Parliamentary questions

162. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will outline any plans her Department has to deliver a new secondary school in Dublin 2,4 or 6; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31305/25]

163. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on the roll-out of additional supports for students with additional needs ahead of the 2025 academic year; for a further update on the provision of special education teachers and SNAs across primary and post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30702/25]

164. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of additional special classes that will be opened in County Monaghan in 2025. [31316/25]

165. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps she will take to ensure every child will have access to an appropriate school place in their local community this September. [30980/25]

166. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on schools’ SNA allocations for the 2025-26 school year; to outline the process involved in making allocations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30984/25]

167. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of the plans for DEIS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30554/25]

168. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will sanction the provision of a minibus to provide transport under the school transport scheme, to convey primary students from the Portlaoise area to where there is a shortage of transport to a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31318/25]

169. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has given consideration to the request of a school (details supplied) to undertake a full rebuild of the school, as the current building dates from the 1970s and is over 50 years old; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30077/25]

170. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if, in light of the critical shortage of speech and language therapists, SLTs, across Ireland, her Department will engage with CORU and other relevant bodies to fast-track the recognition of qualified professionals from abroad; and if she will address the current two-year delay for foreign-trained SLTs to receive approval to wor…

171. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm the number of additional special school places delivered for Cork for the 2025-26 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31234/25]

172. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the provision of modular accommodation for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31249/25]

173. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will guarantee that every child will have access to an appropriate school place in their local community this September. [30979/25]

174. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the under-provision of adequate specialist places for children with Down's syndrome in County Kildare and throughout the State more broadly; if she will consider collecting data on Down's syndrome children in the education system with a view to create targeted placements; and if she will consider reviewing t…

175. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children with special educational needs without a place in a school, by county, in tabular form; the measures being taken to provide places for these children who do not have a school place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31300/25]

176. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of her Department's review of outdoor play areas in schools; the supports available to schools to enhance sports facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30790/25]

177. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will reconsider the issuing of Circular 0039/2025 regarding the forward planning for special education provision since many teachers who work in special schools fear that the circular appears to assume that students with mild general learning disabilities can simply be accommodated within mainstream settings, provided minim…

178. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will review the current provisions for teacher allocation to schools to avoid or minimise instances where the loss of a teacher necessitates the introduction of multigrade classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31131/25]

179. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the current one-size-fits-all system whereby a minimum of six pupils are needed to establish a special education class and acknowledge that this disproportionately affects rural communities; and if they will explore implementing more flexible options. [30701/25]

180. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth when works on the LMETB headquarters will be completed in Drogheda town, given the building work commenced in 2017 with the contractors on site but was halted (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30154/25]

318. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools taking part in the pilot of in-school therapy. [31668/25]

319. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will request her Ministerial colleagues to grant immediate pension parity to school secretaries and caretakers, as they are integral to the daily operations of schools and are paid by her Department. [31422/25]

320. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on special education classes in second level schools that are provided for children with Down’s Syndrome; if she will give a commitment that her Department will plan to expand this service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31283/25]

321. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to ensure consultation with stakeholders while rolling out Leaving Certificate reform. [30861/25]

322. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the number of children without an appropriate school place for this September. [30860/25]

323. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to recruit a sufficient number of SNAs, therapists, SLTs and OTs to match the demand of SEN students this September. [30859/25]