Hildegarde Naughton
Galway West · Fine Gael · Ireland
“It is an absolute commitment in the programme for Government to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio over the lifetime of the Government. The Deputy will appreciate I cannot announce anything here in the Dáil. I have to go into negotiations in relation to the upcoming budget.”
“Where we can, we give guidance and I know schools are very well aware of this. They do this well themselves so that where possible, the more junior classes would have a lower class size.”
“The identification model has to be applied consistently right across the country to have fairness and transparency around it. Under the DEIS strategy to 2035, work is under way in my Department, with colleagues in the Central Statistics Office and across other Departments, to utilise other administrative data sources to help improve how w…”
“The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application under the additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme for an additional temporary classroom in 2025. This school had previously been approved for a permanent extension under the ASA scheme in 2021 for a two-classroom special education needs unit and one mainstream classroom.”
“A huge amount of work is being done on securing specialist places, be it in special classes or special schools. We are far ahead of where we were this time last year. We had a budget for 400 special classes. I got increased funding in March of this year. We are ahead in relation to forward planning.”
“The general average of pupils to teachers in the primary staffing schedule improved from 26:1 five years ago to 23:1 for the current school year. Average class sizes in primary schools have improved from 24.1 to 22.2 through the investment we are making in schools.”
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“We can contact the school in relation to this but it is important to say that, in accordance with standard practice and contractual requirements, the conciliation process is of a confidential nature and, therefore, it was not appropriate to comment on the process. The conciliator has issued a formal recommendation for the resolution of the disputes and that recommendation has now been accepted by both parties. The Department is providing accommodation more suitable to the current needs of the school on Cathal Brugha Street. Some small-scale refurbishment works at the building were carried out to provide a good interim accommodation solution for the school.”
“Those unforeseen matters led to a delay in the project and, as a result, the Department entered into a conciliation hearing to try to reach agreement on a solution to ensure the earliest possible delivery of the school, while respecting its statutory obligations.”
“As the Deputy said, the design team has been instructed by the Department to ready the tender for the completed contract. It will take four to six weeks to publish the tender, with a view to having the contractor on-site in quarter 4 of this year. Each stage of the process is subject to due diligence by the Department within the context of the overall programme and budgetary parameters. However, it remains the Department's priority to deliver a new school building for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as quickly as possible. Departmental officials will continue to work closely with the school authorities and will meet with them on a regular basis. As the Deputy said, a number of issues arose on site and the Department actively engaged with the design team and the contractor to discuss matters.”
“This process is expected to take four to six weeks to publish the tender, with a view to having a contractor on-site in early quarter 4 of 2026. It remains the Department’s priority to deliver a new school building for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire as quickly as possible. Departmental officials will continue to work closely with the school authority.”
“The new build for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire is a large-scale capital project for the construction of a 16-classroom primary school in Dublin 1. The building project to complete the new build for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, Dominick Street, is at stage 3 of the architectural planning process - tender action and award. The Department can confirm that following a confidential conciliation process concerning all matters in dispute between the Department and the original contractor, the conciliator has now issued a formal recommendation for the resolution of those disputes, and that recommendation has now been accepted by both parties. Following the conclusion of the conciliation process, my Department has instructed the design team to ready a tender for the completion contract for the school in Dominick Street.”
“I thank the Deputy. In general, the Department works with schools on planning permissions that may be due to expire. That work happens all the time. With the priority list, we look at a number of issues, including: demographic pressures; schools that may not have their own home, in that they may be working out of a sports facility; whether they are ready to proceed to stage 3; whether they are maximising the capacity within their existing school footprint; and, importantly, where there is a focus on special educational needs, SEN, classes. This is a top priority for the Minister of State and me and it feeds into our building projects as well. We want to ensure our children and students can attend their local school. That will require special education classes to be prioritised as part of our building projects.”
“The first tranche was announced and the Department will be working with patrons and schools on the next prioritisation list.”
“There has been significant investment in Carlow and Kilkenny due to the demographic changes there. I am aware that across the country there are many schools. Some of them were happy they were on that list, and others were disappointed that there were not. There is work under way in my Department on a new prioritisation list of schools. There was a conditional energy survey carried out across all schools in the country. That will be completed this year and feed into our new prioritisation list. The Department of education will be contacting patrons shortly for their views on the new prioritisation list and that work will be ongoing. Obviously, we have an NDP right out to 2030. I could not announce all the projects in one go. In an ideal world, we would have loved to do that. This has to be done on a phased basis.”
