Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 May 2026
129. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she plans to introduce additional measures and incentives to facilitate the establishment of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40777/26]
View answerThe Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland’s Future, includes a commitment to establish Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand and support parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children.
In that context, on 6 November 2025, my department published a ‘Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht’. The policy sets out my department’s vision that high-quality Irish-medium education will be available to all, in inclusive and multicultural educational settings.
A Taskforce on Models of Provision for Irish-medium Education was established in November 2025 as a key action under the policy. The role of the taskforce is to provide a platform for collaboration between my department and key stakeholders to develop a pathway to increase provision of Irish-medium education.
The work of the taskforce is expected to be completed within one year. It will make recommendations to my department on areas such as the criteria for Irish-medium education provision, how to support schools transitioning to Irish-medium education and mechanisms to facilitate expansion of provision.
The Deputy may be aware; that my department’s Primary School Survey ran from 4 November to 16 December 2025. The survey, which is the largest of its kind ever undertaken in Ireland, was school specific and aimed to assess parental demand and preferences for different types of primary school provision.
Through the survey, the department is obtaining clear information on the preferences of parents and guardians about the primary schools which their children currently attend, or will attend in coming years, on a number of important areas of primary school provision, including language of instruction (Irish or English).
The results of the survey will help the department to plan how education at primary level is provided. The survey preferences on education through Irish will inform future school planning and consultation around opportunities to provide increased education provision through Irish.
