Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 February 2026
193. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Minister for Education and Youth na ceantair pleanála scoile sa Stát nach bhfuil bunscoil lánGhaeilge iontu a ainmniú, agus cad iad na bearta i ngach cás acu atá déanta ag a Roinn chun an bearna sin a líonadh [10905/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra**Translation into Irish to follow**
As the Deputy may be aware, there are 314 School Planning Areas across the country and there are currently 253 operational Gaelscoileanna. A list of the School Planning Areas that do not have an all-Irish primary school (or Gaelscoil) will be sent to the Deputy as requested.
My Department’s recently published NDP Sectoral Investment Plan provides information on the direction of travel for Irish medium provision and noted that there has been €466m capital investment since 2020. Further investment is planned for Irish medium provision as part of NDP rollout of projects in 2026 and 2027.
The Programme for Government 2025, Securing Ireland’s Future, includes a commitment to establish Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand and support parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children.
On 4 November 2025, my department launched the Primary School Survey, which included a question to establish parental interest in Irish medium provision. The survey, which is the largest of its kind ever undertaken in Ireland, was school specific and aimed to assess parental demand and preferences for different types of primary school provision.
Through the survey, my department is obtaining clear information on the preferences of parents and guardians about the primary schools which their children currently attend, or will attend in coming years, on a number of important areas of primary school provision, including language of instruction (Irish or English).
There will be further clarity on the outcomes of this survey later in 2026.
The results of the survey will help my department to plan how education at primary level is provided. The survey preferences on education through Irish will inform future school planning and consultation around opportunities to provide increased education provision through Irish.
In addition to the survey, on 6 November 2025, my department published a ‘Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht’. The policy sets out my department’s vision that high-quality Irish-medium education will be available to all, in inclusive and multicultural educational settings.
A Taskforce on Models of Provision for Irish-medium Education was established in November 2025 as a key action under the policy. The role of the taskforce is to provide a platform for collaboration between my department and key stakeholders to develop a pathway to increase provision of Irish-medium education.
The taskforce's work is expected to be completed within one year. It will make recommendations to my department on areas such as the criteria for Irish-medium education provision, how to support schools transitioning to Irish-medium education and mechanisms to facilitate expansion of provision.
It is also worth noting that new schools are only established in areas of demographic growth, as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to ensure that every child has a school place. Given the general downward demographic trends at primary and post-primary level, it is not expected that there will be any significant requirement for the establishment of new mainstream schools over the coming years. In this context, the taskforce will have an important role in identifying viable and sustainable solutions to support increased provision of Irish-medium education, at both primary and post-primary level.
Question No. 194 answered with Question No. 187.
