Written Answers Nos. 83-102
83. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to provide the amounts by which his Department or agencies within the aegis of his Department has that been defrauded as a result of a cyberattack; and the total amount which has been recovered for each of the years 2021 to 2025, and to date in 2026. [51982/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested is currently being collated by my Department and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy as soon as it is finalised.
84. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment his plans on commissioning an investigation into the circumstances of a company (details supplied) going into liquidation; and whether investor funds were mishandled, given the significant number of small investors and pensions that have been impacted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52076/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Companies Act 2014, the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA) exercises a supervisory role over the activities of liquidators of insolvent companies in the State. The Authority also operates a regime of restriction and disqualification undertakings in respect of directors of insolvent companies.
The CEA actively encourages members of the public to submit complaints, expressions of concern and protected disclosures (where applicable) where information comes to their attention that may suggest a breach of company law. I would urge anyone who has concerns regarding a potential breach to bring these concerns to the attention of the CEA.
Complaints regarding suspected breaches of company law should be notified to the CEA using the CEA Complaints Form available on the CEA’s website at: https://cea.gov.ie/en-ie/What-We-Do/Complaints-Concerns-Protected-Disclosures
The CEA can also be contacted via its website (cea.gov.ie), by email at info@cea.gov.ie, or by telephone. Full contact details are available on its website.
The CEA is independent in the performance of its functions under section 944D(4) of the Companies Act 2014. This provision ensures that company law is enforced without the possibility of interference from any party.
Accordingly, as Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation, I do not have any power to intervene in any action or decision taken by the Authority in the exercise of its statutory functions, as this would conflict with the statutory framework which was created to ensure its independence.
85. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the rationale for allocating only 0.26% of the Department’s €7.55 billion NDP capital to youth infrastructure; the basis on which the annual €4 million youth capital allocation was determined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51905/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe department places a high value on both formal and non-formal education, recognising that youth work provides unique developmental, social and participative opportunities for young people that complement and enhance outcomes achieved through the formal education system. The NDP Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors for the period 2026 to 2030 places a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. In this regard there is a strong special education dimension to project rollout.
The department manages a large and complex school estate requiring significant capital investment. Around €5billion will fund major building projects, additional accommodation, modular units, with construction in about 10% of schools out to 2027. This will deliver c.57,000 new or modernised school places, with a strong focus on Special Education, and 105 projects to move to construction or tender. A further €2.25billion supports upkeep/operation, such as minor works, ICT, climate actions, emergency and summer works, and PPP-related costs.
The youth sector does not manage a comparable physical estate; however, capital of €4million per annum from 2026 to 2030 will support development and sustainability and this funding represents a significant increase of €3.5 million on the 2025 annual allocation and an enhancement on the annual youth capital allocations of recent years.
The NDP Sectoral Investment Plan funding of €20 million for the youth sector was informed by the level and type of demand for capital expenditure within the sector over recent years and with a view to providing more capacity to continue targeted investment in essential upgrades to youth facilities, equipment, and digital infrastructure in a modern youth work environment. The overarching vision is to ensure that young people have access to safe, inclusive, fit-for-purpose spaces that support meaningful engagement, development, and participation. This framework marks the first time that the youth sector has had clear visibility and certainty regarding capital funding over a multi-year period.
Importantly, establishing a defined capital envelope under the NDP provides a predictable basis for planning, allowing the youth sector to prepare projects in a structured and strategic way. It also supports value for money and a coherent long-term development of youth facilities nationally.
Work is currently underway within the department to finalise the 2026 youth capital funding scheme, with the scheme expected to be launched shortly. In parallel, 2026 will serve as an important scoping and preparation year for the wider youth capital programme under the NDP to 2030, including building relationships with key external stakeholders. Youth participation will also be a key element of this planning process. Engagement with the youth sector more broadly will ensure that investment is targeted at areas of greatest need.
86. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has assessed the level of capital investment actually required to meet current and projected youth population needs; if that assessment and data can be provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51906/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra87. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will confirm whether the €4 million annual youth capital allocation will be converted into a multi-annual capital funding given that single-year allocations cannot support construction, refurbishment or acquisition of youth facilities; and if not, the way in which her Department expects youth organisations to deliver capital projects under one-year funding cycles. [51907/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra90. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has engaged with the OPW on the number of vacant sites in the state that could potentially be used for youth organisations and community use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51910/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra92. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans in place to develop youth-specific infrastructure, such as youth cafés and hang-out spaces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51912/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra94. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she supports the establishment of a cross-government youth infrastructure unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51914/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 86, 87, 90, 92 and 94 together.
Arising from Budget 2026, an additional €8 million in current and capital funding was made available to support the sustainability and development of youth services. This investment supports the implementation of Opportunities for Youth: National Strategy for Youth Work and Related Services 2024 - 2028 and reflects a strong commitment to ensuring all young people can access high-quality, inclusive supports in their communities. A key element of this enhanced investment is the significant increase in dedicated capital funding for youth services.
The National Development Plan (NDP) Sectoral Investment Plan for the Education and Youth Sectors for the period 2026 to 2030 places a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity. Capital investment of €4 million will be made available to the youth sector in 2026, representing an increase of €3.5 million on the previous year. The NDP Sectoral Investment Plan funding of €20 million for the youth sector over the period 2026 to 2030 marks the first time the sector will benefit from a sustained annual capital allocation of €4 million providing long-term certainty and planning stability for youth services for the remainder of the NDP period.
The increased funding will support both operational delivery and infrastructure improvements across the youth sector. It will enable services to maintain and expand tailored supports for young people, while also facilitating essential upgrades to facilities, equipment, and digital infrastructure where appropriate.
The strategic direction for youth services will be guided by the Opportunities for Youth framework, with a particular focus on Strategic Objective 2, and Actions 10 and 13:
• Objective 2: Young people are able to meaningfully shape the content of youth work services, schemes and policy.
• Action 10: Develop and implement a policy for youth spaces and facilities at a local level.
• Action 13: Ensure provision for suitable indoor and outdoor spaces for young people and provide support for such spaces through relevant infrastructure and community development schemes.
The overarching vision is to ensure that all young people have access to safe, inclusive, fit-for-purpose spaces that support meaningful engagement, development, and participation. This additional investment represents a significant step toward achieving that vision and reflects the department’s ongoing commitment to creating environments where young people can thrive.
The implementation of Opportunities for Youth, and the cooperation of all relevant stakeholders, will be supported through a new Interdepartmental and Interagency Group on State-funded Youth Work Services. In this context it is worth noting that various stakeholders have responsibilities in relation to the provision of youth spaces and youth facilities.
