Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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542. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the policy measures her Department is considering to address the high demand for baby room places including in Dublin mid-west where shortages have been documented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49814/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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A key priority of this Department is to support improved accessibility to childcare places, including capacity for babies and toddlers. Core Funding has served as a key vehicle in addressing this insufficiency of supply and making the provision of these places more attractive.

Since its introduction in 2022, Core Funding has provided increased levels of funding to services delivering care to these age ranges, to support these services to meet the higher operational costs created by the higher ratios set out in regulations, and to incentivise increased capacity for babies and younger children under three.

This funding is distributed through the Core Funding base rate which has been incrementally increased over the programme years. The hourly rate underpinned by a place for an individual baby aged 0-1 years for the new programme year (2025/2026) is €1.90 – this represents a 14.5% increase in the hourly rate for this age group, when compared to the 2022/2023 programme year. The table below outlines the increased Core Funding base rate values across the age ranges since Core Funding was launched in September 2022.

Table 1: Core Funding Base Rates (Hourly Rate Paid Per Place Hour)

Full time (5+ hours per day) and Part time (3.5 to 5 hours per day):

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, particularly for younger children and in certain parts of the country.

First 5 is Ireland’s whole of government strategy for babies, young children and their families. First 5 seeks to support parents to be at home for the child's first year, based on research evidence that suggests that children benefit particularly from parental care in the first year of life.

Under First 5, from 1 July 2022, Parent’s Leave and Benefit of seven weeks per parent was introduced. It was further increased to nine weeks per parent per child with effect from August 2024. The combined durations of Maternity, Paternity and Parent’s Leave and Benefit now equate to 46 weeks of paid leave for a two-parent family. This is supplemented by an entitlement to 16 weeks of unpaid Maternity Leave, 26 weeks of unpaid parental leave per parent as well as annual leave entitlements.

Further supports will be considered in the context of the development of the new First 5 Implementation Plan for 2026-2028, in line with the Programme for Government commitments to both examine the extension of Parent’s Leave and Benefit and to introduce Pay Related Parent’s Benefit.