Michael Moynihan

I will certainly give the Deputy a commitment on that. He was spoken to me many times about this school in Finglas and the challenges that are faced by the parents. I commend him for working so closely with the parents and the school communities. I encourage all Deputies across the House to continue to liaise with their school communities because they are hugely vital and we should be constantly e…

Enabling students with special educational needs to receive an appropriate education is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me, for the Department and for the National Council for Special Education. The vast majority of students with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where students with more complex needs require additi…

Senior staff at the NCSE are working with the families who notified the council by 1 October this year. We are working through those figures at the moment. We want to identify the communities where the need is and match the places appropriately in order that we do not have students travelling long distances out of their communities. We want, as far as possible, to provide special classes and speci…

A huge body of work is ongoing between the Department and the NCSE on the provision of special class places right across the country. There are no definitive decisions made. A number of decisions will be made this week and into the new year as to where those special classes will be made available. When they become available, the NCSE will liaise directly with families. I take Deputy Ward's point …

Arising from budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding is being allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment builds on recent increases. In 2025, €84.9 million was allocated for current and capital expenditure for the benefit of young people, which was an increase in funding of €7 million, or almost 9%, on the 2024 budget. Of…

It was a pilot event on 21 November. A number of short weeks later, the Department is currently evaluating the event. The Deputy is quite right and on the button that it was extremely successful. A lot of public representatives and community members attended the events and they were very successful. We are looking at how it can be improved. It has to be an annual event because of the benefit it br…

We have seen an increase in funding in the section. Youth services have seen an increase of €8 million in current and capital funding. Looked at within the overall budget of the Department of education, it appears small, but it is dedicated funding and is being brought back into that Department. There was always a huge collaboration between the Department of Education and Youth and the youth secti…

Since 2020, the Department of education has invested over €6 billion in school projects throughout the country under the national development plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. Over €159 million has been invested in schools across County Westmeath and €234 million in schools across County Wicklow in that period. Project Dargle, the project bundle referred to by…

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing interest in these projects across Wicklow. Wicklow is one of the major challenges we have in terms of school capacity each year. At post-primary level, there is always a challenge. The projects are at stage 2b, with full planning permission granted. I have had a number of conversations with Deputies this morning about projects where planning permission is awaited…

I would appreciate if Deputy Ó Murchú could pass me the roll number of the school. We will then take up the matter and I will see what we can do with it. On the school in Blessington, I do not have the details to hand but we will come back to Deputy Timmins on it. I take his point in relation to the sod-turning and so forth. There is nothing more frustrating than commitments being given and deadl…

The programme for Government provides for a number of measures to support small schools, including the introduction of new national small school projects and training in new administrative supports. The Government is very aware that small schools are an important part of local communities and glue a community together, not just for the students and the school community but for generations to come …

The importance of this project is that it will inform policy into the future in regard to small schools. In the first instance, I acknowledge the huge work that small schools do in every county in Ireland and in some city locations as well, due to having different demographics. These clusters are to understand the challenges small schools have. The Deputy is right that more schools are looking to …

The project is a step in the right direction. The previous Minister in the Department, the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, moved the initiative on. It is a clear indication of the importance of small schools in communities. We have visited a number of schools over the past eight or nine months. Some city schools are small too, for different reasons. On having an administrator within the cluster, th…

The school campus referred to by the Deputy comprises a junior school and a senior school. The junior school has a major project with the Department for a new school building on the existing site, which is currently at construction stage. This project will provide modern facilities for the school community, including provision for children with special educational needs. As part of this project su…

I accept the genuine frustration of the Deputies on this. The Department of Education and Youth is very committed. Many facilities paid for by the State and built up over the years close on Friday evening and do not open again until Monday morning. We do want to make sure every facility, be it in Jobstown or anywhere else, is used. I have considerable experience as a public representative over a n…

The capitation grant is specifically paid for costs relating to the running of the school, such as the cost of heating and lighting. We had debates earlier in the session regarding that. I do not think it should affect this issue. Is the archdiocese looking for some information? I find it difficult as well. We are dealing with a very protracted system across the patron bodies as well. I would have…

I thank the Deputy for his comprehensive list of school projects. I know that a significant amount of work is taking place. I compliment the Deputy on the work he does in engaging with schools because I believe public representatives should be constantly engaging with school communities. I thank him for his engagement on this and his engagement with us over the past number of months. Since 2020, …

I thank both Deputies. Deputy Dolan has raised Carrabane National School continuously with me and the Department. We visited the school in Galway and I know the challenges that are there. It was remiss of me not to say that I am very much looking forward to working with our new Minister for education, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. We have had many lengthy discussions on education over the past numbe…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: Dáil Éireann: notes that the Government: — recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families; — is committed to ensuring that schools will adopt measures to reduce the cost of school uniforms and other costs in l…

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Department of education and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, are aware of the recent issues raised by the school to which Deputy O’Sullivan referred. I can confirm that the Department and the NCSE have met and are in ongoing contact with the management of the school to ensure the needs of all students continue to be met. As Deputy O’Sulliv…

Seventeen.

Right now, that is the number.

Officials from the NCSE and the Department met the school board of management, including the chair, and the principal on 10 October. There is ongoing engagement with the NCSE and the Department. The NCSE is arranging a follow-up meeting with the school this week to discuss the findings of the SNA review, the recommendations to support SNA resources and other related issues. I guarantee that we are…

Deputy O’Sullivan raised various issues. The details of the review are between the board, the NCSE and the Department. Much work has been done by these three over the past month or six weeks. I pay tribute to everybody concerned, including in St. Gabriel’s. They met immediately on the Friday after the Thursday night on which the issue was raised with me, and they have continued to engage. A reduc…

The Minister and I have set a vision to deliver a world-class education service which breaks down barriers and ensures that every child can achieve their full potential. The investment of €7.55 billion in capital funding through the national development plan in the coming years will ensure that we can deliver new school places and upgrade existing schools. It will provide a record 14,000 school pl…