Written Answers Nos. 170-189
170. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to confirm if any staff devices (laptops, phones, USBs) containing departmental information or sensitive data were reported lost or stolen in the past five years; the number of devices reported; the data risk involved; and the associated cost of mitigation. [54389/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department’s policy is that Departmental official data must be stored centrally in appropriate record management systems. My Department has 24/7/365 support in place and users must promptly notify the Department if a device is lost or stolen whereby the device in question is remotely wiped and connectivity removed. As can been seen from the table below the number of official department devices that are either lost or stolen on an annual basis is very low. All my Department’s official devices are protected with the latest advanced encryption technologies, in addition my Department deploys multiple security layers on official devices for protection including for identity verification. These security measures and controls, supported by my Department’s policies in this area, ensures that the data risks involved are effectively managed and as such are considered to be low. The security mitigations, controls, measures and policies have been implemented as part of an overall suite of enterprise security systems for all the Departments data and ICT assets and therefore it is not possible to provide a cost for the specific mitigations indicated.
Devices lost or stolen from 2021 to date:
|
|
Laptops Lost |
Laptops Stolen |
Phones Lost |
Phones Stolen |
USB Lost |
USB Stolen |
|
2025 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2024 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2023 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
2022 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2021 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Totals |
2 |
0 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
171. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to detail the instances in which software or IT systems procured by his Department or agencies were later deemed unfit for purpose; and the costs of replacement or remediation. [54399/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has not had any software or IT systems deemed unfit for purpose. This is also the position in respect of the State Laboratory, Office of the Regulator of the National Lottery, Public Appointments Service and Office of Public Works. Information in respect of the Office of the Ombudsman and the National Shared Services Office is set out in the tables below.
Office of the Ombudsman
|
Year |
Instances in which software or IT systems procured were later deemed unfit for purpose |
Cost of replacement or remediation |
|
2020 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
2021 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
2022 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
2023 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
2024 |
Portals Development Project €31,248. This project was discontinued following the pilot phase. It was identified that new technologies would be required to support the next phase of the project. Based on a revised cost-benefit analysis, the project was discontinued. The business analysis element of the pilot project will be used on a future portal project once a current system upgrade / migration has been completed. |
Nil |
|
2025 to date |
Nil |
Nil |
National Shared Services Office
|
Year |
Instances in which software or IT systems procured were later deemed unfit for purpose |
Cost of replacement or remediation |
|
2020 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
2021 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
2022 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
2023 |
Data Transfer Software was procured which did not meet the NSSO's requirements. |
Not applicable as the vendor replaced the software with alternate software at no additional cost which met the NSSO's requirements. |
|
2024 |
Nil |
Nil |
|
2025 to date |
Nil |
Nil |
172. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the plans in place to invest in the erosion defences and flood defences of the Kerry coastline (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54447/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra173. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the plans and funding in place to invest in the erosion defences and flood defences of Listowel, Killarney, Tralee and Kenmare, County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54448/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together.
Local coastal erosion and flooding issues are a matter, in the first instance, for each local authority to investigate and address.
The Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme was introduced by the Office of Public Works (OPW) in 2009. The purpose of the scheme is to provide funding to local authorities to undertake minor flood mitigation works or studies to address localised flooding or coastal erosion problems within their administrative areas. The scheme generally applies where a solution can be readily identified and achieved in a short time frame.
Funding of up to 90% of the cost is available for approved projects. Applications are assessed by the OPW having regard to the specific economic, technical, social and environmental criteria of the scheme, including a cost benefit ratio.
I recently announced an increase in funding supports are to be made available to Local Authorities under the Minor Works Scheme, including an increase in the upper Minor Works threshold from €750,000 to €2,000,000. Details of these revisions to the Scheme are to be made available to Local Authorities over the coming weeks.
