Eoin Hayes
Question:178. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to increase funding for youth services in south Dublin City; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55985/25]
View answerDepartmental Funding
Questions (178)
Written answers
I am pleased to announce that, arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding has been allocated to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment strengthens the foundation for inclusive, high-quality provision — ensuring continuity, expanding reach, and enabling services to respond to the evolving needs of Ireland’s diverse youth population, including young people in South Dublin City.
My department remains committed to supporting youth work at both national and local levels, and recognises the importance of inclusive, community-based engagement in urban areas. The increased funding will enable youth services to continue delivering tailored supports and safe, welcoming spaces for young people across the country.
The Budget documentation published sets out funding for key measures and actions agreed for the coming year. As the Deputy may be aware, in line with standard practice, the final allocation of funding for my Department for 2026 will be set out in the 2026 Revised Estimates Volume (REV), which is due to be published later this year. Further details on the 2026 allocations for my Department will be available after the 2026 REV process is complete.
National Council for Special Education
Questions (179)
Eoin Hayes
Question:179. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to address the concerns raised by parents and clinicians following the publication of the SNA review process for 2025-2026 guideline by the NCSE (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55986/25]
View answerWritten answers
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) issues guidance each year to schools regarding SNA reviews and the guidance for 2025/26 school year issued on the 12 September 2025.
It is important to clarify some of the concerns raised since publication of the guidelines.
The process for allocating SNAs has been in place since 2014 and is not changing this year. There has been no freeze on SNAs, in fact the number of SNAs in our schools has increased by 43% in the last 5 years alone.
Schools were issued with their SAN allocation for the 2025/26 school year in June and the SNA review window from 15 September to 24 October relates to schools who believe they do not have sufficient SNAs to support their care needs at present.
A school can apply to the NCSE at any time during the school year, as in previous years, for a review where emerging or new care needs arise. The NCSE has written to all schools since the publication of the guidelines to clarify that a school can request a review during the school year and not just in the review period set out in the guidelines.
The following are the reasons for the timeline of reviews contained in the guidance:
• Supports the earlier announcement of allocations for the 2026/27 school year to align with the release of the annual staffing schedule.
• Management bodies, staff representative bodies, schools and SNA’s have all requested the department to ensure that SNA allocations issue earlier each year and ideally should align with the general staffing allocation in February each year.
• Supports the SNA workforce by giving them early clarity on their roles.
• Facilitates the SNA Redeployment Scheme.
Importantly, the role and responsibilities of SNAs has not changed. SNAs remain responsible for meeting the primary care needs of students with special educational needs. Principals/board of managements remain able to deploy this school-based resource to meet the care support requirements of the children enrolled whom SNA support has been allocated. This ensures schools remain able to provide flexible arrangements in how the SNA support is utilised on a day-to-day basis.
New special classes continue to be supported with additional SNAs each time a new class opens, this has not changed. The NCSE guidelines set out the number of SNAs per each category of special class and there is no change to those baseline allocations.
Any school who has concerns about the level of their SNA allocation should contact their local special education needs organiser. This has always been the case and remains today.
The NCSE assesses the level of need within the school as a whole and this is critical to ensure that the care needs of the entire school are identified and that the school is resourced to meet this identified need. There continues to be separate allocations for mainstream and special classes in individual schools.
When the NCSE completes the SNA review and if additional SNA support is identified as being required it will be provided. This has always been the case.
The NCSE carried out a record number of reviews in 2025 to ensure that children who most needed SNA support could access it. This will continue for 2025/26 school year. I want to assure you that the department and the NCSE, through all of our policy and guidance such as resource allocations, take a child centred focus and approach to ensure that all children in our schools with special education care needs are provided with a supportive environment and the resources needed to help them develop and be prepared for life after school.
The NCSE has written to all schools since the publication of the guidelines to clarify these and other concerns.
Special Educational Needs
Questions (180)
Eoin Hayes
Question:180. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Education and Youth her policy on the provision of places for children with autism in fee-paying schools, whose teacher salaries are paid by the taxpayer; the way in which such schools are or should be encouraged to provide such places; the other provisos in providing special school places in these facilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55987/25]
View answerWritten answers
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for children with special educational needs with regard to policy and best practices as laid out by my department.
Departmental policy is that special education provision should be made in State funded recognised schools (free-scheme schools) in the first instance. It is only where there is insufficient capacity in free scheme schools that the NCSE will engage with fee charging schools in order to provide special classes. It is however recognised that in certain school planning areas, the NCSE may need to consider engaging with fee-charging schools in relation to the provision of special classes for the 2026/27 school year and beyond.
