Written answers
Monday, 9 September 2024
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
Childcare Services
Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1560.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the methodology used by his Department and the agencies under the remit of his Department in projecting the demand for childcare places throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35976/24]
Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1561.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department and or agencies under the remit of his Department have assessed the need for additional childcare places in County Cavan; the measures being implemented to provide additional childcare places; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35977/24]
Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1562.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if his Department and or agencies under the remit of his Department have assessed the need for additional childcare places in County Monaghan; the measures being implemented to provide additional childcare places; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35978/24]
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1560 to 1562, inclusive, together.
Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government.
My Department has in place a range of supports and funding schemes to support the delivery of early learning and childcare places but services are independently owned and operated, either by community not-for-profit or by private for-profit providers.
My Department employs a range of approaches to understand supply of and demand for early learning and childcare places, bearing in mind the wide range of types of early learning and childcare provision offered by services and required by families.
For example, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme provides free sessional pre-school provision for two years for children in the eligible age range (2 years and 8 months to 5 years and 6 months). The eligible cohort is determined using child benefit data from the Department of Social Protection and, based on historical trend data, a 96% uptake rate is estimated.
This year, I established a Supply Management Unit within the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Division of my Department. A key part of the Supply Management Unit’s remit is to develop capacity for monitoring, analysing and forecasting of the supply and demand. The development of a forward planning model is currently underway utilising the expertise of statisticians on secondment from the Central Statistics Office and an early learning and childcare expert from a County Childcare Committee working with the Department. The model will seek to identify the nature and volume of different types of early learning and childcare places across the country, whether or not those places are occupied and how that aligns with the numbers of children in the corresponding age cohorts at local area level.
It is important to note that demand for early learning and childcare beyond sessional pre school provision is highly elastic and shaped very substantially by families' individual composition, circumstances and preferences; employment patterns and income; and the price and availability of services. Survey data shows that 86% of parents with pre-school children and 95% of parents of school-going children are using their preferred arrangement.
My Department collects extensive data on supply through both survey and administrative data. A range of data sources show that the level of capacity in the sector has risen substantially year-on-year between 2022 and 2023. However, there is also evidence that demand for places is increasing and, for certain cohorts and in certain areas, outstripping supply. This is partly driven by the significant improvements in affordability that have been achieved in recent years. Published data on capacity broken down at county level is available at www.pobal.ie/childcare/capacity/
In addition to developing the forward planning model, the Supply Management Unit will oversee the administration of capital investment under the National Development Plan, through the Building Blocks Capacity Grant. The primary focus of the Building Blocks Capacity Grant Schemes is to increase capacity in the 1-3 year old, pre-ECCE, age range for full day or part-time care where there is greatest evidence of a misalignment of supply and demand. Appraisal of applications for this scheme considers the relative level of demand in the area around the proposed projects and seeks to prioritise funding for areas with the biggest supply/demand mismatch. I hope to announce details of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme in the coming weeks.
My Department is also currently engaging with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to examine and review the 2001 Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities on Early Learning and Childcare Settings with a view to updating them.
In addition, under the National Action Plan for Childminding, I have committed to opening up access to the National Childcare Scheme to parents who use childminders following the extension of regulation to childminders. This will increase the numbers of funded and regulated early learning and childcare places available.
Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1563.To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the grant aid available from his Department for the upgrading of existing playground facilities and the provision of new playgrounds; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35979/24]
Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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My department provides support for the development of new play and recreation facilities for children and young people through the annual Capital Grant Scheme for Play and Recreation. Established in 2013, this grant scheme operates through and with Local Authorities. The scheme also funds the refurbishment of existing play and recreation facilities and the incorporation of natural play elements.
The criteria for the scheme were developed in partnership with the Local Authority Play and Recreation Network, established to bring a focus on play and recreation within each local authority.
For each project, 25% of the awarded amount must be provided by the Local Authority. Facilities and equipment funded must be accessible to children and young people of all abilities, as far as possible.
All facilities and equipment funded must be child-friendly and safe, and all projects funded under the scheme must provide evidence that children and young people living locally who will have access to the facility have been consulted about the project for which funding is sought.
All spaces and facilities for which funding is granted must be available for use by all children and young people in the locality at times when they are free to use them, including outside of school hours.
Children’s playgrounds and play areas should be places of fun and activity for all children to enjoy, so that every child can experience the joy and excitement that comes with playing outdoors.
Since 2021, funding of €450,000 per year has been made available to Local Authorities through this scheme. Applications must be made through the relevant Local Authority Play and Recreation Network member.
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