Mark Ward
Ceist:915. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there are any plans to establish a new reading school for children with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20832/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraSpecial Educational Needs
Ceisteanna (915, 914, 916, 917)
Mark Ward
Ceist:914. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the percentile of children that receive a school place within the four reading schools in the State established to assist children with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20831/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMark Ward
Ceist:916. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if there are any plans to establish new reading classes for children with dyslexia; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20833/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMark Ward
Ceist:917. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of places there are for placement in reading schools and reading classes for children with dyslexia; and the number of children that are on the waiting list; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20834/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 915, 914, 916 and 917 together.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the statutory body responsible for the provision of special education and allocating supports for students with special educational needs.
At present, there are four special schools, and fourteen special classes attached to mainstream schools to support students with a specific learning disability such as severe dyslexia. I want to acknowledge the excellent work they do. It is important to note they were established at a time when there were much fewer additional supports in schools.
Each school prepares and publishes their own admissions policy and runs their own admissions process in line with the Admissions Act. Individual schools will determine the outcome of applications received by them in accordance with their own admissions policy and procedures.
In pursuit of a more inclusive education system it is important, as far as possible to support students to attend their local mainstream schools. This means that children and young people can be educated with their peers and are not required to travel long distances to attend special schools or classes.
15,000 special education teachers have been provided to enable schools to achieve this objective. In practical terms this means schools get a substantial additional teaching allocation to support students with special education needs who are in mainstream classes.
The additional resources are intended to support students with the greatest level of need, including those with a specific learning disability such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or dysgraphia.
Of course, I recognise the importance of building the capacity of teachers in mainstream schools to meet the needs of all students. To support this, 338 places are funded each year for teachers to attend post-graduate special education needs programmes. The NCSE offers dedicated professional learning opportunities for teachers supporting students with additional needs. The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) also provides professional learning opportunities that are available to all primary and post-primary school teachers on supporting children and young people with special educational needs.
Funding is also made available to schools for the purchase of specialised equipment to assist students. Schools can apply to the NCSE, through their local special educational needs organiser (SENO) for such support.
The need for any additional provision or resources for schools to support students with dyslexia is subject to continual review by the NCSE.
My department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements remain available for students with special educational needs and will continue to review and monitor the situation as to where new specialist provision is required.
Question No. 916 answered with Question No. 915.
Question No. 917 answered with Question No. 915.
Education Schemes
Ceisteanna (918)
James Geoghegan
Ceist:918. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review an application by a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20859/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The purpose of the Climate Action Summer Works Scheme (CASWS) is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis that, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The CASWS operates on a multi-annual basis across a number of categories of works.
It is envisaged that approvals in any given year will involve a spread of categories rather than the traditional single category at a time. This is aimed at managing market capacity and maximising value for money opportunities for school authorities.
In November 2025, my colleague the former Minister of Education and Youth, Helen McEntee TD, announced the first tranche of approvals under the new Climate Action Summer Works Scheme. 297 projects were approved to proceed and involve primary, post primary and special schools, along with projects in all counties and across all categories of works.
My Department can confirm an application was received from the school in question however the school was not on the list of approvals in the first tranche. Given that funding is limited in any particular year it is necessary to prioritise applications. Under the new climate action summer works scheme which operates on a multi annual basis, like previous summer works schemes, applications from schools that are not reached for funding or market prioritisation reasons in 2026 will qualify to be assessed for purposes of the funding available for climate action summer works in subsequent years.
It is anticipated that the next tranche of approvals will be in the latter half of 2026.
Full details of the of the announcement and the list of schools approved in the first tranche, the Circular (0029/2025) for the scheme and guidance documents for schools can be found at the below link;
gov.ie Summer Works Scheme
Question No. 919 answered with Question No. 901.
Departmental Correspondence
Ceisteanna (920)
Pat Buckley
Ceist:920. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether or not fees (details supplied) will be waived and; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20922/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Following the Government’s Budget 2026 announcement last October, examination entry fees will recommence for upcoming state examinations in 2026, at the same level as when they were last charged in 2019:
• €116 per entry for a Senior Cycle/Leaving Certificate candidate; and
• €109 per entry for a Junior Cycle candidate.
