Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions – Dáil Éireann (34th Dáil) – Thursday, 23 Apr 2026

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

School Admissions

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

1. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in Dunshaughlin, County Meath on waiting lists and still without an offer of a junior infants place for September 2026; the measures she will take to provide additional places, including with respect to language and ethos preferences; the date on which she will meet with Meath East TDs and local principals to discuss possible options; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29467/26]

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

I want to ask the Minister the number of children in Dunshaughlin, County Meath, on waiting lists and still without an offer of a junior infants place for September 2026, the measures she will take to provide additional places, including with respect to language and ethos preferences, the date on which she will meet with Meath East TDs and local principals to discuss possible options, and if she will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Education and Youth (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton)

The provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post-primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs, is an absolute priority for me.

Recognising the potential for school place pressures, my Department has been engaging on an ongoing basis with the primary schools in Dunshaughlin and has assessed application and admissions data provided by those schools.

In response to the identified need, my Department has engaged with the patron of Dunshaughlin Community National School and has sanctioned the opening of a second junior infant class at the school for 2026. Department officials have been advised by the school that offers have now been made. Parents can be assured that all pupils in Dunshaughlin will have a place available for September.

It is important to note also that construction work on the new school building for Dunshaughlin Community National School is progressing well and is scheduled to be completed by early 2027.

My Department's responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in that area.

With respect to language and ethos preferences, parents have the right to choose which school to apply to. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection process may be necessary. This may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.

Each year, 140,000 children and young people enter a new school, mainly at junior infant level and at first year in post-primary schools. On the whole, admissions processes run smoothly each year. My Department is required to engage with schools and patrons in only a handful of cases to make additional class capacity available.

The annual enrolment process for new junior infants classes at primary and first year at post-primary is a large-scale operation. As the Deputy will be aware, there are close to 4,000 schools in the country and there are 140,000 new pupils involved.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

I take from the Minister's response that it is her understanding that the extra class at Dunshaughlin Community National School will accommodate all the additional children who were on waiting lists. It is my clear understanding that this is not the case. There are children who are still without an offer and children who are not on waiting lists and there are certainly children - in the region of 30 - who do not have an offer of the Irish-medium school place that they want. In the first instance, I understand there were 26 additional places at Dunshaughlin Community National School. Today is the closing date for acceptance of offer. My understanding is that there are a number of children who are still without an offer. Does the Minister know what that number is? What are her plans to accommodate them?

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

There is ongoing engagement between the Department and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, with the schools. In relation to the Gaelscoil, because this is related and it is within the area, my Department has been in ongoing contact with the school. As of 14 April, there are 30 pupils remaining on its waiting list. It is important to note that some of those pupils may have accepted a place elsewhere in the area. The school has contacted all families on the waiting list to confirm whether they wish to remain on it and these 30 pupils have confirmed that they do. There is some duplication between waiting lists for the community national school and the Gaelscoil. Once acceptances have been confirmed by children on the waiting list for the community national school who are being offered places in the newly sanctioned class, those on the Gaelscoil waiting list will be advised of its remaining places.

It is the Department's responsibility to make sure there are places within a catchment area. An ongoing extension project for the Gaelscoil will provide two mainstream classrooms, two special education tuition rooms and two special education rooms. The project, as the Deputy may be aware, is currently at stage 2b, detailed design.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

I will speak frankly here. This is an incredibly frustrating process. I have to say that today feels like more of the same. We are in a situation in Dunshaughlin where, taking into account the additional places at the community national school, there will still be children from Dunshaughlin without an offer of a school place. That is where we are going to be at the end of today and into tomorrow.

There are a large number of children who want Irish-medium education and they are being denied that opportunity. There is a clear solution here, and it was set out outside the Dáil when parents came up to protest. The much-needed additional capacity at the community national school is very welcome but also additional capacity and extra places are also needed at the Gaelscoil. There is a proposal in that regard. Will the Minister meet the principals and local TDs? As suggested by her Government colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, will the Minister meet them to discuss possible solutions to advance this and ensure every child has a school place?

