326. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth to respond to concerns that a special school in Blackrock (details supplied) will be reducing services or integrating with any other schools. [31345/25]
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
-
129
-
115
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99
-
92
-
86
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80
-
68
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
330. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she would consider a special class for autistic learners in a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31390/25]
335. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has directed a school (details supplied) that from the 2025/2026 academic year it will no longer be accommodating pupils with a mild general learning disability; the measures she will take to ensure these pupils receive appropriate alternative school places and supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31428/25]
336. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the case of a child (details supplied) who does not have a special education place as needed will be examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31439/25]
343. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has effectively capped SNAs staffing levels for secondary schools; and if any impact assessment has been taken regarding this measure. [31552/25]
344. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department requires schools to assign resources for academic year 2025/26 from their current complement of SNAs irrespective of increased need for SNA resources. [31553/25]
345. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth the instruction her Department is giving schools that do not have enough SNA resources to cater to the needs of their pupils. [31554/25]
346. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the situation in a school (details supplied) where a pupil that will enter the school in September requires 2 SNAs but sanction has only been given for 1.5, with the recommendation that .5 be reallocated from another child; if this is the policy of her Department; if she considers this an outworking of the SNA cap; and if sh…
348. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the cost of increasing the free-of-charge summer programme for students with special education needs to provide a place for every child with special educational needs across the State. [31572/25]
357. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider undertaking a feasibility study into the establishment of a new secondary school in Cork for students with complex needs, who do not have an intellectual disability and would be academically capable of completing the Junior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31619/25]
360. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the system of approving supports for children with additional needs will be amended to ensure more timely provision of such supports (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31648/25]
368. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the SNA allocations will be released for the 2025/2026 school year. [31746/25]
142. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures the Government is taking to tackle the inequalities between school children with extra educational needs or disabilities. [30281/25]
477. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the estimated cost of establishing an initial panel of 90 speech and language therapists for schools as a shared resource. [29377/25]
479. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special schools in Ireland, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28945/25]
480. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of students each special school has, broken down by school and by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28946/25]
481. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of special schools across Ireland have outdoor play equipment, broken down by school and by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28947/25]
482. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth if funds are available for special schools that wish to install an outdoor play area for sensory play; if so, to detail these funds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28948/25]
483. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education and Youth the Government policy for outdoor play facilities for special schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28949/25]
493. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of SNA allocations that were recommended to the NCSE by SENOs versus the actual number that were allocated; and to provide a breakdown of where the recommendation by a SENO has not been filled or sanctioned, In tabular form. [29008/25]
497. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to confirm that a school (details supplied) will be permitted to open a fourth ASD class, where the school had offered places to children to open the new ASD class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29029/25]
499. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will examine a case (details supplied) whereby a five-year-old child has received no offer for a school place in a special education school; the action being taken to increase places in special education schools, not just additional classes in mainstream schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29048/25]
500. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide an update for the proposed autism unit for a school (details supplied); if a contractor has been approved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29057/25]
512. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of mild general learning classes in north Tipperary; the number of classes she anticipates there will be in September 2025; if there are plans to open any other mild general learning classes in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29312/25]
513. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth if plans are in place to open another ASD early intervention preschool class in Dungarvan, County Waterford, given the demand in the area and the fact that there is only one such class in the area (details supplied), which is full for the coming year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29090/25]