Tuesday, 14 Jul 2026

Child Protection

Questions (287)

Darren O'Rourke

Question:

287. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 693 of 30 June 2026, if she is satisfied that school policies and procedures are sufficient to ensure children are protected; the way in which she assesses the system of child protection at school is fit-for-purpose; if she has concerns about the capacity of the system elsewhere, for example in Tusla, An Garda Síochána and the courts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52788/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

The Department of Education and Youth takes child protection matters very seriously and considers the protection and welfare of children to be a fundamental responsibility of all involved in the care and education of children. Updated Child Protection Procedures for Schools were published in May 2025. The updated procedures for schools put in place significantly enhanced oversight measures at school level and at Department level to help ensure and demonstrate that the statutory obligations of the Children First Act, 2015 and the best practice obligations of the Children First National Guidance 2017 are being adhered to by both school personnel and by school authorities.

Schools are required to comply with Circular 31/2016 Commencement of Statutory Requirements for Garda Vetting which outlines that Section 12 of the Vetting Act requires that a school authority must not, other than where certain exemptions apply, commence the employment of an employee to undertake relevant work or activities before the school authority receives a vetting disclosure from the Bureau in respect of that person. This requirement applies in respect of all types of appointment of any duration including full time, part time and substitute positions.

The department has no role in employer/employee matters. Under the Education Act 1998, legally, all schools are managed by the school Board of Management, on behalf of the school patrons. It is the school Board of Management that employs the school’s teachers and other staff members except in Education and Training Board (ETB) schools, where it is the ETB that is the employer. Any actions in relation to the school employee, in relation to employment matters, are exclusively a matter for the employer.

The department exercises oversight of how schools fulfil their obligations in legislation and in these procedures having regard to the governance responsibilities of school authorities. The department’s Inspectorate monitors schools’ compliance with the requirements of these procedures, provides advice to schools on the general implementation of these procedures, where appropriate and reports to the department on schools’ compliance with these procedures. The department’s Child Protection Oversight Group (CPOG) co-ordinates the department’s actions in cases where there are serious concerns regarding the compliance of a school with the requirements of these procedures.

I have been engaging intensively with officials in my department in recent weeks to ensure that child protection in education and youth service settings is robust and fit for purpose. The department continues to engage with Tusla and other relevant bodies to ensure that the system is as robust as possible.

Appointments to State Boards

Questions (288)

Malcolm Byrne

Question:

288. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there is a specific policy within her Department that seeks to preclude those elected to local authorities from any boards that she may appoint; the rationale behind any such policy; the way in which it aligns with encouraging participation in local government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52852/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

I can confirm that my Department does not have a specific policy that seeks to preclude those elected to local authorities from serving on State Boards.

My Department manages appointments to its State Boards in accordance with DPER’s Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards (2014) and the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies (2016), as amended, in conjunction with the relevant governing legislation or other legal document that applies to my Department’s State Bodies. Neither the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies nor the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards prescribes specific exclusions from State board membership

The governing legislation for each State body, specifies the composition of the board and, where applicable, any eligibility requirements or disqualifications from appointment or continued membership. Accordingly, the specific provisions or articles governing Board membership vary from one body to another.

While appointments are formally made by me as Minister, they are not in all cases made at my sole discretion. In several instances, the governing legislation of a state body provides for nominations to be made by specified organisations, and such nominations are considered in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions.

The Public Appointments Service (PAS) manages an open, transparent and accessible process to support Ministers in making appointments to State boards. Vacancies advertised through this process are open to all members of the public and are published on the State Boards website, www.stateboards.ie

Appointments to State Boards

Questions (289)

Malcolm Byrne

Question:

289. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Youth to commit to preparing legislation to not automatically exclude members of local authorities from consideration for appointment to State boards; and to set out the reasons such persons would be excluded. [52870/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

I can confirm that my Department does not have a specific policy that seeks to preclude those elected to local authorities from serving on State Boards.

My Department manages appointments to its State Boards in accordance with DPER’s Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards (2014) and the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies (2016), as amended, in conjunction with the relevant governing legislation or other legal document that applies to my Department’s State Bodies. Neither the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies nor the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards prescribes specific exclusions from State board membership.

