Parliamentary questions

Official Engagements

Micheál Martin

1. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the position regarding his breakfast meeting with the Vice President of the United States of America, Mr. Joe Biden; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12766/15]

Official Engagements

Micheál Martin

2. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the position regarding his meeting with the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12767/15]

Official Engagements

Micheál Martin

3. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the position regarding discussions on the undocumented Irish with the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12768/15]

Official Engagements

Micheál Martin

4. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the position regarding discussions on Northern Ireland with the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12769/15]

Official Engagements

Micheál Martin

5. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the position regarding the bilateral meetings he attended while in the United States of America in March 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12770/15]

Official Engagements

Denis Naughten

6. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his discussions regarding the undocumented Irish during his recent visit to the United States of America; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12776/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

7. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his visit to the United States of America in March 2015. [12782/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

8. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he met with members of the Irish-American community during his visit to the United States of America in March 2015. [12783/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

9. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his meeting with the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12784/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

10. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he raised the Stormont House Agreement with the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama, and with the leaders of the Congress of the United States of America; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12785/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

11. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he raised the case of Mr. Pat Finucane with the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama, and with leaders of the Congress of the United States of America during his visit to the United States of America in March 2015. [12786/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

12. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he met any of the lobby groups working with the undocumented Irish and other groups in the United States of America; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12787/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

13. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he met with business leaders during his visit to the United States of America in March 2015. [12788/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

14. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he raised the issue of the undocumented Irish with the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama, and the Government of the United States of America during his visit in March 2015. [12789/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

15. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he spoke to the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama, during his Saint Patrick’s Day visit concerning the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12791/15]

Official Engagements

Gerry Adams

16. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach if he spoke to the President of the United States of America, Mr. Barack Obama, regarding the plight of the increasing number of refugees arising from the conflicts in the Middle East. [12792/15]

Official Engagements

Micheál Martin

17. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the business leaders he met while in the United States of America in March 2015; if double taxation was discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15196/15]

Official Engagements

Micheál Martin

18. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if he met groups representing the undocumented Irish while in the United States of America; if progress has been made in relation to the undocumented Irish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15199/15]

Official Engagements

Micheál Martin

19. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach the names of the Senate representatives in the United States of America with whom he met to discuss the undocumented Irish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15200/15]

Official Engagements

Richard Boyd Barrett

20. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach the outcome of discussions regarding the undocumented Irish in the United States of America at his meeting with the American President, Mr. Barack Obama; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32856/15]

Special Educational Needs Data

Charlie McConalogue

121. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address concerns regarding the new system of allocation of special needs assistants that is being piloted this year; her plans to address the long waiting times for special needs assessment by the National Educational Psychological Service. [34079/15]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Jonathan O'Brien

122. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reducing the primary school pupil-teacher ratio by one point for each of the next five years, accounting for rising demographics; and the cost of additional school and classroom building to cater for reduced class sizes during each of these years. [34191/15]

Schools Building Projects Status

Ruth Coppinger

123. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills her Department's involvement in the process of constructing an access road to a planned school (details supplied) in Dublin 15; the resulting delay in the opening of this new school building; if this will result in students continuing to travel to temporary off-site accommodation; her views on the impact this delay is having on the much-needed sports pitches and facilities for the Tyrrelstown community; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34032/15]

State Examinations Reviews

Charlie McConalogue

124. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills her proposals for progressing with junior certificate reform following the rejection of the proposals by members of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34080/15]

Schools Building Projects Administration

Ruth Coppinger

125. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the failure to lodge a planning application on time for a temporary building for a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15, given that children in the school have started the school year in a gymnasium without natural light, adequate ventilation, or a play area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34033/15]

School Curriculum

Seán Kyne

126. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills in the context of the reform of the junior certificate, the changes that are planned for the Irish language curriculum with particular reference to the spoken language elements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33953/15]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

127. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that parents in County Cork are finding it difficult to access mainstream secondary school places for their children with autism, in view of the unavailability of resources at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will set out her plans to rectify the lack of mainstream places for children with autism as a matter of urgency. [33939/15]

School Accommodation Provision

Charlie McConalogue

128. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision on a preferred site for new school (details supplied) in County Donegal will be made; the reason for the delay in securing a site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33955/15]

