Results 5,841-5,860 of 5,979 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: Very much so. A total 80% of the new classes that have been sanctioned in Dublin and across the country are going into existing buildings. There is a huge amount of that. A huge amount of work has also been done by the Department on modular and various other plans that is working towards getting capacity. A lot of the modular buildings being put in place for special schools and classes...

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: A new appeal mechanism has gone live today on the NCSE for the SNAs. I know, from my experience, that there is a good number and we will be working on those.

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, it is not, because any SNA that has been fully sanctioned has materialised. In some cases, they want extra help in the schools and classrooms because they have additional complex needs. They would have put that information in, but they did not get the allocation. They have now appealed that decision and we have asked them to put as much support as possible in. Obviously, the appeals...

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 certainly hear loud and clear the fear and anxiety among the Down's syndrome community and their families. They are really concerned about this and we must ensure they are part of the conversation, front and centre. I give a commitment this will be done. On the transparency side of it, in the past 12 months and in the previous budget of 2024, there was a huge amount of money given to...

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: Rather than comment on the individual school, I will follow this up. I ask the Senator to send me the details on this.

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 will get back to her on it. Schools cannot refuse enrolments in the first instance but, be that as it may, rather than talking in the dark, I will get a full update on this and come back to the Senator.

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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reports (26 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I would like to thank the Deputy for the question. The report on the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 has been finalised and is available at the following link www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/consultations/epsen-re view-consultation/ This review represents a significant step in aligning education policy and legislation with the lived...