John Clendennen (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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167. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the proposed timebound provision to allow teachers that qualify outside the State to apply for registration and complete their induction requirement in this State; when this path to registration will become available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55921/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Council registers teachers under five routes of registration: Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher. The qualification requirements for each route are set down in the Schedule.

The qualifications of teachers who qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are assessed on an individual and holistic basis for the purposes of registering as a teacher. Qualifications are assessed for comparability with graduates of initial teacher education programmes accredited by the Teaching Council. All applications from teachers who qualified abroad are processed in line with the EU Directive 2005/36/EC and are assessed in the same manner, regardless of whether they qualified within or outside the EU. The EU Directive provides for the assessment of qualifications for the purposes of recognition, and this recognition may be subject to conditions.

To assist further with teacher supply challenges, I announced last April that I would work with the Teaching Council to introduce a proposal to enable eligible teachers who have qualified outside of Ireland to apply for registration and complete their induction requirement here.

I see this as an important step in encouraging more teachers to work and start their careers here in Ireland and I am pleased to note that significant progress has been made towards realising this measure.

Under the Teaching Council Act, the Council makes regulations for the purposes of registration through statutory instrument, including to amend or replace existing regulations. A further Statutory Instrument (SI) was required to establish the proposed creation of this timebound provision. A new set of registration regulations were drafted which included the provision for induction in the state for teachers qualified outside of the state, and on that basis engagement with the Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) was required. A proportionality impact assessment was carried out. There was also consultation with various stakeholders. Legal advice was sought to ensure that the new regulations are appropriate and proportionate, with no legal impediments, which requires more time than applies to an amending an SI.

It is expected that primary and post-primary teachers, who qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland and apply to complete their induction here under the new provision, will be subject to meeting eligibility and qualifications requirements to enable registration.

I am pleased to inform you that the final draft of the new Registration Regulations has been received from the Teaching Council and is progressing through the required procedures so that it can be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas to be implemented in the coming days.

Please refer to the Teaching Council website, www.teachingcouncil.ie, for updates regarding the making of the new Registration Regulations, and for information on accessing the timebound provision for overseas qualified applicants to register and complete their induction in the State.

John Clendennen (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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168. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special education places available at second level in each of the counties of Offaly, Laois, Kildare, Tipperary, Galway, Roscommon, Meath and Westmeath for the upcoming school year of 2026/2027, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55922/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for children with special educational needs. The NCSE is currently collating the data and information received through the parents notify process and are engaging with schools regarding where specialist provision is best placed for the 2026/27 school year. It is envisioned that the majority of these special classes will be sanctioned by 31 December.

407 new special classes were sanctioned for the 2025/26 school year. This means there are now over 3,740 special classes nationwide, 2,629 at primary level and 1,112 at post-primary level. A list of all mainstream schools with special classes; broken by location and class designation is available on the NCSE .

In addition, each county has a number of special schools educating students with the most complex of needs. These schools now offer a greater range of national curriculum subjects to include junior and senior cycle programmes for students of post-primary age.

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 and a substantial number will be allocated to schools at post-primary level.

I urge any parent still seeking placement for either this school year or the 2026/27 school year to make contact with the NCSE who will provide guidance and support with securing a placement.