Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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686. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the action that has been undertaken in furtherance of the stated commitment in the Programme for Government to 'ensure the fee cap is maintained and that the model is open, transparent and equitable'; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15792/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Core Funding is a successful scheme with a high uptake rate among providers. Currently, 93% or more than 4,400, providers have signed up for Core Funding for year 3 of the scheme (September 2024-August 2025), which has an allocation of €331 million.

Up to now, services availing of Core Funding have not been allowed to raise their fees above what was charged to parents on 30 September 2021 (or at the point of first signing up for Core Funding if the service did not exist on 30 September 2021).

While this fee freeze has remained in place for the majority of services for year 3 of Core Funding, the Department introduced:

• a new Fee Increase Assessment and Approval Process whereby a Partner Service meeting certain criteria could apply to increase their fees up to an approved level, and,
• a cap on fees for services joining Core Funding for the first time this year.