I thank the Deputies very much for raising the issue. It is always great to see TDs raising issues on a cross-constituency basis. It shows the importance of the issue being raised, so I thank them for raising it. The primary staffing schedule is a long-standing feature of the primary allocation system, which ensures fairness and transparency in the allocation of mainstream class teachers across primary schools, regar…
TDs / Michael Moynihan
Michael Moynihan
Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
5
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
133,123
words spoken in the chamber
133,123 as a minister, 0 as a TD
426
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
4
topics asked about
Across 3 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 5 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 382 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 0 | 27 |
| March 2025 | 0 | 3 |
| April 2025 | 1 | 25 |
| May 2025 | 1 | 5 |
| June 2025 | 0 | 15 |
| July 2025 | 0 | 19 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 2 | 4 |
| October 2025 | 0 | 18 |
| November 2025 | 0 | 10 |
| December 2025 | 0 | 42 |
| January 2026 | 1 | 12 |
| February 2026 | 0 | 34 |
| March 2026 | 0 | 8 |
| April 2026 | 0 | 26 |
| May 2026 | 0 | 23 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 30 |
| July 2026 | 0 | 18 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 0 | 6 |
| October 2026 | 0 | 57 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 349 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Not enough questions on record to compare.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Cork North-West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fianna Fáil 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Education 29 January 2025 to 1 May 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth 2 May 2025 to now
I thank the Deputies for the questions. I would nearly bet that the school has probably committed to and sent in the enrolment for 30 September at this stage because schools are very efficient bodies and I am sure this school, St. Patrick's, is no different. We will reflect on that figure when it is sent in.
I take the point. We have to have a staffing schedule. If we look at the average of our schools, it is even f…
I thank both Deputies for their collaboration and for raising this important issue and offering me the opportunity to respond.
The Department is aware of the decision to close the service as the university prepares to repurpose the current facility. It is acknowledged that this is a deeply stressful time for the parents, children, the staff affected and the local community. South Dublin Childcare Committee is collab…
The Deputies have spoken about having proper childcare facilities on campus. Ideally, that is the way to go. The announcement of a number of crèches and of childcare funding earlier this week shows the correct process to do that. However, that is little comfort for the Deputies' constituents in the challenges they will face in a couple of months' time. I reiterate that it is for the providers to go back. The Departme…
I thank the Deputies for raising the issue of support for Moatview Early Education Centre. The Department supports the ongoing development of existing and new services in the sector through its range of funding schemes and support infrastructure, including city and county childcare committees. In particular, core funding offers supply side funding to services. Core funding is a grant to providers designed to support …
This is very important. As with all childcare facilities across the country, it is vital that this is maintained. Moatview has been in operation since 1992, which is 34 years. It is probably putting the second or third generation through its hands at this stage. This is important. I will undertake to ensure that from the Department side and Pobal’s side, there will be serious engagement with the board of directors an…
I thank Deputy Hearne and all the Deputies who spoke so genuinely and eloquently about housing and the challenges that are facing us. I reaffirm the Government's commitment to tackling the housing crisis. We know that these challenges are having a real impact on people's lives and we remain focused on increasing delivery. Enshrining a right to housing in the Constitution is not necessary to solve this crisis. To hold…
I thank the Deputy for the Topical Issue. The Government is committed to the provision of specialised education for children with special educational needs. In the early part of budget 2026, we have already provided funding for over 400 new special classes and at least 400 new special school places for the 2026-27 school year. It was intended that this would create almost 3,000 new special education placements for Se…
I take the Deputy's point and I can get the figures for her. In the provision of specialised education, we want to ensure that in special classes that are associated with mainstream schools, inclusivity is one of the major key pieces in it. In the ramping up of the provision and the capacity across the country, I have been at many schools and seen the work that has happened over the past while. We have made a very se…
I thank the Deputy for the question. We have discussed this issue and he has raised it a number of times with me. I have met a number of stakeholders to discuss how our schools support children with dyslexia, including experts in the field, teachers, parents and advocacy groups, such as the likes of Dyslexia Ireland and the Crack the Code group, which I met with Deputy Moynihan before the summer. As he knows, the maj…
I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that all children can access an education suitable to their needs. The Department continues to engage intensely with the NCSE in relation to forward planning for new special provision to ensure every child has a place in an educational setting best fitted to their ed…
I thank Deputy Wall for the question. The Government is very committed to the provision of specialised education. In the budget of 2026, this time last year, we committed to over 400 new special classes and over 400 new special school places. In April, we agreed additional funding to have more funding in place for more special classes and special school places as well.
