Written Answers Nos. 341-355
341. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the total number of respite nights provided to families of children with disabilities in Cork over each of the past 12 months, in tabular form. [54139/26]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
342. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of respite nights provided to families of adults with disabilities in Cork to date in 2026, in the first six months of 2025 and the first six months of 2019. [54141/26]
View answerAs this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
343. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children currently on waiting lists for early learning and childcare places, including children under one, one to two years, two to three years, ECCE age and school-age childcare, by county and age category; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53764/26]
View answerData is not collated in the exact manner requested by the Deputy given the methodology used to collect and estimate the sector level data.
There is no centralised waiting list for Early Learning and Care (ELC) or School-Age Childcare (SAC) services. Each list is managed at service level. As part of the Early Years Sector Profile survey, providers are asked if they operate a waiting list and where applicable, the number of entries on a waiting list for a place for their service. While this data can be used to give an indication of demand, it should not be used as a measure of overall demand for ELC or SAC places as it is vulnerable to overestimating the actual number of children requiring a place. An individual child may be on multiple waiting lists in different services and may remain on one or multiple service lists after taking up a place.
In addition, due to the small number of enrolments among children under one year of age, it is not possible to reliably estimate national or county-level figures for this cohort.
The data most closely aligned to the information requested by the Deputy is summarised below.
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. Data for the Early Years Sector Profile is typically captured in May/June of each programme year. While ELC and SAC offerings vary across service providers and the allocation of ELC or SAC places is flexible, the published capacity data provides an estimate of the number of children enrolled in ELC and SAC, the percentage of services with at least one vacant place and the percentage of services with a waiting list at a given time.
The most recent published capacity data for the 2024/25 programme year estimated that there were 247,011 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services nationally. This data also indicated that 41% of services had at least one vacant place and 47% were operating a waiting list. Data for the number of enrolments and number of vacant places by age group is summarised in Table 1 below. Data for enrolments, services with vacant places and services operating a waiting list by county is summarised in Table 2.
Table 1. Enrolments and vacant places by age group.
|
Age Group |
Estimated enrolments |
Estimated vacant places |
|
1+ to 2 years |
14,483 |
316 |
|
2+ to 3 years |
25,927 |
2,192 |
|
3+ to 4 years |
56,283 |
5,197 |
|
4+ to 5 years non-school going |
49,054 |
3,859 |
|
5+ to 6 years non-school going |
9,546 |
1,327 |
|
4+ to 5 years school going |
10,457 |
3,061 |
|
5+ to 6 years school going |
22,044 |
3,265 |
|
6+ to 8 years |
27,718 |
3,135 |
|
8+ years |
29,701 |
2,830 |
Table 2. Enrolments, services with vacant places and services with a waiting list by county
|
County |
Estimated Enrolments |
% Services with at least one vacant place |
% Services with a waiting list |
|
Carlow |
2,840 |
42% |
50% |
|
Cavan |
4,817 |
34% |
39% |
|
Clare |
5,833 |
42% |
39% |
|
Cork City |
8,613 |
40% |
42% |
|
Cork County |
17,025 |
43% |
31% |
|
Donegal |
9,208 |
52% |
39% |
|
Dublin - Dublin City |
22,489 |
39% |
61% |
|
Dublin - Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown |
10,684 |
33% |
63% |
|
Dublin - Fingal |
15,451 |
35% |
56% |
|
Dublin - South Dublin |
13,276 |
35% |
59% |
|
Galway |
16,716 |
45% |
45% |
|
Kerry |
8,046 |
46% |
43% |
|
Kildare |
12,087 |
43% |
52% |
|
Kilkenny |
4,876 |
30% |
57% |
|
Laois |
5,211 |
33% |
45% |
|
Leitrim |
2,083 |
50% |
58% |
|
Limerick |
11,005 |
43% |
42% |
|
Longford |
2,131 |
49% |
40% |
|
Louth |
5,817 |
34% |
48% |
|
Mayo |
6,452 |
48% |
27% |
|
Meath |
10,777 |
43% |
42% |
|
Monaghan |
4,794 |
24% |
72% |
|
Offaly |
3,120 |
49% |
36% |
|
Roscommon |
3,279 |
47% |
35% |
|
Sligo |
4,183 |
38% |
56% |
|
Tipperary |
10,206 |
44% |
38% |
|
Waterford |
5,633 |
33% |
42% |
|
Westmeath |
5,185 |
40% |
46% |
|
Wexford |
8,206 |
35% |
49% |
|
Wicklow |
6,968 |
51% |
44% |
|
National |
247,011 |
41% |
47% |
Further information can be found on the Early Learning and Childcare data website: www.pobal.ie/data-library/early-learning-and-childcare-data/
The Capacity Section of the website provides information on the number of children enrolled, services with vacant places, and services with a waiting list.
344. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of early years educators and childcare workers employed in Cork city and county in each of the years 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of vacancies notified or estimated in the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53765/26]
View answerThe role of the early years educator and school-age childcare practitioner are valuable ones, and they play an important part in supporting children's development, learning and care.
I acknowledge that many early learning and care and school-age childcare services report staffing challenges in relation to recruitment and retention. In general, these challenges are caused not by insufficient supply of qualified personnel, but by turnover caused in general by low levels of pay.
Pay is one of a number of challenges impacting the early learning and care and school-age childcare workforce. The level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.
Although the Government is the primary funder of the sector, it is not the employer and cannot directly set wages or conditions for any staff in the sector.
The Joint Labour Committee is the formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates, which are set down in Employment Regulation Orders, and is independent in its functions.
Pay and conditions are improving. Through the work of the JLC and successive ERO’s, minimum pay rates have now risen three times in four years, delivering an average 15% increase in minimum rates of pay. This marks significant progress in professionalising the workforce. The latest ERO came into effect in October 2025 which saw an increase in minimum pay rates of, on average, 10% and will increase pay for over 67% of staff in the sector.
Outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by Government through Core Funding. In this programme year 2025/26 Core Funding has increased by 6% to approximately €350 million with an additional €45 million in ring-fenced Core Funding provided to support services in meeting the increased cost of minimum pay rates in the sector.
For programme year 2026/2027, I recently announced that Core Funding will be increased by 23% to €480 million. An additional €45 million has also been ringfenced from September 2026 to support services in meeting the potential costs of increasing rates of pay, contingent upon new ERO’s being enacted following successful negotiations by the independent JLC.
In line with the commitment in the Programme for Government to continue to support Employment Regulation Orders to attract and retain early years educators, I met with JLC representatives in April to outline the Government's continued support for the improvement of pay for educators and practitioners working in the sector and the Joint Labour Committee process.
The Department continues to support the Joint Labour Committee and the negotiation process by fulfilling data requests which it has received from the JLC members.
The tables below show staff numbers in Cork City and Cork County based on responses to the Annual Early Years Sector Profile surveys from 2021/22 to 2024/25.
Reported workforce
|
- |
|
2021/22 |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
|
Cork City |
Educators/practitioners |
822 |
900 |
1,017 |
931 |
|
|
Managerial |
212 |
199 |
177 |
188 |
|
|
Ancillary |
147 |
125 |
121 |
99 |
|
|
Total |
1,181 |
1,224 |
1,315 |
1,218 |
|
Cork County |
Educators/practitioners |
1,288 |
1,561 |
1,745 |
1,783 |
|
|
Managerial |
373 |
371 |
350 |
413 |
|
|
Ancillary |
212 |
263 |
252 |
251 |
|
|
Total |
1,873 |
2,195 |
2,347 |
2,447 |
|
|
Overall Total |
3,054 |
3,419 |
3,662 |
3,665 |
Estimated total workforce
|
- |
2021/22 |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
2024/25 |
|
Cork City |
1,306 |
1,312 |
1,388 |
1,386 |
|
Cork County |
2,148 |
2,325 |
2,518 |
2,711 |
|
Overall Total |
3,454 |
3,637 |
3,906 |
4,097 |
Reported staff vacancies
|
- |
2024/25 |
|
National |
1,961 |
|
Cork City |
62 |
|
Cork County |
135 |
Notes:
• The data is taken from responses to the 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 Annual Early Years Sector Profile surveys which had national response rates of 82.4%, 88.6%, 87% and 87.5% respectively
• Figures for 2026 are not available as data collected through the 2025/26 Annual Early Years Sector Profile survey is undergoing cleaning.
