Written Answers Nos. 207-222
207. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the status of negotiations with school secretaries following their withholding of services in 2025 and the talks at the Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court regarding pension entitlements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44873/26]
View answerSchool secretaries and caretakers are at the heart of the school and are the key interface between students, parents, school leaders, and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable. In supporting these vital school staff members, we also support the school community as a whole.
My Department has been engaging with Fórsa and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation over the past number of months under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court in relation to a number of claims, including a claim for a comparable pension entitlement.
The matter referred to the Labour Court. The parties remain in process, and my department remains committed to reaching a resolution on this important matter. As with any industrial relations process, where engagement is sensitive and complex, the matters under discussion are confidential until this process concludes.
208. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total cost to her Department of the remote area boarding grant for island children attending school on the mainland; the number availing of the grant; and the cost per year over the past five years. [44874/26]
View answerThe purpose of the Remote Area Boarding Grant is to provide students who are disadvantaged because of their remoteness from schools an opportunity to attend school on the same basis as students not so disadvantaged.
The terms of this scheme are set out in [Circular 0016/2016] which is published on the department’s website at - gov.ie/en/department-of-education/circulars/remote-area-boarding-grant-scheme/
The maximum grant payable under the scheme may not exceed €4,947 per student per school year. The grant is payable after each school term to the school or parent/guardian, whichever is appropriate, subject to verification by the school that the student has been in full-time attendance for the period concerned and a statement of the annual maintenance charge for the boarding or lodging fees, whichever is applicable, is provided.
The total expenditure on the remote area boarding grant over the past five years and the number of applicants paid the grant over the past five school years is outlined in the tables below.
|
School year |
No of students paid the Remote Area Boarding grant |
|
21/22 |
169 |
|
22/23 |
166 |
|
23/24 |
162 |
|
24/25 |
151 |
|
25/26 |
129 |
|
Vote financial year |
Expenditure for Remote Area Boarding Grant |
|
2021 |
€835,037 |
|
2022 |
€807,709 |
|
2023 |
€837,284 |
|
2024 |
€826,334 |
|
2025 |
€729,533 |
209. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will, in the context of Budget 2027 increase the remote area boarding grant for island children attending secondary school on the mainland (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44875/26]
View answerThe purpose of the Remote Area Boarding Grant is to provide students who are disadvantaged because of their remoteness from schools an opportunity to attend school on the same basis as students not so disadvantaged.
The terms of this scheme are set out in Circular 0016/2016 (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/circulars/remote-area-boarding-grant-scheme/) which is published on the department’s website at - gov.ie/en/department-of-education/circulars/remote-area-boarding-grant-scheme/
Under the terms of the scheme, a second-level school is a school which is recognised by the department for the purpose of providing the prescribed certificate courses, which enters its students for the State examinations, and is subject to inspection by the department.
As per the circular above, the applicant must be resident 4.8 km or more from a second-level school where suitable free second-level education is available; and be more than 3.2 km from a pick-up point on a transport service to such a school; and must be unable to obtain a place in a suitable second-level school within 25 km of his/her normal place of residence and should provide written confirmation of same.
Students’ resident on offshore islands that do not have a school providing suitable free second-level education may also qualify for assistance under the scheme.
For students requiring an Irish medium education the outlined criteria will be applied to the nearest second-level school providing instruction through Irish.
The curriculum choices provided by a school (including the provision or otherwise of transition year) within 25 km of the applicant’s normal place of residence will not be a factor in the determination of eligibility for the award of a grant.
The maximum grant payable under the scheme may not exceed €4,947 per student per school year. The grant is payable after each school term to the school or parent/guardian, whichever is appropriate, subject to verification by the school that the student has been in full-time attendance for the period concerned and a statement of the annual maintenance charge for the boarding or lodging fees, whichever is applicable, is provided.
While not wishing to pre-empt the outcomes of any future Budget negotiations or fiscal parameters agreed by Government, the Department of Education and Youth will keep the policy of the remote area boarding grant under review and seek appropriate increases to the rate as part of the annual estimates process.
210. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the recently sanctioned new special class at a school (details supplied) will be set up; if it will be operational for the 2026/2027 school year [44881/26]
View answerThis government is fully committed to supporting students with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
My department and the NCSE continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year 2026/2027. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January of this year, which is several months earlier than last year.
In addition, I recently announced inclusive special classes as part of a new approach to supporting students with additional needs. This is one of many ways my department is actively engaging to meet the increased demand.
565 new special classes have been sanctioned to date, including 1 special class for the school referred to by the Deputy. Further new special classes may be confirmed in the coming weeks.
