66. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth to fully outline the rationale behind the opening of the special classes/hubs in mainstream schools, which will now allow schools enrol up to 12 students per class; the organisations and schools that were consulted on this process; the role the NCSE played in this decision making process; the additional supports that will be made available to schools …
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 asked by Eoghan Kenny under the heading Special Educational Needs.
99 questions match, newest first.
522. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth to detail the newly sanctioned special classes, broken down by county, with regard to the 387 approved classes announced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22172/26]
778. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the provision of new appropriate special classes at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19410/26]
120. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of appeals by individual schools at either primary, secondary or special school level in each of the past three years to the National Council for Special Education in relation to SNA allocation to schools; the number of appeals which succeeded in increased provision; the number which were unsuccessful, by year, in tabular form; and if she …
576. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNAs employed at the end of each month since September 2025; and the current number of funded vacant positions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15003/26]
577. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current number of WTE SNA positions funded for the school year 2025/2026; and the total number that will be available from September 2026 for school year 2026/2027; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15004/26]
324. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department can intervene in the case of a person (details supplied) to ensure that adequate special needs assistants provision is obtained; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13551/26]
593. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department can request the NCSE and SENO to engage with the family of child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11698/26]
95. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the Government’s decision-making processes for assisting children in State examinations with specific learning difficulties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10098/26]
123. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children who have applied for special educational needs classes and schools; the number of classes allocated; the number of children still waiting for a school place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10101/26]
214. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason full post-primary autism classes receive €0 in year-on-year funding, while their primary equivalents receive €4,020 in such funding; if she will commit to equalising this funding, a position supported by the NCSE; if so, in what timeframe; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8783/26]
215. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will direct the NCSE to provide the number of students in post-primary schools that have a recommendation of requiring a special class place, but do not currently have that place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8784/26]
216. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will direct the NCSE to provide specific CPD on how to run post-primary autism classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8785/26]
217. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will confirm that teachers can choose to not participate in the assessment of needs process, and cannot be compelled to participate, as per a judgment in January 2024 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8786/26]
218. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a school giving priority enrolment to a post-primary autism special class to students already enrolled in the school who receive their autism diagnosis and/or recommendation of requiring a post-primary autism class placement, and who have all necessary documentation (including diagnostic report and NCSE letter of eligibility), contravene either th…
219. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will instruct all schools with special classes to assign a teacher to coordinate said classes and specify a minimum number of administration hours per class for that teacher; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8788/26]
220. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide precise data on the number of times section 37a of the Schools Admissions Act 2018 has actually been utilised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8789/26]
221. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students enrolled in fee paying schools; the number of those schools that have special classes; the number of classes they have; if she will also provide the same statistics for public schools, and explain the discrepancy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8790/26]
222. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students enrolled in DEIS schools; the number of those schools that have special classes; the number of such classes they have; if she will also provide the same statistics for non-DEIS schools, and the reason for the discrepancy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8791/26]
223. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will instruct the NCSE to provide a county by county (and by area code in Dublin) breakdown of special class numbers, covering the past five years, and relevant population stats for each county/area, broken down into primary and post-primary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8792/26]
227. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) that has been seeking an extension for SEN room and additional classroom since 2022 was left off the recent announcement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8812/26]
228. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools not included, but that have applied, in the NDP announcement that included provision for SEN, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8813/26]
234. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a funding application and or SENO referral has been made for child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8877/26]
499. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which a person (details supplied) can apply for a special school place as the NCSE application has closed and due to backlogs in assessments, diagnosis has only been secured now; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7734/26]
541. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth when schools were notified they would be opening a special class for 2026-2027; if all schools from tranche 1 have been notified as of 13 January 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3798/26]