Vol. 1074 No. 5
7. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the position regarding funding opportunities for primary schools to provide new outdoor recreation facilities and upgrade existing outdoor spaces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59373/25]
My question is about the provision of funding for outdoor recreational facilities such as playgrounds and open space, but also provision for new ones and the maintenance of existing ones. What are the opportunities for primary schools in particular?
Investment and expenditure on sports facilities in both primary and post-primary schools is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the schools building programme. Practically all schools have outdoor play areas although I accept that many of them vary depending on the different schools. Many schools use adjacent local community facilities and we encourage the dual use of different facilities that are close to each other. The provision of outdoor play areas forms part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school. Co-operation between schools and the local sporting organisations in sharing their sporting facilities provides opportunity to apply for sport grants including the sports capital grants administered by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. In recent years there has been huge encouragement of schools and communities in particular working with sporting clubs to have joint applications in that regard.
The provision of capital funding for outdoor recreation facilities is just one way in which we support increased physical activity. The redeveloped primary curriculum specification for physical education extends the time available for PE with a particular emphasis on community partnerships and the use of the outdoor environment generally.
Since 2020, my Department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the NDP, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. A total of 111 of these were large-scale school projects, all of which included extensive accommodation, including outdoor play areas. In July, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026 to 2030. As others also will, I will publish an implementation plan in that regard. My Department’s plan will optimise outputs from the allocations with a strong focus on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money and meets functional needs. In terms of providing further funding for the outdoor spaces, we are investing to support curricular delivery and well-being across schools by prioritising the development of PE halls and sporting facilities in conjunction with the sports capital fund to deliver for both schools and communities.
The climate action summer works scheme, along with the emergency works scheme and the minor works scheme, provides a mechanism for schools to make small-scale improvements where they have facilities that need upgrading.
I acknowledge the amount that has been spent on the schools building programme and on the provision of facilities. I also recognise what the Minister said about community facilities and the importance of the provision of sports facilities. I am looking even at a more micro level and I am thinking particularly of Loreto Primary School on Loreto Avenue, Dalkey. The principal, Fióna McKenna, has been in touch with me. The school is in a relatively small area with a playground on-site. It needs repairs to the playground and is having a huge difficulty getting the funding to do that. We all recognise the importance of play facilities and the important role that plays in a rounded education for any child. The danger is that if it is not managed on an ongoing basis and, more importantly, if the schools do not have the resources to do it on an ongoing basis small things get left undone, they get worse and they get dangerous. No playground should end up unusable because of dangerous facilities and that stitch in time does indeed save nine. The way we give the stitch in time is to give the schools the resources in a timely and ready way.
Maybe I can engage with the Deputy further on the particular school. Where repairs need to be made to existing playgrounds or play spaces and certainly where there is a danger for students, schools may apply under the emergency works scheme or indeed the minor works scheme. I am pleased that under the new national development plan, NDP, funding will continue to be available for the emergency works scheme and the minor works grants. It is really important that as many schools as possible can avail of that. Over the years we have seen significant investment in schools and we need to make sure that is spread out and shared evenly across the schools.
The climate action summer works scheme provides a mechanism for schools to make small-scale improvements to school buildings but that also applies to outdoor spaces. The first tranche of approvals under this scheme is due to be announced probably in the next two weeks. That will be a scheme that will apply and will see funding provided across all the different constituencies and we have another tranche as well. There are a number of ways in which schools can engage with the Department. Funding has been secured for the next round of NDP and it is important that schools know they are able to avail of these types of grants specifically for the reasons the Deputy mentioned.
I acknowledge what the Minister said about the emergency works scheme and the minor works scheme. How does the Department prioritise one application over another? If a number of schools are asking for emergency works grants or minor works grants where they have a playground, a play facility or sports facility that is unusable, how does the Department prioritise one school over another? What can schools do to ensure they are on that list? We all recognise the importance of these facilities. I do not say this as a criticism but schools are put to the pin of their collar in terms of the resources that are available to them. They are being pulled every way. Particularly for schools in areas like my constituency, there is a danger that there might be feeling that there could be voluntary contributions that could assist schools in paying for things when the reality is they do not necessarily have access to resources that other schools do not have as well. I am concerned about the prioritisation of schools and whether there is a view that some schools do not need it which is not the case.
It is essential that every school - irrespective of whether there is a perception that some can pay for more than others - has access to the minor works, emergency works and summer works schemes, as well as being able to benefit from the larger capital programme. More will apply for the summer works scheme than will get funding, so it is a matter of determining where the need is most acute and how to prioritise that. There is a system and structure within the Department, but where there is a danger to children or where there is playground equipment that cannot be used or a level of resources which means an area is unfit for children, that certainly must be taken into consideration.