The earlier sanctioning of new classes provides clarity for parents and allows schools more time for the planning and establishment of new special classes. The vast majority of new special classes being announced are being provided in available school accommodation which is being reconfigured as a special class. Each special class at primary level is allocated 1 teacher and 2 SNAs and at post-primary level, schools receive 1.5 teachers and 2 SNAs.
Details of the new special classes are available on the NCSE website.
Of the 565 new special classes, 366 are being established in primary schools and 199 in post-primary schools. New special classes are being established in every county with 12 new special classes confirmed for Louth so far.
The department and the NCSE continue to make a range of supports available for schools opening special classes which include the provision of teacher and special needs assistant (SNA) resources, enhanced capitation grants, assistive technology grants, the school transport scheme, dedicated training and guidance and resource documents.
The department has issued a proposed project brief letter to the school referred to by the Deputy to facilitate accommodation for a new SEN Class for 2026/2027. My Department will continue to engage with the school on this.
I want to assure you also that my department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all students are successful in accessing an education.
211. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Aire Cultúir, Cumarsáide agus Spóirt an mbunóidh sé seirbhís náisiúnta raidió Gaeilge don óige mar a mhol an Chomhchoiste um Ealaíona, na Meáin, Cumarsáid, Cultúr agus Spórt i moladh 17 den Ghrinnscrúdú Réamhreachtach ar an mBille Craolacháin (Leasú), 2026. [43464/26]
View answerIs bunchloch dár n-oidhreacht agus dár bhféiniúlacht náisiúnta í ár dteanga agus is tosaíocht don Rialtas seo a chinntiú go leanfar agus go méadófar tacaíocht don Ghaeilge ar fud na n-ardán meán uile. I gcomhréir le beartas an Rialtais, riarann Coimisiún na Meán, an rialtóir meán, maoiniú agus tacaíocht d’ábhar Gaeilge ardchaighdeáin trí réimse scéimeanna craolacháin.
Aithníonn an Rialtas an luach a bhaineann le rochtain a bheith ag daoine óga ar ábhar beoga, ábhartha i nGaeilge agus leagann Clár an Rialtais amach go “dtacóidh an Rialtas le leathnú ceadúnas craolacháin do stáisiúin raidió príomhshrutha Gaeilge a dhíríonn ar éisteoirí óga.”
Choimisiúnaigh Coimisiún na Meán dhá phíosa taighde maidir le soláthar Gaeilge ar ardchaighdeán sna meáin. Baineann an chéad cheann le féidearthacht seirbhís raidió Gaeilge atá dírithe ar éisteoirí óga. Is athbhreithniú fairsing é an dara ceann ar sholáthar reatha na meán Gaeilge, mar atá molta ag Tuarascáil Choimisiún Thodhchaí na Meán. Beidh torthaí an dá phíosa taighde mar bhonn eolais do straitéis agus plean gníomhaíochta atá á fhorbairt faoi láthair ag aonad nua Gaeilge de chuid Choimisúin na Meán.
Tá mo Roinn tiomanta ar son oibriú le Coimisiún na Meán agus le geallsealbhóirí eile chun craoltóireacht na Gaeilge a neartú tuilleadh ar bhealach inbhuanaithe, go háirithe toisc go bhfuil éileamh soiléir ón lucht féachana.
Our language is a cornerstone of our heritage and national identity, and it is a priority of this Government to ensure the continued and increased support of the Irish language across all media platforms. In line with Government policy, Coimisúin na Meán, the media regulator, administers funding and support for high-quality Irish language content via a range of broadcasting schemes.
The Government recognises the value in young people having access to vibrant, relevant Irish language content and the Programme for Government sets out that Government will “support the expansion of broadcasting licences for mainstream Irish language radio stations which focus on young listeners.”
Coimisúin na Meán commissioned two pieces of research with regard to high-quality Irish language provision in media. The first is on the feasibility of an Irish language radio service aimed at young listeners. The second is an extensive review of the current provision of Irish language media, as recommended by the Report of the Future of Media Commission. The findings of both research pieces will inform a strategy and action plan that is currently being developed by a Coimisúin na Meán’s new Irish Language unit.
My Department is committed to working with Coimisúin na Meán and other stakeholders to further strengthening Irish language broadcasting in a sustainable way, particularly where there is a clear audience demand.
212. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for an update on the implementation of national standards under the EU Gigabit Infrastructure Act. [44653/26]
View answerThe Gigabit Infrastructure Act (GIA) is a European regulation that came into force in May 2024, with the purpose of stimulating investment in Very High Capacity Networks, such as fibre and 5G network roll-out. Most of the provisions in the GIA took effect in November 2025 with all provisions fully effective by May 2026. However, national legislation is required to give effect to several discretionary provisions within the Act.
One such provision relates to Article 10 (4) of the Act which requires Member States to adopt the relevant standards or technical specifications that are necessary to ensure that all newly constructed buildings and buildings undergoing major renovation are equipped with a fibre-ready in-building physical infrastructure and in-building fibre wiring up to the physical point where the end user connects to the public network.
My Department launched a public consultation on this matter on 11 May this year, requesting feedback on proposals for in-building physical infrastructure and fibre wiring specifications. These proposals were reached after considerable stakeholder engagement, mainly via the GIA Steering Group, and input from subject matter experts, all of which has informed an expert report which has been published as part of the consultation process. The consultation will remain open until 22 June, and I encourage all interested parties to participate. After that date, my department will consider all submissions before a final version of the specifications is considered for legislation.
This consultation is in addition to a separate public consultation launched by my Department in December 2025 on exclusions to Single Information Point transparency obligations, which closed in February 2026. My Department is now working to finalise its position on this matter based upon the responses received from interested parties.
213. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for an update on the Copper Network Switch Off Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44654/26]
View answer214. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if there are plans to carry out an education and information campaign on the Copper Network Switch Off Plan. [44652/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together.
The Government remains supportive of an orderly transition to fibre-based networks, while ensuring that any Copper Switch Off (CSO) is carried out in a proportionate manner and in the best interests of consumers and the wider market.
The first step in the execution of the migration from legacy copper-based infrastructure to modern infrastructure will be for ComReg to approve the Switch Off Proposal put forward by eir, (because the copper network, while privately owned by Eir, is considered critical national infrastructure, and its decommissioning must be regulated to protect consumers, businesses, and essential services.) On being approved, the framework for Exchange Area by Exchange Area copper switch off will be implemented by Eir in line with the requirements set out in ComReg Decision D09/23.
As the timing of CSO is largely a commercial matter for eir, subject to compliance with ComReg's regulatory framework, it would not be appropriate for the Department to direct the commencement of this process. However, the Department recognises that a well-managed copper switch-off could serve as a catalyst for increased fibre adoption, and continues to engage with ComReg, through a bilateral working group on Copper Switch Off, and with eir, to monitor developments.
The CSO working group is currently a bilateral engagement between the Department and ComReg. As eir is the only provider of a copper network in Ireland the Department meets with Eir to discuss its plans.
ComReg issued Guidance for retail service providers on customer migrations during copper switch-off (ComReg 24/76 – published September 2024). There will be further publicly available information in relation to copper switch off as work in this area progresses.
The Government’s Digital Connectivity Strategy aims to have all Irish households and businesses covered by a gigabit network by 2028. A fibre network is faster, consumes less energy and is more reliable than a copper network, and the transition away from legacy copper infrastructure to modern fibre is consistent with that objective.
Where considered appropriate, the Government may further support copper switch off through coordinated education and information campaigns, likely to include national awareness measures on the rationale and timing of the transition, clear communication to affected users on migration requirements, and targeted outreach to smaller businesses, public services and vulnerable consumers. Such measures would be aligned with the phased, geographic switch-off plans approved by ComReg and implemented in coordination with relevant operators and authorities, with the objectives of facilitating an orderly transition and maintaining public confidence.
215. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the level of financial investment expected to be incurred by his Department to support a sporting event (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44737/26]
View answerThe event referred to by the Deputy is, in the first instance, a commercial venture between the promoters and Croke Park Management. While I am aware from media reports that the event has now been confirmed to take place on 5 September this year my Department was not involved in the discussions and is not providing any direct financial support.
Katie Taylor is an exceptional athlete and an outstanding ambassador for Irish sport. I am delighted that she has realised her ambition to fight in Croke Park and I wish all those involved in the September event every success.
216. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on all inputs that his Department made prior to the adoption of regulation EU 2024/900; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45084/26]
View answer229. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide details of all inputs that his Department made prior to the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2024/900; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44741/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 216 and 229 together.
Regulation (EU) 2024/900 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the transparency and targeting of political advertising was adopted by the European institutions on 13 March 2024. The principal objective of the Regulation is to make it easier for voters to recognise political advertisements, understand who is behind them and know whether they have received a targeted advertisement, so that they are better placed to make informed choices during elections and referendums.
