Michael Moynihan
Cork North-West · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I cannot emphasise enough the respect that the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and I have for special needs assistants and the contribution they make to education. In March, we met the SNAs to have further engagement and consultation with them and to understand their roles.”
“We are very conscious of the issue. A huge number of groups that I have met over the past while, particularly on the dyslexia side, have all been discussing assistive technologies. That is also the case for children who are non-communicative and non-verbal. Assistive technologies are extremely important for them.”
“By way of background, 85% of the applications processed for assistive technology between January and June have been approved. We are always conscious of those who fall outside the scheme.”
“The approximate cost to the State per mainstream pupil is currently €1,400 annually, while the cost to the family is €100 per pupil. The total cost of the school transport system in 2025 was €537 million, equating to almost €3 million being spent on the provision of school transport per day.”
“I thank the Deputy. We are looking at ways to ensure that if there is a ticket issued, it will be used. Anecdotally, the Deputy and other colleagues tell us about school routes the length and breadth of the country that have spare capacity but, when we look at the system, all of the tickets on that particular school route are occupied and…”
“Under the current scheme, schools receive funding towards computers and specialised equipment required for educational purposes. To qualify, a student must have a diagnosis of a physical or commutative disability and a professional assessment confirming the equipment is essential to access the curriculum.”
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“The Department received that submission in July 2025 and a detailed review is ongoing. Part of the submission review will include a stakeholders meeting between the school authorities, design team and project manager, which will be held once the stage 2a report has been reviewed. It is important because that is the crucial piece. We have that report a number of months at this stage and, as Deputy Murphy quite rightly said, the officials confirmed to him we have it, so we need to move that on to the next stage. What is exasperating people in many of the questions I am answering here on an ongoing basis is the delay in getting school buildings beyond the design and the initial thoughts. The Deputies have demonstrated quite clearly there is need for this school and the Department has accepted it going back over a decade or so.”
“I thank the Deputies for raising the issue. I compliment them as constituency TDs because nearly every issue they raise is done on a cross-party basis. It is great to see it because education is so important. It is very important to be unified. We have had a number of issues with the Deputies we are working on but it is important to acknowledge the co-operation they have on this. This shows me the challenges there are in relation to the school and the decision that was taken. A major project for the school was to build 20 mainstream classrooms along with additional classrooms for special education needs and associated work. This project is currently at stage 2a of architectural planning, where the preferred design option is developed to a stage where the project can be fully cost planned, and prepared to lodge for statutory approvals.”
“I take the points the Deputy raised in relation to the toilets and so forth very seriously. They do not rest easy with me. I will bring those points back to the Department and ask it to liaise with the Deputy in relation to the next phases. It is important the phase that is under way is completed as a matter of urgency because it shows that we intend to invest in Lucan Community College now but also into the future so that we best serve the future needs of the school and the community. I will endeavour to do that.”
“I thank the Deputy for outlining the challenges within the school community as well. It is important we have the best possible school environment for all students. Every student, no matter what their ability, must have a positive experience within the school. Phase 1 of the project is on-site and for delivery. The quality of the building going in is top class, as I understand it. That is moving at pace. The Deputy is looking for clarity in relation to how we are going to do the next phases of the project. I will liaise with the planning and building unit in the Department and with the Minister, Deputy Naughton, to ensure we get clarity for the school community, the school authorities, the ETB and the parents and students as fast as possible in relation to phases 2 and 3 and the building of it. I will endeavour to do that.”
“I thank the school authorities for their engagement with the National Council for Special Education and the Department in relation to provision of special education, which is a huge core in any building projects we are doing, that is, to ensure we have a provision for special education. I will endeavour to ensure the Department and Lucan Community College continue to liaise so that the needs of the school community and the community at large are met in any new developments.”
“However, when it comes to individual schools - as I indicated, this project has been discussed for a long time, going back a number of years to when the Deputy first mentioned it at meetings - it is important we continue to liaise. This first phase of it is on-site. This allows us to get very good high-spec projects built, and to get them delivered in faster time. We have seen many challenges in relation to projects going on too long. I will endeavour to liaise with Department officials in the planning and building unit to ensure the entire need of the school community, not just this building project but the entire need, is met.”
