Written answers
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Department of Education and Skills
- Special Educational Needs
550. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review and advise on the case of a child (details supplied) diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and a moderate to severe... - Child Protection
551. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the actions taken by his Department relative to the findings of the O’Keeffe v. Ireland case in 1973 and the ruling of the European Human... - Schools Building Projects
552. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will expedite an application made by a school in County Clare (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10616/25] - Special Educational Needs
555. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); the actions she will take to support this family in securing a... - School Enrolments
559. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students enrolled in a school (details supplied) in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter.... - Special Educational Needs
561. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for a county-by-county breakdown of the 3,275 children now identified as requiring a special educational place for September 2025 (details... - Educational Disadvantage
565. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the level of funding for school completion programmes (details supplied) from the years 2020 to 2025, per programme, in tabular form; and if she... - Schools Building Projects
567. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the next Stage 2a meeting (details supplied) will be held, following a previous meeting in October 2024; and if she will make a statement on... - Data Protection
568. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a schedule of fines issued to her Department in respect of breaching general data protection regulations, by year, from 1... - Special Educational Needs
569. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to intervene urgently in the case of a child (details supplied) to grant a place in an ASD class for September 2025. [10815/25] - School Enrolments
570. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will urgently intervene regarding the need for an additional junior infant class at a school (details supplied) for the 2025-26 school... - Departmental Meetings
571. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will facilitate a meeting, as requested in correspondence to her office on 4 March 2025, between the principals of schools (details... - Schools Refurbishment
572. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when extension and refurbishment works will commence at a school (details supplied); and the reason for repeated missed deadlines for same. [10855/25] - Educational Disadvantage
574. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on an appeal by a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10862/25] - Early Childhood Care and Education
575. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to proactively ensure that a preschool (details supplied) can continue to operate from a location; and if she will make a statement on the... - School Transport
576. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision will be made on the demand from school transport escorts for fair pay and conditions, to reflect the importance of their work for... - Schools Building Projects
577. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the progress in attaining a site for a special school in Cork (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the... - Schools Refurbishment
578. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on an application by a school for emergency works (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the... - School Transport
580. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to examine the case for the establishment of an extra bus route (details supplied). [10974/25] - Special Educational Needs
581. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to support a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10989/25] - School Transport
582. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) will be considered as a pilot school in the programme for Government school transport 2030 scheme; and if she will... - Commissions of Investigation
583. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the planned Commission of Investigation into Historical Sexual Abuses in Schools; and if she will make a statement on the... - Special Educational Needs
584. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills why a directive was given to a school (details provided) to no longer allow SNA positions to be filled; and if she will make a statement on the... - School Transport
588. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a bus service can be provided to transport students from Ardfert, County Kerry to a post-primary school (details supplied), as post-primary... - Special Educational Needs
590. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether she or the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion will meet with a representative group of parents who... - Schools Amalgamation
591. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are proposed plans to amalgamate the primary schools in Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny, to form a co-educational primary school; and... - Schools Building Projects
592. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the tendering process for the expansion of the ASD unit in a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the... - Schools Refurbishment
593. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when an application for an extension to a school in County Leitrim (details supplied) will progress to tender; and if she will make a statement... - School Facilities
594. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are funding streams in her Department that might provide for a sensory playground for autism classes at a school (details supplied); and... - Departmental Staff
595. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if all persons that are recruited to work in her Department and all the related agencies of her Department are fully vetted before they are... - School Accommodation
596. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an additional junior infant class in a school (details supplied); if she will examine the possibility of a new primary school for the... - School Staff
597. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) did not receive their full wages while on leave, which resulted in the person being out-of-pocket when... - Special Educational Needs
598. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) will be sanctioned to open a fifth autism classroom, with consideration to the high volume of applications that... - National Educational Psychological Service
599. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 411 of 5 February 2025, the reason a person (details supplied) has still not received an assessment for... - School Accommodation
600. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are plans to construct additional classrooms to accommodate the large increase in demand made for places in a school (details supplied);... - Education Welfare Service
601. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of appeals against expulsions from post-primary schools initiated by the Child and Family Agency under the provision section 10(b) of... - Schools Refurbishment
604. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the timeframe in which a decision will be made regarding an application for a school extension (details supplied); and if she will make a... - School Facilities
605. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the procedures relating to the use of space in school buildings for the provision of ECCE and afterschool services; and if she will make a... - School Accommodation
606. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on a school extension (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11165/25] - School Facilities
607. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the procedures regarding the use of space in school buildings for the provision of ECCE and afterschool services; and if she will make a... - Special Educational Needs
608. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the urgent measures being taken to ensure that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are not left without a suitable school place, in... - Schools Building Projects
611. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of delays with the construction project for a new purpose-built school (details supplied); the action her Department is taking to... - Special Educational Needs
612. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the assistance her Department will provide to a person (details supplied) in establishing a post-primary moderate autism class; and if she will... - School Transport
613. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will engage with Bus Éireann and introduce a local school bus service in north Tipperary (details supplied) for the upcoming school... - School Admissions
614. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school place for a chid (details supplied); the reasons for the delay in finding them an appropriate school place; and if she... - Special Educational Needs
615. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when an SNA will be put into place for a pupil whose application has been approved (details supplied). [11204/25] - School Facilities
616. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the ongoing challenges regarding a school (details supplied) accessing a sports capital grant and... - School Transport
618. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 66 of 6 November 2024, if an application by a group (details supplied) for school transport will be... - School Textbooks
619. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the free schoolbooks scheme for students in Junior Cycle years; if consideration has been given to including private... - Teaching Qualifications
620. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if Post Graduate Certificate in Education graduates from the UK are eligible to register as a newly qualified teacher in Ireland; when changes to... - School Textbooks
621. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to concerns of small schoolbook retailers regarding the knock-on impact of the free schoolbooks scheme that has... - Schools Building Projects
622. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current timescale for opening the third primary school site with planning permission for a 32-classroom building at a location (details... - School Accommodation
627. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on a new secondary school on a site (details supplied) in Clara, County Offaly; and if she will make a statement on... - School Staff
628. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) in relation to school-secretary pensions; and if she will make a statement on... - Special Educational Needs
629. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a new ASD class has not been approved for a school (details supplied); the reason this decision has been taken; if it will be... - School Facilities
631. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if private schools are being considered for inclusion under future funding rounds in relation to the roll out of free solar panels for schools;... - School Enrolments
632. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will liaise with the SENO and NCSE with respect to finding a school place for the child (details supplied); and if she will make a... - State Examinations
633. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will confirm a timeline for publication in respect of the promised review by the State Examinations Commission on exam accommodations for... - School Funding
634. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will urgently intervene to fund a school (details supplied) in County Clare that is constantly struggling to make ends meet; and if she... - School Facilities
635. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a boundary fence will be erected at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11378/25] - School Transport
636. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the trouble families in Saggart are facing with transport to school (details supplied); if she will instruct his Department to... - Special Educational Needs
637. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the reduction in special education allocation hours for a school (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the... - School Enrolments
639. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children who availed of home tuition because of a lack of a suitable school place in Cork for the 2024-2025 school year. [11407/25] - Education Schemes
640. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied), which was included in the original early start pilot, only has one year of early start; and IF it is... - Special Educational Needs
641. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to address the lack of ASD classes in the coming school year in Meath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11421/25] - School Transport
642. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will instruct Bus Éireann through the post-primary school transport scheme to ensure that a new bus pick-up stop will be installed in... - School Accommodation
643. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the delays in the construction of a school building (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on... - Special Educational Needs
644. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the provision of special classes in fee paying schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11482/25] - School Transport
645. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 221 of 20 February 2025, if the case will be re-examined given further information has come to hand on the... - Departmental Contracts
646. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for a list of all contracts that a company (details supplied) has with his Department. [11515/25] - Special Educational Needs
647. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to examine the case of a child (details supplied) who is at risk of expulsion from primary school due to a lack of additional supports available;... - School Accommodation
648. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the provision a new building for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11549/25] - Child Abuse
649. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current position regarding a redress scheme for victims of historical child sexual abuse in Primary and Secondary schools; if a similar... - School Accommodation
650. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a new school building (details supplied); the status of the appointment of a multi-disciplinary design team; the timeline for the... - Special Educational Needs
651. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps taken to address the lack of school places in Carlow for children with special educational needs, specifically referring to a... - School Transport
656. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the changes being implemented on the school transport scheme for the 2025-2026 year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11659/25] - Special Educational Needs
664. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration will be given to the option of opening a second ASD classroom in school (details supplied) for the coming academic year,... - School Funding
665. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 393 of 4 March 2025, the amount of funding under the science implementation support grant received by each... - Special Educational Needs
666. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps she will take to ensure a child (details supplied) receives appropriate education and support, following the child's expulsion from... - School Curriculum
667. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason current 5th year students have to study 20 sraith pictiúir for the Irish oral exam in 2026 compared to current 6th year students... - School Transport
668. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 221 of 20 February 2025, if the case will be re-examined given that further information has come to hand on... - School Curriculum
669. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of US-based Catholic missionary organisations (details supplied) running pilot programmes in State-funded primary schools for... - Education Policy
670. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has issued advice to primary schools on specific requirements or criteria for outside organisations brought into primary... - Departmental Expenditure
671. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the annual amount claimed by special advisers attached to her or her Department outside of their regular salary, since 1 March 2020 to date in... - Departmental Properties
672. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to list the buildings occupied or vacant or land in Dublin 8, 10 or 12 which her Department or the HSE owns or is leasing, and have been... - Schools Building Projects
673. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on a school building project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11801/25] - School Enrolments
679. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the projected number of junior infant enrolments in Dublin 15 and in Dublin west in September 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029, tabular form.... - Special Educational Needs
680. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the National Council for Special Education runs a communications campaign; if so, the communication channels used to inform parents that they... - Education Standards
684. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department monitors the number of children who complete either primary school or secondary school but who remain illiterate or... - Education Policy
685. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has a policy in relation to allowing or prohibiting male students to compete in female-only sports; whether she is aware of... - School Transport
686. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the commitment in the Programme for Government that an independent assessment on the feasibility of removing the exclusion of drivers aged... - School Enrolments
687. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide up-to-date statistics on the post-primary population in Dublin 15 across three school areas, Blanchardstown Village and West,... - Special Educational Needs
689. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider establishing a special school or pre-school unit for children with additional needs in a school building which is no longer... - School Transport
693. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to review a bus ticket for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11891/25] - Special Educational Needs
694. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the case of a child (details supplied) who has autism and is yet to receive a school placement; if she will... - School Discipline
697. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of expulsions at primary, post primary, and special school settings in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular... - School Accommodation
698. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) will still receive funding if the school proceeds with installing modular buildings for a special class. [11931/25] - Departmental Bodies
699. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to other State agencies and if her own Government Department have used any of the same IT services providers as... - School Accommodation
700. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision will be made on the additional schools accommodation application submitted by a school (details supplied) for the expansion of... - Home Schooling
701. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to provide any further State support to parents who wish to homeschool their children; and if she will make a statement on the matter.... - School Transport
702. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will engage with Bus Éireann on the rule that drivers on school transport must be under 70 years of age (details supplied). [11967/25] - Schools Building Projects
703. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if immediate funding will be provided for a full building survey of a school (details supplied) to assess serious health and safety concerns... - School Staff
705. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will investigate the reasons for administrative delays leading to apparent underpayment of teachers (details supplied); the... - National Educational Psychological Service
706. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a child (details supplied) in County Donegal will have an educational assessment carried out; and if she will make a statement on the... - Departmental Staff
707. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a transfer will be arranged for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12042/25] - Schools Building Projects
708. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to sanction the provision of extra accommodation for the two special ASD classrooms for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a... - Special Educational Needs
710. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will open a special education school in the premises where a school (details supplied) is vacating in Gorey, County Wexford; the funds... - School Transport
711. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for the number of primary and secondary school students who have received an Irish exemption each year for the past five years; the number in... - State Examinations
713. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to introduce measures allowing students to sit the Leaving Certificate through Irish sign language, in the same manner as other languages such as... - Schools Building Projects
714. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps being taken to ensure that a school building project (details supplied) will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the... - Special Educational Needs
715. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of suspensions and expulsions in each special school across Ireland for the past three academic years, in tabular form,... - Schools Building Projects
716. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans she has in place to build an extension with additional classrooms at a school (details supplied), so that they can facilitate the... - School Transport
717. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will urgently review the mandatory retirement age of 70 for Bus Éireann drivers, given the serious shortage of school bus drivers; if... - School Accommodation
718. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the up-to-date evidence-based rationale with statistics for moving a school (details supplied) in the Blanchardstown school area to the... - Special Educational Needs
719. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps being taken to address the lack of school places for children with additional needs in the Donabate area; the options that will be open... - Departmental Bodies
720. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of members of boards in each body under the aegis of her Department who have a professional accounting qualification, for each of the... - Child Abuse
724. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if plans are in progress for a redress scheme for people who suffered either physical or mental abuse in school; if so, the conditions of this... - School Transport
725. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when her Department intends to implement the proposed reduction in the distance eligibility criterion for post-primary students under the school... - State Examinations
726. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision will be made regarding the number of sraith pictiúr students in the 2026 Leaving Certificate class will be required to learn... - School Staff
727. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 33 of 25 September 2024, if the analysis of the survey relating to school caretakers’ work pattern,... - School Accommodation
728. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the new premises for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12313/25] - Departmental Funding
729. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the grants and payments made to a company operating special playgroups for autistic children (details supplied) between the years 2000 and 2011;... - Schools Building Projects
730. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to progress an application to provide suitable accommodation for a school (details supplied); if the building project will be expedited... - National Council for Special Education
731. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools in Dublin 11 that expressed an interest in opening a special class in the years 2023-2025; the number of these applications... - School Facilities
733. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when she will ensure all schools are provided with free period products to ensure no student is held back due to period poverty; and if she will... - State Examinations
734. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools offering PE as a Leaving Certificate exam subject per county in the 2024-2025 academic year; and if she will make a... - National Council for Special Education
735. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a schedule of the number and name of the schools in Kildare that have expressed an interest in opening a specialist class in... - School Funding
737. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills how her Department can further financially assist schools that are enthusiastically implementing the Green School Programme; and if she will make... - Public Sector Staff
738. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to list the functions, roles and services that were carried out and delivered by civil service or State agency workers; the cost to the State of... - Special Educational Needs
739. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for details on the number of schools in Balbriggan which expressed an interest in opening a specialist class for the school year 2025/2026, the... - School Funding
743. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for emergency funding (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12493/25] - Education Policy
745. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration has been given to specific proposals for a right to switch off for secondary school students given the increased communication... - Special Educational Needs
746. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the supports and additional accommodations available to children and young people with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder at primary and... - Teacher Training
747. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the level of mandatory training in initial teacher training on managing children with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in the classroom; and if... - Special Educational Needs
748. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the level of mandatory training within the national training programme for SNAs on managing children living with foetal alcohol spectrum... - Defective Building Materials
749. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement her Department is having with a school (details supplied) in Donegal to deal with ongoing issues within the school including... - School Admissions
750. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the options available to a person (details supplied) who has been unable to secure a mainstream junior infant placement in schools in... - Schools Building Projects
751. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount her Department has spent on works under the emergency works scheme in the years of 2024 and to-date in 2025, in tabular form. [12548/25] - Special Educational Needs
752. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding issues outlined in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12552/25] - National Council for Special Education
753. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills how many schools in Dublin mid-west expressed interest in opening a special class in a mainstream school for the years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026;... - Teaching Qualifications
758. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a person with 18 years’ instruction experience (details supplied) will be allowed to claim incremental credit with respect to his... - Special Educational Needs
759. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools in Lucan that expressed an interest in opening an additional needs class in the past five years; the number of these... - School Transport
761. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on plans to reform the school transport system, particularly the eligibility criteria and likely timeframe for the implementation... - Special Educational Needs
762. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to ensure that a child (details supplied) has a place in an autism class or special school as soon as possible as recommended by their local... - School Accommodation
763. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a rule-circular exists setting a limit of one sensory room per primary school, irrespective of class-school size. [12691/25] - School Admissions
767. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will examine the case of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12730/25] - National Council for Special Education
768. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools in north Kildare that expressed an interest in the opening of a specialist class in the last academic year; whether any of... - Special Educational Needs
770. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an updated psychological assessment is required for a child diagnosed with autism to be eligible to apply for a school place; if a particular... - Residential Institutions
771. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide guidance for a person who attended a school (details supplied) and who was unable to come forward for redress at the time and who is... - National Educational Psychological Service
772. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of National Educational Psychological Service assessments being made available for schools in Dublin mid-west; and if she will make a... - Artificial Intelligence
773. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to identify specific examples where artificial intelligence has been adapted for the operation of her Department and each body under the aegis of... - School Accommodation
774. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the current use of a building (details supplied) in County Tipperary, given the immediate shortage of special school places in south...
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