Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and the whole of the Government are conscious of the disruption caused to a number of early learning and childcare services owing to the recent floods in Cork. The local childcare committee has been engaging with impacted services. With regard to financial supports for these services, they have been made aware that any service forced to close due to the flooding may apply for the continuation of funding from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth under force majeureas per the rules governing the early learning and childcare funding schemes. These services have also been alerted to two emergency business flooding schemes which were announced by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. These schemes are for small businesses, sports clubs, and community and voluntary organisations unable to secure flood insurance and affected by recent flooding. There are other supports available from the DCEDIY where a service is experiencing financial difficulty or has concerns about its viability. These supports can be accessed through the local childcare committee.

With regard to premises, the safety and protection of children remains the first priority in the early learning and care sector. This is achieved through the registration and inspection of early years services by Tusla, the independent statutory regulator of the sector. Registration of early years services can be granted only where Tusla is satisfied the premises, operation and location of the service pose no unmanaged risk to children. Tusla has been working closely with the local childcare committee in areas impacted by recent floods and has engaged with impacted services in these areas to help them to reopen their service in a safe and suitable premises and location.

In addition to these measures, the local childcare committee continues to proactively engage with early learning and childcare services to identify unused capacity and explore the potential for services to increase capacity to meet the early learning and childcare needs of families in the area. There is also wider work under way at a national level to address issues of undersupply, including through a new capital grant, the details of which will be announced by the Minster in the coming week.

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