Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)

The 2001 planning guidelines for local authorities on early learning and childcare settings were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. The guidelines are intended to ensure a consistent approach to the treatment of planning applications in respect to the land use planning aspects of early learning and childcare provision. The 2001 guidelines have contributed to the creation of supply in residential developments. However, the Department is aware that there are instances where the building provided has not been put to use for its intended purpose and in some instances remains vacant or is being used for another purpose.

The programme for Government commits to reviewing the 2001 childcare facilities guidelines for planning authorities to ensure early learning and childcare spaces are provided and put into use. The 2024 Planning and Development Act and the publication of the national planning framework now provide a strong basis from which to pursue this work. An early learning and childcare planning matters working group with officials from my Department, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Education and Youth was established in 2024 and has met on a number of occasions across 2024 and 2025. Meetings have been held since summer 2025 with members of the working group with officials from different local authorities who were nominated by the City and County Managers Association planning and land use committee.

This engagement with nominated planners was effective in identifying a number of important considerations for the review and is now informing a wider engagement with local authorities on the ground. These issues include ensuring that buildings developed on foot of the guidelines meet the needs of the local population and are fit for purpose and balancing the need to ensure sufficient provision for children and families, regardless of the size or housing type of the development, with ensuring that buildings are effectively operated as intended when they were first built. In parallel, planning is under way to capture the views of other stakeholders who will have an interest in the revised guidelines.

I am also engaging directly with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to determine how best to support and inform the drafting of revised guidelines under the new planning and development Act. The approach more widely to ensuring appropriate levels of early learning and childcare supply is core to the work of this Department and will be further articulated in the context of the action plan to build an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system that Government has committed to publishing.

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