940. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason an application to DARE refused for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49447/26]
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
278. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 584 of 17 February 2026, when a reply will issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48459/26]
285. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide additional support for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48492/26]
286. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of the proposed additional ASD special classes at a school (details supplied); the reason for any delay in progressing these classes where approval has reportedly been indicated; the expected timeline for delivery; and the steps being taken to ensure sufficient ASD class provision in the area given the clear and growing demand.…
162. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the summer programme 2026 for an individual (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47900/26]
165. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department and the NCSE engage with a person (details supplied) to ensure an appropriate school place is provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47954/26]
170. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the application from a school (details supplied) to allocate an additional 2.5 SET hours given the high level of need within the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47960/26]
171. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that teachers and SNAs working the summer programme will be sent home without pay if attendance targets are not met on the first day, despite staff committing part of their summer holidays to support children and their families; if she will act to provide security for these workers; and if she will make a statement on the ma…
174. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on progress in delivering an alternative certificate for children with additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48099/26]
175. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide for a SENCO post in schools considering the significant workload involved in managing growing needs profiles in communities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48100/26]
176. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update for the new ASD class for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48104/26]
177. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children across Ireland with special needs in both primary and secondary schools in mainstream that are awaiting access to special unit classes. [48119/26]
178. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of additional teachers and SNAs that are required to facilitate all children who require access to a special needs class but are stuck in mainstream, using the formula, six children per one teacher and two SNAs. [48120/26]
181. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason the deadline for applications for a letter of eligibility for developmental language disorder and speech sound disorder class is 1 October; when or the way in which this date was determined; if she will acknowledge this was not known by school principals, was not included in the relevant Circular (24/25) or correspondence from the NCSE; …
189. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps she will take to resolve delays with the schools summer programme, including in a particular school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48255/26]
190. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if an additional SNA will be provided to a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48330/26]
304. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the home-based summer provision sanction letters will be issued; the reasoning for the delay in the issuance of these letters; the measures her Department plan to take next year to prevent a repeat of such delays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46901/26]
308. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which special classes in mainstream schools are intended to operate for students with different categories of educational needs, including autism, general learning disabilities, sensory impairments and others; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46985/26]
309. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the extent to which the newly sanctioned special classes for the 2026/2027 school year will cater for all students with special educational needs; to provide a breakdown of classes, by category of need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46986/26]
312. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a July provision for children with additional needs is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, lack of staff, inadequate allocation of staff, if parents whose child had previously been granted a place in the provision will receive home tuition instead; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47028/26]
317. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if all of the schools that have been allocated additional teaching resources for September 2026 will open as planned (details supplied); if any of the schools have indicated constraining circumstances that limit or prevent the opening of the new class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47056/26]
318. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the NCSE will provide the number of pupils across the country that applied for a place in one of the existing classes that provide for pupils with specific learning difficulty/ dyslexia; the number who could be provided with a space; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47057/26]
326. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of meetings held with special needs assistants and their representative organisations during the development of the SNA workforce development plan; whether direct consultation took place with frontline SNAs; and if she will provide details of the consultation process. [47165/26]
327. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the considerations given to the importance of continuity of relationships between special needs assistants and pupils with additional educational needs when developing the proposed allocation and redeployment arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47166/26]
328. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has undertaken an assessment of recruitment and retention challenges within the special needs assistant workforce; whether the proposed circular is expected to improve retention rates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47167/26]