Questions

135. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she is satisfied that the reading support available in mainstream schools is meeting the needs of pupils with dyslexia; the number of reading classes currently available at primary level and the number of pupils waiting for access to such classes; and the steps she is taking to ensure that pupils receive timely, appropriate support. [74057/26…

281. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth for a list of all post-primary schools in Dublin that offered politics and society as a subject for the Leaving Certificate in the 2025-2026 school year, with the number of students who studied the subject in each school. [71474/26]

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]

350. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the data collected through the 2025-26 primary annual census on the estimated number of pupils withdrawn from religious instruction in each school will be published; whether this data will be broken down by school patronage type and county; and the actions her Department intends to take on foot of these findings, including the developmen…

362. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has issued, or plans to issue, guidance to primary schools on the educational provision and supervision of pupils withdrawn from religious instruction, including during sacramental preparation and school-time religious ceremonies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72070/26]

363. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth given that the primary annual census 2026-27 is the first time the State has tried to count the number of children withdrawn from religious instruction, whether the Minister will commit to publishing this data by a set date, and to issuing guidance to schools within this school year in order that these children are no longer left without mean…

378. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the guidance provided to post-primary schools on the use of class periods for students exempt from Irish; and if consideration is being given to issuing further guidance on their appropriate use. [72217/26]

207. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps her Department and the national council for curriculum and assessment are taking to provide comprehensive, in-person professional development and training to second-level teachers tasked with delivering the new Leaving Certificate specifications; the reason that no official sample layouts or benchmark portfolios have been published by the St…

288. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for her response to over 500 signatories (details supplied), including eminent mathematicians, teachers, technologists, and others, calling for the proposed mathematics Leaving Certificate specification to be scrapped and a new advisory group set up. [70588/26]

291. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the concerns that have prompted a delay to introducing the reformed maths Leaving Certificate; and whether any changes will be made to the NCCA's process to address these concerns. [70582/26]

408. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to criticisms in relation to the new leaving cert maths curriculum (details supplied); and if she can outline the work ongoing to address these concerns. [68678/26]

433. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will engage with the NCCA/SEC and other appropriate bodies to ensure that American football and other minority sports are designated as approved options within the invasion games category within the official LCPE curriculum as the current specification explicitly lists just six approved physical activities and results in the exclusion of others…

280. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department permits State-funded primary schools to outsource mandatory school-day curriculum delivery to private contractors at direct cost to parents; and the mechanisms her Department is putting in place to enforce existing regulations against coercive fee invoicing for school-day activities. [66644/26]

523. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Youth the curriculum content in place at primary and post-primary schools regarding factual material concerning vaping and nitrous oxide. [64687/26]

524. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth to consider issues raised regarding the review of the Leaving Certificate mathematics curriculum (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64708/26]

591. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she will take in response to the PISA 2025 findings that 24.2% of students in Ireland are performing below level 2 in mathematics and 16.5% below level 2 in reading, and the decline in performance in both areas over the past decade. [65231/26]

595. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has carried out a review into the mathematics higher level papers 1 and 2 in this year's Leaving Certificate, which was poorly received by students, parents and teachers (details supplied); whether the drop in grades in mathematics in 2026 could be partly answered by the difficulties in the papers; the changes she envisages in pre…

599. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she will take to address the PISA 2025 attainment gap between students in DEIS and non-DEIS schools, including the 49-point gap in reading and 46-point gap in mathematics. [65232/26]

5. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the arrangements in place for parents and parent representative organisations to raise concerns directly with her Department regarding the national education curriculum and provision of educational resources; and the frequency with which she personally meets with such bodies. [54436/26]

357. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures being taken to improve education and awareness around men's health issues within the primary and secondary school curriculum; whether her Department plans to expand age-appropriate men's health education in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53732/26]

358. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has reviewed the extent to which men's health issues are covered in the SPHE and RSE curricula; the steps being taken to ensure students receive comprehensive and evidence-based education on these topics; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53733/26]

289. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the options available to an individual who wishes to have their TY Online Driver Education Programme considered for the school curriculum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48562/26]

425. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the survey of school principals published by organisations (details supplied) on 4 March 2026 which found that one fifth of second-level schools were forced to drop at least one subject entirely due to teacher shortages; the number of second-level schools that withdrew or restricted access to a subject in the 2025-2026 school year as…

426. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures her Department is taking to address the recruitment of teachers in the subjects identified in a survey by organisations (details supplied) published on 4 March 2026 as most affected by shortages, namely Irish, mathematics and French; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44985/26]

431. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the survey of school principals published by organisations (details supplied) on 4 March 2026 which found that one fifth of second-level schools nationally were forced to drop at least one subject entirely due to teacher shortages, the number of post-primary schools in Cork city and county that withdrew or restricted access to a subj…