Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The availability of high-quality early learning and childcare that is affordable and accessible is a key Government priority. To ensure that the supply of early learning and childcare places meets demand, my Department has, since 2015, funded the creation of more than 27,000 new places, as well as the upgrading of services through an annual capital programme. With the onset of Covid-19 in 2020, the annual capital programme prioritised funding for early learning and childcare providers to enable them to reopen safety following mandated closures and to improve outdoor play areas so as to reduce the potential spread of infection.

In 2021, €10.5 million was allocated across two different capital funding programmes: one to improve fire safety standards and another to improve outdoor play areas in services. During 2021, my Department also successfully secured €70 million in the revised NDP allocation. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during the period 2023 to 2025 across three pillars: modernisation, new capacity and first 5 initiatives. Capital funding in 2022 totals €1.3 million, including €750,000 of unspent 2021 capital funding which has been carried into 2022. This will be targeted capital funding commencing with not-for-profit services that have been informed they must resolve fire safety compliance issues to complete their re-registration with Tusla. Eligibility for this funding will be dependent on a financial assessment of need. City and county childcare committees are engaging with these services on this. Applications for the pillar 1 of the NDP money, the modernisation grant, will also open in the coming months.

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