300. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the full-year cost of providing every newborn child/parent with a baby box from 2026-2030, based on the most recent annual number of births. [43762/24]

In 2023, my Department delivered the 'Little Baby Bundle' pilot to 500 expectant families. These bundles provided approximately €500 worth of key items for parents and newborn children, for a per unit cost of only €220.

A universal roll-out based on the pilot to every newborn child would have an initial full year running cost of €12.8m, based on 58,000 expectant births. The scheme's expected running costs for 5 years from 2026-2030 are estimated at €70.2m. This is inclusive of all overhead costs and assumes a 5% increase in running costs on average year on year.