Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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17. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of early learning and childcare facilities in the mid-Cork region that have withdrawn from Core funding this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39145/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Core Funding scheme administrator collects data in regions, which are connected to local City or County Childcare Committees. The two regions in Cork used are Cork City and Cork County.

For the current programme year, no services in either Cork City or Cork County have withdrawn from Core Funding and, as of 30 September, 95% of services in Cork City and 92% of services in Cork County have applied for the Scheme in year 3.

Currently 90% of services have signed up to Core Funding year 3. The number of applications received to date are similar to the number of applications received for the same time period for year 2 of the Scheme and applications for year 3 remain open.

While it is my ambition to have as high take-up as possible, a small proportion of early learning and childcare services – approximately 5% overall, 2% in Cork City and 4% in Cork County - chose not to join Core Funding last year.

It is a matter for providers to decide whether they wish to participate in Core Funding and benefit from the significant financial supports it offers to providers and the certainty it gives to parents through the associated fee freeze.

However, I am confident that given the 15% increase in Core Funding in year 3 and the associated supports, including the increase in the flat rate allocation for sessional services to €5,000, the increase in the minimum Core Funding allocation to €14,000 and the introduction of the Fee Increase Assessment Process, services should not need to take this step.

While a provider may chose not participate in Core Funding this year, they remain eligible in this programme year to provide the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) and the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme.