Results 6,301-6,320 of 6,598 for speaker:Michael Moynihan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (24 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the national agency with responsibility for the provision of special education places. For the 2025/26 school year the NCSE sanctioned 407 new special classes, bringing to 3,741 the number of special classes in our schools. Combined with 300 new special school places this has created 2,700 new school places for children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (24 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes on behalf of the Department. Safety of children travelling on school transport services is of paramount importance to the Department and to Bus Éireann. Bus...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 Jul 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 class and special school places are provided. During the planning process a number of schools may be approached to consider opening a special class in their locality. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 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. Special transport arrangements on medical grounds may be considered by the Department where a pupil is attending their nearest school/post primary centre, has a medical condition, and the condition is such that it would prevent the child from making...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 973, 974 and 1194 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: School Transport (29 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 977 to 980, inclusive, 1131, 1133 to 1135, inclusive, 1179, 1294 and 1295 together. The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. The scheme is made up of three separate schemes, the school transport scheme for primary, post primary and for children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (29 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 (29 Jul 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 special needs assistants (SNAs). The NCSE has advised my department that all schools have been informed of their SNA allocation for the 2025/26 school year. As the NCSE is responsible for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Schemes (29 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. Under the terms of my Department’s School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2kms at primary and 4.8kms at post-primary and are attending their nearest School/Education Centre as determined by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 Jul 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 class and special school places are provided. My department and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) identify the need for special educational provision with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 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 NCSE advise that 407 new special classes have been sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. Of these seven are in County Roscommon, three at primary and four at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 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. There is a facility within the Special Educational Needs Transport Scheme for the appointment of a School Transport Escort where a child’s care and safety needs while on school transport are such as to require the support of a School Transport...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (29 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. Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (29 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 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 (29 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. By the end of the year there will be close to 21,000 special educational teachers and 23,000 special needs assistants (SNAs) in our mainstream classes, special classes and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 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: Departmental Schemes (29 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Work to develop a Special Needs Assistants (SNA) Redeployment scheme is ongoing. This important policy initiative will ensure that competent, knowledgeable and experienced SNAs are retained in our schools, building capacity in the workforce and enhancing the service to children with special educational needs. Undertaken in conjunction with work on the first SNA Workforce Development...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (29 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. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Jul 2025)

Michael Moynihan: It is my department’s policy, in accordance with the principles of inclusive education, that students with additional learning needs are supported in mainstream classes along with their peers, with additional supports provided as necessary. The department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools and students with special educational needs in order to ensure...