Topics / National Council for Special Education

A subject heading for parliamentary questions

National Council for Special Education

76 questions from 37 TDs, between 25 February 2025 and 9 June 2026.

76
questions
75 written, 1 oral
37
TDs have asked
9
parties and groups
Independents counted together
1
departments asked

Questions per month

The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.

Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
MonthQuestions
January 20250
February 20251
March 202511
April 20255
May 20253
June 20255
July 20255
August 20250
September 20255
October 202516
November 20255
December 20256
January 20269
February 20261
March 20262
April 20260
May 20261
June 20261
July 20260
August 20260
September 20260
October 20260

Who asks, by party

The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.

  • Fianna Fáil15 from 4 TDs · 48 seats today
  • Fine Gael14 from 6 TDs · 38 seats today
  • Green Party1 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Independent5 from 4 TDs · 15 seats today
  • Independent Ireland1 from 1 TD · 4 seats today
  • Labour Party5 from 2 TDs · 11 seats today
  • People Before Profit-Solidarity2 from 2 TDs · 3 seats today
  • Sinn Féin24 from 11 TDs · 39 seats today

The TDs who asked most

Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.

  1. 11
  2. 7
  3. 4
  4. 4
  5. 4
  6. 4
  7. 2
  8. 2

Asked of

Debated under the same heading

Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.

The questions

Paula Butterly Written 9 Jun 2026 · to Education
942. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the first phase of the new education therapy services will be rolled out specifically in County Louth (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43781/26]
Ken O'Flynn Written 19 May 2026 · to Education
486. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the NCSE Parent Notify process is subject to formal audit, compliance review or independent evaluation; if so, to provide the dates, scope and findings of any such reviews; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36725/26]
Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire Written 26 Mar 2026 · to Education
282. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of appeals to the NCSE, by county; and the number of successful appeals, over each of the past five years. [23420/26]
Emer Currie Written 3 Mar 2026 · to Education
469. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the measures being taken to improve communication around the NCSE 1 October deadline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16691/26]
Gillian Toole Written 26 Feb 2026 · to Education
355. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Education and Youth the consultation and co-creation involved in the production of the SNA Toolkit 2024, produced by the National Council for Special Education, for the deployment of special needs assistants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16102/26]
Pádraig Rice Written 28 Jan 2026 · to Education
72. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reasons the NCSE does not provide figures in relation to the number of students in post-primary schools who have a recommendation of requiring a special class place but do not currently have that place; if her Department intends to endeavour to collate this information; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6832/26]
Paula Butterly Written 27 Jan 2026 · to Education
447. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider reopening the NCSE online portal for applications to special school places for the academic year 2026-2027, to ensure that parents who were unable to secure a place during the initial application period are afforded the opportunity to apply for an appropriate school placement for their children; and if she will make a statement…
Eoghan Kenny Written 27 Jan 2026 · to Education
490. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will request the NCSE and SENO to engage with family of child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5797/26]
Liam Quaide Written 27 Jan 2026 · to Education
543. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the NCSE provides a specific continuing professional development course on running a post-primary special class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6261/26]
Liam Quaide Written 27 Jan 2026 · to Education
544. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the advice provided by the NCSE to teachers with respect to their participation in an assessment of need report; whether they can decline to provide assistance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6262/26]
Noel McCarthy Written 27 Jan 2026 · to Education
567. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth with reference to the NCSE forecasting a 5% national average of autistic children, if there are any exceptions considered by her Department for the increased provision of second-level special school classes beyond the current maximum of four, particularly if there exists a consistently strong demand for such places in a locality and no other second-…
Pearse Doherty Written 13 Jan 2026 · to Education
1079. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason the entire northwest of Ireland, Sligo, Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon, Leitrim and Cavan was excluded from the NCSE recruitment drive for senior and staff grade occupational therapists and speech and language therapists for the national educational therapy service (ETS) in special schools; if the decision will be reviewed to include them to …
Willie O'Dea Written 13 Jan 2026 · to Education
1200. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Youth to review the NCSEs procedures to ensure the NCSE will accept interim confirmation letters from CDNT psychologists where full reports are delayed, in order to ensure timely access to appropriate educational placements (details supplied). [1368/26]
Willie O'Dea Written 13 Jan 2026 · to Education
1201. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children nationally have been refused a letter of eligibility for special class placements due to not meeting the NCSE October deadline (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1373/26]
Louis O'Hara Written 18 Dec 2025 · to Education
416. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department can instruct the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to provide an eligibility letter for a special school placement in a case with exceptional circumstances (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73292/25]
Louis O'Hara Written 18 Dec 2025 · to Education
417. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has had any engagement with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) regarding allowing eligibility letters for special school placement to be provided after the October 1st deadline in cases with exceptional circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [73293/25]
Eamon Scanlon Written 17 Dec 2025 · to Education
218. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason counties Sligo, Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon, Leitrim and Cavan have been excluded from the current NCSE recruitment drive for senior and staff grade occupational therapists and speech and language therapists for the National Educational Therapy Service in special schools, with a view to extending the service to special classes in mainstream …
Darren O'Rourke Oral 11 Dec 2025 · to Education
88. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of notifications through the NCSE's parent notify portal by the 1 October 2025 deadline; the number of parents who have contacted the NCSE after the deadline with a recommendation for a special class or a special school place; the way in which both categories of applications, pre- and post 1 October, will be progressed; and if she will m…
John Paul O'Shea Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Education
396. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the recent decision of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to close the early intervention (EI) class in a school (details supplied) for the 2026-2027 school year; the rationale provided by the NCSE for refusing the school’s request to retain its existing EI class in addition to establishing a new junior ASD class…
John Brady Written 9 Dec 2025 · to Education
398. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a letter of eligibility can be provided from the NCSE to a person (details provided), as they need to move to a special school setting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [69313/25]
Gillian Toole Written 13 Nov 2025 · to Education
280. Deputy Gillian Toole asked the Minister for Education and Youth the results of recruitment campaigns by the Health Service Executive and National Council for Special Education for healthcare professional roles (details supplied), in tabular form. [62589/25]
Barry Heneghan Written 4 Nov 2025 · to Education
624. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has engaged with the National Council for Special Education on the potential implications of the new SNA guidelines for children with disabilities who no longer qualify for direct SNA support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58692/25]
Roderic O'Gorman Written 4 Nov 2025 · to Education
843. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of cases taken against the NCSE in each of the past five years including 2025 to date. [59463/25]
Pa Daly Written 4 Nov 2025 · to Education
913. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children currently on a waiting list with the NCSE for an assessment of needs; the number of children on a waiting list from 2019 to 2025, in tabular form; the average time children spend on a waiting list; the plans to lower the number of children on a waiting list;; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60037/25]
Pa Daly Written 4 Nov 2025 · to Education
919. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children currently on a waiting list for a cognitive assessment with the NCSE for an assessment of needs; the number of children on a waiting list from 2019 to 2025; the average time children spend on a waiting list; the plans to lower the number of children on a waiting list, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. …