Emer Higgins
Dublin Mid-West · Fine Gael · Ireland
“With regard to the background, and as the Senator has touched on, this project was designed on the basis of a 30-year operational lease, with the primary objective of delivering value for money over the lifetime of that lease.”
“Regarding the specific situation in Castlebar that the Senator has raised, Tusla has indicated that following careful consideration, including extensive negotiations, which he referred to, and legal mediation with the developers, it was unable to reach an agreement.”
“They came forward, often at enormous personal cost, and continued to seek answers and accountability when the very systems that should have protected them had failed. For many survivors of child sexual abuse, the abuse does not end when it stops.”
“The strongest projects are those that invest in feasibility studies, site assessments, stakeholder engagement and detailed design from the outset, because decisions made at the earliest stage often have the greatest impact on cost, quality and operational performance.”
“As a result, it made a significant uplift on its original offer. The additional increase sought could not be justified, however, when benchmarked against comparable projects across both Tusla and the HSE. That comes back to the value-for-money argument.”
“Justice Michael White for their significant work and acknowledge how deeply distressing the findings are. They reveal repeated missed opportunities, ignored warning signs and systemic failures that allowed abuse to occur over many years. Children who should have been protected were instead left vulnerable.”
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“It ensures that our policies respond with empathy and understanding. In the Department, we are working hard to raise awareness around gender equality to understand where women and girls face barriers and to take practical steps to remove them. We want every woman and girl to have the freedom and the support to choose their own path. We have also strengthened the supports across the life cycle, including family leave entitlements, that make a real difference to working parents across the country. We remain committed to ensuring more women can rise into leadership roles of every description. I am proud that Ireland has now fully transposed the EU directive on gender balance on corporate boards because diversity in leadership strengthens every organisation.”
“These are women who pushed through barriers, insisted on fairness, demanded change and made it possible for the next generation to dream bigger. As the Minister, Deputy Foley, said, Ireland has made real strides in advancing gender equality. It is positive to see our progress reflected in the EU gender equality index. It shows that our commitments are not just words and not just strategies. They are actions and, most importantly, they are working. The same can be said of our approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. I wish to take a moment to recognise the work of Cuan and refuges across Ireland. The newly launched national strategy for women and girls is central to progress. It recognises that women experience different things at different stages in their lives with different challenges at different moments.”
“I thank the Acting Chairperson very much. I appreciate that. I am glad we did that because it is important for every Senator who wants the opportunity to speak on this to be able to do so. I thank everybody for participating in today's remarks. There were some really thoughtful contributions. That is fantastic. International Women's Day and the lead-up to it is about taking the opportunity to pause, reflect, think and celebrate the absolutely extraordinary contribution of women and girls across Ireland. Every single day, we see women achieving remarkable things, whether it is in sport, science, technology, law, business, education, public service, homes or communities across Ireland. None of that progress happens by chance. It is built on the courage of the women who came before us.”
“We will continue to work towards the objective of realising these obligations by fully transitioning all wards of court to a new, rights-based, supported decision making framework. We will do so as soon as possible. With the benefits of these amendments, we will be able to do it in a manner that is fair and orderly while we maintain as much legal certainty as possible for the people at the heart of this.”
“It is due in 2028 but we are very committed to ensuring we are listening to feedback from Deputies in this House and who are on our Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters, but also, and most important, that we are listening to people who are impacted by this and to those who represent them, work with them and support them. We will be commencing that review and work will start on that this year. It is something my officials and I are determined will be absolutely inclusive and consultative. I really appreciate people's support for this Bill. I am ever mindful of our obligations under the UNCRPD. This is an important part of our commitment to ensuring we realise those.”
“To ensure this, in December, the courts assigned additional judges to make a declaration of capacity. We now have a total of four judges working on this. It is also important to say that everybody now has a legal aid certificate in place. I know Deputy Gogarty in particular had concerns that resources might come after the fact, but since December, there has been a huge impetus on this. A number of resources have been put in place to ensure we can move forward with any new extensions that may happen to the deadline. On the review of the Act, there was an awful lot of feedback about the Act itself. It is my Department's intention to commence a review of the Act this year.”
“Just to deal with Deputy Lawless's query about enduring power of attorney and being online only, the service is absolutely digital first but it is not digital only. It is really important the constituents he is speaking about are aware of that and decision support services are there to provide that exact service for that reason. Deputy Devlin used a very important phrase earlier when he said this has to be about empowerment and not paperwork. That is absolutely what we are committed to doing. A number of Deputies raised queries about resources and wider issues or concerns they have about the Act. On resources, as part of the development of the Bill, the Courts Service has provided the Department with estimates which ensure that the further deadline of 27 October will be met.”
