State to begin building or buying creches in bid to ease childcare shortage

The Minister for Children has said that the state is likely to begin the process of building or purchasing creche premises later this year, and will bring a memo about the issue to cabinet next week.

Figures released last year by Pobal, which manages early years programmes, showed up to 40,000 children under the age of three were waiting for a place in a creche.

On Wednesday, Norma Foley said there has been a year-on-year increase in the number of places being provided but did concede: “Throughout the country, for a variety of different reasons, there are challenges, and those challenges are more acute in some places than in others.”

She pointed to a commitment in the Programme for Government for the state to “either build or the state will purchase buildings” to help provide extra childcare places.

Ms Foley said she will be bringing a memorandum to cabinet next week in relation to the scheme, adding: “We envisage that that process will begin in 2026 for the very first time in the history of the state.”

She said the state “will be the leader” in providing creche places.

When asked about reports 17 creches were not able to open on Monday because they had not complied with the necessary registration process, Ms Foley said “there was work ongoing all over last week, and indeed over the weekend” and “at least 16 of the providers have been sorted”.

She said all childcare service operators were required to be registered and Garda vetted by December 31 – and 98.9% of all providers “did the work” and were registered on time.

The minister was speaking at the launch of the National Conversation on Education.

It is being billed as a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to shape the Irish education system for decades to come.

The public are being asked to share their views on education in Ireland through surveys and submissions, which will be used to “inform the agenda” of a Convention on Education.

The convention of 150 people – which will include children, parents and educators – will meet four times this year to discuss “key issues” in the future of education.

Speaking to reporters at the launch, Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton said it will “feed into” her department’s medium and long-term strategies.