Since 2009, OPW has approved some 40 projects and €4.2m to Kerry County Council under the Minor Flood Mitigation Works and Coastal Protection Scheme with some 21 of these approved projects relating to erosion defences and flood defences of the Kerry coastline amounting to approximately €2,9m. These projects are listed on the table below.
|
Schemes |
Approved |
Project Details |
Funding € |
|
Ballyheigue |
28/06/2024 |
To stabilise a 50m length of the Ballyheigue coastline |
106,037 |
|
Waterville |
02/06/2023 |
Refurbishment and strengthening of rock revetment |
35,492 |
|
Ballyheigue |
28/09/2022 |
Use of rock armour to stabilise the cliff |
191,730 |
|
Castlemaine Harbour |
04/05/2022 |
Site Visit/Survey Flood Risk |
2,622 |
|
Ballyheigue |
29/03/2022 |
Use of rock armour to stabilise the cliff |
307,910 |
|
Kinard, Lispole |
23/11/2021 |
Stabilisation of the existing slope |
56,796 |
|
Dingle Bay East-Castlemaine Harbour |
20/07/2021 |
The procurement of survey work |
21,038 |
|
The Spa Seawall, North Kerry Way |
04/09/2020 |
Repair to a breach in the sea wall |
24,170 |
|
Ballyheigue |
01/07/2020 |
Use of rock armour to stabilise the cliff |
231,489 |
|
Dingle Bay East-Castlemaine Harbour |
16/06/2020 |
The procurement of survey work |
18,000 |
|
Kilfenora, Fenit |
10/07/2018 |
Detailed Design Stage |
176,166 |
|
North Kerry Way National Trail Seawall |
20/06/2018 |
Repairs to an existing seawall |
18,124 |
|
Dingle Bay East-Castlemaine Harbour |
26/03/2018 |
Coastal Erosion & Flood Risk Management Study |
75,000 |
|
Ballyheigue-Banna-Carrahane & Brandon Bay Maharees (Tralee Bay) |
26/03/2018 |
Coastal Erosion & Flood Risk Management Study |
150,000 |
|
Rossbeigh |
26/03/2018 |
Construction of a rock revetment |
450,000 |
|
Ballylongford |
26/11/2015 |
Coastal flooding mitigation measures |
13,777 |
|
Ballylongford |
09/01/2015 |
Coastal flooding mitigation measures |
92,187 |
|
Cromane |
23/02/2012 |
Embankment strengthening works |
100,000 |
|
Incherea |
23/02/2012 |
The strengthening and raising of an existing embankment |
80,000 |
|
Fenit Road |
06/09/2010 |
Rock revetment & buttressing embankments |
405,000 |
|
Fenit Road |
30/09/2009 |
Rock revetment & buttressing embankments |
360,000 |
|
Total |
|
|
2,915,538 |
Some €951,000 under this scheme has been approved for the specific locations referred to by the Deputy including for coastal erosion works of €450,000 at Rossbeigh, €86,690 at Tralee, €78,815 at Cahersiveen and €35,492 at Waterville. Approval for flood risk mitigation works includes €154,000 at Kenmare, €170,000 at Listowel and €26,000 at Tralee. This is a demand driven scheme.
The Government recognises the risks associated with climate change and that increases in sea levels and storm surges will result in increased frequency of coastal erosion. In response to these challenges, the recommendations outlined in the Report of the Interdepartmental Group on National Coastal Change Management Strategy are being implemented. Amongst the key recommendations of the Report is the assignment of the lead coordination role to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which is responsible for chairing an Interdepartmental Steering Group on Coastal Change Management.
The OPW has been designated by Government as the national lead coordinating body for the assessment of coastal change hazards and risks and the assessment of technical options and constraints. These assessments will build upon indicative assessment work previously undertaken by the OPW under the Irish Coastal Protection Strategy Study, and comprise a substantial, multi-annual programme of work to assess coastal risk nationally, and then in detail at higher risk locations as a basis for then determining potential viable works to manage this risk. This work will contribute to the work of the Interdepartmental Steering Group on Coastal Change Management.
Flood Relief Schemes in Kerry
The Government has also committed to investing some €81m for the design and implementation of flood relief schemes for Co. Kerry. Tralee, Kenmare, Abbeydorney and Banna are in the first tranche of schemes to be progressed with Dingle, Killarney, Ballylongford, Listowel and Castleisland/Tullig in the second tranche.
Tranche 1 Flood Relief Schemes
Engineering and Environmental consultants were appointed in Q3 2021 to deliver a flood relief scheme for Tralee. A Public Consultation Day will be held in October, 2025 to bring to the public emerging options identified as part of the optioneering process. It is expected that this scheme will be submitted for planning in Q4 2026.
