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

The data available to my Department demonstrates that, overall, early learning and childcare provision is expanding. The early years sector profile survey shows that between the 2021-22 year and the 2022-23 year, the estimated number of enrolments in services rose by 8% and the estimated number of staff in the early learning and childcare workforce also rose by 8%. Data from Tusla on service closures and new service registrations shows a net increase of 129 in the overall number of services in 2023. Core funding application data shows that between year one and year two of the scheme, annual place hours increased by almost 8%.

I acknowledge, however, that there is evidence of some parents having difficulty in finding the type of provision they would like for their children.

The early years sector profile survey shows that between 2021-22 and 2022-23, the proportion of services with at least one child on a waiting list increased slightly, from 47% to 48%. The counties with the highest proportion of services with at least one child on a waiting list were Monaghan, at 67%, followed by Dublin city, at 63%. The counties with the lowest proportion of services with at least one child on a waiting list were Offaly, at 32%, followed by Mayo, at 34%.

It is relevant that we advise a bit of caution when we talk about waiting lists because, first, not every service operates a waiting list, which is very much based on determination of the service, and, second, some children are on waiting lists for a number of services, which impacts on the overall figures.

Importantly, as I noted in my response to Deputy Kerrane, we have created a forward planning unit the Department designed to look at demand and need across the various demographics and across the country and engage with local authorities and the county and city childcare committees to better understand and therefore better design our responses to it, whether that is through capital or regulations.

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