Bullying in Schools

Bernard Durkan

129. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which her Department continues to monitor the level of school bullying at primary and second level schools; if particular issues have arisen which may benefit from specific attention; if traditional methods of dealing with the issue continue to be effective; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33936/15]

School Funding

Thomas Pringle

130. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will respond to concerns of the Irish National Teachers Organisation with regard to schools in rural Ireland, including the issues of class sizes, funding inequality between primary and secondary schools and the increased workload for many school teachers and principals who lack the support of a middle-management infrastructure in the sector; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33981/15]

State Examinations Reviews

Jonathan O'Brien

131. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the implementation of junior cycle reforms. [33940/15]

School Patronage

Charlie McConalogue

132. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress being made in providing a greater choice of school patronage to parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33954/15]

Student Accommodation

Terence Flanagan

133. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on concerns regarding the shortage of accommodation for university students; the steps she is taking to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33959/15]

School Accommodation Provision

Michael McGrath

134. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to address the substandard accommodation at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; if her Department plans to consolidate the infant school within the same site as the remainder of the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33942/15]

Special Educational Needs Staff Remuneration

Helen McEntee

135. Deputy Helen McEntee asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to her speech at the IMPACT conference in County Galway in September 2015, her plans to improve the working conditions and salaries of special needs assistants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33979/15]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Terence Flanagan

136. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the action that is being taken to reduce primary school class sizes to the European Union average; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33960/15]

School Absenteeism

Ruth Coppinger

137. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has analysed the impact that homelessness has on school attendance, the education of pupils and the life of schools; her plans to address these matters; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33975/15]

Student Accommodation

Ruth Coppinger

138. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures she will take to provide for affordable student accommodation; her views that the lack of such accommodation has an impact on accessibility to third level education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33977/15]

School Funding

Richard Boyd Barrett

139. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to fund primary schools in the same manner as secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33949/15]

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Michelle Mulherin

140. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will amend the student grant scheme and the student support regulations in order that erstwhile legally resident Student Universal Support Ireland applicants who are deemed to be ineligible because they have not met the residency conditions, as they have worked overseas for a number of years as unpaid volunteers doing charitable work in some of the world's most deprived places, will be eligible for higher education grants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33965/15]

Schools Building Projects Status

Charlie McConalogue

141. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills when architectural tender documents will be issued for the development of new permanent buildings to replace current prefabricated units at a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33956/15]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Charlie McConalogue

142. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a recent analysis (details supplied) which provides evidence that there are severe socio-economic inequalities in access to special needs supports across schools and pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33957/15]

Physical Education

David Stanton

143. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the role of physical education as part of the curriculum at primary and second level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33963/15]

School Management

Jonathan O'Brien

144. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to hold an inquiry into the schools using resource hours for administrative duties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33937/15]

Languages Programme

Charlie McConalogue

145. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans for improving foreign language education at primary and secondary level to address the deficit of foreign language skills among the population. [33958/15]

Educational Projects

Bernard Durkan

146. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she expects to be in a position to make adequate provision through the capital works programme to meet the full preschool, primary, second, third and fourth level current and future educational needs in all areas throughout the country, having particular regard to demographic trends, overcrowded classrooms, the schools building programme, special needs, and the challenge of the varying and increasing demands of the workplace and apprenticeships; if she is satisfied that the plans in place remain adequate to meet the challenges of an expanding economy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33935/15]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Ruth Coppinger

147. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the newspaper report (details supplied) which indicated that wealthier areas are accessing more resource teaching than poorer areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33974/15]

Special Educational Needs Staff

Mick Wallace

148. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is satisfied with the current special needs assistant allocation levels in the education system, particularly in the early years of school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33950/15]

Education Policy

Ruth Coppinger

149. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans for primary school education; if she has any plans to restore teachers' pay and conditions, including newly qualified teachers; to reduce class sizes to 20 pupils; to reverse cuts to the delivering equality of opportunity in schools scheme; to reverse cuts to special needs education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33978/15]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Richard Boyd Barrett

150. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to reduce class sizes to the European Union average; the measures she plans to put in place to address this problem; when these measures will commence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33948/15]