Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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135. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being taken to increase the provision of multi-denominational school places in Waterford; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17416/26]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government commits to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education.

The schools reconfiguration process, supporting transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons in response to the wishes of local communities, has been developed in order to meet demand from parents and to accelerate the delivery of multi-denominational schools.

On 4 November 2025, my department published a 'Framework and Action Plan for Delivery of Increased Choice for Parents on Education Provision at Primary Level'. The initial focus of the framework and action plan was an online, school-specific survey. This Primary School Survey launched on 4 November and ran to 16 December 2025.

The survey, the largest of its kind ever undertaken in Ireland, was school specific and through its results, aims to assess parental demand and preferences for different types of primary school provision including patronage/ethos, co-education or single-sex school provision and language of instruction (English or Irish).

The results of the survey will help my department to plan how education at primary level is provided. Initial high-level summary results focusing on response rates will be published in early 2026, with a Q2 2026 timeframe for school-level data.

The survey is not a final step. Where there is clear support from parents and guardians for change to be considered, a further process of inclusive dialogue will begin.