Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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23. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if county childcare committees can play a more active role in promoting action which meets gaps in early childhood services. [15367/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The City and County Childcare Committees (CCC) were assigned by the National Childcare Strategy (2000) as the key local component in the development of a co-ordinated approach to supporting the delivery of high-quality early learning and childcare. There are 30 CCC located nationwide, which are funded by my Department. CCC play an active and important role in providing support and guidance to local early learning and childcare providers and to families accessing these services.

CCC are also responsive to new and emerging issues for the early learning and childcare sector. They played an instrumental role in supporting the sector throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, through for example an out of hours Covid-19 helpline for providers and an early learning and childcare matching service for families. CCC are now taking important steps to respond to the early learning and childcare needs of Ukrainian children and their families.

In 'First 5, the Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families', my Department committed to completing a comprehensive review of the operating model for early learning and childcare. The work of CCC was in scope of this review, in addition to the work of other organisations in the operating model.

The early learning and childcare sector in Ireland has grown substantially in the past decade. The objective of the Review is to ensure that the operating model is fit for purpose to implement policy relating early learning and childcare to the scale and standards required in an evolving and expanding sector, with the citizens of Ireland at its heart as core beneficiaries.

An independent external contractor has been engaged by my Department to undertake an assessment of the current operating model and to identify options for reform. An Oversight Group, chaired by my Department, was also established and met regularly throughout the process.

I am pleased to report that this Review has concluded and a report on the Review has been finalised. I look forward to bringing this report to Government very shortly.