Written answers
Thursday, 22 February 2024
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Early Childhood Care and Education
Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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257. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he can help a community project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8500/24]
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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€69 million has been allocated over the period 2023-2025 to the Early Learning Childcare and School Age Childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant capital investment across three pillars:
- Building Blocks - Improvement Grant;
- Building Blocks - Capacity Grant; and
- Building Blocks - Innovation Grant.
The Building Blocks Expansion Grant Scheme will open for applications shortly. The scheme will provide grants for the renovation or reconfiguration of existing ELC facilities.
I also hope to announce details of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme in the coming months. The scheme will provide grants for larger scale extensions to existing services.
The aim of these schemes is to tackle the estimated undersupply of full time and part time places, particularly within the 1-3-year-old (pre-ECCE) age cohort.
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.
My Department does not have funding available in 2024 to fund the establishment of new build projects such as that proposed by the Deputy.
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