Engineering and Environmental consultants were appointed in Q2 2022 to deliver a flood relief scheme for Kenmare. Assessing the flood risk in Kenmare is complex and it is expected the design option will be made available to the public for consultation in mid 2026. Works on the Finnihy River were completed in early 2024, to mitigate flood risk.
The proposed Kenmare Flood Relief Scheme is currently at optioneering assessment stage. The design standard of protection for the scheme will be 1% AEP fluvial event (1 in 100 year) and 0.5% AEP tidal event (1 in 200 year).
Kerry County Council are carrying out a wider flood risk assessment for Banna and a scheme feasibility assessment for Abbeydorney is being conducted to progress a viable scheme.
Tranche 2 Flood Relief Schemes
Since 2018, the OPW has trebled the number of flood relief schemes at design, planning and construction to some 100 projects. The progression of Tranche 2 schemes is constrained by the availability of specialised engineering skills for flood risk management. The OPW is piloting a new delivery model in Counties Donegal and Kilkenny to inform delivery of future Tranche 2 schemes nationally.
Listowel
While the proposed scheme in Listowel is not in the first tranche of projects to be progressed, the OPW, through Kerry County Council, is investing €2 million for advance measures in the Clieveragh area of Listowel to protect some 50 properties. While the scheme is operationally complete, the final completion is expected in Q4 of 2025.
Following a flood event in Listowel in November 2024, Kerry County Council engaged consultants to provide a report on the flood event. The findings were presented to Kerry Municipal District on 30th April, 2025 and are now available to the public. Kerry County Council discussed the findings of this report with the OPW and interim measures were identified.
I recently visited Listowel and was delighted to be in a position to announce some €0.5m funding by the OPW for flood mitigation measures in Listowel and Killocrim. Works commenced in the Killocrim area in September and progress is being made on-site presently. Based on the current programme of works, it is anticipated that all works will be completed by end November/December 2025, subject to suitable weather and site conditions. Additionally works commenced in Listowel Town Park in September 2025 and good progress is being made on-site presently. Based on the current programme of works, it is anticipated that all proposed works at Town Park will be completed by end November 2025, subject to suitable weather and site conditions.
Feale Catchment Drainage Scheme
The OPW also maintains the Feale Catchment Drainage Scheme, that was executed for the purposes of draining lands and reducing flooding for the benefit of agricultural activities. However, preliminary estimates indicated that the November flood event at Listowel and Killocrim was in excess of the 1 in 100 year return period (or 1.0 % AEP) event and this would be far in excess of the defence of an agricultural drainage scheme.
174. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the number of external consultancy contracts entered into by his Department in the past five years, including the original estimated cost, the final cost, and the reasoning for contracting this work rather than using internal resources. [54327/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe amount spent by my Department on external consultancy contracts; which include reports, surveys, and research services commissioned under my Department’s AD7 Consultancy Budget, for the past five years is set out in tabular form below. ICT consultancy reports are also included for completeness.
For each year listed below, consultancy services were procured in cases where there was not the necessary expertise to deliver a project in-house, in cases where an external assessment was deemed essential, or in cases where a project had to be completed within a short time scale, and although the expertise or experience may have be available in-house, performing the task would have involved a prohibitive opportunity cost.
My Department complies with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation's guidelines for engagements of consultants by the civil service, having regard to public procurement guidelines.
|
Year |
Number of external consultancy contracts entered into |
Estimated consultancy costs for year * |
Final consultancy costs for year* |
|
2021 |
18 |
€1,663,645 |
€936,387 |
|
2022 |
27 |
€1,729,589 |
€937,680 |
|
2023 |
19 |
€1,709,224 |
€1,207,594 |
|
2024 |
27 |
€1,782,682 |
€1,304,223 |
|
2025 |
13 to date |
€2,461,680 |
€724,854 spent to date |
*Estimates of costs and final costs include costs associated with projects commenced in previous years which were ongoing during the year listed.
175. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to confirm if any staff devices (laptops, phones, USBs) containing departmental information or sensitive data were reported lost or stolen in the past five years; the number of devices reported; the data risk involved; and the associated cost of mitigation. [54387/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's records indicate that, in the period in question the following number of laptops or mobile phones have been reported as lost or stolen:All laptops and iPhones are encrypted. The loss of an encrypted device is not regarded as a data loss incident.
|
Year |
Device |
Theft / Loss |
|
2021 |
Laptop x2 |
Lost |
|
2022 |
Laptop x1 iPhone x2 |
Lost Lost |
|
2023 |
Laptop x2 iPhone x4 |
1 lost, 1 stolen 2 lost, 1 stolen, 1 lost and recovered. |
|
2024 |
Laptop x1 iPhone x1 |
Stolen Lost |
|
2025 to date |
Laptop x2 iPhone x1 |
1 lost, 1 stolen Lost |
No records of lost or stolen USB storage devices exist. Controls have been in place since several years before the period in question blocking the use of unencrypted USB devices on Departmental PCs. The use of USB storage is now deprecated and blocked entirely except for a small number of specific users.
It is the policy of my Department that the theft of any ICT equipment of value must be reported to the relevant local police authorities. However, none of the stolen items have been recovered.
Devices are replaced, where necessary, from a pool of available devices and not necessarily on a like-for-like basis. No records are available on the cost of replacing a specific device.
176. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to detail the instances in which software or IT systems procured by his Department or agencies were later deemed unfit for purpose; and the costs of replacement or remediation. [54397/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe ICT Unit in my Department has informed me that they have not procured any software or ICT systems which were later deemed unfit for purpose. The ICT Unit has a Project Management Office which was set up to provide project oversight and to ensure project governance is adhered to.
I have asked the Agencies under my remit to update me on this matter and a response will be sent to the Deputy soon.
177. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment whether his Department is tracking capital outflows from Ireland to property investment in the United Kingdom, particularly from former Irish landlords; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54485/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis information is not collected by my Department. To the best of my knowledge, this data is also not collected by the Central Statistics Office. More generally, matters relating to international capital flows fall within the remit of the Department of Finance and the Central Bank of Ireland. Issues concerning housing investment and related policy areas, are a matter for the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. My Department will continue to monitor macro-financial developments using the available official statistics and research, and will continue to engage with the relevant agencies on data needs as they arise.
178. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if any economic assessment has been made of the impact of private landlord exits on local economies, employment in property services, and consumer spending; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54486/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe latest data available from the Residential Tenancies Board for Q2 2025 shows that there has been an increase in the total number of landlords to 104,072 – up from 103,823 in Q2 2024 and 96,702 in Q2 2023. Focusing on the number of landlords with a smaller number of tenancies (under 3 tenancies) – there has been an increase in the number of landlords in this category from 85,250 in Q2 2023 to 91,614 in Q2 2025.
More broadly there continues to be an increase in the share of larger landlords (including AHBs and institutions) in the rental market – with landlords with over 50 tenancies making up 17.43% of registered tenancies in Q2 2025, compared to 12.95% in Q2 2023. This data shows that on a net basis, the number of small landlords is now growing – however, there has been comparatively stronger growth in the number of large landlords in the rental market. This trend implies that the underlying composition of tenancies is changing, with AHB and institutional landlords comprising an increasing share the total. This could be attributed to the prevalence of built-to-let developments and increasing activity from AHBs.
The changing composition of tenancies may affect the demand for various property services. A number of commentators across the real estate sector have suggested that the demand for services such as tenant sourcing and lease negotiation may make up a smaller share of the property services market. but this does not necessarily imply declining employment in these areas as the number of total tenancies continues to increase.
The impact of landlord exits on consumer spending is not clear. In part, this will depend on decisions regarding the application of the proceeds from any sale. Equally, this will depend on cost implications for any tenant affected by a landlords decision to sell and any consequent increase in rent payable - or a decision to relocate elsewhere - could negatively impact on consumer spending in a given locality.
179. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will provide an update on the publication of the National Clustering Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54502/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government 2025 includes a commitment to establish five new national level cluster organisations. This echoes the commitment in respect of clustering in the White Paper on Enterprise, which recognised clustering as an enterprise policy tool to improve national competitiveness by building clusters of national scale with international visibility.
Last month my Department published the Action Plan on Competitiveness, a whole-of-government approach guided by the Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2025 report and stakeholder consultations to secure Irish competitiveness and resilience to economic shocks. The Action Plan contains 85 actions, one of which is to establish up to 3 pilot national clusters in H2 2025 to deliver proof of concept in order to secure funding for 2026 and beyond. It recognises that strengthening clustering dynamics will be critical to driving innovation and deepening enterprise capability. In line with international best practice, clusters will be funded for a period of 6 years subject to meeting Key Performance Indicators, measured through annual and mid-term reviews.
