Results 201-220 of 6,570 for speaker:Michael Moynihan

Special Education School Places: Motion [Private Members] (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Eireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — a child's right to education is enshrined in the Constitution and, under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), must be accessible on an equal basis with others in the community in which they live; and — the...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I am delighted to be here this morning to discuss the important topic of inclusive education for persons with disabilities. I am not sure whether it is gamekeeper turned poacher or poacher turned gamekeeper but I am at the other side of the table here. I really enjoyed my term as Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters in the previous Dáil. Mairéad and all...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Deputy for her questions. I will start with the SNAs. A lot of work has been done by the Department on the workforce development programme for SNAs. At the outset, I note the hugely positive impact that SNAs have within school communities and in making sure that children with additional needs attend and flourish in school. SNAs have developed into a hugely important part of...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: "Lived experience" is one of the phrases we constantly used when I was Chair of the disability committee. Many people may have various theories on how policy should be developed but it is only when we walk in the shoes of the people affected that we understand the challenges they face. Over the past couple of months, I placed a particular emphasis on meeting as many people as possible. I...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Many rural schools have come to us that have room and capacity. A total of 80% of the special classes that we have opened this year have been opened in existing facilities while 20% of them were modular or had to be added on to. We are trying to match the location of the school with the need within the community. In the first instance, we get the figures from families who would have...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Since this time 12 months ago we have increased the number of SENOs by up to 120. This is hugely important. Going back over many years since the Education Act 1998, the Department inspectors were the ones on the ground but now we have the SENOs. We have to embed the SENOs into their communities in order that they are the contact and are liaising between the families and schools. We need...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: It is in single figures. We started out with a huge number of them, and the NCSE and Department of Education worked extremely hard. We are now in single figures in terms of the number of children who do not have school places. There is constant engagement between the NCSE, the families and the Department to ensure we are able to provide those places for children.

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: We do not want to get into a political argument regarding those figures given in July. They were calculated on the basis of the number of children who had been notified to the NCSE in February or March. It was over 3,000 children, and 92% or 93% of them had been allocated places by early July. The calculation was done and came up with over 200, but that was not the case at that time. We...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: It is fewer than ten - single figures. The Senator is passionate about disability. I assure him that the NCSE, the Department and ourselves are working extremely hard with the families to find a solution for those affected. It is fewer than ten.

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I do not have the individual's name. There has been a huge amount of collaboration between the Department of education, the NCSE, the HSE and the Department of children and disability. Last year, 39 therapists were put back into special schools across the country. They were at the highest level. We had a constant debate at Government level and right across the Departments on how this...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I will get that information.

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I can get that information, but I would prefer to provide details of the structure that is in place with regard to who is signing off on it, if that is okay with the Senator.

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I will begin by speaking about the decision in relation to therapists within the education system. There were therapists within the education system going back over many years. When the therapists were in the special schools, the staff said they were empowered by having therapists on site. The decision to put the therapists back into the education system was the correct one. It will take...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: In recent years, there has been a new emphasis to make sure the NCSE is engaging with parents and families in order that the need of the child is best met. That is the encouraging aspect. Of course, we want to ensure that children's educational needs are met as close as possible to home. That is extremely important. Parents can send their children to a school of their choice. They have...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: -----and quite rightly so.

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The Department and the NCSE have been working very closely with families to try to ensure that we have a pathway to education for every student, that we meet the needs of the students head-on and that there is engagement with them. The number of children for whom we do not have a pathway or a place is in single figures. We have families who are looking for further or different educational...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: On the classes that are available, modular buildings are being put in place in a very small number of schools at present. I compliment the departmental officials and the school authorities on the work they have been doing. We have been given different dates for different schools, but the information we get each Friday shows that the dates are being pulled back better and that the work is...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The closing date last year for notification of the NCSE was 1 February. That was moved out another week or so because of Storm Éowyn. We have brought that date back to 1 October 2025 for parents to notify the NCSE of requirements for special educational needs into the 2026 school year. Our commitment is that we will have that planning done between now and Christmas. That work was...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: Assessment of need obviously falls within the children and disability Ministry, but a huge amount of work is being done by the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, and Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, at Government level to ensure that we are tackling the huge waiting list for assessments of need. The assessment of need is a highly important piece for any family and any child. Work...

Committee on Disability Matters: Inclusive Education for People with Disabilities: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Michael Moynihan: It is important that parents who believe that their children will need specialised school places, or special classes or a special school, are notified to the NCSE before 1 October. The commitment is that the Department and the NCSE will work with those families to try to ensure that we have the best possible place for people in September 2026.