Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 9 October 2024
187. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth his estimate of the number of additional children who will benefit from the continued expansion of the national childcare scheme announced in Budget 2025, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40606/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraBudget 2025 estimates for the NCS were calculated using administrative data drawing on hourly usage of children availing of the scheme, their educational stage and subsidy type; patterns of growth in the scheme, and information relating to capacity available in the early learning and care system nationally.
An additional 14 million subsidised hours (or 1.96 hours per child per week) and more than 7,500 additional children using the scheme on average each week are estimated through Budget 2025, as compared to the Budget 2024 allocation.
The model uses national data and is not disaggregated by county.