The aim of the Interdepartmental and Interagency Group will be to develop a renewed and whole-of-government vision for the role of state-funded youth work services, including the role of youth work within the wider landscape of provision for children and young people. In turn this will improve coherence and complementarity across schemes and ensure a joined-up approach to supporting young people. This group will comprise relevant departments and state agencies that provide support or funding to youth services, to achieve greater cooperation, coherence and, where appropriate, integration of services.
This will be an important enabler for the further development of a shared understanding of the State’s vision for youth work services in the context of the evolving needs of young people.
Work is ongoing within the department to finalise the approach to capital funding distribution from 2026 through to the conclusion of the NDP 2030 cycle, including building relationships with key external stakeholders including in central and local government. Youth participation will also be a key element of this planning process. This collaborative and inclusive approach will support the development of a comprehensive, evidence-based capital plan.
88. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth when her Department’s national youth services mapping project will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51908/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra89. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department has identified areas with no youth service provision or inadequate infrastructure; the number of such areas in the State; the plans to address the shortages; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51909/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 89 together.
As the Deputy is aware, the department is currently progressing a national youth services mapping project, which is being developed to strengthen the evidence base for planning, funding and supporting youth services across the country, as well as to increase public awareness of the youth clubs and services available within local communities. This project consists of two distinct components, each serving a different purpose and audience.
Internal Data Dashboard: The first component is an internal dashboard, designed to support data-driven decision-making within the department. This dashboard will collate and present a range of key indicators, including:
• Central Statistics Office (CSO) demographic information for young people aged between 10-24;
• The Pobal Deprivation Index at Small Area level;
• Youth funding allocations per Education and Training Board (ETB);
• Youth service provision data, allowing for analysis by area, scheme and service type.
• All schools including DEIS schools, allowing easier comparison with local youth clubs and services.
• Drive-time and walk-time analysis around services
This tool enhances the department’s capacity to monitor provision, identify service gaps, and ensure resources are aligned with population needs and levels of disadvantage.
In addition, in line with their statutory functions, ETBs are key to supporting the provision, coordination, administration and assessment of youth work services in their functional areas. The ETBs are currently involved in the assessment of youth work needs as part of the lead in to cycle 3 of the UBU Your Place Your Space Scheme in 2027.
Public-Facing Interactive Website: The second element of the project is an outward-facing interactive website, which will be publicly accessible. This site is being developed to serve young people, parents and guardians, and the wider community. The website will:
• List youth clubs, groups and services across the country with information gathered from services and clubs;
• Allow users to explore what services are available within their local communities;
• Improve visibility, accessibility and awareness of youth service provision; and
• Support young people to more easily find opportunities to participate in youth work activities.
• While the internal dashboard will support ongoing work within the department, the public website will be updated periodically as new service information becomes available, with the intention that the public-facing map will be made accessible in the near future.
91. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has conducted an assessment of the long-term impact of austerity-era cuts on youth services and youth infrastructure; the efforts being made to restore levels of funding to the era pre-austerity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51911/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe global economic crash which occurred in 2008, and the resultant national austerity measures severely impacted on the funding available to support programmes across all areas which included the youth sector. The Comprehensive Review of Expenditure 2012-2014 required all government departments to make substantial savings across all budgets and funding programmes which included youth funding programmes.
The core current funding available to support youth organisations and youth services decreased from €68.4 million in 2008 to €49.8 million in 2014 arising from the fiscal restraint imposed across all government departments. However, over the last decade this core current funding allocation has seen year on year increases and has steadily increased by over €38m or 73%.
The 2026 core current funding allocation for youth organisations and youth services of €90.1 million has resulted in an increase of €21.7 million or an increase of 32% on the core current funding allocation available for the provision of youth services in 2008.
Based on the CSO CPI Inflation data, recent budget increases, particularly from 2021 onwards, have now brought the allocation in 2026 above this inflation-adjusted benchmark. This indicates that the real-terms gap created during the post-recession austerity period has been closed.
In the context of Budget 2027 and beyond, I hope to build on the recent increases in youth funding over the years ahead to ensure youth organisations are enhanced and supported in their work. This commitment extends not only to current funding supports but also to investment in youth infrastructure.
In this regard, funding of €4 million per annum has been secured under the National Development Plan for youth capital investment up to 2030.
93. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Youth to clarify which Department holds lead responsibility for youth infrastructure; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51913/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraResponsibility for youth facilities varies depending on the ownership and governance arrangements of individual premises. Youth infrastructure may be owned and managed by Education and Training Boards (ETBs), local authorities, youth organisations themselves, or by community and voluntary bodies and private entities.
The Department of Education and Youth provides funding to support youth services and, through capital investment programmes, contributes to the development and enhancement of youth facilities. The ownership, maintenance and day-to-day management responsibilities for individual youth facilities, however, generally rest with the relevant, youth service, property owner or managing body.
Given the diverse nature of the youth sector and the variety of ownership arrangements in place, responsibility for youth infrastructure is shared across a range of stakeholders at national and local level. This position will be reflected in the implementation plan that is being developed to support Opportunities for Youth. The plan recognises that a range of departments, state agencies and other stakeholders have responsibilities in relation to the provision of youth spaces and youth facilities.
To support a more coordinated approach across Government, Opportunities for Youth provides for the establishment of an Interdepartmental and Interagency Group on State-funded Youth Work Services. The group will bring together relevant departments and agencies that support or fund youth services to develop a renewed whole-of-government vision for state-funded youth work services, improve coherence and complementarity across schemes, and promote a more joined-up approach to supporting young people. This collaborative structure will also support the development of a shared understanding of the role of youth work services, including youth facilities and spaces, in meeting the evolving needs of young people.
95. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether there is currently a blanket pause on the processing of school transport applications; the reasons for any such pause, or systemic delays; and the steps she is taking to ensure that children with special educational needs and disabilities who have secured a suitable school place a significant distance from their home receive the home-to-school transport support to which they are entitled without undue delay, so as to avoid causing further distress to families who have already faced considerable challenges in obtaining an appropriate educational placement. [51926/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth.
The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the department on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, the department will consider the report of the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO).
School transport is provided to children with special educational needs who are attending the nearest school to their place of residence that is or can be resourced to meet their educational needs, as identified by the SENO.
My department has been working closely with the NCSE in relation to updating and improving the data received on the application form for school transport under the above scheme. The NSCE temporarily paused processing applications while reviewing the updates required, however these applications are now being processed and no delays should be expected.
96. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to improve special needs education provision since January 2025; her priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51940/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis government is fully committed to supporting students with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the Programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective.
