Questions

515. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will engage with the family to ensure the child in question can secure a school place. [45796/26]

516. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the first year and full year cost of hiring an additional 1,000 primary school teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45801/26]

517. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of unfilled teaching posts in Dublin north west; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45802/26]

518. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the recent Leaving Certificate honours maths papers; if she acknowledges that the 25% uplift was introduced to encourage more students to choose honours maths but if papers are exceptionally difficult as reported this year, this will run counter to the reason the uplift was introduced; and if she will make a statement on the matt…

519. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that in the recent Leaving Certificate biology examination, the exam booklet credits a website (details supplied) for making diagrams for the exam and that this is an AI generation tool for biology questions; her views on students’ assertion that some of the diagrams, notably the one on meiosis and mitosis, were incorrect; if …

520. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of pupils, by category, primary, secondary, special school and so on, that were issued tickets under the school bus scheme for the 2025-2026 academic year; and the way in which that compares to each of the previous four years. [45876/26]

521. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that the mandatory subjects for junior cycle vary between school (details supplied); if there are plans to address this to ensure students are not put under undue pressure or disadvantaged in exams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45911/26]

522. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that schools who appeal their exclusion from DEIS Plus are asked to look back on their primary online database (POD) data for three years to support their case but, in practice, they only have access to one year’s information due to data restrictions on the system; if this is something she will address to ensure full access to supp…

523. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of staffing appeals submitted by primary schools in each of the past five years, by the outcome of those appeals, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45918/26]

524. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider greater flexibility with the pension abatement for post-primary teachers by extending the 50-day waiver, with a view of helping schools find substitute teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45942/26]

525. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) was not permitted to advertise immediately for a newly approved SNA vacancy arising from the recent review; to confirm whether this post was intended to take effect immediately or from September 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45946/26]

526. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the specific trauma-informed training that is in place for Departmental staff tasked with dealing with applicants and querists under the survivor supports work in relation to the supports available for survivors of residential institutional abuse; if a policy is in place in relation to the need to minimise the number of requests made of s…

527. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education and Youth if persons who interacted with Caranua are required to re-supply all details of their experience of institutional abuse while accessing supports for survivors of residential institutional abuse; if a GDPR-compliant means of data sharing and retention can be used in the management of supports for survivors of residential institutional abuse to avoid th…

528. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to consolidate the application process for supports for survivors of residential institutional abuse such that an applicant would have to deal with just one form, rather than three as is currently required; her plans to include a printout of the eligibility criteria as part of the issuing of those forms; and her views on the disproportionate…

529. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to review the application process for supports for survivors of residential institutional abuse; and the way in which such a review will gather the direct input of persons who have experience of using the system as an applicant. [45964/26]

530. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of persons who have successfully completed an application, who have commenced but did not complete an application, the number of live applications, for health supports, education supports, advocacy supports, funeral costs and certification relating to detention in a relevant institution, in tabular form; and if her Department is monitoring …

531. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason her Department provides retrospective funeral grant funding as part of the support package for survivors of residential institutional abuse, instead of replicating the pre-paid model used by Caranua. [45966/26]

532. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education and Youth the internal policy regarding the education support grant for survivors of residential institutional abuse; if it is the case that officials are encouraged to grant the minimum payment of €500 to applicants; that there is a higher threshold for disbursing the informal €600 grant; if it is the position that applicants should borrow money to self-fund t…

533. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the level of staff sanctioned for the summer programme in a school (details supplied) given that the resources allocated will not cover the demand for provision and will mean the school will have to refuse eligible pupils a place on the programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45968/26]

534. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth when home-based summer provision sanction letters will be issued for summer 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45969/26]

535. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the SET posts at primary school level for the years 2024-2025, 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45970/26]

536. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary schools that have lost mainstream teaching posts for 2026-2027, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45971/26]

537. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary schools that have lost SET teaching posts for 2026-2027, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45972/26]

538. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the mainstream teaching posts at primary school level for 2024-2025, 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45973/26]

539. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if it is confirmed that overall, 498 classes will be lost at primary school level for 2026-2027; the number of these that are due to ‘split classes’; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45974/26]