“I know there is a devolved delivery to the Kilkenny and Carlow Education and Training Board. The brief for Kilkenny City Vocational School provides for a new post-primary school building with a long-term projected enrolment of 550 pupils, including a two-room special education provision. The brief for Coláiste Pobal Osraí provides for a new post-primary school building with a long-term projected enrolment for 400 pupils. The project is at stage 2B. I will come back in and say more.”
“Over that period, a total of 70 schools has been upgraded either through provision of a new school building, a large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. There are currently seven school projects in Carlow-Kilkenny under construction. My Department will continue to engage with patrons and schools in Carlow-Kilkenny and across the country to inform targeted and prioritised capital investment. That will include the identification of any urgently required works or capacity needs with stakeholders, and that consultation will commence in June. With regard to Kilkenny City Vocational School and Coláiste Pobal Osraí, they form part of a single campus development. I had the pleasure of visiting them with Deputies McGuinness and Callaghan, and local representatives.”
“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. Of that €7.55 billion investment, €5 billion will be used for project rollout to support the delivery and modernisation of school buildings. In this regard, I published a list of the 105 school building projects in the first tranche to proceed to construction or tender over this year and next year, of which four are in Carlow and two are in Kilkenny. These projects were prioritised with a strong focus on maximising existing capacity and prioritising project rollout to meet the most urgent needs. These projects are in addition to the €253 million in capital funding for Carlow-Kilkenny schools between 2020 and 2025.”
“That is the important role they play in the social, emotional and behavioural, as well as the primary care needs of our young people. We want to make sure we are not only validating them but recognising the important role they play. That is why the new workforce development plan, and the circular will reflect that through co-design and engagement with the sector.”
“I am glad the Deputy raised this issue because we are increasing the number of SNAs. There are 24,896 SNAs in our schools. By next September we will have over 26,000 SNAs. Between this year and next year, we have funding for 3,000 SNAs. We will be continuing to invest in our special needs assistants. They value and provide support for our children and students, particularly children coming into primary school and those transitioning from primary to post-primary level. Making sure the resource, which is the SNA, is moving with the young person is absolutely key. The Deputy is correct that the class teacher and special education teacher are key here as well but the SNA plays a key role. When teachers do student support plans the SNA will feed into that.”
“There has been huge collaboration with them as well. For example, almost 7,500 SNAs responded to the national survey. There are focus groups with more than 310 SNAs, over 200 teachers and 250 school leaders. We consulted with almost 150 children and young people about the role of the SNA and what they want to see to support them as well.”
“"Yes" is the short answer. This has been the result of a huge amount of collaboration and engagement and has been co-designed by SNAs and education stakeholders. The Deputy is right about the evolved role of the SNA. It goes beyond the primary care needs. There are the social, emotional and behavioural supports that young people and students require. We also want to make sure SNAs are getting adequate training. These are things they have looked for. SNAs come from a wide variety of life experiences. There are varying qualifications out there and they bring so much as things stand. It is to elevate their position and make sure we are getting this right. There has been a huge amount of co-design with them and with educators. We have also listened to the voices of students and young people.”
“This was co-designed by them and by education stakeholders to make sure the educational experience and overall well-being of our students, which is what we are all here for, in our schools and to make sure our pupils are getting the resources they need. It will be published in the next couple of weeks.”
“Membership of these working groups include school management bodies, Fórsa, the trade union representing SNAs, school staff, the National Parents Council and the Children’s Rights Alliance. The working groups examined every facet of the SNA role in 55 meetings with a view to enhancing support to children and young people with special educational needs. Recently, the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I held a full day-long engagement with SNAs and other education stakeholders on those documents, making sure there are no gaps and that we get this right. It was a very productive, positive meeting. The key outputs from the plan include a new circular on the role of the SNA, a SNA redeployment scheme which is long sought after by SNAs and a review of the SNA employment contract. I very much value the key contribution that SNAs.”
“My Department is in the final stages of work on the first special needs assistant workforce development plan and associated documents. The plan provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and supporting SNAs, children with special educational needs and school communities. It will, through a co-created series of policy developments strengthen, clarify and offer clear direction and consistency to the SNA workforce. Significant research and collaboration have been undertaken in preparation of the plan. This includes significant engagement with focus groups of SNAs, students, school leaders and teachers as well as a national survey of SNAs. Published reports on each are available on the government website. The plan is also supported by collaborative working groups established for each of the five pillars of the work.”