In 2026, over €3 billion will be spent supporting students with special educational needs. It will ensure that specialist capacity continues to grow by providing 3,000 specialist places. The majority of these places will be available in special classes within mainstream schools. It will increase our special educational posts by 860 special education teacher and over 1,700 special needs assistant (SNA) posts. This will mean we will have almost 46,000 professionals dedicated to supporting students with special educational needs in our schools. This is one of the highest annual increases in posts to date and is a firm reminder of this government’s commitment to supporting students with special educational needs.
Budget 2026 has also afforded a number of new initiatives such as funding for the roll out of the Education Therapy Service (ETS), the introduction of extra special education teaching hours for post-primary schools to support coordination and transition efforts and indeed a special school package to support the unique challenges these schools face.
My department and the National Council for Special Education have sanctioned 584 new special classes for the 2026/27 school year, including 68 inclusive special classes. This brings the total number of special classes sanctioned to date to over 4,300. Further new special classes may be confirmed in the coming weeks, if required.
Four new special schools were recently announced by Ministers Naughton and I to be established in Balbriggan, CityWest, Bray and Monasterevin. My department and the NCSE will also, this year, look at the profile of existing special schools. This work will ensure children and young people with complex educational needs can apply to their local special school and not have to travel long distances to access an education that meets their needs.
On the 3 June, my department published the first ever SNA Workforce Development Plan, a landmark in the roadmap for the development of special education. Built around five strategic pillars, the Plan recognises the vital contribution SNAs make to supporting children and young people with special educational needs to facilitate their attendance, participation and inclusion in school life. It sets out a clear framework to strengthen and support SNAs through enhanced professional development, greater role clarity, workforce sustainability measures and stronger collaboration across school communities.
Details of the 2026 Summer Programme were published on the 6th May 2026 and all schools have been offered the opportunity to run a school-based programme.
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.
97. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to improve primary education since January 2025; her priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51941/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraEvery learner deserves the opportunity to thrive. Our focus is on high standards, inclusive practices, and strong supports to ensure no one is left behind. Breaking down barriers, whether social, economic, or educational is essential to helping all learners succeed. Education should open doors, build confidence, and prepare every learner for life. In terms of my priorities for primary education in Ireland, the programme for Government identifies a large number of commitments to be advanced by my department.
Addressing educational disadvantage in all schools is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth. The DEIS Strategy to 2035 sets out a long-term plan to address educational disadvantage in all schools and work to ensure that any child or young person experiencing educational disadvantage is supported through their education journey. The new DEIS Plus scheme, which will commence this year, launched as part of the strategy, represents the most significant expansion of targeted supports since the establishment of DEIS.
My Department and the NCSE are working to confirm new special classes for the next school year, with new special classes being provided in every county. I also announced the establishment of four new special schools for the coming school year. These are vital steps in ensuring that children and young people with special educational needs have access to the specialist supports they need to thrive and to reach their full potential.
It is important that we progress inclusion and inclusive practices to the greatest extent possible. For that reason, I intend to establish a forum in the very near future comprising representatives of all the education stakeholders and advocacy groups. Its first task will be to develop a shared vision for inclusive education.
We live in a world which is changing rapidly, and we have recently published a redeveloped primary curriculum. Working in close partnership with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), Oide, National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI), my Department brings a system-wide perspective and the capacity to enable supports that schools need for successful curriculum implementation. This collaborative approach guarantees a smooth transition from redevelopment to enactment and a curriculum that is achievable in every classroom for every child.
The supports for teachers and schools will continue to be rolled out in September 2026 and will be a key action in supporting the enactment of that redeveloped curriculum over the coming years.
I am also committed to supporting the teaching, learning and everyday use of Irish across our education system. Through our schools, we want every child to enjoy positive and rewarding experiences of learning Irish, to develop confidence and competence in using the language, and to have meaningful opportunities to speak Irish both within and beyond the classroom. By fostering positive attitudes towards Irish and supporting its authentic use, we can help ensure that Irish is experienced as a living, vibrant language by all learners.
I will be working to ensure the continuation of action in these and other areas of primary education to underpin the delivery of my vision of an education system which enables all children and young people in every community to be supported to fulfil their potential.
In terms of measures delivered since January 2025, I can advise the deputy that a significant amount has been delivered by my department, and I will outline some of the more significant measures.
Special Education
The Department of Education and Youth and the National Council for Special Education have sanctioned almost 580 new special classes for the 2026/27 school year, including 68 inclusive special classes. This brings the total number of special classes sanctioned to date to over 4,300. Further new special classes may be confirmed in the coming weeks, if required.
The establishment of four new special schools for the upcoming school year 2026/2027 was also announced. These are a vital step in ensuring that children and young people with special educational needs have access to the specialist supports and environment they need to thrive and reach their full potential. The four new special schools will be established through the repurposing of existing school accommodation and are in Balbriggan and Citywest in Co. Dublin, Bray in Co. Wicklow, and Monasterevin in Co. Kildare.
The Government is committed to continuous improvement in the delivery of special classes and special school places as has been demonstrated over recent years. Circular 0063/2026 in relation to the Parents Notify process provides for an earlier date of 1 September by which the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) will be made aware of students seeking a specialist placement for the 2026/2027 school year which in turn will support effective forward planning of provision.
I announced a €2 million investment to expand training and supports for schools responding to behaviours of concern, with a clear focus on improving outcomes and experiences for children. These supports will enhance schools’ capacity to support children in distress, prioritising early intervention, de-escalation and wellbeing, while ensuring staff are equipped to respond safely and appropriately.
In March 2025, my department published a new circular, “Review of Enrolment in a Special Class” was published to support schools with the review process for children and young people enrolled in a special class. Alongside this development, the criteria for enrolment in special classes for children with Developmental Language Disorder or Speech Sound Disorder was updated.
In May 2025, my department announced new measures to support forward planning for special education provision for the 2026/2027 school year and beyond.
On the 3 June 2026, my department published the first ever SNA Workforce Development Plan, a landmark in the roadmap for the development of special education. Built around five strategic pillars, the Plan recognises the vital contribution SNAs make to supporting children and young people with special educational needs to facilitate their attendance, participation and inclusion in school life. It sets out a clear framework to strengthen and support SNAs through enhanced professional development, greater role clarity, workforce sustainability measures and stronger collaboration across school communities.
Details of the 2026 Summer Programme were published on the 6th May 2026 and all schools have been offered the opportunity to run a school-based programme.
