Special Educational Needs

450. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there are now over 23,600 SNAs for the coming academic year. [32627/25]

451. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNA posts that are part-time hours or job-sharing posts. [32628/25]

452. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she plans to reverse the national budgetary cap on SNA posts. [32629/25]

457. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education and Youth to introduce special educational needs coordinators to support students with a disability in transitioning through all educational settings. [32657/25]

469. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of an application for ASD classrooms within the approval process for a school (details supplied); the projected timeline for its implementation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32830/25]

85. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline, in the context of special education preparedness for September 2025, the number of children with special educational needs but currently without an appropriate school place for September 2025, and the plans to address this; the way in which special needs assistant, SNA, posts will be allocated to these children and a…

88. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to redesignate special schools that cater to children with mild general learning disabilities. [30858/25]

93. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a decision will be made on the allocation of a special needs assistant, SNA, for a school (details supplied); when the subsequent appointment of the SNA will take place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30791/25]

105. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will remove the cap on SNA allocations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30978/25]

109. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the roll-out of new ASD classes in secondary schools. [30838/25]

118. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the concerns raised by schools that they are unable to plan for the coming academic year due to delays in allocation of resources by the NCSE; her further views on the stress caused by the same delay on SNAs who have finished work for the year without knowledge of whether they will be coming back in Septembe…

121. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline plans in relation to opening five new special schools for the 2025-26 school year; if these additional school places will be created through the redesignation of existing schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30866/25]

124. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reasons a school (details supplied) in south Tipperary that had previously had a new special class sanctioned has had the class withdrawn without any engagement to overcome the issues; if she will urgently review this decision by the NCSE which has left a number of students without an appropriate class place; how this class …

135. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures she is taking to ensure children with Down's syndrome have access to school places and supports appropriate for their particular needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31226/25]

137. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the progress made on introducing a new common application system for children applying to special schools and classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31232/25]

155. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special classes in County Mayo; the number of autistic children currently awaiting a school place in County Mayo, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18852/25]

158. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline the timelines and details for the roll-out of school-based therapies for special schools, schools with units and general mainstream schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31243/25]

163. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on the roll-out of additional supports for students with additional needs ahead of the 2025 academic year; for a further update on the provision of special education teachers and SNAs across primary and post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30702/25]

164. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of additional special classes that will be opened in County Monaghan in 2025. [31316/25]

166. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update on schools’ SNA allocations for the 2025-26 school year; to outline the process involved in making allocations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30984/25]

170. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if, in light of the critical shortage of speech and language therapists, SLTs, across Ireland, her Department will engage with CORU and other relevant bodies to fast-track the recognition of qualified professionals from abroad; and if she will address the current two-year delay for foreign-trained SLTs to receive approval to wor…

171. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm the number of additional special school places delivered for Cork for the 2025-26 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31234/25]

174. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the under-provision of adequate specialist places for children with Down's syndrome in County Kildare and throughout the State more broadly; if she will consider collecting data on Down's syndrome children in the education system with a view to create targeted placements; and if she will consider reviewing t…

175. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children with special educational needs without a place in a school, by county, in tabular form; the measures being taken to provide places for these children who do not have a school place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31300/25]

177. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will reconsider the issuing of Circular 0039/2025 regarding the forward planning for special education provision since many teachers who work in special schools fear that the circular appears to assume that students with mild general learning disabilities can simply be accommodated within mainstream settings, provided minim…