The national clustering programme foreseen by the Programme for Government will encourage the formation and strengthening of national cluster organisations with a view to maximising the scale, impact and international visibility of Irish clusters. To this end, it is proposed to pilot up to three mature clusters in the Irish clustering ecosystem, all of which support national strategic priorities, in a new International Impact Clustering Programme. This will assist in the development of a robust evidence base for further funding for International Impact clusters.
180. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will outline any plans to reform the Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation Fund evaluation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54503/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department, through Enterprise Ireland, funds the Commercialisation Fund as a means of developing deep tech start-ups as part of the larger goal of improving the competitiveness of the Irish economy. This Fund plays a key role in supporting the transformation of publicly funded research into commercially viable products and services.
In terms of reviewing the Commercialisation Fund, Enterprise Ireland continuously reviews and refines all the funding programmes it delivers to ensure they remain effective, transparent, and responsive to the needs of Ireland’s innovation ecosystem.
Regarding the application evaluation process for the Commercialisation Fund, it is rigorous and robust and includes assessment by independent external evaluators with significant commercial expertise. This ensures that projects are not only scientifically sound but also have strong potential for market impact and commercial success. The use of external reviewers from industry and investment backgrounds helps to provide an objective, market-oriented perspective in the decision-making process.
In addition, Enterprise Ireland - following engagement with my Department and stakeholders, has recently introduced a Proof of Concept (PoC) funding stream under the Commercialisation Fund. This initiative provides a lower quantum of funding, up to €100,000, with the aim of enabling researchers to explore early-stage commercial potential of their ideas before progressing to full-scale commercialisation projects. The application and evaluation process for PoC funding is streamlined to reduce administrative burden, and the evaluation mechanism is proportionate to the scale and scope of the funding sought—while still ensuring appropriate scrutiny and alignment with programme objectives. The PoC funding stream is in addition to the established Commercialisation Fund Feasibility Grant which provides researchers with up to €15,000 in funding to help validate the potential market opportunity before development.
At present, there are no major reforms planned to the core evaluation process of the Commercialisation Fund. However, both my Department and Enterprise Ireland remain committed to ongoing improvement and regularly reviewing programme performance and seeking stakeholder feedback to ensure continued alignment with national enterprise and innovation priorities.
Any future enhancements to the evaluation process will be developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders and communicated in a clear and transparent manner.
181. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will outline the number of taxpayers who received redundancy payments in each of the past five years and the average payment amount. [54671/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Redundancy Payments Act 1967, as amended, provides that all eligible employees are entitled to a statutory payment on being made redundant. The statutory redundancy payment is 2 weeks' pay for every year of service plus 1 additional week's pay. This payment is capped at €600 per week. By law, it is the employer's responsibility to pay statutory redundancy.
My officials have done some work with the Central Statistics Office to estimate the total number of redundancies across the workforce. However, it is not possible to provide the data sought by the Deputy based on current employer reporting requirements.
However, I can provide information on payments made under the Redundancy Payments Scheme.
The Redundancy Payments Scheme pays statutory redundancy payment to an employee where their employer cannot pay due to financial difficulties, insolvency or refuses to pay. This represents only a proportion of overall redundancy payments. Payments under the Scheme are made from the Social Insurance Fund. Once a payment has been made under the Redundancy Payments Scheme, a debt is raised and the Department of Social Protection will seek to recover this debt from the employer. Repayments can be made by the employer by a lump sum payment or by regular instalments.
Once a payment has been made under the Redundancy Payments Scheme, a debt is raised and the Department of Social Protection will seek to recover this debt from the employer. Repayments can be made by the employer by a lump sum payment or by regular instalments.
The Department of Social Protection, which administers the Redundancy Payments Scheme on my behalf, informs me of the below statistics which I hope will be of some benefit to the Deputy:
|
Year |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 (to end-Sept) |
|
Number of statutory redundancy payments made under Redundancy Payments Scheme |
2,239 |
1,761 |
1,981 |
2,649 |
1,768 |
|
Approx. average value of statutory redundancy payment (€) |
8,500 |
9,600 |
9,100 |
8,600 |
8,500 |
182. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to Parliamentary Question No. 61 of 24 September 2025, the estimated savings to the Exchequer given that these teaching posts were budgeted for with specific reference to schools in the DEIS scheme. [54252/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to ensuring every child has a positive school experience, supported by qualified and dedicated teachers.
