Results 5,981-6,000 of 6,068 for speaker:Michael Moynihan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 79 together. The estimated full-year cost of a new entrant special needs assistant is €35,030 per annum. The estimated average full-year cost of a special need assistant is €44,300 per annum. This includes employer PRSI. The table below outlines the annual cost as outlined by the Deputy. Number of SNAs New...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 80, 104 and 105 together. The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. In the current school year over 173,000 children are transported daily to schools throughout the country, with 68,300 travelling to primary schools and 104,700 travelling to post-primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 91 and 109 together. The Department of Education and Youth’s Summer Programme is an educational programme which is run during the summer period. Each year, all schools are given an opportunity to run a programme for those children who need it the most. The aim of the Summer Programme is to ensure that these children can continue to be supported,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has advised that just over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. This includes a number of new Early Intervention classes bringing the total number of these classes to 160 for the 2025/26 school year. A number of new funding initiatives have been provided to schools this year when establishing a new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staff (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 116 together. I propose to take PQs 115 and 116 together. It is anticipated that the Education Therapy Service (ETS) will commence in some special schools at a later stage in the 2025/26 school year. Further roll out of the service will occur on a phased basis with a wider roll-out to further special schools commencing in the 2026/27 school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The School Transport 2030 report was published in early 2024 following a comprehensive analysis and review of the scheme as it currently operates. The recommended changes to the future operation of the schemes include expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges and moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure the best value for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: 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 services...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jul 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: Special Educational Needs (16 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The Assessment of Need (AON) process is provided for under the Disability Act 2005 and is a process under the remit and responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. Therefore, any queries regarding assessment of need waiting lists should be directed to the HSE and the Department of Children, Disability, and Equality.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (16 Jul 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. A range of options are available to teachers in regard to training opportunities in special education. These are provided within initial teacher education (ITE) programmes for...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Transport (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. In the current school year, more than 173,000 children have been transported daily in approximately 8,200 vehicles across 10,600 routes to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. In relation to the number of children who applied and paid...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Transport (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: School transport is hugely important for every schoolgoing child at primary and post-primary level. When the school transport scheme was introduced, it was for families who may have been without transport. Now, it is because of working families. We need to make sure they avail of it and that there are enough buses for it. There is an ambitious programme as part of School Transport...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: School Transport (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I take the point on starting the process earlier. I always say that from 15 August it becomes school bus ticket time. A large number of tickets are processed every day by the Department and Bus Éireann. A great deal of work is being done on this . A lot of work has been done on the entire school transport system and expanding it. I take the point that a large number of students...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Deputy very much for the question. The National Council for Special Education is the statutory agency with responsibility for the provision of special education places. The National Council for Special Education has sanctioned 407 new special classes for the coming year, bringing the total number of special classes in our schools to 3,742. Combined with 300 new special school...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The NCSE is working intensively with the parents and schools concerned. The school the Deputy has referred to is one such school. The NCSE engaged with the school to secure agreement to open classes. The NCSE visited the school in September 2024 and, with the support of the school patron body, it worked to sanction two classes. We can now confirm that the issues that were the subject...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: It is very important to be fair to the NCSE, the Department and ourselves. A deadline of February was put in place. Parents needed to make contact by that deadline. We worked to those figures. A number of children have come forward post the February deadline in recent weeks. We are actively engaging with those families and with schools in their communities to ensure children are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The NCSE is the statutory agency with responsibility for the provision of special education places. The NCSE has sanctioned 407 new special classes for the coming school year, of which 398 are autism special classes while three are autism early intervention classes. This brings to 3,742 the number of special classes in our schools. The NCSE has advised my Department that an updated list of...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I assure the Deputy that the figures in relation to the number of classes being opened around the country are correct. On the individual school the Deputy mentioned, I am very happy to take the details from her after the session and I will work with her to try to get a satisfactory conclusion to it. I have no difficulty in doing that. I have to say that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I have some personal experience of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí that opened special classes, and they would be taught through the medium of Irish. What the Deputy has said has been brought to our attention before by people, but it is clear that it is whatever the medium is in the school, in this case the medium of Irish. Some of the schools operating special classes are hugely...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Special Educational Needs (17 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Deputy for his question and Deputy McAuliffe for his interest in this matter. I thank both Deputies for their continuing interest in education. It is hugely important that it is brought to the fore in the House. Education is a hugely important part of everyone's life, so it is hugely important that we strive to get it right. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE,...