Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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339. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding given to each county as part of the minor works grant in each of the years 2014 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40507/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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My department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. The Minor Works Grant is provided to all primary and special schools, to enable them undertake small-scale minor maintenance and improvement works on a devolved basis.

Schools have the autonomy to use this funding for maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds. Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed, to decide how best to use this funding to address the school’s particular needs.

Since 2020, €310 million in Minor Works Grants and Enhanced Minor Works Grants have been allocated to schools. This includes the payment of Minor Works Grants totalling almost €30 million for the school year 2025/2026, which issued in June.

Primary and special schools need not apply for Minor Works Grant aid.? Under the scheme, funding is made available to all primary and special schools on the following basis:

€5,500 basic grant plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil enrolled in the school on the 30th of September of the year prior to the issue of the grant. The €74 rate applies to a special needs pupil attending a special school or attending a special class attached to a mainstream school.

My department’s Minor Works spend figures by county, over the period 2014 – 2025, are outlined below.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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340. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding given to each county as part of the emergency capital works scheme in each of the years 2014 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40508/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I will arrange for the requested information to be forwarded to the Deputy once compiled.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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341. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding given to each county as part of the digital strategy ICT grant in each of the years 2014 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40509/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, I recently announced €35 million in funding to support digital learning in schools. €35 million in grant funding for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has now issued to all recognised primary and post-primary schools. This ICT funding is being provided to schools to enable the continued embedding of digital technologies in their teaching, learning and assessment This is the third tranche of ICT funding under the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027.

The Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 and it's associated implementation plan is underpinned by funding of €200m over the course of the strategy, committed to under Ireland’s National Development Plan (NDP). The funding allocation model is provided for in the National Development Plan, with funding to issue over the period of the NDP, applied by the Department for the Digital Strategy duration (to 2027 for the current strategy).

Including the €35m issued this year, a total of €135 million of the €200 million committed for in the NDP for the strategy has issued to schools through the ICT grant. While the NDP commitment did not guarantee a specific amount in each year it is anticipated that providing €35m this year, will enable the balance of €65 million to issue to schools over the remaining years of the current strategy to 2027.

This funding underpins the ongoing commitment to supporting and enabling schools to ensure the continued embedding of digital technologies in teaching learning and assessment, and builds on the €210m in grants that issued under the previous Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020.

The information requested by the deputy is attached.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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342. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding given to each county as part of the creative clusters grant in each of the years 2014 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40510/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Funded by the Department of Education and Youth since 2018 under the cross departmental Creative Youth Plan, Creative Clusters is administered by the National Arts in Education office, Tralee Education Support Centre, in partnership with Education Support Centres Ireland.

Due to Education Support Centres Ireland boundaries, it is not possible to provide information by county. However, the attached table outlines Creative Clusters funding that has been drawn down by Education Support Centres in the years since 2018 and to date this year, for disbursement to participating schools in the catchment area of each Education Support Centre. It is important to note that Education Support Centres have until November to draw down their funding.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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343. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding given to each county as part of the creative connections/shared island pilot in each of the years 2014 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40511/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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On the 7th of February 2025, together with Northern Ireland Education Minister Paul Givan, I invited primary, post primary and special schools to apply to take part in Creative Connections, a pilot creative partnership programme. Part of the Shared Island initiative on tackling educational disadvantage, Creative Connections aims to promote collaboration, encourage creativity and enhance educational outcomes for children impacted by social disadvantage in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Attached is a table of the funding disbursed to date by the programme to successful applicants based on their location, North or South, which includes funding for in-school residencies, Creative Connections professional development events for teachers and creative practitioners, youth consultations, programme development and delivery.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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344. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding given to each county as part of the fund for students with disabilities in each of the years 2014 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40513/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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My department provides a range of supports for students with special educational needs including those who are deaf or hard of hearing. These supports are provided through mainstream classes, the 25 hearing impairment classes and through the two dedicated schools for Deaf children.

The department has in place an Irish Sign Language (ISL) Home Tuition scheme which supports families of students who rely on ISL. This scheme was introduced in 2020 and provides funding to families to ensure ISL tutors for children who communicate through ISL. In the 2024 calendar year, 215 children and their families were supported under the scheme by approximately 80 tutors.

In addition, in 2024, under my department’s Assistive Technology scheme, over 440 children have benefitted from specialised equipment for the hearing-impaired.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) Visiting Teacher (VT) service is also available and the NCSE advise that this service supports approximately 5,300 students who are deaf/hard of hearing. The VT service has expanded by 16% since it transferred to the NCSE in 2017.

The Education Plan 2025, which was announced on the 19 of June 2025, confirmed Government approval for the establishment of the Education Therapy Service (ETS).

The ETS will be delivered by the NCSE. The service will assign therapist/s to special schools and employ a multi-tiered model of support, which includes supports at a universal, targeted and individualised level. Ensuring children with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support.

Work is ongoing on the establishment of the ETS and discussions regarding schools for inclusion in the initial roll-out is at a very early stage.

It is anticipated that the service will commence in some special schools at a later stage in the 2025/26 school year. Further roll out of the service will occur on a phased basis with a wider roll-out to other special schools within the 2026/2027 school year. This service will be expanded over time, to include special and mainstream classes.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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345. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding given to each county as part of language assistants scheme in each of the years 2014 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40517/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Foreign Language Assistant (FLA) scheme comes under 'Languages Connect', Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education, which primarily aims to increase and diversify the uptake of Foreign Languages in the Irish Education System.

The FLA scheme has its origins in cultural agreements between Ireland and the countries of France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Italy. Graduates, or undergraduates, from these countries exchange with their Irish counterparts and are placed in second level schools, typically for an eight month period (October to May). The scheme aims to provide additional support to school communities to experience the target language and its culture with a native speaker.

It is important to note that 'funding' is not provided to any county in relation to the FLA scheme.

The assistants are placed in schools throughout the country, based on the schools that have applied to be part of the scheme in a given year. The assistants are then provided with a monthly living allowance, which I can confirm is set at €1,070 for the 2025/26 school year.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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346. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding given to each county as part of the summer works scheme in each of the years 2014 to 2024, and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40519/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I will arrange for the requested information to be forwarded to the Deputy once compiled.

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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347. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement his Department has had with Fórsa regarding the industrial action by school secretaries and caretakers. [40162/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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School secretaries are at the heart of the school and are the key interface between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole.

Since September 2023 my department has been providing a payroll service for former grant funded school secretaries. This happened on foot of an agreement reached in 2022, under the auspices of the WRC, that secretaries would move to a centralised pay roll managed by the Department and receive new terms and conditions of employment. These included a pay scale aligned with that of Grade III/CO in ETBs, improved annual leave entitlements, improved maternity provisions and paid sick leave in excess of the statutory requirement.

I acknowledge that Fórsa are looking to further improve terms and conditions for secretaries and caretakers and recognise that for them, public service status and access to a public service pension is understandably an important objective. The full, comprehensive cost of pension parity requires detailed analysis and information has been provided to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to assist in this regard.

The issue of public service status is complex and needs to have regard to the state of the public finances and the repercussive effects of any such proposals for other grant-funded groups of non-public servants. For those reasons, any proposals must be considered in detail by my own officials and those in Department and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation as the granting or otherwise of public servant status is not within the scope of this Department.

As the Deputy will appreciate, industrial relations matters involve detailed and complex work with all stakeholders on sensitive issues in order to engage meaningfully. In that regard, engagement has been initiated with FÓRSA and it would be inappropriate for me to comment further outside of that engagement process.