Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
501. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her attention has been drawn to published research (details supplied) outlining that up to 49% of people would send their children to an Irish-medium school if it was available in their locality; the actions she will take to facilitate this demand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28320/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
In this regard, my department published a ‘Policy for Irish-medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht’. A key recommendation of this report was the establishment of a Taskforce on Models of Provision for Irish-medium Education, which commenced its work in November 2025. 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 nationally. 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.
In addition to the report and taskforce, on 4 November 2025, my department published a 'Framework and action plan for delivery of increased choice for parents on education provision at primary level’. The main focus of this framework and action plan was an online, school-specific survey. The survey ran from 4 November to 16 December 2025.
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 patronage/ethos, co-education or single-sex school provision and language of instruction (English or Irish).
The results of the survey will help my department to plan how education at primary level is provided.
