Written Answers Nos. 354-365
354. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans in place to provide funding for additional youth work supports in County Kerry, specifically the provision of four full-time universal (non-targeted) youth workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29340/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince 2020, government investment in youth work has risen from €62.3 million to €90.1 million in 2026.
Under the National Development Plan, €4 million in capital funding will be allocated annually to youth services from 2026 to 2030, providing multi-year certainty for the first time. This allows better long-term planning, investment, and value for money.
The department does not at present directly fund youth worker posts to deliver universal youth work. The department supports the delivery of youth clubs and groups, which are generally led by volunteers, through the Youth Services Grant Scheme (YSGS) and the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme (LYCGS).
The YSGS provides funding to national youth organisations to enable them to deliver quality services to young people that support their social and personal development. The total allocated under the YSGS in 2026 is over €16.7 million.
The LYCGS is an annual funding programme provided by the department and administered by ETBs. It offers financial support to volunteer-led youth clubs and groups to help cover the costs of delivering activities for young people, primarily those aged 10 to 21. In 2026, the scheme has an allocation of over €2.8 million.
Given the importance of volunteers to the delivery of universal youth work through clubs and groups across the country, the department has established the Volunteer Activation Fund to boost recruitment, retention, and support of volunteers. €850,000 has been allocated to this fund for 2026.
The primary scheme by which the department funds youth work posts is UBU Your Place Your Space, the largest youth services scheme funded by the department. Budget 2026 secured an increase of UBU funding to over €54.5 million.
In 2025, €1.2 million was secured for the establishment of ten new UBU Your Place Your Space (UBU) services across the country which will provide targeted youth worker-led support for up to an additional 1,000 young people, bringing the total number of services to 258. Kerry ETB were one of the successful applicants resulting in the establishment of the KCYS UBU Greater Kenmare Project.
Kerry ETB has also been allocated €40,000 in Resilience & Effectiveness (R&E) funding for 2026. The Resilience and Effectiveness (R&E) Initiative is a UBU initiative to support UBU funded organisations to deliver a more efficient and comprehensive service to young people, while ensuring that they have sufficient resilience to operate effectively in the medium to long term.
|
Funded Organisation Name |
R&E funding allocation |
|
KCYS Listowel |
€12,000 |
|
KCYS Greater Kenmare |
€10,000 |
|
KCYS Rink |
€6,000 |
|
Foroige West Iveragh |
€12,000 |
|
Total |
€40,000 |
The R&E Initiative has been designed to address specific issues or concerns within individual UBU funded organisations, whether to address ongoing financial challenges or to increase service provision to young people.
At present no department funding has been allocated for the establishment of additional new UBU services in 2026.
355. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the justification for the lack of therapeutic supports, such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and psychology within school environments, leaving schools as ‘de facto’ providers without necessary resources; her plans to address this ongoing issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13310/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn line with the programme for government commitment, the Education Therapy Service (ETS) has been established as a critical and important support for children and young people in their school environment. The ETS will be delivered by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and is an additional support for children with special education needs. Its purpose is to supplement and not replace existing children’s health and disability services.
On 6th February 2026, the Department of Education and Youth announced the phased rollout of ETS. It is important to highlight that this is the initial phase of the ETS rollout which will occur on a phased basis with a wider roll-out to further special schools within the 2026/2027 school year and a new initiative which will see all schools benefit in the coming years.
The initial phase of the ETS will commence in 45 special schools in this school year. The initial clusters will be based in Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kildare, Kilkenny, Louth, Laois, Limerick, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Tipperary, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.
The NCSE has recently completed a recruitment campaign for Senior and Staff Grade Occupational and Speech and Language Therapists for the initial 16 counties, Panels have been created for the first recruitment campaign and posts are currently being offered with an expectation that there will be some therapists is post in the NCSE in May 2026.
Additionally, the NCSE are undertaking two further recruitment campaigns. The first covers Offaly, Clare, Mayo and Roscommon and was launched on the 10th of March with a closing date of the 31st of March.
Separately, a campaign for Donegal, Kerry, Cavan and Waterford was advertised on Monday 13th of April 2026. A rolling national campaign will continue later in 2026.
In line with the rollout and development of the ETS, we will continue to engage with the HSE on the ETS model of service, to ensure a safe service provision of schools supports between HSE and NCSE services, as NCSE therapists are assigned to schools.
The development and delivery of the ETS will build on the strengths of NCSE’s previous work, delivered through the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS) and the School Inclusion Model (SIM) and the Enhanced In-School Therapies pilot, referenced above. The learnings from all these services and initiatives have been incorporated in the design and development of the ETS.
As referenced, the NCSE have been developing an education-based therapy support service known as the ETSS, which will now be subsumed into the ETS. This service currently provides two strands of support to schools, Regional Therapy and Sustained In-School Therapy to both mainstream and special schools.