Against this backdrop, the European Commission published its "Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the transparency and targeting of political advertising" on 25 November 2021. Over the course of 2022, the Working Group on General Affairs examined the Commission's proposal which led up to agreement on a general approach at the meeting of the General Affairs Council held on 13 December 2022. Ireland is represented on the Working Group on General Affairs by our Permanent Representation and, when required, my Department provided input to the Group.
Trialogue negotiations between the European institutions commenced on 28 February 2023 and concluded on 6 November 2023 with agreement reached on the text of what is now Regulation (EU) 2024/900. Again, when required, my Department provided our Permanent Representation with input over the course of those trialogue negotiations with the Commission and the representatives of the European Parliament.
In broad terms, Ireland supported the overall approach set out in the European Commission's proposal focussing as it did on bringing greater transparency around political advertising in general, and on the targeting of political advertising more specifically. This position was in line with the approach taken in Part 4 of our Electoral Reform Act 2022 which set out a national regulatory framework in respect of online paid political advertising. Part 4 was intended to strike an appropriate balance between preserving fundamental political freedoms on the one hand while ensuring transparency and accountability of online political advertising on the other, which at that time remained largely unregulated in Ireland and in other Member States of the European Union.
The European Union (Political Advertising) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 474 of 2025), which were made under section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972, facilitate the implementation in Ireland of Regulation (EU) 2024/900 on the transparency and targeting of political advertising. The European Union (Political Advertising) Regulations 2025 commenced to have effect directly in the State on 10 October 2025 in accordance with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2024/900.
217. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing completions in Dublin south-west in each of the past five years and to-date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44650/26]
View answer218. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of housing completions anticipated in Dublin south-west in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44651/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 217 and 218 together.
Data on New Dwelling Completions disaggregated by Local Electoral Area are published quarterly on the Central Statistics Office (CSO) website at: https://data.cso.ie/table/NDQ09.
CSO data shows overall housing delivery in Tallaght Central, Tallaght South, Rathfarnham-Templeogue & Firhouse-Bohernabreena has more than tripled (up 215%) in the last five years, increasing from 442 new homes in 2021 to 1394 in 2025. At the end of Q1 2026, 49 new homes have been completed.
The table below sets out new dwelling completions in Dublin South-West in the last five years.
|
Local Electoral Area |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 (Q1) |
|
Tallaght Central |
37 |
7 |
256 |
531 |
522 |
0 |
|
Rathfarnham-Templeogue |
20 |
193 |
365 |
62 |
246 |
6 |
|
Firhouse-Bohernabreena |
97 |
90 |
107 |
53 |
128 |
28 |
|
Tallaght South |
288 |
214 |
784 |
554 |
498 |
15 |
|
Total |
442 |
504 |
1,512 |
1,200 |
1,394 |
49 |
My Department does not make official projections as to housing delivery in specific areas.
Our new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, seeks to build on this progress already made by further enabling the delivery of at least 300,000 new homes by 2030.
It will do this by focusing on activating land and creating the optimal environment to encourage housing activity – including regulatory reform, tax incentives and the largest ever capital investment in the history of the State, with €275 billion invested in infrastructure over ten years through the National Development Plan.
The unprecedented level of investment Government have committed, will bring about a very significant scale up in the delivery of housing over the coming years, address the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities, make buying and renting homes more affordable and support the development of villages, towns and cities across the country.
219. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline any plans to make Uisce Éireann more accountable to members of the Oireachtas considering the poor responses received from the dedicated email provided by the utility. [44655/26]
View answerI acknowledge that there are concerns around the effectiveness of the communication of Uisce Éireann with public representatives and I have spoken to the Chairperson of the Uisce Éireann Board about these concerns. Uisce Éireann is undertaking a formal review of elected representative engagement with input from across its entire business, which is due to be concluded in the coming weeks.
220. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps being taken to increase apartment building given that commencements collapsed when the 2024 levy waivers ran out. [44661/26]
View answerThe delivery of new apartments is an essential component of the Government's housing ambitions given the compact growth priority in the National Planning Framework. In 2025, 12,042 new apartments were completed, representing a third of all new dwellings completed and the highest apartment completion figure since the Central Statistic's Office data series began in 2011.
In April 2023, in recognition of the need to incentivise the activation of new housing commencements in the context of increased costs and viability challenges, the Government approved temporary time-limited arrangements for the waiving of local authority “section 48” development contributions and the refunding of Uisce Éireann water and waste water connection charges. Respectively, these measures were in place for commencements from April 2023 to December 2024, and April 2023 to September 2024, where these commencements are completed by December 2026.