On 6 February 2026, together with the Minister for Special Education and Inclusion, Michael Moynihan, I announced details of the first phased roll-out of the new Education Therapy Services (ETS). The ETS is a commitment under the Programme for Government and represents a major cross departmental initiative to strengthen supports for children with special educational needs. The new therapy service will be delivered by the National Council for Special Education.
In October 2025, as part of Budget 2026, a further special school package was announced to support increased investment in teacher professional learning in special education, additional funding for assistive technologies and enhanced capitation which will benefit, in particular, children in special schools.
In November my department published a circular to advise schools regarding the revised criteria to access support under the enhanced Irish Sign Language (ISL) Scheme.
In March 2025, I announced the move towards a mandatory two-week placement focused on special education for all Initial Teacher Education students.
The announcement advanced the Programme for Government 2025 – Securing Ireland’s Future commitment to make modules and placement experiences relating to special education a universal component of initial teacher education (ITE), subject to assessment. This builds on the strong emphasis on inclusive education that has been embedded within ITE since the introduction of the Céim Standards in 2020.
This immersive school placement period (ISELP) will assist student teachers to experience a whole school focus on supporting learners with diverse needs, particularly needs that are persistent, significant and enduring. This placement will ensure that student teachers at primary and post-primary level have the skills they need to support the diverse needs of all our students whilst while enhancing their confidence and preparedness for the transition into teaching.
To support the implementation of this initiative, the Teaching Council has developed and issued a Guidance Note for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), which will underpin the delivery of these placements for all student teachers from September 2026.
Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS)
I was pleased to recently announce the launch of a new DEIS Strategy to 2035, alongside the DEIS Plus scheme. This represents a comprehensive ten-year plan to address educational disadvantage and promote equity across all schools supported by a full-year investment of €48 million. Also published alongside the strategy and DEIS Plus scheme is the first three-year DEIS Implementation Plan 2026-2028.
The DEIS Strategy to 2035 sets out a whole-system, evidence-based approach to addressing educational disadvantage in all schools. This strategy recognises education as central to breaking cycles of disadvantage, expanding opportunity, and ensuring long-term security. It sets out a more flexible model of support, so that resources are aligned with each school’s level of need as it changes over time.
The strategy includes:
- Expansion of HSCL supports
- Strengthened wellbeing, inclusion and community partnership supports
- Additional community link workers
- Increased capitation funding and additional supports for teacher professional learning
- A robust monitoring and evaluation framework with annual reporting
My department is also developing a pilot with DEIS+ schools initially, on Whole School Guidance (WSG) in the Primary Sector which involves a phased action research project to support scoping, system learning and eventually national rollout of WSG in the primary sector.
The DEIS Plus scheme will provide enhanced, targeted supports to 121 schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. The new DEIS Plus scheme represents the most significant expansion of targeted supports since the establishment of DEIS.
My department allocates almost €200 million in 2026, rising to €230 million from 2027, to provide targeted supports for schools to address educational disadvantage. Budget 2026 allocated an additional €16.5 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027, to support the implementation of a new DEIS Strategy and introduce the DEIS Plus scheme. This is the largest single investment in DEIS since the programme began. My department has doubled the allocation for the DEIS programme over the past 10 years.
School Completion Programme (SCP)
The School Completion Programme is delivered under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme and provides support to over 800 schools, arranged in clusters, referred to as SCP Projects. SCP is an integral part of the three-strand integrated service of the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) alongside the statutory Education Welfare Service (EWS) and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL). These services provide a robust continuum of support and intervention aimed to improve the education experience and outcomes for children and young people at risk of early school leaving and educational disadvantage.
A programme of work to advance the development and implementation of a new employment framework model for workers currently employed in the SCP is underway. This will ensure that the future employment and governance framework for the SCP is robust, sustainable and supports the further development of this programme with TESS.
The purpose is to establish a clear and consistent governance and employment structure that drives consistency and supports a sustainable valued workforce to deliver a cost-effective, quality assured service to some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our schools.
Traveller and Roma
A Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES) Oversight Group was established in January 2025 to monitor and oversee implementation of the Strategy and the education-related actions contained in the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy II (NTRIS II). Membership includes representatives from Traveller and Roma organisations, Government Departments and relevant agencies.
Progress during the first phase of implementation has included the establishment of a dedicated National TESS TRES team, comprising a National TESS TRES General Manager and two National TESS TRES Coordinators, to support delivery of key actions across the education system. In addition, 13 Community Link Workers have been appointed to strengthen engagement between Traveller and Roma families, schools and local communities, with a particular focus on improving participation, attendance and retention.
Four progress reports have been approved by the Oversight Group to date. The second TRES Implementation and Action Plan (2026–2028), which builds on progress achieved since 2024 and sets out priorities for the next phase of implementation, will be published shortly.
School Attendance
School attendance is everyone’s business and is important to support children and young people’s achievement, wellbeing, and wider development. The latest data published by Tusla in September shows that in the 2023/2024 school year, more than 1 in 5 of all students (22% in primary) missed 20 or more days of school. A multimedia campaign launched in September to raise awareness of the impact of casual nonattendance among children in typical Irish households and to influence attitude and behaviour change among parents, guardians and grandparents with respect to the value of school attendance. The media campaign highlighted the importance and benefits of school attendance.
In May 2025, my predecessor announced ‘Anseo’ which is a Multi-Dimensional Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MD-MTSS) approach to addressing school attendance problems. 60 schools have been offered Anseo from the start of the 2025/26 school year. Tusla Education Support Service worked with the 60 schools throughout the 2025/26 school year, promoting and supporting the implementation of the model which will enable schools to develop effective and appropriate strategies to respond to the drivers of school absenteeism. An additional 125 schools have been offered Anseo from February 2026 and Anseo will be gradually scaled to all schools that applied for the programme by September 2028.
Child protection
Updated Child Protection Procedures for Schools 2025 were published in May 2025. In-person whole school training and DLP/DDLP training in the updated procedures commenced in September 2025 and is expected to conclude in Term 1 2026/2027. Schools must have adopted the 2025 procedures by 31 December 2026.
Capitation
My department secured €39 million in Budget 2026 towards increased capitation funding for primary, post-primary and special schools to provide additional financial support towards their running costs. This will see an increase in the standard capitation rates paid to schools of €50 per pupil for primary schools from €224 to €274.
This will also allow for an increase of €20 in capitation rates for Urban Band One DEIS primary schools, increasing the mainstream pupil rate in these schools to €294.
The increased capitation rates will also see special schools now receive the same rates of mainstream capitation, for young people aged 12 and over, as for their peers in mainstream post-primary schools. These increases will take effect from September 2026. This funding will benefit schools around the country in managing their day-to-day running costs.
