Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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219. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the funding given to special schools in north Kildare in the years 2019 to 2023, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7090/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My Department’s voted estimate for capital and current expenditure for 2025 stands at €11.9 Billion. This represents an increase of over €3.2 Billion or 36% since 2020 and includes €7.6 billion for pay related expenditure. Budget 2025 provides an increase of €712 million in core current funding to my Department's Vote, as well as over €360 million in core capital funding. An additional €120 million is also being provided as part of Cost of Living supports and €140 million in Ukraine related supports. These additional funds build on significant increases in recent budgets and further enhance the investment in Ireland’s primary and post-primary education system. The significant increased investment is the largest Education budget in the history of the state and reflects the Government’s commitment to a quality inclusive school system and improved learning outcomes for every student.

Over recent and current budgets, additional resources have been made available to our schools, including through the delivery of thousands of extra teaching and Special Needs Assistant posts, increased capitation in schools and investment in school transport services, enhanced supports for school leadership and management, additional supports for special schools, reduced class sizes in primary schools, significant expansion of the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) scheme, enhanced capacity to meet the increased number of pupils enrolled in our schools and special educational needs pupils in special classes and special schools, increased funding for social inclusion programmes, measures to increase the supply of teachers available and free school books for primary and post primary students. Significant additional resources and supports were also provided in response to the Ukraine, Cost of Living and Covid-19 crises.

Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for my Department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), with a special education budget allocation increase of 53% from €1.9 billion announced in 2019 to €2.9 billion in 2025. Budget 2025 provides for a record level of investment of €2.9 billion in special education which represents a 6% increase on 2024 and provides for an additional 768 special education teachers and 1,600 special needs assistants (SNAs) posts to support children across mainstream, special classes and special schools. This is the highest ever number of SNAs allocated and so in 2025 we will have over 23,000 in our education system. In total there will be over 44,000 dedicated staff to support children with special educational needs in our schools. 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 classes and special school places are provided.

The Department of Education and the NCSE work closely in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. A number of strategic initiatives have been introduced over recent years to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places. These initiatives are bearing fruit with almost 1,700 new special classes sanctioned and eleven new special schools established over the last five years. Many more special schools have been extended to provide additional capacity. Over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned nationwide by the NCSE for this school year. This brings to 3,336 the number of special classes in the country, 2,339 at primary level and 997 at post-primary level. 16 of these new special classes opened in Co. Kildare. This brings to 131 the total number of special classes in Co. Kildare for the 2024/25 school year. In addition, 4 new special schools have opened for this school year. One of these new special schools, Craddockstown School, is located in Naas, Co. Kildare and this brings the total number of special schools in Co. Kildare to 6 for the 2024/25 school year.

The financial recording of expenditure for my Department is not recorded on a part of full county basis. I am, therefore, not in a position to provide specific details on the amounts paid to Kildare North. I can, however, indicate that the measures cited above will have a positive impact on school communities in Kildare.