These measures resulted in a large amount of apartment commencement notices across 2023 and 2024 with a corresponding impact on 2025. Thus, a multiyear comparison provides a more useful picture of the trend. Across 2024 and 2025 combined, a total of 36,172 commencement notices for apartment units were lodged. This represented an increase of 50% compared with the combined total for 2022 and 2023 (24,127). While 6,274 of those commencement notices across 2024 and 2025 were lodged in 2025, this was not unexpected given the uplift in commencements in 2023 and 2024 and the likely shift in focus in the construction sector to progressing those homes already in the pipeline. Following this timing impact arising from the time limited measures, apartment commencements appear to be returning towards a steady state in recent months.
In Delivering Homes, Building Communities Government has taken decisive action to reduce the overall cost of apartment construction while increasing delivery in our urban areas. Budget 2026 introduced a suite of taxation measures aimed at stimulating the supply of new apartments such as reducing the VAT rate on the sale of new apartments to 9% and introducing an enhanced Corporation Tax deduction for apartment construction costs.
Additionally, funding is available under the Croí Cónaithe Cities Scheme to support the building of apartments for sale to owner-occupiers through a subvention to bridge the gap between the delivery cost and the market sale price.
My Department is also progressing the preparation of a draft National Planning Statement for the Government’s consideration to replace the current apartment guidelines. The overall purpose is to strike an effective regulatory balance, ensuring that apartment development meets the needs of society in terms of standards and quality, while promoting an increased level of overall output.
Sectoral feedback and preliminary data on planning permissions and commencements suggests that the sector is responding positively to the renewed environment for apartment delivery. My Department continues to systematically monitor investment, planning and commencement activity in apartments to examine the pipeline for new apartments and inform ongoing policy consideration in this area.
221. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when the rest of the Planning and Development Act 2024 will be fully implemented. [44662/26]
View answerMy Department is in the process of commencing the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024) on a phased basis. The purpose of the phased commencement is to facilitate the transition to the new legislation across the planning system, taking into account the need to liaise with local authorities, planning bodies and other stakeholders. A detailed implementation plan is available to view at
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/campaigns/planning-and-development-act-2024/.
An overview of the provisions of the Act of 2024 that have already been brought into operation is available to view at the following link -
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/campaigns/planning-and-development-act-2024/.
Department is working to bring the remaining provisions of the Act of 2024 into operation as expeditiously as possible and this continues to be a task of considerable scale and complexity. All development consent decision-making functions of planning authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála (including permissions, appeals, consents and approvals) continue to operate under the Planning and Development Act 2000 until such time as Part 4 (Development Consents) of the Act of 2024 is brought into operation.
The General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 proposes amendments to expedite certain planning processes and to support the implementation and commencement of the Act of 2024. It is expected that the forthcoming Bill will be enacted in the Summer and subsequently the remaining elements of the Act of 2024, including Part 4, will be brought into operation.
222. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his plans to increase housing supply to ensure it matches the pace of population growth. [44664/26]
View answerDelivering Homes, Building Communities seeks to significantly accelerate delivery of new homes by focusing on activating land and creating the optimal environment to encourage housing activity – including regulatory reform, tax incentives and the largest ever capital investment in the history of the State, with €275 billion invested in infrastructure over ten years through the National Development Plan.
The unprecedented level of investment Government has committed will bring about a very significant scale up in the delivery of housing over the coming years, address the needs of the most vulnerable in our communities, make buying and renting homes more affordable and support the development of villages, towns and cities across the country.
The recently revised National Planning Framework is a major step forward and will help increase capacity and accelerate home building across the country, while the new Housing Activation Office (HAO) will work to address infrastructure barriers to housing delivery as a matter of priority. The HAO is now operational and co-ordinating and accelerating the delivery of infrastructure projects that are essential to unlocking housing development on sites nationwide, including through the new infrastructure fund.
Budget 2026 included a suite of taxation measures aimed at stimulating the supply of new apartments including a reduced VAT rate on the sale of new apartments and an enhanced Corporation Tax deduction for apartment construction costs.
The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2025 is essential legislation to deal with expiring planning permissions and to encourage activation of housing.
Supply has increased significantly over recent years. Over the last five years, almost 153,000 new homes have been delivered. This compares with 83,262 in the previous five-year period and just 29,278 in the five-years before that (Q1 2012-Q1 2016).
Increasing the supply of new homes is critical to alleviating pressures in the housing market, helping to moderate price growth and ease affordability challenges across the country, ensuring everyone has a range of housing options available to them, whether they want to buy a house, rent one, or are in need of social housing