“The Deputy will be aware we recently published €7.55 billion in sectoral investment for education across the education system, and a lot of that is due to a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritising school building projects which meet the most urgent need. In this regard, there will be a strong special education dimension to projects being rolled out. The Deputy mentioned the families in the school. There is a project being moved ahead, which I outlined in earlier comments. We, in the Department, will continue to work with the school authorities and the patron body, Dublin-Dún Laoghaire ETB, to ensure needs are met within the Lucan area. We see a huge amount of investment going into school building projects across the country. Over the past five or six years, extraordinary funding has been spent on them.”
“The Department officials are engaging with the school patron, the Dublin-Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board, and the school authorities in relation to progressing this accommodation. They remain available to provide support on this project, including the scope for repurposing some of the existing classrooms for special education provision. The National Council for Special Education is engaging with the school authorities in this regard and, of course, the Department has a repurposing scheme which provides €30,000 for start-up grants for each new special class and up to €70,000 for repurposing existing accommodation for special classes.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. If memory serves, in a previous incarnation in a previous life, he raised this issue at an education committee. That is going back some time. I thank him for raising and outlining the issue in relation to Lucan Community College. The Department of Education and Youth is progressing the delivery of a large timber frame modular extension to Lucan Community College. The project will deliver nine additional classrooms, a science laboratory and preparation area and a design and technical graphics room. Construction has already commenced on site. This delivery method and model of construction offers an extremely high quality, carbon-friendly building, combined with fast delivery.”
“I thank him for his engagement and his interest in special education over the last while. As I said, it is important that we, as Members of the House, continue to advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable because it is by that we will be judged.”
“At the core of inclusion is ensuring students have the same rights and attainability and ensuring the best possible outcomes when they go beyond school. We did introduce some funding this year for the transition period from schools to adulthood. That is something I would be very keen to address. I addressed it again last night during Private Members' business. I take the Deputy's points. I can assure him that this is something we will very much take on board. We will work very closely with the Deputy in relation to this. I am very keen to see automatic certification. The key phrase is "parity of esteem" so that everybody is treated equally and we understand and acknowledge the work that is being done by students, their families and the school communities and give recognition to that. I will work on that with the Deputy.”
“The Department is keenly aware of it. There is always room for improvement and we are very understanding of that. We are challenged every day to make sure the education system is improving into the future right across the education system and, indeed, for special education as well. What we are going to invest in special education now will have huge benefits for students, families and society in the long term. I firmly believe that it will give a greater understanding. Parity of esteem is one thing, and automatic certification is hugely important. We have to stand back and say that students who are going through special schools or special education must have parity of esteem with their peers.”
“I actually saw first-hand the excellent work that has been done in some of the school communities there, which I mentioned in various discussions we have had not alone in the Department but in the wider sphere as well. To address the Deputy's point, it is important that the student cohort who are going to special schools earn the same recognition as any of their peers. We have to ensure that the certificates are generated and issued within the State exams system within the Department. I can assure the Deputy that it is something we need to address because it is an issue that has arisen. We are working on it, and we have a lot of work done in designing the various schemes over the past while to have it student focused as well. It is something I intend to take very seriously.”
“It is important we ensure that at the end of that process, it is the very same for the students who are going to the special school, in that the certificate is issued and we work through the various challenges to make sure they are on the same level as their peers in mainstream education. It is something we are looking at very closely. I intend to make sure that happens. It is not the case for public representatives; I know the Deputy is deeply invested in special education. He has spoken to me many times over the last 12 or 14 months or so in relation to the challenges that are being faced, and I appreciate that. We had a very successful visit to the Deputy's part of County Kildare recently.”
“The Deputy mentioned his representation in relation to certificates being issued. That is simply not good enough. We have to make sure for the student cohort who are going to special schools. A huge amount of work is being done in the schools and by families to equip students for life after school with the best possible engagement and fulfilment they can have in the life they lead. If we are true to the word "inclusion", we must include everybody. A lot of work has gone on in relation to designing the junior certificate and, indeed, the leaving certificate at the special school level.”
