Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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154. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if funding will be made available to assist childcare providers with the cost of insurance. [18676/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Aged Childcare (SAC) services are required to have insurance as part of their registration with Tulsa, the independent regulator of the sector. My Department provides funding to childcare providers under a number of programmes to provide fully or partly subsidised childcare services to families. Childcare providers are private businesses and my Department does not provide funding for specific operational costs such as insurance.

Notwithstanding this, insurance reform is a priority for this Government. The Action Plan for Insurance Reform, which was launched on 8 December 2020, has already resulted in reductions in car and house insurance costs.

With regard to insurance costs for childcare providers, I understand that there has been no universal increase in insurance costs in the last two years for the majority of providers, and that the average price of insurance for providers remains at €60 per child, per annum, for full-time childcare.