There are approximately 50 fee-charging post-primary schools nationwide. Of these, one school has two special classes. These classes were sanctioned as it was considered that there was insufficient provision in free scheme schools to meet the special educational needs of students in the local area.
My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation as to where new specialist provision is required.
Schools Building Projects
Questions (181)
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Question:181. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on an application for emergency works to address structural problems with a roof (details supplied). [55988/25]
View answerWritten answers
The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for roof works.
The application in question is currently being reviewed by the technical area within the EWS. Once a technical recommendation has been received back from the technical team, the EWS team will engage further with the school as appropriate. The EWS team is aware of the urgent nature of the works required and will keep the school informed throughout the process.
Departmental Funding
Questions (182)
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Question:182. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on a request for funding to equip two modular SEN classrooms, as currently, the school cannot fully equip the classroom for full operation (details supplied). [55989/25]
View answerWritten answers
The school to which the Deputy refers was granted capital funding for the provision of two Special Educational Needs (SEN) classrooms under my Department’s Devolved SEN Reconfiguration and Modular Accommodation programme in December 2024.
This programme involves the use of Project Management supports which is designed to enable the accommodation to be provided as quickly as possible and help ease the administrative workload for school authorities in relation to the management and delivery of projects. Kerrigan Sheanon Newman Project Management (KSN) has been appointed, from the Department’s Framework, to design and tender the project and oversee all elements of construction.
The school authority received their second tranche of funding in May 2025, which included the standard Furniture and Equipment and Information and Communications Technology grants as part of this funding. This project is now complete and it is expected that the accommodation will be handed over for occupation in the coming weeks.
My Department is fully aware of the urgency in respect of this accommodation and will be working closely with the project managers and the school authority to keep it updated on overall project delivery and timelines.
In addition to the above, SEN start up grants to this school in July 2025 from the furniture and equipment (F&E) area. The F&E area has also engaged with the school in respect of a query about replacement furniture and is awaiting a response from the school in this regard.
Schools Refurbishment
Questions (183)
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Question:183. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on an application for emergency works funding to repair a collapsed roof that contains asbestos (details supplied). [55990/25]
View answerWritten answers
The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application on 10th October 2025 for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) for a collapsed ceiling within a classroom due to a failure in the plumbing network.
The application in question is currently being reviewed by the technical area within the EWS. Once a technical recommendation has been received back from the technical team, the EWS team will engage further with the school as appropriate. The EWS team is aware of the urgent nature of the works required and will keep the school informed throughout the process.
Schools Building Projects
Questions (184)
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Question:184. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth when a new build for a school will proceed (details supplied). [55991/25]
View answerWritten answers
The project referred to by the deputy has been devolved to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) for delivery as part of a programme of school building projects.
The project consists of the construction of a new school next to the existing Presentation De La Salle School to facilitate an increase in capacity to an LPTE of 750 pupils and 5 special education classrooms.
The project received full grant of planning permission and is currently at Stage 3 of the architectural planning design process - Tender stage.
When this stage is concluded, the project will progress to construction in due course. The length of time a project takes to go through each stage varies and depends on a number of factors, including scale and complexity.
The NDP Review process for the 2026 to 2030 period has recently concluded and involves an allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth (DEY).
All government departments are now tasked to develop implementation plans based on their NDP Allocations. The DEY target will be to have this done and published in the Autumn. This will involve the department’s Planning & Building Unit undertaking a review and analysis to determine the optimum outputs to be achieved from the €7.55 billion allocation with a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and in relation to project delivery ensuring a continued focus on affordability, value for money and functionality.
In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional Accommodation Scheme projects, the 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 rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. This will be the context for assessing all project rollout for the 2026 to 2030 period including in relation to Presentation De La Salle, Bagenalstown.
The current status of all projects is listed on a county-by-county basis at www.gov.ie. and this is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.
Special Educational Needs
Questions (185)
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Question:185. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on an application by a school (details supplied) for repurposing of existing space to accommodate two special classes. [55992/25]
View answerWritten answers
I can confirm that my department is in receipt of an application for funding under the Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question.
The purpose of the ASA Scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation or by available accommodation at other schools in the area.
In general, demographics have been falling at primary level and are due to continue to decrease. Therefore, my department considers it prudent to maximise the use of existing spare accommodation capacity at primary level in the first instance, before considering any applications for further accommodation needs. This is in line with public spending requirements.
The school in question submitted an application for repurposing of existing space to accommodate two special classes. Further documentation was received recently from the school in support of the significant works involved to facilitate the classes. This information is currently under consideration by the Department and the school will be contacted with a decision as soon as possible.