Sustained in-school support (SIT) is provided to schools for a defined period of 18-24 months in line with the School Inclusion Model. 22 schools in the Eastern region are currently availing of this service and 28 schools in the Western region are receiving support under SIT since September 25.
Regional therapy support provides Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) with follow on/implementation support by NCSE therapists. The focus of this support is to build the capacity of schools and to embed the learning from TPL into their teaching practice, through In-school coaching and co-facilitation of interventions, strategies and resources, with a focus on whole school (Tier 1) and targeted/school support levels (Tier 2) of a multi-tiered system of support. Regional Therapy seminars are available nationally for the 2025/2026 school year.
Separately, The Department of Education and Youth have been working with colleagues in the Department of Children, Disability and Youth and the HSE to develop and strengthen more coherent structures to enable children and young people to access therapeutic supports. It is important to note that the HSE and its agencies continue to provide supports to individual children and their families through the Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNT)s, Primary Care services and children’s mental health services – CAMHS.
As a result of this engagement, in August 2024, Government announced the special schools’ pilot for enhanced in-school therapy supports, in 16 special schools during the 2024/2025 academic year. This pilot has been extended for the 2025/2026 academic year.
Recruitment for phase 1 of the pilot is nearly complete and recruitment for phase 2 is progressing. However, challenges remain regarding filling of therapy posts in both phases of the pilot, particularly in the Dublin schools. The Health Service Executive and associated agencies are exploring all available options to fill the outstanding posts. This includes offering of posts to existing panels in place, local recruitment campaigns, recruitment through the graduate sponsorship scheme, utilising agency staff for temporary filling and recruiting existing staff, with backfilling of posts. While recruitment efforts are ongoing, the children in each of the 16 special schools continue to receive supports through their local CDNT. Agency therapists are in post in some schools, pending filling of the outstanding posts.
My Department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
356. Deputy David Maxwell asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current status of the additional school accommodation project for a school (details supplied); the timeline for the next stages of delivery; when further correspondence will issue to the school community, in light of the fact that funding has been formally approved by her Department and planning permission has been granted by Monaghan County Council, and given that the project has been ongoing since 2023. [17297/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school referred to by the Deputy was approved to enter my Department's pipeline for school building projects under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme to provide one mainstream classroom and one special education tuition rooms. This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority.
The project was approved to progress to Stage 2b (planning) in September 2024. A Stage 2B report was received in June 2025 which is currently under review from a technical and cost perspective. All school building projects, including this one, will undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the Infrastructure Guidelines. Managing timing, scope, and cost is crucial to ensuring that the overall school building programme remains within the funding parameters.
My department has a strong track record of delivering the Government’s School Building Programme with over €6 billion invested since 2020.
As the Deputy will be aware, I have recently published the €7.55 billion NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors for the period 2026 to 2030. This sets out my department’s approach to prioritised investment in school infrastructure. There is a strong focus in the plan on maximising existing capacity and prioritising project rollout to meet the most urgent needs particularly to support special education needs provision.
The project at the school in question forms part of this overall pipeline of school building projects that will continue to be managed in line with available NDP funding.
357. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a plan is in place to ensure all 6th class primary school students with disabilities will have a place in secondary school in September 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12538/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnabling students with special educational needs to receive an education that meets their needs is a priority for this Government. It is also a key priority for me, my department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
The vast majority of students with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where students with more complex needs require additional supports, special class and special school places are provided. This is in keeping with policy on an inclusive education, which advocates that students will be supported to receive an education in the most inclusive setting possible.
In order to support the NCSE and forward planning my department published Circular 0039/2025. This circular informs school management and patrons of measures introduced to support forward planning and reiterates the need for parents to inform the NCSE through the Parent Notify process that they are seeking a special educational placement for their child.
An earlier date of 1 October was set for parents to complete the Parents Notify process this year. I understand this earlier date may not suit every family. However, it was introduced to ensure the NCSE can provide clarity for families earlier than in previous years. It will also support forward planning and equip the NCSE with timely information as to what students would be leaving school, transitioning to post-primary specialist places or those seeking specialist placement and entering the education system for the first time.
My department and the NCSE continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year 2026/2027. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January of this year, which is several months earlier than last year. 432 have been sanctioned to date and more new special classes will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Details of the new special classes are available on the NCSE website.
Five inclusive special classes have been sanctioned as part of a new approach to supporting students with additional needs. This builds on good practice that helps students with additional needs learn alongside other students in mainstream classes, while also having time during the day to receive extra support in a special class. It formalises good practices already in place in many schools and aligns with national policy developments on inclusive education.
My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to achieve their full potential.
358. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of schools in Longford and Westmeath that will from September 2026, be forced to have mixed year classes due to loss of a teacher. [29008/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraPriority 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. Teacher allocations for DEIS Urban Band 1 schools have also been improved and now stand at an average of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively.
