Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 5 March 2026
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth
Special Education Provision and Special Needs Assistant Allocation Review: Discussion
2:00 am
Mr. Martin McLoughlin:
The Minister, Deputy Naughton, initiated that task force. It is expected the report will be published shortly. The main recommendations are about greater linkages between the early years sector, the NCSE and us in terms of planning, more funding for school buildings and capital funding. There were issues around allowances, particularly for principals of special schools and teachers working in the special education sector more generally. The unions have taken that up through local public sector pay bargaining. There were other recommendations about more intensive engagement with schools at local level, as the NCSE has outlined.