418. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 65399/26 whether her Department has carried out or will carry out an assessment of the average cost incurred by families in preparing a child to return to primary and post primary school, including books, devices, voluntary contributions and transport, given that such costs are a matter for her Department; and if …
Topics / School Costs
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSchool Costs
37 questions from 20 TDs, between 5 February 2025 and 29 September 2026.
37
questions
36 written, 1 oral
20
TDs have asked
7
parties and groups
Independents counted together
3
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 | 5 |
| March 2025 | 0 |
| April 2025 | 1 |
| May 2025 | 1 |
| June 2025 | 1 |
| July 2025 | 2 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 1 |
| October 2025 | 3 |
| November 2025 | 2 |
| December 2025 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 1 |
| February 2026 | 2 |
| March 2026 | 0 |
| April 2026 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 8 |
| June 2026 | 1 |
| July 2026 | 4 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 2 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
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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2
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2
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Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
601. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 62835/26 of 7 September 2026, the total value of voluntary contributions collected by schools in the most recent year for which data is available; whether her Department has set any target for reducing compulsory or unavoidable costs to parents; and the reason her Department does not gather data on school level co…
1269. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average expenditure of schools in County Kerry on electricity and heating in each of the years from 2021 to 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form. [56882/26]
368. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated full-year cost of making primary- and post-primary education totally free, such as abolishing all charges (including voluntary contributions), providing free school uniforms, books and all other required equipment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51349/26]
376. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the correspondence (details supplied); the policy position regarding the requirement for secondary school students to purchase personal devices such as tablets as part of the Digital Strategy for Schools; if she will address the financial burden this places on families, particularly those who are also availing of the free schoolbook…
397. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department’s position on the mandatory purchase and use of laptops by students at post primary level; if she is aware that schools impose late fees in some cases where the full and significant cost for the laptop has not been paid within a particular timeframe; her views on whether this is acceptable; and if she will make a statement on the matte…
377. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of schools in the State that are paying for their water; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49147/26]
599. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department will issue binding national guidance requiring any post-primary school operating a compulsory digital-device scheme to have a formal device loan scheme, hardship policy and non-exclusion guarantee in place before such a scheme is implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39728/26]
600. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has assessed the number of students nationally whose parents have been required to purchase laptops or tablets for post-primary education in each of the past five years; whether any estimate exists of the average annual cost imposed on families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39729/26]
601. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has examined whether compulsory laptop or tablet purchase schemes in post-primary schools are consistent with the principle of free post-primary education; whether any legal advice has been sought on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39730/26]
602. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether any complaints mechanism exists within her Department for parents who believe their child has been disadvantaged, excluded, or pressured due to inability to afford a compulsory laptop or digital device scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39731/26]
604. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has assessed the number of students nationally currently accessing device loan schemes operated by post-primary schools; the number of schools operating such schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39733/26]
625. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth the financial supports available to parents to assist with the purchase of school laptops for their children attending secondary school, if she recognises that the cost of these laptops is a great burden on parents already hard pressed with other costs associated with their child's school education; and if she will make a statement on the matt…
626. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that the cost of laptops quoted to parents by their child's secondary school often varies greatly from school to school; if her Department has issued guidelines for schools to follow in securing the best value; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40082/26]
296. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated average cost for insurance per pupil in both primary and post-primary schools excluding community and comprehensive schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35833/26]
318. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Education and Youth the annual costs of renting the land and prefab classrooms for a school (details supplied) for each of the years 1998 to 2025, inclusive. [31718/26]
191. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps she is taking to reduce the burden on parents brought on by so called voluntary contributions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10479/26]
203. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the Government’s decision-making processes on voluntary contributions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10099/26]
858. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the reason a pre-school (details supplied) operating under the ECCE scheme has received a commercial rates bill; whether this is now the standard for all ECCE pre-schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5886/26]
195. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the financial challenges faced by some parents regarding the payment of mock examination fees at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70570/25]
222. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 553 of 12 November 2025, if there is financial assistance available for parents/guardians who cannot afford the cost of transition year in certain schools. [67433/25]
553. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has a role in putting a cap on transition year fees in secondary schools to ensure lower income families can afford these fees. [62092/25]
1606. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will review the case of a person (details supplied); the back-to-school supports which are currently in place for foster carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60027/25]
381. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide the policy rationale for the continued exclusion of minority faith schools from the school improvement service guarantee, the free schoolbooks scheme, and similar supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56570/25]
382. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department's long-term strategy for supporting the sustainability and inclusivity of minority faith schools and their pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56571/25]