These increases in Budget 2026 are in addition to the increases announced as part of the capitation package in Budget 2025 where over €30 million was secured as a permanent increase in capitation funding. This represented an increase of circa 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates of capitation effective from September 2025.
School books
The Primary Schoolbooks Scheme eliminates the cost of schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for parents of children and young people enrolled in recognised primary and special schools. €46.9 million has been allocated for the third year of the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme and over 540,000 children and young people in primary and special schools are benefitting from the scheme in the 2025/26 school year.
Curriculum Redevelopment Published in September 2025, the redeveloped Primary School Curriculum is the first major update since 1999 and applies to all primary and special schools. It covers five key areas:
- Arts Education (including Art, Drama and Music)
- Language (including Irish, English and Modern Foreign Languages)
- Social and Environmental Education (including History and Geography)
- STEM Education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education)
- Wellbeing (including Physical Education and Social, Personal and Health Education).
The redeveloped curriculum marks a major milestone in primary education. It provides inclusive, evidence-based learning, teaching, and assessment. It builds on existing strengths in primary and special schools while richer, more engaging experiences for every child.
Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) was introduced as part of the Primary Language Curriculum/Curaclam Teanga na Bunscoile (PLC/CTB) on a phased basis for 3rd to 6th classes from September 2025.
The new Primary Wellbeing specification, which encompasses SPHE and PE, was published in September 2025. This must be one of the first three specifications to be introduced by schools from the 2026/2027 school year.
Grants of €10m provided to primary and special schools in December 2025 to support implementation of the new primary wellbeing specification. Ongoing development of resources for teachers and parents to include the NCCA primary wellbeing toolkit.
Wellbeing
Cineáltas Action Plan on Bullying is our whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying behaviour in schools. The Cineáltas Implementation Report for 2024 was published in January 2026. In the first two years of implementation, 20 of the 61 actions contained in the plan have been fully implemented with all remaining actions in progress. The Cineáltas Implementation Report for 2025 is due to be published in the coming months. The “Bí Cineálta Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour for Primary and Post-Primary Schools” have been implemented in schools from the beginning of the 25/26 school year. Implementation of the procedures has been supported by a suite of professional learning resources and information sessions for school staff, Board of Management members and parents.
In April 2025 my department launched Neart, the new national programme of mental health and wellbeing resources and training for post-primary schools, delivered in a partnership between the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and Jigsaw - The National Centre for Youth Mental Health
NEPS has engaged in extensive training of school staff in the area of trauma-informed practice. The following have been delivered over the 2025-2026 school year: eLearning course: ‘Introducing a Trauma Informed Approach: The Stress Factor - Getting the Balance Right’, An introductory session for the eLearning course 'Introducing a Trauma Informed Approach: The Stress Factor - Getting the Balance Right', Follow-Up Webinar: Understanding Trauma- Using a Trauma Informed Approach in Schools. A new standalone Trauma Informed Practice resource for schools will also be available in the autumn for schools to use.
The following programmes of support were also provided by NEPS:
- FRIENDS Resilience: programme supported online or through in person cluster supports meetings.
- Student Support Teams: Training and in school implementation support for post primary schools to review and develop their systems to support the wellbeing and welfare of all students
- Responding to Critical Incidents eLearning Course
- Embracing Diversity webinars
Reluctant School Attendance and school avoidance behaviours: Resources and webinars provided. The Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot provides one-to-one counselling supports to children presenting with mild to moderate mental health needs in primary schools in counties Cavan, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Monaghan and Tipperary. In the 2024/2025 school year 752 children availed of counselling supports, and for the current school year, to date approximately 701 children have availed of counselling supports.
In October 2024, the pilot was extended to 61 urban DEIS primary schools in Dublin Southwest and Dublin North In the 2024/2025 school year 54 children availed of counselling, and for the current school year, to date approximately 209 children have availed of counselling.
In March 2026, my department launched the DEIS Plus Scheme and Implementation Plan. This extended the Counselling in Primary Schools Pilot to an additional 96 primary schools
To date, 20 Education Wellbeing Practitioners have been recruited to 77 schools in cluster areas Cork, Carlow, Dublin 7 and Dublin 16. Working under the direction and supervision of NEPS psychologists, the Education Wellbeing Practitioners offer a weekly presence in schools. They provide supports to pupils, parents, and school staff to support the wellbeing and resilience of the school community. In the 2024/2025 school year 492 interventions were provided to 8,206 children; 234 interventions with 2,058 school management/staff; and 45 interventions with 810 parents/carers. There were also 206 one-to-one skills building interventions provided to children, with each intervention comprising of 6 x half hour weekly sessions
- In the current school year up to the end of June 2026, 703 interventions have been provided to 11,631 children; 141 interventions with 682 school management/staff; and 58 interventions with 731 parents/carers. To date, there has been 145 one-to-one skills building interventions, with children.
- In June 2026 a new recruitment campaign was launched to further expand the number of Education Wellbeing Practitioners under the DEIS Plus Scheme.
Supports for the Irish Language
During 2025, additional resources were provided to An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) to support the new department policy on Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht and the new department action plan for Irish in English-medium schools. COGG has developed and published further resources to support the learning and teaching of Irish on its digital hub “An Tairseach”, including resources for teaching PE through Irish for Junior Infants to 2nd class.
My department provided funding to Foras na Gaeilge for the development of an Irish/Irish dictionary which was launched recently. My department also provided funding for the Gaelbhratach programme and for a review of the Séideán Sí programme with a view to future redevelopment. Further funding is being provided to the Gaelbhratach programme in 2026 under my department’s Plan for Irish in English-medium schools to further increase the opportunities for students to engage with and use the language outside the Irish class.
Some 228 English medium primary schools participated in my department's Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) project in 2025/26. The CLIL project includes sustained support by Oide and COGG and trains teachers to use the CLIL approach for teaching and learning Irish through another subject. At present, primary schools are delivering strands of PE and Maths through Irish. A further 145 English medium primary schools have expressed an interest in participating in the project in 2026/27.
COGG have published resources to support English medium primary schools to deliver PE through Irish from Junior Infants to 2nd class. 3rd and 4th class resources will be published for the 2026/27 school year. 1,392 people to date have accessed these resources.
As part of the new organisational structure of Oide, a new Division called GaelAonad was created during 2024/2025 with responsibility for the curricular area of Irish and schools contexts operating through the medium of Irish. This Division ensures that Oide’s focus on the development of the language is more visible and explicit both internally and externally.
The GaelAonad Division is a cross-sectoral division with responsibility for all elements of professional learning for school leaders and teachers in and through the medium of Irish. It also supports and advises other divisions of Oide in meeting their obligations in the provision of professional learning as Gaeilge.