In line with the arrangements which applied when fees were last charged, candidates who hold a full medical card, or who are covered for all services on a parent or guardian’s full medical card, are exempt from examination fees. It should be noted that the rate of examination entry fees has not been increased since 2012.
I can advise that the State Examinations Commission (SEC) initially notified schools that fees would be charged for the 2026 State examinations in October 2025. This was reiterated in other circulars which issued in November, January, and February. A further circular was issued to schools last week with details in relation to the SEC's Online Fee Service. Full details of all fee rates are available here.
Educational Disadvantage
Ceisteanna (921)
Brendan Smith
Ceist:921. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Youth when it is proposed to include additional primary and second level schools in the DEIS Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20946/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Addressing educational disadvantage is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth. The DEIS programme is a key policy initiative for addressing educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a range of targeted support in addition to the universal supports available to all schools such as:
• Inspectorate support helps improve education provision for all children and young people. They promote best practice and school improvement by advising teachers, principals and boards of management in schools.
• National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological service to all primary and post-primary schools and special schools to support the well-being, academic, social and emotional development of all learners.
• The Special Education Teaching (SET) allocation provides a unified allocation for special education support teaching needs to each school based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses an element of Language (EAL) support allocation. Under this SET model, schools are frontloaded with resources to provide support immediately to those pupils who need it without delay.
• Free schoolbooks are provided to all children and young people in the free education system.
• Through the Department of Social Protection, the School Meals Programme provides regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The Hot School Meals Programme is available to all primary schools, meaning that approximately 3,700 schools and organisations and 682,000 children are now eligible for the Schools Meals Programme.
Currently, the DEIS programme support almost 1,200 primary and post-primary schools reaching approximately 260,00 students, with an annual investment of over €180 million. Budget 2026 allocates an additional €16.5 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027 to support the implementation of the new DEIS Strategy and the introduction of the DEIS Plus scheme which will commence in 2026.
The Minister is committed to addressing educational disadvantage in all schools to ensure all children can reach their full potential. To this end, a new ten-year DEIS Strategy to 2035 will be published in the coming weeks. The strategy will introduce innovative solutions to address educational disadvantage.
Over its lifetime. the new DEIS Strategy will focus on improving the opportunities and achievement levels of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage and working towards a more flexible system of supports to ensure that a school can receive the right support at the right time.
Any future expansion of the DEIS programme and overall allocation of resources will be considered within the context of the new ten-year DEIS Strategy.
Educational Reform
Ceisteanna (922)
Barry Ward
Ceist:922. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the campaign to create an Irish Academy of Fine Arts (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18345/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
My Department has been made aware of the campaign in question but has no role in this regard. While the future of the GPO is being considered by the Dublin City Taskforce with input from the Office of Public Works and a range of Government Departments and State bodies, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science oversees policy, funding and governance for the higher and further education, research and innovation sectors.
Artists' Remuneration
Ceisteanna (923)
Carol Nolan
Ceist:923. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 599 of 24 February 2026, to list the artforms classified as ‘other’ in his response; to clarify his reference to one recipient being “blank”; whether this means that this recipient received the payment despite not clearly identifying the artform which they participated in; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18452/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
All BIA applicants provided extensive evidence about their artistic practice at time of application in the spring of 2022 in order to demonstrate eligibility. The survey data referred to in the Deputy's question was collected in October 2022 as part of the baselining survey and forms the basis of the research programme.
“Other” was chosen by those artists who didn’t feel represented by the available categories. “Other” also includes Architecture and Opera, which were grouped manually into "Other" because they are relatively small cohorts from a data evaluation perspective. In addition, artists often work on a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary basis and therefore over the course of the BIA research may have moved between art forms.
In relation to the respondent who left a blank response, it should be noted that “Art form” is a mandatory field in the survey and my officials investigated the issue further. That respondent indicated in a later question in that survey that they were a singer and were paid the BIA.
Departmental Correspondence
Ceisteanna (924)
Danny Healy-Rae
Ceist:924. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide funding for a project (details supplied) from the Large Scale Infrastructure Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18513/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund (LSSIF) was established under the 2018 National Sports Policy to provide Exchequer support for larger sport facility projects, typically those requiring investment greater than the maximum available under the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF).