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

I reiterate that I am in ongoing engagement with Oireachtas Members, including the Deputy today and other colleagues. My Department is engaging on an ongoing basis with Dunshaughlin Community National School. As I said, parents can be assured that all pupils in Dunshaughlin will have a place available for September. The construction of a new school for Dunshaughlin Community National School is progressing. That is well under way. That will be completed in early 2027.

In relation to the Gaelscoil, two mainstream classrooms, two special education tuition rooms and two special education rooms are at stage 2b and planning permission was granted in February of this year. We are aware of the demographics and demands in the area. As I said, we were in contact with the Gaelscoil in relation to its waiting list and it is working through that. There is ongoing engagement. The Deputy can be assured that for parents - I know this is the main concern - we will work intensively to make sure children have a place in the area for the new school year.

Special Educational Needs

Eoghan Kenny

Ceist:

2. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a memo has been sent to Cabinet in relation to the way in which her Department plans to deliver enough special class places and special school places to match the level of demand; the number of children who await a special class or school placement; the number of children who made an application for a special class or school placement; the number of classes that will be needed to match the level of demand, outside of the current 400 already budgeted for in budget 2026; the number of classes that have been opened to date; if every child will have an appropriate school placement for the coming academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28882/26]

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

The National Council for Special Education has verified that 7,860 children and young people notified to it by 1 October 2025 meet the requirements for a special class or special school place for the 2026-27 school year. Further children have come forward after this date, and this will continue right up to September 2026. Approximately 7,000 of the 7,860 children and young people have a diagnosis of autism. There is generally an adequate number of available places for children and young people with other diagnoses. The focus, therefore, continues to be on new places for children and young people with autism.

This data continues to be reviewed and analysed by the NCSE, which continues to engage with families. It is the experience of the NCSE that some families who contacted it may decide not to apply for a special education place. This may be where the place is not in a particular school of their choice where a student is already being supported appropriately in his or her existing school.

Data available to the NCSE shows that approximately 75% of the children and young people who came forward by the 1 October deadline are already enrolled in school. As in previous years, the priority group for access to specialist placements for the 2026-27 school year are for those without a school place, namely, children moving into primary school for the first time; children moving from primary to post-primary school; and children without a school place such as those who might have moved into an area or where their previous placement has broken down.

Budget 2026 initially provided for 3,000 new places. There are over 2,500 places also available through the normal annual movement of students from primary to post-primary and finishing school. The funding approved by the Government earlier this week will allow to provide for further new special classes and special school places over and above the 3,000 new places already budgeted for. That work continues and the new special classes will continue to be confirmed over the coming weeks.

Deputy Eoghan Kenny

At the Committee of Public Accounts in February, the Secretary General of the Department of education told me that a memo would be sent to Cabinet in relation to how we are going to deal with the exponential growth in the level of demand for children who require school places. Last Thursday, the Secretary General told me that the memo is set to be sent to Cabinet. Has that memo on how we are going to deal with this exponential growth been sent to Cabinet?

The Minister cited a figure of 7,860 children who had been notified before the October deadline. The Taoiseach has already clarified that there has been exponential growth following the deadline in October. I know the Department of education has the figure on the number of children who require a school place because the NCSE gives the Department a figure every Friday. That has yet to be revealed.

I want to know how many children still require a school place for the coming academic year and whether a memo has been sent to the Government on how we are going to deal with the exponential growth. It is more than likely that extra funding will have to be made available. Is it the case that we will need at least 600 special classes for the coming academic year? Are we still approximately 170 classes short?

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

Many of the 2,700 new special education places provided for in the 2025-26 school year are in special classes, which means there are now 3,741 special classes in our education system. Budget 2026 provided €3 billion to support children with special educational needs and that allowed for 3,000 new special places for the 2026-27 school year, with 1,700 special needs assistants, SNAs, 860 special education teachers, €16 million for education therapy services, extra special education teacher hours for transition and co-ordination and a special school package increase in capital funding for these schools.