“The guiding principles of the Act dictate that any intervention that is made is proportionate and made in a manner that minimises the restriction of the person's rights and freedom of action. It must have due regard to the relevant person's right to dignity, bodily integrity, privacy, autonomy, control over their financial affairs and property, and it must respect the individual's right to private and family life. It is also important to recognise that, once the wardship court declares that a ward lacks capacity to make certain decisions, this declaration is then kept under review by the Circuit Court. A number of Deputies, Paul Lawless and Mark Ward in particular, raised issues about advanced healthcare directives and the enduring power of attorney, EPA.”
“The courts are entrusted with the administration of justice under the constitution. I am really confident they can be trusted to exercise their discretion in accordance with the requirements of fair procedure. The expectation has been reinforced in the Bill by the inclusion of "in the interests of justice", and that is a criterion as well. Ultimately, capacity declarations must be evidence-based and that will not change. Deputy Ó Murchú raised a specific concern about correspondence from St. John of God intellectual disability services about decision-making representation orders. When wardship courts make a declaration regarding a ward's capacity, that is done on the basis of evidence before the court. That also includes the results of a functional capacity assessment.”
“We were very clear that we did not want to remove that because want to keep the momentum going. In the case of minors reaching the age of 18, the requirement to discharge them within six months will remain in place. However, experience has shown that cases involving a young person who was in wardship as a minor can be among the most complex to access. Therefore, for the sake of fairness and consistency with the provision for adults, this Bill will also give the wardship court the discretion to extend the time period for making a capacity declaration in those cases but only in exceptional circumstances. Deputies Kerrane and Quaide raised the issue of exceptional circumstances and its definition. Ultimately, it will be up to the courts to determine what good reason or exceptional circumstances are, but that is common.”
“Deputies Kerrane, Buckley and Mark Ward specifically raised the topic of minors. To answer Deputy Ward's clear question of how many children this impacts, the answer is none. The reason for that is that the wardship regime is ending for adults. These amendments do not change that from an adult's perspective. I know Deputy Kerrane had a specific question about the extension for children entering adulthood. The statutory anchor date of 26 April will remain in place for all pending cases, just to be clear. The ADMC Act itself applies to minors only for the exception, in terms of when they reach the age of 18 after 26 October 2025. From 25 October 2027 is when we are now putting in that extension. That is not a target date. That is an end date. The statutory deadline of 26 April of this year remains as a goalpost.”
“The survey sought the views and attitudes of wards and committees on the process to discharge wards from wardship in order to identify the reasons the pace of wards and committees applying for discharge from wardship have been slow. That survey clearly found three recurring themes. One was reluctance to change from a familiar system. The second was satisfaction with the existing arrangements. The third was uncertainty about the costs of the discharge applications. Wards and committees have also reported concerns about the future management of funds. That came up a number of times, both today and yesterday. The survey also indicated that committees are taking a wait and see approach to commencing discharge applications. That is why we have engaged so much with them so we can really try to bring them with us on this journey.”
“My officials also do that, and did that really well. That is because we fully believe it is crucial that both wards and committees are supported as they move through this process of transitioning out of wardship and into a rights-based framework of decision support services. There were a number of questions about why discharge has been so slow. Deputies Gogarty, Quaide and O'Rourke asked specific questions on this. I acknowledge that while the pace of discharge for wards has been slow, there is a serious concern that a significant number of cases will not have received a capacity declaration by the deadline. That is why we are where we are. However, we undertook a survey in previous years in collaboration with the Courts Service. We did that in June 2024.”
“At that, we were able to hear at first hand the issues that are arising both with the discharge process itself and regarding some concerns around what life may be like once a ward has transitioned to a new support arrangement. I am absolutely happy to run another of those events if there is a demand. It is important to note that event was attended by key stakeholders involved in the operation of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, for example the Office of the Wards of Court, the Decision Support Service, the Legal Aid Board, the NDA, the National Advocacy Service and, most importantly, wards, their families and their committees. The reason I am saying this is that I want Members to know I always place consultation, communication and stakeholder engagement at the centre of what I do.”
