Parliamentary questions

57. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the additional monies her Department received in Budget 2026 will allow for the additional accommodation scheme application made by a school in Clare (details supplied) to progress; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57481/25]

58. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 528 of 14 October 2025, the reason hand dryers are not permitted under the Department's School Design Guide. [57494/25]

59. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there is a distinction between emotional support and behavioural management in relation to Circular 0030/2014; the supports available for children with emotional support needs that is, overwhelm, sensory overload and so on; to clarify clearly what is considered primary care needs and what is not; and if she will make a stateme…

60. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has considered mandatory training for the use of EpiPens in schools, as well as the provision ofEpiPens to schools as part of an emergency medical kit; the current first aid programme requirements in schools; and if she will consider embedding allergy awareness and response training in schools, particularly in regard to food…

61. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of the proposed ETB development at Dryton Villa, Clara, County Offaly. [57559/25]

62. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 420 of 14 October 2025, if she will consider and address the matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding a school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57592/25]

63. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the procedures in place for families that have recently relocated to Ireland from abroad in relation to enrolling their children in school; the way in which school places are allocated; the way in which appropriate class grades are determined; and the supports which are available to assist families during this transition. [57615/…

64. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has projects, contracts, or pilots currently being undertaken or in development that make use of agentic AI; if the use of these technologies is internal only or public facing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57622/25]

65. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of the permanent school building application by a school (details supplied); and if further guidance will be issued to the school regarding the next steps to proceed. [57637/25]

66. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of plans to open a speech and language class in Connemara, in order that families living in Connemara are not required to travel long distances to access a class; the details of analysis carried out by her Department, or bodies under the aegis of her Department, in this regard; and if she will make a statement on t…

67. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a school bus route will be provided with a larger bus to accommodate students (details supplied). [57646/25]

68. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of service contracts awarded to private consultancy firms, broken down by projects in IT, management, accounting and auditing, Department and cost, each year to date since 2000, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57655/25]

69. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has had any contact from the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment regarding the interpretation of employment permit rules potentially excluding post-primary teachers, as a full time post primary contract is 22 hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57681/25]

70. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Youth the planned mechanisms for the distribution of the €48 million allocated to DEIS Plus; to confirm whether the funding and associated interventions will be primarily directed to schools; and if she will ensure that the allocation is not disproportionately channelled through external agencies such as Tusla, TESS, NEPS, the NCSE or the…

71. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a timeline for the rollout of DEIS Plus resources; if she will consider making funding and staffing available to schools before the end of the 2025-2026 academic year to allow for adequate planning, recruitment, and implementation of supports in advance of the September 2026 start date. [57685/25]

72. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to embed multidisciplinary teams including counsellors, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and psychologists within DEIS Plus schools. [57686/25]

73. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which DEIS Plus funding will support trauma-informed educational practices in schools, including the provision of additional staffing, funding and infrastructure for the development of nurture rooms and dedicated support spaces. [57687/25]

367. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department maintains data on the number of teachers currently assigned to special education needs classes who hold specific qualifications or accredited training in dyslexia support, structured literacy instruction, or numeracy interventions; if not, the reason for the absence of such data; and if she will make a statement …

368. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has assessed the extent to which unqualified or non-registered personnel are currently delivering special education support, including literacy and numeracy interventions, in mainstream schools; the rationale for permitting such practice; the safeguards in place to ensure quality and consistency; and if she will …

369. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will consider introducing mandatory, accredited training modules in dyslexia support and numeracy intervention for all those assigned to special education needs roles in mainstream settings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56478/25]

370. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has conducted a workforce planning analysis for areas of high population growth such as Fingal, specifically in relation to the availability of teachers with specialist training in dyslexia, literacy and numeracy support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56479/25]

371. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the mechanisms in place to monitor the quality and consistency of special education provision in mainstream schools, particularly in relation to literacy and numeracy support for children with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56480/25]

372. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department tracks the uptake and impact of professional development programmes related to dyslexia and numeracy support among teachers assigned to special education needs roles; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56481/25]

373. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of a secondary school place for a child (details supplied) in County Cork. [56482/25]

374. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that school bus escorts were paid from the moment they began their working day and now they are not being paid until the moment a child gets on the bus despite many escorts being on the bus for up to an hour before hand; and if she will engage with the ETBs to resolve this issue. [56501/25]