Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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299. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the full-year cost of increasing the NCS universal subsidy so that a family pays no more than €200 per child for the maximum hours, for children up to five years, ten years, and 15 years. [43761/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The Deputy has requested the cost of increasing the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) Universal Subsidy so that a family pays no more than €200 per child for the maximum hours which is 45 hours per week. It is assumed that Deputy is referring to a monthly cost of no more than €200 per child.

Due to the design of the NCS and its consideration for education stage rather than age, it is not feasible for the Department to split the costs between children up to five years old, ten years old and fifteen years old. Instead, the below response splits the costs into end of preschool, primary school and post primary. This better aligns with the nature of early learning and childcare provision and regulation.

The NCS Universal Subsidy is available to all families with children under 15 years old. This subsidy is not means tested and provides €2.14 per hour towards the cost of a registered childcare place for a maximum of 45 hours per week.

This Department does not hold individualised fee data for parents as these are local agreements between parents and providers; instead a reduction in the average cost of ELC to parents is examined. To estimate these costs, data from Pobal on average weekly fees across the country was used. Assuming a 45-hour week for all children, an hourly universal subsidy of €3.36 was derived to achieve the desired outcome.

As these costings is based on an average fee, the impact of this change would vary based on the level of fees within the services, patterns of usage and age of the child. The below estimates has been costed as such that all children in the relevant age ranges will have their costs reduced to at least €200 per month, in some cases the reduction will be greater.

The ESRI SWITCH model was then used to estimate the quantum of these changes and applied to the Departments baseline cost of the NCS. To split the costs between different education stages, data on cost of children availing of NCS in preschool, primary school and post primary was used to generate a proportionate cost for these groups compared to overall NCS costs. The results are given in the below table:

This estimate comes with a number of caveats, from September 2024 a number of enhancements were made to the NCS, the estimates factor in these changes:

1. Increase in universal subsidy from €1.40 to €2.14.

2. Extension of NCS to families availing of childminders

3. Increase in NCS sponsor subsidy to €5.30 per hour for all children over the age of 1.

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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300. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the full-year cost of providing every newborn child/parent with a baby box from 2026-2030, based on the most recent annual number of births. [43762/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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In 2023, my Department delivered the 'Little Baby Bundle' pilot to 500 expectant families. These bundles provided approximately €500 worth of key items for parents and newborn children, for a per unit cost of only €220.

A universal roll-out based on the pilot to every newborn child would have an initial full year running cost of €12.8m, based on 58,000 expectant births. The scheme's expected running costs for 5 years from 2026-2030 are estimated at €70.2m. This is inclusive of all overhead costs and assumes a 5% increase in running costs on average year on year.

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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301. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the total number and category of staff currently employed in the early learning and care and school age childcare sector. [43763/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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The State is not the employer and therefore does not have an official register of staff working in the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare sector.

However, Pobal carry out the Annual Early Years Sector Profile Survey on behalf of my Department. This comprehensive survey of all Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) settings in the country is the primary data source on this sector including staffing data. The latest figures from the survey provided below are taken from the Annual Sector Profile Survey for 2022/2023.

It should be noted that the data below is extrapolated based on the response rate by services to the survey to estimate the total number of staff, by category, in the sector.

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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304. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the average size (children and staff) and the associated cost of providing an early learning and care and school age childcare setting. [43766/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC) services differ considerably in terms of size, service offering, age of children cared for, opening hours, and so on. These factors influence the cost of delivery, and mean it is not possible to define an average service.

For the purposes of this answer my officials have drawn on data provided by services as part of their application for Core Funding in the 2024/25 programme year. As part of the application process, services are required to state the maximum ELC capacity at any one time each day, and the maximum SAC capacity at any one time in the day.

For services offering ELC (whether term time sessional preschool or year round part time or full day care, either on their own or in combination, including in combination with school age childcare), the average maximum daily capacity is 39 places, with average opening hours of 37 hours per week, 44 weeks per year.

For services offering SAC (either stand-alone or in combination with ELC), the average maximum daily capacity is 34 places, with average opening hours of 41 hours per week, 46 weeks per year.

Based on these capacity and opening hours data, my officials have prepared an estimated cost of funding for a combined ELC and SAC service under the profile outlined below. Please note that this is a notional description of a service only and has been constructed to align with the average places, opening hours and weeks per year as specified by the question.

In practice, in the sector, there are a very wide variety of service types in respect of the opening hours and weeks the service operates and the age group of children for whom places are available. The averages presented here reflect a very broad range of values and in order to more accurately estimate real world costings, more detailed case studies and analysis would be required.

• ELC operating 37 hours/week, 44 weeks/year.
• SAC operating 41 hours/week, 46 weeks/year.
• 3 places for 0-1 year olds with 1 EY Lead Educator.
• 5 places for 1-2 year olds with 1 EY Lead Educator.
• 12 places for 2-6 year olds with 1 EY Graduate Lead Educator and 1 EY Educator.
• 16 places for 3-6 year olds with 1 Graduate Manager and 1 EY Educator.
• 3 places for 2.5-6 year olds in ECCE.
• 34 places for SAC with 1 SAC Coordinator and 2 SAC Practitioners.
• Assuming non-staff running costs, including premises costs are 32% of total costs and where 100% costs are determined by staffing costs.