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]
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
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 all children with spe…
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 September; if she is aware o…
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 could have been sanc…
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 work in Ireland, which …
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 the diagnostic criter…
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 minimal additional suppor…
179. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the current one-size-fits-all system whereby a minimum of six pupils are needed to establish a special education class and acknowledge that this disproportionately affects rural communities; and if they will explore implementing more flexible options. [30701/25]
320. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on special education classes in second level schools that are provided for children with Down’s Syndrome; if she will give a commitment that her Department will plan to expand this service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31283/25]
323. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to recruit a sufficient number of SNAs, therapists, SLTs and OTs to match the demand of SEN students this September. [30859/25]