Results 5,661-5,680 of 5,979 for speaker:Michael Moynihan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. As the matter raised relates to a NCSE process, I have forwarded your query to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply. SNAs are generally allocated on a whole school basis and the recruitment of new SNAs is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: My department is committed to supporting Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to access high-quality training that enhances their skills and supports their vital role in our schools. The SNA National Training Programme, which was first made available to SNAs in 2021, is fully funded by my department and delivered at no cost to SNAs who are currently employed in recognised schools....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs.? It is important to recognise that teachers use a number of specialist programmes to support students with special educational needs. At all times, the focus of the department and the NCSE is on doing what is right for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The policy of the Department of Education is to allocate supports to recognised schools to cater for the needs of pupils with special educational needs in an educational context. The provision of health-related supports is the responsibility of the HSE, and matters in relation to the provision of health-related services for children with disabilities, including physical and sensory therapy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. The retirement age for school bus drivers has been set by Bus Éireann at 70 years of age, which also applies to all Bus Éireann road passenger services. The policy and criteria also apply to drivers nominated by private operators who operate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is a priority for this government. It is also a key priority for me, my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The NCSE is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. Deputies are welcome to raise such queries with the NCSE...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The estimated full-year cost of a new entrant special education teacher is €56,110 per annum within a primary setting and €56,510 in a post-primary setting. The estimated full-year cost of a special education teacher on average is €76,350 per annum within a primary setting and €78,490 in a post-primary setting. This includes provision for related substitution...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) make a valuable contribution to our school communities through the provision of additional adult support to enable students with significant care needs attend school. I can confirm that work on the first SNA Workforce Development Plan is at an advanced stage, with substantial progress already made. The plan will introduce policy developments which will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. Budget 2025 has provided for, amongst other things, 400 new special classes and 300 new special school places. It will also increase our special educational posts by 768 special education teacher and 1,600 special needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (10 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. The NCSE is, in the first instance, the primary body responsible for the matter the Deputy has raised. I have forwarded this issue to them for their attention and direct reply. Deputies are also welcome to raise...

Seanad: Delivering a World-Class Education System: Statements (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I welcome the opportunity to be here for statements on education. In recent months, I have worked extremely closely with the Minister to deal with the many challenges we have faced in terms of special education and school places. We have worked with the NCSE and the Department during that time to ensure we will have a place for every student come 1 September. There are some challenges...

Seanad: Delivering a World-Class Education System: Statements (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: In the time I have, it is important to say the experience we have and the disability issues we have learned about are going to lead us to putting actions in place to make sure people with additional needs can say the Irish education system really did them proud, whatever role they had.International studies show that for people with additional needs, one of the great things is nature. Some of...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Deputy for the question. 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 in the coming school year, 2025-26. Five new special schools are being established in addition to 11 new special schools having opened over the past five years....

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I take the point, but it is important that special schools, special classes and special places for children with additional needs are as local as possible to pupils' own communities. In various debates on special education, we constantly talk about people who are travelling long distances, be that in urban or rural Ireland, for those places. That is something we really are very serious...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Most of the 30 mild general learning schools have worked extremely well with the National Council for Special Education over the past while to broaden their profile and to accept students with autism and more complex educational needs. Both the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I have worked extraordinarily hard over the past number of months on making sure that we have a place for every child...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: At the outset, I recognise this project has been ongoing for some time. The major building project for the school referred to by Deputy Connolly will provide a new 16-classroom primary school with additional classrooms for pupils with special education needs. Following planning conditions imposed in 2018, a redesign was necessary. At that point, additional capacity was added to the...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Yes, the submission has been with the Department since March. These reviews take time. I do not have a specific date for the Deputy but I will endeavour to get that information to her as a matter of priority. Both the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I will follow up to ensure that it is done as speedily as possible. I will endeavour to come back to Deputy Connolly with that timeline and a...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Schools Building Projects (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I will come back to the Deputy on it in writing. The documentation submitted in March, as I understand it, is quite a detailed document and involves a lot of work to make sure it is properly gone through. I give the Deputy a commitment that we will work to make sure it goes through the Department as speedily as possible, and we will come back to her in writing.

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Education Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Deputy for the question. The 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 co-ordinating and advising on education provision for children with...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Education Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I take the point. I also met with the INTO yesterday in regard to its pre-budget submissions. It outlined the challenges in respect of SENCOs. The provision of special education has developed extraordinarily throughout the country over recent years. We have to pay tribute to school leadership and the school communities, be they teachers, SNAs or the other support people who make that...