Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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428. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a facility (details supplied) can be assisted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5043/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My Department oversees a case management process, through which local City and County Childcare Committee (CCCs) and Pobal work together to assess and provide support to all Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Care (SAC) services experiencing challenges.

Under the direction of my Department, Pobal co-ordinate the overall case management process with the CCC administering on-the-ground case management assistance. The CCCs can provide specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances.

In some instances, financial supports through Sustainability Funding may be appropriate, in tandem with this case management process.

If any service has viability concerns, I would encourage them to reach out to their local CCC to start availing of supports through the aforementioned case management process.

If they have not already done so, my Department would encourage the provider to engage with the Tusla Early Years Inspectorate to ensure that they are operating within their registration:

• It is a legal requirement for all services proposing to operate to submit an application under section 58D(2) of the Childcare Act 1991, at least 3 months before it is intended to commence operation.
• Temporary early years services need to submit an application at least 21 days before they plan to open. This application must be approved prior to children attending the service.
• Registered providers are required to notify the Early Years Inspectorate in writing whenever they propose to make a change to their current registration in accordance with Regulation 8 of the Child Care Act 1991 (Early Years Services) Regulations 2016 (S.1. 221 of 2016) & Regulation 7 Child Care Act 1991(Early Years Services) (Registration of School Age Services) Regulations 2018. This application must be approved prior to the change coming into effect.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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429. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth what capital funding has been allocated for 2023 to increase childcare places; if this funding will facilitate the building of purpose built childcare facilities; what specific plans his Department has through the NPD capital funding for expanding places for the zero to two years and eight months cohort when ECCE kicks in; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5044/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Some €69 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars:

• Building Blocks - Improvement Grant;
• Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and
• Building Blocks - Innovation Grant.

Some €45 million has been set aside under Pillar 2 for early learning and childcare capital projects over 2024 and 2025. On 7th December last, I announced details of the Building Blocks - Capacity Grant scheme, to be operated over 2024 and 2025 which is aimed at addressing capacity gaps by expanding existing provision through internal renovations and extensions where most needed.

The Building Blocks Expansion Grant Scheme will open for applications in the coming weeks. The scheme will provide grants for the renovation or reconfiguration of the existing Early Learning and Care facilities. In order to be eligible for funding, services must commit to increasing their service provision in the 1 - 3-year-old (pre-ECCE) age group.

I hope to announce details of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme in the coming months. The scheme will provide grants for larger scale extensions. As with the Expansion Grant Scheme, priority will be given to the extension of full-time and part-time places within the 1 - 3-year-old (pre-ECCE) age groups, within areas of identified undersupply.

Both schemes are open to early learning and childcare services that are Tusla registered and are in contract with Core Funding, at the time of application.

€15 million has been set aside for the Building Blocks - Innovation Grant which offers the opportunity to adopt new approaches to the development of new early learning and childcare infrastructure. This strand is currently in an early design phase.

Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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430. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the costs associated with building a new community childcare facility, including associated costs; if any new facilities are being planned; if so, the location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5045/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Some €69 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare across three pillars:

• Building Blocks - Improvement Grant;
• Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and
• Building Blocks - Innovation Grant.

On 7th December last, I announced details of the Building Blocks - Capacity Grant scheme, to be operated over 2024 and 2025 which is aimed at addressing capacity gaps by expanding existing provision through internal renovations and extensions where most needed.

While there is no funding available at present for the construction of new purpose built early learning and childcare facilities in 2024, my Department will keep the issue under review.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Childcare services are provided by private enterprises, either privately owned or operated by community organisations. The majority of services are contracted with my Department to provide schemes which subsidise the cost of the service to eligible parents, or in the case of the universal pre-school programme, ECCE, to provide these 15 hours per week at no cost to the parent. Providers are free to set their own policies, in line with their Tusla registration status, regarding their service offering.

ECCE is an administrative scheme not underpinned by legislation or regulation and is governed by the ECCE programme rules. ECCE providers that contract with my Department to provide ECCE must adhere to these rules and comply with all legal and regulatory requirements.

An approved ECCE provider must offer free ECCE only sessions. Parents/children availing of such sessions will not be required to attend or pay for any additional service offers. The provider shall ensure that parents/guardians are informed that their agreement to additional hours or to any optional charge is not compulsory and that agreement is not a condition of initial or continued enrolment. In the case of additional hours, while not a condition of enrolment, part-time and full-time services may prioritise places for those who wish to avail of extra hours over those availing of ECCE only.

I have appointed Stranmillis University College, Belfast to undertake an independent review of the ECCE programme. The review is assessing whether the ECCE Programme is meeting its core objectives and will identify any changes or improvements that can be made to the Programme, based on international evidence and experience to date. The final report of the review is nearly complete, once it has been finalised I will consider the review in it’s entirety and consider any policy changes that may need to be made to the programme.

My Department funds a national network of County Childcare Committees (CCCs) who provide support and advice to parents on childcare funding. Parents who have concerns on any aspect of the ECCE programme should contact their local CCC. The contact details for the CCCs can be found on myccc.ie.