631. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the costs associated with preforming the tasks carried out on behalf of his Department by Better Start and the city/county childcare committees, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24968/24]

The Better Start initiative was allocated €16,798,000 in 2023. Better Start entails a Quality Development Service (QDS), which involves professional development, mentoring and coaching. Better Start also supports providers working with children with special needs under the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM). In addition, Better Start provides a range of learning and development supports to staff in the sector.

The City and County Childcare Committees (CCCs) were allocated an operational grant of €13,081,000 in 2023 to perform a wide range of activities to support the early learning and care (ELC), school-age childcare (SAC) and childminding sectors. In addition, the CCCs were provided with funding to support the delivery of a number of specific programmes and initiatives.