Schools Building Projects
Questions (186)
Darren O'Rourke
Question:186. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Budget 2026 commitment (details supplied) that ‘80 school buildings will progress to construction across 2026 & 2027 as part of 2-year rolling programme and progression of 300 school building projects currently in construction’, if she will provide a list of those schools, and the type and stage of development in each case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56011/25]
View answerWritten answers
Since 2020, my department has invested over €6 billion in our schools throughout the country under the National Development Plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 school building projects. In addition, over 200 SEN Repurposing projects delivered maximising the use of existing accommodation while creating opportunities for inclusion and integration.
Government support for this investment, including by way of supplementary capital funding, has delivered real benefits for school communities. Supplementary capital funding of €210 million approved by Government has brought the total capital allocation for 2025 for my department to €1.6 billion.
In July the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026-2030 under the National Development Plan. As part of this NDP allocation my department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs. In relation to project rollout for Large-Scale projects and Additional School Accommodation scheme projects, the 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 rollout over the course of 2026 to 2030 period to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs.
My department is now preparing an NDP implementation plan which is due for publication later in the autumn. This plan will optimise outputs from the NDP 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.
The current status of all projects is set out under item number ten at the following link: www.gov.ie. This is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.
School Management
Questions (187)
Darren O'Rourke
Question:187. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on a new IT system for school payroll systems; the scope and stage of development of this system and the anticipated cost; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56013/25]
View answerWritten answers
I wish to advise the Deputy that following a competitive procurement process, a Services Contract for the provision of an Integrated Human Capital Management (HCM) and Payroll Software as a Service solution was awarded to Version1 Software Limited in February 2025. The contract is for a term of six years, with the option to extend the term for a period or periods of three (3) Years, with a maximum of three (3) such extensions.
This solution will replace the existing Online Claims System (OLCS) and associated HCM and payroll legacy systems. The solution will provide Employee Self Service and will reduce paper based processes including the issuing of pay slips.
The implementation will be delivered in four phases with the Retired Staff Payroll deployment scheduled for Q2 2026 followed by Primary Payroll, Post-Primary Payroll and Non Teaching Staff Payroll deployments being completed by Q3 2027.
Version1 Software Limited, are currently progressing with the Analysis & Design Phase of the project. This phase is due to be completed in Q4 2025.
The anticipated cost of the Solution is expected to amount to € 102,720,000 (excl. VAT) over the Term including possible extensions.
Teacher Training
Questions (188)
Edward Timmins
Question: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]
View answerWritten answers
School placement is a central feature of initial teacher education (ITE), where student teachers are welcomed and supported by tutors from higher education institutions (HEIs), school principals, class teachers and the school community. Student teachers must successfully complete this element of the programme, which provides them with an opportunity to reflect on their identity as teachers, to develop and to become socialised into the profession. It is underpinned by a shared professional understanding that collaborative engagement with school placement provides professional learning opportunities for all involved.
There are no plans, at present, to introduce a grant for student teachers while on school placement as this element is viewed as training rather than employment, the principal aim and function of teaching practice being:
1) to help the student teacher develop practical skills through observing and reflecting on the professional teacher working with pupils in the classroom and
2) with support and supervision, to enable them to bring together the theoretical and practical elements of the course work with the aim of acquiring practical skills in classroom management, curriculum planning, and the organisation of pupils learning activities.
As school placement is a mandatory element of ITE programmes, state grants such as SUSI continue to be paid during school placement periods. For further information on financial supports available to students, please see [Financial supports for students].
Special Educational Needs
Questions (189)
Paul Nicholas Gogarty
Question:189. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth if additional SNAs will be made available to a school (details supplied) following a review done in June that stated that the number of SNAs available does not meet the demand from the pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56056/25]
View answerWritten answers
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs, including the allocation of special needs assistants (SNAs).
Schools were issued with their SNA allocation by the NCSE for the 2025/26 school year in June 2025. The NCSE issues guidance each year to schools regarding SNA reviews and the guidance for 2025/26 school year issued on the 12 September 2025. The SNA allocation review window outlined in these guidelines, from 15 September 2025 to 24 October 2025, is now open and relates to schools who believe they do not have sufficient SNAs to support their care needs at present.
In addition, a school can apply to the NCSE at any time during the school year, as in previous years, for a review where emerging or new care needs arise. Detailed information on the NCSE's SNA review process is published on the NCSE's [website]. Each case is individually assessed and is based on the student profile of each school.
Following the outcome of the review, the NCSE can make a local special educational needs organiser (SENO) available to the school to discuss their deployment of SNA supports in the school and to put these supports to the best advantage of the students. The NCSE in-school support service is also available to schools to offer further guidance and support.