What I would advise schools to do is ensure that when they are making applications, be it for emergency works or minor works, they provide as much information as possible, setting out why they need the funding. The intention is to work through the various applications as quickly as possible. The good thing about the emergency works and minor works schemes is that you do not have to apply at a particular time; you can apply as needed because, when an emergency arises, you have to be able to respond quickly. The Department tries to respond to individual applications as quickly as possible. I am happy to work with the Deputy on the school he mentioned.
8. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on staffing issues in a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58318/25]
I thank the Deputy for the question. The Department of education and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, are aware of the recent issues raised by the school to which Deputy O’Sullivan referred. I can confirm that the Department and the NCSE have met and are in ongoing contact with the management of the school to ensure the needs of all students continue to be met.
As Deputy O’Sullivan knows, when a special class in a special school is established, there is an automatic allocation of one teacher and two special needs assistants per class of six students. However, the standard allocation can be increased on the basis of the profile and needs of the students enrolled. St. Gabriel’s Special School currently has an enrolment of 54 students and a standard allocation of nine teachers and 18 SNAs. Additional resources, namely one teacher and 17 SNAs, supplementing the standard allocation, have been provided to the school. This is a significant increase in additional resources. The NCSE is providing advice and guidance to the school on how best to deploy staff to support the needs of the children. The Department and the NCSE also provide ongoing training opportunities to schools, particularly special schools, in order that their staff have the skills and competencies required for the level of complexity in the school environment.
I am pleased to say that in the recent budget over 860 additional special education teacher posts have been secured and over 1,700 special needs assistants, SNAs, have been provided. This will mean we will have over 46,500 teachers and SNAs working in our education system. Any school, special or mainstream, with concerns regarding the level of resources to meet the care needs of its students can contact the NCSE at any stage to seek a review of its allocation. I am aware of the issues raised earlier in the year, and we are in constant contact with the school authorities in relation to them.
I did not hear what the Minister of State said at the outset. Initially, there were nine special educational needs, SEN, teachers and 18 SNAs. The Minister of State said there was an additional SEN teacher. How many SNAs?
Seventeen.
Are they recent additions?
Right now, that is the number.
The Minister of State said that the Department is in contact with the school on an ongoing basis. Has the review that was instigated upon the arrival of officials from the NCSE and the Department concluded in the school? Is there any prospect of additional resources or has it been deemed that the resources provided heretofore are sufficient? As the Minister of State said, St. Gabriel’s deals in many cases, if not most, with students with severe intellectual disabilities and complex needs. Many also have autism. It is a particularly vulnerable cohort of students who need to be afforded every help we can give them. Could the Minister of State clarify if there is any further review pending or if further staff are due to be deployed to the school? As he knows, several parents were particularly upset when they received the initial email from school management stating their children could be on a temporary part-time schedule. Have those concerns been alleviated?
Officials from the NCSE and the Department met the school board of management, including the chair, and the principal on 10 October. There is ongoing engagement with the NCSE and the Department. The NCSE is arranging a follow-up meeting with the school this week to discuss the findings of the SNA review, the recommendations to support SNA resources and other related issues. I guarantee that we are working very closely. When the issues arose in early October, the Department worked very closely with the NCSE and the school authorities to ensure concerns were being adequately addressed. I very much take the Deputy’s point regarding the complexity of needs within St. Gabriel’s and the huge amount of work being done there to provide care and education to students. We are continuously engaging with the school. With regard to additional resources, there are the additional teacher and 17 SNAs, along with the nine teachers and the 18 SNAs, but following the review, we are continuing to ensure any further resourcing requirements of St. Gabriel’s will be met.
I genuinely acknowledge the Minister of State’s involvement in this. I rang him on Thursday night, when this story was about to break, and he got straight on to the school the following morning. That was appreciated by the parents and the school management.
I seek clarification on one or two more points. The Minister of State said the NCSE is due to follow up this week. I realise he is not going to disclose on the floor of the Dáil what the result of the SNA review will be, but I reiterate the requirement that probably exists. The Minister of State mentioned that there are other related issues. I am not sure if they are sensitive. If he cannot disclose what they are, could he mention the issues he can talk about on the floor of the Dáil.
One SEN teacher was appointed temporarily a number of weeks ago when this issue emerged. Is that the additional SEN teacher along with the 17 SNAs he mentioned or is it a SEN teacher in addition to that allocation?
The question here is whether the Minister of State, the principal, the board of management and the parents are satisfied that the concerns about a reduction in teaching hours for pupils have been addressed and that there is 100% certainty that there will be no such reduction. As the Minister of State knows, St. Gabriel’s is a specialist school that deals with children with some of the most complex issues children can have. It is a very important school. I spoke to parents who were very upset when it looked like there would be a reduction. They were worried not about themselves but about their children. What the Minister of State said sounds good, but is it enough to guarantee that the children will get an education at the level they are entitled to? If so, I will welcome it. I just want to have the guarantee put on the record.
