Parliamentary questions

47. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth if an extension to a school (details supplied) will be approved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6668/26]

48. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on the expected timeline for commencement of construction of the new school building (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6671/26]

49. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth to consider creating a required school placement in a special education setting in teacher training courses, that will prepare primary school teachers to teach in a special class or special school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6687/26]

50. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports in place and the training available to ensure that all teachers are equipped to teach in a special class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6688/26]

51. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to change the title of special needs assistant (SNA) in a classroom-to-classroom assistant, given SNAs play a major role in all students lives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6689/26]

52. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if Bus Éireann will consider extending the upper age limit for school bus drivers from the current cut-off point of 70 years to 75 years or beyond, provided that drivers are medically fit given that there is no legal upper age limit in the State requiring a person to cease driving; his views that such a change could help…

53. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there will be a recruitment campaign in 2026 for school bus operators and drivers to help alleviate the shortage of school bus places; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6691/26]

54. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the guidelines relating to the distance to a child’s nearest school will be reviewed, particularly in cases where a child requires a special education place and the nearest school with such facilities may be the furthest from the family home; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6692/26]

55. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a more efficient system will be put in place for the 2026/2027 school year to ensure that queries from Oireachtas members receive timely replies for their constituents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6693/26]

56. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there will be additional school transport routes for the Wicklow–Wexford area for the 2026/2027 school year following the evaluation of the 2025/2026 pilot scheme; when this will be announced in advance of the next academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6694/26]

57. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth when evaluating new routes, if he and Bus Éireann will allocate a new route to an area (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6695/26]

58. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the extension and provision of two new SEN classrooms for a school (details supplied); the actions she will take to ensure this project is progressed without further delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6700/26]

59. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the planning permission deadline for progressing the extension and provision of two new SEN classrooms for a school (details supplied); the actions she will take to ensure this project is progressed without further delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6701/26]

60. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the concerns of school management in school (details supplied) in relation to the risk of cost increases related to delays in progressing an extension and two new SEN classrooms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6702/26]

61. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the actions she will take to ensure that there is no further delay to the provision of two new SEN classes in a school (details supplied) to reflect the significant demand for SEN places in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6703/26]

62. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 487 of 12 November 2025, if the new DEIS strategy has been published; the options now available to a school (details supplied) in order for the school’s application to be allocated DEIS band 1 status to be re-considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6724/26]

63. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will consider developing an educational module to be delivered in conjunction with the Hot School Meals programme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6726/26]

64. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a request will be considered for school transport for a person in County Kildare (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6774/26]

65. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether any funding streams exist to address a matter at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6796/26]

66. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Education and Youth if guidance can be provided to schools with regard to assignment of teachers to the coordination of special classes; if her Department can provide guidance to schools with regard to the minimum number of administration hours per class for these teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6826/26]

67. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide records in relation to the number of times section 37a of the Schools Admissions Act 2018 has been enforced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6827/26]

68. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason her Department has made the provision of home tuition conditional on a student having a psychological report done within the previous six months; to provide the number of successful home tuition applications from 2020-2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6828/26]

69. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Education and Youth if consideration has been given to instructing the NCSE to provide a county-by-county breakdown of special class numbers, separated into primary and post-primary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6829/26]

70. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of special classes throughout the country; to provide a breakdown of this number with relation to school type (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6830/26]

71. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reasoning behind the funding discrepancies between primary and post-primary autism classes (detailed supplied); if her Department has consulted the NCSE in relation to equalising this funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6831/26]