Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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108. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality her views on tackling the issues of non-refundable deposits in childcare services. [61906/25]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. This includes reviewing deposit rules across each early learning and childcare scheme.

Childcare services providing the ECCE programme may charge a refundable booking deposit to hold an ECCE place for a child. The maximum deposit a provider may charge is equivalent to four weeks’ ECCE payment, which amounts to €276. The deposit must be returned to the parent or guardian once the child is registered and approved on the ECCE programme. Childcare services may not charge a non-refundable deposit for ECCE.

Service providers contracted to offer the NCS are free to set their own policies regarding the charging of deposits. The relationship between a service provider and a parent is a private one. Approved providers must publish up to date, accurate fee tables, and should ensure compliance with all other Department schemes that the service is a participant in, including Core Funding.

Importantly, in the case of children referred by a sponsor body, the parent or guardian cannot be charged any booking deposit or fee to secure the child's place.

Under Core Funding, in which over 92% of the sector participates, providers agree that all deposits must be returned to the parent/guardian once the child’s registration is approved on the Hive or within four weeks of the child taking up the place, whichever is sooner. Additionally, providers must agree that they will not charge any non-refundable deposits (including administration/registration fees/waiting list fees, etc.) to parents/guardians in respect of their early learning and childcare service for which the deposit was paid.

In instances where a child does not take up a place for which a deposit was paid, there is no onus on a provider, under the Early Childhood Care and Education programme (ECCE) and Core Funding rules, to return the deposit to the parent/guardian.

The Department is committed to ongoing engagement on this matter and will consider wider changes to Core Funding deposit rules for the 2026/2027 programme year. These considerations will include a review of the restrictions around deposits.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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109. To ask the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the means by which she intends to tackle the severe shortage of childcare places across the State; the means by which she intends to quickly build capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61493/25]

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. 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.

A forward planning model is in development which will be central to the Department's plans to achieve 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.

As part of the National Development Plan review the allocation for my Department has increased to €795 million over the next five years.

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.

The Department continues to support the ongoing development and resourcing of Core Funding which has given rise to a significant expansion of places since the scheme was first introduced. Core Funding, which is in its fourth programme year, funds services based on the number of places available.

Budget 2025 secured funding for the fourth programme year (2025/6) to facilitate a further 3.5% increase from September 2025. Budget 2026 has made provision for the fifth programme year (2026/7) for a further expansion in supply of 4.2%.

This increased investment will allow increases in growth of the sector driven both by new services joining the sector and existing services offering more places and/or longer hours to families.

The total allocation for Core Funding in 2026/2027 programme year will increase to €436.54 million, an additional €43.90 million on the current full year allocation.

Capital funding allocated to the early learning and childcare sector under the National Development Plan has enabled significant investment in early learning and childcare. This allows existing Core Funding Partner Services to extend their existing premises or, in the case of community services, to construct or purchase new premises.

The Building Blocks Extension Grant Scheme was launched in late 2024 with a closing date in January 2025. There were four strands to the scheme: Community Construction, Community Extension, Community Purchasing and Private Extension. A total of 78 applications were received with 50 applicants approved to progress to the next stage of the grant process. The scheme will deliver up to 1,500 places from next year.