Deputy O’Sullivan raised various issues. The details of the review are between the board, the NCSE and the Department. Much work has been done by these three over the past month or six weeks. I pay tribute to everybody concerned, including in St. Gabriel’s. They met immediately on the Friday after the Thursday night on which the issue was raised with me, and they have continued to engage.
A reduction in hours is not on the cards. We want to ensure that proper resources are allocated to St. Gabriel’s to ensure it can provide care to and meet the education needs of all its 54 students. It is a matter of supporting the school with SNA resources. If there are related training or support needs, we are available to meet them. We are engaging in a very coherent way with St. Gabriel’s and we will continue to meet the needs of the school authorities and, more importantly, the education and care needs of the students within the school.
9. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on the number of school building projects currently delayed across the State; the reasons for these delays; and the steps which are being taken to ensure children are not left learning in prefabs or overcrowded classrooms this winter. [59599/25]
I want to ask the Minister about the criteria for prioritising school capital projects and about delays. It appears that a significant number of projects have been delayed. Can the Minister outline how many capital project delays there are across the country and the primary reasons therefor?
At the outset, I wish to say that my Department has a strong track record of delivery. Since 2020, my Department has invested more than €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the national development plan. As I mentioned earlier, this involves the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. Given the fact that there are 4,000 schools across the country, the delivery of 1,300 school projects over the last number of years is a significant achievement.
In July, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth out to 2030 under the national development plan. As part of this allocation, my Department will place a strong emphasis on a number of things, including the provision of special education for children and the development of new special schools. It is about making sure that our new builds have provisions for special education but also, on top of that, that there is additional accommodation within that where we need to provide special classes within mainstream schools that currently do not have them. There will be a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. Where there is a growth in demographics, it is important that we be able to respond to that, whether it be a new building that is needed or an expansion of a current school place. For those schools not in permanent buildings, such as those in my constituency or the schools referenced earlier that are in temporary or modular accommodation, we need to ensure we are able to deliver new schools for those communities as quickly as possible.
Over 300 school building projects, including 38 new schools, are currently in construction to deliver more than 30,000 school places. Most of these projects are expected to be completed over the course of 2026 and 2027. On top of that, it is planned that approximately 80 further school building projects will progress to construction across 2026 and 2027 as part of a two-year rolling programme.
Project delivery is managed as part of an overall capital programme in line with the Government's infrastructure guidelines. Of course, we always have to take budgetary parameters into account. We do not have an infinite amount of money, so we have to make sure that the projects we have in the system are moving and we are able to progress and deliver them within the budget we have. It is fair to say that delays can happen for certain reasons and different factors, often beyond the Department’s control, such as site acquisition and planning permissions. Often, we have issues, as we have seen, with tenders or contractors. Sometimes, these are issues the Department cannot mitigate, but it obviously adds to some of the delays we see in some of the projects.
I appreciate there is a significant amount of money - hundreds of millions of euro - spent on capital projects. Of course, there must be prioritisation and so on and, obviously, the need for expanding schools and special education should be an important prioritisation. However, I would appreciate it if the Minister could consider nuanced issues in schools as well. For example, Claremorris is a wonderful town with two single-sex schools. They had a consultation over several years, which the Department of education in Tullamore oversaw. There is huge support for an amalgamation of those two schools. The primary schools in Claremorris have recently amalgamated. The patrons of Mount St. Michael Secondary School and St. Colman’s College are supportive, as are parents, school management and the chamber of commerce. There is a huge level of support for it. However, the Department issued notice to the schools a number of months ago outlining the criteria the Minister outlined a few moments ago, basically stating that it would not be supporting it in any sense in terms of capital infrastructure. I ask the Minister to consider that report, the demand and the choice that I know the Minister is very keen to support. I ask her-----
The Deputy can come back in. I call the Minister.
Given the fact that there are so many schools and competing demands, there has to be prioritisation. There is a need to prioritise, firstly, special education. We need to make sure we are providing not only sufficient places for this school term, but that we are forward planning. That is why we need to look at developing more special schools. We have built 16 new schools in the past number of years, two of which are opening this week, but we did not build any for many years before that, so we need to continue to prioritise and invest in special schools, special education provision, new classrooms and additional accommodation. Where there is an actual demand for school places where they do not currently exist, we have to prioritise that.
In certain demographic areas where there is that demographic increase, be they in my county of Meath or in Kildare, Wicklow or, of course, Dublin and other counties, we have to be able to respond and cater to it. While we have to prioritise providing physical infrastructure for people where it does not exist, that is not to say that other projects will not be able to progress at different stages. There will be that prioritisation based on the fact that we have a budget, though. We are not going to be able to progress everything at the same time or maybe in the timeline that some people would like.
I appreciate that in terms of need, the budget and so on, but the point is that there is such a demand for the amalgamation of the two schools. It appears there is a one-size-fits-all, arbitrary metric when it comes to the capital infrastructure project.
