Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)

The funding provided by the Department for early learning and care, ELC, and school-aged childcare services is provided on the same basis to both Irish medium and English medium services, whether inside or outside Gaeltacht areas. In line with commitments in the five-year action plan for the Irish language, the Department recruited an Irish language support co-ordinator in 2020 to drive the development of a national plan. It has provided funding since 2023 to Better Start to recruit an Irish language early years specialist to support mentoring and advice to Irish medium ELC settings. The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht provides additional supports for Irish medium ELC services in the Gaeltacht through its agencies and organisations such as Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta. In addition, in June 2024, the Department's predecessor with responsibility for the Irish language, announced five-year funding to provide a comprehensive support and development service to naíonraí outside of the Gaeltacht to be administered by Gaeloideachas.

Furthermore, my own Department has provided funding to Gaeloideachas in 2025 to support Irish medium ELC settings. Additionally, the Department is currently working in collaboration with other relevant Departments and agencies to develop a national plan to further the development of Irish language provision in the ELC and the school-age childcare sector. The development of such a plan is a commitment in the five-year action plan for the Irish language. The national plan is expected to support the delivery of two commitments in First Five, the whole-of-government strategy for babies, young children and their families: to introduce measures to ensure children in Gaeltacht areas have access to Irish medium ELC provision and to develop mechanisms to provide Irish language supports to ELC provision where huge proportions of children are learning through the medium of Irish.

See this speech in context