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

In April a nationwide survey of capacity in early learning and childcare services was undertaken by city and county childcare committees. That survey was followed in May by the annual early years sector profile survey that is undertaken by Pobal. Approximately 89% of providers have already participated. Preliminary analysis of those data reveal vacancy rates for children under one and children aged one to two of 14% and 6%, respectively. Vacancy rates for children under one and children aged one to two in Dublin are close to that national average, with the exception of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, where vacancy rates for young children are lower than the national average.

The network of city and county childcare committees, CCCs, including in Dublin, are in a position to match children and families to services operating with vacant places. To address the issue of undersupply in the immediate term, CCCs are also proactively engaging with early learning and childcare services to explore the potential for services to increase capacity where there is evidence of undersupply.

A range of other steps are also being taken. The new core funding scheme, which the Department will roll out in September, will provide funding for services aligned to costs of delivery. That means that higher levels of funding will be available to services that cater for younger children, where costs of delivery are higher. I hope that this new approach to funding will encourage services to operate baby and toddler rooms where demand for them exists.

Some €70 million has been allocated to my Department through the revised national development plan, with the majority of that funding earmarked for new places.

Specifically, as for the Deputy's point about planning, I and some of my officials had a really useful meeting with about eight city and county planners about two months ago. We discussed the specific issue of the operation of the planning guidelines. The planners gave their perspectives as to what was and what was not working. We are considering that. Obviously, the legislative and regulation-making powers lie with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, not my Department. We will engage further with that Department because we are very much conscious, given the delivery of Housing for All and the very significant amount of building, that where childcare centres are provided, not only do they need to be appropriate but we also need to get them opened.

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