Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To be fair, the Deputy has put it very eloquently and succinctly. Access to childcare and early learning opportunities is hugely important, and the Government recognises that. As regards our commitment, the present building blocks extension scheme money is required to be spent in this calendar year, and the Department does not currently have any further funding available for additional capital schemes this year. However, the approach to capital investment in future years is being considered within the context of the programme for Government commitments, and they are considerable when it comes to this area. For the first time, the programme for Government also contains a commitment to public provision and to capital investment to build or purchase State-owned facilities. Some early work is being carried out to explore options to introduce a segment of public provision. This will require significantly detailed policy development and design in order to progress and implement this programme. The programme for Government commitments will inform the Department's contribution to the upcoming review of the national development plan, which will set out capital allocations for future years also.

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