Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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214. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps being taken by her Department to increase capacity for childcare services in Kerry; the number of families currently on a waiting list for childcare services in Kerry; the average waiting times on those lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40037/25]

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.

Each year, Pobal compiles data from Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School Age Childcare (SAC) providers as part of the Early Years Sector Profile.

The most recent published capacity data for the 2023/24 programme year estimated that there were 7,585 children enrolled in ELC and SAC services in County Kerry. This is an increase from 6,652 in 2022/23 and 5,956 in 2021/22, an overall increase of 27% in the number of children participating in two years.

This data also indicated that in 2023/24, 52% of services in Kerry had at least one vacant place (down from 56% the previous year) and 40% had a waiting list (down from 41% the previous year).

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. Waiting list data therefore should not be used as a measure of overall demand for ELC and SAC places but can show trends.

Because services operate their own waiting lists, my Department does not have data on the average time on waiting lists.

Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile 2023/24 shows that, nationally, 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. 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.

My Department continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of Core Funding which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. Core Funding, which is in its third programme year, funds services based on the number of places available.

This provides stability to services, and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an already existing service. For the current programme year, the allocation for Core Funding allows for a 6% increase in capacity. Additional funding was secured in Budget 2025 to facilitate a further 3.5% increase from September 2025, in the fourth programme year.

The Government is also supporting the expansion of capacity through capital funding. The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme is designed to increase capacity in the 1–3-year-old, pre–Early Childhood Care and Education, age range for full day care. Core Funding Partner services could apply for capital funding to physically extend their premises or to construct or purchase new premises.

50 applications will be progressing to the next stage of the Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme. These 50 applications come from a mix of Community Extension (24), Private Extension (7), Community Purchasing (4) and Community Construction (15) projects, which, when completed, will deliver 1,500 additional full time childcare places for 1–3-year-olds. Two services in Kerry were approved for funding under the scheme. I look forward to seeing how these projects progress over the coming months.

A Forward Planning and Delivery Unit in my Department has been allocated additional staff have been allocated and is pursuing an ambitious programme of work. 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.

My Department also funds 30 City/County Childcare Committees, which provide support and assist families and early learning and childcare providers. The network of 30 City/County Childcare Committees across the country can assist in identifying vacant places in services for children and families who need them and engage proactively with services to explore possibilities for expansion among services, particularly where there is unmet need.

Parents experiencing difficulty in relation to their early learning and childcare needs should contact their local City/County Childcare Committee for assistance. Contact details for the Kerry County Childcare Committee may be found at www.kerrycountychildcare.com.