Questions

314. Deputy Daniel Ennis asked the Minister for Education and Youth when her Department became aware of an urgent matter (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71704/26]

315. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm an appeal regarding teacher allocation has been received from a school (details supplied); if the points outlined in the appeal will be comprehensively considered, taking into account the school's previous enrollment; and the unique experience of the school. [71675/26]

316. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason Bus Éireann reserves payments and then in many cases to refuse access to school bus transport and issue a refund (details supplied); her views on after offering/providing a place/service; and if this practice has been assessed and deemed financially sound. [71732/26]

317. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she is taking to increase access to specialist reading classes within children's local communities. [71759/26]

318. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she is taking to improve the systems in place to ensure that children with dyslexia and other reading challenges are identified at as early an age as possible. [71758/26]

319. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the mechanisms in place to ensure that children with dyslexia and other reading challenges are identified at as early an age as possible. [71756/26]

320. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the arrangements in place for Leaving Certificate students who, due to disability, medical needs or school avoidance, cannot regularly attend school to complete required coursework or additional assessment components; whether alternative arrangements are available to allow these students to complete the assessments; and the way in which she will en…

321. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the proposal by a school (details supplied) to transition from an English-medium school to a Gaelscoil; the outcome of the meeting between Department officials; and the projected timeline for progressing the proposal. [71779/26]

322. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there are funding schemes, grants or other avenues of support available for a school (details supplied) in County Laois. [71739/26]

323. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of an application (details supplied). [71801/26]

324. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of post-primary schools in the Dublin Rathdown constituency that offer autism classes, broken down by whether they are single sex or co-ed schools, fee-paying or public, in tabular form; her Department’s plans to oblige schools without autism classes to provide them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71806/26]

325. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an updated timeframe on when the works on a new school build (details supplied) will recommence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [71939/26]

326. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if, given her confirmation that her Department does not monitor individual schools' implementation of Circular 0032/2017, she will explain how she can ensure compliance with its provisions that uniforms should be generic, available from multiple retailers and that exclusive supply arrangements should be regularly tendered; and, given her confirmation …

327. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth what constitutes “regularly” for the purposes of her Department's requirement that exclusive school uniform supply arrangements should be tendered regularly under Circular 0032/2017; the way in which her Department verifies that schools comply with this provision; and the number of schools that have been found not to comply since the circular was issu…

328. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to detail which organisations representing parents are currently being consulted on the complaints procedures being developed under the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019; and the way in which her Department will ensure that parents have an independent representative voice in the development of the new complaints procedures. [71896/26]

329. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she considers a book (details supplied) for third year junior cycle SPHE, to be appropriate and age-appropriate for students; and if her Department or the NCCA has reviewed its content for suitability for use in schools. [71895/26]

330. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special needs assistants in post at the end of 2025 and at the latest date in 2026; and the way that the budget 2027 provision of 2,339 additional SNAs, bringing the total to 28,000, reconciles with the budget 2026 figure of almost 24,900. [71855/26]

331. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether a principal, board of management or patron of a recognised school has any statutory authority to suspend, dissolve, restrict or prevent a parents’ association established under section 26 of the Education Act 1998 from exercising its functions; if so, to identify the precise statutory provision, regulation or departmental guidance which provid…

332. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether a parents’ association established under section 26 of the Education Act 1998 is an independent representative body of the parents of pupils in the school; whether a principal, board of management or school patron has any statutory authority to direct or control the views, advice, communications or activities of a parents’ association; whether…

333. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to clarify the legal effect of section 26(2)(a) of the Education Act 1998, which provides that a parents’ association may advise the principal or board of management on any matter relating to the school and that the principal or board shall have regard to such advice; whether this requires the principal or board to formally consider advice submitted b…

334. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the projected 2026 outturn for current expenditure on the education and youth Vote compared with the budget 2026 allocation of €11,475 million; and the reasons for the increase in the 2026 allocation to €12,442 million, by programme, in tabular form. [71854/26]

335. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to set out, specifically in relation to section 26 of the Education Act 1998, the statutory role and functions of a parents’ association in a recognised school; to clarify whether a parents’ association is intended to act as an independent representative body for the parents of pupils in the school; and to identify the matters on which a parents’ asso…

336. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the functions the National Parents Council will perform following full implementation of the student and parent charter; and if she will provide a list of those functions. [71873/26]

337. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to clarify the relationship between a parents association established under section 26 of the Education Act 1998 and an association (details supplied); whether the association has any statutory or departmental mandate to represent or support parents associations in disputes with principals, boards of management or patrons; and the formal mechanism tha…

338. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has assessed if the functions performed by the National Parents Council will duplicate functions provided for under the student and parent charter. [71874/26]