Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

I thank the Deputy and her colleague for the work they are doing on this issue. The Government is committed to building an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system. I will take her recommendation for a cross-party committee to the Minister, Deputy Foley.

The programme for Government commits, for the first time ever, to provide capital investment to build or purchase State-owned early learning and childcare facilities. This will create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. That is the trajectory we are on and we are very clear about it.

State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development. It offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand, projected demand and current demand. The programme for Government also commits to planning the development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme. Some early scoping work has already been carried out to explore options to introduce a segment of public provision, which I know is something the Deputy is particularly interested in. More detailed and extensive policy development and design is ongoing to progress to the next stage, the implementation stage, having regard to the wider emerging policy context as set out in the programme for Government.

As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the Department also funds 30 city and county childcare committees. These provide support and assistance to families and early learning and childcare providers. That network can assist in identifying vacant places in services for the children and families who need them and in engaging proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services that already exist, especially where there is unmet need locally. Parents experiencing difficulty with regard to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local city or county childcare committee for assistance.

On the Deputy's wider point and páistecare, I was in the Chamber when her colleague raised it with the Tánaiste. He expressed an interest in learning more about it. I am sure the Minister, Deputy Foley, will be as well.

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