Parliamentary questions

263. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current number of full-time equivalent educational welfare officer positions in Waterford city and county; the number of these positions currently vacant; the timeline for filling these vacancies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26711/25]

264. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the need for a clear annual schedule of guaranteed school grants; and her plans to bring further clarity and steadiness to enable schools to make financial forecasts with greater confidence. [26765/25]

265. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide a timeline for the opening of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26769/25]

266. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is considering allowing incremental credit for external science experience to encourage those with a science and STEM background to become teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26779/25]

267. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on plans to regularise the status of school secretaries and caretakers; and if these employees will be included in her Department's pension scheme in the near future. [26781/25]

268. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider developing a policy that will require online interviews to be facilitated for primary and post-primary teachers who are living abroad and cannot attend interviews in person. [26790/25]

269. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will commit to removing the obligation on special needs assistants to undertake an additional 72 hours of work annually, in light of widespread concerns raised regarding the implementation and potential misuse of this requirement, as documented by representative organisations (details supplied); and if she will make a …

270. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will ensure parity of health and safety leave entitlements between special needs assistants, SNAs, and teaching staff; to explain the rationale for the existing 21-day cap on such leave for pregnant SNAs, a restriction not applicable to teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26815/25]

271. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will commit to the introduction of a statutory entitlement to family illness leave for special needs assistants, in line with provisions available to other school staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26816/25]

272. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider the removal of the cap on paid leave for special needs assistants, following incidents of assault, as outlined in Circular 0062/2017 (Scheme for Leave of Absence Following Assault for Special Needs Assistants in Recognised Primary and Post-Primary Schools); and if she will make a statement on the matter. …

273. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will establish a clearer and more timely system of communication in respect of contract renewals for special needs assistants, as many SNAs report not receiving confirmation of continued employment until the commencement of the school summer holidays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26818/25]

274. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the ongoing review of the special needs assistant contract will be completed; if this review will include consideration of updated qualification and skills requirements for the role; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26819/25]

275. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of youth workers employed by her Department in each county, in tabular form. [26827/25]

276. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the types of contracts available to youth workers employed by her Department, including whether these are full-time, part-time, permanent, or temporary. [26828/25]

277. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of Your Place Your Space projects currently operating in County Louth; and the number and the job titles of personnel employed in each of these projects. [26829/25]

278. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there are plans to extend the number of Your Place Your Space projects in County Louth in 2025. [26830/25]

279. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in the past five years that have left school before completing the Leaving Certificate, in tabular form. [26987/25]

280. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the oversight mechanisms in place to ensure that the report of a child at risk of early school leaving to Tusla is dealt with in a reasonable timeframe [26989/25]

281. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the length of time it takes from when a child who is at risk of early school leaving is referred to TUSLA and TUSLA responding to the school over the past two academic years, in tabular form. [26990/25]

282. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the definition of early school leaving. [26991/25]

283. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to make the Leaving Certificate as the minimum qualification for early school leaving. [26992/25]

284. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if framework-based procurement is included in her Department’s reporting of “tendered” procurement in its annual accounts; if so, to distinguish between contracts awarded via framework mini-competition, contracts awarded via direct drawdown from a framework without competition and frameworks run independently by her Department ver…

285. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a list of all framework agreements used by her Department or its agencies since 2022, by name and description of framework; if it was established by her Department, the OGP, or another central/sectoral body; if it is a single-supplier or multi-supplier framework; if drawdowns required mini-competitions; and the total nu…

286. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if all drawdowns from frameworks by her Department or its agencies from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024, valued over €25,000 were accompanied by publication of a contract award notice on the eTenders portal as required by Circular 05/2023; and if not, to list any known contracts where such publication did not occur and the reas…

287. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the use of centralised or sectoral procurement frameworks, to list the top ten frameworks, by value of payments drawn down in 2022,2023,2024, the associated category for example, temporary staff, consultancy and IT support, the value of payments per framework and any known framework expiry or extension in progress [2706…