“I met representatives of Stepping Stones last week. I meet representatives of special schools regularly and have been to a huge number of such schools across the country. I applaud the work that is being done in the special schools and in special education, in particular. The Deputy mentioned special schools and I have met their representatives. From this week on, I will be having a number of regional meetings with the principals of special schools right across the country. We are starting an engagement process in Sligo on Friday. It will be right across the country. We will be meeting the leadership in special schools to get an understanding of the challenges that are being faced. The Deputy raised the issue of the State exams and certification. It is hugely important that we have uniformity at the very core.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. If he does not mind, I will depart a little from the script with which I have been provided. It is hugely important. We are talking about inclusion and making sure we get the best possible education for children with additional needs as they go through primary and post-primary school. As the Deputy rightly said, we are announcing more special classes. We are really trying to make the education system fit for purpose in meeting the needs of students with additional needs. As with other countries, we have seen the need growing across Ireland and the OECD. I have said many times that I shudder to think what is happening in the undeveloped countries. We are really trying to come to terms with it. The Deputy mentioned St. Raphael's, Stepping Stones and Saplings special schools.”
“I can reassure her we are working with them. Our aim is to make sure we have special education provision in every community as locally as possible for the needs of the child and families into the future.”
“I cannot accept that there is overcrowding. We are looking at how best to ensure teachers, SNAs and support teams are in place to encourage students and to make sure we are as inclusive as possible. Not every student can be mainstreamed but we need to make sure that where it is possible we have the best possible support in place. It is also taking a child with special educational needs through primary school and post-primary school and equipping them as best we can for life after school as well. That is the premise. There are challenges. We are putting in a huge amount of money - over €5 billion has been put into the school building programmes over the past number of years. In the coming years, €7.55 billion is to be put into it. We are working closely with school communities. The Senator mentioned a number of schools in her area.”
“We have to look at the outcomes for children, both at primary and post-primary school, and on into adulthood, whether they are going on to further education or into the workplace and provide whatever supports are needed. This model has been very much welcomed by a number of the education partners. It is in its infancy but it is something that we are looking at to make sure that we are supporting children by having the support staff in place for the students. The same ratio applies. We are making sure that we have the support staff in place in order that that we can have the best possible model of integration into the future. We have a huge number of teams of both teachers and SNAs within the special education sector and we want to now look at how best we can make it as inclusive as possible”
“They have all said that we need to have the supports in place, be they teachers or SNAs. In each of the instances cited by the Senator, we are giving the extra teachers and SNAs. There is absolutely zero question about that. It is fundamental and vitally important that we reassure parents and students that there is absolutely no cutback whatsoever in terms of the teachers and SNAs that are being provided for children who are going into special classes. It is the same ratio. In relation to a lot of the policy that we have been looking at over the last year or so, we are trying to determine the best model to ensure that we are equipping students who are going into special classes for a more fulfilled life.”
“Some comments were made on Wednesday and Thursday of last week to the effect that we were not giving any staffing but nothing could be further from the truth. I note that some organisations corrected their comments when it was pointed out that we were giving the same staffing. We also want to make sure that we are supporting post-primary schools in particular with additional resources in terms of staffing for students. We have interacted with a huge number of principals and we have some great models of education being delivered in post-primary schools throughout the country. In a number of schools that I have visited myself I have seen the way they are delivering at post-primary level in terms of having a hub and having students going in and out of different classes.”
“It is hugely important that we make sure we are doing our best to have the best possible outcomes for students. At post-primary level, a lot of a lot of integration and inclusion happens. When we announced the classes last week there was a headline straight away that we were not putting the staffing resources with the students. However, in any of the enhanced classes that we have, six students will be getting 1.5 teachers and two SNAs at post-primary level. If there is an additional six students, they will be getting an additional 1.5 teachers and two SNAs. There is absolutely no reduction in staffing or the staffing ratios that are in place for students with additional need in special classes. That ratio was set many decades ago and is sacrosanct in that it is Government and departmental policy.”