The governing legislation for each State body, specifies the composition of the board and, where applicable, any eligibility requirements or disqualifications from appointment or continued membership. Accordingly, the specific provisions or articles governing Board membership vary from one body to another.

While appointments are formally made by me as Minister, they are not in all cases made at my sole discretion. In several instances, the governing legislation of a state body provides for nominations to be made by specified organisations, and such nominations are considered in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions.

The Public Appointments Service (PAS) manages an open, transparent and accessible process to support Ministers in making appointments to State boards. Vacancies advertised through this process are open to all members of the public and are published on the State Boards website, www.stateboards.ie

School Enrolments

Questions (290)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

290. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department, or any agency operating under its remit, maintains records identifying the reasons students who entered first year in Cork county and city and in the 2018-2019 academic year, did not subsequently complete the Leaving Certificate; if so, the categories of reasons recorded and the number of students recorded under each category; if not, the reason such information is not collected; if she is satisfied that the absence of such data impacts her Department's ability to identify trends in early school leaving and to develop evidence based policy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52884/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

I recently welcomed the publication of the latest retention rates report, which shows significant and encouraging progress with several key indicators reaching record highs. The report shows that 98.4% of students completed the Junior Cycle, the highest retention rate since records began, reflecting strong engagement in early post-primary education and continued success in supporting students through these critical years.

At Senior Cycle, 90% of students progressed to sit the Leaving Certificate, maintaining strong overall retention levels. The Leaving Certificate Applied programme also achieved a record retention rate of 86.1%, underlining the importance of diverse pathways in supporting student success.

Ireland has one of the lowest early school leaving rates in Europe, with just 3.6% of 18-to-24-year-olds categorized as early leavers according to recent Eurostat data. This places the country significantly ahead of the EU-wide average of 9.1%. All of the department’s annual retention reports may be found at this link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/retention/

The 2018 cohort data show that Cork County is one of the stronger-performing local authorities for student retention through secondary school, with a 91.0% Leaving Certificate retention rate. Cork City also performs reasonably well, exceeding several other cities and urban authorities. The pattern is consistent with a broader trend whereby large urban areas tend to have somewhat lower retention rates than many rural and commuter-belt counties.

Area	Junior Cert Retention	Leaving Cert Retention
Cork County	98.4%	91.0%
Cork City	98.1%	90.2%

There was a decrease of 389 students in Cork County before the Leaving Certificate milestone, equivalent to 9.0% of the cohort, which is better than many local authorities and above the national average. There was a decrease of 281 students in Cork City, equivalent to 9.8%, slightly worse than Cork County but better than Dublin City, South Dublin and Galway City.

School Enrolments

Questions (291)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

291. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the procedures that are in place to identify students considered at risk of not completing second level education; the number of students in Cork county and city from the 2018-2019 first year cohort were identified as being at risk during their time in second level education; the interventions that were offered in each school year; the number of students who accepted or engaged with those interventions; if her Department has evaluated the effectiveness of those interventions by reference to Leaving Certificate completion rates; whether any review has been undertaken into the reasons students in that cohort failed to complete second level education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52885/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my department. TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison scheme and the School Completion Programme. The three TESS strands work together collaboratively with schools, parents and guardians and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for children and young people.

TESS currently provides a range of services in Cork county and city including dedicated educational welfare officers along with interventions available from School Completion Programme and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme which operates in all DEIS setting throughout the county and city. Other initiatives developed in response to concerning rates of absenteeism include:

- multimedia campaign on school attendance

- development of the Anseo framework

- TESS 5-year plan for school attendance 2023-2028

In line with the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, all primary schools, including special schools, and post primary schools must report annually on student non-attendance at an aggregated level. These reports are published and are available on the Tusla website at the following link: www.tusla.ie/services/educational-welfare-services/publications/research-and-statistics/

The report includes a summary of total days lost and 20-plus day absences for primary and post-primary schools by county, including Cork county for 2019 to 2023.

