1227. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the assessments that have been carried out by her Department of teachers' capacity to engage in continuous professional development during the school year; whether any analysis has been conducted on barriers to participation, including substitution cover, timetable pressures and workload; whether any reports arising from such assessments will be pub…
Topics / Teacher Training
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsTeacher Training
114 questions from 46 TDs, between 5 February 2025 and 29 September 2026.
114
questions
113 written, 1 oral
46
TDs have asked
9
parties and groups
Independents counted together
3
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 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 3 |
| March 2025 | 5 |
| April 2025 | 7 |
| May 2025 | 7 |
| June 2025 | 4 |
| July 2025 | 9 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 10 |
| October 2025 | 5 |
| November 2025 | 6 |
| December 2025 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 13 |
| February 2026 | 5 |
| March 2026 | 8 |
| April 2026 | 2 |
| May 2026 | 6 |
| June 2026 | 6 |
| July 2026 | 5 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 11 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
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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13
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8
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5
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Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
1228. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of hours of the additional in-school time provided for under public service agreements were used nationally for continuous professional development in each of the past three school years; the proportion of this time that was allocated to training in special educational needs, student wellbeing and behavioural or emotional support, and sub…
1229. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the continuous professional development currently provided to support teachers in managing increasingly complex classrooms, including cultural and linguistic diversity, mixed-ability teaching, trauma-informed practice and behavioural support; the number of teachers who have participated in such training in each of the past three years; whether she c…
1230. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has conducted a national survey, audit or questionnaire of schools and principals to assess teachers' professional development needs, capacity to access continuous professional development and priority training areas; if not, whether she will commit to establishing a formal needs-assessment process; the proposed timeframe for …
1231. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the mechanisms in place to measure the effectiveness and outcomes of Department-funded continuous professional development; whether data is collected on the impact of such training on classroom practice and student outcomes, particularly for pupils with additional and special educational needs; the details of any evaluations carried out in the past …
1232. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has set participation targets or benchmarks for teacher engagement in continuous professional development; if so, to outline those targets; if not, whether she will commit to establishing national benchmarks, particularly in the areas of special educational needs, behavioural support and wellbeing; and if she will make a state…
293. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she can provide the rationale for the current system where a certain Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) level is an entry requirement for State-funded teacher training colleges, but not privately run colleges; if she will consider implementing a standardised TEG level requirement for all teacher training colleges; and if she will make a statement on…
294. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she can provide the rationale for the current system where a certain Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) level is an entry requirement for State-funded teacher training colleges, but not privately run colleges; if she will consider implementing a standardised TEG level requirement for all teacher training colleges; and if she will make a statement on…
268. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the subject areas that are currently identified where there are staff shortages at second level; the measures in place to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62443/25]
490. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the expenditure on recruitment campaigns of international hiring of teachers; and to compare this with the estimated cost of teacher training for graduates who leave the State within three years of qualification, for each of the past five years. [61179/25]
491. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number and proportion of newly qualified primary and post-primary teachers who take up teaching posts in Ireland within one year of qualification, versus those who emigrate or do not enter the Irish teaching workforce, for each year since 2010 to date in 2025; and the data sources used such as Teaching Council registration, payroll records or Rev…
492. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if crossdepartmental analysis has been conducted comparing the cost of teacher education with retention and attrition rates; and if there is an estimate of the fiscal impact of teacher emigration. [61193/25]
523. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth the latest update on the Teaching Council’s work to make it mandatory for all student teachers to undertake one mandatory school placement in a special education setting; the timeline for when this will be implemented; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61576/25]
1132. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated average public cost of training a primary teacher and a post-primary teacher to full qualification, including teacher education programme funding, teaching practice costs, and capitation grants to colleges of education, for each year since 2000 to date in 2025. [61191/25]
413. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the impact the current barriers to registration and induction are having on teacher supply, particularly in areas experiencing acute shortages such as north County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57085/25]
188. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider giving student teachers a grant to cover the cost of supplying materials for class use by pupils while on their placements (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56043/25]
193. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to keep teachers who return home from abroad up to date with the new curriculum. [53277/25]
64. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the case of a PME student (details supplied) who completed all required course work and school placements in 2024, but whose formal award was not issued until early 2025; if such cases can be deemed eligible for the PME refund scheme for 2024, given that the requirements were fully completed within that year; and if she will make a s…
75. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Education and Youth the training and resources provided to teachers and school staff to identify and support students experiencing mental health difficulties; if there are plans to expand these supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52472/25]
232. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason some teachers have not yet received an outcome to their PME refund scheme application (details supplied); when all applicants will receive same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49355/25]
467. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the funding in place for the training of teachers at all school levels; the specific training that will be provided to teachers in response to the increase in racially motivated physical and verbal assaults against members of new Irish communities in the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47875/25]
776. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Youth to consider the State offering training pathways for special education teacher that do not require the teaching of Irish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44756/25]
856. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will fund and facilitate teachers at post-primary level who are registered via route 3 (further education), who are already teaching Irish as a subject and wish to upskill, and who are accepted into the course, to participate in the postgraduate diploma in Irish for post-primary teachers which is aimed at enhancing the skills of registere…
891. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to broaden the ability for more people to become teachers within Ireland, to address the teacher shortage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46012/25]
892. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to address the teacher shortages in secondary school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46013/25]