Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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256. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth for a timeline on the introduction of the monthly €200-per-child cap on childcare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5173/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Investment in early learning and childcare is now at unprecedented levels with public funding exceeding €1.37 billion in 2025, clearly demonstrating Government commitment to this area.

As well as addressing affordability this investment has served to improve accessibility, availability and the quality of provision.

The ECCE programme, which provides two years of pre-school without charge, enjoys participation rates of 96% each year. Over 70% of families on low income report that they would not be able to send their child to pre-school without this programme.

The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) complements the ECCE programme, providing subsidies – both universal and targeted - to reduce the costs to parents for children to participate in ELC and SAC.

The minimum NCS subsidy has steadily risen from €0.50 in 2022 to €2.14 in September 2024 alongside extensions to eligibility.

The fee management system introduced through the Core Funding Scheme has ensured that the investment in NCS has resulted in real change for parents with the cumulative reduction in out of pocket over this period estimated to be 50% on average.

Record numbers of children and their families are now benefiting from the NCS. Almost 220,000 unique children benefited from an NCS subsidy in 2024.

I am committed to continuing to improve affordability and reach the €200 per month within the lifetime of the Government. However, further progress on affordability cannot be made in isolation and must be integrated with our efforts to improve access, availability and quality.

I look forward to further engagement and discussion to plan the way forward to deliver on this commitment.