The first allocations under LSSIF 2018 were announced in January 2020 with €86.4 million awarded to 33 different projects. Additional funding of €37.6 million was allocated to 27 of these projects in December 2023, bringing the total awarded under LSSIF 2018 to €124 million.
In 2024, the second round of the LSSIF attracted unprecedented demand, with 96 applications seeking a combined total of €665 million in funding, including an application on behalf of the club referred to by the Deputy. In November 2024, grants amounting to €173 million were awarded to 35 projects. The club referred to by the Deputy did not receive an allocation.
The LSSIF is currently closed to applications and my current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of the LSSIF, 2018 and 2024. This process will inform any decisions regarding the timing of a future round but I am committed to ensuring sustained investment in sports facilities to meet our ambitious goals for sports participation nationwide.
Sport and Recreational Development
Ceisteanna (925)
Joanna Byrne
Ceist:925. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if the next round of Sports Capital Programme, which is due to open in late May, early June 2026, will link areas to the Pobal Deprivation Index; will the new programme continue to allocate funding dependent on a club's location (details supplied) and link this to the index or will all clubs in County Carlow be granted 95% of the total funding for any future project and clubs contribute 5%; the club in question would previously only have secured 70% funding, due to the area being considered for the overall project and would have to contribute 30% of the costs, which is a significant burden for smaller rural clubs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18576/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Over a quarter of a billion euro was allocated to 3,048 community sports clubs and facilities in 2024 under the most recent, 2023, round of the Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF), representing the largest-ever investment in sports facilities in communities across Ireland. Out of a total of 3,046 successful applications allocations, 1,632 (54%) received at least 90% of the maximum valid grant applicable and only 6 applications received less than 50% of the maximum valid grant.
My Department is currently collating feedback from sporting clubs and organisations from this most recent round and this is very valuable input to our ongoing preparations for the next round. New guidelines will be published in advance of the next round and these will include the eligibility and likely assessment criteria for that next round.
In line with previous rounds of the Fund, a review of the current funding round has been undertaken and will be published shortly. I have asked my department to prepare for a 2026 round of the CSFF in the coming months. It is anticipated that the next CSFF round will particularly target areas and sports that have been under-invested in over the years. I am aiming to announce the opening of applications in the first half of this year.
Departmental Staff
Ceisteanna (926)
Liam Quaide
Ceist:926. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the number of staff from his Department seconded to other Departments or agencies in the Civil Service, per annum from 2022 to date in 2026; and the details of the Department or agency, in tabular form. [18588/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Since the establishment of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport on 1st June 2025, 7 staff were seconded from this department to bodies and agencies, the details of which are set out in tabular form below.
Five secondments remain ongoing and 2 secondments ended during 2025.
|
Grade: |
Civil Service Dept/Agency Seconded To: |
Year |
Status: |
|
PO |
An Coimisiún Pleanála |
2025 |
Ongoing |
|
AP |
The Electoral Commission |
2025 |
Ended |
|
AP |
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Perm Rep of Ireland to EU) |
2025 |
Ongoing |
|
HEO |
Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht |
2025 |
Ongoing |
|
AO |
The Electoral Commission |
2025 |
Ended |
|
EO |
Department of Health |
2025 |
Ongoing |
|
AO |
Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation |
2026 |
Ongoing |
Departmental Staff
Ceisteanna (927)
Liam Quaide
Ceist:927. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the number of staff from his Department seconded to a firm in the private sector, per annum from 2022 to date in 2026; and the details of the company, in tabular form. [18606/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Since the establishment of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport on 1st June 2025, no staff from the Department have been seconded to a firm in the private sector.
Departmental Staff
Ceisteanna (928)
Liam Quaide
Ceist:928. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the number of staff from his Department seconded from a firm in the private sector, per annum from 2022 to date in 2026; and the details of the company, in tabular form. [18624/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Since the establishment of the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport on 1st June 2025, no staff have been seconded into the Department from the private sector.
