Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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845. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 1383 of 19 March 2025, if she is aware that the childcare facility (details supplied) has had to significantly increase fees for parents going forward; if she is conscious of the impact this will have on parents; if the increase is correct under NCS rules; if her Department is engaged in preventing unreasonable increases to fees for parents; if any financial support is available to families facing financial crisis as a consequence of the increase to fees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17550/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department has made available significant funding to this service under Core Funding.

Specifically, this service received €534,966.22 in year 1 of Core Funding and €624,436.28 for year 2. The contract value for year 3 of Core Funding - up to the end of August 2025 - is €562,836.56.

In addition to this funding in year 3 of Core Funding, this service had the opportunity to apply for the Fee Increase Assessment and Approval Process and/or to seek additional supports through their local CCC.

I strongly encourage all services to avail of these supports available to them as an alternative to withdrawing from Core Funding and removing the benefit of Core Funding to children and their families.

However, the service chose to withdraw from Core Funding – which again had a contract value of €562,836.56 for the current programme year - and instead increase the fees they charge to parents using their service.

This is regrettable but, as a private business, this service is free to do this.

Over 4,400 services are in contract for Core Funding this year. Parents can use the following website to find Core Funding Partner Services in their area at www.ncs.gov.ie/en/childcare-search/.

Year 3 of Core Funding remains open for applications.

The new Programme for Government commits to cap monthly costs for early learning and childcare to €200 per month per child, within the lifetime of the Government. Progress on this commitment cannot be made in isolation and must be integrated with our efforts to improve access, availability and quality. As such this will form part of a wider action plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare system with State-led facilities adding capacity. This plan will enhance parental choice through ongoing support for public, private and community provision, as well as childminders.