Will the Minister consider meeting me and the school principals to hear some of the issues that the schools are experiencing outlined for her and consider some funding for the schools to amalgamate? There is a significant need for it to happen in terms of education. I ask the Minister, along with officials in her Department, to please meet me and the schools’ principals to discuss the consultation that so many people in Claremorris and, indeed, in the Minister’s Department spent so many hours on. Will she meet me and the schools to discuss this project?
This is a project that I am aware of from engagement with my colleagues in the area. It is not that there is no desire for a particular project to progress or that any desire within a community is being ignored. Rather, where there are greater demands around the provision of school places, we must ensure they are prioritised ahead of areas where perhaps there already is a provision of school places, albeit not necessarily in the context or setting that pupils or the school community want. That is not to say that a project cannot progress in the future, but we have to plan out what the next number of years look like. We will continue to engage with the school community - I can say that very clearly - in the same way we engage with all of the schools that seek to develop new buildings, new infrastructure or additional accommodation schemes.
The overall capital budget is not just focused on new builds and additional accommodation. A significant proportion of it invests in minor works, summer works and emergency works. There are also ICT grants, as well as funding that is now going to be provided for our youth centres at a much higher rate than had been provided before. I am happy to engage with all schools. The Department will continue to engage with all schools, including the school the Deputy mentioned.
10. Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason an expert report described by an assistant principal officer as significant medical evidence was not acted upon, considering it corroborated the information supplied to the teacher by an employee in the occupational health service, OHS, (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58433/25]
I wish to ask the Minister about a case that affects a teacher in my constituency. I am reluctant to go into too much detail. I will await the Minister’s response before I pose supplementary questions.
My Department administers pension schemes, which are provided for in legislation, for teaching staff in primary, secondary and community and comprehensive schools. One such provision of these pension schemes is the awarding of benefits under ill health retirement. There is a process in place for administering such applications that involves the completion of two forms. The first form is an application for benefits, which is returned to the pensions unit of my Department for the processing of the application. The second form relates to the member’s medical condition and must be signed by the member and his or her doctor. The doctor must provide a confidential doctor-to-doctor report to accompany the form detailing the member’s diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. This form and report are returned directly to the Department’s OHS provider. As this process is confidential in nature, I cannot comment on the medical evidence submitted by the person concerned or the assessment made by the OHS.
What I can say is that applicants for retirement pension benefit on medical grounds must follow this particular procedure and attend for a medical assessment with the OHS. The decision to approve or reject an application is based on the recommendation of the OHS. Medmark, the current OHS, provides independent medical assessments, ensuring that any decisions about an employee’s fitness to teach are made based on expert assessment.
I understand that the pensions unit of my Department is familiar with the case the Deputy has mentioned and it has been in contact with the person concerned on several occasions. I encourage the person to engage with my officials with a view to making a fresh application for ill health retirement. This will involve a medical assessment. It is important that is part of the process, as I have outlined. I will ask my officials to consider a new application as soon as it has been received
I thank the Minister for that response. At least by her response she is leaving the door open. It is a matter now and I will relate that to the individual to suggest that the person should make a fresh application and follow the procedure. I wish to read into the record that the board of management of the particular school made the decision regarding the granting of critical illness provision, CIP, on the basis of management discretion where exceptional circumstances existed.
Appendix B of Circular 0054/2019 was used to assist the board in making its decision. The Minister mentioned the Medmark medical criteria for the granting of a CIP, but this was done by the management on the basis of exceptional circumstances. I would have thought at the time the decision was taken, on 15 December 2020, that it would have progressed quickly after that. For GDPR reasons, I will not go into any detail now on whether the Minister is able to do that. I presume there are other facts that relate to this person who has problems with dressing, meal preparation, use of technology, social and sleep. There are so many. It is possibly the worst that I have had experience of in all my years here. I will take the Minister at her word. I will recommend that a fresh application be submitted. I hope, when it is submitted, that it will be processed as expeditiously as possible to try to bring this matter to a conclusion.
I will not go into detail. As the Deputy said, I do not think it would be appropriate to do so in the Chamber. The Department is aware of the case. There is obviously a very clear, independent and separate process that has to take place. I will outline that. The OHS provides employers with the occupational health advice in relation to employees. That applies not just to teachers but to SNAs and other specific non-teaching staff to assess whether they are medically fit for work. It incorporates pre-employment health assessments, it looks at sickness, absent referrals, assessments of medical fitness for work, ill-health retirement assessments and it considers whether a teacher is permanently unfit to teach. There are a number of criteria that it has to take into consideration, including the presence of a disabling illness, the prospect of future improvement or recovery, permanent and total disability, restricted functional capacity, treatment options fully explored and various other elements. While a person may apply and be successful in one instance, that is not to say that he or she cannot apply on the basis that circumstances change. It is important, if there is a reapplication, that a medical assessment has to be provided with it. I encourage the individual in question to reengage with the Department and to reapply under the grounds I have set out.
