Childcare Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-04-23
============================================================

Paul McAuliffe (FF), Dublin North-West

Along with the national childcare scheme, the commitment to a public childcare model is also important. That is why building blocks phase 1 was important. I welcomed the fact the Minister came to our nursery in Ballymun and saw at first hand the work being done.
On the balancing act between childcare workers, providers and parents, I am concerned that the €45 million that was set aside last year is still the subject of some negotiation. I would like to see, as quickly as possible, that money landing in the pockets of childcare workers because it is important we deliver for all three stakeholders.
I reiterate how important the building blocks programme is. I should be putting my question to the Minister for public expenditure. However, I compare it to the equal opportunities childcare programme of the early 2000s. The investment it made in youth centres and childcare was invaluable. We live with its legacy and I have no doubt we will live with the legacy of what the Minister is doing in decades to come.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-04-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-23