“I thank Senator O'Reilly for raising the issue. In the first instance this year, as opposed to other years, we have started the sanctioning of classes much earlier. We have 432 classes sanctioned already. That is because we had an earlier date for notification of 1 October. An awful lot of forward planning is being done in relation to special education and over the past number of years, the amount of money that has been put into primary and post-primary education has been absolutely huge by any yardstick. It is also meeting the need within our school communities and our cohort of students. Families have been notifying the NCSE of their special education requirements for students. The issue the Senator raised relates to the five schools that were announced last week.”
“I welcome all the distinguished guests to Leinster House. I hope they enjoy their day. It is always a special day when students or anybody visits the seat of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann. I hope they enjoy their day and whatever benefit is in it. I did not realise that the Acting Chairperson had the imprimatur to give homework off. It is something I must look up the Standing Orders for.”
“I thank St. Anne's team for the work it does. We are commencing this weekend a regional engagement with all the leaders of special schools in locations around the country to see the challenges they are facing. We are meeting the principals to have informal discussions. We begin in Sligo this week and we have a number of others over the next couple of weeks. We want to get a sense. I have had meetings with special schools in terms of the insurance and funding mechanisms, and we have done some work in relation to the capitation grants, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done. I assure the Senator that we will be engaging with special schools over the next while to see the challenges that are being faced. I must now go to the Dáil Chamber.”
“The Senator has undertaken to do that and will come back to us on it. The principals, wider leaderships and entire school communities in special schools, be they teachers, special needs assistants, SNAs, or bus escorts, are super human beings and do amazing work for our most vulnerable.”
“In my closing remarks, I will refer to the issues the Senator raised in relation to funding for insurance and so forth. The Senator should rest assured that if we get the information back, we will progress the project as fast as humanly possible within the Department.”
“We are waiting for some documentation to come back from the design team with clarifications. I ask the Senator to use her good offices to ensure that is returned to the Department as a matter of urgency. I will give a commitment that those matters will then be looked at as speedily as possible in the Department. We understand the need for the school. This has been a long time coming and the school authorities and school community have long been advocating on this issue to the Senator. I ask her to make sure that any outstanding documentation is returned to the Department. We will then take that and go through it as fast as possible to make sure we can move this project forward. It is a hugely important special education work in Kildare and we are anxious to make sure it progresses.”
“In the event that an extension to the current planning permission is required by the Department, the design team will arrange for the preparation of the documents for same when necessary. The Senator will understand that there is a huge envelope of money in the national development plan for investment in education right across the estates of the schools. This project has been ongoing and there has been huge engagement on it between the Department and the school authorities. I know from the Senator's representation and, indeed, from the information we have that County Kildare and its surrounds have huge need. The Senator mentioned Monasterevin. We are trying to make sure we have appropriate education to meet the needs. I know the Senator has a personal involvement in St. Anne's as well, and I will take that in board.”
“The major building project for the school is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning - stage 2b, detailed design - and the design team has secured all the statutory approvals and is preparing the suite for the tender documents. The stage 2b submission was received by the Department of education in May 2024. It has been reviewed by the Department's officials and comments have been issued to the design team. The Department is currently awaiting the design team's clarifications. Once the stage 2b submission clarifications have been received, the Department will review the additional information. As the Senator said, planning permission for St. Anne's Special School was granted on 25 March 2022.”
“I will take this in two parts. I thank the Senator very much. I know her huge interest in education, including special education, goes back a long time. She and I have worked together in various capacities over the last while. I, therefore, accept the Senator's bona fides on these issues. I will go through the building project for St. Anne's Special School in the Curragh. The project is included in the Department of education's construction programme, which will be delivered under the national development plan as part of Project 2040 funding. The brief for the project is to provide 16 new special school classrooms, including the demolition of some of the existing buildings. It also includes the retention of the extension completed in 2012.”
“The investment in special education that the Minister and I are presiding over and have fought for over recent months will make a real difference to children, families and society in the long run.”
