William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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845. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will address the current shortage of childcare places for infants under 12 months; if consideration has been given to extending financial supports or childcare leave entitlements to parents who face a gap between the end of paid maternity and parental leave and the availability of childcare; and the way in which she plans to support working parents, particularly mothers, in re-entering the workforce under these circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39649/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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There have been significant developments in the entitlements to family leaves for working families in recent years.

First 5, the Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028, committed to build incrementally over the course of the Strategy so that by 2028 parents in Ireland would have access to a range of family leaves for the first year of their child's life.

Measures in the First 5 Implementation Plan (2023-2025) included increasing Parent’s Leave and Benefit for both fathers and mothers from seven to nine weeks in August 2024. The combined durations of Maternity, Paternity and Parent’s Leave and Benefit now equate to 46 weeks’ paid leave for a two-parent family. Mothers also have an entitlement to 16 weeks of Additional Maternity Leave which is unpaid. Many parents add annual leave to their family leave entitlements which allows for at least a further four weeks of paid leave per parent.

Under the Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019, an employee who is a relevant parent in respect of a child under the age 12 is entitled to 26 weeks’ unpaid parental leave for each child. Where a child has a disability or long-term illness, the entitlement can continue until the child is 16. A relevant parent is a parent, an adoptive parent, or a person acting in ‘loco parentis’.

The Parental Leave (Amendment) Act 2019 also raised the maximum age limit of the eligible child for which parental leave can be taken from 8 years to 12 years. Both parents have an equal, separate entitlement to parental leave.

It should be noted that the legislation only sets out the minimum entitlement to parental leave. Depending on an individual’s contract of employment, they may have more extensive rights to parental leave, as employers have the option to offer more than the entitlement set out in the legislation.

The Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 introduced further important entitlements for workers, including the right to request flexible working for parents and carers, and leave for medical care purposes for parents of children under 12.

Family leave provisions are kept under review to ensure that they are effective and respond to the needs of families and also mindful of the impact of the leaves on workplaces. The Programme for Government sets out a commitment to examine the possible extension of parent's leave and benefit and additional flexibilities. Presently, the next National Strategy for Women and Girls is in development and will consider ways to support working families in balancing the competing demands of family and work.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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846. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is considering measures to expand access to after-school child care services in primary schools, particularly for children finishing school at 2 pm; if the impact of limited childcare options on mothers' participation in the workforce has been assessed; if supports will be introduced to make aftercare more accessible and affordable for working families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39650/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government.

Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2023/24 shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by approximately 19% from the 2021/22 programme year. Core Funding application data shows that between Year 1 and Year 3 of the scheme, annual place hours increased by over 15%. The Tusla register of services demonstrates a net increase in the numbers of registered early learning and childcare services in 2024. In relation to school-age childcare, the supply of places has grown substantially in recent years. Estimated enrolments in school-age childcare, based on Sector Profile data, have grown by 56% over the last two years. However, it appears that demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country, particularly for younger children.

The Programme for Government commits to working with schools to host before and after-school care, and examine start-up supports for groups involved in after-school activities. 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.

The Programme for Government also contains a commitment to plan the development of State-led facilities in tandem with the school building programme, including Irish medium naíonraí. 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.

Core Funding has seen consistently increased State investment to the sector year on year, and is set in year 4 to be worth over €390 million contingent on the establishment of new minimum rates of pay in the sector through updated Employment Regulation Orders (ERO). This is an increase of over 50% since the scheme began in September 2022 with an allocation of €259 million.

From September 2025, when year 4 of Core Funding begins, over €390 million will be available through Core Funding.

The increased Core Funding available from September facilitates:

• Support for providers in meeting the costs of increases in minimum pay rates as a result of newly negotiated Employment Regulation Orders by the independent Joint Labour Committee;

• Increased funding for early learning and care capacity offered to ensure Partner Services can keep pace with rising costs without needing to increase fees charged to parents;

• An increase to the minimum amount of funding a centre-based service will receive, increasing to €14,400 per year from the current level of €14,000;

• A reduction in the maximum allocation for a services capacity to €450,000 to best spread a limited budget across the entire sector; and

• Funding to support capacity growth of 3.5% across the sector.

Many families currently rely on the National Childcare Scheme (NCS) to help reduce the cost of early learning and care, with almost 220,000 children receiving NCS subsidies in 2024. The NCS is designed to be flexible and responsive to families’ needs, offering subsidies based on an hourly rate, with a maximum number of hours per week depending on family circumstances. This allows for subsidised sessional, part-time, or full-time care arrangements, depending on what best suits the needs of working parents.

The NCS has undergone a number of enhancements in recent years to further improve affordability for parents. These include the extension of the universal subsidy to all children under 15 years of age and two increases to the minimum hourly subsidy, which is now worth a minimum of €96.30 per week for 45 hours.

Children in childminding settings that have come forward for registration, following changes to the childminder Tusla registration requirements last September, can also benefit from NCS subsidies.

In recognition of the continued pressures faced by working parents, my Department will shortly begin an evaluation of the National Childcare Scheme. A key focus of this evaluation will be on how the Scheme has performed to date and to identify enhancements to improve the affordability and accessibility of childcare, including after school care, for working families.

In addition to the National Childcare Scheme, the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Programme has allowed for significant progress in terms of affordability. The Programme provides two years of pre-school without charge and enjoys participation rates of 96%. Over 70% of families on low income report that they would not be able to send their child to pre-school without this Programme.

Further steps are being taken my Department to improve affordability for working families including the development of a detailed Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early learning and childcare system, informed by stakeholder consultation. This will include the steps to deliver the €200 per month cap committed to in the Programme for Government and outline the timeline for achieving this.