On behalf of Deputy McGuinness, I ask the Minister to explain, following her announcement that she will give €65 million in minor works and ICT funding for schools, the rationale for providing the same minor works grant to all schools when older buildings need increased funds to be maintained and whether older schools buildings will receive increased minor works funding.

There was very significant disappointment, which I raised in a Topical Issue with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, on the day of the announcement that the overall funding for the ICT and minor works grants were down from €79 million last year to €65 million this year. All that related to the ICT funding. All this fits into the wider piece of funding for schools. There is a real issue around the increasing costs and the flatline of the overall capitation in particular. This morning the CPSMA said that in the …

It is absolutely needed. This morning the CPSMA outlined results of its survey with an increase in insurance costs of one third, an increase in utility costs of 50%, an increase in cleaning costs of in excess of 80%. It is also clear the funding proposed for this year’s budget will not match the increasing costs that schools face. There is an ask for a comprehensive assessment. I welcome the piece on energy costs but the same is needed for the overall running costs of schools. There is an ask from the CPSMA, and ot…

To conclude on that point in the interests of time, I agree entirely with the Minister that is where the focus needs to be. We talk about school completion and absenteeism. The work done by home school liaison officers and educational welfare officers is incredibly important and life changing for individuals and families. It is about breaking the cycle. The Minister will have the absolute and full support of this side of the House if there is an opportunity to expand those services and supports for children because…

I am sharing time with Deputy McGettigan. This a good day and a positive day. It has been a while coming and I know the Minister will agree with that, but it is welcome. There is significant opportunity with it for Irish scientists. There is an opportunity to collaborate, connect and lead of their own volition. That is there now and that is to be welcomed. I encourage the Minister to ensure that the environment is there to harness that opportunity. Thanks to their mother, my kids at the weekend were out at UCD Fest…

In my two minutes, I want to focus on the issue of affordable housing in Meath East for working people to buy and rent. I looked at daft.ie before I came to the Chamber. Four-bedroom second-hand properties are €535,000 to buy, on average, with three-bedrooms €430,000 and two-bedrooms €240,000. There are no properties at all to rent. Not a single affordable unit has been delivered under this or the previous Government in Ashbourne, the biggest town in my constituency. There was a discussion across party lines among …

Will the Minister provide an update on the North-South interconnector project?

I am firmly of the opinion that this project will never be delivered at the current rate and if the current approach is maintained. I do not say this with any degree of satisfaction. I accept the points made by the Minister in terms of the strategic importance of it and need for it and everything that goes with that but there have been incredible delays. I foresee this continuing because at the root of it is belligerence on the part of EirGrid. I do not believe EirGrid is fit to deliver this project because it is b…

We are talking past each other, which has been the difficulty. I am being straight with the Minister. It is my firm belief, as an elected Member who knows these communities, that this project is not going to proceed as currently planned. The only way I see it being delivered is underground. The 2021 review said that in the future, not only qualitative but more quantitative elements and evaluations shall be introduced in the cost-benefit analysis for the assessment of grid investment alternatives as well the operati…

The Minister can see this is a very hot topic. I want to ask for an update on the review of the national development plan and for a statement on the matter.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I am sure others who come after me will speak in the same vein. There is very significant interest in this review because every area is ambitious for investment and development. I could speak about a number of projects in my area, including the Kilmoon Cross to Rath roundabout road project, but I specifically want to raise the issue of Navan rail. This is an excellent project on the basis of all the measurements that matter. It will transform County Meath economically, socially and en…

I thank the Minister for that answer. I will continue to fight the case for Navan rail. The Minister will appreciate many of the arguments we will make. On housing delivery, I met recently with officials in Meath County Council. They have, including in their most recent county development plan, consistently argued the case that there is a real cap on development in County Meath in residential terms. They believe that the process, allowing for the lag with the CSO figures from the census, means that, in effect, Meat…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this Topical Issue matter. I have put it in for a number of days now. I thank the junior Minister, Deputy Moynihan, for being here. It is prompted by a frustration I hear in my constituency and from colleagues across the State in relation to the minor works and ICT grants. They were announced in April 2024. There was an expectation we would see them in April 2025. I submitted questions but there was no clear indication of when they would be announced. They were announced to…

There is no doubt they are essential and welcome when they come but they are not enough. That is the reality. I need the Minister of State, the Minister and Department to hear that. Schools are screaming from the rooftops. All you need to do is look at the Dáil record and see the number of times school funding has been raised by Deputies across the House. I think there is a former school principal in the corner on the other side of the House. I am sure he will reflect on it as well. Basic funding for schools does n…

I do not have an issue with the technical amendments the Minister has brought forward. However, I have a significant issue with the overall hue of the Bill and some of the technical amendments give rise to some of that. It is still the case that many people have been unfairly and unjustly excluded from the scheme and supports. For example, those who are eligible for the initial scheme but were not aware of it and did not apply, those who did not take cases and, of course, those in institutions not included in the s…

On a similar point - and I hope the Minister can clarify this - my understanding from reading the transcript of the Committee Stage debate was that the then Minister had indicated she would bring forward an amendment on Report Stage that would broaden this out to provide that it would not restrict those carrying out assessments to a GP or a nurse, for example. We know from dealing with constituents that these are done by occupational therapists, social workers and so on. I hope that is the intent of the amendment. …

The Israeli war bond Bill is underpinned by the ICJ advisory opinion delivered in July 2024. That opinion stated not only that we should act but that we have a legal obligation to act to do absolutely everything that we can. It demands that every state look at every possible lever to exert pressure on Israel. Israel, like apartheid South Africa before it, should be made a pariah state, isolated and cut off from normal social, political and economic relations because it is not compliant with international law. The B…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the statements on education. Education is the great equaliser: it has the power to break down barriers, lift communities and, most importantly, to give every child the opportunity to reach their full potential. However, for too long, our education system has been held back by chronic underfunding, inequality and a lack of ambition or vision for schools. Sinn Féin believes in a world-class education system that leaves no child behind. That means investing properly in school…

School secretaries and caretakers play a vital role. They are the glue that holds our schools together. Despite this, they are denied pension parity and, in the case of caretakers, pay justice. Teresa Cassidy is one such example. Teresa has been the school secretary in Gaelscoil na Rithe in Dunshaughlin, County Meath for 27 years. When she spoke to the Meath Chronicle in recent weeks she said school secretaries just want to be recognised and treated the same as their SNA and teacher colleagues. The management and s…

Right-thinking people are horrified at what they are seeing in Gaza. It is difficult to comprehend the barbarity. It is even more difficult to see it on TV. Right-thinking people are ashamed of their leaders, many of whom are standing idly by as we see the intentional destruction of healthcare by Israel, the obstruction of medical supplies and humanitarian aid, the slaughter of children and the extent to which Israel has normalised the bombing of hospitals. There was a time it pretended it was an accident. Last wee…