When this application is resubmitted, will it be assessed by the same officials? I am not casting any aspersions because I do not know who the officials are, but I suggest that the Minister recommend that a fresh pair of eyes process the application, rather than the same individuals. If it is the same individuals, they may take up the same entrenched position. My interest, and I am sure the Minister's interest, is to ensure this particular teacher gets a fair hearing. I hope the outcome will be a positive one.
It is important to stress that every person gets a fair hearing. The application is made. Medmark, as the current OHS, provides independent medical assessments. Any decisions that are made on foot of those recommendations are based on expert assessment. This is not about any individual taking a particular view. There is an independent medical assessment that has to be provided. It is based on that recommendation that any decision is taken. A person's circumstances can change and in that context, if the individual in question wanted to make a new application, it could be considered if the circumstances had changed.
11. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the importance of promoting the provision of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59372/25]
Baineann an cheist atá agam leis an nGaeloideachas or the importance of education trí mheán na Gaeilge. This question relates to the provision and staffing of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ward as a cheist agus as a chuid suime sa Ghaeilge agus san oideachas lán-Ghaeilge. Tuigim an ról lárnach atá ag an gcóras oideachais chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn, agus an stádas ar leith atá ag an oideachas lán-Ghaeilge maidir le caomhnú agus neartú na teanga. I thank Deputy Ward for his question, and for his interest in the Irish language and Irish-medium education. I understand the central role the education system plays in the promotion of the Irish language and the special status of Irish-medium education in the preservation and strengthening of the language.
We have committed in the programme for Government to expand opportunities for pupils and students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, to establish new Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand and to support parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children. Today, we have just published a survey specifically looking at primary schools. It was really important that one of the questions in it was whether parents wanted their child or children to be taught through the medium of Irish or English. Also important in the survey is that it is school-specific. While there might be a view that we could have made it more open-ended, making sure that it is school-specific means it can be implemented at the end of the day. If there is a very clear demand within a community for a particular school to change, it makes it easier for that community to engage with the patron to engage with the patron to bring about change.
I intend to publish a new policy for Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht on Thursday morning. In order to inform the development of the overall policy, a comprehensive public consultation process was conducted. Officials in my Department have drawn on the insights gained from this overall consultation process and from research undertaken in developing the new policy. Importantly, the new Gaeltacht policy, which was introduced a number of years ago, has been hugely successful. That was developed using the same approach that has been taken for the two new strategies, including where Irish is taught in English-medium schools and in Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. The information from the consultation is being considered in light of extensive provision for Irish-medium education, the estimated demand in the education system, as well as issues relating to teacher supply and the Department’s budgetary and legislative context.
A task force on models of provision for Irish-medium education is also being established as a key action under the policy. I will give an outline of that in my supplementary answer.
I learned about the survey this morning. I welcome it. It is about giving parents the choice they need as to where their children are educated and in what circumstances they are educated. An issue I have raised with the Minister before, specifically in relation to a secondary school in Cherrywood in my constituency, is the way in which plebiscites are conducted and how the Department chooses whether there will be education through the medium of the Irish language. The community that wants Irish-language education is naturally and necessarily going to be more widely spread. The danger is that the metric the Department currently uses only focuses on a narrow geographic area when, in fact, in the case of Cherrywood, with big transport links like the Luas and buses, children can travel to a Gaelcholáiste from households in a much wider geographic area. Will the survey account for that? Will the Minister ensure that parents from a wide area get the opportunity to make that choice as well?
The survey will be based on a parent or guardian's preference. If the child is already in a school, it will relate to the current school. If the child is not in a school, it will relate to the parent or guardian's preferred choice. That is the approach that was designed to make sure the outcome can be implementable, which will be important when we get the information. We are seeing where changes and transitions are working well. The Edmund Rice Schools Trust, ERST, and the transition of its Synge Street CBS to a co-educational Gaelcholáiste from September 2026 is an example. While there might have been some teething problems, we are working very closely with the school, the teachers and the patron in particular to make sure this transition can happen.
In terms of the task force, we have not set a target because we need to understand what the demand is and, most important, how we can introduce a greater number of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí through engaging with people. It is really important that the strategies have been worked on with the engagement of Foras na Gaeilge, an Foras Pátrúnachta, Gaeloideachas agus Conradh na Gaeilge. I met with these organisations as a group recently to make sure that all of the issues the Deputy has raised and the concerns the organisations have about being able to roll out more school provision, as well as about how Irish is being taught in our schools and bringing back the grá for it and people's ability to converse in it, are front and centre of the strategies that will be published later on this week.
