Where planning permission has previously been secured but is due to run out before the project can be delivered, there are mechanisms.
My Department is very aware of this and would have a lot of experience in relation to it. The Department examines projects on a case-by-case basis to determine the best course of action. One approach might be engagement with the local authority to request an extension to the existing…
TDs / Hildegarde Naughton
Hildegarde Naughton
Minister for Education and Youth
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
0
questions asked
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them
67,004
words spoken in the chamber
67,004 as a minister, 0 as a TD
322
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
Members of the Government answer parliamentary questions rather than ask them, so this page lists none of theirs.
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Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Contributions to debates 251 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
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|---|---|
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| January 2025 | 10 |
| February 2025 | 23 |
| March 2025 | 7 |
| April 2025 | 7 |
| May 2025 | 10 |
| June 2025 | 19 |
| July 2025 | 1 |
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| July 2026 | 34 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 4 |
| October 2026 | 2 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 213 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Galway West 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
- office Minister of State at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth with responsibility for Disability 23 January 2025 to 1 May 2025
- office Minister of State at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality 2 May 2025 to 18 November 2025
- office Minister for Education and Youth 18 November 2025 to now
A comprehensive suite of professional learning to support teachers in relation to artificial intelligence, AI, for teachers is being provided by Oide technology in education, Oide TIE, which is the Department-funded digital teacher professional learning service that has been rolled out across the country. This work recognises both the opportunities and challenges presented by AI in schools, including its potential to…
The Deputy raises an important issue. In relation to the additional assessment components, coursework rules were published by the State Examinations Commission, SEC, last November. They addressed the use and misuse of artificial intelligence. Additionally, the SEC has also commissioned research by the University of Limerick, which is due for completion in December 2026. There are very clear rules online, through the …
The Deputy very eloquently expressed the situation in relation to the role of the teacher and teaching and learning, which is very important. There are lots of positives for AI, as well as lots of challenges, including its ethical use. Teachers and school leaders play a central role in developing students' digital skills, including AI literacy. To support them, we have the AI schools hubs, acceptable use policy, besp…
I thank the Deputy for her question. My Department’s process for delivering a school building project under the large-scale programme or additional school accommodation programme involves five core stages. These stages are reflective of the capital works, management framework and infrastructure guidelines. The stages range from preliminary design to completion and handover. My Department’s design team procedures set …
I think the Deputy. In the national development plan, of the 105 projects published earlier this year, seven are in County Meath, two of which are in Meath West, St Ultan’s School and Ard Rí Community National School, both in Navan. Additionally, ten schools, including six in Meath West are approved to undergo works as part of the climate action summer works programme this summer. These projects are in addition to th…
First, to reassure people, the NDP is a five-year plan but I know there is urgency. When you are on the list, it is great but when you are not on it, there is disappointment. This is the first tranche of a five-year national development plan programme for the country. It is €1.6 billion for those that are going to tender and construction this year and next year. My Department is also carrying out a prioritisation lis…
In January this year, my Department published a comprehensive national development plan implementation plan for the education and youth sector. That included 105 school building projects to proceed to construction and tender in 2026 and 2027. That list included 80 large-scale and additional school accommodation projects along with 25 modular projects. The number of modular projects has now increased to 31.
The first…
There is ongoing engagement between the Department and schools and school patrons. That is happening all the time. The list of 105 projects includes 12 projects in County Cork, of which five are in Cork North-Central. One of these schools, Scoil Íosagáin, moved into stage 4, which is construction, in February. Additionally, there are 35 schools, including eight in Cork North-Central, that were approved to undergo wor…
In the past we might have thought of as modular as prefabs but these are not prefabs. These are state-of-the-art, very modern buildings. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I have walked into many of them. You do not realise they are modular. They just look like an extension to a school. The spec is of a high quality.