“My officials circulated an information note to all stakeholders, which set out clearly the planned changes to the Act. We held a further separate dedicated consultation session with the Disabled Persons' Organisations Network to discuss the upcoming changes and to invite their views and feedback. Written feedback was invited and, indeed, received from disabled persons' organisations. Department officials also briefed the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, IHREC, on the proposed amendments to the legislation. As I said yesterday, officials from my Department held a consultation meeting and event for wards, committees and wider stakeholders on Monday of this week.”
“.I thank all of the Deputies who spoke on his really important Bill both last night and tonight. I acknowledge Members who contributed to the debate and indicated their support for progressing what is urgent and important legislation. I really appreciate the fact that support came from both sides of the House. A lot of different issues were touched on both tonight and last night, so I going to do my best to address as many of them as possible within the time I have. Immediately following approval by Cabinet for this amendment Bill, which happened on 20 January, at which point it was a proposed Bill, on the same day I convened an online meeting of stakeholders to apprise them of the planned amendments and to provide an opportunity for them to pose any questions they might have.”
“I hope the Senator is right. While no additional funding is available for this year, the Minister intends to continue to pursue the expansion of the programme through the budgetary process in line with the programme for Government. If successful in securing funds for future expansion of the family resource centre programme, a new call for applications will be launched to ensure all existing and newly interested locations can apply. I understand that Tusla, over the coming months, will be in contact with organisations whose applications were unsuccessful as part of this call, and that Tusla intends to engage with any parties interested in applying for potential future open calls for applications. I encourage both Senators to ask people to engage with Tusla on this matter.”
“The Senator clearly outlined that he feels Cootehill absolutely fits those criteria. Unfortunately, there may be plenty of other places that fit those criteria, so it is important the next application deals in particular with those-----”
“I thank Senator O'Reilly for his fantastic advocacy on this issue, which I know is so important to him and his constituents. The next step is to make sure we can secure funding for the continued expansion of this scheme. The step after that would be for Cootehill, and others in this boat, to apply for any such new scheme that may come in. I suppose the exact same requirements will be looked at. I reiterate that it is a comprehensive national application and assessment process. It is led by Tusla and is independently verified and independently chaired. Applications are reviewed and scored against clearly defined and already published criteria. Population need, level of deprivation, child population data, existing service provision and existing service gaps are all part of that picture.”
“The range of services they provide can be extensive, determined by the needs of the relevant communities. It is particularly important to note that many services are delivered at no cost or low cost to families, who otherwise might not be able to access them. Also, by availing of funding schemes operated by other Government Departments and agencies, there is great potential for family resource centres to grow their scope and reach, and further embed themselves in their communities, and that is what we wish to do in government.”
“Regrettably, funding only allowed for 15 new members to be selected from the 49 organisations that applied, leaving 34 applications unsuccessful. I thank those organisations for their interest in joining the programme and for the important work they continue to do day in and day out. The benefits of community-based services such as family resource centres cannot be overstated. Many of us will have witnessed first-hand the impacts that family resource centres have on the communities they operate in and the communities and families they support. They engage with vulnerable families, offer services to individuals across the whole life cycle from early years to senior citizens and, crucially, foster a positive and inclusive community spirit.”
“All applications were reviewed and scored against clearly defined and published criteria, including population need, level of deprivation, child population data, existing service provision and existing service gaps. Decisions on the successful services were made by the assessment panel. This process was outlined in the Tusla outcome letters that issued to all applicants. A total of 49 organisations applied for membership of the family resource centre programme, following an open call from Tusla for applications to join the programme. This shows a strong level of interest in communities around the country in having family resource centres as part of their community infrastructure. I understand that Tusla was very impressed with the level of interest in joining the programme, and with the quality of the applications received.”
“The programme expanded by five last year and 15 this year. The commissioning of new family resource centres is an operational matter for Tusla, the Child and Family Agency. It is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the family resource centre programme. To be clear, neither the Minister nor the Department have had any involvement in the assessment process for new members of the family resource centre programme or in selecting new programme members, and therefore cannot comment on any particular application. A comprehensive national application and assessment process was undertaken in 2025, which was led by Tusla and independently chaired by a representative of the University of Limerick.”
“The survey results that have been gone through are backing up what the Senator said. It is encouraging to hear about a suitable venue and support on the ground from local agencies. In terms of the expansion of the family resource centre programme, this is the latest in a number of very positive developments for the programme over the last few years. There is a programme for Government commitment to increase funding and to expand the capacity and network of family resource centres. This year's budget honours that commitment, with funding secured for a further ten family resource centres. This will bring the family resource centre membership up to 136 this year. That expansion follows the increase in the programme by five members last year, when funding was secured as part of the 2025 budget. This was the first such expansion since 2018.”
