Serious risk to promised additional childcare places

• Sherlock accuses Government of lack of urgency in delivering childcare places that were committed to in 2024.
• Not a penny has been granted under the Building Blocks expansion scheme in 2025.
• Childcare crisis is getting worse and childcare shortage is having very serious impact on mother’s ability to return to work and to earn.

Labour’s Marie Sherlock TD today raised the worsening childcare crisis during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil, warning that the Government’s failure to deliver on last year’s commitments has put the creation of hundreds of new childcare places at serious risk.

Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Sherlock said Government had shown “a shocking lack of urgency” in addressing one of the most pressing issues facing families, childcare providers, and workers.

Deputy Sherlock said:

“The reality is that the childcare crisis is getting worse, not better. Thousands of families across this country are on waiting lists for childcare. The latest statistics from Pobal show that almost 40,000 children between 1-3 years old are on creche waiting lists and almost 10,000 children are waiting for afterschool places. Yet, we are seeing zero urgency on the part of Government.

“Not one penny has been spent on last year’s Building Blocks expansion scheme commitment. It was originally the case that all grant approvals were supposed to be spent by December 2025.  “Instead, contracts were only sent two weeks ago, and we have since learned that there is missing paperwork. With tendering, the earliest possible date for work to start is two to three months away. That is an astonishing failure.

“We are now hearing concerns from providers that they are unsure if they can proceed with expansion because of inflated costs in construction and that the original grant would not cover those costs. This is on top of increased operational costs to childcare providers.

“There is a reality is many providers already feel squeezed and will not be able to bridge the gap.

“The Tánaiste must end the go-slow in the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and to provide assurances to parents about when these much-needed childcare places will become available.

Deputy Sherlock added that Labour has consistently called for a publicly funded, high-quality childcare system that guarantees affordability for parents, fair pay for workers, and sustainability for providers.

“During the General Election campaign last year, we heard grand promises of reform. But behind the rhetoric, we see delay after delay, and now, a complete failure to spend the funding already allocated. This is a dereliction of duty towards families and workers who were promised real change.”