Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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2344. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of parents who fall under fee band F in relation to their childcare fees; if the advertised position of no family paying above €295 per week under new caps will apply to them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41780/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The new maximum fee cap which I announced, to be introduced for all Partner Services from September 2025, will place a limit on the maximum fees that can be charged across all types of provision.

This will reduce costs for families who are facing the highest fees across the country. The freeze on fees will remain in place for all other services whose fees fall below the new fee caps (90%).

Under these new fee caps, the fee for a full day place – of between 40-50 hours per week, the most common full day care operating hours – will be no more than €295 per week (before State subsidies under the National Childcare Scheme and the ECCE programme are deducted), the fee cap for 50+ hours of care is €354. All of the fee caps will reduce the highest fees at each Fee Band in the country. The majority of services are already charging far less than the new maximum fees.

If parents/guardians are concerned that their provider has not followed the above procedure, or in the event that they wish to raise a concern regarding a potential breach in fee conditions, the first step is to reach out to their local City/County Childcare Committee for support and guidance. Contact details for local City/County Childcare Committees can be found at gov.ie - City and County Childcare Committees (www.gov.ie)