Topics / Special Educational Needs

A subject heading for parliamentary questions

Special 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
MonthQuestions
January 202531
February 2025124
March 2025114
April 2025160
May 2025134
June 2025183
July 2025215
August 20250
September 2025113
October 202576
November 2025191
December 2025122
January 2026163
February 2026283
March 2026270
April 2026167
May 2026181
June 2026171
July 2026101
August 20260
September 202644
October 202678

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.

  • 100% RDR3 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Aontú77 from 2 TDs · 2 seats today
  • Fianna Fáil539 from 37 TDs · 48 seats today
  • Fine Gael416 from 24 TDs · 38 seats today
  • Green Party40 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Independent169 from 13 TDs · 15 seats today
  • Independent Ireland121 from 4 TDs · 4 seats today
  • Labour Party276 from 11 TDs · 11 seats today
  • People Before Profit-Solidarity133 from 3 TDs · 3 seats today
  • Sinn Féin902 from 38 TDs · 39 seats today

The TDs who asked most

Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.

  1. 139
  2. 129
  3. 115
  4. 99
  5. 92
  6. 86
  7. 80
  8. 68

Asked of

Debated under the same heading

Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.

The questions

Paul Lawless Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
532. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports which are available for families of children with Down syndrome who require assistive technology but have been refused under current criteria; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14562/26]
Joe Cooney Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
535. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will confirm that the SNA review outcome letters that have already issued to schools in the past few weeks will be rescinded until the conclusion of the further engagement that is being undertaken; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14590/26]
Seán Ó Fearghaíl Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
536. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will address concerns raised in correspondence regarding the allocation of additional needs school places (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14615/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
537. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth current level of dyslexia-specific supports available in primary and post-primary schools; and whether her Department plans to expand evidence-based interventions for students with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14642/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
538. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will review the Special Education Teaching allocation model to ensure it adequately reflects the number of students with dyslexia in each school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14643/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
539. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of teachers who have completed dyslexia-specific training through her Department or NCSE in the past three years; and whether further mandatory training is planned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14644/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
540. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average waiting time for an educational psychological assessment for suspected dyslexia through the NEPS system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14645/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
541. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated number of students currently diagnosed with dyslexia in primary and post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14646/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
542. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department or the NCSE maintains a dyslexia national prevalence database; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14647/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
543. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she could provide the number of children diagnosed with dyslexia in each of the past five academic years, broken down by constituency, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14648/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
544. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department’s current policy on the provision of assistive technology for students with special educational needs, including dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14649/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
545. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of applications received by the National Council for Special Education for assistive technology supports in each of the last five years; the number approved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14650/26]
Grace Boland Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
546. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current average processing time for assistive technology applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14651/26]
Mark Ward Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
547. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports that are in place for a child with autism who cannot attend mainstream secondary school (details supplied); to outline who parents can contact; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14652/26]
Ged Nash Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
551. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide the number of SNAs currently in place supporting students in mainstream classes in each school in County Louth, as of 1 January 2026, on a school-by-school basis, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14663/26]
Duncan Smith Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
562. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide a ratio for the number of SNA’s to schools across Ireland in each of the years 2021 to 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14890/26]
John Connolly Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
568. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in primary and post-primary schools who are receiving support through the assistive technology grant, by school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14970/26]
John Connolly Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
569. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students attending gaelscoileanna who have been refused an assistive technology grant in 2025 to date, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14971/26]
John Connolly Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
570. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of appeals made under Circular 0010/2013 regarding the assistive technology grant in 2025 to date; the number upheld, part-upheld and refused; if she will provide the breakdown of applications, decisions and appeals, by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14972/26]
John Connolly Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
571. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department uses a previous refusal of an assistive technology grant at primary level when considering a new application at post-primary level for the same child; if so, the basis for this approach; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14973/26]
John Connolly Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
572. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the training, professional development and guidance provided to special educational needs organisers in relation to assessing applications for the assistive technology grant; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14974/26]
Eoghan Kenny Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
576. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNAs employed at the end of each month since September 2025; and the current number of funded vacant positions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15003/26]
Eoghan Kenny Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
577. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current number of WTE SNA positions funded for the school year 2025/2026; and the total number that will be available from September 2026 for school year 2026/2027; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15004/26]
Roderic O'Gorman Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
582. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the status of recently announced SNA reviews where schools have lost an SNA allocation, whether schools still need to lodge an SNA appeal if they do not wish to lose an SNA; the status of the 'pause' announced on 17 February; if will schools be directly informed regarding the status of the pause and how it impacts on the letter they re…
Cian O'Callaghan Written 24 Feb 2026 · to Education
585. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the work her Department is doing to establish more reading schools and reading classes in the North Dublin area to cater for children with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15070/26]