Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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445. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of ECCE providers that have provided him with notice that they will cease with service provision since the introduction of core funding. [56711/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Data from Tusla show that the number of closures this year is broadly in line with other years, and reasons for closure (where provided) suggest considerable diversity in the reasons for closure. While some services have closed for financial or regulatory reasons, many have closed for other reasons (e.g. retirement of the owner/manager).

Every year it is normal for some services to close while other new services open.  Services intending to close must notify Tusla - the independent statutory regulator for the sector - within 28 days of closure. The data on closures is based on when the information is received and verified by Tusla, not necessarily the date of closure. 

The tables below set out the number of ELC service closures and new registrations to the end of September this year (which is the most recently available data) along with figures for the same period and full year figures for 2019 to 2021.

Since mid-August, over 400 emails were received by my Department from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers.  Based on a random sample group of 42 emails, 5% of these providers who had written in indicated that they feel they will have to close their business in the next year.

In relation to the ECCE programme, as of 10 November, there are 3,918 ELC services with an ECCE funding agreement for the 2022-23 programme year. This compares with 3,944 for the same period last year. The number of children registered on the ECCE programme up to 10 November this year was 105,636, which is an increase of 1,336 on the 104,300 registered for the same period last year.

The Government is investing significantly in the early learning and childcare sector and there is an ambitious new funding model being introduced to improve stability and sustainability for providers. There are supports, financial and otherwise, available to services who need them. Services are independent operators and may close for a number of reasons. Services that wish to deliver early learning and childcare for the public good will be supported to remain open to do so.

My Department is not seeing evidence of a significant lack of sustainability for ECCE-only services or to suggest that services will face closure as a result of Core Funding. Services that are experiencing difficulty and who would like support are encouraged to contact their City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) to access case management supports. Services can be assisted on an individual basis through this route and it also allows for trends and themes across the country to be identified that can inform a more systematic response if necessary. A new strand of the Sustainability Fund, linked to Core Funding, is available to provide an extra safety net for providers. This is open to both private and community providers.