• Reported workforce: these figures are based on survey responses and represent data as it was reported by the services that completed the survey.
• Estimated workforce: these figures represent data that was extrapolated using the reported figures and individual county response rates. The figures show total figures for all Educators/practitioners, Managerial and Ancillary staff.
• Reported staff vacancies: the number of services who reported vacancies at the time of the 2024/25 survey (i.e. during data collection). The data relates to staff working directly with children (both educators/practitioners and managerial staff) only.
A longer-term workforce strategy for the sector is in place: "Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028". Nurturing Skills aims to strengthen the ongoing process of professionalisation for those working in the sector.
One of the five "pillars" of Nurturing Skills comprises commitments aimed at supporting recruitment, retention and diversity in the workforce, and it includes actions to raise the profile of careers in the sector.
In December 2023, a Sub-Group of the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum was established to address recruitment and retention challenges. The group has advanced initiatives including:
- A Student Fast-track Process for recognition of studies to work in service out of term,
- The assessment of unfinished qualifications, where people who may have started a relevant qualification but did not get to finish it, can have what they completed assessed for meeting qualification requirements
- An agreement to promote careers in the sector.
Another action from the plan currently under development is a communications campaign which will include a series of videos and information packs aimed at promoting the Early Learning and Care and School-age Childcare profession.
The packs will be provided to career guidance counsellors and other key bodies who support individuals in making education and employment decisions, with the aim of raising awareness of career opportunities and pathways within Early Learning and Care and School-age Childcare sector.
The Department acknowledges the challenges faced by staff in relation to stress and well-being, with administrative burden often cited as a key factor to those pressures. To help support the welfare and wellness of the sector, a pilot employee assistance programme will commence shortly in five CCC areas.
This pilot project is an action under Equal Start: A model to support access and participation in early learning and childcare for all children. Following evaluation of the pilot the EAP will be expanded across the sector.
To further support staff retention and increase the number of degree level graduates in the sector, the Nurturing Skills Learner Fund was established to enable educators who continue to work within the sector to pursue Level 7 and 8 qualifications in support of the First 5 and subsequently Nurturing Skills objective of a 'graduate led' Early Learning and Care workforce.
The Nurturing Skills Learner Fund assists in the financial costs for early years educators who wish to pursue Early Learning and Care qualifications approved by the Qualifications Advisory Board at level 7 and level 8 while continuing to work in the sector, in a core funded service.
Nurturing Skills Learner Fund pays up to 90% of Course Fees excluding student levies. Over 550 Early Years Educators have been offered financial support to upskill to Level 7 and Level 8 Early Learning and Care Qualifications for the Academic Year 2026/2027 beginning in Autumn 2026.
Since its inception in 2024 Nurturing Skills Learner Fund have offered financial support to over 1250 early years educators.
The Nurturing Skills Learner Fund demonstrates how Government is already delivering on our Programme for Government commitment to ‘remove barriers in education and training for early years educators to broaden access to the profession.
345. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps being taken to address recruitment and retention challenges in the early learning and childcare workforce, including pay, conditions and career progression; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53766/26]
View answerI believe the roles of the early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners are valuable ones, and they play an important part in supporting children's development, learning and care.
A longer-term workforce strategy for the sector is in place: "Nurturing Skills: The Workforce Plan for Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, 2022-2028". Nurturing Skills aims to strengthen the ongoing process of professionalisation for those working in the sector.
