An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-13
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

We have the highest number of partner services and core funding at any point since the childcare scheme was launched in 2022, and the number continues to grow. A small number of providers have decided not to sign up for core funding for the current 2025-26 programme. As of today, 4,590 services have signed up, the highest number since 2022. An assessment of the withdrawal of providers from core funding was undertaken on 3 November. It revealed that about 4% of services had left at one point over the lifetime of the scheme to that date. If there are individual issues pertaining to specific providers, the Minister is always open to engaging with such providers.
In that assessment, approximately 70% of services have now returned to core funding. Some people left and came back in again-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-13