8. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Finance if in cases where buildings are provided for childcare as a condition for planning permission for residential developments, a mechanism could be found through the tax system to help lower the cost of fitting out such buildings, given that cost is proving to be a major impediment, particularly for community childcare providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28066/25]

Sentiment score: 0.05

73. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Finance his views on the way in which the tax system through, for example, tax relief could help increase the number of childcare places in communities, such as those in west Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28065/25]

Sentiment score: 0.27

I am not sure if the Minister is aware but we have planning guidelines from 2001 where for every 75 dwellings that are built, 20 childcare places are also to be provided. If it was happening, I do not think we would have the problems we have regarding childcare. Sometimes it works. I am sure the Minister has seen that in his own constituency. However, sometimes the builders are exempt or facilities are built but are never opened. I am looking for some realistic and affordable supports for the likes of community crèches and smaller crèches to make that happen.

Sentiment score: 0.08

At the heart of these questions lies an opportunity to link the provision of childcare places with the provision of new housing. Childcare needs a big idea that can deliver capacity at scale and value for money. I am not interested in the big chains that can do that already but in public supply and in supporting community crèches and the providers, primarily women, who have been running our smaller, independent, local facilities for years and struggling to do so. The Government is delivering new housing but can we also ensure that we are delivering childcare places in tandem with that? The mechanism that we currently have - the childcare facilities guidelines for local authorities from 2001 - is not working effectively. For every 75 dwellings, 20 childcare places are supposed to be provided. Sometimes, new crèche buildings are included in planning, are built and are opened but sometimes they are not. I thank the Minister for the information on the capital supports but this forms part of a bigger overhaul of the planning guidelines to ensure that those crèches are not sitting empty, like they are in my constituency, that their use is not being changed and that we see more providers being able to operate in our local communities.

Sentiment score: 0.13

There is a lot of good in the programme for Government. It says that the Government will review these guidelines. It also commits to reviewing core funding and to the provision of public supply. I am here today to say that there are opportunities to combine those and come up with a big vision for the delivery of childcare in our communities. At the moment, there are exemptions to the rule on providing 20 childcare places for every 75 new dwellings. For example, one-bedroom apartments are exempt. Also, if developers say that there is a crèche nearby, then they do not necessarily have to include a crèche in their development even though it could comprise more than 75 dwellings. When the facilities are built, they are only shell and core and so may not be affordable for childcare providers. We need to do what we said we would do in the programme for Government and pull on every lever to actually make delivery happen. We have to review and overhaul the guidelines but we also have to ensure that, when facilities are built, the places then follow.

Sentiment score: 0.17

87. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if the immense challenges facing the childcare sector, including a lack of spaces, will be considered by the new infrastructure division of his Department and by the new accelerating infrastructure task force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28049/25]

Sentiment score: -0.08

This Government will be judged by its delivery of critical infrastructure, that is, infrastructure needed for social and economic reasons. In that regard, we have not seen significant public investment in childcare infrastructure in our local communities. For reference, €45 million was ring-fenced to expand childcare capacity in the NDP over the past two years, versus €1.4 billion in the education capital budget for 2025 alone. We have planning guidelines that theoretically link new homes to the delivery of private childcare places but it is not working effectively enough. I understand that critical infrastructure, with a capital "C" and capital "I", has mainly referred to nation-building infrastructure for energy, housing, transport, water and climate resilience but the underinvestment we have seen in childcare and the over-reliance on private providers to ensure every community and family has access means childcare infrastructure is now critical. Early learning and childcare are nation building.

Sentiment score: -0.13

For the first time, the programme for Government commits to a public model of childcare. The Taoiseach has confirmed that work is needed to map out how we will do that in a public building programme and how that will harmonise with existing provision. He also confirmed that the new supply and management unit has been established to do forward planning and delivery and to assess demand, plan and expand public supply using CSO figurers childcare committees and GIS systems. It is great we will be working on establishing demand but we will also have to back that up with supply. Affordability is great but you have to be able to access it in the first place. A lack of consistent and coherent childcare is still a barrier to women in employment. According to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, nearly nine out of ten Dublin businesses say childcare is a challenge to their staff recruitment and retention, with one fifth of them saying it is their biggest obstacle. Therefore, childcare should be included in the revised NDP at a significant game-changing level that reflects the now critical need for childcare infrastructure. It would be very significant to hear the Minister say today that childcare will be included in the new infrastructure division of his Department and by the new accelerating infrastructure task force. Other countries consider childcare an economic necessity and we should too.

Sentiment score: 0.08