Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 12 June 2025

Committee on Children and Equality

Priority Issues Facing the Department: Minister for Children, Disability and Equality

2:00 am

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I want to acknowledge that she has engaged with me on an ongoing basis, particularly in respect of her own constituency and I do accept the challenges that are there. It is the absolute vision, as the Deputy has referenced, of the programme for Government. I was honoured to be part of the negotiating team that wrote that up and I absolutely accept that while there is demand everywhere, there is significant demand in some areas. The forward planning unit within the Department is doing a body of work to identify where there is provision but also where there is ongoing lack of provision, as the Deputy has referenced. It is in that instance that the Government has made two commitments, to either support the existing providers to do more through schemes like building blocks or to step in itself and build or rent facilities, whatever the case might be. We are making significant progress there. I am in the middle of the NDP review and trying to maximise the capital that we have to actually do that.

That is the public model but I also want to make the point that there are significant challenges around the planning guidelines. There exists a commitment that for every 75 houses a childcare facility is put in place but I know of instances where facilities were built that were never used for the purpose for which they were built. Eventually, for some of them, there was a change of use and something else went in there. That is not acceptable. That is not part of the vision and I am engaging at present with the Minister for housing in relation to updating those guidelines and doing a better job than what is being done at present. In many instances we can actually identify facilities that should be providing childcare today. That is another body of work. We are looking at the planning guidelines, the forward planning unit is stepping in and we are also supporting the existing providers. Particular attention will be given to the areas where there is unmet demand.