This week, a memo went to the Government under which I secured additional funding for the whole education budget, not just special education, because there was a structural deficit in the Department. Already to date, well in advance of previous years, we have sanctioned more than 400 special classes and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I have continued to announce these. We want to do more of that. Work is ongoing with the NCSE and schools because there will be parents who may not yet know that their child needs a special class.

Deputy Eoghan Kenny

There are also a lot of parents who know their children need a special class or special school placement and they do not know whether their child will get a school place. The memo sent to the Government did not only relate to special education, but it must have included the number of children who require a special class or special school placement. The Department knows that figure. The NCSE has told me that every Friday it informs the Department of the number of children who still require a special class or special school placement. Does the Minister know that figure? Does she know how many classes will be needed for the coming academic year? At the end of the day, there are parents outside the Chamber who are contacting every TD's office saying they have contacted 20, 30 or 40 schools about a school place for their child. This is an extremely important issue for their children. It needs to be put on the record of the Dáil that the Minister for education is aware of the specific number of children who require a special class placement, the number of classes that will be needed for the coming academic year and whether the Department will match the level of demand.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

As I said, 7,860 parents were notified to the NCSE before 1 October. There are more who are still engaging with that process so I secured extra funding for the roll-out of further special classes. Some parents are still waiting for reports or recommendations and some parents might not be aware that their child may require a special class. However, I reassure those parents and families that they will be supported in seeking a placement in a school.

Some 240,000 children who have additional needs are supported in mainstream settings. The Deputy will be aware that the NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January this year, which was several months earlier than last year. Some 427 classes have been sanctioned to date, with an additional five inclusive classes. In addition, there are 139 special schools, including seven schools attached to hospitals and three schools attached to CAMHS units, with approximately 9,817 pupils enrolled in those 139 schools. These numbers will evolve over the next few months. If parents engage with the NCSE, it is the role of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I to ensure they have-----

An Cathaoirleach Gníomhach (Deputy David Maxwell)

Thank you, Minister.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

-----school places and are supported in those settings.

Schools Building Projects

Darren O'Rourke

Ceist:

3. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been brought to the long and complex planning history of a new school building project (details supplied); that ten-year planning permission for the new school building project will expire in August 2026; the measures she will take to ensure this project is advanced before planning expires, or the steps that will need to be taken to advance the project as quickly as possible thereafter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29468/26]

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

Has the Minister's attention been brought to the long and complex planning history of a school building project in Dunboyne, County Meath?

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

The school building projects for Dunboyne junior and senior national schools will deliver a new 24-classroom primary school for the senior school and an eight-classroom extension and refurbishment project for the junior school. Both school projects will also include classrooms for children with additional needs.

I am aware that there have previously been procurement difficulties with this project and that an opportunity was taken to request the design team to do an element of redesign to include in the scope of works decarbonisation measures for both schools, and a fabric upgrade for the primary school. The revised stage 2b report for the senior national school was submitted in June 2025 and is currently with the Department for review. On completion of the junior national school's stage 2b report, the design team will be authorised to re-engage with the local authority regarding the planning permission.

In January this year, my Department published its sectoral national development plan, NDP, implementation plan, which included a list of 105 prioritised projects to proceed to construction or tender in 2026 and 2027. A Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, including projects at stage 2b, such as Dunboyne junior and senior national schools. They are not part of the initial tranche of 105, but this will ultimately inform the next tranches of the programme roll-out to tender.

