94. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the criteria used by the National Council for Special Education when determining annual special education teacher allocations; the data sources; the way in which multiple-year reductions are considered in respect of school stability; the average processing times and outcomes of appeals over the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the…
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
95. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will direct the National Council for Special Education to publish clear decision rationales for special education teacher allocation appeals; to reduce duplication in evidence required from schools; and to introduce an independent review layer for appeals that are initially unsuccessful; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22666/26…
96. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will introduce a stability mechanism that prevents schools from incurring recurrent annual losses of special education teacher hours except in exceptional circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22667/26]
100. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools that experienced reductions in special education teacher hours; the total number of hours reduced; the number of appeals lodged; the number of appeals upheld, by county and by year for the past three years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22671/26]
101. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has conducted an impact assessment of repeated reductions in special education teacher hours on student learning outcomes and inclusion; if she will publish the findings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22672/26]
103. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special education teachers employed each year since 2020; the number of posts created, reduced, or removed; the number of teachers redeployed or reassigned; the number of schools that gained or lost special education teaching hours, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22674/26]
104. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will initiate a review of National Council for Special Education decision-making in relation to special education teacher allocations and the appeals framework, with a view to improving transparency, timeliness, and school engagement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22677/26]
105. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide standardised, simplified guidance and a support helpline for schools preparing appeals for special education teacher allocations, and to minimise duplication of evidence requested across stages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22678/26]
107. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether professional educational or psychological assessments, including diagnoses of dyslexia or specific learning difficulties, are taken into account alongside standardised spelling test scores when determining eligibility for a spelling, grammar and punctuation waiver under the SEC RACE scheme; if her Department has considered allowing such report…
109. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps her Department is taking to address the shortage of specialist reading classes for children with severe dyslexia in Galway (details supplied); whether her Department has evaluated the impact on children who are recommended for such provision by educational psychologists but cannot access a place; and if she will make a statement on the matte…
110. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth considering the approval of additional reading classes for children with severe dyslexia in east Galway to meet the demonstrated need in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22715/26]
113. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the progress of the SNA classroom project for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22752/26]
117. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding a situation (details supplied) which has arisen in a number of schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22782/26]
118. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the new admissions to special school policy outlined on 9 December 2025; whether this will be in place for the 2026/2027 school year; who the decision maker will be on admission to special school, and category of school suitable for a child who has not received an assessment of need. [22787/26]
120. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the recently revised assessment of need framework limits or reduces access to cognitive assessment for children, including in cases where intellectual disability is not suspected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22837/26]
121. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth how the revised assessment of needs framework ensures that children with uneven developmental profiles, including those who may be gifted or twice-exceptional (that is, children with both high ability and additional needs such as autism, ADHD or dyslexia), will be appropriately identified within the system; and if she will make a statement o…
122. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has conducted any impact assessment on how the revised assessment of needs model may affect the identification of children whose needs are masked by high cognitive ability or compensatory functioning; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22841/26]
123. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth the safeguards that are in place to prevent under-identification of such children, particularly in light of evidence that twice-exceptional children are already under-recognised within education and disability services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22843/26]
124. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth if access to cognitive or psychological assessment remains available where there is evidence of significant intra-individual discrepancy, asynchronous development, or unexplained underachievement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22845/26]
125. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether consideration has been given to the potential for increased reliance on private assessments arising from any restriction in public access to cognitive assessment, and the implications this may have for equity of access; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22847/26]
126. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth the training or guidance that is being provided to assessment officers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that complex presentations, including masking and twice-exceptionality, are recognised under the revised assessment of needs model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22849/26]
127. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department intends to review the implementation of the revised assessment of need framework to ensure that no cohort of children is excluded from identification due to the streamlining of assessment processes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22851/26]
129. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the new admissions to special school policy outlined on 9 December 2025; whether this will be in place for the 2026-2027 school year; and who will be the decision maker on admission to special school and category of school suitable for a child who has not received an AON. [22858/26]
296. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether every school on the school therapists pilot project will automatically transfer to the education therapy support programme; whether these will retain existing staff on transfer; and whether these staff will reapply for their roles through the NCSE.
[22788/26]
305. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality for an update on the new admissions to special school policy outlined on 9 December 2025; whether this will be in place for the 2026-2027 school year; and who will be the decision maker on admission to special school and category of school suitable for a child who has not received an AON. [22859/26]