Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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148. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when she expects the NSCE to begin the process of distributing SNAs among schools following an allocation of 1,717 additional SNAs under Budget 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55641/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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In 2026, over €3 billion will be spent supporting children with special educational needs. It will ensure that specialist capacity continues to grow by providing 3,000 specialist places. The majority of these places will be available in special classes within mainstream schools. It will increase our special educational posts by 860 special education teacher and over 1,700 special needs assistant (SNA) posts.

This will mean we will have over 46,500 professionals dedicated to supporting students with special educational needs in our schools. This is one of the highest annual increases in posts to date and is a firm reminder of this government’s commitment to supporting students with special educational needs.

The NCSE will, as done this year and in previous years, review all school allocations for the 2026/27 school year and will allocate or reallocate SNA posts to schools based on the care needs of the students enrolled. For the 2026/27 school year it is expected to align the notification of SNA allocations along with the annual staffing schedules to schools (mainstream and special education teachers). This process normally occurs in February each year. This will allow schools to better plan for the teaching and care needs of their students in a more timely manner. It will also provide certainty and assurances to affected staff of their future school placements by allowing the SNA redeployment processes to conclude as appropriate.