Results 141-160 of 5,825 for speaker:Michael Moynihan

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.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Deputy again for outlining the facts. The challenge we have, particularly in respect of the AIMS programme, which has been very successful for a good number of families, is that when there is a closing-off date, there is always a challenge therein. As we go forward looking at how we can expand the AIMS programme, in the evaluation of it that was announced last year, because of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Deputy for the question. I will outline the AIM programme although I understand the Deputy is well aware of it. The AIM programme is the model of support designated to ensure children with disabilities can access the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme. The main supports are grouped into universal or targeted supports. The universal supports are designed to...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Accommodation (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I again thank the Deputy for raising these issues. I note the concerns she has regarding the building in respect of damp, leaks, the toilet facilities and the other issues raised. I take them on board and I will be liaising with the Department in relation to what she outlined. It is greatly important. I understand and accept that St. Joseph's CBS in Drogheda is liaising with the emergency...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Sports Funding (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I will give a bit of background information. The development of football is a matter for the FAI, which, like all national governing bodies of sport, is an independent, autonomous body that is responsible for the organisation and development of the sport. While the FAI has sought significant State funding to support its academic development...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Sports Funding (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I take the point. It is clear from the prepared script from the Department, and the House will know, that there is serious investment. Much work has been done with the FAI over the past number of years and we will continue to do so. It is an important sport in our communities, and it is important that we engage and encourage more people. The Senator referenced women’s...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Eligibility (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: It is great that we are discussing Cork North-West and these issues in general. I congratulate the Senator on her election and wish her every success. The Department has outlined the various schemes and payments - the pension payments and social welfare payments - the double jeopardy issues and so forth. Everybody understands what social welfare payments entail. All of us will have come...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Social Welfare Eligibility (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I will take the point that Senator Lynch made back to the Department. The challenge here is that relating to one person one payment. In 2000 or 2001, the half-rate carer’s payment was introduced. If memory serves, Seamus Brennan, who was the Minister at the time, brought it in. We will explore that. I want to put on the record the fact that the Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Military Aircraft (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I am responding on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, who unfortunately cannot be present. I welcome the opportunity to respond on this matter and I thank Senator Andrews for his question. In December 2024, the Department of Defence signed a contract for the delivery of four German-made Airbus H145M helicopters, which will provide a modern light utility helicopter...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Military Aircraft (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: The specific line in the reply is "there is no intention to purchase military equipment from Israel". This is an issue the Senator has been passionate about, not just for the past 18 or 20 months, but for a long time. Like him, we are horrified by what has happened. We have been to the forefront in the European Union in condemning what is happening in Israel for quite some time, and we are...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (11 Jun 2025)

Michael Moynihan: I thank the Senator her very kind remarks. I will endeavour to live up to them. I will give it my best shot. It is a role I eagerly look forward to. I thank the Senator for her engagement on the Joint Committee on Disability Matters. She was extremely informed and extremely forthright in her views. I appreciate that and I appreciate her comments. I will go through the scheme first of...