Parliamentary questions

425. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the assistive technology grant application for a child [details supplied]; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25267/25]

426. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the recent changes to the allocation criteria for additional teaching supports for children with complex needs in mainstream schools and assess the potential impact on their educational outcomes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25284/25]

427. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to retain qualified teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25285/25]

428. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans for any additional funding and staffing resources that will be provided to support the expansion of the School Completion Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25286/25]

429. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an assessment of the outcomes resulting from the 2022 expansion of the DEIS programme, including the impact on literacy and numeracy among newly included schools. [25287/25]

430. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the timeline for administration for the ICT grant to schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25312/25]

431. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the amount received by each school in the last academic year, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25313/25]

432. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to increase the ICT grants to schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25314/25]

433. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will approve the provision of a dedicated school transport service on a route (details supplied), considering the significant demand, the established feeder pattern from the primary school in the area and the underutilisation of existing transport resources; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25335/25]

434. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans the 2025 summer education programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25339/25]

435. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the funding allocated to the summer education programme over the past ten years, including 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25340/25]

436. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of spaces available in ASD units in post primary schools within north Tipperary; the number of those filled, by school, in tabular form. [25364/25]

437. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a plan is in place for a school (details supplied) to sanction an ASD class; and if she will intervene in the land dispute that is preventing the class from being built. [25378/25]

438. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) was cut-off for opening classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25380/25]

439. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide her Department’s recommended number of special classes available per population; the number of special classes currently operating in each county; and the number of future special classes which have been sanctioned, in each county; in tabular form. [25403/25]

440. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department or the NCSE compiled data on the average number of school applications children with additional needs go through before receiving an appropriate school place; and if so, to provide this average for each county. [25404/25]

441. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide the number of new special classes sanctioned for September 2025 and their location; the current status on the preparation for each class; and to indicate which classes are projected to be ready for September 2025, in tabular form. [25405/25]

442. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of an application for a teaching council number (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25407/25]

443. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether there are any plans to review the current teacher pay scale to ensure that the valuable teaching experience gained abroad is duly recognised and factored into the remuneration framework. [25421/25]

444. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will consider revising the teacher pay scale for post-primary education to better recognise the valuable international experience of teachers, including those with extensive teaching backgrounds, who are currently being placed at the starting pay level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25422/25]

445. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth the details of the policies her Department applies to small schools and the point at which it is decided that one should close and amalgamate with a larger school. [25430/25]

446. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide overview of the consultation processes that her Department leads when a school closure or amalgamation is likely; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25431/25]

447. Deputy Seán Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the situation whereby under circular 0080/2024, a new start up grant of €30,000 was approved to support the repurchasing of the existing accommodation to facilitate the opening of new special classes in schools, whereas a grant immediately prior to this was €15,700; and in view of the fact that many schools have carried…

448. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth to assure parents of a national school (details supplied) that they will have an operating school bus for the rest of the school term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25454/25]

449. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps her Department is taking to support young family carers who find themselves penalised in university for missing academic deadlines or mandatory sessions due to caregiving responsibilities. [25455/25]