Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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392. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the work being done by her Department, and agencies under its remit, to facilitate, in line with the commitment under the Programme for Government, the easier return to Ireland for emigrants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56785/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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This question related to the Global Ireland Strategy and returning emigrants is relevant to my Department in relation to school places for the accompanying children.

My Department’s main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.??Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available for the relevant year; the student should be admitted.

It is important that the admission processes of schools are confined to one year of operation, i.e. the year prior to the intake of students. This ensures that there is transparency and consistency in how school admissions work across all schools in Ireland. This is essential in helping parents understand how they can enrol their child in a school. This is a particularly important factor for returning emmigrants or those coming to work in this country.