Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

534. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the targeted measures that are currently in place to increase the availability of childcare and creche places in the Dublin 8 area. [8163/22]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department continues to monitor capacity, particularly in light of the recent lifting of Covid-19 restrictions:

- City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs) survey services every week to identify the number of services with staff absences owing to Covid-19 and the impact staff absences has on service provision. This weekly survey reveals a marked reduction in service disruption since early January.

- Data on capacity from the Annual Early Years Sector Profile, from June 2020, revealed significant capacity in the sector, across all counties. CCC will undertake a survey of capacity among services in the coming weeks, to update these June 2020 data.

- New research is underway on the ELC needs of parents who work atypical hours or live in rural communities.

- Local CCCs are available to assist parents in finding ELC.

The table below shows 2020/2021 vacant places, enrolled places and overall capacity for Dublin-Dublin city and Dublin-Dublin South as reported by Pobal.

Table 1: Capacity Dublin-Dublin South / Dublin- Dublin City Capacity 2020/2021

Capital investment in early learning and childcare will be delivered through the National Development Plan (NDP) during 2021-2030. Investment under the NDP will consist of three pillars: Modernisation, New Capacity and First 5 Initiatives. This will enable significant capital investment in early learning and childcare during the lifetime of the NDP as follows:

(1) Modernisation: Much of the existing early learning and childcare infrastructure that was previously delivered by large scale capital programmes is now in need of upgrading and modernisation in order to be fully compliant with new regulations and more recent guidelines, as well as to maximise energy efficiency. This investment will prioritise follow-up funding for buildings that were funded through the Equal Opportunities Childcare Programme (EOCP) and the National Childcare Investment Programme (NCIP), with funding also available for previously non-funded infrastructure.

(2) New Capacity: Ireland is approaching the limits of capacity, with shortfalls for early learning and childcare places already evident in some areas and for some cohorts. The rates of participation in early learning and childcare are also lower than European averages. As investment in subsidisation grows in the coming years as committed to in First 5 and the Programme for Government, demand from parents will also increase.

In the coming years, NDP capital funding allocated to early learning and childcare will be used to increase the stock of early learning and childcare infrastructure, in order to address capacity challenges including the undersupply for certain types of provision and in specific areas of the country.

(3) First 5 Initiatives: First 5 (Government Strategy for babies, young children and their families 2019 -2028) was launched in 2018 and was re-committed to in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future. First 5 envisages a range of innovative initiatives for the early learning and childcare sector, including piloting Family and Early Childhood Centres and piloting outdoor early learning and childcare provision, piloting meal provision. Each of these initiatives have capital requirements.

As outlined in the National Development Plan 2021-2030, access to affordable early learning and childcare is inherently linked to creating an equitable society, sustainable communities and a thriving economy. Early learning and childcare provision is therefore considered under the National Development Plan, along with housing, schools and health facilities as an integral part of national infrastructure.

First 5 commits to increasing investment in early learning and childcare by up to €1 billion by 2028, and includes a range of actions to address availability and affordability, including the development of a new funding model.

On 7th December, Government approved the recommendations of an Expert Group on a new funding model for ELC and SAC contained in the report Partnership for the Public Good. The new funding model is intended, over time, to deliver transformational change including quality improvements to services, better pay and conditions for staff, tackling disadvantage, improved affordability for parents, better management of supply to meet demand, and support for provider sustainability.

The Expert Group report informed the transformative package of measures for the sector committed in Budget 2022. This will see Government investment in the sector reaching €716 million next year, an increase of €78 million from €638 million in 2021. The Budget announcements included a Transition Fund between May and August 2022 and a new Core Funding stream from September 2022.