Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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160. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she is aware of the warning of an organisations (details supplied) that if nothing changes, thousands of trusted childminders will be exited from the sector, thus reducing choice, flexibility, and affordability for parents; and the urgent action she will take to avert a crisis. [61329/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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In a survey recently published by Childminding Ireland, 393 childminders responded to a question about their intentions for when registration becomes mandatory. 44% said they were "undecided", 32% said they intend to stop childminding, and 24% said they intend to register with Tusla.

While those who responded to the survey and answered the question represent a small proportion of childminders, I fully understand the sense of uncertainty and anxiety childminders may be experiencing in this period of transition.

Significantly, those childminders who answered the same survey and who had already gone through the process of registration reported very positively on their experiences - only 4% described their experience as negative - while less than 1 in 8 of those who had been previously registered and now operate under the new regulations were dissatisfied.

I therefore believe that communications will be essential to addressing many childminders' concerns. A national communications strategy is a key element in phase 2 of the National Action Plan for Childminding during the transition period which lasts until September 2027. Work on this strategy has begun, aiming to inform childminders and parents about the changes, the supports available, and what to expect.

The childminding-specific Regulations, which came into effect in September 2024, are designed to be proportionate and appropriate to the home and family setting in which childminders work.

Childminders were consulted on and involved in all aspects of the development of the regulations. Both the Steering Group for the National Action Plan for Childminding, and the various Advisory Groups that have supported it, have included childminders as well as representatives of Childminding Ireland.

In addition, an independent external review of the draft Childminding Regulations was carried out by Dr Bill Maxwell, the former CEO of Education Scotland, former Chief Inspector in both Scotland and Wales, and OECD consultant, which confirmed that the approach was proportionate for childminding in Ireland.

We are now in a 3-year transition period during which childminders are being encouraged and supported to register, but registration is not yet mandatory. This phased approach aims to facilitate the largest possible number of childminders to enter the regulated sector, the sphere of quality assurance, and access to Government subsidies, while recognising the time and supports required for childminders to learn about and prepare for registration.

The Department has committed to undertake a review of the initial implementation of the Childminding-specific Regulations during the transition period. The review will include consultation with childminders and other stakeholders.

Supports are available for childminders at local level through the City and County Childcare Committees. Each City and County Childcare Committee employs a Childminding Development Officer, who provides a range of supports to local childminders, including a short pre-registration training course.

The Childminding Development Grant provides up to €1,000 to assist both registered and unregistered childminders who are providing a childminding service in their own homes. In 2025, the Department has paid €413,338 to childminders through the Childminding Development Grant. A further round of the Grant will open in early 2026.

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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161. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she plans on publishing her Department’s childcare action plan before the end of 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61746/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government outlines the commitment to "undertake a broad consultation and publish a detailed Action Plan to build an affordable, high-quality, accessible early childhood education and care system".

Officials in the Department are continuing to develop this Action Plan which will look at affordability, access and quality of the early learning and care and school-age childcare system. These three attributes – affordability, accessibility and quality – are closely connected and the ways in which they interact is complex. It will be essential that we make progress in all three areas in parallel in order to deliver on our vision. Officials are working on an integrated approach to minimise the risk of unintended consequences and to identify opportunities to address multiple policy challenges at the same time.

While work on developing the Action Plan is ongoing, we are already taking initial steps to deliver on key commitments in the Programme for Government. Budget 2026 enables Core Funding to continue to support fee-control measures and will also allow for growth in the sector. The allocation for Core Funding in 2026 will ensure fees remain at 2021 levels for a majority of providers. As well as this, there will be a new maximum fee cap set to reduce costs for families paying the highest fees across the country. Further details of the new, lower maximum fee caps will be announced in the coming months.

The 2026 allocation for Core Funding will also support implementation of the recently announced Employment Regulation Orders, which led to a 10% increase in the minimum rate of pay for educators from 13 October.

There will also be enhancements in Year 5 of Core Funding to improve pay for educators and school age childcare practitioners with implementation of new Employment Regulation Orders.

Further steps will be detailed in the Action Plan on Accessible, High Quality, Affordable Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare, which the Department is continuing to develop. The Action Plan will be informed by a broad consultation process and will set out plans to achieve Programme for Government commitments, including the commitment to reduce maximum monthly fees to €200 over the lifetime of the Government.

