3. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the fact that Ireland has the largest primary school class sizes in the EU; the measures she is taking to address the recruitment and retention crisis in primary school teaching; if she will provide for 1,000 more primary teachers in budget 2027 to allow more individual attention, more effective teaching, and stron…
Topics / School Staff
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSchool Staff
914 questions from 127 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
914
questions
909 written, 5 oral
127
TDs have asked
11
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 | 17 |
| February 2025 | 24 |
| March 2025 | 23 |
| April 2025 | 58 |
| May 2025 | 52 |
| June 2025 | 63 |
| July 2025 | 55 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 54 |
| October 2025 | 18 |
| November 2025 | 61 |
| December 2025 | 51 |
| January 2026 | 45 |
| February 2026 | 65 |
| March 2026 | 37 |
| April 2026 | 40 |
| May 2026 | 54 |
| June 2026 | 71 |
| July 2026 | 34 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 63 |
| October 2026 | 29 |
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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70
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55
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41
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23
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22
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21
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18
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17
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
21. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide funding to ensure that STEM officers remain in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50253/26]
25. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department is aware of the situation in a school (details supplied) in Naas in relation to requirements for another teacher for the upcoming academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54123/26]
28. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools in County Clare that were notified of a reduction in their special needs assistant allocation arising from the National Council for Special Education's 2025-2026 review process; the current status of those allocations following the pause announced in February 2026; if every school who was notified of a reduction will retain the num…
29. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special education teachers and SNAs allocated to schools in County Mayo for the past three years; if further increases are planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53692/26]
74. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the staffing allocation for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54076/26]
81. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department is considering targeted incentives to attract and retain teachers in rural schools in County Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53691/26]
198. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 109 of 8 July 2026, and in view of the primary staffing appeals board's decision, to provide funding for a fixed term contract for a mainstream class teacher at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53818/26]
199. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to address the ongoing concerns of SNAs after the SNA Workforce Development Plan, which was rejected by members of a union (details supplied). [53861/26]
201. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures she is taking to protect rural primary schools that are at risk of losing teaching posts due to declining enrolment numbers; if her Department will review the staffing schedule for smaller rural schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53866/26]
202. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider reducing the pupil-teacher ratio in primary schools in Budget 2027, particularly in rural schools where staffing levels are under pressure due to demographic decline; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53867/26]
299. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures she is taking to address the shortage of teachers in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52963/26]
314. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) has seen a reduction in its staffing allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53175/26]
315. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to a reduction in SET allocation for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53187/26]
316. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding an appeals mechanism available to a school (details supplied) in relation to a reduction in SET allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53188/26]
317. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the way in which SET allocations are assigned to primary schools; the mechanism in place behind that calculation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53189/26]
348. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will publish the correspondence or agreement upon which a decision has been based (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53590/26]
349. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of concerns expressed by special needs assistants following the rejection of the proposed SNA Workforce Development Plan; the reason other proposed measures, including pay improvements, special leave arrangements, redeployment provisions, professionalisation measures and career progression opportunities, will now not proceed; if h…
106. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of concerns raised by persons regarding a staffing allocation issue at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52067/26]
116. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the situation at a school (details supplied) regarding an extra junior infants class that was sanctioned for the school year 2026/27; if another schoolteacher will be provided for the sanctioned junior infants class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52317/26]
382. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the additional teaching resources which are targeted to be put in place for primary schools during the 2026-2027 term; and if she will confirm if there are currently 996 primary teaching posts currently unfilled. [51644/26]
383. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether current enrolment at a school (details supplied) in County Mayo will be taken into account in advance of September 2026 given the school now meets the relevant staffing threshold, rather than the use of 30 September 2025 figures; if a revised allocation will be approved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51655/26]
384. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if any mechanism exists to revise a staffing decision in cases such as a school (details supplied) in County Mayo where enrolment has increased after the appeals process concluded and now meets the required threshold for an additional teaching post; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51656/26]
385. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she retains any discretion to review or amend a staffing allocation for a school such as a school (details supplied) in County Mayo where new enrolment data demonstrates that the criteria for an additional teacher are now satisfied, notwithstanding the previous decision of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board; and if she will make a statement on the …
163. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reasons for the reduction in staffing for 2026-2027 for a school (details supplied); whether local population growth trajectories were considered; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that this decision will result in the loss of a mainstream teacher and require the reorganisation of pupils into mixed-grade classes; if her attention has been…