Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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132. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of digital funding for special education in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4095/23]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides funding to all schools to support them with their digital technologies and strategies including aspects for special education.

Last April, my Department announced the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 and associated grant funding for all recognised primary and post-primary schools for digital technology infrastructure.

This strategy will advance the embedding of digital technologies across teaching, learning and assessment, building on the work under previous strategies. It aims to further support the school system so that all students across our schools have the opportunity to gain the knowledge and skills they need to navigate an ever-evolving digital world successfully.

The Professional Development Service for Teachers Technology in Education (PDST-TIE) offers advice to schools and have developed advice sheets on digital technology in education, in addition to providing professional learning for teachers.

As part of this strategy an ICT Grant will be provided to schools, with €200 million committed over the period of the Strategy, €50m of which has already been provided to schools. This approach facilitates multi-annual planning by schools to allow them to plan effectively for all of their children.

Additionally, an enhanced allocation is issues in respect of learners in special schools and SEN pupils in mainstream schools.

All new school buildings and additional classroom accommodation projects receive ICT grant funding as part of their furniture and equipment funding from the Planning and Building Unit of the Department.

Further to this my Department also provides an Assistive Technology Scheme to supplement the overall approach to providing funding to schools for digital technology and equipment to support children for education purposes. All equipment provided under this scheme supports children with more complex disabilities who require essential specialist equipment in order to access the school curriculum.

It is vital that all learners have the opportunity to reach their potential, with digital technologies providing the means to overcome traditional barriers to learning, and to support inclusion across education.

Additional €2 million funding was secured in Budget 2023 for this scheme. This represents an increase of almost 60% on funding allocated previously to this essential support. This increased allocation supports my Department’s commitment to ensure that a full range of resources, not just teachers and SNAs, are available to support children who most need it.