2883. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the operation of the national childcare scheme in cases (details supplied); if her Department is aware of concerns from childcare providers and parents regarding the impact of this rule; the number of representations received by her Department on this issue; if changes to the scheme are being considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61235/26]

The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides financial support to help parents reduce the cost of early learning and childcare.

The rules of the Scheme are designed to be very flexible. The Department recognises that there are many reasons why a child’s attendance may be occasionally less than their agreed hours - for instance, a parent may be available to collect their child earlier than expected.

NCS awards are only revised in cases where under-attendance is recorded for a period of 12 consecutive weeks. Where a child under-attends for 12 consecutive weeks total, the number of subsidised hours awarded under the Scheme will be revised to reflect the average number of hours that were actually attend by the child over that period.

An initial review of representations received in 2026 suggests 17 representations were received on this matter. For the Deputy's interest, four of these complaints were made after a parent had been issued an eight-week under-attendance warning. Only one representation was submitted following an actual revision of a parent's award.

For the Deputy's interest, the number of restrictions that were put in place following the application of the underattendance rules in the NCS is detailed below, broken down by programme year:

Since the Scheme launched in 2019, only a total of 5,196 restrictions have been applied based on under-attendance. Figures are year-to-date as of 24 August 2026. The underattendance rules are a key financial and governance control to ensure that Exchequer funding is used responsibly.

Finally, I would note that the Department has commenced an evaluation of the NCS. This will include consultation and engagement with parents, educators and representative organisations. This evaluation will examine how the NCS is performing currently and identify ways in which the NCS can better support families.