The Department is working with schools and engaging with school stakeholders. That prioriti…
I am very aware of this issue. I recently met Scoil Mhuire Naofa and the local representatives, including the Deputy, on the matter. A campus project was delivered for three schools - Carrigtwohill Community College, Scoil Mhuire Naofa Carrigtwohill, and Scoil Clíodhna Community National School - as part of my Department's design and build programme. The project was completed in quarter 4 of 2023.
The schools on the…
A scope of works and associated costs for the green space have been received by my Department for the proposed works to provide access to that green area. On initial review, it is the Department's recommendation that a cost-effective solution be considered and resubmitted for further consideration. Once the scope works and the cost to provide the access and entrance are agreed, procurement of a contractor to complete…
I thank the Deputy. The original planning permission for the campus development at Carrigtwohill included the green area lands to the south of the school building infrastructure, so the green area was always included in the development as a flood attenuation zone, which forms part of the campus flood mitigation strategy. The campus development was delivered according to the schedule of accommodation, which provided t…
As part of budget 2026, the Government confirmed that examination entry fees will be reintroduced for the 2026 State exams. These fees are being restored at their previous levels, which are unchanged since 2012. It is €116 for leaving certificate candidates and €109 for junior cycle candidates. Not all families are liable to pay examination fees. Any student with a full medical card, or covered under a parent's or gu…
A recent review of the school transport scheme found that having a fee helps to make better use of resources and prevents seats on school buses from going unused. The fee for a primary school student is 55 cent per week and it is 60 cent for a post-primary school pupil, or €1.32 per week for a family. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I are also acutely aware of the school transport system and getting bette…
We have introduced a number of cost alleviations for schools and parents. The free school books is one example of that. We are providing solar panels for schools as well to reduce their energy costs. There has been a hugely positive uptake from schools across the country in relation to that. The school transport system costs 55 cent per day for primary school pupils and 60 cent for post-primary students. When we comp…
I welcome this evening’s debate. It is important that we continue to shine a light on the area of special education to ensure that our children and young people with additional needs are supported in school to help them achieve their full potential. I appreciate and accept that some families and young people believe the system is not doing enough for them, but supporting young people with special educational needs is…
I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. Supporting youth work is a critical aspect of what we do as a Government to support our young people. I thank both Deputies for the opportunity to set out the position with regard to youth work provision and funding provided to Youth Work Ireland from my Department.
Youth work services deliver high-quality youth work and non-formal developmental opportunities to young peo…
I thank the Deputies for raising those issues. Youth workers are employed directly by individual youth organisations. They are not public servants. Their terms and conditions, including pay, are set by those organisations. My Department provides grant funding for the provision of youth services to the organisations in question to meet the needs of young people. It does not directly employ youth workers or set the ter…
At no point over the past week did any member of Sinn Féin speak about the impact the blockades had on ordinary people - sick people trying to get to hospital appointments, workers trying to get to work, families visiting relatives or business owners losing customers. Instead, they spoke about how the Government was not doing enough. Not once did they criticise the blockades which caused such misery to people across …
I move:
THAT, notwithstanding anything in the Order of the Dáil of 5th February, 2025, setting out the rota in which Questions to members of the Government are to be asked, Questions for oral answer following those set down to the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, shall be set down to Ministers in the following temporary sequence:
Minister for Climate, Energy…
Over the course of a two-hour debate last night, I listened carefully to what colleagues had to say about the vital role played by special needs assistants, SNAs, in the lives of children and young people with special educational needs. Today, protests involving parents, teachers, SNAs and members of school communities will take place across the country. I know that people are angry and frustrated at what is being po…
There are 1,700.
I, too, welcome Mary, Miriam, Maurice and Mary to the House today, together with your family members and supporters. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to meet you this afternoon. I understand that days like today are particularly difficult for you and your families because hearing an apology can bring back such painful experiences. I also recognise how important this moment is in acknowledging the harm t…
I welcome the opportunity to address the House this evening, to speak to this motion and provide an update on special needs assistants. At the outset, I want to be very clear: this Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
I want to state categorically that no cuts are proposed, or w…