“I thank the Deputy. He will appreciate I cannot confirm anything there in the Dáil Chamber. All I can say is it was great to see the school for myself. I know the great work happening there, the constraints the school is working within and the fantastic job it is doing in relation to teaching and learning. The enrolment figures are important. I understand the school says it has that work completed and will send it into the Department in relation to the review of enrolment patterns in the area and looking at the current enrolment coming from areas served by other schools. That is important in terms of trying to progress this. I thank the Deputy for his time.”
“Seventy-three schools have been upgraded either through a new building, a large-scale extension or modular accommodation and there are eight school projects under construction. I know the Deputy’s question related to this school - I will continue to work with it in order to try to progress this.”
“As the Deputy knows, the school operates on a tight urban site which adjoins a relatively busy road than most rural schools. The school has identified various issues with accommodation, including traffic management, uneven and small internal floor areas and, as I could see for myself, a sloping site topography and a limited play space. The school also referenced expected future housing growth and the urgency of acting on the offer of a local landowner to swap a greenfield site for a new school in exchange for the current site. The Department will continue to liaise with the school. Since 2020 we have invested €228.24 million in capital funding for schools in Donegal.”
“My Department will continue to liaise with the patron and school authority within this context but we are also awaiting that information around the enrolment figures.”
“As the Deputy will know, the Department provided additional capacity at the school through a significant modular accommodation project that was completed in November 2024. In terms of managing remaining capacity pressures at the school, the Department understands that around 20% of the school’s current enrolment consists of pupils for whom it is not their nearest school. The school wants to come back with figures and evidence around that. We would really welcome that information. My Department’s NDP rollout places a very strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and the prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. All applications from schools for major capital works, including Scoil Mhuire, must be considered in that context.”
“I had a wonderful visit to Scoil Mhuire Milford last week with Deputy Mac Lochlainn, Senator Manus Boyle and other Deputies. I want to commend the work of the school. You can see the fantastic ethos there, the learning and teaching and the warmth that is evident there. I always say it is very clear when you walk into a school the atmosphere that is there and that was very apparent in Scoil Mhuire Milford. My Department has received an application for large-scale capital funding from the school. The officials have corresponded extensively with the school following that application. They met the patron and other school representatives. Discussions have been ongoing between the Department and the school around providing more information around enrolment patterns. From our discussion that day with the school, it will submit that.”
“Employers were required to complete their profile on the My Future Fund employer portal using their Revenue online services credentials before January this year, to ensure that they are compliant with their obligations under the legislation. Employers are required to ensure that their payroll systems are capable of calculating and submitting contributions and that employee contributions are matched in accordance with the scheme's requirements. It is important to note that all employers, regardless of their status, are required to comply with the legislation underpinning My Future Fund. The Department has enrolled approximately 2,000 eligible secretaries since 1 January this year.”
“Regarding secretaries and caretakers being given access to the single public service pension scheme, engagement, supported by the State's industrial relation bodies, has been ongoing. As with all industrial relations processes where engagement is sensitive and complex, discussions remain confidential. My Department welcomed the commencement of the auto-enrolment retirement savings scheme, which is administered by the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority, NAERSA, in January. Responsibility for employer compliance with the scheme lies with NAERSA. Revenue provides payroll data to NAERSA, which uses this to identify and enrol eligible employees.”
“As with any industrial relations process, I cannot comment on it. By way of background, the Deputy may be aware an agreement was reached in 2022 that provided for the assimilation of school secretaries to a payroll administered by my Department, which has provided significant benefits in respect of pay and access to leave. We are committed to ensuring that grant-funded school caretakers will be afforded the opportunity to avail of an agreement similar to that offered to grant-funded school secretaries.”
“I concur with everything the Deputy has said there. I met with the school secretaries and caretakers in my own constituency at the time. I know many of them. They are very familiar to me. They do not take going out on protests lightly. They did not want to be there. I heard that loud and clear and I recognise that a comparable pension entitlement and enhanced terms and conditions are, understandably, important objectives for our secretaries and caretakers. That is why my Department has been engaging with Fórsa over the past number of months under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court with the support and input of the Department of public expenditure and reform. Parties remain in that process and my Department remains committed to reaching a resolution on all these matters.”
