Parliamentary questions

54. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a school project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29073/26]

55. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views that all the special classes sanctioned for September 2026 will be delivered; if lessons have been learned from the failure to deliver same for the past year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29167/26]

56. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will arrange for her Department to send a framed copy of the 1916 Proclamation to all primary and secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17285/26]

57. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department ascertained the number of school places that are available for September in the Portlaoise area at both primary and secondary level; the level of demand and the overall shortfall at both levels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29138/26]

58. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports to be made available to DEIS PLUS schools. [29162/26]

59. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department is aware that funding for an organisation (details supplied) has not kept pace with inflation and has only recently returned to pre-economic-crash levels; if further increases are planned in recognition of the essential community work the organisation provides; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29099…

60. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education and Youth her proposals to ensure that primary and secondary schools are adequately funded in the 2026-2027 academic year. [29129/26]

61. Deputy David Maxwell asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of proposals to acquire lands adjacent to a school (details supplied); to confirm whether her Department is engaged in discussions regarding the potential purchase of these lands; whether funding has been identified for such an acquisition; whether this would facilitate the provision of additional facilities, in…

62. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the progress made to date in advancing reforms to the school transport scheme, and specifically, in the removal of the nearest school criteria; whether additional pilot programmes will be undertaken in 2026/2027; how routes will be selected for any additional pilot programmes; and if she will make a statement on the…

63. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will amend circular 0030/2014 in line with the alternative circular proposed by an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28993/26]

64. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the decision to reinstitute a charge in relation to the junior and leaving certificates. [28420/26]

65. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Education and Youth the timeline for the length of time it will take to complete the designs and full cost planning for the three-school campus in Celbridge to ensure it moves from Stage 2a to 2b pre-tender; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29111/26]

66. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth to fully outline the rationale behind the opening of the special classes/hubs in mainstream schools, which will now allow schools enrol up to 12 students per class; the organisations and schools that were consulted on this process; the role the NCSE played in this decision making process; the additional supports that will be made a…

67. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the timeline for the progression to construction of a new school building (details supplied); the current status of the tender assessment process; the number of tenders received for the project; whether construction is expected to commence in 2026 as previously indicated; the revised timeline for the commencement of works; and if…

68. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on a school building project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28168/26]

69. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the work that has been undertaken to ensure that all children of school going age living within a school catchment area will have access to a school place in that school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28996/26]

70. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children who, for the 2025–2026 academic year, were unable to secure a school place at primary or post-primary level despite applying within published timeframes; the number of formal school place refusals issued nationally; the number of cases in which her Department was required to intervene directly to secure a pl…

71. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the policy rationale for the introduction of a new category of ‘inclusive special class’; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29026/26]

72. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the mechanisms in place for families and students that are not able to afford the State exam fees for 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27967/26]

73. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth how the application process for special education teaching hours is administered by her Department, including how allocations to individual schools are determined and how the needs profile of a school is reflected in the final allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28417/26]

74. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to clarify how routes are selected for inclusion in the pilot programmes being implemented under the reforms to the school transport scheme; the role Bus Éireann plays in this process; and whether County Cork routes are to be included in the next phase of the pilot programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2…

75. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of an application for €100,000 in funding for three years for educational supports using the data from the PRIME project for a school (details supplied) in Limerick following a visit by the Minister for Special Education, if the funding will be allocated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28032/26]

76. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children who are in need of a place in a special classroom and have not had an offer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29168/26]

77. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps she is taking to address the precarious employment conditions facing newly qualified teachers; her views on the current contractual arrangements are contributing to the substitution crisis being experienced by schools in County Clare and nationally; the timeline for systemic reform of teacher employment pathways; and if she…

78. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports available to a school (details supplied) to progress necessary roof works now assessed as being beyond further patch repair, following the outcome of its emergency works scheme application; whether her Department’s technical staff can engage with the school in light of the health and safety concerns outlined; and i…