Parliamentary questions

459. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether an equality-impact assessment has been carried out on her Department’s implementation of the Bí Cineálta policy; and whether safeguards are in place to ensure that children whose parents do not consent to specific elements are not disadvantaged or labelled inappropriately. [66194/25]

460. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the means by which her Department has ensured that the implementation of the Bí Cineálta policy respects parental rights under Articles 41 and 42 of the Constitution; and whether her Department has issued guidance to schools on avoiding conflicts between parental rights and Department-mandated programmes. [66195/25]

461. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department intends to review the Bí Cineálta policy in light of recent clinical and safeguarding evidence; the timeline for such a review; and whether stakeholder consultations with parents will form part of that process. [66196/25]

462. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to set out the guidance issued to Boards of Management regarding handling parental objections to the Bí Cineálta policy; and her Department’s instructions to boards on decision-making where there is a conflict between Department policy and parental consent. [66197/25]

463. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way her Department has assessed the impact of recent directives, including Bí Cineálta, on the operational autonomy of schools and Boards of Management; and her Department’s position on ensuring that schools retain the ability to address local safeguarding concerns. [66198/25]

464. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Education and Youth to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66219/25]

465. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the breakdown of the results of exceptional reviews and SNA SENO reviews, in primary and post-primary and special schools, in the past year; the number and percentage of these reviews that led to an increase in SNA allocations; the number of additional SNAs employed as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. […

466. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the date the next tranche of projects to receive funding under the annual climate action summer works scheme 2026 will be announced. [66289/25]

467. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will reconsider a school’s (details supplied) application under the annual climate action summer works scheme 2026, given the urgent nature of the works and the critical road safety concerns that exist if the works are not carried out promptly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66290/25]

468. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide the Department’s annual expenditure on State Claims Agency costs for the years 2020–2025. [66349/25]

409. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a new school building project (details supplied) has gone to tender, as mentioned in her statement in Dáil Éireann on 12 November 2025; when the tender will be published on eTenders; if she can confirm the deadline for tender submissions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64660/25]

410. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will intervene in a pension anomaly situation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64667/25]

411. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a proposal for a new school building (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64683/25]

412. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the processing of school transport applications for children with disabilities for the current school year; whether it is the case that the CIE office in Broadstone is processing applications across multiple counties; the number of staff currently assigned to this work; and whether additional resources wil…

413. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether there is a mandate for the inclusion of special education classes in all new schools sanctioned by her Department; and if so, whether this is an automatic requirement or decided on a case-by-case basis. [64693/25]

414. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans of the NCSE for the 2026 academic year for the Dublin northwest area, including the number of new special education places needed. [64694/25]

415. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of new special education places that will be provided in the Dublin northwest area, broken down by whether they will be in mainstream settings, special classes, or special schools; and to specify whether any new special schools or classes are due to open by September 2026. [64695/25]

416. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth how far beyond 2026 the NCSE and the Department have planned regarding the provision of sufficient special education places at primary and post-primary level; and to provide details of any long-term forecasts or capital and workforce planning work currently underway. [64696/25]

417. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of the NCSE’s expression of interest process for 2026 school places for children with special educational needs, given that the online form closed in October 2025 and has since been removed from the NCSE website; and the alternative mechanism has been put in place for parents to express interest beyond t…

418. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of parents that have completed the NCSE expression of interest form for 2026; and the number of parents the NCSE had expected or invited to complete it but have not yet done so. [64698/25]

419. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether a school in Dublin 11 (details supplied) has scope for expansion beyond its current size; and whether any such expansion is being planned or funded by the Department or the NCSE. [64699/25]

420. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated number of children expected to require special education places in second-level settings, including mainstream supported places, special classes, and special schools in the Dublin northwest area over the next five years. [64700/25]

421. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the availability of early intervention preschool places on the northside of Dublin; the plans to provide new early intervention places in Dublin 11 and Dublin 9, where there is only one setting (details supplied) and some private provision through the home tuition grant. [64701/25]

422. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the climate action plan for schools will be announced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64712/25]

423. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth the educational initiatives currently being undertaken to promote equality and inclusion in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64720/25]