Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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135. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if her Department can amend its contracts with childcare providers to include a restriction on the practice of some providers offering childcare places but requiring non-refundable deposits if the place is not taken up; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33093/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Reducing the costs to parents for children to participate in early learning and childcare is a core focus of my Department. This includes reviewing deposit rules across each early learning and childcare scheme.

Under Core Funding, in which over 92% of the sector participate, service providers agree that they will not charge any non-refundable deposits (including administration/registration fees/waiting list fees, etc.) to parents/guardians in respect of their early learning and childcare service for which the deposit was paid.

Along with non-refundable deposits, providers signed up to Core Funding have an obligation to return deposits. The provider agrees that all refundable deposits relating to the current programme year must be returned to the parent once the child’s registration is approved on the Hive or within four weeks of the child taking up the place, whichever is sooner.

In instances where a child does not take up a place for which a deposit was paid, there is no onus on a service provider, under Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) and Core Funding rules, to return the deposit to the parent/guardian.

In relation to deposits for ECCE, as per the rules governing the ECCE programme an Early Learning and Care service provider may charge a refundable booking deposit to hold an ECCE place for a child. The maximum deposit a provider may charge is equivalent to four weeks’ ECCE payment.

The ECCE deposit must be returned in full to the parent/guardian once the child’s registration is approved by Pobal.

The rationale for allowing ECCE providers to charge an ECCE deposit is to deter parents from putting their child’s name down with multiple ECCE providers. If the option to collect a deposit is removed there is a risk of children not turning up when the ECCE programme begins, other children not being offered that place and/or providers not being able to meet minimum numbers requirement for ECCE

The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) does not stipulate any rules regarding deposits except in relation to sponsored children, where it is not permitted to charge a deposits.

Deposits in these instances are subject to a local agreement between the service provider and the parent/guardian.

For the 2025/2026 Programme Year, there will be no changes to the Deposit Rules, and deposits must be returned to the parent/guardian once the child’s registration is approved on the Early Years Hive or within four weeks of the child taking up the place, whichever is sooner.

My Department are committed to ongoing engagement on this matter and will consider wider changes to deposit rules for the 2026/2027 programme year.