Parliamentary questions

212. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports being put in place to help undergraduates to progress from their early childhood education degree to furthering their studies to become a teacher. [36743/25]

213. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the number of Gaelscoileanna operating within the country, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36748/25]

214. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the number of Gaelcholáistí operating within the country, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36749/25]

215. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the number of children attending Gaelscoileanna within the country, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36750/25]

216. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the number of students attending Gaelcholáistí within the country, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36751/25]

217. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the percentage of children attending Gaelscoileanna as a percentage of overall primary school children, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36752/25]

218. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the percentage of students attending Gaelcholáistí as a percentage of overall secondary school students, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36753/25]

219. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if any of the 399 new special education classes that were sanctioned for the coming school year have had their sanctioning withdrawn; and if so, the number. [36754/25]

220. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the NCSE has any role in the admission of children into a school or if the admission of a child into a school is exclusively a matter for the school in accordance with its admissions policy. [36755/25]

221. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a pathway exists for graduates of a course (details supplied) to receive a Teaching Council number; whether route 4 continues to exist for level 8 graduates; and if there is an alternative to completing a master’s degree for qualification. [36763/25]

222. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education and Youth if additional funding can be allocated to small rural DEIS schools, such as (details supplied), to cover health and safety essential works, given the significant financial strain these schools face in maintaining their facilities, and if she will consider their application for emergency works to be carried out. [36796/25]

223. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department’s position on secondary schools requiring parents to purchase iPads or specific digital devices, particularly in light of the roll-out of the free schoolbooks scheme; the guidance or oversight her Department provides to ensure that families are not subjected to undue financial pressure due to school-imposed digita…

224. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth to simplify the tendering protocol for the free schoolbooks scheme to allow wider access to the scheme for independent bookstores; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36825/25]

225. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review a school’s (details supplied) SNA allocation given it is inadequate to meet the needs of children attending the school; if she will allow an appeal to be progressed as soon as possible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36842/25]

226. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that some secondary schools are encouraging parents to incur financial debt by requiring the purchase of specific iPads, which cost on average €600; if she is further aware that these schools stipulate the exact make and model, limiting open market choice, and in many cases are directing parents to local credit unio…

227. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that despite the Department’s circulars advising schools to reduce the cost of school uniforms by avoiding the use of branded or crested items, many primary and secondary schools continue to require expensive branded uniforms that can only be purchased from a single designated supplier, thereby limiting affordabilit…

228. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth when physical work will start on the new permanent building for a school (details supplied); the timeline for completion; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36864/25]

229. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth when LMETB will start the physical work to develop the new LMETH head office building in Drogheda, as per a decision taken by Government twelve years ago; if approval of a report referred to in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 622 of 23 July 2024, has been sanctioned; the date on when this occurred; if the project has been appr…

230. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total amount spent since 2013 on work connected to the planned new LMETB head office building in Drogheda for each accounting year from 2013 to date in 2025 inclusive, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36866/25]

231. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will make it mandatory for those training to become a primary or secondary school teacher to complete one work placement in a special school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36879/25]

232. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider providing a new Teaching Council registration pathway to allow Montessori-trained teachers and those who hold recognised qualifications and have strong experience in child-centred education to gain registration, in order to address the shortage of teachers in special education; and if she will make a statement …

233. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider changing the criteria of the capitation grant for special schools to consider all school staff or the square meter area of the school premises, in order to provide special school to receive a greater amount under the grant to meet their day-to-day costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36883/25…

234. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider extending the €74 per-pupil allocation under the minor works grant in special schools to also take account of teacher and SNA numbers, in order to better reflect the resource needs of special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36884/25]

235. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will provide funding to a school (details supplied) to provide for a sunken trampoline that was recommended by the occupational therapist and physiotherapist; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36885/25]

236. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider providing an assistant principal 1 to all special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36886/25]