283. Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Youth given the increasing use of the Irish language in many suburban parts of Dublin, whether she intends to improve the pupil-teacher ratio in schools in these areas similar to the boost given to such schools in Gaeltacht areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48486/26]

At post-primary level, Irish-medium schools both within and outside of the Gaeltacht are allocated one additional WTE.

At primary level, the pupil-teacher ratio is the same for Gaeltacht primary schools as it is for schools outside of the Gaeltacht, although the retention thresholds are different.

Schools participating in the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme are allocated additional Irish language support hours, based on school enrolment. Details of this allocation are set out in circulars relating to the scheme, most recently in Circulars 0015/2026 (for primary schools) and 0016/2026 (for post-primary schools).

The Policy for Irish-Medium Education outside of the Gaeltacht was launched by my department in November 2025. One of the actions under the policy, to support pupils’ and students’ development of language proficiency, is the allocation of language support hours for Irish to all Irish-medium schools on a phased basis.

These hours have been made available to Irish-medium post-primary schools and to primary schools outside of the Gaeltacht with DEIS status from the 2025/26 school year. Aonaid lán-Ghaeilge will also receive these hours from the start of the 2026/27 school year.

These hours help schools to support the diverse language needs of pupils, including those for whom both Irish and English are additional languages, and to develop the linguistic richness of all pupils.