Parliamentary questions

143. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of retired officials that were re-engaged by her Department on a consultancy basis in the past four years and to date in 2025; the reason for engaging them; the costs incurred in respect of their engagement; and if her Department requires consultants to declare conflicts of interest in advance of utilising their servi…

144. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps being taken to follow through in the Programme for Government’s plan to ensure, through the NDP process, that adequate funding is available for new school places in areas of demographic growth and new special education provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28258/25]

145. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will include school secretaries and caretakers in the public service pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27338/25]

477. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated cost of establishing an initial panel of 90 speech and language therapists for schools as a shared resource. [29377/25]

478. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education and Youth to detail any grants or schemes available to primary schools to support the employment of disabled staff members (details supplied). [28933/25]

479. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special schools in Ireland, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28945/25]

480. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students each special school has, broken down by school and by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28946/25]

481. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special schools across Ireland have outdoor play equipment, broken down by school and by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28947/25]

482. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth if funds are available for special schools that wish to install an outdoor play area for sensory play; if so, to detail these funds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28948/25]

483. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the Government policy for outdoor play facilities for special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28949/25]

484. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which she plans to address the anomaly whereby a student does not qualify for school transport from Bus Éireann due to the fact that they must travel to a second level school further to the nearest second level school due to a lack of available school places in the nearest second level school; her views on whether t…

485. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school transport service is unavailable for a school located in Newcastle, County Dublin (details supplied); if there are plans to instate a transport service when the premises opens; if not, the options for transport available to students living 3.2 km or more from this school; and if she will make a statement on the…

486. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated full year costs to recruit 30 additional educational psychologist for the National Educational Psychologist Service. [28966/25]

487. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth when refurbishment works at a school (details supplied) will move to construction phase. [28967/25]

488. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a schedule of all active new school construction projects and expansion projects in Cavan and Monaghan; the stage each project is at; and the target delivery date of each, in tabular form. [28968/25]

489. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth when refurbishment works at a school (details supplied) will be completed. [28969/25]

490. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth when refurbishment works at a school (details supplied) will move to construction phase of works. [28971/25]

491. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a schedule of all active new school construction projects and expansion projects in Meath; the stage of each project is at; and the target delivery date of each, in tabular form. [28974/25]

492. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on whether is a connection between the huge increases in absenteeism at primary and secondary schools and the increase in working from home in recent years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28996/25]

493. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNA allocations that were recommended to the NCSE by SENOs versus the actual number that were allocated; and to provide a breakdown of where the recommendation by a SENO has not been filled or sanctioned, In tabular form. [29008/25]

494. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth the amount in funding in total that has been secured from REPowerEU to fund an expanded school pathfinder decarbonisation and retrofit programme in 2025; if she will provide the names of the 40 schools that have been selected for initial assessment based on their building profile for the programme; and if she will make a statement on …

495. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth the criteria used by her Department to allow a school to qualify for inclusion for initial assessment under the pathfinder decarbonisation and retrofit programme for 2025; if all schools that have been selected for initial assessment have been confirmed and have been contacted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29027/25…

496. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm the allocated budget in her Department for a climate-focused summer works programme for 2025; if significant roof replacement works can be considered in terms of applications from schools that also have strategic plans developed by recognised consultants to decarbonise their energy sources and make their schools more energy…

497. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm that a school (details supplied) will be permitted to open a fourth ASD class, where the school had offered places to children to open the new ASD class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29029/25]

498. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if Educate Together schools can expand their prioritisation to outside their school planning area (SPA), where no Educate Together exists in neighbouring SPAs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29047/25]