School Enrolments

Questions (292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297)

Jen Cummins

Question:

292. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the percentage of students that completed the Junior Cycle in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [52940/26]

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Jen Cummins

Question:

293. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the percentage of The Junior Certificate Schools Programme completion rate since its establishment, in tabular form. [52941/26]

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Jen Cummins

Question:

294. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the percentage of students that progressed to sit the Leaving Certificate in each of the past ten years. [52942/26]

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Jen Cummins

Question:

295. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the percentage of the retention rate of students enrolled in the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme in each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [52943/26]

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Jen Cummins

Question:

296. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth the retention rates across voluntary secondary schools, community and comprehensive schools, and ETB schools in the each of the past ten years, in tabular form.; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52944/26]

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Jen Cummins

Question:

297. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide DEIS school retention rates for each of the past ten years, in tabular form. [52945/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

I propose to take Questions Nos. 292 to 297, inclusive, together.

The Deputy will find below the requested tabulations on retention at post primary level, this is based on the latest data available to the department and was published recently.

Retention amongst Leaving Cert Applied pupils for the last 9 years:

Cohort	% that completed LCA
2010	79.3
2011	80.7
2012	78.7
2013	76.9
2014	77.9
2015	79.5
2016	80.0
2017	78.7
2018	86.1

Retention to Junior Certificate

Entry Cohort	% that completed Junior Certificate
2009	96.7
2010	97.4
2011	97.5
2012	97.6
2013	97.5
2014	97.6
2015	97.5
2016	97.6
2017	97.8
2018	98.4

Retention to Leaving Certificate

Cohort	%
2009	90.2
2010	91.2
2011	91.6
2012	91.5
2013	91.2
2014	91.5
2015	92.1
2016	91.7
2017	90
2018	90

Retention broken down by school type:

Cohort	Voluntary Secondary schools	Community and Comprehensive schools	Education Training Board schools
2010	92.7	90.6	88.3
2011	93.4	89.1	88.4
2012	93.2	90.7	88.5
2013	93.2	90	87.9
2014	93.1	91	88.9
2015	93.8	91.4	89.3
2016	93.2	90.4	89.5
2017	91.6	89.7	87.2
2018	91.6	89.7	87.2

Retention in DEIS schools

Cohort	Retention rate in DEIS schools	Retention in all schools
2009	82.7	90.2
2010	84.4	91.2
2011	85	91.6
2012	84.7	91.5
2013	83.8	91.2
2014	84.8	91.5
2015	86.1	92.1
2016	85	91.7
2017	83.4	90
2018	84.1	90

Retention by programme and by school type has only been recorded since 2010 onwards.

All of the Departments annual retention reports may be found at this link:

www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/retention/

Tusla is responsible for maintaining a register of all children who are home educated or who attend a school that does not fall under the definition of a ‘recognised school’ as set out in the Education Act 1998.

Tusla has established the Alternative Education Assessment and Registration Service (AEARS), which has oversight of the regulation of provision for education in places other than recognised schools. The legal basis for carrying out assessments in places other than recognised schools is under Section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000.

Children under the age of 16 who leave a recognised school for an alternative education setting must register with AEARS for inclusion on the Section 14 register. These children are entitled to and can choose to sit the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate examinations.

Question No. 293 answered with Question No. 292.

Question No. 294 answered with Question No. 292.

Question No. 295 answered with Question No. 292.

Question No. 296 answered with Question No. 292.

Question No. 297 answered with Question No. 292.

Educational Disadvantage

Questions (298)

James Geoghegan

Question:

298. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will report on the outcome of the DEIS Connect initiative in a school (details supplied); if this scheme has been rolled out to other schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52948/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

The DEIS Connect Project in St Kevin's Community College receives funding through Dublin and Dun Laoghaire ETB (Digital Connect and DEIS Connect Initiatives) and their partnerships with Microsoft, Power2Progress (UCD/Zurich), Digital Wealth Project (ReThink Ireland), Clondalkin Access Network, St. Vincent de Paul and the Trinity Access Programme.

As such, choices regarding educational materials, textbooks and other educational products, as well as digital and online services, are made by individual schools and their boards of management, not by the Department. In general, it is the current policy of the Department of Education and Youth not to endorse publications, products or services from individual, commercial or other providers and to allow schools and teachers to determine the most appropriate materials for their students. The only requirement from the Department, on any resource used in a school, is that it supports the delivery of the curriculum.