Officials will continue to engage with Dunboyne junior and senior national schools on their accommodation needs, including any interim arrangements that need to be put in place. Since 2020, the Department of education has provided €473 million in capital funding for Meath schools and, during this period, a total of 62 schools have been upgraded through the provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. Currently, 13 school projects in Meath are under construction, seven school projects will go to tender or construction this year and next year, and ten schools have been approved for the summer works and climate action summer works schemes.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

There are other questions on the Order Paper today about the same issue. A question being asked in every corner of Ireland is how are schools selected for prioritisation and how, in all that is reasonable, were other schools left behind. With the state of deterioration, dilapidation and condition of the school, that it is intended for this school to provide additional special education places and improved accommodation for a growing population and that it has essentially been at tendering stage on two occasions before now, the Minister will be able to imagine the extreme frustration of the school that there is a significant question mark over how long it will take to get a new school.

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

The Deputy will be aware there are a number of factors. This is a general statement about the NDP and projects to be prioritised. Demographic pressures in an area, enrolments in the wider catchment area, special education provision and that schools do not currently have a home are all factored into the prioritisation.

On the school in question, we absolutely recognise the need for prioritisation here. This is a five-year NDP programme. The first tranche has been announced. Due to the project being re-tendered, the design team is currently carrying out a pre-qualification for a main contractor and reserved specialist. The project is now at an advanced stage of architectural planning, stage 2b - detailed design. The design team submitted an updated stage 2b report for the senior school in June last year. The amended design was to ensure decarbonisation measures were included and it included a new scope. In the interim, the Department has agreed the temporary accommodation for the junior school site. That will be replaced as it is no longer fit for purpose.

Deputy Darren O'Rourke

The Minister will appreciate two significant considerations. One is the lapsing of the planning permission and having to go back. I met Meath County Council about this. There is a new county development plan. Significant work will have to be redone in terms of submissions and there is concern that will delay the project further. I appreciate what the Minister said about pre-works and so on, but can she give any assurance about that question? Will the lapsing of the planning permission delay the project further or can the two processes happen at once?

I repeatedly hear about a Department-led prioritisation process. What opportunities are there for individual schools or boards of management to engage with that process?

Deputy Hildegarde Naughton

Where planning permission has previously been secured but is due to run out before the project can be delivered, there are mechanisms.

My Department is very aware of this and would have a lot of experience in relation to it. The Department examines projects on a case-by-case basis to determine the best course of action. One approach might be engagement with the local authority to request an extension to the existing planning permission, for example. I am just speaking in the general here. This would be applicable, for example, where a project has substantially commenced on site before the expiry date of the planning permission. In some instances, a new planning application may be required and in cases where that is necessary, the Department will avail of the opportunity to review, and, where appropriate, update the scope of the project. Officials from my Department, along with the school's design team, engage with local authorities on this as a matter of common practice.

Special Educational Needs

Richard Boyd Barrett

Ceist:

4. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether she will implement the alternative circular drafted by the Save our SNAs campaign group (details supplied) to ensure that all school students have supports appropriate to their needs. [29532/26]

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

It is only a few weeks since the Government caused fear, panic and stress among parents of children with special needs, school communities and SNAs by threatening swingeing cuts in SNAs in many schools. That was all because of a circular from 2014 which had failed the recognise the evolution of the role of the SNA and the needs of our children with special needs. An alternative circular has been put together by the Save our SNAs campaign group involving parents, SNAs and others. The group wants to know if the Government is going to support and adopt this new circular about the role of the SNAs in our schools.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (Deputy Michael Moynihan)

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Department of education recognises the value of the special needs assistant, SNA, role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.

I am also aware of the contribution that SNAs make to the educational experience and overall well-being of students in our schools. I recognise that SNAs demonstrate a deep commitment to their roles and the students they work with, providing a range of supports, including for behaviours of concern, assisting students with regulation and fostering independence.

Currently provisions on the role of the SNA are set out in circulars 30/2014 and 71/2011. The policy and the process for allocating SNAs has been in place since 2014 and the NCSE continues to respond to increasing demand for SNA support, as is reflected in the growing SNA workforce. By the end of this year, there will be almost 25,000 SNAs in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. Since its publication, circular 30/2014 has facilitated unparalleled growth of more than 13,200 SNAs, more than doubling the SNA workforce.

