Results 101-120 of 5,928 for speaker:Michael Moynihan

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: There are huge plans to increase the number of psychologists. We have a lot of work to do regarding psychologists in the first instance and there are blockages within the system we must ensure are taken out in order to have extra provision across the country. Even the plans for therapists within special schools and to get qualified therapists in situ will be hugely important. There are 240...

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: With the AIM programme in preschools, the information available to preschools is something the Department of Education and Youth needs early on to properly plan for children a year and a half out from their getting a place in the education system. Much information is in silos in Departments and it is about breaking down those silos. AIM is run by the Department of children. There are...

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: No panic.

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I am conscious of the year we have had. I want to put this on the record first and then I will go back to the Deputy's questions. I am conscious there are parents listening tonight, as the Deputy said, looking for reassurance about places. We have a meeting of the Cabinet subcommittee on disability in the next week or ten days. The Minister gave an undertaking at last week's meeting that...

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I beg your pardon.

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: We are working very hard to make sure we have a place for everybody.

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I could not emphasise enough the amount of effort being put in by Department officials, the NCSE and ourselves to make sure families know where their children are going to school in September. We are working to that end as hard as we can.

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I do not know how many times I have to say this. We know the number of children identified by the NCSE since 1 February with regard to places and we have worked extremely hard to make sure we find a place for them. That is our commitment. That has been the commitment of the senior Minister and myself.

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I cannot comment on a particular case. I hope that family is liaising with the NCSE. If it is not, I would appreciate if the Deputy would give me-----

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I ask Mr. Loftus from the planning and building unit to take that question.

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Does the Cathaoirleach want me to respond to each of the questions or to wait until the end?

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: There is a lot there. I will endeavour to try to answer as many as possible. If I leave something out, the members can come back to me because I take the role that I have seriously. The only thing that I want collectively for all of us is to make it better. I will get the figures for the religious schools. The Department has worked extremely hard, including this week alone, on getting...

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The Deputy mentioned the numbers, as also referred to by other members. We are working extremely hard on this. A figure was given last week but we are well over that this week. I am very conscious, on a human and personal level, that there are families watching this committee meeting tonight who are concerned about where their children will go in September. I am extremely concerned about...

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: We have had many challenges in relation to special education. We undoubtedly have a huge amount of work to do. I have visited to Deputy Coppinger's area and been hugely impressed. However, we have not reached the stage where we cannot get teachers or SNAs. While there may be difficulties with SNAs, we do not have a huge volume of evidence from principals that they cannot get teachers. We...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. I know the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has advised my department that all schools have been informed of their SNA allocations for the 2025/26 school year. Deputies are also welcome to raise such matters with the NCSE directly through their dedicated Oireachtas query line at oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: As you are aware the vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided. Budget 2025 secured funding for up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools, and an additional 300 special school places...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: This government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (25 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 and 87 together. The government is committed to the provision of additional special school places for children with more complex educational needs. Over 300 new special school places are being provided for the coming 2025/2026 school year. Five new special schools are being established in addition to the eleven new special schools opened over the last...