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

I thank the Deputy for his question. Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority for me as Minister. The data available shows that the level of capacity in the sector has risen substantially in recent years. However, I am aware that nationally, and in my own constituency as well, some parents are having difficulty in locating the type of affordable early learning and care provision they would like for their children. That is particularly acute for younger children.

The building blocks capital schemes, which operated over 2024 and will operate next year, are supporting services to increase capacity through two strands, namely, the expansion scheme, which was drawn down this year, and the extension scheme which I will announce in the next number of weeks and which will be drawn down in 2025. The extension scheme will mean €25 million of capital funding is available next year to deliver thousands of new affordable early learning and childcare places. It will offer funding for larger-scale projects to enable both existing community services and private services to build new capacity into their current premises by means of physical extension. It will also allow existing community services to apply to purchase or construct entirely new premises.

This programme of support for the provision of places builds on a substantial legacy of fostering the development of the sector and the establishment and expansion of services, most explicitly through previous capital programmes, but equally through the various current funding streams. My Department will continue to progress a range of actions, such as core funding and the recently launched initiative for childminders, to ensure the supply of early learning and childcare meets demand. Work in this area is being led by a supply management unit which I established in my Department earlier this year.

I will also work closely with ministerial colleagues and particularly with the Minister for housing, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. We are looking to review the regulations surrounding the building of a childcare facility when new housing is built. That happens but as the childcare facility often is not delivered or is not designed appropriately, we are looking to revise those regulations and I hope that we will bring forward drafts soon.

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