Departmental Data
Ceisteanna (929)
Paul Donnelly
Ceist:929. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the CEOs or equivalent he has formally met with from each State agency under the remit of the Department to date in 2026, in tabular form. [18683/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the CEOs or equivalent I have formally met with from each State agency under the remit of my Department to date in 2026 is set out in the table below.
|
State Agency |
Meeting/s held with CEO or equivalent |
Date |
|
Arts Council |
Yes |
21/01/2026 |
|
National Library of Ireland |
Yes |
20/01/2026 |
|
National Museum of Ireland |
Yes |
13/02/2026 |
|
RTÉ |
Yes |
20/01/2026 |
|
Sport Ireland |
Yes |
21/01/2026 |
|
An Post |
Yes |
18/02/2026 |
Departmental Data
Ceisteanna (930)
Carol Nolan
Ceist:930. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 599 of 24 February 2026, to provide a breakdown of the 547 music recipients by their role or professional category within the music industry (details supplied); the number of recipients who were classified as full-time workers or part-time workers in the music industry; the number of applicants who declared a disability in their application; the number of those applicants who were subsequently awarded support; and to further provide any internal categorisation or statistical summaries used by his Department to classify applicants from the music sector within the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18832/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Music was the second-largest artform represented in the BIA recipients cohort with 547 reporting working in music. The BIA survey does not track the number of recipients who work full-time vs part-time. Rather, it tracks the number of hours spent each week on several activities, as this delivers more precise information.
Recipients who indicated “music” as their primary art form spent on average the following number of weekly hours on the below activities as of October 2022:
|
Variable |
Mean hours |
|
Weekly hours making work |
21.44 |
|
Weekly hours presenting and showing work |
4.51 |
|
Weekly hours research and experimentation related to one’s practice |
9.45 |
|
Weekly hours on management and administration related to one’s practice |
6.60 |
|
Weekly hours training related to one’s practice |
2.64 |
|
Weekly hours travelling for work including touring |
5.7 |
|
Weekly hours volunteering in the arts |
3.58 |
|
Weekly hours mentoring or coaching others |
1.94 |
564 people reported a disability at the time of application. 157 BIA recipients reported a disability in October 2022.
Of the 547 BIA recipients who reported that music in their artform, the main category reported was musician at over 100 applicants. The remainder included a range of sub-categories including singer-songwriters, composers, producers, traditional musicians etc and a mixture of such categories and others. As the categories are self-reporting with a variety of terms and descriptions used, often overlapping, the Department did not produce a definite break-down of these categories for publication.
Official Travel
Ceisteanna (931)
Paul Lawless
Ceist:931. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the total anticipated costs associated with his foreign travel for St Patricks Day; the delegation size; and if a breakdown can be provided on these costs including on accommodation and flights. [18887/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Details of the costs associated with my foreign travel for St Patrick's Day will be published on the Department's website after the end of this Quarter. The Delegation consisted of myself, the Secretary General of the Department and my Private Secretary.
Personal expenses incurred by accompanying officials are claimed by the individual officers in accordance with applicable Civil Service procedures.
All flights relating to these trips were booked in accordance with Government Guidelines. My Department makes an annual payment to the Climate Action Fund scheme, administered by the Department of the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment to offset emissions for travel on commercial flights, in accordance with Circular 01/2020 (D/PER).
Question No. 932 answered with Question No. 938.
Sports Events
Ceisteanna (933)
John Brady
Ceist:933. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the engagement his Department has undertaken in relation to a sporting event (details supplied) taking place in Croke Park; if his Department is willing to commit resources as they have done with other recent major sporting events; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19028/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
A potential event such as the one referenced by the Deputy is fundamentally a commercial initiative and a matter for agreement between the event promoter and the venue operator in the first instance.
Should a specific request for support be received, my Department will assess that in line with the Government’s Major International Sports Events Policy and Strategy Framework, which sets out the criteria for evaluating such requests for public funding. This document is available on my Department's website at https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/ogp-frameworks/major-international-sports-events-policy-and-strategy-framework/
A promoter has been in contact with my Department in recent weeks regarding the possibility of a major sporting event, which could encompass the specific event referred to, taking place in Dublin later in 2026. While some preliminary information has been provided, the promoter has been asked to provide more detail of any specific State support being sought.
