322. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether children with cerebral palsy who attend mainstream schools and who have significant physical care needs but little or no learning disability were specifically represented during the development of the Special Needs Assistant Workforce Development Plan 2026–2037; and if she will provide details of the organisations and parent representati…
Topics / Special Educational Needs
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSpecial Educational Needs
2,921 questions from 146 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
2,921
questions
2,881 written, 40 oral
146
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
5
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 | 31 |
| February 2025 | 124 |
| March 2025 | 114 |
| April 2025 | 160 |
| May 2025 | 134 |
| June 2025 | 183 |
| July 2025 | 215 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 113 |
| October 2025 | 76 |
| November 2025 | 191 |
| December 2025 | 122 |
| January 2026 | 163 |
| February 2026 | 283 |
| March 2026 | 270 |
| April 2026 | 167 |
| May 2026 | 181 |
| June 2026 | 171 |
| July 2026 | 101 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 44 |
| October 2026 | 78 |
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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139
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129
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115
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99
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92
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86
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80
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68
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
323. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will establish a formal consultation mechanism with organisations representing children with cerebral palsy and their families to inform future implementation of the SNA Workforce Development Plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48768/26]
335. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if support will be provided to facilitate a school place for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48968/26]
349. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a discretionary reopening of the portal or a late-stage manual application process for home-based tutor or coordinator hours for a child (details supplied) will be facilitated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49110/26]
378. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a primary school (details supplied) has been rejected for a special education teacher allocation review, given the needs of the school and their pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49171/26]
383. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth to review the decision to remove the SNA for IPAS students from a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49198/26]
384. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the Summer Programme supports available to a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49229/26]
388. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth to address the need for a special class in a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49339/26]
397. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the timeline of payments for the summer programme. [49571/26]
399. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that a school (details supplied) has been forced to withdraw its summer programme due to her Department’s failure to sanction the necessary staffing levels, leaving children with special educational needs without vital supports over the summer; whether she intends on rectifying this so that the school’s summer programme can proceed; a…
400. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth if additional support will be provided for the Summer Programme for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49614/26]
404. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to the recommendations of the report on inclusive education for persons with disabilities published earlier this year; when she intends to implement the recommendations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49696/26]
405. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a proposed special education needs extension will be approved for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49697/26]
406. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a person (details supplied) can be provided with an urgent date for an NEPS assessment. [49702/26]
416. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the provision of a special class for a school in County Kildare (details supplied). [49798/26]
424. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department or NEPS has sought any change to the current accreditation or training standards for educational psychologists, including any change from a requirement for experience across mental health, disability and education settings; the rationale for any such change; whether an organisations relevant professional divisions (details suppl…
425. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether NEPS is currently supporting, funding or facilitating educational psychology doctorate placements that are primarily or exclusively school-based; whether such placements meet existing PSI accreditation standards; whether any concerns have been raised by PSI, CORU, universities, the HSE or other child health services; and if she will make a sta…
426. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of educational psychology trainees currently funded or sponsored by NEPS, the HSE or other agencies; the contractual obligations attached to such funding; the number of trainees who have sought to withdraw from NEPS-funded arrangements or repay funding in each of the past five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49871/26…
427. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of NEPS psychologists that are currently employed; the number of whole-time equivalent vacancies; and the turnover rate in each of the past five years. [49872/26]
428. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the assessment that has been carried out on whether educational psychology training delivered largely through NEPS placements would equip graduates to work with children under five, non-verbal children, children with acquired brain injury, children with significant mental health needs, children requiring autism diagnostic assessment, and children requ…
429. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether NEPS has engaged with the Higher Education Authority in relation to increasing the number of educational psychology doctorate trainees; whether NEPS has proposed to act as the principal placement provider for such trainees; whether the HSE, CHI, CDNTs, CAMHS and primary care psychology services were consulted; and if she will make a statement …
430. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has examined the implications of training a significantly increased number of psychologists through school-based placements when major psychology shortages exist in CDNTs, CAMHS, primary care psychology, CHI and assessment of need services; whether there is a risk that public funding will produce graduates whose training is too …
431. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether graduates of educational psychology programmes with placements largely or exclusively in NEPS settings would be eligible and considered competent to work outside NEPS, including in HSE child psychology posts, CDNTs, primary care psychology, CAMHS, CAMHS-ID, CHI and assessment of need services; the discussions that have taken place with the HSE…
432. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth the role additional NEPS-supported educational psychology trainees are expected to play in reducing assessment of need waiting lists, supporting implementation of the Autism Assessment Protocol and meeting the needs of children under five or children with complex disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49878/26]
691. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if the case of a person (details supplied) who, having been diagnosed on the autism spectrum in 2022 and who has yet to be provided with services, including psychology and occupational therapy, will be considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48906/26]