Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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324. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the average waiting time for access to the ECCE scheme places per county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36704/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Currently my Department does not collect data on waiting times for access to the ECCE Programme or scheme specific data on waiting lists and vacant places.

However, in relation to capacity Pobal compiles data, on behalf of my Department, on waiting lists and vacant places from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers through the Annual Early Years Sector Profile (AEYSP) survey.

The following figures reflect data for the age categories 3 to 4 years old and 4 to 5 years old (non-school going) which most closely align with the ages eligible for the ECCE Programme at the time of data collection.

The most recent published capacity data for the 2023/24 programme year estimated that there were 104,809 children aged between 3 and 5 years old (non-school going) enrolled in ELC and SAC services. This data also indicated that 35% of services had at least one vacant place and 39% had a waiting list for children aged between 3 and 5 years old (non-school going).

It is important to note that waiting list data should not be used as a measure of overall demand for ELC and SAC places. While waiting list data can be used to give an indication of demand for places for a given age group or service type not all services operate a waiting list. In addition, an individual child may be on multiple waiting lists in different services.

Further information can be found on the Early Learning and Childcare data website. The Capacity Section of the website provides information on the number of children enrolled, services with vacant places, and services with a waiting list.