Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-17
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

I fully agree there are lots of things we need to focus on to make sure children are going to, staying in and progressing in school. When I was Minister of the Department, following on from the work of the previous Minister, Deputy Foley, before me and work the Minister, Deputy Naughton, is now carrying on, there was an action plan put in place specifically looking at attendance and how we can ensure children come to school, particularly where the levels within DEIS bands and primary schools were increasing at an astronomical rate. I think one in four was missing more than 20 days throughout the year, not including weekends and bank holidays and everything in between. There is a huge amount of work we need to focus on to ensure children are going to school and that parents are supported. In particular, for those who need that extra bit of help, the hot school meals are essential to that. It is making sure children have food and are able to focus and concentrate in school. The books we have introduced take an additional cost off of parents when they start school or at the beginning of any year. We also provide funding and supports to make sure uniforms can be bought, that the resources can be provided and that schools can get what they need. I appreciate that is something else in the budget that we need to keep increasing to ensure schools have the resources they need.
Again, I appreciate there is a lot of work we want to be able to do, but we have fantastic schools and teachers in this country. Our objective as a Government has to be to continue to invest in both.

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Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-17