The primary school staffing arrangements for the 2026/27 school year are set out in Circular 0025/2026. The allocation process for the 2026/27 school year is currently underway and will not be finalised until the Autumn, when the staffing appeal and projected enrolment processes have been completed.
The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. The Department's guidance to schools is that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible taking all relevant contextual factors into account (e.g. classroom accommodation, fluctuating enrolment etc.).
359. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary schools in counties Wicklow and Wexford that have had their allocation of SNA hours reduced; the number of schools that have lost their SNA positions; in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14357/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to achieve their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
By the end of this year there will be almost 25,000 special needs assistants (SNAs) in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools.
SNAs play a key role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools.
In February I announced that I had listened to concerns and engaging intensively to ensure that all of the concerns raised were really understood and children with special educational needs are fully supported.
It was agreed that there will be no reductions to special needs assistants for the next school year 2026/27.
All schools reviewed by the NCSE and allocated additional resources will receive them in the upcoming school year.
The SNA redeployment scheme, the SNA workforce development plan and changes to a 2014 circular outlining the role of a SNA will be advanced before any further decisions are taken.
Following agreement and publication of these key documents, the NCSE can commence reviews of supports provided to schools for the 2027/28 academic year which will uphold the integrity of the process, which allocates supports based on the needs of children.
The NCSE has responsibility for ensuring that the additional 1,717 SNA posts are allocated to mainstream, special classes and special schools to meet the care needs in these locations.
The department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
360. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason SNA hours are being cut in primary schools across the country; the reason the increase of 1,717 SNA positions has not been delivered, as promised in Budget 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14358/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to achieve their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
By the end of this year there will be almost 25,000 special needs assistants (SNAs) in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools.
SNAs play a key role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs in schools.
In February I announced that I had listened to concerns and engaging intensively to ensure that all of the concerns raised were really understood and children with special educational needs are fully supported.
It was agreed that there will be no reductions to special needs assistants for the next school year 2026/27.
All schools reviewed by the NCSE and allocated additional resources will receive them in the upcoming school year.
The SNA redeployment scheme, the SNA workforce development plan and changes to a 2014 circular outlining the role of a SNA will be advanced before any further decisions are taken.
Following agreement and publication of these key documents, the NCSE can commence reviews of supports provided to schools for the 2027/28 academic year which will uphold the integrity of the process, which allocates supports based on the needs of children.
The NCSE has responsibility for ensuring that the additional 1,717 SNA posts are allocated to mainstream, special classes and special schools to meet the care needs in these locations.
The department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
361. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to provide training for teachers working with children with visual impairment; if she will engage with charities with already-developed resources ready to be deployed for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29227/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department and the NCSE engage regularly with organisations supporting the blind and visually impaired on how best to support those students.
The Visiting Teachers for the Blind and Visually Impaired (VTBVIs) are all qualified teachers with particular skills and knowledge of the development and education of children with varying degrees of visual impairment. They offer longitudinal support to children, their families and schools from the time of referral through to the end of post-primary education.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), who manages the VT’s service on behalf of my Department offers seminars, delivered by Visiting Teachers, for schools with a student(s) who is blind or visually impaired. This is an introductory seminar which is additional to the sustained support that is the core work of the Visiting Teachers.
The NCSE also provides professional development for teachers in the area of Cerebral/Cortical Vision Impairment (CVI).
Post-graduate courses (Master of Arts/Post graduate Diploma) dealing specifically with the education of those with Vision Impairment are offered by universities in the UK and the NCSE provides funding for teachers to attend.
Teachers who have completed the post-graduate course may apply to NCSE for funding for additional post-graduate courses such as courses dealing with Multi-Sensory Impairments.
Furthermore, teachers who are not Visiting Teachers but are working with a student who has sight loss are also eligible to apply for funding from NCSE to attend these courses.
60% of our Visiting Teachers (VT’s) hold a post graduate qualification in Education of students who are blind or visually impaired. There are another 12% who are part way through the course. The remainder of the VT’s are relatively new recruits, and are expected to undertake the course within the next 12-24 months.
In addition, the NCSE also holds an annual 2 day training event for VT’s where they focus on particular issues identified by VTs throughout the year.
362. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth the specific training modules that deal with the question of visual impairment in the state-subsidised SNA upskilling programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29228/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing a procurement process for the continued provision of the SNA National Training Programme, a contract was awarded to Atlantic Technological University (ATU). The course is being delivered jointly by the School of Education and the School of Nursing, Health Sciences and Disability Studies at ATU St Angela’s College, Sligo.
From September 2025 the course has included additional modules and practical in-person training at regional locations, fostering communities of practice among SNAs.
This programme contains six modules:
• Module one – Inclusive Education with Additional Educational Needs.
• Module two – Language and Communication.
• Module three – Social and Emotional Development.
