Parliamentary questions

563. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education if she has been in communication with the Department for Social Protection as part of the interdepartmental working group tasked with assessing the impact of a new, non-binary, category of gender on existing legislation; when she is planning the next meeting with the representatives from the Department for Social Protection to inves…

564. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will intervene in the staffing appeal case lodged by a school in County Clare (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17559/25]

565. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education when a school place for a child (details supplied) with additional needs be made available for the school year 2025/2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17580/25]

566. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the reason there is a minimum number of students required in a school to meet her Department criteria to open a new special class; what is the minimum number of students required to open a new special class in a mainstream school; if she will review this criteria as small rural schools are an ideal setting to meet the needs of children wi…

567. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education the annual cost of transporting children with additional needs to special classes or special school settings from Dublin 2 in each of the academic years commencing 2019,2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024. [17607/25]

568. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education the annual cost of transporting children with additional needs to special classes or special school settings from Dublin 4 in each of the academic years commencing 2019,2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024. [17608/25]

569. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education the annual cost of transporting children with additional needs to special classes or special school settings from Dublin 6 in each of the academic years commencing 2019,2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024. [17609/25]

570. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education the annual cost of transporting children with additional needs to special classes or special school settings from Dublin 6W in each of the academic years commencing 2019,2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024. [17610/25]

571. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education the annual cost of transporting children with additional needs to special classes or special school settings from Dublin 8 in each of the academic years commencing 2019,2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024. [17611/25]

572. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Education the annual cost of transporting children with additional needs to special classes or special school settings from Dublin 12 in each of the academic years commencing 2019,2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024. [17612/25]

213. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education the funding streams available via her Department and or through the SEAI to support schools who want to reduce their energy use, specifically, through replacing existing light fixtures with LED lights; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16480/25]

214. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education regarding the publication of the NCSE report on post-school transitions of students with special educational needs (details provided); if she has a plan to implement the recommendations from the research report; if she will commit to collating and publishing STen outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing students; and if she will make a stat…

215. Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan asked the Minister for Education the reason parents of children attending a school (details supplied) were not informed of the route change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16358/25]

216. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if she will clarify the criteria under which students from a school (details supplied), are eligible to apply as Gaeltacht applicants for teaching courses through the CAO; if there is an official policy or circular governing this situation; and if she will address concerns regarding the apparent exclusion of these students from applyin…

217. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Education the policy and or guidance developed and disseminated by her Department to schools and teachers on the use of AI by students, particularly in cases where there is a possibility of students submitting work in homework, assessments and or continual assessment and or examinations of which they are not the author of and have relied on AI to g…

218. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education if there are any financial supports available for establishing an afterschool service (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16389/25]

219. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if she will examine the response issued to the parents of a pupil (details supplied); if she will consider removing the nearest school criteria so that pupils are not locked out of school transport for attending other schools that better meet their needs but are not their closest school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [164…

220. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Education how the school bus route in the Castlecomer/Muckalee, County Kilkenny area which has been established for a long period of time has suddenly been changed without any notice to parents (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16401/25]

221. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Education if the request by a school for funding (details supplied) for necessary equipment will be re-examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16403/25]

222. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education to urgently examine the transition of the school therapy model from the HSE to the National Council for Special Education and to immediately reinstate therapy services in special schools and provide appropriate clinical governance and support structures (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16405/25]

223. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education to commit to ensuring that all buses in the school transport schemes for primary schools provide a bus escort to ensure the safety, supervision, and well-being of young children during their journey to and from school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16434/25]

224. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education the total amount allocated under the schoolbook grant for each of the 2024/2025 and 2023/2024 school years. [16437/25]

225. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education , based on her Department's survey of schools, the total number of books purchased by schools nationally under the schoolbooks scheme during each of the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school year; the percentage of books that were re-used in each of these years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16438/25]

226. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education based on her Department's survey of schools, the total amount spent nationally under the schoolbook grant on workbooks for each of the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 and school years; the total number of workbooks procured nationally for each of those years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16439/25]

227. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education the reason her Department will not enable a DEIS band 1 primary school in Offaly to retain its mainstream teacher; if she will consider her Department's actions in this matter and permit the school to retain its teacher; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16446/25]