Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Will the Taoiseach clarify whether a recruitment freeze has been put in place by the Department of Education in regard to special needs assistant, SNA, provision? I had a conversation with a primary school principal last night in my home town of Mallow in which she informed me that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, sanctioned 1.83 SNA positions for her school last Tuesday. The next day, the special educational needs organiser, SENO, rang the principal to tell her that a directive from the Department has outlined that all positions will not be filled until at least September 2025. That leaves the school two SNAs short even though those posts have been sanctioned by the NCSE. Will the Taoiseach clarify whether there is a recruitment freeze on SNA provision in the Department of Education?

See this speech in context