EU Presidency
Ceisteanna (934)
Aidan Farrelly
Ceist:934. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he can provide details on the youth forum which will take place in the lead-up to Ireland's Presidency and the online safety conference that will run during it; the position regarding the way in which young people will be engaged with on this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19143/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Ireland's Presidency of the EU in the second half of this year will be an important opportunity for Ireland to work with our partners across the EU to deliver on diverse and crucial policy priorities, while showcasing Ireland’s commitment to taking forward our shared interests across the EU.
Ireland's Presidency priorities and policy programme, including those of my Department, remain under development at present with the final overall Presidency programme expected to be published shortly before the start of Ireland's Presidency term.
However, as I have previously made clear, online safety for children is a key priority for me under Ireland's Presidency. In this regard, and as part of work on this priority, my Department is planning a targeted one-day youth forum in the lead up to the Presidency to engage with and obtain the perspectives of children and young people on aspects of their experience online including their views on how to make the internet safer. The outputs from the forum will also feed into a wider programme for a high level Presidency conference on online safety in September. More details on the youth forum and Presidency conference will be available in due course closer to the commencement of the Presidency.
Employment Rights
Ceisteanna (935)
Robert O'Donoghue
Ceist:935. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he has met with representatives of a union (details supplied) who represent workers in RTÉ; if so, the dates; if he will provide a summary of the matters discussed in relation to the proposed workforce reduction and restructuring plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19197/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I received an invitation to attend a meeting organised by the body which the Deputy has referred to. Due to prior commitments, I was unable to attend the meeting, and my Office conveyed my apologies.
It is also important to note that, given RTÉ's independence, as set out in the Broadcasting Act 2009, I have no role to play in its day-to-day operations, including human resource matters.
Departmental Expenditure
Ceisteanna (936)
Robert O'Donoghue
Ceist:936. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the mechanisms that will be in place to ensure that where production is outsourced to the commercial sector, there is full transparency and accountability regarding the expenditure of public funds, including safeguards to ensure that such arrangements do not result in reduced public oversight or diminished value for money; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19203/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Revised General Scheme of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill, which was approved by Government in April 2025, provides that RTÉ shall pay an amount not less than 25% of its public funding into the independent programmes account for the purposes of commissioning sound and audiovisual programmes from producers who are independent of RTÉ and other broadcasters. The General Scheme also provides for additional transparency obligations on RTÉ in terms of its annual reporting on its commissioning activities.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport published its pre-legislative scrutiny report on the General Scheme on 17 September 2025 and recommended (Recommendation 66), inter alia, that 'the financial reporting requirements of RTÉ and independent producers regarding commissioned content be balanced against the impacts of disclosing commercially sensitive information on the competitiveness of the sector'.
I wrote to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on 13 February 2026 to inform them that I intended to address this recommendation in the published Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill by providing that the following information should be disclosed on an annual basis in respect of each programme commissioned by RTÉ:
• the total cost of the production within monetary bands (to be determined by Minister direction);
• the public contribution as a percentage of the total cost, which will be itemised individually, by reference to the type of public support, and cumulatively.
The Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill will also provide for a wider range of measures to enhance the transparency, value-for-money and accountability in RTÉ and TG4. These include the assignment of the Comptroller and Auditor General as auditor of RTÉ and reforms to the system through which Coimisiún na Meán assesses the performance of, and recommends funding for, RTÉ and TG4.
The Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill is scheduled for publication as part of the Spring 2026 Legislative Programme.
In addition to these additional transparency measures, Coimisiún na Meán has been undertaking a review of the guidance it provides to RTÉ and TG4 on the preparation by the public service media providers of Codes of Fair Trading Practice under section 112 of the Broadcasting Ac 2009. The Codes of Fair Trading Practice set out the principles that will be applied by the providers when agreeing terms for the commissioning of programming material from independent producers.
The current guidance published by Coimisiún na Meáns sets out that transparency should be one of the key principles underpinning a Codes of Fair Trading Practice. Under section 112(2) of the Broadcasting Act 2009, I, as Minister, am a statutory consultee on the preparation of new guidance by Coimisiún na Meán and I will be emphasising the importance of transparency as a key principle in commissioning decisions.