1051. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth following the announcement of a new special educational assessment, if she has established this unit within her Department; when they began their work; the length of time it will take to establish the unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74301/25]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
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Showing questions under the heading Special Educational Needs.
2,854 questions match, newest first.
1052. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth following the announcement of a new special educational assessment, who will be carrying out these educational assessments; if they are to be assessment teams, who will be in these assessment teams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74302/25]
1053. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is confident that work to establish a new special educational assessment and assessment teams will be completed by October 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74303/25]
1054. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the engagement she has had with trade unions representing teachers since the announcement of a new special educational assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74304/25]
1055. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the engagement she has had with the National Council for Special Education since the announcement of a new special educational assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74305/25]
1056. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the engagement she has had with special educational needs organisers since the announcement of a new special educational assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74306/25]
1058. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Education and Youth the proposed approach to eliminating pressure on assessment of need waiting lists; who will conduct educational assessments of children; the future status of special education designations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74318/25]
1059. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth if discretion can be applied in cases where families have missed the 1 October 2025 deadline to apply for special education classes due to a child’s assessment report issuing only after that date; whether such circumstances can be taken into consideration to ensure a letter of eligibility is issued to allow them to access the most appropriate school s…
1060. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of applications received for special education classes from 1 October to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74322/25]
1061. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth where in Circular 0039/2025 it states that the NCSE cannot provide a letter of eligibility after the 1 October deadline has passed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74323/25]
1085. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth in reference to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, to specify the framework or criteria will replace professional diagnostic reports in determining eligibility for special classes and special schools; how this framework will safeguard children’s well-being and evidence-based educational planning; and if she will ma…
1086. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, to clarify who will be tasked with conducting the proposed “educational assessments” for special education placement; to confirm whether classroom teachers, who are not diagnostically trained, will be expected to assume this responsibility; and if she will make a statem…
1087. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, the supports, training, and resources that will be provided to ensure that any new assessment responsibilities do not exacerbate already unsustainable workload levels in schools, as highlighted in recent research on teacher burnout; and if she will make a statement on t…
1088. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, the reason removal of diagnostic requirements was announced without consultation with teachers, unions, or parents; how her Department intends to restore trust and ensure transparency in future policymaking; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74490/25]
1089. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, if the designation of special classes and special schools is being altered or dismantled as part of this policy change; if not, the reason this was not made clear at the time of announcement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74491/25]
1090. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, to provide a timeline for the publication of the full framework governing access to special classes and schools, to commit to halting implementation until robust consultation with educators and stakeholders has taken place; and if she will make a statement on the matter…
1091. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, whether she accepts that diagnostic reports are not merely bureaucratic hurdles but essential tools for children’s self-understanding and for evidence-based teaching; and the way in which her Department intends to safeguard these rights under the new system; and if she …
1109. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rationale for the 1 October deadline for applications requiring a letter of eligibility from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) for enrolment in special schools; if she will consider waiving or extending this deadline in exceptional circumstances, such as where a child's assessment has recently changed, thereby preventing …
1112. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the statutory role and duties of a Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO), including how decision making and accountability operate in practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74580/25]
1136. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current rules that prevent students in special schools from accessing transition year or an equivalent additional year; if she will ensure that these students have the same opportunity as their peers in mainstream schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74804/25]
1137. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth when her Department last reviewed Rule 64 -1 of the Rules for National Schools in relation to the upper age limit for attendance at special schools; whether consideration is being given to amending this rule; whether an implementation timeline has been identified for any such amendment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74805/25]
1138. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures which are currently in place to facilitate access to an additional year of education for students in special schools with the highest level of need; whether exemptions or other administrative arrangements are used for this purpose; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74806/25]
1160. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special school and special class places available in an area (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74911/25]
1161. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education and Youth the location of the 148 special classes within County Kildare; the location of the 17 new special classes; the location of the six special schools within Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74917/25]
1164. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the proposed removal of requiring assessment of need reports to access special educational places, when the new criteria and decision-making process for deciding access to special educational places will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75021/25]