I look forward to the publication of the strategy and I appreciate the work the Minister is doing. The reality currently is that every child who leaves a Gaelscoil to go to a Gaelcholáiste does not have that choice. There are not enough Gaelcholáistí to accommodate the population coming out of Gaelscoileanna. Children who have been through the primary process as Gaeilge do not have the option to continue their education to university level as Gaeilge. Is the Minister satisfied that the resources are available? We hear that the teachers are not there, but that is something that can be addressed. Will the Minister put in place real incentives, whether that is grants for university education through Irish or tax incentives for teachers teaching trí mheán na Gaeilge or in Gaelcholáistí or Gaelscoileanna for that matter?
Can we please drive this so that, at the very minimum, every child who is graduating from a Gaelscoil into secondary school has the opportunity and chance to go to a Gaelcholáiste within a reasonably proximate area so they can continue that Gaeloideachas all the way through to university?
My objective is to ensure that the option is available for students. In certain areas, it is just not available to them at the moment. I accept that. The task force that is due to be established under the policy is looking to explore issues relating to the various models of Irish-medium education provision. That does not just mean the development of new schools. We have other areas and ways in which the Irish language is being provided. How do we look at best practice where it has worked well? We may need to develop and reconceptualise the current models of provision, if necessary, with a view to identifying ways to increase the provision of Irish-medium education.
The short answer is "Yes". We want to make sure that the strategy and the work of the task force identify ways in which we can provide options for students, whether through new schools or the reconfiguration of schools, through an aonad, how they have worked, how we can develop that and how can we make them work better in certain areas. However, I think we need to ensure that we have a focused strategy and plan in place with the support of everybody involved. I was pleased to find at recent meetings with the various different bodies that everybody is keen to get working and focus on how we can supply more and better provision for students.
12. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the extension of a school (details supplied). [59597/25]
My question relates to Scoil Garbháin, an Irish-medium school in Dungarvan, County Waterford. I am seeking an update on plans for the extension. The school got word in January this year that the long-awaited and much-needed extension had been approved. It was told in February that it would hear within six weeks from the technical team in the Department. Over nine months later, it has yet to hear despite frequent correspondence from me. I have also raised the matter with the Taoiseach. The school has raised it repeatedly with officials in the Department but its representatives are still none the wiser. The school is at capacity. It proves the point made earlier by Deputy Barry Ward about the need for Irish-medium education and the huge demand. The school is having to turn children away.
The Minister and I have set a vision to deliver a world-class education service which breaks down barriers and ensures that every child can achieve their full potential. The investment of €7.55 billion in capital funding through the national development plan in the coming years will ensure that we can deliver new school places and upgrade existing schools. It will provide a record 14,000 school places in special classes and special schools. We will continue to prioritise and deliver extra spaces in our mainstream schools through the construction of new schools and extensions.
I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question initially submitted an application under the Department's additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme in 2018. An assessment deemed that the site was restricted and that additional lands were required to deliver this accommodation. This application was withdrawn by the school authority. A request to purchase additional lands was submitted by the school in 2021 and the acquisition of a 2.765-acre site adjacent to the school was completed at the end of May 2025. In late 2024, the school in question submitted a revised ASA application for additional accommodation to meet its future needs.
The Department's approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. A strong focus will be on maximising existing school capacity, progressing priority projects where local capacity across schools in the area is insufficient, and ensuring delivery that is affordable, offers value for money and meets functional needs. The provision of required school places, including for children with additional educational needs, is a priority for all of us in the Department.
A decision will be made in relation to the school's application for additional accommodation shortly in the context of overall programme management. This decision will take account of overall school place needs, including for children with special education needs, and in cognisance of demographic projections, capacity across schools in the area and the extent to which schools are prioritising local school place needs.
I have to say I am deeply disappointed, bemused and bewildered at the Minister of State's response. I got a copy-and-paste, generic response for half the time he was speaking and for the rest, I got a potted history of what I and others involved in the school and community know has happened. I did not get a straight answer.
I do not know how the Minister of State's response tallies with the correspondence I have seen from the Department of education. Approval was granted in January. Correspondence, an email to the principal of the school, stated that the technical team would be in touch within six weeks. That was in February this year. I do not know if we are talking about the same school. This land was purchased. The purchase was completed. I was a councillor at the time and facilitated it. It was purchased by Waterford City and County Council, as a local agent, on behalf of the Department. It was a really good scheme and I welcomed it at the time I was involved. That land is there. Talking about the demographic, the analysis and all that is, to be quite frank, rubbish. Children are being educated in partitioned areas in the sports hall, which is the one indoor facility the school has for recreation. It is not good enough. That is on top of the prefabs that are already there.
This is the only Irish-language-medium education in a town that is a baile seirbhíse Gaeltachta. The situation stands in contrast to the Minister's response to Deputy Ward about the importance of Irish-medium education, nuair nach bhfuil spás sa scoil seo gur féidir leis freastal ar an éileamh i nDún Garbhán. It is a Gaeltacht service town and the one Gaelscoil cannot meet the demand in the town.
