Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
1025. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures being taken to support parents unable to return to work due to a lack of childcare places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39954/26]
View answerShaping the Future: the Early Years Action Plan sets out the Government’s approach to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC) system. One of the objectives of Shaping the Future is to increase the supply of places., The Phase 1 Report, covering actions in the year 2026, was published in December 2025. In line with the Programme for Government commitment, a broad public consultation is underway, and the Phase 2 report, covering the period 2027-2029, will be published by year-end.
Improving 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 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.
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 and has prioritised places for 1- to 3-year-olds.
I recently launched the Building Blocks Extension Scheme Phase 2. This is a €10 million capital funding scheme to deliver a significant number of additional early learning and childcare places. The purpose of the Building Blocks Extension Scheme Phase 2 is to deliver additional capacity in the sector by supporting existing early learning and childcare services to undertake physical extensions to existing premises. The aim of the scheme is to tackle undersupply of full-time places, particularly within the 1-3-year-old age-cohort. Places for children in other age brackets will also be eligible for funding, once services create at least the minimum number of places in the priority age-cohort.
Separately, earlier this year I 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.
First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028, includes a focus on providing a broader range of options for parents to balance working and caring. Under First 5, parent’s leave and benefit was introduced and has progressively increased from 2019 to date.
From the 1 July 2022, Parent’s leave and benefit was extended to seven weeks per parent. From August 2024 Parent’s Leave and Benefit was increased further to nine weeks per parent per child.
The combined durations of Maternity, Paternity and Parent’s Leave and Benefit now equate to 46 weeks’ paid leave for a two-parent family, supplemented by an entitlement to 16 weeks of unpaid Maternity Leave, and 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave per parent.
All forms of family leave are kept under review to ensure that they are effective in supporting families and children. Further supports will be considered in the context of the development of the new First 5 Implementation Plan for 2026-2028 in line with the Programme for Government commitments to both examine the extension of Parent’s Leave and Benefit, and introduce Pay Related Parent’s Benefit (and to explore other payments where a similar model could be applied). The next National Strategy for Women and Girls, which was launched November 2025, will also consider ways to support working families in balancing the competing demands of family and work through its two dedicated Actions Plans, the first of which is due to be published in the coming months.
All paid, non-relative childminders who work in their own homes can now register with Tusla and access the National Childcare Scheme.
The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 set out a pathway for the extension of registration to childminders. A key objective of the National Action Plan for Childminding is to enable parents who use childminders to also benefit from State subsidies through the National Childcare Scheme. The Childcare Support Act 2018, which provides the statutory basis for the National Childcare Scheme, specifies that the Scheme is only open to Tusla-registered providers. This ensures that public funding is provided where there is assurance of the quality of provision. Therefore, only childminders who are registered with Tusla can offer the National Childcare Scheme to the families that avail of their services.
As a result of the commencement of the relevant parts of the Child Care (Amendment) Act 2024 and the Childminding Services Regulations, which came into effect on 30 September 2024, childminders are now able to apply to register with Tusla and access the National Childcare Scheme.
The Act provides for a transition period of three years, to September 2027, before registration becomes mandatory. During this three-year period, childminders can register with Tusla but are not required to do so. 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 also 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. The contact details for the City and County Childcare Committee may be found at www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/city-and-county-childcare-committees/