Like many sectors, recruitment challenges exist in the education sector. The number of teachers is at a record high, with over 79,000 currently employed. Teaching posts have grown by over 10,400 in the past five years, outpacing student growth.
The recruitment and appointment of teachers for teaching positions is managed by individual school authorities. There are over 3,000 individual primary school authorities, responsible for this process, including boards of management, as well as Education and Training Boards (ETBs).
The latest teacher payroll data, as of March 2025, shows there are 79,225 teachers employed in our schools across the country with 43,221 at primary level including special schools. The number of unfilled posts remain low at 2.5% as of March 2025. There are less than 1% resignations in the primary sector each year and 1.6% in post-primary.
My response to Parliamentary Question No. 61 of 24 September 2025 provided that of the 3,854.5 allocated posts in DEIS schools, within County Dublin, 250.6 (6.5%) of these allocated posts unfilled. Were these posts to have been filled by primary teachers at the first point of the current salary scale the cost to the Exchequer would be €12.5m. This figure is calculated using the August 2025 payscale, and includes employer’s PRSI.
At the end of each year, any unspent funds are returned to the Exchequer, as a “surplus to surrender” and shown in the Departments Appropriation Accounts. These accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and published on the official government website, gov.ie.
My Department invests over €180 million annually in the DEIS programme, supporting nearly 1,200 schools and 260,000 students. A new DEIS Plan will be published in 2025, focusing on improving outcomes for children at risk of educational disadvantage, promoting innovation, and enabling a more flexible allocation of supports. Future expansion and resource allocation will be guided by this plan and available funding.
Additionally, Budget 2026 has seen an increase of 1,042 teacher posts, including 860 additional teachers working across various Special Educational Needs settings.
Officials of my Department regularly engage with stakeholders including teacher unions on issues like teacher supply through industrial relations forums and sectoral meetings. I am considering further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce and ensure schools are equipped to deliver high-quality education.
183. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will immediately intervene in the case of a child (details supplied) who has been unable to secure an appropriate place in a secondary school for this coming year, despite extensive engagement by the parents with the National Council for Special Education and CDNT teams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54250/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs. It does so through a network of special educational needs organisers (SENOs).
The NCSE has advised my department that the local SENO is working closely with the student’s family regarding options for school placements and other special education supports as required.
2,700 new places have been created for the 2025/26 school year and these, together with the over 1,200 existing places which have become available due to students moving on from primary schools and post primary schools, means that close to 4,000 specialist places were made available. The NCSE advise that a number of these places remain available in each county and are working with families to ensure they are aware where these vacancies remain. Any parent still seeking a specialist placement for this school year should contact the NCSE directly via the details provided on the NCSE's [website].
The NCSE is now looking at what specialist provision is required for the 2026/27 school year. Parents were asked to contact the NCSE by 1 October 2025 if seeking a placement for the 2026/27 school year. The NCSE is collating the information received through this notify process and will work towards sanctioning new provision for the 2026/27 school year by 31 December 2025.
I would like to stress that the NCSE will continue to support all children made known to them after this date also, however, it is important for planning purposes that an earlier timeframe was set to ensure the NCSE has as much local knowledge and detail as possible in order to plan what new provision is required.
My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for children with special educational needs.
184. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review the staffing schedule for primary schools for the 2026/2027 school year to address the inequities in the appointment figures for certain categories of schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54257/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Programme for Government there is a commitment to aim to reduce the general pupil teacher ratio at primary level to 19:1 over the term of government and introduce targeted measures in schools with very large classes. The Government remains committed to reducing class sizes and will consider how best to achieve this in the context of the annual budgetary process.
The primary staffing schedule is designed to operate in a clear and transparent way, ensuring that all schools are treated equally, regardless of their location. With over 3,000 primary schools across the country, it is essential that every school is treated fairly, and that this approach remains a key feature of the staffing process.
Priority was given in recent Budgets to reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the most favourable ratio ever seen at primary level. More favourable ratios are implemented for DEIS Urban Band 1 schools. A three-point reduction in the retention schedule, which was introduced in 2021, assists schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts.
While small schools have benefitted from the recent improvements in the staffing schedule, there are also specific staffing measures aimed at small schools.
