Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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2507. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the additional funding required to increase funding for the ECCE scheme by 10%; if she will provide a breakdown of those proposed new funding levels, in tabular form; when funding for ECCE was last increased; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44056/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy has requested the cost of increasing funding for the ECCE Programme by 10%.

To deliver the ECCE Programme, preschool providers receive a capitation of €69 per child per week. This was increased from €64.50 in September 2018. A 10% increase in funding for this €69 capitation rate would provide a weekly capitation rate of €75.90.

To calculate the total cost of this change, a 10% increase was added to the annual cost of the ECCE Programme as of Budget 2025 which is €269.25m, the results are provided in the following table.

It should be noted that this costing is made on the basis of a static system, it is assumed that the already high uptake rate of the ECCE Programme (96% of eligible children) would remain steady and that new services would not enter the market as a result of this change.

When Core Funding services was introduced in 2022, services previously in receipt of ECCE standard capitation (of €69 per week per child) received an addition €9.75 per child per week through Core Funding – an increase of 9.5%. For the coming programme year, ECCE capitation and Core Funding combined will be €80.40.

In addition, there are targeted supports for small and sessional services through Core Funding, including the flat rate of €5,000 for services registered with Tusla as sessional only and the minimum base rate allocation, which will be €14,400 this year.

There premium for graduate lead educators and managers will remain at €4,44 per hour and new €45 million ring-fenced fund to help providers meet the cost of new Employment Regulation Orders will equate to an addition €1.14 paid in respect of minimum staff hours required under regulation to operate their service.

Through ECCE and Core Funding combined, services currently receive a minimum of €79.80 per child per week, before the application of graduate premiums and targeted measures. From September 2025, services will receive a minimum of €80.40 per ECCE child per week. This is before the application of graduate premiums, targeted measures, and the ring-fenced funding for improving staff pay and conditions.