Written answers
Tuesday, 9 April 2024
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Childcare Services
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1152. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department provides supports for childcare providers to deliver transport to and from schools, particularly when providers were reliant on private operators that have withdrawn their service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14911/24]
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1153. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will engage with a crèche (details supplied) which has been informed by the private bus operator that provided collection and drop-off service with local schools intends to cease this service on 12 April 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14912/24]
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1152 and 1153 together.
My Department does not directly provide an Early Learning and Care or School Aged Childcare transport service. Services may at their own discretion provide for transport as part of their overall service offer and the substantial subsidies provided by my Department contribute to the cost of this throughout the offset of fees in those services.
Preliminary data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey 2022/23 indicates that 22% of ELC and SAC services offer transport, whether pick-up, drop-off or both. The availability of transport is more common in services offering both ELC and SAC, in private services, and in services that are not on school premises.
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