and/or longer hours to families.
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, pre–Early Childhood Care and Education, 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.
Capital funding allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the National Development Plan has enabled significant investment in early learning and childcare. This allows existing Core Funding Partner Services to extend their existing premises or, in the case of community services, to construct or purchase new premises. The Scheme will deliver up to 1,500 full-day care places for 1- to 3-year-olds which will begin to come on stream from 2026.
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. State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand. This work will be supported through capital investment under the revised National Development Plan.
A detailed plan to progress the Programme for Government commitment to State-led early learning and childcare will go to Government for approval in the new year. A number of models of ownership and delivery are intended to be trialled in the early part of the capital programme and a number of specific sites are under active consideration by officials although no definitive decisions have yet been made.
98. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the supports her Department has in place to expand resources at locations (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73236/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
99. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of additional staff for Longford for the assessment of need system as part of the Progressing Disability Services Roadmap and Disability Workforce Strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72831/25]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