In September 2025, the approved staffing in the GaelAonad Division increased from 18 secondees to 39. This included a new team to support the implementation of the new Action Plan for Irish in English-medium Schools.
Gaeltacht and Irish language education
In November 2025, my department launched a new Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht, which will support the growth and development of the Irish-medium sector. The policy outlines my department’s vision that Irish-medium education will be available to all in settings that are inclusive and multicultural, and that an ecosystem of appropriate supports will be available for schools and their communities. The policy identifies actions to progress towards this vision across a range of action areas. One of the actions under the policy is the allocation of language support hours for Irish to all Irish-medium schools on a phased basis. These hours have been made available to Irish-medium primary schools outside of the Gaeltacht with DEIS status from the 2025/26 school year.
Also in November, my department published a new Action Plan for Irish in English-Medium Schools. This plan is informed by national consultation, research, and policy and practice for minority languages in other jurisdictions.
Inspectorate
The Inspectorate in my department plays a key role in quality assuring the education system. It actively supports improvement in primary schools, builds capacity, and ensures accountability at school and system levels. To this end, it conducts an annual programme of inspection and advisory visits in primary schools. During inspection visits, inspectors evaluate education quality using a range of inspection types, including unannounced inspections, subject-focused evaluations, and whole school/setting inspections. Inspection reports are published, setting out findings in relation to the quality of practice and recommendations about aspects of education that require improvement. The Inspectorate monitors the effectiveness of school self-evaluation (SSE) in schools during whole-school and subject type evaluations. It undertakes advisory visits to support SSE and engages with teachers and school leaders to ensure improvement in pupil's learning. Through the evaluation of inclusion support and wellbeing in 2025 and 2026, the Inspectorate has provided important findings, recommendations and advice to schools and settings thereby ensuring improvement and support for system-level policy developments.
Support for school principals
In 2025, my department began a trial of new administrative supports and arrangements for principals and boards of management to reduce the non-educational aspect of their workloads. These new posts have the title of Administrative Executives and were introduced in three primary and three post primary schools. The evaluation design and data collection have commenced.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
ESD aims to ensure that all learners have the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development in line with Sustainable Development Goals target 4.7. In 2025, ESD funding of €558,000 was delivered to 237 primary schools across the country for a range of ESD projects including enhancing biodiversity in school grounds and outdoor learning spaces, ESD training, workshops and resources, food waste management systems, composting systems, recycling projects, weather stations, energy saving projects, rainwater harvesting systems and many more. ESD themes and principles are embedded across the curriculum at all levels. Further detail is available on our ESD webpage here: ESD to 2030
Digital policy and AI
I was pleased to announce the establishment of a special taskforce to advise on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in schools. The AI in Schools External Advisory Taskforce will support my department in developing a coherent national approach to the safe, responsible and effective use of AI across the school system.
In June 2025, my department issued a circular about advising primary schools of the requirement to implement a policy to ban the use of, and access to, personal mobile phones for the duration of the school day.
My department also published Guidance on AI in Schools in October. This serves as an initial step toward the safe, effective and responsible use of AI in schools, with further development anticipated from Ireland’s partnership with the EU Commission in the multi-country project to develop strategies and tools for AI implementation in school education, as announced in April this year.
98. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to tackle educational disadvantage since January 2025; her priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51942/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is a goal of this Government to reduce educational disadvantage and promote equity across Irish schools, focusing particularly on vulnerable groups including children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, children living in homelessness, Travellers, and Roma and migrant communities.
DEIS Programme
The DEIS programme is a key policy initiative of Government to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. I was pleased to recently announce the launch of a new DEIS Strategy to 2035, alongside the DEIS Plus scheme. This represents a comprehensive ten-year plan to address educational disadvantage and promote equity across all schools supported by a full-year investment of €48 million. Also published alongside the strategy and DEIS Plus scheme is the first three-year DEIS Implementation Plan 2026-2028.
The DEIS Strategy to 2035 sets out a whole-system, evidence-based approach to addressing educational disadvantage in all schools. This strategy recognises education as central to breaking cycles of disadvantage, expanding opportunity, and ensuring long-term security. It sets out a more flexible model of support, so that resources are aligned with each school’s level of need as it changes over time.
The strategy includes:
• Expansion of HSCL supports
• Strengthened wellbeing, inclusion and community partnership supports
• Additional community link workers
• Increased capitation funding and additional supports for teacher professional learning
• A robust monitoring and evaluation framework with annual reporting
The DEIS Plus scheme will provide enhanced, targeted supports to 121 schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. The new DEIS Plus scheme represents the most significant expansion of targeted supports since the establishment of DEIS.
Budget 2026 allocated an additional €16.5 million in 2026, rising to €48 million in 2027, to support the implementation of a new DEIS Strategy and introduce the DEIS Plus scheme. This means that the Department of Education and Youth is allocating almost €200 million in 2026, rising to €230 million from 2027, to provide targeted supports for schools to address educational disadvantage. This is the largest single investment in DEIS since the programme began. The department has doubled the allocation for the DEIS programme over the past 10 years.
School Completion Programme
The School Completion Programme is delivered under the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme and provides support to over 800 schools, arranged in clusters, referred to as SCP Projects. SCP is an integral part of the three-strand integrated service of the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) alongside the statutory Education Welfare Service (EWS) and the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL). These services provide a robust continuum of support and intervention aimed to improve the education experience and outcomes for children and young people at risk of early school leaving and educational disadvantage.
A programme of work to advance the development and implementation of a new employment framework model for workers currently employed in the SCP is underway. This will ensure that the future employment and governance framework for the SCP is robust, sustainable and supports the further development of this programme with TESS.
The purpose is to establish a clear and consistent governance and employment structure that drives consistency and supports a sustainable valued workforce to deliver a cost-effective, quality assured service to some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our schools.
Free Schoolbooks Scheme
Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families. In Budget 2025, the department announced that the schoolbooks scheme would be further extended to include students in Senior Cycle years, including Transition Year, in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. In total, €170 million has been allocated to provide free schoolbooks for some 940,000 children and young people enrolled primary, post-primary and special schools in the Free Education Scheme, from the start of the 2025/26 school year. This means, for the first time ever, all children and young people enrolled in primary, special and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme will be provided with schoolbooks and core classroom resources.
The funding removes the cost of schoolbooks and core classroom resources for parents/guardians at post-primary level and schoolbooks workbooks and copybooks for parents/guardians at primary level. Schools retain autonomy to choose books that meet curricular requirements. As part of Budget 2026, over €160 million is allocated to continue the schoolbooks schemes for the 2026/27 school year.
