Special Educational Needs

355. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware that 14 children have been left without a place in the reading class attached to a school in Renmore, County Galway, which is the only reading class serving the Connacht region; if consideration has been given to establishing a second reading class in light of the current waiting list and the principal's reported re…

356. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number and location of reading classes currently in operation nationwide; the number of children currently on waiting lists for placement in such classes, by county, in tabular form; whether there are plans to increase the number of reading classes available to children with severe dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on …

361. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps her Department is taking to ensure that sufficient autism class places are available in the local area of a school (details supplied); whether the provision of modular accommodation or other interim measures is being considered to meet identified demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51223/26]

365. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated full-year cost of increasing the number of special needs assistants by 1,500, 2,000, and 2,500 respectively, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51345/26]

366. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated full-year cost of increasing the number of special education teachers by 500, 1,000, and 1,500 respectively, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51346/26]

378. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the request to open two additional autism classes from a school (details supplied); if her Department accepts that there is unmet need for special education school places in the school planning area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51583/26]

379. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a new special school (details supplied) in Kildare will open; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51633/26]

404. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason her Department has ordered a blanket pause on processing transport applications for special needs applicants. [51832/26]

405. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth to comment on correspondence received by a person (details supplied) who applied for school transport. [51833/26]

504. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has given consideration to lowering the age of eligibility for free travel passes for SEN students entering post primary schools to avail of public transport, in the event of travel without a primary carer (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50839/26]

303. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the capacity and availability of places in special schools, particularly in County Mayo; and the steps being taken to increase the number of places available for children with additional needs. [50396/26]

304. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of places available in special schools in County Mayo, including projected intake for September 2026 and September 2027; the number of applications that have been received for these places; the number of children without a confirmed placement for the upcoming academic year; and the measures being taken to expand capacit…

305. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the early intervention supports being provided; and the additional measures that are planned to ensure timely access to assessments (including psychological assessments) and supports for children awaiting school placements. [50399/26]

306. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth to acknowledge the financial burden on families who are paying privately for essential services (such as speech and language therapy), and whether additional supports can be provided where HSE services are not meeting demand. [50400/26]

313. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the case of a student (details supplied); and if she will instruct her Department to engage with the families affected. [50480/26]

316. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the exact number of children in Cork currently on the National Council for Special Education's database awaiting a special education placement as of a stated date; the number of the 63 newly confirmed special classes in Cork that are fully operational versus those still awaiting site readiness or staffing allocation; and if the Dep…

317. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the Department holds, or has sought, any internal NCSE data showing the number of children in Cork whose assessed special educational need does not match any currently vacant place in the county; and the timeline being applied to resolve those mismatches. [50589/26]

318. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 829 18 March 2026, to confirm whether the NCSE's reference to children being tracked on "our database" constitutes confirmation that a live, countable record of unplaced children exists; and if so, the reason this number was not disclosed. [50590/26]

165. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports available to schools to develop a sensory and inclusive outdoor learning area on site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49938/26]

166. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to consider an appeal (details supplied); if the decision for refusal will be reversed; if the sanction of home-based summer provision will be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49940/26]

167. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will address the long waiting lists for NEPS assessments, noting that some schools with over 200 pupils receive only two assessments per year; and if she will outline the actions being taken to tackle the shortage of NEPS assessments in schools. [50003/26]

170. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students with special educational needs enrolled in schools in County Cork in each of the years 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50017/26]

171. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a breakdown of special educational needs provision in County Cork, including the number of special education teachers and the total number of special needs assistants for each of the years 2022 to 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50018/26]

183. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of teachers providing summer provision for each year 2022,2023,2024,2025 and 2026. [50225/26]

184. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students availing of summer provision for each year 2022,2023,2024,2025 and 2026. [50226/26]