1015. Deputy Daniel Ennis asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the sanctions that have been imposed on childcare providers found to be in breach of core funding fee-freeze rules. [64365/26]

1016. Deputy Daniel Ennis asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the number of childcare providers that have been subject to fee reviews under Core Funding in each year since the introduction of the national fee review team; the number of breaches identified; and the nature of those breaches. [64364/26]

1017. Deputy Daniel Ennis asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether any childcare providers have been required to refund parents following findings that they overcharged families in breach of core funding rules; and if so, the total value of refunds issued. [64366/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1015, 1016 and 1017 together.

To provide a level of accountability for Exchequer funding, the Fee Review process was initially piloted in programme year 2022/2023 with Pobal carrying out the reviews. For programme year 2023/2204, the Department worked on developing the National Fee Review Team (NFRT) which was established in July 2024 and the pilot Fee Review process was moved to an interim Fee Review process.

Since the establishment of the Fee Review process there has been 58 Fee Reviews carried out whereby an initiator has raised a potential breach of Core Funding Fee Management rules.

This breaks down to 19 Fee Reviews carried out under the pilot Fee Review process, 3 under the NFRT for programme year 2023/2024, 18 under NFRT for programme year 2024/2025. There were 18 Fee Reviews initiated in programme year 2025/2026.

As of 7 September 2026, 28 services who entered the Fee Review process have been found in breach of the Core Funding Fee Management rules. Once a Fee Review has reached a final decision, if the Partner Service is found in breach of the Core Funding Fee Management rules, they must return a Declaration and complete remedial actions, one of which is to refund affected parents which have been identified by the Partner Service.

The Fee Review process has sanctions that can be deployed only where necessary. Should a Partner Service fail to engage in the process; refuse to sign a declaration, and/or fail to complete their remedial actions, their funding may be placed on hold. If the Partner Service does not engage in the process or fail to carry out the remedial actions by the end of the Core Funding programme year, the Partner Service will forfeit any funding that is on hold and will be placed on hold if they re-enter Core Funding the following programme year.

As the circumstances in each case are different and communication is across multiple stakeholders, a finite timeline for a Fee Review is not possible. The timeline for each case is dependent on the amount of information and clarification at each stage, the multiple analysis that ensures due diligence of cross checking, and the nature of communication across multiple organisations. The NFRT endeavours to complete any case within the shortest possible timeframe.

As Core Funding is a supply-side grant to early learning and childcare providers, a Partner Service signs a Core Funding Partner Service Agreement, each programme year. The Agreement is between the Partner Service and the Department.

To purchase early learning and childcare, a parent enters a contract with a Partner Service, which are entirely private businesses. This contract is between the Partner Service and the parent. The Department is not party to the contract and has no remit over this private contract and is only able to take actions within the rules of Core Funding. The Core Funding contract does not allow for recoupment for parents by the Department or through the Core Funding payments.

In the event that an individual wishes to raise a concern regarding a potential breach in fee conditions, the first step is to reach out to their local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC). www.gov.ie/en/department-of-children-disability-and-equality/publications/city-and-county-childcare-committees/

Further detail on this process is available in the Guidelines on Fee Management section on the Early Years Hive: Guidelines on Fee Management - Service Provider Portal. earlyyearshive.ncs.gov.ie/Fee-Review-Process-Guidelines-for-2026-2027-Programme-Year.pdf