Special Educational Needs
An official questions-paper heading. 2,799 questions (33 oral, 2,766 written), first 2025-01-22, latest 2026-07-28.
Questions under this heading, per month
Jan 2025Jul 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | 31 |
| Feb 2025 | 124 |
| Mar 2025 | 114 |
| Apr 2025 | 160 |
| May 2025 | 134 |
| Jun 2025 | 183 |
| Jul 2025 | 215 |
| Sep 2025 | 113 |
| Oct 2025 | 76 |
| Nov 2025 | 191 |
| Dec 2025 | 122 |
| Jan 2026 | 163 |
| Feb 2026 | 283 |
| Mar 2026 | 270 |
| Apr 2026 | 167 |
| May 2026 | 181 |
| Jun 2026 | 171 |
| Jul 2026 | 101 |
Addressed to
| Department | Questions |
|---|---|
| Education | 2,737 |
| Children | 37 |
| Health | 17 |
| Further and Higher Education | 5 |
| Social | 3 |
Debates under the same heading
Dáil debate sections whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
James Geoghegan
written
2025-12-11 · to Education
186. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she plans for the educational therapy service to be rolled out to all special schools and, in time, all mainstream schools; if she can provide a timeline for this rollout; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70225/25]
Paul Lawless
written
2025-12-11 · to Education
187. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will commit to publishing annual regional forecasts of demand for special class places, alongside timelines for sanctioning and opening, to ensure parents have clarity and to avoid last-minute crises in securing placements. [70382/25]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
written
2025-12-11 · to Education
191. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education and Youth the engagement with her Department and other Departments to ensure that assessment of needs reports are not required for school placements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70259/25]
Richard Boyd Barrett
written
2025-12-11 · to Education
194. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider expanding NEPS to provide psychological services in all schools. [70741/25]
John Paul O'Shea
written
2025-12-11 · to Education
195. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Youth her Department’s plans to increase the number of special education classes and expand ASD units in Cork north west, given the significant demand and rising waiting lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [69160/25]
Eoghan Kenny
written
2025-12-11 · to Education
197. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children who have applied for special education places for the academic year 2026/2027; if she has considered a centralised application system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70183/25]
Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh
written
2025-12-10 · to Education
181. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reasons for the reduction in early intervention classes in multiple counties; if she plans to increase the supply of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70389/25]
Matt Carthy
written
2025-12-10 · to Education
189. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the details of the current special schools, by location; whether these schools are in permanent or interim/temporary buildings; the current number of children attending each school; the number waiting on a place in each school, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70499/25]
Claire Kerrane
written
2025-12-10 · to Education
193. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason the entire north 2est of Ireland-Sligo, Mayo Donegal, Roscommon Leitrim and Cavan has been excluded in the current NCSE recruitment drive for senior and staff grade occupational therapists and speech and language therapists for the national educational therapy service (ETS) in special schools, with the plan for it to …
Mattie McGrath
written
2025-12-09 · to Education
383. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children nationwide who sought a letter of eligibility for a place in a special class or special school through the parents notify portal, before the deadline of 1 October 2025, with a breakdown of each county; the number seeking a letter of eligibility for a place in a special class and special school in South Tip…
Eamon Scanlon
written
2025-12-09 · to Education
384. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of an additional needs application from a school (details supplied) in County Sligo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [69065/25]
Ged Nash
written
2025-12-09 · to Education
385. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to an issue caused by the lack of a late application process for notifying the NCSE of a child’s requirement for a place in a special class or school, and that parents who were not aware of the notification process or had a children born after the 30 September deadline are being left without a way to en…
Darren O'Rourke
written
2025-12-09 · to Education
414. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a pre-school early intervention class held in a primary school (details supplied) is being re-classified as a primary autism class; the number of children that will be affected by the re-classification of this class; and the supports available to children who would have attended the early intervention class, had it not been …
Darren O'Rourke
written
2025-12-09 · to Education
415. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of early intervention classes across the State that have been reclassified as a primary autism class on a county-by-county breakdown. [69746/25]
Michael Healy-Rae
written
2025-12-09 · to Education
441. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the case of a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70078/25]
Cian O'Callaghan
written
2025-12-03 · to Education
142. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if figures provided by her Department, to a newspaper are accurate (details supplied); the methodology her Department used to classify a special class place as vacant; if places counted as vacant are fully operational, and appropriately staffed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68311/25]
Cian O'Callaghan
written
2025-12-03 · to Education
143. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of parents who have submitted a notification to the NCSE, by the 1 October deadline, requesting a special school place for the 2026-2027 school year in Dublin, broken down by postcode, in tabular form. [68312/25]
Mattie McGrath
written
2025-12-03 · to Children
224. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality whether a child (details supplied) in south Tipperary will receive Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68296/25]
Albert Dolan
written
2025-12-02 · to Education
206. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 645 of 4 November 2025, whether schools will be instructed or required by the NCSE to redeploy special needs assistants (SNAs) from their mainstream SNA allocation in order to meet above-SERC needs in autism classes under the new SNA review guidelines; whether the previous above-SERC SNA revie…
Malcolm Byrne
written
2025-12-02 · to Education
208. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special needs assistant posts funded in the State; the number of vacancies at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67294/25]
Malcolm Byrne
written
2025-12-02 · to Education
209. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the potential development of a special school at Bunclody, County Wexford. [67295/25]
Malcolm Byrne
written
2025-12-02 · to Education
211. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding the application for a special education class at a school (details supplied). [67297/25]
Roderic O'Gorman
written
2025-12-02 · to Education
212. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of preliminary determinations of eligibility letters issued by the NCSE for 2024 and to date in 2025; the number of final determinations made; and the process by which a final determination is made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67307/25]
Malcolm Byrne
written
2025-12-02 · to Education
229. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the online supports that are made available by her Department to students with additional learning needs. [67475/25]
Malcolm Byrne
written
2025-12-02 · to Education
230. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the range of supports available to students with additional learning needs upon leaving second level education. [67476/25]