I propose to take Questions Nos. 295 and 296 together.
Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is a matter for the Board of Management of each school. The Board of Management of a school, under the Education Act 1998, has responsibility for the direct governance of a school, including developing policies on issues including accessibility and technology deployment. Schools are best placed to determine the most appropriate solution to adopt in terms of supporting the learning needs of their students based on school's own context and circumstances, and in accordance with their Digital Learning Plan.
In that context, my Department does not track or collect specific data on the commercially available apps in use by schools. Advice and support for schools regarding deployment of digital technologies, digital learning planning and related issues, is provided by the Department support service, the Professional Development Service for Teachers Technology in Education (PDST TiE).
My Department will work to provide advice and support to schools to enable them to adhere to these requirements and the Department will work with the National Disability Authority, the body with responsibility for the implementation of S.I. No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020 (including W3C WCAG 2.1 Standards) to develop appropriate information for schools.