Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton has defended the projected overspend of her department, saying it was clear when she took up her role that it was “not adequately funded”.
Her department’s current projected overspend is estimated to be between €600 million and €700 million this year.
The Irish Times reported on Friday that other departments will be asked to bail out the Department of Education after the Government decided to abolish the practice of supplementary estimates.
Speaking to media in Dublin on Friday, Naughton said she makes “absolutely no apologies around the need to make sure we are adequately funded, to make sure we are meeting the needs of everyone.”
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Asked if she will have to cut planned spending within her own department, and whether other Ministers may have to do the same to pay for the overruns, she said the issue is being “ironed out”.
She said she is working with the Department of Public Expenditure on the issue to ensure that “education is adequately resourced”, and that adequate supports and resources are in place.
“That’s what we deserve. That’s what our young people deserve, and that’s what I’m fighting for,” the Fine Gael Galway West TD said.
“Since I came into this role back in December, it was very clear to me that we hadn’t been adequately funded, and although the budget had increased over the years, we need to keep doing that, because this is demand-led.”
The Minister pointed to the need for a number of supplementary budgets within her department in recent years, and despite a record funding of €13.1 billion in Budget 2026, she said “demands are increasing”, particularly around special education.
She noted a “record” number of teachers, special needs assistants and special education teachers, saying she wants to “continue that work”.
“I need to ensure that we are meeting that demand, ensuring that our young people are getting the education that they deserve ... So I need to be able to manage the budget and to make sure that I’m getting the sufficient resources every year.
“That’s what I’m here to do, to ensure that the programme for government commitments are rolled out and are funded adequately,” she said.
The Minister said Ireland has a “world-class education system”, adding: “We want to continue to ensure that we meet those demands, and that is important for all of Government, for society. We don’t need to talk about the economy when we talk about education, but we know the impact that our really good education system has.”
Separately asked about the reintroduction of State exam fees, the Minister said she has to “live within budgets” to “make sure that I can have adequate resources right across the system”.
Exam fees, which have been waived since 2020 as a Covid-19 measure, are being reintroduced this year at €116 for Leaving Certificate candidates and €109 for Junior Cycle students.