School Attendance
In September, my colleague Minister McEntee launched a national multimedia campaign to promote the importance of regular school attendance to students and parents, and Anseo a new evidence-based framework to help schools analyse and respond to attendance data. The multimedia campaign is to encourage parents and of children, who take them out of school for reasons other than illness, to send their children to school every day. The campaign positively communicates the importance and benefits of school attendance and outlined to parents about when a child should and can attend school from a health perspective.
Anseo is a Multi-Dimensional Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MD-MTSS) approach to addressing school attendance problems and it was announced in May 2025 that 60 schools have been offered Anseo from the start of the 2025/26 school year. Tusla Education Support Service worked with the 60 schools throughout the 2025/26 school year, promoting and supporting the implementation of the model which will enable schools to develop effective and appropriate strategies to respond to the drivers of school absenteeism. An additional 125 schools have been offered Anseo from February 2026 and ‘Anseo’ will be gradually scaled to all schools that applied for the programme by September 2028.
Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES)
The Traveller and Roma Education Strategy (TRES) 2024-2030, alongside the Plan for Implementation and Action for 2024-2026, was published in July 2024. This is a six-year strategy which aims to build on ongoing work across the continuum of education, including early learning and childcare, school (primary and post-primary) and further and higher education, to improve outcomes and ensure equity of access, opportunity and outcomes, as well as meaningful participation, for all Travellers and Roma. The strategy contains a number of actions grouped under four themes which include Participation and Experience, Access and Outcomes, Partnership and Delivering Change.
A Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) TRES general manager and two TESS TRES coordinators have been appointed to implement some of the actions in the TRES. A Traveller and Roma Education Forum has been established with six forums held to date. A TRES Oversight Group with representatives from the Traveller and Roma organisations oversees the implementation of the actions in the TRES.
Funding was secured to establish 15 community link worker roles to support Traveller and Roma children at risk of educational disadvantage. The community link workers are working across a number of schools in areas where there are high numbers of Traveller and Roma children and young people. Their roles focus on fostering greater engagement with Traveller and Roma families to facilitate successful communication, promoting positive relationships and supporting the learning of Traveller and Roma children and young people by linking them to resources within their area. The link workers provide vital engagement on the ground between schools, families and communities.
A final report on the 87 actions contained in the TRES plan for implementation and action 2024-2026, and a new plan for implementation and action for the years 2026 to 2028, will be published shortly.
99. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to improve employment conditions for teachers since January 2025; her priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51943/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis Government is committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning. According to the latest published figures from November 2025, there are over 75,000 teachers employed in schools across the country and over 98% of allocated teaching posts are filled.
The teaching profession is highly attractive, with strong demand for teacher education programmes with over 3,600 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2025 with over 128,000 on the register. Salaries are competitive, starting at €45,379 (primary) and €46,948 (post-primary) and rising to €83,576 and €85,411 respectively under the current pay deal.Few teachers resign, with less than 3% of the teaching workforce resigning or retiring annually from contracted teaching posts.
Around 6% of first-choice CAO applications from 2017–2024 were for teaching, showing steady demand. In 2025, first preferences rose by 9% for primary teaching and 5% for post-primary. 85% of newly appointed primary teachers in 2024/25 are on full-time, mostly fixed-term contracts, 75% of new post-primary teachers are full-time and 93% of teachers with 5+ years’ experience hold permanent full-time or pro-rata contracts.
In April 2025, Minister McEntee announced a reduction in the period of time for a teacher to become eligible for the award of a CID. The reduction, from a period of continuous employment of two years to a period of continuous employment of one year, is a significant improvement to the employment conditions of teachers. The Circulars giving effect to this amendment were published in February 2026.
The public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants and new entrant pay has been gradually restored over the years.
The Public Service Pay Agreement 2024-2026 (PSA) builds on improvements to pay for teachers that were made in previous pay agreements. It provides for further baseline increases of 9.25% for over 100,000 staff in the school sector with lower paid workers receiving higher percentage increases.
By the end of this agreement, these increases would increase the pay of a teacher on the top point of the teacher pay scale to around €85,000 per annum. The starting pay for a teacher will be around €46,000 per annum, which is almost €20,000 higher than the 2011 rates.
The following general round pay increases were awarded to teachers in 2025 and 2026 under the PSA:
2025
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 2% or €1,000, whichever is greater, on 1st March 2025.
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% on 1st August 2025.
2026
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% or €500, whichever is greater, on 1st February 2026.
• A general round increase in annualised basic salary for all public servants of 1% on 1st June 2026.
In addition, the PSA provides that employers and trade unions/associations may negotiate additional changes in rates of pay and/or conditions of employment up to a maximum of 3% of the basic pay cost, under Local Bargaining, (1% of this being payable with effect from 1 September, 2025), inclusive of allowances in the nature of pay of the particular grade, group or category of employee or bargaining unit. This may include proposals involving changes in structures, work practices, or other conditions of service.
The INTO has opted to use their Local Bargaining Fund to settle a number of claims outlined in Department of Education and Youth Circular_0054_2026, as follows:
i) An allowance for Primary Teachers working in schools recognised as Gaeltacht Schools under the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme (GSRS)
ii) An allowance for Primary Teachers working in Gaelscoileanna
iii) An allowance for Teachers working in Special Schools
iv) A living Islands Allowance for Primary Teachers working on offshore islands
v) An allowance for Primary Teachers working in schools designated as DEIS Band One and DEIS Plus Schools
vi) An increase to the Primary Principal Teacher Allowance
Post Primary Teachers also have 1% of basic pay cost payable from 1 September, 2025 under Local Bargaining.
The Government is committed to the delivery of quality public services and will continue to approach public service pay in a balanced way that is reasonable and fair to both public servants and to the taxpayer. Any further amendments to Teacher Terms and Conditions, including pay and allowances, can only be achieved through engagement and collective bargaining agreements between the Government and the public service unions or through the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) forum.
In addition, to assist teacher supply, recently regulations were approved to allow teachers who qualified overseas to undertake their induction in the State and incremental credit is also available to teachers returning from abroad, depending on the teaching experience gained.
A number of measures have been introduced to address subject-specific teacher shortages at post-primary level:
- Free upskilling programmes for teachers are offered in high-demand subjects: Irish, French, politics & society, computer science, maths, physics and Spanish.
- STEM Bursary: a €2,000 annual bursary for student teachers in STEM fields during the final two years of their undergraduate teacher education, with a requirement to complete at least 2 years of teaching post-qualification in a recognised post-primary school.
