84. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on her plans to remove a diagnosis as an eligibility criteria for a special education placement; the extent of engagement with teachers and their representatives in developing her plans to date; the extent to which the impact such a change would have on demand for resources has been assessed and the approach taken to this asses…
TDs / Darren O'Rourke
Darren O'Rourke
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1,809
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
93,019
words spoken in the chamber
Across 530 contributions. Plus 27 contributions from the chair, not counted
435
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
270
topics asked about
Across 20 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 1,809 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 530 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
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| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 25 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 112 | 30 |
| March 2025 | 96 | 8 |
| April 2025 | 54 | 17 |
| May 2025 | 91 | 38 |
| June 2025 | 121 | 28 |
| July 2025 | 198 | 41 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 76 | 13 |
| October 2025 | 97 | 21 |
| November 2025 | 109 | 24 |
| December 2025 | 71 | 29 |
| January 2026 | 77 | 32 |
| February 2026 | 181 | 52 |
| March 2026 | 100 | 22 |
| April 2026 | 90 | 45 |
| May 2026 | 60 | 31 |
| June 2026 | 129 | 39 |
| July 2026 | 42 | 22 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 27 | 16 |
| October 2026 | 53 | 22 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 407 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Worked out by computer from the subject headings of each TD's questions, giving more weight to headings few TDs use. It shows shared subjects, not shared views.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Meath East 29 November 2024 to now
- party Sinn Féin 29 November 2024 to now
I ask the Minister of State to provide an update on his plans to remove a diagnosis as an eligibility criterion for a special education placement; the extent of engagement with teachers and their representatives in developing his plans to date; the extent to which the impact such a change would have on demand for resources has been assessed and the approach taken to this assessment; and the practical steps he intends…
I am sure the Minister of State is aware, as he indicated in his response, of the level of concern. I have never seen anything like the reaction. The real concern, and the Minister of State has addressed some of it, was that consideration of the measure was at an advanced stage. The concern was that the measure was based on a New Brunswick model. New Brunswick has done a U-turn because the outcomes were not positive …
I appreciate that response. I hope it will address some of the concern. As I said, there was some understanding that this negotiation was at quite an advanced stage and may be wrapped up in the public sector pay talks and, in other words, that the move was imminent. I hear from the Minister of State that negotiations are at an early stage.
We would not have been in this position if we had real engagement up to this …
88. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the amount spent on the scheme for the commissioning of psychological assessments, SCPA, in each of the past five school years, broken down by primary and secondary and year, in tabular form. [74817/26]
Will the Minister of State outline the amount spent on SCPA assessments in each of the past five school years, broken down by primary and secondary and by year? This is an interim measure but my sense is it is increasing spending, with not enough of the necessary National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, supports going to children.
If the Minister of State has them, I would like the headline figures for recent years. My sense is that the cost is increasing. This is an interim service that is availed of in the most serious of cases. It is reflective of a system that is under-resourced. Will all of the NEPS psychologists who are qualifying through the schemes come to work in the public system? Is there an attrition rate? To what extent is the Gov…
When I speak to principals in my county of Meath, they tell me they cannot get access to NEPS, or to SCPA because it is heavily booked. There is a level of bureaucracy involved that puts a huge amount of responsibility on school principals and school leaders in identifying the psychologist, ensuring the paperwork is in order for payment and that type of thing. There is significant opportunity to address that. The edu…
90. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which she plans to respond to recent school attendance data; and the supports and training her Department has in place for school leaders, home school community liaisons, HSCLs, teachers and SNAs regarding emotionally based school non-attendance, EBSNA. [74815/26]
This is a major issue in education. We hear lots about how much the Government is spending on education and the international measures of outcomes and performance, but huge and increasing numbers of children are being failed by the education system. I wonder about some of the response to school absenteeism in posters and radio advertisements. It feels like a government that does not adequately understand the issue an…
In the first instance, I call on the Minister of State to expand Anseo to all DEIS schools. There is a major issue in DEIS schools. I have heard from parents and school leaders that some of the advertising on this is specifically targeted at casual non-attendance. For parents and families who are dealing with something far more significant than that, it has landed completely wrongly. To them it feels like the Governm…
Now to conclude the debate, I call an Teachta Coppinger.
In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time this evening.
12. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [69883/26]
I welcome the establishment of the AI office. At the AI committee and at a number of conferences last week, we discussed with trade union members their role in the roll-out of AI. We discussed its potential to improve productivity but there are real concerns that the voices of workers will not be heard. One of the central asks from the trade unions is for collective bargaining. Is that something the Taoiseach sees as…
31. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will next meet. [69885/26]
I want the Minister of State to hear directly from my constituents in Meath East. A number of them have been in contact with me. One pensioner said, "It's so expensive that you have to spare the oil and just put up with the cold, which the elderly shouldn't have to do. We paid taxes all our lives and at the later years of our lives, we should at least be able to afford food and heat." Another said, "I went to work at…
12. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he is taking to increase the amount of land in tillage. [69727/26]
I heard the earlier question regarding supporting tillage farmers through the budget. My question has a slightly different emphasis in a similar area. What measures are the Minister taking to increase the amount of land in tillage?
I think there were up to 30 recommendations of the Food Vision tillage group. Will the Minister give us a sense of the progress on them, if he has any indication in relation to that? One of the big things I hear from tillage farmers in County Meath is the pressure in terms of availability of land and competition, whether it is from dairy or solar. Has the Minister done any assessment of that competition? What type of…
I will ask about the land use strategy review and how it relates to policy development. How is the Minister considering it? My understanding is that the final report from phase 2 is with the Minister and the Minister for energy and climate. Will he give us an indication in terms of whether it will make specific recommendations? Is it ambitious in a certain regard? How will it feed into policy development and the prac…
I want to use my time to raise something that is too often missing from the Government's mental health announcements, which is the facilities and capacity to actually provide care. The Government has strategies, action plans and new announcements every year but people are still waiting for an assessment, waiting for a first appointment, waiting for a referral, waiting for a bed and, in far too many cases, waiting in …
I welcome all our visitors to the Gallery. We know that breastfeeding is one of the most important positive health behaviours for our newborns. I will use my time to highlight the importance of local volunteer support services. To see successful initiation of breastfeeding in our maternity hospitals alongside a consistent approach and support from hospital staff, mothers should receive information about local volunte…
Táimid críochnaithe.
I congratulate the junior certificate students as well and wish them the very best for the future.
Budget 2027 was an opportunity. It was an opportunity to finally put our children first and fix the cracks in our education system, but instead the Government has delivered a budget that fails on every single front. It fails our children, schools and parents.
We are now two years on from a promise contained in the pro…