“The parties remain in process, and my Department remains committed to reaching a resolution on this very important matter. As with any industrial relations matters, where engagement is sensitive and complex, the matters under discussion are confidential until the process concludes. I want to reassure the Deputy, from my perspective and that of the Government, of the value we place on our school secretaries and caretakers. It is absolutely imperative that we get this matter resolved.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question. School secretaries and caretakers are at the heart of schools in this country and they are the key interface, as we all know, between students, parents, school leaders and other staff. Without them, our schools would be unsustainable, given the value of what they contribute, so supporting our school staff is an absolute priority. My Department has been engaging with Fórsa and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation over the past number of months under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court in relation to a number of claims, including a claim for a comparable pension entitlement. The matter of comparable pension entitlement was referred to the Labour Court.”
“We want to make sure that in the documents we are producing now, which are codesigned with them and the school communities, we are enabling them to get access to the training and giving them the redeployment benefits they wanted and have long sought, which is equivalent to teachers across the country.”
“I should have said at the outset that we have more SNAs now than ever before. There were 24,896 SNAs in our schools. We will have over 26,000 this coming September. I absolutely know, as a former teacher, the value and the role of the SNA. I do not need to tell the Deputy, Members of this House or indeed parents or young children and students themselves who need the support of SNAs working with the class teacher, the special educational teacher and the school community. We intend to improve their conditions around training and we have been listening to SNAs themselves, who come from a wide variety of life experience and have a wide range of qualifications.”
“There has been significant engagement and it will be published. There is also an SNA hub online. It will be published there as well as on Government websites.”
“I thank the Deputy. I want to publish these documents within the coming weeks. They are at an advanced stage and they were codesigned with SNAs, stakeholders and advocacy groups. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I met with them all again recently. We did a day-long session looking at all of these documents to make sure we get this right. The new circular to replace Circulars 30/2014 and 71/2011 on the role of the SNA will be published. There will be an amalgamated circular published and a guidance document will be published for that as well. The redeployment of SNAs will be delivered by the NCSE and it will, for the first time, allow SNAs in posts that may no longer be required for reasons such as falling enrolments, reduced care needs and changing demographics to be redeployed. This is something SNAs have asked for as well.”
“The key outputs from the plan will include a new circular on the role of the SNA, an SNA redeployment scheme and a review of the SNA employment contract. I very much value the contribution of SNAs and the role they play in schools across the country to make sure the overall well-being of students and pupils is at the forefront of everything we are doing. I am pleased to confirm that the drafting of the plan, the circulars on the SNA role and the SNA redeployment scheme are at an advanced stage. I intend to publish them in the coming weeks.”
“The plan is also supported by collaborative working groups established for each of the five pillars of the work. Membership of these working groups include school management bodies; Fórsa, the trade union representing SNAs; school staff; the National Parents Council; and the Children’s Rights Alliance. The working groups examined every facet of the SNA role in 55 meetings with a view to enhancing support to children and young people with special educational needs. The Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, and I recently met with stakeholder representative groups and SNAs in a day-long engagement to discuss this important work and look at any outstanding gaps that may be within these documents.”
“I thank Deputy Kenny for his question. My Department is in the final stages of work on the first special needs assistant workforce development plan and associated documents. The plan provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and supporting SNAs, children with special educational needs and school communities. It will, through a co-created series of policy developments, strengthen, clarify and offer clear direction and consistency to the SNA workforce. Significant research and collaboration have been undertaken in preparation of the plan. This includes significant engagement with focus groups of SNAs, students, school leaders and teachers as well as a national survey of SNAs. Published reports on each are available on the Government website.”
“The identification of schools for inclusion in DEIS plus does consider the presence of that persistent disadvantage but I would advise those schools to appeal as well.”
“That review process will be overseen by an independent appeals board, the members of which are not part of the initial design and implementation of the DEIS plus identification model. When all of the appeals have been processed, the schools will be informed in writing. The data is as good as that on the P-POD and POD but as part of the model, we are looking at unemployment levels and Traveller and Roma identity within these areas. It is based on the Pobal index as well. There will be as periodic reviews of this. My Department is working with the CSO and the ESRI around refining the data. As demographics and data change over the years, this will need to be reviewed as well. Schools will be reassessed periodically as the data sources and techniques are updated and advanced and as demographics change.”
“The model nationally did not overlook Limerick. A number of schools across Limerick city and county have been identified for inclusion in DEIS plus based on the same objective criteria. With regard to the appeals process, schools have until 25 May to submit an appeal to the Department for review and they also have the opportunity to update their enrolment data for the years 2023 to 2424, 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026 on the Department's POD and P-POD where they identify that the information already provided is not an accurate reflection of their school enrolment for those years. Schools may also request that the application of the model to their existing data be reviewed.”