The year 2026 represents the largest ever expan…
I thank the Deputy for his kind comments. We do not turn water into wine every time but we do certainly try to help and assist in any way we can. I accept the Deputy's comments on this. We started out this time last year, just after 1 October, with a huge number of students, at primary and post-primary and in special schools, looking for places. We have, through the massive work that continued throughout the year in …
I thank the Deputy for his engagement in relation to this issue. The assistive technology scheme supplements the overall funding provided to schools for digital technology and equipment. It supports children who require essential specialised equipment to access the school curriculum.
Assistive technology is a critical enabler for students with special educational needs, allowing them to benefit fully from the modern…
By way of background, 85% of the applications processed for assistive technology between January and June have been approved. We are always conscious of those who fall outside the scheme. Hence, the drawing up of the new circular to ensure that we are taking into account students and children who are outside of the scheme but who would greatly benefit from it. The Deputy has spoken to me a number of times about the c…
We are very conscious of the issue. A huge number of groups that I have met over the past while, particularly on the dyslexia side, have all been discussing assistive technologies. That is also the case for children who are non-communicative and non-verbal. Assistive technologies are extremely important for them.
The Department set out to compile a new curriculum because of the challenges and parameters within the o…
Yes, from September.
I thank the Deputy. By way of background, the number of SNAs working within the education system has grown significantly to support the increasing number of students with special education needs, both in mainstream schools and in special schools and classes. By the end of this year, there will be approximately 26,000 SNAs in our education system.
In recognition of the importance of the SNA role, the Department estab…
I cannot emphasise enough the respect that the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and I have for special needs assistants and the contribution they make to education. In March, we met the SNAs to have further engagement and consultation with them and to understand their roles. The workforce development plan is the first significant piece of work that has been done to plan for SNAs, not just in the here and now, but into the …
There has been huge engagement by the Department on the development of the workforce development plan over the past two years. A large amount of engagement and meetings were held. It is the first workforce development plan. There was concern regarding redeployment. The circular and all of those documents were worked through and co-designed very carefully with the SNAs in mind. We wanted to ensure that we understood t…
The school transport system is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. The scheme is a demand-led scheme based on the number of eligible children who apply and pay on time. Families who require school transport for 2026-27 were asked to apply and pay for their school bus tickets by the closing date of 8 May. The earlier closing date was put in place so that w…
I know the value of the school bus ticket. I always say that from the middle of August through to 1 October is peak time in terms of this issue. Irrespective of the overall figures that I can give the Deputy here today in relation to the cost to the State and the amount of money that the State has invested, it pales into irrelevance when we are talking about one or two tickets for a family. The Deputy mentioned six t…
I thank the Deputy. We are looking at ways to ensure that if there is a ticket issued, it will be used. Anecdotally, the Deputy and other colleagues tell us about school routes the length and breadth of the country that have spare capacity but, when we look at the system, all of the tickets on that particular school route are occupied and accounted for, and it is therefore very difficult to reallocate them. As it is …
I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion. The motion before us reflects a concern that many families will recognise, namely, that the costs associated with going back to school can place real pressure on household budgets. Both the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and l, and the wider Government, recognise that concern. Our focus is on practical measures that reduce costs, support schools and ensure every child can…
I thank the Deputy very much for raising the summer programme. I will set out the details of the scheme in the first instance and then I will respond to the specific points raised.
The summer programme is hugely valued across the Government and by families and school communities. It is a vital and targeted intervention for the education of children with special educational needs and those affected by educational dis…