The completion of the sale of the additional lands was completed at the end of May 2025. As I understand it, there was a huge amount of work to be done. The actual acquisition of that land, the 2.765 acres adjacent to the school, was completed at the end of May 2025. That is the clear understanding of the Department. The Department is working through the projects at the moment. I take the point that it is the coeducational primary school in Dungarvan which has the medium of Irish. Some 320 pupils were enrolled last year. The Department will be working through all the applications in the next while. This project has been ongoing for some time, going back to an initial application in 2018. However, the additional land has been bought. We will work with the Deputy. When decisions are being made, they will be communicated to the school authority as soon as possible.
I thank the Minister of State. I will engage with him further on this matter, and in writing, because I am dumbfounded and none the wiser. As the Minister of State was speaking, I checked the website of Waterford City and County Council. Planning permission was finally granted on 7 February 2025. Planning permission is in place. The land is acquired. The application was submitted in good time and there was formal approval. I have seen the correspondence and have shared it with the Minister of State. I will share it again. It is correspondence with the Department. This is simply not satisfactory and I will be taking it further. I will be bringing that documentation to the Minister of State. The school has approval from the Department. I have seen the documentation. The school was told in February, when that planning permission came through, that its representatives would hear from the technical team within six weeks to progress the project. Nine months later, they are none the wiser. Children are still being crammed into partitioned-off parts of a sports hall. It is utterly unsatisfactory.
There might be some confusion here-----
I think so.
-----as to the letters that may have been issued in January. I presume those letters that were issued by the Department referenced moving to the next stage. Not until tender documentation is assessed and everything else is done is final approval given. I have not seen the letter of February to which the Deputy referred. A lot of work needs to be done. The site has been acquired. I assure the Deputy that we will work with him. A whole raft of decisions require to be made. When those decisions are made, they will be communicated to the school authority.
14. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the amount of money that has been granted per school for ICT equipment for the school year 2025-26; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59397/25]
This question is about the amount of money that has been granted per school for ICT equipment for the school year 2025-26.
The world is undergoing a digital and an AI revolution and it is essential that we equip students with the skills and competencies they need to succeed and thrive in a rapidly changing world. Most young people probably are miles ahead of us in that regard already. A key part of our plan is to support schools through investment in digital technologies, in training and teacher professional development and, of course, in curriculum reform.
The digital strategy for schools to 2027 and its associated implementation plan are underpinned by €200 million in funding. That is over the lifetime of the strategy, as committed under Ireland’s national development plan.
In total, and separate to that specific plan, €345 million has already been invested in schools across the country since the implementation of the first digital strategy for schools, which was commenced in 2015.
For this school year, €35 million was issued directly to schools through the grant scheme for ICT infrastructure. As part of providing clarity and certainty for schools, the minor works grant and the ICT grant will be paid annually in the December-January period, so there will be another payment either towards the end of the year or in early January for further ICT grants and this will be incorporated into the Department's grants payment calendar. It is really important schools know when they are getting the grant and I appreciate that over the past number of years it has not been the same figure and it has not happened every year, which has often caused some confusion.
In addition to capital investment, my Department will continue to support initiatives that advance digital learning in schools. We will continue to advance digital education policy and embed technology in teaching and learning. We invest €15 million annually in the schools broadband programme, which has been absolutely essential for our schools, thereby providing high-speed connectivity to all recognised schools. Through Webwise, which is funded by my Department under the EU Internet safety initiative, we are promoting online safety, digital citizenship and media literacy among school leaders, teachers, parents and students.
While working with Oide Technology in Education as well, we will continue to support teachers with professional learning, training and resources that build digital confidence and innovation. This investment is in addition to other important curricular reform which is under way. This includes the introduction of computer science as a leaving certificate subject, the introduction of coding as a short junior cycle programme and the implementation of computational thinking as part of the new primary school curriculum.
The predictability of when funding will be made available to schools is absolutely welcome, and I know this from my own experience in some schools. To clarify again, am I correct in saying the minor works and the ICT funding will be given in December or January?
Yes.
That is extremely good. In regard to the €35 million given to schools in May, was that funding down on last year's provision or is it the case the €35 million that was given in May and the funding that will be given in January will be placed together as the whole funding for one academic year? Alternatively, has the ICT grant funding reduced since last year? If the Minister could clarify this I would appreciate it.
As I mentioned, in some years more money was provided and one year none was. I am trying to make sure that every year, schools know they are getting that grant. Over the lifetime of the strategy, €200 million has been made available. Some €50 million of that funding was provided in April 2022; zero funding was provided in the 2022-23 school year; then there was a further €50 million in April 2024; and €35 million was provided this year. From May 2025, there will be a further €35 million provided later this year and the remainder is just over €30 million and will be provided next year. That will be the full €200 million over the lifetime of the strategy, appreciating there have been variations in when and how much money has been provided.
