Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Government, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and I understand the challenges faced by parents in Fingal county. There is a clear need. It is one of the counties with the lowest vacancies rates in the country. I checked this before I came in. Interestingly and usefully, a data collection exercise on the early years sector will start tomorrow. Pobal will lead that. It will give us a more up-to-date sense of what is happening on the ground. There are clearly still issues in west Dublin and beyond. The updated data we will gather will inform the design of the €45 million building blocks capacity grant for 2024 to 2025. This is a practical measure that will facilitate increased physical space, which is a limitation for many bodies. I will bring the section 28 issue that the Senator raised directly back to the Minister. She raised various issues. We will look forward to the engagement between local authorities and the formulation of county development plans and local area plans.