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 Darren O'Rourke under the heading Special Educational Needs.

139 questions match, newest first.

Darren O'Rourke Oral 22 Oct 2026 · to Education
84. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on her plans to remove a diagnosis as an eligibility criteria for a special education placement; the extent of engagement with teachers and their representatives in developing her plans to date; the extent to which the impact such a change would have on demand for resources has been assessed and the approach taken to this asses…
Darren O'Rourke Written 21 Oct 2026 · to Education
66. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she plans to reintroduce special allowances for teachers who invest personal time and money to pursue a diploma in special education. [74846/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 21 Oct 2026 · to Education
68. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of NEPS posts currently filled and unfilled, respectively. [74844/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 20 Oct 2026 · to Education
485. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in Waterford who require specialist placements for September 2027 based on NCSE data. [73775/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 20 Oct 2026 · to Education
486. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special class places expected to be available in Waterford for the 2027-2028 school year according to NCSE data. [73776/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 20 Oct 2026 · to Education
487. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of additional ASD classes or special school places planned for Waterford for the school year 2027-2028, in the event of a shortfall between available spaces and numbers requiring a specialist placement; and a timeline of the delivery of same. [73777/26]
Darren O'Rourke Oral 16 Jul 2026 · to Education
1. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children with additional needs who require but have yet to receive an offer of an appropriate school place for September 2026, based on her most recent meeting with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE; the date of same; the measures she is taking to ensure that every child with additional needs has an appropriate school pl…
Darren O'Rourke Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
492. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNAs currently employed; the estimated first and full-year cost of providing an additional 100 SNAs in primary and secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45663/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
493. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special education teachers currently employed; the estimated first and full-year cost of providing an additional 100 special education teachers in primary and secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45664/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
498. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated cost of increasing the Summer Programme provision by 10%, 20% and 50%, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45668/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 16 Jun 2026 · to Education
535. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the SET posts at primary school level for the years 2024-2025, 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45970/26]
Darren O'Rourke Oral 28 May 2026 · to Education
80. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of applications made to date to the National Council for Special Education from parents seeking a special class or special school placement for their child; the number of applications made since the deadline of 1 October passed; the status of the roll-out of new special class and special school places to meet that need; the number …
Darren O'Rourke Written 19 May 2026 · to Education
512. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special classes in Dublin 13 area at primary level, by school, in tabular form. [37267/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 19 May 2026 · to Education
513. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of ASD classrooms that are currently in post primary schools in County Wexford. [37268/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 19 May 2026 · to Education
515. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special classes in Dublin 9 area at post primary level, by school, in tabular form. [37270/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 28 Apr 2026 · to Education
577. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth following comments by the Taoiseach (details supplied), to outline the original number of teachers that were to be provided, and the additional number provided for in this announcement; the original number of special needs assistants that were to be provided, and the additional number provided for in this announcement; and the number of applicatio…
Darren O'Rourke Written 14 Apr 2026 · to Education
1478. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth she is aware of the need for additional SEN places in County Meath; her plans to progress the two SEN and one mainstream class building project at a school (details supplied) in order to help meet existing and projected demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26301/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 24 Mar 2026 · to Education
457. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she can confirm that for mainstream placements under section67(2)(f), the NCSE must consider the school’s ability ‘including that ability when resources are made available’, and that oversubscription or year-group caps do not extinguish this obligation; and if her Department has considered sanctioning the additional resources needed to allow a …
Darren O'Rourke Written 24 Mar 2026 · to Education
496. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that a student (details supplied) has been removed from a school; and the supports or steps that are available. [21746/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 24 Mar 2026 · to Education
497. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if section 67.2 of the Education Act 1998 sets out the mandatory factors the NCSE must consider in designation decisions (details supplied); and if she will further confirm that no Department circular, including circular 75/2022, can override or displace these statutory requirements and if the NCSE must complete a full section 67.2 determination w…
Darren O'Rourke Written 18 Mar 2026 · to Education
627. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a county-by-county breakdown of each special class funded and approved to date, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18373/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 18 Mar 2026 · to Education
628. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNAs are projected to be employed within the education system by Quarter 3 of this year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18374/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 18 Mar 2026 · to Education
873. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if long term substitute SNAs have been given consideration and formally recognised within the SNA redeployment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20233/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 18 Mar 2026 · to Education
880. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No’s 487, 489 and 490 of 3 March 2026, the number of early intervention preschool classes for autistic children in mainstream and special schools that have been redesignated to primary autism classes/other special classes for the 2026/2027 school year. [20437/26]
Darren O'Rourke Written 5 Mar 2026 · to Education
351. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the decision making criteria and weighting used when selecting which school in an area that should provide additional mainstream capacity when a shortage is identified (details supplied); if existing space, Gaeilge, special class provision are factors for example; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17989/26]