Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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1185. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if there are any fast-track or alternative planning mechanisms for urgently needed childcare and preschool services, particularly in rural or underserved areas in Kerry. [45454/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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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 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 and the Department of Education and Youth have 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.

Where childcare facilities are subject of applications for planning permission, statutory timelines for decision making apply to planning authority applications under the Planning and Development Act 2000 and will also apply to appeals and applications to be determined by An Coimisiún Pleanála under the Planning and Development Act 2024, further to the commencement of the relevant part of the Act.

The Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE) has policy responsibility for improving access to high quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. 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.