410. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures that will be put in place for students with MGLD diagnosis who will have to move to mainstream schools from special schools under her Department’s plan to re-designate special schools; what assessments have been completed by her Department in regards to staffing provisions and classroom space availability for designated MGLD classes; and i…
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
416. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth the meaning of ‘complex MGLD’ in the circular 0039/2025 regarding the re-designation of special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33906/25]
429. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will support the retention of the mild general learning difficulties class in a school (details supplied) that has been in existence since the 1970s and now is being closed despite the requirement for it and the fact that children with Downes syndrome and other children with learning difficulties will now have to travel over 40km each way to a s…
445. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 388 of 17 June 2025, the position regarding any engagement she has had since January 2025 with school principals of special schools or their representative bodies regarding proposed changes to the allocation of special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34322/25]
448. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reasons for the redesignation of all mild general learning disability schools as complex needs schools; if she will pause redesignations pending consultation and a review involving parents and teachers; if she will ensure that those pupils in existing mild general learning disabilities schools will have the specialist supports that they need; a…
271. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth , given that the 1,600 additional SNA staff promised in Budget 2025, bringing the number of SNAs from 22,000 to 23,600, will now amount to approximately 500 fewer than expected, she will provide a breakdown, by county, of the 1,600 extra SNAs that had been promised for each county for September 2025, and the number of SNAs that will be allocat…
272. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the National Council for Special Education accept clinical diagnosing of autism in assessment reports completed by educational psychologists. [33409/25]
273. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the National Council for Special Education accept clinical diagnosing of autism in assessment reports completed by clinical psychologists. [33410/25]
278. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if funding is available to schools where existing rooms have been repurposed as ASD classes; and if such spaces can be replaced or restored through available supports. [33260/25]
283. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will give detailed consideration to the issues outlined in document, recently produced by a national organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33303/25]
284. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the lack of basic and appropriate facilities in a school (details supplied) to meet the needs of students with additional and profound needs; the steps she will take to address these ongoing concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33304/25]
285. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Education and Youth if schools identified as having surplus SNA positions will retain these for the 2025/2026 school year; if they will be retained for future school years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33336/25]
294. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm when the special education needs litigation unit was established within her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33483/25]
295. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of staff that work within the special education needs litigation unit of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33484/25]
296. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the amount spent annually, since 2020, defending legal actions taken on behalf of special needs children and their families, including all costs associated with both internal and external legal fees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33485/25]
72. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she plans to reform admission criteria for entry into specific speech and language disorder special classes attached to primary schools given that the criteria for eligibility has proven to be discriminatory towards children with disabilities and therefore in contravention with equality clauses of numerous Bills legislating this area…
73. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide guidance on when a school should provide an SNA for children with ADHD and diabetes, and whether age and severity is taken into account. [32930/25]
74. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether the 1,600 additional special needs assistant posts announced in Budget 2025 have been awarded; if these 1,600 posts are all full-time posts and, if not, to provide a breakdown of the posts and their hours; the status of recruitment to fill these posts; when the SNA allocations for the 2025-2026 school year will be publicly announced by the …
75. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will engage as a matter of urgency with a school (details supplied) in relation to the allocation of an extra special needs assistant, which is required for a student in an ASD class for the coming school year; if there is any cap or freeze on the recruitment of special needs assistants; if so to, the specific criteria being used …
76. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will address matters raised in a correspondence (details supplied) from the family of a child at risk of losing out on an appropriate school place in the coming academic year; if she will provide a definitive timeline for the new classes in the school in question to be completed; if she will account for the apparent delays in the project; if she…
79. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNAs that have retired in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [33006/25]
80. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of new SNAs that started positions in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form. [33007/25]
85. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education and Youth to instruct a school (details supplied) to open a special class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33133/25]
88. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the planned closure of an autism class at a school (details supplied), despite sufficient interest in enrolment for the 2025/2026 school year to warrant two autism classes; if she will instruct the NCSE to reconsider its proposal to close the class and review the individual enrolment cases; and if she will make a statement on the ma…
375. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the projected demand for school places in mainstream primary schools for pupils with special educational needs for the school year commencing September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31788/25]