• Module four – Supporting Students with Primary Care Needs, including Medical and Complex Needs.
• Module five – Supporting Students with Autism.
• Module six – Professional Development of SNAs.
As part of this programme, ATU have included a live hour-long webinar on the Role of the Special Needs Assistant in working with Students who are Blind/ Vision Impaired. This webinar is delivered by a Visiting Teacher currently in service with the NCSE.
To date, approximately 3,775 SNAs have completed the National Training Programme which is fully funded by my department for all SNAs working in recognised primary, post-primary and special schools.
Separately, as you will be aware my department is currently advancing work on the first SNA Workforce Development Plan. The plan, which is scheduled for publication shortly, aims to bring clarity and direction to the SNA service through policy developments in five key areas:
• Pillar 1: Review and Development of the SNA Role.
• Pillar 2: Establishment of a Quality Framework.
• Pillar 3: Establishment of an SNA Learning and Development Programme.
• Pillar 4: Supporting SNA Recruitment, Retention, and Diversity.
• Pillar 5: Development of a Communications Strategy.
The plan is being developed in consultation with key stakeholders, including SNAs, school management bodies, unions, schools, parents, and students. Importantly, SNAs are represented on each of the five working groups.
It is intended that the Learning and Development Programme being developed under pillar 3 of the plan will strengthen SNA service delivery by providing equitable access to appropriate, legitimate opportunities for upskilling and reskilling, to ensure that SNAs are equipped to meet the complex needs of children and young people in their care in an evolving educational environment.
I am pleased to state that work on the SNA Workforce Development Plan is at an advanced stage. The plan will provide recommendations and strategies to deliver an enhanced SNA service which will benefit children and young people with special educational needs in our schools.
363. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether orientation and mobility services for the visually impaired and blind fall within the remit of her Department or the Department of Health; if orientation and mobility can be included as part of the expanded core curriculum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29231/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraOrientation and mobility services for the blind and visually impaired is the responsibility of Department of Children, Disability and Equality and is delivered through the Children’s Disability Network Teams (CDNTs) nationally.
My Department has partnered with the Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind (IGDB) since 1999 to provide the Child Mobility Programme to blind and visually impaired children in primary and post primary schools in the Munster region. This programme is funded via a grant for the services of a Mobility Officer employed by the IGDB who provides mobility training to visually impaired children. The Mobility officer is a qualified rehabilitation worker/Mobility Instructor who has considerable experience in both Ireland and the United Kingdom and has been working on the Child Mobility Programme since its inception.
My Department recognises the importance of this training in supporting people with vision impairment. However, while there are currently no plans to expand the programme further, Department officials have been engaging with their counterparts in the Department of Children, Equality, and Disability, (DCDE) with a view to delivering an integrated model of services which will support students not only in education settings but in all settings i.e. home, local community etc.
364. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will consider replacing the secondment model for visiting teachers with a permanent contract to enhance the professional standing of the role and to provide security for those teachers who pursue this important pathway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29232/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Visiting Teacher Service of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) gives advice, teaching and guidance to support educational provision for children and young people who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/ visually impaired. This is available from birth through to pre-school, primary and post primary levels. They support parents, guardians, teachers and other professionals involved with the child.
The VTs are qualified teachers with particular skills and knowledge of the development and education of children with varying degrees of hearing loss and/or visual impairment. Visiting teachers offer long-term support to children from primary to post-primary levels, taking account of each childs’ needs. They work in a geographic region as part of the new NCSE team structure, which now has 20 teams located on a near county basis, and which consists of other NCSE professionals, including therapists and Special Education Needs Organisers.
The frequency and nature of support take into account a range of factors based on individual student needs and requirements. Central to the service’s work is liaison with other external professionals and agencies, including audiological scientists, ophthalmology services, speech and language therapists, low vision specialists, psychologists, early intervention teams, school staff and with parents.
The visiting teachers are are all qualified teachers and are employed on teachers terms and conditions.
Currently, some VTs are employed on a permanent basis, while others are seconded to the NCSE. This enables the NCSE to ensure the model of service is both consistent and flexible, two key principles which underpin the delivery of service. Permanent VTs provide consistency and stability which underpins the service, they provide longitudinal support and build relationships with children parents and families. While the secondment model provides flexibility and builds teacher skills. Service delivery by the NCSE is continually under development.
365. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Education and Youth the date on which she and Department officials will visit a school site (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29245/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that the construction of the school in question is being progressed directly by the school. The project is being funded under the Immigration Investor Programme (IIP) introduced by the Irish Government in 2012. This development was initiated by the school and is being progressed independently by the school in conjunction with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration who have oversight of the IIP Programme. The school announced in a statement earlier this year that works will commence in the coming weeks, with full construction scheduled to recommence this summer.
The Department of Education and Youth has not had any involvement with the project.