“Inclusive special classes were mentioned, including the five announced last week. We are not cutting back on staff. We are supporting them and the ratio is exactly the same. It is a matter of encouragement and ensuring that, as far as is possible, inclusion is at the very heart of special education provision. Many school communities, particularly at post-primary level, are doing an excellent job, as was evident in a number of places we visited. They are all saying that if they had the resources in terms of teachers or SNAs, they would be able to do more. Those resources have been put in place. We have to ensure we are embracing all models of education to have better outcomes for children. It will save us in the long run.”
“The Department's aim is to ensure no child will ever need to take a case against the State. Where it happens, the Department continues to work with parents to ensure solutions are found as quickly as possible and cases are settled before they go to court. It is important to continue to do that. Over recent months, particularly since Christmas, we have worked nearly every Monday night. The Minister and I have worked collaboratively across government to ensure the best possible outcomes for children in September 2026. Owing to the portal deadline of 1 October, we have better sight of the number of children. Additional classes were announced months earlier than last year and work is continuing with the NCSE. The Department is continuing daily to ensure more classes will be sanctioned over the next while.”
“The first tranche, 45 special schools, has been announced and it is intended to roll out the remainder of the special schools over the 2026–27 school year. The NCSE recently completed a recruitment campaign for senior and staff-grade occupational speech and language therapists for the initial counties. Panels have been created for the first recruitment campaign and posts are currently being offered, with an expectation that the therapists will be in situ in May 2026. This education therapy service will provide a multi-tiered model of support for children, parents and school communities. The service will focus on education-relevant goals, supporting children to fully participate in their school environments and maximise positive outcomes. During the debate, legal cases were mentioned.”
“Fórsa, the recognised trade union representative body of the SNAs, and the Department will continue to work and engage on this. I am very pleased that, over the past 12 months, the Government took a decision to put the education therapy service back into our schools. This was committed to at election time. A huge amount of work has been done over the past year. I truly believe this will be a game-changer for children and young people with additional needs and also their schools and families. This will supplement existing children's health and disability services. The initial focus is on educational therapists and speech and language therapists. In time, other disciplines, such as physiotherapy, will be included.”
“In relation to the development of a circular on the role of the SNA, my Department has concluded a comprehensive review of the role of the SNA as part of ongoing work on the SNA workforce development plan. This work was supported by working groups comprising a wide range of stakeholders, which have met a number of times over the past year or so, providing input from their perspectives. The Department has also conducted significant focus group research, as well as a national survey of SNAs to ensure everybody in our school communities was given the opportunity to provide input. The result is a draft circular that provides a detailed description of the range of duties and responsibilities of the evolving SNA role and that is a product of meaningful collaboration with all those in school communities.”
“The SNA redeployment scheme, the SNA workforce development plan and changes to a 2014 circular outlining the role of an SNA will be advanced before any further decisions are taken. As the Minister said, we did a full day of consultation on those key pieces - the SNA redeployment scheme, the SNA workforce development plan and the changes to the circular. Many Members offered opinions on them. We have been very clear in that regard. Ongoing work is at an advanced stage. We fully understand that has to be done as a priority. The priority remains to ensure that the child-centred approach to the provision of special education is retained and enhanced in these policy developments. These policies will ensure special education into the future.”
“I have a deep appreciation for every single SNA who works in our school communities. When I meet them on school visits, I always say that we have built special education on their backs. I know full well the importance of the SNA to families and in particular to children to ensure they have access to education that allows them to flourish. In September 2026, we will have the largest number of SNAs, at almost 25,000, ever available in schools. Funding for approximately 500 additional SNAs is being provided. As previously agreed by the Government, all schools reviewed by the NCSE and allocated additional SNA resources will receive them. No SNA reduction will come into effect in the 2026-27 school year.”
“As Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I continue to meet officials of the National Council for Special Education, along with senior officials in the Department of education on a weekly basis to track the progress being made in providing new specialist places. This work is ongoing. As always, the NCSE continues to monitor and review the level of need and how many children and young people are being offered places. There are many moving parts to all of this as our school admissions process happens at a local level. I pay tribute to the members of the council and the officials from the Department who work with me each Wednesday morning to make sure that we monitor the situation. The motion refers to a wide range of issues. I want to touch on some of them now and the work that is being progressed.”
