Michael Moynihan

I can assure Deputy O'Rourke that we are tracking. We are opening the special schools and we have engaged with the special classes. Yes, of course we are tracking the admissions policies because the admissions policy is the enabler from the sanction of the special class, the physical building, the teacher and the two SNAs, and also to ensure there are students in it. It is being tracked at all tim…

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has verified that 7,860 children and young people notified to it by 1 October 2025 meet the requirements for special classes or special school places for the 2026-27 school year. Further children came forward after that date, and this will continue right up to September. Approximately 7,000 of the 7,860 children in question and young people have a …

Over 80% of the 546 new special classes that have been sanctioned to date are located in existing buildings. We are working extensively on this. We are acutely aware of where additional accommodation has to be made available. That is a factor in how fast we can put a class in place. We take a number of issues into account when we talk about new special classes. These include the need in an area to…

The Minister and I are acutely aware of the issue. The Minister has experience of this because in the previous Dáil, she held the position I currently occupy. When the numbers come through from the portal, we are acutely aware that we need to make sure that we have an appropriate number of places. A total of 407 extra special classes were announced in 2025. We have 546 today. Between 2025 and 202…

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 has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on care support for children and young people with special…

On decisions that were made earlier this year, there will be no change. There will be no reduction in the number of SNAs who will be in school communities from 2025-26 to 2026-27. We are committed to growing the number of SNAs because we see the role of the SNA as a huge enabler in providing specialised education in school communities. They have contributed enormously to allow a child with special…

The summer programme is hugely valued within school communities and families. That just goes to show the huge number of families and students who have applied for the programme across the system. It came up again at the Oireachtas committee on education yesterday when the Minister and I were reflecting very carefully on the concerns that were raised about the summer programme into 2026 and the cha…

My Department and the National Council for Special Education continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year, 2026-27. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January of this year, which is several months earlier than last year. In addition, we recently announced inclusive special classes as …

I am well aware of the campaign and discussions. I have met with the group and have committed to meeting with it again to discuss this further. In east Cork and the area the Deputy represents, there has been a huge growth in population, which increases the need for specialised education. One of the issues we have been looking at in the Department is people travelling long distances for specialised…

I can confirm that we met the group some time ago, and we are committed to meeting it again. We are monitoring this across the country, and Youghal and east Cork are no different. We are watching the number of children who have applied through the portal for specialised education, whether in special schools or special classes, to ensure we are meeting the needs in those communities. The data from …

I thank Deputy Heneghan for the tour of the schools in his constituency. I do take his point on this serious issue. I welcome the engagement by all Deputies and political figures on education, which is hugely important. It is important that we engage as fully as possible with schools, school communities and families. The Government is strongly committed to supporting children with special educati…

Reviews are ongoing and we will have further engagement, along with the schools the Deputy mentioned. Over recent weeks we have announced a number of inclusive special classes as well, which is 47 in total. Of those, 32 are at post-primary and 15 are primary schools. These have been welcomed by the school communities where we are providing the resources. The school communities should look at what …

I thank the Deputy. As I say of all Deputies across the House, the engagement they have with the education system is crucially important. We are able to have very informed debates here in Leinster House with Deputies' contributions. Deputy Heneghan mentioned a number of schools. We will certainly follow up on them. We are acutely aware of the challenges in the context of the SNA role. We have inve…

Addressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for both me, as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth, and for the entire Government. The DEIS plus programme represents a significant expansion of targeted educational supports. It is designed to provide enhanced, evidence-based supports to 121 s…

In the first instance, the school has the DEIS plus status. That status provides extra resources to communities and schools like the ones the Deputy has mentioned. It is important we acknowledge the work that is being done and the amount of money the Government is putting behind the DEIS plus programme and understand the disadvantage in communities across the country and in the ones the Deputy out…

I thank the Deputy very much for raising the question and also for the change in time, which I appreciate. We in the Department, and the entire Government, have invested heavily in ensuring that all recognised mainstream schools have been allocated additional special education teaching resources to support children with special educational needs, including students with literacy difficulties. Gui…

Therein lies the point. We are continuing to invest hugely, but we have to ensure that we get the outcomes of that investment for children and young people in primary and post-primary schools. There are a lot of teachers and SNAs across the education system. They are working extremely hard, and they are desperately committed to what they are doing. They are constantly looking at new initiatives an…

I thank the Deputy for his Topical Issue. It gives me the opportunity to update the Dáil about investment in schools in Kerry but, more importantly, it shows that the Deputy is in touch with all the school communities, which is hugely important. All Deputies from all sides of the House are engaging with school communities because they are a hugely important piece. They are educating our young peop…

I thank Deputy Cahill for his closing remarks. I take the point very seriously. He has very eloquently put the challenges facing several schools he has listed on the Dáil record as regards funding and some basic infrastructure. As a country, we have been very proud of our education system that has developed over many years but it is crucial because you have to have the right working environments …

I thank both Deputies for raising the issue. On a serious note, I always admire when constituency colleagues come together on issues of education. It shows the depth of knowledge and commitment they have to education and I have seen that in several constituencies, so I compliment them on that. Addressing the education disadvantage and ensuring every child and young person can reach their full pot…

In the first instance, the appeal process is there. I am sure the school communities are engaging to ensure that appeals are submitted. Going back to the challenges in relation to this matter, we have often seen that the criteria being used are very robust. The data collection is also very robust. The challenge here is that the Deputies have given me figures in relation to percentages of unemploy…

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute on behalf of the Government and the Minister for Education and Youth and our Department. I welcome the commitment given by the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, to enhance transparency and public understanding of the family law system and ensure that the right of children and parents to privacy is upheld. In relation to open reporting, in Th…

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Department of education recognises the value of the special needs assistant, SNA, role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential. I am also aware of the contribution that SNAs make to the educational experience and overall well-b…

The outcome of the consultation we have had with the various stakeholders, including SNAs, Fórsa, the National Parents Council and the Children's Rights Alliance, is a draft circular which provides a clear and detailed description of the range of duties and responsibilities of the evolving SNA role. The Minister and I fully understand the evolving role, which is a product of meaningful collaborati…

We have had a considerable amount of engagement on this and work has been ongoing for a number of years on the SNA workforce development plan, redeployment and on the circular. A lot of work has been done in relation to the circular going back a number of years at this stage, involving consultation with those across the education partners, parents groups, children's advocates and SNAs who are cent…