Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the proportion of early learning and care and school-age childcare services that have signed up for the fourth year of core funding to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50094/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As of 22 September 2025, 90% of eligible providers had signed up to the fourth year of Core Funding, almost 4,300 services. This represents an increase of over 5% since this time last year.

Every year there are a number of services who sign up to Core Funding in the weeks following the commencement of the programme year. I am encouraged by the high engagement with the application process to date and the similarities to trends in uptake in the previous two years.

The introduction of Core Funding in 2022 brought a significant increase in investment for the sector, with €259 million of funding paid directly to services in year 1 of the scheme. €210.8 million of this was entirely new funding. The fourth year of the scheme began on 1 September 2025, with an annual allocation of over €390 million.

Participation in Core Funding is optional, but it remains open to all Tulsa registered providers, subject to their agreement to the terms and conditions of the Core Funding Agreement. It is a matter for providers to decide whether they wish to sign up to Core Funding and benefit from the significant financial supports it offers to providers and the certainty it gives to parents through the associated fee management measures.

Additionally, this Department oversees a system of case management through which local City or County Childcare Committees assist services with issues and difficulties that arise. Core Funding Partner Services can avail of these case management supports if they experience viability concerns. This support can take the form of assisting services with interpreting analysis of staff ratios and cash flow, financial support for partner services, as well as more specialised advice and support appropriate to individual circumstances.

This Department will continue to engage with the sector, and continue to develop the scheme so that it can continue to see the high uptake levels it has seen this year, and indeed since it was launched in 2022.