Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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210. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the new forward planning unit will be engaging with city and county childcare committees on the planned provision of public childcare infrastructure in light of the Revised National Planning Framework; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40020/25]

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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211. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality what the plans are for the operation of new public childcare infrastructure in light of the Revised National Planning Framework; if there is a preference for community-based provision or if private providers will be permitted to lease such facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40021/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 210 and 211 together.

Improving access to quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare is a key priority of Government.

Last year, a Supply Management Unit within the Early Learning and Care and School Age Childcare Division was established. In line with the Programme for Government commitment to resource and transform this Unit into a Forward Planning and Delivery Unit, additional staff have been allocated and it is pursuing an ambitious programme of work to identify areas of need, forecast demand and deliver public supply within the sector where required.

A forward planning model is in development which will be central to my Department's plans to achieve the policy goals set out in the Programme for Government to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system, with State-led facilities adding capacity.

The Programme for Government commits for the first time to provide capital investment to build or purchase state-owned early learning and childcare facilities, to create additional capacity in areas where unmet need exists. 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. The concept of public early childhood education and care is interpreted differently by different stakeholders. Key considerations include issues relating to staff employment, pay and conditions; ownership and management of buildings; operating models; governance arrangements; service offering; fees for parents; and the overall funding model will need to be examined. These issues are being examined by officials in my Department.

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. The revised National Development Plan will set out the capital allocation to support this work in the coming years.