“I thank Senator O'Reilly for raising this issue, which I know is very close to his heart as a man from Cootehill. This is something that he sees on the ground day in and day out and he fully understands the need here. It is great to see such cross-party co-operation in the interests of local democracy and shared local community. I thank Senator Gallagher for his comments on the matter. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Norma Foley. She informed me earlier today that she had met both Senators and the fantastic volunteers involved in this fantastic local initiative. It is great to hear that Councillor Carmel Brady is involved in the campaign. Senator O'Reilly put it very well when he spoke about the deprivation index of the area and how great a need there was.”
“It does this by maintaining the statutory deadline of 26 April 2026, helping to avoid any disruption to the court processes already under way, while providing the courts with the discretion to extend that deadline in certain circumstances insofar as it is necessary, proportionate and in the interests of justice to do so. I thank Deputies for listening. I thank members of the joint Oireachtas committee for their co-operation and interest and for attending briefings on this with my officials over the past number of weeks. I thank my officials who have drafted this and who are with me today. I look forward to the Deputies' questions.”
“The wardship court may discharge or vary any order for an extension of time that it makes. Where the ward has not participated in the making of an order, as I said, he or she will be notified of the making of any such order as soon as practicable after its making. The outer limit for any extension of time in respect of wards who reach the age of 18 after 26 October 2025 will be 18 months. Section 2 of this Bill is a standard provision, which sets out the Short Title and citation of the Bill. To conclude, this Bill is a key measure for the fair and orderly transition of individual wards from the wards of court system to a new rights-based supported decision-making framework. It provides for legal certainty for those wards who have not had a capacity declaration completed by the statutory deadline for the end of the wardship regime.”
“The outer limit for any extension of time will be 18 months or until 25 October 2027, whichever is the earlier. The second new subsection 54(3A) provides for an extension to the timeline set out in section 54(3) for making a capacity declaration, in certain circumstances, in relation to wards who reach the age of 18 after 26 October 2025. This subsection will allow for an extension for such period as the wardship court considers necessary and proportionate in the circumstances where the court is satisfied that good reason has been shown that the statutory deadline for making a capacity declaration will not be met in an individual case, and where it is also in the interests of justice to grant the extension. A further extension will be permitted in exceptional circumstances provided that this is also in the interests of justice.”
“This subsection will allow for an extension for such period as the wardship court considers necessary and proportionate in the circumstances where the court is satisfied that a good reason has been shown that the statutory deadline of 26 April 2026 will not be met and where it is also in the interests of justice to grant the extension. Subsection 54(2A) will also allow for a further extension in exceptional circumstances provided that a further extension is also in the interests of justice. The wardship court may discharge or vary any order for an extension of time that it makes. Where the ward has not participated in the making of an order, he or she will be notified of the making of any such order as soon as practicable after its making.”
“Section 1 of the Bill amends section 54 of the 2015 Act by the insertion of two new subsections to give the wardship court the discretion to extend the time periods set out in section 54(2) or section 54(3) for making a capacity declaration under section 55(1) in individual wardship cases in certain circumstances. The first new subsection 54(2A) provides for an extension or the time period set out in section 54(2) for making a capacity declaration under section 55(1) in relation to an adult ward in certain circumstances.”
“The Bill also ensures that wards of court are kept up to date and informed of the progress of their discharge. If the court decides to grant an extension, especially if the ward was not involved in that decision, he or she must be informed of it as soon as possible. I know Deputies will appreciate the importance of ensuring that wards are not left in uncertainty and that this Bill is both necessary and urgent. Let me now turn to the detail of the Bill, which is divided into two sections. The key provisions include the following. The Bill amends the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 to enable the wardship court to extend, in certain circumstances, the time period for making a capacity declaration under section 55(1) of the 2015 Act.”
“It is going to take some time for each ward to be reviewed by the Courts Service but I know there has been increased judge allocation recently, which is absolutely going to help this situation. For those wards of court who are under 18, the situation is slightly different as they will only exit wardship when they reach 18 and the deadline for a capacity declaration for these wards is six months after they reach the age of 18. The Bill proposes that a similar extension to the time period for their capacity declaration can be granted in the same circumstances as those for the adult wards. This will ensure that their discharge process can also be carried out in a timely manner but recognises that it may need to be extended in the interests of justice.”
