302. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth to address the Budget 2011 decision to remove preferential teacher/pupil ratios for Gaelscoileanna; if this decision is still having residual impacts and leading to cuts in teacher numbers at some gaelscoileanna for the upcoming academic year; if this is the case at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54273/26]
Topics / Pupil-Teacher Ratio
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsPupil-Teacher Ratio
113 questions from 43 TDs, between 13 February 2025 and 20 October 2026.
113
questions
111 written, 2 oral
43
TDs have asked
7
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
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 3 |
| March 2025 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 7 |
| May 2025 | 3 |
| June 2025 | 5 |
| July 2025 | 17 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 4 |
| October 2025 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 2 |
| December 2025 | 1 |
| January 2026 | 3 |
| February 2026 | 0 |
| March 2026 | 9 |
| April 2026 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 5 |
| June 2026 | 18 |
| July 2026 | 23 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 3 |
| October 2026 | 5 |
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.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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15
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7
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6
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5
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5
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4
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4
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4
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
329. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth the action taken to reduce class sizes and the pupil teacher ratio at primary school level since 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54540/26]
333. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary school teachers in each county in 2025-2026; the provisional allocation in each county for 2026-2027, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54544/26]
334. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average class size of primary schools, by county and local authority area, in the 2025-2026 school year, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54546/26]
302. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason for the decision to remove the preferential teacher-to-pupil ratio for Gaelscoileanna. [53018/26]
185. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary school classrooms, by school comprising of 30 of more children. [50227/26]
381. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to reduce the teacher pupil ratio on primary schools to 19:1. [49178/26]
390. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to achieve the Programme for Government commitment of a pupil–teacher ratio of 19:1. [49426/26]
276. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the upper limit for student to teacher ratio per classroom; if this is taken into consideration when allocating teachers to a school; if this information is considered in appeals by schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48433/26]
283. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth given the increasing use of the Irish language in many suburban parts of Dublin, whether she intends to improve the pupil-teacher ratio in schools in these areas similar to the boost given to such schools in Gaeltacht areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48486/26]
284. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth the consideration being given to improving the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools for the coming year, which would mean the retention of many teachers facing a loss this year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48487/26]
166. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the schoolteacher-student allocation threshold will be reviewed before September; if there are commitments from Government to update this threshold; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47956/26]
191. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the Programme for Government commitment regarding a reduction of the pupil teacher ratio at primary school level to 19:1 over the term; if timeframes are available as to when this will be achieved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48341/26]
311. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth if consideration will be given to reducing class sizes (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47002/26]
428. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth her response to the finding in the OECD's Education at a Glance 2025 Report, published on 9 September 2025, that the average primary school class size in Ireland is 22.2 pupils, above both the EU average of 19 and the OECD average of 21; the targeted measures, as distinct from the general staffing schedule, that she is introducing for schools w…
430. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average primary pupil-teacher ratio and the average primary class size for the 2024-2025 school year, as recorded in her Department's most recent educational statistics; the way in which these figures compare with the previous school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44989/26]
433. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average primary class size in Cork city and county for the 2024-2025 school year as recorded in her Department's most recent educational statistics; the number and proportion of primary classes in Cork city and county with 30 or more pupils; the way in which these figures compare with the national average primary class size of 22.2 pupils r…
441. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated cost of reducing the pupil teacher ratio by 1 point at primary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45052/26]
442. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated cost of reducing the pupil teacher ratio by 1 point at second level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45053/26]
479. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated cost to reduce the pupil teacher ratio by one point in primary schools, and in post-primary schools, respectively, from September 2027 to December 2027; and the estimated cost for a full year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45542/26]
512. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on her Department’s work to reduce class sizes in primary schools. [45767/26]
513. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has plans to reduce class sizes in the upcoming school year. [45768/26]
514. Deputy Maeve O'Connell asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has reviewed the impact of class sizes on student outcomes; and the effect reduced class sizes would have. [45769/26]
928. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth given that her Department has projected that national post-primary enrolments are expected to begin to decline from 2026, whether she intends to use the resulting reduction in pupil numbers to reduce class sizes rather than to reduce teaching posts or provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43473/26]
96. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on schools (details supplied) each losing a teacher for the upcoming year due to enrolment numbers; if this decision can be appealed; if the student teacher ratio is to be examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40750/26]