One of the five "pillars" of Nurturing Skills comprises commitments aimed at supporting recruitment, retention and diversity in the workforce, and it includes actions to raise the profile of careers in the sector.
In December 2023, a Sub-Group of the Early Learning and Childcare Stakeholder Forum was established to address recruitment and retention challenges. The group has advanced initiatives including:
- A Student Fast-track Process for recognition of studies to work in service out of term,
- The assessment of unfinished qualifications, where people who may have started a relevant qualification but did not get to finish it, can have what they completed assessed for meeting qualification requirements
- An agreement to promote careers in the sector
Another action from the plan currently under development is a communications campaign which will include a series of videos and information packs aimed at promoting the Early Learning and Care and School-age Childcare profession.
The packs will be provided to career guidance counsellors and other key bodies who support individuals in making education and employment decisions, with the aim of raising awareness of career opportunities and pathways within Early Learning and Care and School-age Childcare sector.
The Department acknowledges the challenges faced by staff in relation to stress and well-being, with administrative burden often cited as a key factor to those pressures. To help support the welfare and wellness of the sector, a pilot employee assistance programme will commence shortly in five CCC areas. This pilot project is an action under Equal Start: A model to support access and participation in early learning and childcare for all children. Following evaluation of the pilot the EAP will be expanded across the sector.
To further support staff retention and increase the number of degree level graduates in the sector, the Nurturing Skills Learner Fund was established to enable educators who continue to work within the sector to pursue Level 7 and 8 qualifications in support of the First 5 and subsequently Nurturing Skills objective of a 'graduate led' Early Learning and Care workforce.
The Nurturing Skills Learner Fund assists in the financial costs for early years educators who wish to pursue Early Learning and Care qualifications approved by the Qualifications Advisory Board at level 7 and level 8 while continuing to work in the sector, in a core funded service.
Nurturing Skills Learner Fund pays up to 90% of Course Fees excluding student levies. Over 550 Early Years Educators have been offered financial support to upskill to Level 7 and Level 8 Early Learning and Care Qualifications for the Academic Year 2026/2027 beginning in Autumn 2026.
Since its inception in 2024 Nurturing Skills Learner Fund have offered financial support to over 1250 Educators.
The Nurturing Skills Learner Fund demonstrates how Government is already delivering on our Programme for Government commitment to ‘remove barriers in education and training for early years educators to broaden access to the profession.
Aligned to the Programme for Government commitment to introduce an ‘Earn and Learn’ apprenticeship model enabling staff in this sector to gain qualifications and advance their careers, Pillar 4 of Nurturing Skills includes an action to examine the development of a range of entry routes into the sector, including apprenticeships or other work-based learning, and access programmes in further education and higher education. Research on alternative entry routes was received recently.
The Department is reviewing the research, with a view to using it to inform next steps. While Nurturing Skills commits to examine alternative entry-routes, the development of an apprenticeship would rely on the formulation of proposals by the sector and would require approval by the National Apprenticeship Office.
Pay is one of a number of challenges impacting the early learning and care and school-age childcare workforce. The level of pay for early years educators and school-age childcare practitioners does not reflect the value of their work for children, families, society and the economy.
Although the Government is the primary funder of the sector, it is not the employer and cannot directly set wages or conditions for any staff in the sector.
The Joint Labour Committee is the formal mechanism established by which employer and employee representatives can negotiate minimum pay rates, which are set down in Employment Regulation Orders, and is independent in its functions.
Pay and conditions are improving. Through the work of the JLC and successive ERO’s, minimum pay rates have now risen three times in four years, delivering an average 15% increase in minimum rates of pay. This marks significant progress in professionalising the workforce. The latest ERO came into effect in October 2025 which saw an increase in minimum pay rates of, on average, 10% and will increase pay for over 67% of staff in the sector.