“Where children have more complex needs a special class can be provided and for children with the most complex needs a special school place can be provided. At the start of this school year, through the accelerated provision of new special class and special school places over recent years, we had 31,000 specialist places. For each of the past five years, we have provided approximately 400 new special classes with six places in each and 300 special school places. For the coming year, based on the additional funding approved by the Cabinet this morning, we will go well beyond that in terms of provision for the next school year. It has been noted in the House tonight that more than 330 special classes have been approved this year, with more to follow in the coming weeks.”
“I meet every week with parents, schools, patrons, advocacy groups and other education stakeholders to discuss special education, both what is working and where there is room for improvement. Members mentioned that pinch points often arise at the transition points from early years to primary school, from primary to post-primary, and from post-primary on to life after school. This is something that comes to the fore when it comes to the provision of special education placements, whether in a special class or in special schools. It is important to remember that the majority of children and young people with special educational needs are supported to access mainstream classes with their peers.”
“I thank the Deputies for the opportunity to speak in the debate. I thank everybody who has contributed so sincerely and genuinely this evening. They can rest assured that both the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and I will take due recognition of each and every one of the points that has been made. The old Irish saying that it takes a village to raise a child is never truer than when a child has special needs. It takes an extraordinary school community to ensure that a child can flourish. I want to use this opportunity to put on the record of the House my deep appreciation for every school principal, teacher, SNA, bus escort, bus driver, secretary, caretaker, and other school staff members around the country who support children with additional needs and ensure they can flourish.”
“As I said, if we are to do amalgamations well - amalgamations will serve the school community not just now but into future generations - and if we do them right at the very start, they can be very effective. In some instances there have been difficulties setting it up which can lead to further challenges down the line. I will take that up. If the Senator would share the Ringsend roll number for both schools we can have a look at that and respond.”
“They are amalgamating and becoming one school from 1 September 2026. The roll numbers were taken. In my experience of amalgamations, where everything has been worked out very well and to allocate resources afterwards, even last year, in a number of schools in which we were involved and they were allocating resources for SNA or teachers, the two old roll numbers stayed in place until the end of the school year. To allocate the resources, we had to wait for the new school number. We just have to push through these technical issues because they are structural issues. It may well be that there is an issue. I will with a heart and a half take up that issue.”
“The Department does not have an infinite amount of money but we have money to make sure we are working to have school communities up and running. If he has any further information he wishes to give me, I will be only too happy to go back to the Department and get a response.”
“We have seen over many decades that when school amalgamations are done very well with a great foundation, it leads to better outcomes for the children and the entire community. Amalgamations are not something the State or the Department have taken lightly over many years. When founded on very good principles and co-operation, it can work well. I will take that up. We will try to get information back to the Senator on DEIS as well. On downpipes, simple problems with roofing or otherwise can lead to huge challenges across the system. The Senator mentioned concerning Ringsend that officials used the word "grim". It is really worrying to me when you see that. I will take up the two school communities and work to make sure we meet any challenges we can meet in the Department.”
“We are aware of the challenges to make sure school communities are working properly particularly in disadvantaged areas. The Senator raised the issue regarding DEIS plus. I do not have the brief this morning on that but I am happy to engage further with him. I know all of the school communities he raised with me are working in challenging circumstances, delivering an education to vulnerable people and a diverse group. One has to compliment that. As I have done over the past year, when you go into schools particularly in the city here, you see the challenges they face and how the school community, leadership, teachers, SNAs and entire school team are working. Specifically in relation to the schools the Senator raised, I am willing to work with him on the outstanding issues.”
“The emergency works fund is available throughout the school year. Schools can apply for emergency works needed to ensure the smooth running of the school. I pay tribute to the school communities in the schools in Ringsend and Westland Row. The Senator mentioned his conversation with the principal. I am happy to take that further if the Senator provides me with further details. There is engagement. There are always issues with amalgamations to ensure they take place and there are practical issues the Department has to streamline. The Senator also mentioned letters from July and February, some seven months apart. I will ensure that is speeded up. If the Senator wants to give me further details on the outstanding issues there, I will take them up, and in Westland Row as well. There is a huge budget for capital investment in schools.”