Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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1234. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if she has engaged with the Minister for Education and Youth regarding the development of State-led childcare facilities in tandem with the school building programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30378/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government sets out the ambition to work with schools to host before and after-school childcare in school buildings as well as planning the development of State-led early learning and childcare facilities in tandem with the school building programme, specifically referencing Irish medium naíonraí.

Last year, the Department of Education published Procedures on the use of school property and school sports facilities outside of school hours. This document provides encouragement and guidance to schools to make available facilities for early learning and childcare and other community purposes when not required by the school.

Officials have met a number of times with officials from the Department of Education’s Planning and Building Unit with a view to sharing expertise and information between the Departments and identify opportunities for future developments. The potential for development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme will be considered as part of the wider capital plans to develop State-led services.

State ownership of facilities is a very substantial and significant development and offers the potential for much greater scope to influence the nature and volume of provision available and to ensure better alignment with estimated demand.

Some early scoping work has been carried out to explore options to introduce a segment of public provision. More detailed and extensive policy development and design work is ongoing in order progress to implementation stage, having regard to the wider emerging policy context as set out in the Programme for Government.