Outcomes from the Joint Labour Committee process are supported by Government through Core Funding. In this programme year 2025/26 Core Funding has increased by 6% to approximately €350 million with an additional €45 million in ring-fenced Core Funding provided to support services in meeting the increased cost of minimum pay rates in the sector.
For programme year 2026/2027, I recently announced that Core Funding will be increased by 23% to €480 million. An additional €45 million has also been ringfenced from September 2026 to support services in meeting the potential costs of increasing rates of pay, contingent upon new ERO’s being enacted following successful negotiations by the independent JLC.
In line with the commitment in the Programme for Government to continue to support Employment Regulation Orders to attract and retain early years educators, I met with JLC representatives in April to outline the Government's continued support for the improvement of pay for educators and practitioners working in the sector and the Joint Labour Committee process.
The Department continues to support the Joint Labour Committee and the negotiation process by fulfilling data requests which it has received from the JLC members.
346. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the impact of recent fee caps and affordability measures on childcare costs for parents; the estimated average saving per family; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53767/26]
View answerPromoting affordability for parents is a key priority of the Department. The investment of €1.48bn secured in the 2026 budget for early learning and care and school-age childcare will allow the Department to build on recent progress in the steady reduction of fees for parents, while also supporting supply and the quality of provision.
One of the primary vehicles for meeting these goals is Core Funding, the supply-side payment to providers, which requires that participating services abide by a system of fee management in return for the significant State funding available through the Scheme. This includes a freeze on fees at September 2021 levels and maximum fee caps.
Maximum fee caps were first introduced for new entrants to the Scheme in September 2024. They were then lowered and extended to all Partner Services in September 2025. Recently, it was announced that the maximum fee caps will be reduced further for Core Funding programme year 2026/2027, beginning September 2026.
These latest maximum fee caps on all Partner Services will place a limit on the maximum fees that can be charged across all types of provision. The maximum fee to be paid by a parent for a typical full day place of 45 hours , once the National Childcare Scheme universal subsidies have been applied, will be no more than €183.70.
The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help parents reduce the cost of early learning and childcare through a subsidy paid directly to the provider that can be off set against fees charged.
In September 2026, the Income-Assessed thresholds for the scheme will increase. This was committed to in Shaping the Future: The Early Years Action Plan. This investment will support households earning below a certain amount to access higher subsidies, offsetting the cost of early learning and childcare even further.
Through increasing the NCS Income-Assessed thresholds, families whose reckonable income falls within the new thresholds will receive a higher subsidy, as they will move to a higher income-assessed rate, according to their individual circumstances. The lower threshold rises from €26,000 to €34,000, and the upper threshold increases from €60,000 to €68,000.
The Multiple Child Discount will also increase, further reducing the reckonable income for families with two or more children. This will enable those families to receive a higher subsidy and thereby reduce the cumulative burden of cost.
From September 2026, most families currently receiving an Income-Assessed subsidy will see an increase in their rate due to these changes. This investment will also support additional families to move from their existing Universal rate to an Income-Assessed subsidy where it may be of more benefit.
The increase in Income-Assessed thresholds is expected to improve early learning and childcare affordability for up to 47,000 families.
Multiple factors go in to calculating the Income Assessed award. These include income after tax, hours of subsidy claimed, parents' participation in school or work, and the child's age, among other factors. Families can use the Childcare Subsidy Calculator, available on the Hive, to calculate what their expected subsidy is.
Since the NCS is a demand-led scheme, it is not possible to accurately predict an average savings per family. Changes to the threshold may influence family behaviour in a number of ways, for example, an uptake in formal childcare by parents previously using family help or a return to the workforce. These possible behavioural changes may also be reflected differently across subsidy value cohorts.
With this said, an additional €64.1 million has been allocated to the National Childcare Scheme for 2026, making a total budget of €593.9 million. This represents a 12% increase on the 2025 allocation, reflecting anticipated growth in the uptake and usage of the Scheme.
347. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare providers in Cork city and county that have increased fees, reduced services or changed opening hours in each of the years 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53768/26]
View answerThe Department is currently collating the information requested and a reply will issue directly to the Deputy in due course.
348. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childminders registered or engaged with the National Action Plan for Childminding in Cork city and county; the steps being taken to increase the number of regulated childminding places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53769/26]
View answerAs of end-May 2026, 17 childminders were registered with Tusla, and 73 childminders have completed the Pre-Registration Training in Cork City and County.
The National Action Plan for Childminding 2021-2028 set out a pathway for the extension of regulation to childminders. 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.
The 2024 Act, under which the timeframes are established, provides for a transition period of three years, to September 2027, after which registration is due to become 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 childminding-specific Regulations are designed to be proportionate and appropriate to the home and family setting in which childminders work. The regulations differ substantially from regulations for centre-based childcare. 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 Groups that have supported it, have included childminders, as well as representatives of Childminding Ireland.
I am aware that the rate of registration thus far has been lower than expected. It is for that reason that I asked officials in the Department to undertake a review of the regulations in advance of the conclusion of the transition period, to understand what barriers may exist, and to address them in a timely fashion.
The review of the initial implementation of the childminding regulations, which will be managed by an external company, launched on June 19 with an open call for submissions. The review will include consultation with childminders and other stakeholders and will provide an important opportunity to learn lessons from initial experiences with the regulations.
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.
A consultation survey will follow the call for submissions, in addition to focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and case studies. The scope of the review is broader than initially outlined in the National Action Plan for Childminding and will now also examine the effectiveness of supports made available to assist with the registration of childminders, as well as examining the barriers to registration and regulatory compliance, including financial and information barriers.
I would encourage every childminder to have their say and participate in the review. Further information can be found here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/consultations/lets-talk-childminding/
I believe that communications will be essential to addressing many childminders' concerns and to increasing the levels of registration, a communications campaign has commenced which will increase in pace and visibility as we move through the review stages and as the transition period advances.
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, including the short pre-registration training course. I would encourage any childminder who has questions or concerns about the new regulations to contact their local Childcare Committee. The Childminding Development Officers are there to provide the most up-to-date, accurate information, and to guide and support childminders at every step of the journey.
349. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children with additional needs accessing early learning and childcare services in Cork city and county; the supports available under the access and inclusion model; the number of applications approved in each of the years 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53770/26]
View answerThe Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) is a model of supports designed to ensure that children with additional needs can access the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme. The goal of AIM is to empower Early Learning and Care (ELC) providers to deliver an inclusive preschool experience, ensuring that every eligible child can meaningfully participate in the ECCE Programme and reap the benefits of high-quality early learning and care through universal and targeted supports.
AIM level 4 is delivered by Better Start Early Years Specialist Service (EYSS). They work collaboratively with parents, pre-school providers, and with other professionals to develop inclusive learning environments in pre-schools. The EYSS also provides coaching and mentoring to the pre-school staff on supporting children in the ECCE service. This includes the creation of an Access and Inclusion Plan for children, which can help identify additional support and resources required to meet the needs of the child in the pre-school room.
AIM Level 5 provides funding for specialised equipment, appliances or small capital grants towards minor building alterations. A short report from a designated professional is required confirming that the specialised equipment or minor building alterations are necessary to enable the participation of a child in pre-school.
AIM Level 7 support enables providers to reduce the child-to-adult ratio in the pre-school room or to fund an extra staff member as a shared resource with other children in the ECCE setting. In recognition of best practice in this area, this support is designed to improve inclusion and ensure meaningful participation of all children in the room.
