Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
171. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her Department has assessed the significant level of demand for childcare services in north Dublin in its plans for State-led facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13362/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recently announced €135 million in capital investment in buildings for high-quality, accessible State-led early learning and childcare. The process will begin in 2026 with investment in buildings in what will be a ground-breaking initiative for this government. Capital funding will be used to acquire and/or fit out the building, depending on specific project requirements.
Up to eight buildings will be selected for investment this year and the State-led initiative will provide thousands of places up to 2030 using the €135 million provided in the National Development Plan. The level of investment will ramp up over the lifetime of the Government.
There will be a particular focus in the new State-led facilities on providing places for 1-3 year old children, with capacity for these children to continue in the service until they start school, because this is where the need is greatest. The aim of delivering additional supply of this type in suitable locations will include both rural areas and urban areas which are not well served at the moment.
A suite of appraisal tools have been developed, including a forward planning model, in order to select projects that align with programme objectives. The forward planning model seeks to identify the nature and volume of different types of early learning and childcare places across the country and how that aligns with the numbers of children in the corresponding age cohorts at local area level. An extensive data analysis and cleaning exercise has been undertaken to map available publicly subsidised supply. This involved combining data from multiple administrative sources, including child population data, using GIS (Geographical Information System) mapping tools.
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.
The forward planning model enables officials to better understand the nature of supply/demand misalignment and to inform decision making about capital investment. Analysis is ongoing of the data in this model in order to identify appropriate areas for the development of State-led capital projects.
No final decisions have yet been made on the specific projects but I look forward to sharing details of projects as they are agreed.
This Department is assessing sites and buildings and, where required, will seek expressions of interest from operators to deliver these State-led services.
Local City and County Childcare Committees will be supporting the development of projects so in the first instance, community early learning and childcare operators, local authorities, developers, or others who might have a suitable premises or project should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee.
