2934. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of children receiving NCS subsidies, by year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61695/26]

The National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides subsidies – both universal and targeted - to reduce the costs to parents for children to participate in early learning and childcare.

The NCS has undergone a number of enhancements in recent years to further improve affordability for parents. These include the extension of the universal subsidy to all children under 15 and two increases to the minimum hourly subsidy, which is now worth a minimum of €96.30 per week for 45 weekly hours. Additionally, changes to the income-assessed threshold and multiple child discount, effective from 31 August 2026, will further improve the affordability of childcare for up to 47,000 children from lower income families.

The Scheme has made a significant impact on improving affordability of early learning and childcare for families.

As requested by the Deputy, the following table outlines the number of unique children with a National Childcare Scheme (NCS) registration for the 2020-2026 (YTD). As figures for 2026 are year-to-date, it should be noted that it is expected that these numbers will increase significantly over the coming months.

*Please note: A child's registration may encompass multiple years but they are counted once under the year that their registration started. The registrations showed relate to those that have a status marked closed and confirmed.