Such measures include reduced enrolment thresholds where a school is 8km or more away from the nearest school of the same type of patronage/language of instruction and a specific staffing appeal criteria aimed at small schools which allows the school to appoint/retain a teacher on the basis of current enrolment rather than the previous 30 September. In addition, sole primary schools on our islands have a second classroom teacher allocated, regardless of enrolment.
185. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth Further to Parliamentary Question No. 436 of 30 September 2025, if new applications or proposals will be accepted where they are made by HEIs who are not currently offering the programme; whether the use of the term ‘area’ in the reply referenced above refers to a “geographical” or ‘subject matter’ area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54277/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs outlined to the Deputy in my previous response to Parliamentary Question No. 436, it falls to HEIs as autonomous bodies to consider their expansion of their Initial Teacher Education provision. As such, HEIs who are part of a of university-led centres of teacher education excellence and who are not currently offering a Professional Masters in Education (PME) programme are not precluded from proposing an expansion of their provision in the future. However, any such proposal would need to be considered against identified national need (both subject area needs and geographical needs play an important role) and prevailing teacher supply and demand.
186. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of external consultancy contracts entered into by her Department in the past five years, including the original estimated cost, the final cost, and the reasoning for contracting this work rather than using internal resources. [54320/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation in relation to consultancy expenditure in my Department is compiled annually in respect of the previous year and published online at https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/department-of-education-and-skills-expenditure-on-consultancy/ The data in respect of 2025 is being compiled at present and will be published online as soon as it is available.
187. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth to complete an assessment of enrolment policies in the secondary schools in Dublin Fingal East; to identify geographical areas in the constituency that are disadvantaged by schools enrolment policies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54330/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy department’s main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.??Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available for the relevant year, the student should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection process will be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some students not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.??
In accordance with the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, schools are required to clearly set out their selection criteria in their admission policies. The criteria to be applied by schools and the order of priority are a matter for the schools themselves. It is an important feature of the act that schools can only make a decision on an application for admission that is based on the school’s admission policy.??
In cases where new schools were established to serve a school planning area and the schools uses the school planning area as a criteria on their admissions policy, officials in my department can discuss amendments to this policy with the school, in the context of new residential areas and sustainable transport to schools with the aim for schools to better serve local sustainable communities.
188. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she is aware of the situation in a school (details supplied); and if she will commit to funding such repairs either via the ETB or directly from her Department in line with her predecessor's commitment to fully support the current school campus while plans for a new school build are progressing. [54377/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, the purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme (EWS) is to provide funding specifically for unforeseen emergencies, or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for pupils with special needs. It does so by ensuring the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation.
An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, which is sudden, unforeseen and requires immediate action, and in the case of a school, if not corrected would prevent the school or part thereof from opening.
The EWS operates on the basis of a minimal scope works to address the emergency situation. The EWS is intended to remedy an emergency situation and usually provides only an interim measure until a permanent solution can be delivered under the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) which deals with upgrade works to the school.
The school in question has submitted an EWS application pertaining to roof works. This application has been approved, although upon tender approval the school sought additional works. As previously noted in recent correspondence to the school, only the works approved should have been included in the tender document and subsequently priced.
Once this tender report has been received the EWS team will review and 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.
The option is open to the school in question to submit further EWS applications for the other issues mentioned by the Deputy and the EWS team will review these on a case by case basis.
189. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education and Youth the time frame for the construction of the new three school campus in a location (details supplied); and if she is satisfied that the intended construction dates will be met. [54378/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to Donegal Education and Training Board (DLETB).
The brief for this project is to provide a three-school campus consisting of an eight-mainstream classroom and two special education classrooms for Gaelscoil Bhun Crannach, two post primary schools (Crana College and Coláiste Eoghain) to accommodate a long-term projected enrolment of 800 pupils and also provide a 4 classroom SEN base for each school.
The project is currently at Stage 2b of the architectural process which allows for detailed design and planning, obtaining the necessary statutory permissions and the preparation of tender documents.?When this stage has been finalised and approved, the next stage is tendering for a contractor and then onwards to construction in due course.
While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion of this project, DLETB will continue to engage directly with the school authorities to keep them fully informed of progress on this important project.
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 1,400 school building projects. 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 roll-out 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 roll-out 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 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.