The Department has concluded a comprehensive review of the role of the SNA as part of ongoing work on the first SNA workforce development plan. This work was supported by a working group comprised of a wide range of stakeholders which met on 15 different occasions in recent times, providing input from a number of perspectives. These stakeholders included school management bodies, Fórsa, the recognised trade union which represents SNAs, the National Parents Council, and the Children’s Rights Alliance. All of these organisations, through their representatives, participated in the dialogue, exchanged views, provided suggested wording and ultimately influenced the final text of the circular. My Department has also conducted significant focus group research as well as a national survey of SNAs to ensure everyone in our school communities was given the opportunity to provide input.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

The Minister of State has not really answered the question. Let us remember that we had a massive revolt because of the anxiety, stress and fear induced by the Government's attempt to cut SNA supports in many schools, based on an outdated circular that failed to acknowledge the evolution of the role of the SNA and the rights of children to the supports and resources they need. What I have heard the Minister of State do is quote figures but the whole point of the new circular being put forward by parents, SNAs and school communities is that it is not about figures but about the needs of children. It is about a reaffirmation, as they say themselves, of the obligations of the Government under the UNCRPD and the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs, EPSEN, Act, and the rights of children to full and equal access to education. It is also about a recognition of the evolution of the role of the SNA as being somebody who removes the barriers and provides the supports necessary for children to have full and equal access to education at all levels. They want to know if the Government will engage with them on this circular, adopt it and it issue it as the circular that is needed.

Deputy Michael Moynihan

The outcome of the consultation we have had with the various stakeholders, including SNAs, Fórsa, the National Parents Council and the Children's Rights Alliance, is a draft circular which provides a clear and detailed description of the range of duties and responsibilities of the evolving SNA role. The Minister and I fully understand the evolving role, which is a product of meaningful collaboration with all of those in our school communities. We met with the SNAs and other stakeholders last month in a day-long engagement to discuss work being carried out by the Department on the plan, including the comprehensive review of the SNA role. It is intended that a new circular and associated guidance documents on the role of the SNA will be published in quarter 2 of 2026.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

The Government really needs to realise that we have had revolts on a number of issues because it does not actually listen to the people on the front line. The Minister of State has not responded on the actual circular that has been proposed by the Save our SNAs campaign. It comes from the horse's mouth and is about what SNAs, parents and others believe is required to ensure that their children have the opportunities, supports and resources necessary to reach their full potential and to vindicate their rights to education and full participation in society. Is the Minister of State going to engage with the people who put this circular together? Is he going to engage with the circular? Does he agree with the principles set out in it? He is not really answering my question. He said that he has talked to this person and that person but is he going to respond to this circular and engage with the people behind it? I suggest he meets the people who put it together to discuss what is in it. It is not clear, otherwise, that the Government will not make the same mistakes that led to the crisis we had only a few weeks ago.

Deputy Michael Moynihan

We have had a considerable amount of engagement on this and work has been ongoing for a number of years on the SNA workforce development plan, redeployment and on the circular. A lot of work has been done in relation to the circular going back a number of years at this stage, involving consultation with those across the education partners, parents groups, children's advocates and SNAs who are central to advising on the challenges and the evolving role. It is important to note that we have been engaging extremely well to bring a new circular into the system. A huge amount of work has been done in terms of consulting with the people who are at the coal face. There are almost 25,000 SNAs and we have no intention, as a Government, to deplete the SNAs. The SNAs are a hugely integral part of the education experience for children with additional needs and they are the foundation of what we are doing. We want to ensure we have the right tools in terms of circulars, the workforce development plan, and redeployment in place to ensure SNAs are valued and the role they play is updated in the new circular.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett

The Minister of State did not really answer the question

Question No. 5 taken with Written Answers.

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht - Thursday, 23 Apr 2026