Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1187. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the number of childcare providers, by county and city local authority administrative area that have exited from the core funding scheme in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025; the number of families impacted by same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29759/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Core Funding was introduced in September 2022.

The Scheme is designed to improve affordability for parents through the introduction of fee management and contractual requirements on providers to offer the National Childcare Scheme and/or the ECCE programme.

The Scheme aims to improve quality through better pay and conditions for the workforce by supporting agreement on Employment Regulation Orders by the Joint Labour Committee.

It also aims to improve sustainability of services.

Over 92% of services are currently signed up in year 3, with applications still open.

Participation in Core Funding is optional, but it remains open to all registered providers subject to their agreement to the terms and conditions of the funding.

As of 5 June, 38 services have withdrawn from Core Funding since its introduction. One of which has subsequently since re-entered the Scheme.

Please see table below, the number of providers, by County and City local authority administrative area (CCC), that have exited from the core funding scheme in 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025;

While my Department cannot mandate providers to participate in schemes, every effort has been made to carefully design Core Funding to meet the policy objectives including to achieve high levels of participation by providers.

It is a matter for providers to decide whether they wish to withdraw from the Core Funding scheme, the significant financial supports it provides to providers and the certainty it provides to parents through the associated fee freeze. However, I am confident that given the level of investment and associated supports, services should not need to take this step.

While a service provider intends to withdraw from Core Funding, they remain eligible in this programme year to provide the National Childcare Scheme, the Early Childhood Care and Education programme and the Community Childcare Subvention Plus Saver programme.

Supports are available from my Department where a service is experiencing financial difficulty or has concerns about their viability, accessed through local City/County Childcare Committees.

I encourage services to avail of these supports as an alternative to withdrawing from Core Funding and removing the benefits of this Scheme to parents.

As Core Funding is a supply-side grant to early learning and childcare providers towards their operating costs, my Department does not hold individualised fee data for parents as these are local agreements between parents and providers. However, The National Childcare Scheme (NCS), is a subsidy provided to help parents to meet the cost of childcare and allow children to access Early Learning Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC), to reduce the costs to parents for children to participate in ELC and SAC.

Additionally, the Department funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees, which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers. The network of 30 City/County Childcare Committees across the country can assist in identifying vacant places in services for children and families who need them and engage proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need.

Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee for assistance. Parents can use the following website to find Core Funding Partner Services in their area at www.ncs.gov.ie/en/childcare-search/.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1188. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if there are plans to increase the amount of funding an applicant can apply for under the building blocks funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29785/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme was launched on 4th November 2024. The closing date for applications was 30th January.

A total of 78 applications were received. These applications came from a variety of locations across the country.

In May, I announced the 49 applications which will be progressing to the next stage of the process. These 49 applications come from a mix of Community Extension (24), Private Extension (7), Community Purchasing (4) and Community Construction (14) projects, which, when completed, will deliver almost 1,500 additional full time childcare places for 1-3 year olds across the country. I look forward to seeing how these projects progress over the coming months.

The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is now closed so there is no scope to vary the funding amounts. My Department is considering the possibilities for future capital programmes in future, including potentially operating another initiative like Building Blocks, to support the expansion of provision by existing providers. As soon as those details are finalised, I will communicate to the sector.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1189. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the amount allocated to the building blocks funding; the amount that was drawn down; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29786/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme was launched on 4th November 2024, with €25m allocated to the scheme. The closing date for applications was 30th January.

A total of 78 applications were received. These applications came from a variety of locations across the country.

In May, I announced the 49 applications which will be progressing to the next stage of the process, with a total project value of €23.2m. These 49 applications come from a mix of Community Extension (24), Private Extension (7), Community Purchasing (4) and Community Construction (14) projects, which, when completed, will deliver almost 1,500 additional full time childcare places for 1-3 year olds across the country. I look forward to seeing how these projects progress over the coming months.

The next stage will involve completion of all legal formalities of the scheme. After this process is completed, services will commence their projects. No funding has been drawn down to date in respect of the scheme.