821. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department will circulate a single email to all primary schools in mid-August 2026, in advance of the new school year and coinciding with Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, publicising Key to the EU, an innovative and engaging education programme on active European citizenship at primary level, fully funded and highly acknowledged and praised at European level, which offers free classroom resources for teachers with all curriculum links and differentiation options; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42156/26]

My Department is committed to supporting schools’ engagement with Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2026 and is developing a coordinated outreach and engagement plan to achieve this.

These supports will include the provision of an accessible book on the Presidency, aimed at senior primary pupils, which will be delivered to every primary and special school at the beginning of the 2026/2027 school year, accompanied by inclusive formats to support all learners.

I am aware of the “Key to the EU” programme and the team behind it have been in contact with my Department. As with other similar programmes I acknowledge the work that goes into developing such programmes and the positive intentions behind it. However, apart from a small number of prescribed texts at post-primary level, determined by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), decisions on textbooks, programmes and products to use in primary and post-primary schools are taken at school level. In terms of content, the Department of Education and Youth does not have a role in approving, commissioning, sponsoring or endorsing any content in any publication or product. The only requirement from the Department, on any resource used in a school, is that it is relevant to the curriculum. Ultimately, the decision on which resources, if any, most appropriately covers the curriculum, rests within the school itself.

My Department continues to consider the most effective mechanisms to assist schools in accessing information and resources on the EU and the Presidency and will keep the approach under review to support maximum awareness and participation across all school communities.