Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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75. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the details of the measures that he has implemented to tackle the cost of childcare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56216/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Significant investment is being made by my Department to support families with the cost of high-quality early learning and childcare.

Next year investment will increase by 43 per cent and exceed €1 billion for the first time – achieving the First 5 investment target set in 2018, five years ahead of schedule.

Funding in 2023:

- provides for two years of pre-school under the ECCE programme, without charge to families, as well as the necessary supports for children with a disability to access this programme.

- allows for major reforms to the National Childcare Scheme from January 2023, which will substantially improve the affordability of early learning and childcare for families – reducing the average family co-payment for early learning and childcare by 25 per cent.

- provides for year 1 of Core Funding and an increased allocation for year 2 of this Scheme – that will ensure, among other things, the benefit of the fee freeze currently in place is maintained giving much certainty to families.

The OECD data I referred to earlier shows Ireland’s performance in supporting families with the cost of early learning and childcare has markedly improved.

The enhancements I have introduced to the National Childcare Scheme through Budgets 2022 and 2023 coupled with the roll out and further development of Core Funding, will bring further reductions in out of pocket costs for early learning and childcare for families and will see further gains in Ireland’s performance in an international context.

I recognise however that the burden on some families remains high and we need to do more to ensure affordability.

I have committed to build on the substantial progress that has already been made in future Budgets, investing further in the my Department’s funding scheme as well as securing additional investment to open up the National Childcare Scheme to childminders, following the development and introduction childminder-specific regulations, currently in preparation.