Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
129. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the efforts being made to increase the provision of childcare services in Cork East; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13378/26]
View answerImproving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government.
Each year, Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile.
The most recent published capacity data for the 2024/25 programme year estimated that there were 17,025 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services in Cork County. This data also indicated that 43% of services in Cork County had at least one vacant place. In Cork City, there were an estimated 8,617 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services and 40% of services had at least one vacant place.
At the time of the survey, there were 388 ELC and SAC service providers in Cork County and 171 ELC and SAC service providers in Cork City that had a contract for at least one Department funded programme/scheme.
Further information can be found on the Early Learning and Childcare data website. The Capacity Section of the website provides information on the number of children enrolled, services with vacant places, and services with a waiting list.
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 approximately 25% from the 2021/22 programme year. 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.
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, the allocation for Core Funding allowed for a 6% increase in capacity. Budget 2025 secured funding for the fourth programme year to facilitate a further 3.5% increase from September 2025. Budget 2026 has made provision for the fifth programme year 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 total allocation for Core Funding in 2026/2027 programme year will increase to €436.54 million, an additional €43.90 million on the current full year allocation.
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. The Scheme will deliver up to 1,500 full-day care places for 1- to 3-year-olds.
I recently announced €135 million of capital investment over the coming five years for State-led services to provide high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare. The process will begin in 2026 with investment in buildings in what will be a ground-breaking initiative.
Up to eight buildings will be selected for investment this year. The State-led initiative will provide thousands of places up to 2030.
The level of investment will ramp up over the lifetime of the Government. The initial approach is on purchasing and refurbishment of buildings given that this is a faster route to delivery in the short term. However, the option of building new facilities will also be considered over subsequent years.
The Department is assessing sites and buildings which align with the goals of the programme and, where required, will seek expressions of interest from not for profit operators to deliver these State-led services.