I recently communicated directly with all schools and boards of management, clarifying the department's position that there is no requirement for a personal device for junior or leaving cert and requested schools to be cognisant of the views of parents in relation to the use of digital devices and the associated costs.

Department guidance states that schools should support equitable access to ICT for all students and may provide devices on loan to students, including through device lending schemes, where required. Schools are also advised to consult with parents and the wider school community when developing technology policies that may involve costs for families. However, there is no dedicated funding stream for one-to-one student devices. Schools have flexibility to use their ICT grants to meet local priorities, including infrastructure, maintenance and device provision, within available resources.

School Staff

Questions (299)

Darren O'Rourke

Question:

299. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures she is taking to address the shortage of teachers in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52963/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

This Government is committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning.

As of November 2025, there were over 75,000 teachers employed in schools across the country and over 98% of allocated teaching posts were filled nationwide.

Figures related to the teaching workforce in Ireland for the 2025/26 school year can be found at the following link: ssets.gov.ie/static/documents/5935f213/Teacher_Workforce_Data_Report_2026.pdf

Teaching is an attractive profession, and there are a significant number of newly qualified teachers graduating annually. Over 3,600 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2025 and CAO data shows a consistent demand for undergraduate ITE programmes. Salaries are competitive, currently starting at €45,379 (primary) and €46,948 (post-primary) and rising to €83,576 and €85,411 under the current pay deal. Teacher attrition remains low, with fewer than 3% resigning or retiring annually, one of the lowest rates in the OECD.

While the majority of allocated teaching posts are filled, certain schools experience ongoing challenges in recruiting teachers. To address teacher supply issues, the Government has implemented several measures that have led to:

- an increase of 20% ininitial teacher education graduates (student teachers) between 2018 and 2023, and

- an over 30% increase in the number of teachers registered with the Teaching Council since 2017.

My Department has recently published revised arrangements for the award of a Contract of Indefinite Duration to teachers; teachers taking up their first contract in a viable post will be eligible for a permanent position after one year, subject to successful re-appointment through a competitive process.

Recently regulations were approved to allowteachers who qualified overseasto undertake theirinduction in the State and incremental credit is also available to teachers returning from abroad, depending on the teaching experience gained.

A number of measures have been introduced to address subject-specific teacher shortages at post-primary level:

- Upskilling programmes: free upskilling programmes for teachers are offered in high-demand subjects: Irish, French, politics & society, computer science, maths, physics and Spanish.

- STEM Bursary: a €2,000 annual bursary has been introduced for student teachers in STEM fields during the final two years of their undergraduate teacher education, with a requirement to complete at least two years of teaching post-qualification in a recognised post-primary school.

A comprehensive workforce plan for the education sector, a commitment under the Programme for Government, is in development. Additionally,aproject focused on strategic workforce planning for teachers in Ireland, led by UNESCO and supported by the EU Commission, is developing recommendations for addressing the main factors affecting teacher supply in Ireland.

I am considering further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce and ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.

Teaching Qualifications

Questions (300)

Darren O'Rourke

Question:

300. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is considering a change in policy that would allow work spent in a secondary school abroad, public or private, be recognised for incremental credits; if she will outline the detail of any proposed change; if it will be one-for-one or a partial credit for example; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52964/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Education and Youth

The criteria for the award of incremental credit are set out in the Department of Education’s Circulars 29/2007 and 29/2010 for Post-Primary teachers. These circulars provide for the award of incremental credit in respect of prior teaching service, including overseas teaching service, both within and outside the EU and/or relevant non-teaching service.

Teaching service given outside the Republic of Ireland by a qualified teacher in a school or college must be deemed to be equivalent to teaching service given in a primary or post primary school in the Republic of Ireland. This includes teaching service given in a public or private secondary school abroad.

In particular, when assessing service in private international schools, issues such as if the school offers a range of studies which incorporates all of the courses prescribed on the national curriculum of the State in which the school is located, the length of time the school has been in existence and the nature of the funding received by the school are of particular relevance.

Where a school satisfies the criteria set out in the circulars to have service at that school recognised for incremental credit, an award of incremental credit can be made.

The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers were agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) and are subject to review by way of an incremental credit committee, which is a sub-committee of the TCC and which meets on an ongoing basis.

Any changes to the criteria must be agreed through the established mechanism in place.