What I am committing to with the new national development plan, in which there was a further commitment for the ICT funding and strategy, is that it will be paid on an annual basis in December-January every year and that schools will have certainty around that. I appreciate there has been a variation in how the funding has been provided but it is important to acknowledge that the €200 million that was committed to will all be paid out. There is a commitment to make sure schools receive that. What I hope to see and what I am looking for the Department to do next year, is an assessment of what schools actually have. Having invested this money, not just from this strategy but from the previous one, it is to assess what schools have, where they need upgrades and whether schools need new equipment or whether we are getting to the stage where the equipment just needs to be upgraded and we are investing to make sure the technology is up to date and the schools have exactly what they need.
That clarifies the position of the predictability of when that funding will come through and the fact some of the €200 million fund previously in the strategy still remains and will be followed through on.
Does the Department outline guidelines to each school when it gives the ICT funding on what possible initiatives the school could use the funding for or is it totally up to the boards of management or principals of schools or people who are in post in relation to ICT equipment?
The previous Bill debated this evening was about back to school costs. In regard to the ICT equipment required by schools, is there a possibility that schools would be able to set aside a certain amount of funding they receive every year to buy pieces of ICT equipment that could be allocated to or rented out to students? The Minister might not be able to answer that question now but it could be clarified at some other time.
On the Deputy's first question, I mentioned briefly that we have Oide Technology in Education. This is a Department-funded support service that specifically promotes, but importantly supports, the embedding of digital technology, so it is looking at teaching and learning across post-primary and primary schools. It provides a range of free online courses that are available to school teachers and school leaders on certain things such as security for schools and AI for schools. It supports awareness of and confidence in emerging technologies, leading digital learning and developing a digital learning plan for schools. It gives teachers support in what they use the funding for and how they present that. There are courses on strengthening leadership and planning; and coding and computational thinking using Scratch, promoting creativity and problem-solving at a primary level. That is now very much embedded in the primary school curriculum. Schools are doing this, as I have seen during visits to schools over the past couple of months. There is a course in digital technology for modern foreign language teachers as well with that particular emphasis at primary school level, enhancing learning through technology. There are supports, advice and guidance there.
In terms of the Deputy's second question on how funding can or should be provided, it is really important to get an assessment and understanding of what schools have at the moment based on the funding provided to date and on whether we need to be more targeted or to do it in a different way as we look to the next strategy.
15. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps her Department is taking to address the growing financial pressures facing schools, particularly in relation to the rising costs of heating, electricity, and day-to-day operational expenses; if increased funding will be made available to ensure schools can continue to function effectively and safely through the winter months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59750/25]
What steps are the Department taking to address the growing financial anomalies, difficulties or pressures facing many schools, particularly in relation to the rising costs of heating, electricity, and day-to-day operational expenses that any school would incur? Will increased funding will be made available in those circumstances for schools that want to continue to function effectively and safely through the winter months?
Like the Deputy, I am acutely aware of pressures schools can be under and the subsequent pressure on parents and the school community. That is why the Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools. The programme for Government very clearly commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs. They are not immune to the increasing costs we have seen across the board.
The commitment in the programme for Government builds on the progress which has been made in recent years. This year specifically, my Department secured €39 million in budget 2026 towards increased capitation funding. This is on a permanent basis so instead of once-off funding, this will go directly into the base for primary, post-primary and special schools. There has also been an increase for the DEIS urban band 1 schools, where there is a particular challenge. We have seen an increase in the standard capitation rates to schools of €50 per pupil for primary schools and €20 per student for post-primary schools. We have also allowed for the increase of €20 in capitation rates for the DEIS urban band one schools and the increased capitation rates will now also see special schools receiving the same rates of capitation rates for young people aged 12 years and over.
The increases announced in budget 2026 are in addition to the 12% increases as part of budget 2025. In the last three budgets there has been an overall increase of 49.7%. That said, I appreciate there is more work we need to do and more support we need to provide.
We need to look at how we permanently reduce the costs and one of the ways I believe we can do that is to look at our energy costs. A photovoltaic, PV, solar programme has been rolled out across many of the schools and, already, the feedback I am getting from the schools I have been engaging with is that schools are starting to see a reduction in their overall energy bills. It is really important we can permanently reduce the cost for schools.
My Department is looking at a body of work to assess the overall data within schools to examine what are the actual costs, where are the hidden costs that maybe we do not see every day that can emerge and add a significant challenge to schools if they are not planned for or pre-empted and of course there is the pressure that this places on the school.
Separate from that is the financial support services unit, which specifically engages and works with schools when they are in difficulty. The unit can advance particular payments to schools to help them during difficult times. I encourage any school in that situation to make sure it engages with the section and with the particular groups involved.
I thank the Minister. I apologise to Deputy Roche but our time for this session is up. As agreed on the Order of Business earlier, we must move on to Topical Issue Matters.
