Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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2533. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if consideration will be given to allocating funding for after-school facilities as part of the National Development Plan Review 2025; for a breakdown of figures regarding same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44359/25]

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.

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

School age childcare in particular has seen significant expansion over the last two years, with enrolments having increased by more than half.

A Forward Planning and Delivery Unit has been allocated additional staff and is pursuing an ambitious programme of work. This includes the development of a mapping tool using administrative data to identify areas where supply and demand for childcare are misaligned which will inform future decisions about capital investment. This forward planning model will be central to achieving 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.

This work will be supported through capital investment under the revised National Development Plan and my Department is currently considering the design of future capital investment programmes in this context.