Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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46. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are any supports in place from his Department for existing pre-school/crèche providers that are looking to acquire a new premises due to an increase in numbers attending. [43398/24]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government.

Capital funding has been allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the revised National Development Plan (NDP). This will enable significant investment in early learning and childcare. Some €89 million has been allocated to my Department between 2023 and 2026.

The Building Blocks Capacity Grant schemes are operating over 2024 and 2025. The Building Blocks Capacity Grant has two strands, an Expansion scheme and an Extension scheme to support existing services to increase capacity. 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 care.

Under the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme, some €25 million will be available in 2025 to deliver additional capacity.

Under the scheme, community and private providers may apply for funding between to physically extend their premises. In addition, community providers may also apply for funding to purchase an Early Learning Childcare facility or a premises that could be easily adapted for this purpose, or towards the cost of building a new premises or installation of a modular building. Community services may submit applications under each of the three strands.

Appraisal of applications for this scheme considers the supply and 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 full details of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme shortly.