Parliamentary questions

1452. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the bodies which operate under her aegis which have a regulatory or enforcement remit which include provision for a person convicted of an offence to receive a fine upon summary conviction, the associated maximum amount and duration of any related potential imprisonment term; provision for a person convicted on indictment to rec…

1453. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will address concerns regarding the increase in school bus fees, raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25980/26]

1454. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review a school transport application (details supplied) seeking the establishment of a new bus route in the Bawnboy area, County Cavan; if she will engage with Bus Éireann regarding the feasibility of providing a service given local demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25998/26]

1455. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which her Department is working to implement the “Health and Safety at Work Act 2005”; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26000/26]

1456. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans to increase funding for a School Completion Programme for 2026/2027 (details supplied). [26002/26]

1457. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the amount of funding for a School Completion Programme from 2010 to 2025 (details supplied), in tabular form. [26003/26]

1458. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide the criteria for the allocation of funding to each School Completion Programme in the State. [26004/26]

1459. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 536 of 24 March 2026, the access process for schools under this procurement framework; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26013/26]

1460. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the way in which schools in County Kildare have been assessed for DEIS and DEIS+ supports; whether further consideration will be given to schools that did not receive a DEIS+ allocation under the current round; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26020/26]

1461. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the parental leave arrangements for teachers and special needs assistants to allow greater flexibility in the way in which leave may be taken, including shorter blocks than the current standard arrangement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26041/26]

1462. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rationale for requiring parental leave for teachers and special needs assistants to be taken in fixed blocks rather than in a more flexible pattern that reflects the realities of modern family life and childcare needs; and whether reform is under consideration. [26042/26]

1463. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has examined the impact of current parental leave rules on the retention of teachers and special needs assistants, particularly parents of young children; and if she will publish any such analysis. [26043/26]

1464. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she accepts that the limited flexibility available under current parental leave arrangements places particular pressure on school staff with childcare responsibilities; and if she will outline any engagement her Department has had with unions or staff representatives on possible reforms. [26044/26]

1465. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department will review the job-sharing scheme for teachers and special needs assistants to allow more flexible patterns of attendance, including family-friendly arrangements such as a two-day/three-day split across alternating weeks, where compatible with school needs. [26045/26]

1466. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the extent to which schools currently have discretion to approve flexible job-sharing patterns for teachers and special needs assistants; the guidance issued by her Department on this matter; and whether updated guidance will issue to promote greater flexibility for parents. [26046/26]

1467. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has considered if the present operation of the job-sharing scheme, including timetabling arrangements that may still spread attendance across five days, undermines its usefulness for parents trying to manage childcare responsibilities. [26047/26]

1468. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current and projected provision of early intervention and special class places in the Cork east constituency, including for children with mild general learning disability; the number of children awaiting an appropriate school place; and the steps being taken to expand provision. [26053/26]

1469. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department is aware of concerns from families regarding insufficient special class and appropriate school-place provision for children with mild general learning disability, Down syndrome and related needs in the Cork east constituency; and the action planned in response. [26054/26]

1470. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth her current plans to ensure that children with Down syndrome are given supports in the transition from primary to secondary education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26069/26]

1471. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth to review the allocation of DEIS status in Thurles town, County Tipperary, considering there is no DEIS primary school in the town despite clear indicators of disadvantage in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26088/26]

1472. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education and Youth if an agreement will be reached to ensure school caretakers are not left without pay during the upcoming school summer holidays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26090/26]

1473. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a school (details supplied) will move to its new and permanent location. [26116/26]

1474. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on his plans for ASD classes in primary schools in Malahide, Portmarnock and Kinsealy. [26117/26]

1475. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of non-governmental organisations that have received State funding from her Department in each of the past five years; the number of such organisations currently registered in the State which have been funded by her Department; the number located outside the State that have received Irish public funds from her Departme…

1476. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a school will be granted approval for another reading class (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26183/26]