Michael Moynihan

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential, and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on education provision for children with special e…

I take the point. I also met with the INTO yesterday in regard to its pre-budget submissions. It outlined the challenges in respect of SENCOs. The provision of special education has developed extraordinarily throughout the country over recent years. We have to pay tribute to school leadership and the school communities, be they teachers, SNAs or the other support people who make that possible. We …

In respect of special classes and the huge issue of provision, the Government is totally committed to the provision of special classes and special needs places to allow children to grow to their full potential. Almost 400 special classes have been sanctioned for this year. Of these, 287 are at primary level and 112 are at post-primary level. In April of this year, the Department wrote to all scho…

There are a couple of things there. We understand the challenges that are ahead of us in terms of post-primary education because of the information we have at primary level. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, and myself are acutely aware of it and are working extremely hard on it. One of the things we agreed very early on was to bring back the date from 1 February to 1 October to give better planning. …

On the therapists within the schools, that is being rolled out from September into the special schools. The plan is for the special schools in the first instance and then on to the special classes. They will be great enablers to provide the best possible outcomes for children with additional needs throughout the education system. An awful lot of work has gone into it over the last while. I complim…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. First, I will discuss the Department of Education and Youth school energy retrofit pathfinder programme. The Department is leading an ambitious sustainable agenda and has progressed a number of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings as part of our work towards the 2030 and 2050 climate targets. Its performance has been reco…

I again thank the Deputy for raising these issues. I note the concerns she has regarding the building in respect of damp, leaks, the toilet facilities and the other issues raised. I take them on board and I will be liaising with the Department in relation to what she outlined. It is greatly important. I understand and accept that St. Joseph's CBS in Drogheda is liaising with the emergency section …

I thank the Deputy for the question. I will outline the AIM programme although I understand the Deputy is well aware of it. The AIM programme is the model of support designated to ensure children with disabilities can access the early childhood care and education, ECCE, programme. The main supports are grouped into universal or targeted supports. The universal supports are designed to create a mor…

I thank the Deputy again for outlining the facts. The challenge we have, particularly in respect of the AIM programme, which has been very successful for a good number of families, is that when there is a closing-off date, there is always a challenge therein. As we go forward looking at how we can expand the AIM programme, in the evaluation of it that was announced last year, because of its succes…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. It gives me the opportunity on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth to outline to the Dáil the current position in relation to ICT grants and minor works grants. I am delighted to confirm that my colleague, the Minister, this morning announced that both grants will be paid to schools in June, with a combined €65 million investment in our schoo…

There is constant engagement between school authorities and the Department. A number of schools have been in contact with the financial unit in the Department and issues have been resolved. I assure the Deputy we have moved to have the funding in place for the 2025-26 school year for the ICT and minor works grants. These grants are hugely important. When it comes to engagement we are not isolated…

I thank Deputy Mattie McGrath for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the issues regarding how Bus Éireann manages the school transport system on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. As the Deputy may be aware, the school transport 2030 report was published in early 2024, following a comprehensive analysis and review of the scheme as it currently op…

The Deputy mentioned a couple of things. The closing date for payment or for medical card issues is 6 June, which is next Friday. Bus Éireann and the Department officials have assured me they will be working extremely hard for the three weeks after that to get the information together, to correlate it and to understand where the needs are and where the challenges are going to be met. A lot of work…

I thank colleagues right across the House for their contributions, not just during the discussion this afternoon on making Ireland's education system a world-class system and making sure every child can reach his or her full potential. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue and I thank Deputies for their contributions on it. I also thank thank the Minister, Deputy McEntee, for the huge a…

I welcome the opportunity to speak about Kilcredan National School. The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, more than 172,500 children are transported daily in almost 8,000 vehicles across 10,300 routes to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over …

I look forward to more visits to east Cork over the next number of years. When a rural school closes, there is a void and almost a grieving process within the community in which the school is located. One guarantee that was given way back when the amalgamations took place was that there would be an adequate bus service to get students from that location to the central school. It was always indicat…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on the debate. I thank the Labour Party for this motion. I also thank my colleagues across the House for their meaningful contributions. I welcome parents and guardians to the Gallery. I know the challenge, anguish and difficulties they are facing to try to ensure that there are places for their children in September. Long before I took on this role, I work…

I thank the Deputy for his Topical Issue. I stress that enabling students with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is an absolute priority for me and the entire Government. It is the Government's priority to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and that all necessary supports are provided to our schools to allow children with special educational n…

I thank the Deputy again for raising the question and giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that all children can access an education suitable to their needs. The Department of Education continues to engage intensively with the National Council for Special Education in relation to forward planning for new special pro…

I thank the Deputy for raising this hugely important Topical Issue and convey the apologies of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, who regrets he cannot be here due to another commitment. On behalf of the Minister, Deputy O’Callaghan, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter here today and for giving me the opportunity to provide clarity on the manner in wh…

I again thank the Deputy for raising the matter and providing me with an opportunity to go through the issues. I listened very closely to the points the Deputy made and I am aware of the views expressed by some stakeholders that the proposed increase will have the effect of increasing premiums. This is something we have to consider in the future in terms of how the Act operates. Members of the Hou…

I thank the Deputy for the question. This Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential, and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. Up to an additional 2,700 specialist places, made up of 400 new special classes for, on average, six children each, and 300 special school places wil…

I thank the Deputy for the supplementary questions. I met a number of parents and have met with them over many years in respect of special educational needs. I know the stress they are under. I cannot overstate how hard the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I have worked over recent weeks to ensure we would have a place for every child in September. We are working extremely hard with the NCSE and the …

There is absolutely no policy change in relation to SNAs. We have more SNAs working in the education system and more budgeted for the 2025-26 school year. I take this opportunity of acknowledging the enormous work the SNAs do in the entire school communities. The work they do in special education, the dedication they put into it and the connection they have with the children and families is second…

No change.