“In addition to funding adjustments, the Department has reviewed and strengthened home school community liaison provision across the schools referenced by the Deputy with allocations updated under the revised DEIS model to ensure that meaningful supports are in place for families and communities. There is an appeals process for schools not included in the DEIS plus scheme that has now opened and the relevant schools can access full details on gov.ie .”
“When the DEIS plus identification model was applied to the schools referred to by the Deputy in Limerick city, the data reflected disadvantage but not at the level or concentration required for inclusion in the DEIS plus cohort. In applying the same model nationally, a number of schools across Limerick city and county were identified for inclusion under the scheme based on the same objective criteria. Schools in Limerick that are not included in DEIS plus continue to receive significant supports through the DEIS programme. DEIS grant allocations have been reallocated in line with the DEIS plus model with a number of schools mentioned receiving increased funding.”
“For inclusion in DEIS plus, the data on the individual school must demonstrate both a level of disadvantage that is significantly above the national average and a very high concentration of pupils from very or extremely disadvantaged areas. Many schools experience real and sustained challenges but still fall outside the threshold required for inclusion in this highly targeted intervention. A school-led application or self-reporting model would introduce inconsistency and inequity, which is why a data-driven and nationally comparable approach is essential. An independent OECD review of the DEIS identification model in 2024 highlighted the strengths of this approach, noting that it is multidimensional, respects GDPR principles and places no administrative burden on schools.”
“It is important to stress that where a school is not identified for inclusion in DEIS plus this does not in any way imply that disadvantage does not exist within that school community. DEIS plus schools were identified using a refined, rules-based model built on nationally available pupil-level administrative data. The model draws on a range of indicators associated with persistent and intergenerational disadvantage, including small-area deprivation, lone parenthood and unemployment, Traveller and Roma identity, and children living in State-funded emergency accommodation or international protection accommodation. These indicators are applied consistently across all schools using enrolment data from the past three years.”
“This forms part of a full-year investment of €48 million, with approximately 30,000 children and young people nationally benefiting from inclusion in the scheme. The Deputy has raised questions about specific schools in Limerick city which were not identified for inclusion in the DEIS plus scheme, including Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, St. John's Girls' and Infant Boys' School, St. John the Baptist Boys' National School, Presentation Primary School, CBS Primary School and St. Michael's Infant School. I acknowledge the very real challenges faced by school communities in Limerick and recognise the dedication of the principals, teachers and staff who work daily to support children and families experiencing disadvantage.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question and for giving me the opportunity to speak to it. Addressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and Youth and for this Government. The DEIS plus scheme, commencing this year as part of the DEIS Strategy to 2035, represents the most significant expansion of targeted educational supports since the establishment of the DEIS programme. It is designed to provide enhanced, evidence-based supports to a cohort of 121 schools with the very highest concentrations of children and young people experiencing persistent and intergenerational disadvantage.”
“We also have ICT grants for schools. Millions have been invested in that. This is ongoing. We will work with schools in that regard.”
“We have introduced a number of cost alleviations for schools and parents. The free school books is one example of that. We are providing solar panels for schools as well to reduce their energy costs. There has been a hugely positive uptake from schools across the country in relation to that. The school transport system costs 55 cent per day for primary school pupils and 60 cent for post-primary students. When we compare that to public transport costs there is a big reduction in the cost. We give guidance to schools on ICT to ensure that in every way possible they minimise costs for parents. We also give them advice about uniforms. The financial services unit in the Department advises schools on their own costs and how they can make savings. There is also an onus on schools to ensure that, where possible, they reduce those costs.”
“We want to be able to roll that out but we also need to make sure that we are getting good value for money and, where there are vacant seats, that they can be used. For example, there might be students who are taking the bus in the morning and not taking it in the evening, or vice versa , or not taking it on a Tuesday or Wednesday. We need to get that data because we also have calls from TDs here who are saying that their constituents cannot get access to school transport. That is the work we are doing in the Department to make sure we are getting good value for money for what we are investing.”
“A recent review of the school transport scheme found that having a fee helps to make better use of resources and prevents seats on school buses from going unused. The fee for a primary school student is 55 cent per week and it is 60 cent for a post-primary school pupil, or €1.32 per week for a family. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I are also acutely aware of the school transport system and getting better data about usage of school buses across the country. We are working with the Department of Transport and Bus Éireann, which roll this out, to get that data. We absolutely appreciate the importance of school transport, especially around special education children, who get this free of charge.”