“The period of this extension must be necessary and proportionate, and granting the extension must at all times be In the interests of justice. In exceptional circumstances, the extension can be extended, once again, where it is in the interests of justice. However, no extension or extensions can exceed an 18-month period or go beyond 25 October 2027, whichever occurs earlier. This means that despite an extension being granted, there will be certainty for wards that the capacity declaration will be made by 25 October 2027 at the latest. Once these amendments are enacted, the Courts Service will have to arrange for a judge to: consider the case for each individual ward; decide on the appropriate length of time for an extension; and grant the extension, if warranted.”
“The 2015 Act does not provide for a situation where a capacity declaration will not have been made in respect of adult wards within the timeframe allowed and that is why urgent legislative amendments are required. They are required to avoid legal uncertainty for the large number of wards who will not receive a capacity declaration before the deadline. Without such amendments, the legal uncertainty that would arise for these wards could create complications with important matters, such as their care and treatment, provision of services and placement in facilities. The Bill provides a pathway to avoid this scenario by providing power to the High Court to grant on a case-by-case basis an extension to the deadline.”
“Under section 55(1) of the Act, the High Court or "wardship court", as it is referred to under the Act, is required to make a capacity declaration in respect of every adult ward of court. The capacity declaration is a key step in the discharge from wardship process and it requires the completion of a capacity assessment and the formal submission of a report to the court. As it currently stands, all capacity declarations must be made by the statutory deadline of 26 April 2026, and that very much remains the anchor date to which the courts are working and continue to towards. However, the reality is that we are not going to meet the deadline date for all wards, with approximately 1,050 wardship cases currently outstanding.”
“Just yesterday, my Department held a consultation meeting in the Camden Court Hotel, where members of the public had an opportunity to hear from the bodies involved in discharge, to raise their concerns and to engage with other people who might be in similar situations. I attended this and would like to note separately that the 2015 Act is due for formal review by April 2028. Preparations for that are expected to begin later this year. We are going to do them ahead of time. Hearing from those who have a lived experience of this legislation will be crucial to any review and will include former wards of court, those who have made enduring powers of attorney, or those who have had to arrange for decision-making support for a loved one under the legislation. A number of steps are involved in the discharge process.”
“My officials have been working closely with the Decision Support Service and the office of the wards of court within the Courts Service to support wards of court and the committees for the wards and to ensure that they are provided with accurate, reliable information on exiting the wardship regime. This year, all wards of court have been granted legal aid certificates and have legal representation, which is really important. It would be remiss of me to discuss the topic of wardship without acknowledging that for many wards of court or family members of a ward of court, there are legitimate concerns or apprehensions about the process, or about life after discharge, and as Minister of State with responsibility for disability, I am making every effort to hear those concerns.”
“First, the amendments outlined in this Bill relate solely to the statutory deadline that applies to the process for people exiting wardship. Currently, that deadline is 26 April 2026, and while the ambition was always to make sure people exited wardship on time, it has become clear that this deadline will not be met for a variety of different reasons, including a slow pace of discharge proceedings, among other reasons. That is why we now need to make provisions, through this new Bill, for an extension to the statutory deadline. It is of the utmost importance that the transition from wardship is done in a fair way, and that individuals are given as much legal certainty and information as possible when exiting the wardship regime.”
“Those exiting wardships can be discharged with three different arrangements: with no decision-making support, with a co-decision making agreement, or with the appointment of a decision-making representative. To date, 391 wards have been fully discharged, with 38 individuals requiring no decision-making support, 40 requiring co-decision making agreements, and 313 being discharged with decision-making representatives. The Decision Support Service established by the Act oversees the co-decision making agreements and the decision-making representatives. It performs a vital role which ensures proper protections for the individual to whom those arrangements apply. Moving to the purpose of this particular Bill, I want to clearly explain why the amendments are needed and what they propose to do.”
“The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act is important legislation which ultimately transforms how people are supported when they may not have capacity. The Act prioritises the specific needs and wishes of the individual and it represents an important milestone in bringing Ireland into closer compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD. The Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 brought about an end to wardship in the Irish State for adults, by repealing the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act 1871. It replaced the wards of court system with a new rights-based model for appointing tiered decision support arrangements. Since the commencement of the Act in 2023, wards of court have been moving out of the wardship regime into the new decision support framework.”