A comprehensive workforce plan for the education sector, a commitment under the Programme for Government, is in development. Additionally, a project focused on strategic workforce planning for teachers in Ireland, led by UNESCO and supported by the EU Commission, is developing recommendations for addressing the main factors affecting teacher supply in Ireland.
My Department will continue to engage with the Education Partners to ensure that teaching remains a highly attractive profession with high levels of newly qualified teachers entering the provision and low levels of resignation from the workforce.
100. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Youth the key measures taken to support schools facing financial pressures since January 2025; her priorities for same for the rest of 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51944/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is committed to increasing funding to support schools and the Programme for Government commits to increasing capitation funding to schools of all types to ensure that schools can meet the elevated day-to-day running costs.
This commitment builds on the progress made in recent years. The Department of Education and Youth has secured €39 million in Budget 2026 towards increased capitation funding for primary, post-primary and special schools to provide additional financial support towards their running costs. This will see an increase in the standard capitation rates paid to schools of €50 per pupil for primary schools from €224 to €274 and of €20 per student for post-primary schools from €386 to €406.
This will also allow for an increase of €20 in capitation rates for Urban Band One DEIS primary schools, and DEIS Plus primary schools, increasing the mainstream pupil rate in these schools to €294. The increased capitation rates will also see special schools now receive the same rates of mainstream capitation, for young people aged 12 and over, as for their peers in mainstream post-primary schools. These increases will take effect from September 2026. This funding will benefit schools around the country in managing their day-to-day running costs.
The increases announced in Budget 2026 are in addition to the 12% increases as part of Budget 2025. The last three budgets have resulted in an increase in the level of capitation grant rates of 49.7% (€91) paid to primary schools and 28.5% (€90) paid to post-primary schools.
The department is committed to providing funding to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the capitation grant to cater for day-to-day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general up-keep, and the ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. Schools have the flexibility to use capitation funding provided for general running costs and ancillary funding provided for caretaking and secretarial services as a common grant from which the Board of Management can allocate according to its own priorities, except for the employment of relevant secretaries as per Circular 0036/2022.
The current standard rate of capitation grant is €224 per pupil in primary schools and €386 per student in post-primary schools. Primary schools with fewer than 60 pupils are paid the capitation and the ancillary grants on the basis of having 60 pupils. Enhanced rates are also paid in respect of pupils with special educational needs and Traveller pupils.
OGP frameworks are available to schools for a number of categories including facilities management, managed services, professional services, and utilities. Schools are encouraged to avail of the available OGP procurement frameworks in order to get the best value for money for all school expenditure, in accordance with Circular 0060/2013. The benefits arising from these frameworks include cash savings, administrative savings from reduced duplication of tendering, greater purchasing expertise, improved consistency, enhanced service levels and legal certainty. Schools Procurement Unit (SPU), funded by the department, is an important source of advice and support to schools on procurement matters- www.spu.ie
Schools experiencing financial difficulty are encouraged to contact the department for advice and support. The department is committed to offering all available and appropriate supports to schools, which may include an advance in capitation grant funding or other measures.
Schools that have contacted the department have been referred to the FSSU. We encourage schools to engage with the FSSU, and the school’s Patron, in order to work to rectify the financial challenges at the school.
While not wishing to pre-empt the outcomes of any future Budget negotiations or fiscal parameters agreed by Government, the Department of Education and Youth will continue to seek additional funding in order to assist schools to meet ongoing running costs.
101. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on the development and rollout of the new DEIS resource allocation model; the expected implementation date; the consideration that will be given to schools where the junior school is DEIS Band 1 and the senior school is DEIS Band 2, despite serving the same families and experiencing similar levels of disadvantage, as in the case of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51954/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAddressing educational disadvantage in all schools is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth. The DEIS programme is targeted at schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage. Schools that were included in the most recent expansion of the programme in 2022 were those with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage as identified through the refined DEIS identification model. This model took into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by Traveller and Roma learners and of students residing in direct provision or emergency homeless accommodation. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme, and the model was applied fairly and equally to all schools. A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie. It is important to stress that schools not identified through the refined DEIS identification model does not in any way imply that the department is saying that disadvantage does not exist within in the school community.
It is also important to emphasise that a school being classified differently to another school, including a neighbouring school, does not mean that educational disadvantage is not present within its community. Rather, the model assesses the relative concentration and weighting of disadvantage indicators across all schools. As a result, neighbouring schools may have different DEIS classifications where the overall profile and concentration of disadvantage differs.
The DEIS Strategy to 2035 sets out a long-term plan to address educational disadvantage in all schools and work to ensure that any child or young person experiencing educational disadvantage is supported through their education journey.
The DEIS Strategy implementation plan 2026-2028, under the strategic objective 2.2, sets out to develop an agile resource allocation model to support children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage in all primary and post-primary schools.
These actions focus on the continued enhancement of the data available to measure school level disadvantage and for the development of a more flexible resource allocation model that can react to change in school needs and provide the right resources at the right time.
• 2.2.1 Align the allocation of DEIS resources to the refined DEIS identification model and most up to date data. Timeline for completion: 2028
• 2.2.2 Develop a new DEIS resource allocation model that: supports schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage; supports children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools; is dynamic and has the potential to adjust to changes in a school’s levels of need including amalgamations; uses objective data to equitably allocate resources to schools. Timeline for completion: 2027
• 2.2.3 Conduct an impact assessment on any potential changes to the allocation of resources to schools, ensuring that no child or young person is negatively impacted. Timeline for completion: 2027
In light of these actions and current budget constraints there is currently no intention to conduct a review of DEIS banding or to expand the DEIS programme to include new schools. Any future additional allocation of resources under the DEIS programme will be considered over the lifetime of the DEIS Strategy to 2035 and in the context of available resources.
There are also a range of universal supports available to all schools to support children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage. These include:
• 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 English as an additional 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.
• 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.
• 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.
102. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on summer provision for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51970/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails of the 2026 Summer Programme were communicated to all schools on the 6th May 2026.
All schools have been offered the opportunity to run a school-based programme for children with the most complex special educational needs and those at risk of educational disadvantage.
Where a school does not intend to run a school-based programme or there is no place on the programme for an eligible child, schools were invited to make an application for the home-based programme.
On making an application for the home-based programme, both schools and parents received acknowledgement emails which outlined that decisions regarding a student's placement on the programme would be communicated after the school-based applications had been reviewed.
Department officials have confirmed that sanction letters for the home-based programme commenced issuing on the 18th June 2026 and a decision letter in respect of the pupil in question issued on 20th June 2026. Having liaised directly with the family concerned, the decision letter was reissued again.
