Parliamentary questions

648. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide guidance for parents unable to secure a primary school placement for their children in their locality. [10360/26]

649. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a SENO will be appointed for North Wexford. [10369/26]

650. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the need for additional SNA support at a school (details supplied); the measures she will put in place to address the needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10370/26]

651. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which teachers are able to exercise the flexibility envisaged under the EU Work-Life Balance Directive; whether any consideration will be given to issuing guidance to schools to allow parental leave to be flexibly taken where agreed (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10391/26]

652. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of early intervention classes in special schools, in each of the years 2014 to 2016, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10394/26]

653. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which her Department intends to ensure that new contracts for the school transport scheme will be issued without delay after the expiry of the current term in June, to provide consistency and reliability for bus operators; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10395/26]

654. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans in place to expand access to specialised provision of speech and language classes, given that evidence suggests that at least 10% of children have speech, language and communication needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10397/26]

655. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether children with verbal dyspraxia/apraxia of speech are eligible for speech and language classes under Circular 0024/2025, including where they have a dual diagnosis of autism; to clarify the way eligibility is determined in such cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10398/26]

656. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason children with non-verbal IQ scores above 90 and severe dyslexia, but who cannot present a reliable verbal IQ due to speech difficulties, are excluded from Reading Schools; whether current policy reflects contemporary evidence on dyslexia identification and intervention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. …

657. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of an application from a school (details supplied) to establish a second ASD class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10405/26]

658. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth when she expects to be in a position to outline plans for the inclusion of additional schools in the DEIS+ programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10425/26]

659. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures in place to protect and support small schools in rural areas; the way In which demographic change and enrolment thresholds are taken into account in education policy and school planning; the steps being taken to ensure the long-term sustainability of rural schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1042…

660. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth the specific measures being taken to protect small schools in rural areas from closure or forced amalgamation; the way in which adjustments to enrolment thresholds and staffing schedules can be made to ensure the long-term sustainability of rural schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10429/26]

661. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will extend the newly announced wellbeing grant scheme to primary schools in County Laois; the criteria for inclusion in Strand Two of the Counselling and Mental Health Pilots in Primary Schools; if she will make provision for the establishment of education wellbeing teams to support school clusters in Laois in line with th…

662. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department plans to establish a Gaelcholáiste in an area (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10466/26]

663. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth the protocols which currently exist to allow for the sharing of needs-based assessment information between the HSE and schools, with parental consent; whether the absence of shared assessments contributes to duplicated assessments, delayed supports, or inconsistent planning for children with additional needs; and if she will make a…

664. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has identified delays or gaps in supports for children with additional needs at key transition points, including early years to primary and to post-primary education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10491/26]

665. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children identified by the HSE as having additional or complex needs in the past five years which were unable to access educational supports, resources, or placements due to the absence of a formal diagnosis; whether her Department records or monitors unmet needs, arising from diagnosis-based eligibility criteria; and…

666. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has considered introducing a needs-based model for the allocation of educational supports for children with additional needs, aligned with the functional needs approach used by the HSE; whether any reviews, pilot initiatives, or reform proposals are currently underway in this area; and if she will make a stat…

208. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether funding provided through Cara Nua for victims of institutional abuse is available for the purchase of a car. [9111/26]

209. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 537 of 27 January 2026, if she will provide details on the National Youth Sector Reference Group as well as a group comprising representatives from departments and agencies that provide funding to or interact with the youth sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8773/26]

210. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 537 of 27 January 2026, if she will provide details on progress in drafting an operational action plan to support implementation of the strategy; the timeline for engagement with stakeholders involved in the delivery of these actions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8774/26…

211. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 537 of 27 January 2026, if she will provide more information on the design of a consultative forum, from 2026 onwards, that will concentrate on the identification of policy priorities, outputs, and outcomes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8775/26]

212. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 537 of 27 January 2026, her plans to meet with youth organisations, to discuss their priorities and understand the value of their work and the challenges they face; when she intends to get stakeholder input to inform the development of the implementation plan for Opportunities for Youth, th…

213. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if plans have advanced for a new school (details supplied) on the new site offered free of charge to the State, within the town boundaries of Milford; and if she will discuss the unacceptable conditions for the children, teachers and staff at the school with her two predecessors in her role, who both visited the school an…