Parliamentary questions

492. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if crossdepartmental analysis has been conducted comparing the cost of teacher education with retention and attrition rates; and if there is an estimate of the fiscal impact of teacher emigration. [61193/25]

493. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education and Youth for a breakdown of all spending on external communications and media, by company, including the amount spent and purpose of spend, in each of the past five years, in tabular form. [61210/25]

494. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the D15 pilot scheme for common enrolment; if there are plans to roll this out in other areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61240/25]

495. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she plans to change the arbitrary deadline of 1 October for parents or guardians to submit a letter of eligibility for the admission of students with a disability or special educational needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61241/25]

496. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth to urgently intervene to resolve the issues arising from the NCSE’s SNA Review Guidelines 30214, to protect the essential work of SNAs in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61242/25]

497. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports provided to teachers to upskill to meet the special educational needs in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61243/25]

498. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of NEPS assessments that have been provided in schools to date in 2025; the locations of each; her plans to increase NEPS assessments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61244/25]

499. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a school (details supplied) will be fully open; the current opening hours; the number of pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61245/25]

500. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason it is not possible to transfer permanency of teacher posts from one school to another; the reason a teacher must resign from his or her current post and begin the process again in a new school to gain permanency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61270/25]

501. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of teachers working within special schools, primary schools and secondary schools in the State who currently do not have permanent status. [61271/25]

502. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department’s plans to provide educational facilities for an area (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61314/25]

503. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a school (details supplied) can expect a response regarding stage 2A of its new school build project. [61330/25]

504. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the school completion programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61334/25]

505. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which the National Council for Special Education records and reports local demand for autism-specific school placements; the number of eligibility letters issued by special educational needs organisers; the way in which this data is used to ensure sufficient autism-specific class and special school places are available w…

506. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the case of children (details supplied); if she will provide an update from the school transport appeal board; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61344/25]

507. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the decision to refuse retrospective payment of set up grants for the autism special classes opened in 2021 and 2022 at a school (details supplied), in view of the contribution the school has made in opening three autism classes in succession and the very high needs of the students concerned; the circulars, gui…

508. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the details of the circulars and scheme rules governing set up grants for autism and other special classes at primary and post primary level; the formal time limits for submitting grant applications; the way in which these time limits are communicated to schools; if discretion is available to approve retrospective claims where cl…

509. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools that have received autism or special class set up grants retrospectively in each year from 2018 to date, the total amount paid in retrospective grants in each year, disaggregated by county and school type; the criteria used by her Department when deciding whether to approve retrospective applications; and if…

510. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of new autism and other special classes opened at post primary level for each year from 2020 to date; the number of these classes that received the full set up grants available; the number of applications refused or not processed on the basis that they were submitted outside the relevant timeframe; and if she will make…

511. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will outline the internal guidance issued to Department officials on the processing of applications and late applications for autism and special class set up grants, including any instructions on the use of discretion in cases where schools have responded positively to requests to open special classes in their area; how co…

512. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education and Youth the progress to date including a timeline, for the new ASD classes for a school (details supplied). [61373/25]

513. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students in the Roscommon–Galway constituency currently without access to school bus services, in tabular form; the steps being taken to address this shortage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61477/25]

514. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has assessed the adequacy of school transport services in rural areas such as Roscommon and east Galway; the improvements planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61478/25]

515. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department plans to give more specific guidance to schools on how they can make meaningful provision for students who have opted out of religious education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61506/25]

516. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education and Youth the arrangements being put in place to ensure that a child (details supplied) has an appropriate school placement for September 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61552/25]