Results 5,721-5,740 of 5,979 for speaker:Michael Moynihan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. The data requested by the Deputy is not readily available in the manner requested. However, Bus Éireann are collating the data and officials from the School Transport Section of my Department will forward this data directly to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: 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. 5 new special schools are being established in addition to the 11 new special schools opened over the last few years. Special school capacity is also being expanded across...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 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 has advised my department that they have no record of the student referred to by the Deputy. If the deputy wishes to provide the parents details, we will forward on to the NCSE so they can contact the parents...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I know the central role that our SNAs play in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential. That is why the number of SNAs available for allocation has continued to increase annually resulting in more SNAs than ever now being employed in our schools. Budget 2025...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 344 and 345 together. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs. Special needs assistants (SNAs) play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools. They help ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Special needs assistants (SNAs) play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools. They help ensure that these students can access an education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential. They are allocated to schools as a school-based resource. Principals/board of managements deploy SNAs within...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Details of the 2025 Summer Programme were published on the 13th of February 2024. For this year’s programme, funding of €62 million was secured in Budget 2025 to ensure its continuance. Between 2021 to 2024, €40 million in funding had been allocated each year to the Summer Programme. The level of funding this year represents a 55% increase on the funding previously...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 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 remember that the majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream schools with their peers. For children with more complex educational needs special classes can...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Under the current terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre. Distance is determined by the Department/Bus Éireann and rules have regard to ethos and language. At Post Primary level, eligibility for school transport is to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 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 including the allocation of SNAs. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: It is estimated that an additional 100,000 children, above the current pupil numbers on transport, could be accommodated on the mainstream scheme by 2030. To achieve our ambition to expand and improve the scheme, i.e. that it carries 100,000 additional students, will require increasing costs over time to €672m in 2030. If we do not implement the recommendations of the scheme,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The NCSE, which has responsibility for the allocation of Special Needs Assistants to all schools, has advised my department that all schools were informed last week (6th June 2025) of any change to their SNA allocations for the 2025/26 school year.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (17 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 375, 376 and 377 together. 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 vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (17 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 NCSE...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (17 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. As...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (17 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. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (17 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has advised that this school recently confirmed their interest in opening a special class for the 2025/26 school year, however the NCSE understand that the school has no available accommodation to facilitate the class. Officials in my department’s Planning and Building Unit confirm that they are aware that the school authority is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (17 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 NCSE have advised my department that all schools have been informed l of any change to their SNA allocations for the 2025/26 school year. As outlined in Circular No 0032/2025...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (17 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 vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bus Éireann (17 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. Expenditure on the School Transport Scheme has grown significantly, from over €200 million in 2018 to €512 million in 2024 (includes a cost of living advancement for 2025 of €58m). There continues to be on-going expenditure...