Questions

78. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children identified by the NCSE by the February deadline who have yet to be offered a school place for September 2025; the total number of children now with a recommendation for a special class or special school place who have not been offered a school place for September; to outline her efforts to ensure that all children with additi…

166. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to invest in and expand early intervention classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40114/25]

78. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated first and full year cost of providing an additional 200 SNAs in primary and secondary schools respectively up to 2,000. [39764/25]

79. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated first and full year cost of providing an additional 100 special education teachers up to a maximum of 1,000. [39765/25]

91. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the first- and full-year estimated cost of expanding the summer programme by 2% up to 10%. [39859/25]

109. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the first- and full-year cost of expanding the summer programme by 2% up to a maximum of 20%. [39934/25]

438. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special schools that have received the first day of CPI training, to date in 2025, in accordance with the ‘Understanding Behaviours of Concern and Responding to Crisis Situations’ guidelines published by the Department of Education in December 2024; the number of special schools that have, received the second day of CPI training, to …

439. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rationale for the removal of the ‘direct training model’ delivered by CPI to a ‘train the trainers’ model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38667/25]

441. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated full-year cost to increase the number of SNAs to 24,200. [38669/25]

498. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to list the special classes that were in place for 2024 to 2025 but that will be suppressed for 2025 to 2026 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39437/25]

499. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to list the special classes that were sanctioned for 2025 to 2026 but which now have been withdrawn by the National Council for Special Education and her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39438/25]

349. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will increase investment and expand special schools and classes catering for children with mild general learning disabilities. [35423/25]

350. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will reverse any decision made to send children with mild general learning disabilities back into mainstream classes-schools. [35424/25]

351. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will reverse the redesignation of special classes, which will place children with mild general learning disabilities back into mainstream classes. [35425/25]

377. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth considering the rising population and increasing demand in Dunshaughlin, Ratoath and Ashbourne, the measures she is taking to secure additional ASD classes in schools in these areas. [35714/25]

384. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 85 of 12 June 2025 (details supplied), the number of children that account for the 92% of allocations receiving a place in a special class/school, by county. [33621/25]

73. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide guidance on when a school should provide an SNA for children with ADHD and diabetes, and whether age and severity is taken into account. [32930/25]

79. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNAs that have retired in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [33006/25]

80. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of new SNAs that started positions in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [33007/25]

449. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the 1,600 additional SNA posts promised by her have been awarded. [32626/25]

450. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there are now over 23,600 SNAs for the coming academic year. [32627/25]

451. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNA posts that are part-time hours or job-sharing posts. [32628/25]

452. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she plans to reverse the national budgetary cap on SNA posts. [32629/25]

85. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline, in the context of special education preparedness for September 2025, the number of children with special educational needs but currently without an appropriate school place for September 2025, and the plans to address this; the way in which special needs assistant, SNA, posts will be allocated to these children and all children with spe…

135. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures she is taking to ensure children with Down's syndrome have access to school places and supports appropriate for their particular needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31226/25]