39. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will establish a publicly owned childcare service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26083/24]

Reform of the early learning and childcare sector is a commitment in the Programme for Government, bringing together the best of community and private provision, and the development of a new funding model, to achieve Government's objectives of affordable, accessible and high-quality services.

An Expert Group was established in September 2019 to develop this funding model. Under their terms of reference, the Expert Group was asked to propose how to further achieve policy objectives including affordability, accessibility and quality in a privately-operated system through increased public funding and public management.

In December 2021, Government approved the 25 recommendations contained in the Expert Group report, Partnership for the Public Good. The recommendations were accepted in full by Government and implementation of this new funding model is well underway, backed by recorded levels of State investment that will exceed €1.1 billion this year. This extra investment has allowed us to cut costs for parents, increase pay for childcare professionals and to improve income for service providers.

Of the 25 recommendations, three are grouped under the title 'Role of the State'. In particular, the final recommendation states that, “[I]n the medium term, the Minister should mandate the Department to examine whether some element of public provision should be introduced alongside private provision.”

In January 2024, I established a new Supply Management Unit in my Department. Part of its remit, in addition to undertaking more detailed analysis of supply and demand in the sector and administering capital funding programmes under the National Development Plan, will be to begin an exploration of public provision as called for in Recommendation 25.

This work will commence later this year.