Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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87. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if the immense challenges facing the childcare sector, including a lack of spaces, will be considered by the new infrastructure division of his Department and by the new accelerating infrastructure task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28049/25]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I have established the accelerating infrastructure task force to support the immediate work programme of the new infrastructure division in my Department, which is to identify and propose measures to address barriers to the delivery of strategic infrastructure across Ireland.  This issue is key priority for me and the Government. 

The work programme for the task force and the new division will focus on many critical infrastructure areas in terms of the electricity and energy, transport and water sectors, as these three key elements are required to underpin the development of all other economic and social infrastructure, including healthcare, housing and childcare facilities. The specific issue of childcare policy and places to which the Deputy refers is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality.

The wide-ranging work of the accelerating infrastructure task force is accelerating the project life cycle which should support the underpinning of better social infrastructure, including childcare. For the Deputy's information, the role of the task force, which I chair, is primarily focused on cross-cutting policies. Specifically, it will provide strategic guidance and expert input to policy proposals to speed up infrastructure delivery. It will provide guidance and advice to officials to ensure that barriers to infrastructure delivery are identified accurately and represent the most impactful barriers impeding timely and effective delivery. It will also provide guidance and advice on the development of a small number of high-impact reform items that are robust, achievable, time-bound and rigorously focused on addressing the challenges identified. These reform actions will be brought to Government for approval. The task force will oversee the subsequent implementation of these reform actions through challenge meetings with the Departments and agencies responsible for implementation.

Furthermore, the existing Project Ireland and national development plan set out national strategic outcomes which emphasise the importance of access to quality childcare, education and health services and aim to ensure that the co-ordination and provision of childcare places, primary and post-primary schools places and health infrastructure are consistent with the objectives of the national planning framework.  Therefore, the ongoing review of the national development plan will consider the programme for Government commitments on childcare. The broader references are there in terms of State involvement in the provision of childcare.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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This Government will be judged by its delivery of critical infrastructure, that is, infrastructure needed for social and economic reasons. In that regard, we have not seen significant public investment in childcare infrastructure in our local communities. For reference, €45 million was ring-fenced to expand childcare capacity in the NDP over the past two years, versus €1.4 billion in the education capital budget for 2025 alone. We have planning guidelines that theoretically link new homes to the delivery of private childcare places but it is not working effectively enough. I understand that critical infrastructure, with a capital "C" and capital "I", has mainly referred to nation-building infrastructure for energy, housing, transport, water and climate resilience but the underinvestment we have seen in childcare and the over-reliance on private providers to ensure every community and family has access means childcare infrastructure is now critical. Early learning and childcare are nation building.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Looking at the past number of years and the overall support given in terms of childcare affordability, we have made significant strides which have helped many families throughout communities. We also need to work with many of the SMEs and childcare providers, many of which are in the constituency Deputy Currie and I represent, on some of the challenges they have reflected to us as part of the budget process. That is why the broad work of the infrastructure division is to ensure the national development plan's strategic outcomes are underpinned with accelerated delivery. We are advancing that through the reforms that will be stood up from the infrastructure task force and also the additionality that will be made available in the context of the review of the national development plan.

A central and pressing focus in our economy right now is that we have serious constraints in energy and, in particular, water. Without those two fundamentals, we cannot deliver the homes and social infrastructure we require or the investment opportunities that will bring broader employment growth and prosperity for the future. Of course, there are other objectives in the national development plan, which I share. The broad outworking of this work will strengthen the provision of childcare.

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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For the first time, the programme for Government commits to a public model of childcare. The Taoiseach has confirmed that work is needed to map out how we will do that in a public building programme and how that will harmonise with existing provision. He also confirmed that the new supply and management unit has been established to do forward planning and delivery and to assess demand, plan and expand public supply using CSO figurers childcare committees and GIS systems. It is great we will be working on establishing demand but we will also have to back that up with supply. Affordability is great but you have to be able to access it in the first place. A lack of consistent and coherent childcare is still a barrier to women in employment. According to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, nearly nine out of ten Dublin businesses say childcare is a challenge to their staff recruitment and retention, with one fifth of them saying it is their biggest obstacle. Therefore, childcare should be included in the revised NDP at a significant game-changing level that reflects the now critical need for childcare infrastructure. It would be very significant to hear the Minister say today that childcare will be included in the new infrastructure division of his Department and by the new accelerating infrastructure task force. Other countries consider childcare an economic necessity and we should too.

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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First, the cross-cutting work of the infrastructure division and the task force is to cut through some of the processes in place in every Department which affect delivery of infrastructure - economic or social. Second, there is a review of the national development plan. That is a bilateral engagement involving all Ministers on what their priorities will be for the next number of years. Obviously, there will be an additional envelope available and work has commenced on that. I have been meeting Ministers bilaterally to discuss what their priorities are and what is deliverable over the next number of years around capital allocations. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality have put forward a variety of prospective priorities when it comes to children, disability and equality and we are working through those on a whole-of-government level. We will be able to set out the allocations for those in July.