I will provide further detail on the Action Plan and the consultation process at the earliest opportunity.

Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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162. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the measures included in Budget 2026 to reduce costs for parents and improve accessibility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61545/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to ensuring access to affordable, quality early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC), with an investment of €1.48bn in the 2026 budget. This funding will allow the Department to build on recent progress in the gradual reduction of fees for parents, while also supporting supply and the quality of provision.

Budget 2026 sees an allocation of €405 million for Core Funding, a supply-side grant to early learning and childcare providers toward their operating costs. This is an increase of €52 million on the 2025 allocation of €353 million – representing a 15% year-on-year increase.

The increased allocation for Core Funding in 2026 will ensure fees remain at 2021 levels for a majority of providers, while also allowing for growth in the sector. As well as this, €20.6 million in brand new full-year funding was secured in Budget 2026 to support providers in adhering to Core Funding fee management conditions, including further reductions in the maximum fee caps in the fifth year of the Scheme. This will guarantee that Core Funding’s monetary protections will continue to be passed on to families while ensuring sustainability and stability for the sector.

The Programme for Government commits for the first time to provision of early learning and childcare through State-led facilities adding capacity in areas where unmet need exists.

The development of State-led early learning and childcare services will be enabled by capital allocation provided in the revised National Development Plan 2026-2030. As announced in the context of Budget 2026, €36 million will be available in 2026 for early learning and childcare capital programmes. This will include acquisitions of new buildings through the State-led early learning and childcare programme, investment in expansion of existing early learning and childcare operators through the Building Blocks scheme and a number of quality initiatives including supports to childminders.

This work is being led by a new Forward Planning and Delivery Unit which is focused on identifying areas of need, forecasting demand, and planning for the delivery of public supply within the early learning and childcare sector where required.

Further detail will be available in the forthcoming Action Plan on Accessible, High Quality, Affordable ELC and SAC, which the Department is continuing to develop. The Action Plan will be informed by a broad consultation process and will set out plans to achieve Programme for Government commitments, including the commitment to reduce maximum monthly fees to €200 over the lifetime of the Government.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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163. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the steps her Department is taking to reduce the cost of childcare in the State. [61894/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to ensuring access to affordable, quality early learning and care (ELC) and school-age childcare (SAC), with an investment of €1.48bn in the 2026 budget. This funding will allow the Department to build on recent progress in the gradual reduction of fees for parents, while also supporting supply and the quality of provision.

Budget 2026 sees an allocation of €405 million for Core Funding, a supply-side grant to early learning and childcare providers toward their operating costs. This is an increase of €52 million on the 2025 allocation of €353 million – representing a 15% year-on-year increase.

The increased allocation for Core Funding in 2026 will ensure fees remain at 2021 levels for a majority of providers, while also allowing for growth in the sector. As well as this, €20.6 million in brand new full-year funding was secured in Budget 2026 to support providers in adhering to Core Funding fee management conditions, including further reductions in the maximum fee caps in the fifth year of the Scheme. This will guarantee that Core Funding’s monetary protections will continue to be passed on to families while ensuring sustainability and stability for the sector.

The Programme for Government commits for the first time to provision of early learning and childcare through State-led facilities adding capacity in areas where unmet need exists.

The development of State-led early learning and childcare services will be enabled by capital allocation provided in the revised National Development Plan 2026-2030. As announced in the context of Budget 2026, €36 million will be available in 2026 for early learning and childcare capital programmes. This will include acquisitions of new buildings through the State-led early learning and childcare programme, investment in expansion of existing early learning and childcare operators through the Building Blocks scheme and a number of quality initiatives including supports to childminders.

This work is being led by a new Forward Planning and Delivery Unit which is focused on identifying areas of need, forecasting demand, and planning for the delivery of public supply within the early learning and childcare sector where required.

Further detail will be available in the forthcoming Action Plan on Accessible, High Quality, Affordable ELC and SAC, which the Department is continuing to develop. The Action Plan will be informed by a broad consultation process and will set out plans to achieve Programme for Government commitments, including the commitment to reduce maximum monthly fees to €200 over the lifetime of the Government.