Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1724. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the measures his Department is taking, in co-operation with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, to ensure that crèche spaces required under planning conditions, particularly in developments of 75 units or more, are brought into operational use as childcare facilities in line with original planning permissions; the steps being taken to prevent the misuse of these units as residential homes through change-of-use applications; how the Government intends to ensure consistency in enforcement and oversight across local authorities in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44362/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Revised National Planning Framework (NPF) was approved by Government and the Oireachtas in April 2025. The revised NPF recognises that investment in high quality, affordable early learning and childcare is critical both as an educational support for children, and as an enabler of parental labour market participation.

National Policy Objective 41 of the NPF in particular prioritises the alignment of targeted and planned population and employment growth with investment in a number of areas including a childcare/ECCE planning function, for monitoring, analysis and forecasting of investment needs, including identification of regional priorities; and the provision and timely delivery of childcare facilities and new and refurbished schools on well-located sites within or close to existing built-up areas, including in support of infill and brownfield development, that meet the diverse needs of local populations and act as a key enabler for housing development, thereby contributing to the development of sustainable communities.

The current Guidelines for Planning Authorities relating to Childcare Facilities were issued in 2001 by my Department under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. Planning Authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála are required to have regard to the Guidelines in carrying out their functions under the Planning and Development Act, 2000.

The Guidelines set out a methodology for calculating an adequate provision of childcare places and are intended to ensure a consistency of approach to the treatment of applications in respect to the land use planning aspects of childcare provision, for relevant planning applicants, developers and childcare providers in formulating and considering development proposals. The Programme for Government (PfG) 2025 sets out a number of priorities for Government in relation to access to early learning and childcare services including a commitment to ‘review the 2001 Childcare Facilities Guidelines for Planning Authorities to ensure childcare spaces are provided and put to use’.

In this regard, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Children Disability and Equality (DCDE) and the Department of Education and Youth (DEY) has established a Working Group to create a clear mechanism for information sharing and discussion between Departments in relation to current and future policy related to planning of early learning and childcare services, including examining the existing 2001 Section 28 Childcare Guidelines for Planning Authorities. To date, seven meetings of the Working Group have taken place over the course of 2024 and 2025, with the most recent meeting held in June 2025.

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) established a Supply Management Unit in 2024 which is tasked with undertaking analysis of supply and demand across the country and developing policy responses where supply/demand mismatches are identified.