Please see the table below with the amount of approved AIM applications in the Cork area for AIM targeted supports (Level 4, 5 & 7) during the current programme year, and the previous 4 programme years.
|
Programme Call |
Total Applications Approved |
Total Children Approved |
|
2021/22 |
1,288 |
779 |
|
2022/23 |
1,555 |
905 |
|
2023/24 |
1,690 |
1,025 |
|
2024/25 |
2,049 |
1,077 |
|
2025/26 |
2,227 |
1,158 |
350. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare services in Cork city and county currently operating at full capacity; the number with waiting lists; the number with vacancies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53771/26]
View answerEach year, Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile. Data for the Early Years Sector Profile is typically captured in May/June of each programme year. While ELC and SAC offerings vary across service providers and the allocation of ELC of SAC places is flexible, the published capacity data provides an estimate of the number of children enrolled in ELC and SAC, the percentage of services with at least one vacant place and the percentage of services operating a waiting list at a given time. At the time of the survey there were 171 service providers with a contract for a DCDE funding programme or scheme operating in Cork City and 388 in Cork County.
The most recent published capacity data for the 2024/25 programme year indicated that 60% of services in Cork City reported that they had no vacant places at the time of the survey, 42% reported operating a waiting list and 40% reported having at least one vacant place. In Cork County, 57% of services reported that they had no vacant places at the time of the survey, 31% reported operating a waiting list and 43% reported having at least one vacant place.
As part of the early years sector profile survey, providers are asked whether they operate a waiting list and, where applicable, the number of entries on a waiting list for a place for their service. While this data can be used to give an indication of demand, it should not be used as a measure of overall demand for ELC or SAC places as it is vulnerable to overestimating the actual number of children requiring a place. An individual child may be on multiple waiting lists in different services and may remain on one or multiple service lists after taking up a place.
Further information can be found on the Early Learning and Childcare data website: www.pobal.ie/data-library/early-learning-and-childcare-data/
The Capacity Section of the website provides information on the number of children enrolled, services with vacant places, and services with a waiting list.
351. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the projected demand for childcare places in Cork city and county over the next five years; the planned increase in supply to meet that demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53772/26]
View answerImproving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government.
A forward planning model has been developed by officials in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality to better understand the interaction of early learning and childcare supply and demand at local area level and to inform decision making about capital investment.
Work is continuing on the next stages of development of the forward planning model, which will incorporate future demographic trends and new housing developments, among other features.
Estimates of current and future unmet early learning and childcare need can vary significantly depending on assumptions made regarding target or required participation levels and the population projection source and scenario applied.
Aggregated childcare demand and capacity data, including data on enrolments, vacancies and waiting lists, is available at: www.pobal.ie/childcare/capacity/
Data on population and on expected future trends in population is available from []www.cso.ie/en/ and the ESRI.
The Department of Children, Disability and Equality is supporting the development of early learning and childcare capacity nationally, including in Cork, including through Core Funding which was introduced in 2022 and has supported the expansion of capacity in the sector by 25% over three years.
Capital funding is also supporting expansion of capacity through both the Building Blocks Extension Grant Schemes and the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme.
A new Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme has been launched which will make available €10 million next year to support existing operators to expand their provision. The closing date for applications is 31 July. This follows on from the current Building Blocks scheme which will deliver up to 1,500 places.
Separately, the State-led early learning and childcare capital programme will invest €135 million in buildings in the coming five years to support the expansion of provision, delivering thousands of additional places.
352. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of WTE physiotherapists posts filled at Kilkenny children's disability network team as of 30 June 2026; and if she will provide the same figures as of 30 June 2023, in tabular form. [53803/26]
View answerAs this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
353. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of WTE speech and language therapist posts filled at Thomastown children's disability network team as of 30 June 2026; and if she will provide the same figures as of 30 June 2023, in tabular form. [53804/26]
View answerAs this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
354. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of WTE dietitian posts filled at Carlow children's disability network team as of 30 June 2026; and if she will provide the same figures as of 30 June 2023, in tabular form. [53805/26]
View answerAs this question refers to the service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.
355. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of adults with intellectual disabilities in County Clare awaiting residential placements. [53839/26]
View answerI wish to thank the Deputy for raising this question. As this question refers to service matters, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly.