“I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to address the House on Second Stage of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) (Amendment) Bill 2026. This is urgent legislation, intended to ensure legal certainty for wards of court who are moving to a decision-making process, as set out in the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act of 2015. I appreciate the understanding shown by members of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, which recognised the need to enact this legislation into law before the end of the month and granted a waiver of pre-legislative scrutiny for the Bill. Nonetheless, it is vital that all legislation is properly considered by the Houses of the Oireachtas and I look forward to having the opportunity today and tomorrow to listen to the views and concerns of Members of this House.”
“In a previous role, I was Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and signed into law one of the EROs the Deputy referenced. I wish to put on record my support for that process.”
“The round of capital funding will focus on funding extensions to existing premises to allow for increased numbers of children to be offered places on a full-time basis. Community and private providers that are core funding partner services will be eligible to apply for this scheme, and the Minister expects to announce details of this next building block scheme in the coming weeks. On some of the Deputy's comments, I will firmly put on the record that the Government is absolutely committed to reducing childcare costs. Affordability is really important from the parents' perspective but so too are accessible childcare and ensuring that we have the right amount of childcare in the right locations. Quality needs to be paramount.”
“The Department is assessing sites and buildings and, where required, will seek expressions of interest from operators to deliver State-led services. Local city and county childcare committees will be supporting the development of these projects in the first instance. Community early learning and childcare operators, local authorities, developers or others who might have some suitable premises, projects or sites should, therefore, first contact their local city and county childcare committee. I would encourage the Deputy to put the owners of those sites in touch with his own contacts locally. Separately, following on from the success of the building blocks extension grant scheme, a further scheme will open for applications later this year.”
“I am glad to hear that some of the policies the Minister is pursuing and introducing may be of benefit to the Deputy in his constituency, but most importantly, the parents and children in his constituency. Up to eight buildings will be selected for investment this year, and the State-led initiative will provide thousands of places up to 2030 using the €135 million provided in the national development plan. The level of investment will ramp up over the lifetime of Government. The initial approach is on purchasing and refurbishing buildings given that this is a faster route to delivery in the short term. However, the option of new building facilities will also be considered over subsequent years. The Deputy highlighted two specific sites in Rush and Lusk that would be worth looking at from this perspective.”
“There will be a particular focus in the new State-led facilities on providing places for one to three-year-olds because this is where the need is greatest, with scope for these children to progress in the service until they start school. The aim of delivering additional supply of this kind in suitable locations will include both rural areas and urban areas which are not well served at the moment. Additional supply in areas of disadvantage is another priority because early learning can have really positive impacts on children at risk of disadvantage. Another factor to consider is the need to rebalance supply in some areas where there is a high concentration of private supply but very low levels of community childcare. That is what the Deputy outlined in his contribution, with regard to his constituency, Dublin Fingal West.”
“The Minister recently announced €135 million in capital investment in buildings for high-quality, accessible State-led early learning and childcare. The process will begin this year with investment in buildings in what will be a ground-breaking initiative for this Government. Capital funding will be used to acquire and-or fit out the building, depending on requirements. Services will be operated on a not-for-profit basis by third parties. Where a project is being considered without an operator already in place, the Department will run a process to identify an appropriate not-for-profit operator, with capacity to operate a high-quality service.”
“This provides stability to services, and reduces the risk associated with opening a new service or expanding an already existing service. The Government is also supporting the expansion of capacity through capital funding. The building blocks extension grant scheme is designed to increase capacity in the one to three-year-old, pre-early childhood care and education age range for full daycare. That is to support the parents who the Deputy specifically mentioned in his own contribution. Core funding partner services could apply for capital funding to physically extend their premises or, in the case of community services, to construct or purchase new premises. The scheme will deliver up to 1,500 full-day care places for the one to three-year-old age category.”
“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 learning and childcare system, with State-led facilities adding capacity. That model seeks to identify the nature and volume of different types of early learning and childcare places across the country and how that aligns with the numbers of children in the corresponding age cohorts. That will be done at local area level. The Department continues to support the ongoing development an 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.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this Topical Issue matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley. The Minister would like to thank Deputy O'Donoghue for raising this important issue and for offering her the opportunity to respond. I will deliver her response to the Deputy. Improving access to quality and affordable early learning and childcare is a key priority of Government. Early learning and childcare capacity is increasing. Data from the annual early years sector profile shows that the estimated number of enrolments increased by 25% over the last three years. I believe that Fingal increased by 20% in the same period. The reality is that demand for early learning and childcare remains higher than available supply in certain parts of the country, particularly for younger children.”