Parliamentary questions

603. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether schools receiving ICT grant funding under the Digital Strategy for Schools are required to demonstrate that reasonable measures are in place to support students whose families cannot afford personal digital devices [39732/26]

604. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has assessed the number of students nationally currently accessing device loan schemes operated by post-primary schools; the number of schools operating such schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39733/26]

605. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department will review the adequacy of iScoil funding in light of the fact that 381 eligible referrals were refused places since the 2022-2023 academic year due to limited capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39734/26]

606. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department will establish a target that no eligible child referred to iScoil should be refused a place solely due to funding or capacity limitations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39735/26]

607. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether any assessment has been carried out into the long-term educational outcomes for children who were eligible for iScoil but were refused a place due to capacity limitations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39736/26]

608. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department intends to establish an interim national educational pathway for children on reduced timetables, limited home tuition, or awaiting suitable school placements who do not meet the current eligibility criteria for iScoil; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39737/26]

609. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 305 of 7 May 2026, if she will review a matter (details supplied); the way in which the projected deficit of 691 post-primary school places in the Newcastle-Rathcoole school planning area by 2028 will be addressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39739/26]

610. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth to comment on the teacher allocation for a school (details supplied) for the upcoming year; the reason this decision was made; if the reduction in teacher numbers can be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39740/26]

611. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students in primary and post-primary schools reported as absent for 20 or more days in the 2024-2025 school year; the breakdown between casual non-attendance and cases linked to school reluctance or emotionally based school avoidance; if she will provide the figures for each county; and if she will make a statement on…

612. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the specific supports and funding provided to schools to address emotionally based school avoidance, EBSA; the number of schools that have implemented dedicated gradual return plans or well-being programmes for students with school reluctance in the past two years; and if she is satisfied that current resources, including NEPS and …

613. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department's assessment of the increase in school reluctance since the Covid-19 pandemic; the measures contained in the Tusla five-year plan for school attendance that specifically target emotionally based school avoidance; and when an updated national guidance document for schools and parents on this issue will be published. […

614. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps being taken to support neurodivergent students including those with autism and ADHD experiencing school reluctance; the waiting times for assessments and interventions through NEPS and CAMHS for school avoidance cases; if she will consider additional training and resources for teachers in trauma-informed and neuro-affirmi…

615. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students referred to Tusla Education Welfare Services due to persistent absence linked to school reluctance in 2024 and to date in 2026; the success rate of re-engagement for these students; whether her Department is tracking the long-term educational and mental health outcomes for children affected by prolonged schoo…

616. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 506 of 19 May 2026, to provide the figure for the highest amount of funding approved or issued by her Department in 2026 for the provision of a modular classroom; and the details of the project or school to which this funding related. [39897/26]

617. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the proportion of primary school students being taught through the medium of Irish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39898/26]

618. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the proposed extension to a school (details supplied) for which they have full planning permission, including accommodation for four new special classes for autistic pupils and 16 mainstream classrooms. [39922/26]

619. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline any schools other than community and comprehensive schools that are covered by State indemnity; or if his Department pays the insurance due to owning the building; the number and cost of any such arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39933/26]

620. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will commit to fund the WALK PEER Supported Transitions programme beyond the end of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39934/26]

621. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Education and Youth if teachers registered with the teaching council under route 4, the route designated for individuals who hold recognised special education teaching qualifications obtained outside the State, are classified as qualified or unqualified teachers for pay and permanency; if her Department's payroll circulars take into account the fu…

622. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of section 29 appeals that have been received by her Department from parents seeking school places, by county, from 2020 to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39959/26]

623. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will respond to correspondence received (details supplied) in relation to the teacher refund scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39963/26]

624. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Youth when stage 2 of the multi-million euro extension project for special needs classrooms, sensory spaces, and enhanced learning support facilities at a school (details supplied) will be advanced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39996/26]

625. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth the financial supports available to parents to assist with the purchase of school laptops for their children attending secondary school, if she recognises that the cost of these laptops is a great burden on parents already hard pressed with other costs associated with their child's school education; and if she will make a s…

626. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that the cost of laptops quoted to parents by their child's secondary school often varies greatly from school to school; if her Department has issued guidelines for schools to follow in securing the best value; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40082/26]

627. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will review the eligibility criteria for assistive technology supports for children with additional educational needs, particularly in circumstances where children with diagnosed learning difficulties, ASD, ADHD, dyslexia or FASD may be excluded from accessing supports due to IQ-related thresholds or specific diagnosti…