I welcome the establishment of a commission of investigation into historical sexual abuse in schools. I commend all survivors on coming forward. I send a special thought to those who cannot come forward or those who are no longer with us due to this. This is very long overdue. This scandal has damaged countless lives, and for far too long survivors have carried the burden of silence, shame and institutional denial. The failure of successive governments to properly and finally deal with it in a comprehensive way has…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes: — comments by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless T.D. on RTÉ where he indicated that in the absence of a cost of living package this year student fees will rise; and — the Minister's statement coupled with the refusal of Government to provide a cost-of-living package this year means student fees this coming September will be €3,000 which is €1,000 higher than they were last year; further notes: — students will be disproport…

Does the fact that we have to repeatedly bring forward this motion not show the Minister how important it is to us? It repeatedly has to be brought forward because of repeated broken promises by the Minister and the Government. That is why we have to come here, year in, year out, and that is why the students in the Visitors Gallery have to come here to watch us do this again. I was the oldest of six children. When I was growing up, higher education was for the privileged. My mother could not afford to send me to co…

The decision of the Minister’s Department and the Department of housing not to step in and offer urgent protection for students is seriously misguided and out of touch. Students are already at breaking point and now must face this cost that many cannot afford. Can the Minister not see that this is a deterrent and not an incentive to continue their education?

Earlier on, the Minister lauded one-size-fits-all for secondary education, so why can he not say the same for this?

There is a twofold decision coming from the Minister's Department and the Department of housing that offers no support, no protection and no hope to these young people. It is shocking that the Minister has decided to charge students more money for their college education while they are already struggling through this continuous cost-of-living crisis. The Government has shown it is completely out of touch with the pressures ordinary students and their families are facing. A report that will be launched soon by Gearó…

To talk of students in the North is just a case of “Look over there. Do not look at the mess we are creating here.” That is exactly what the Minister is saying.

At least they have certainty. They know what they are budgeting for. I would also like to mention the pressure on parents now and that households, because of this decision, will struggle to cope. I have parents contacting my office in desperation as they are already paying massive living and grocery costs and are now facing into this payment in September. Students who also work full time are trying their best to meet this cost but for many, this simply will not be possible. What happens then? Do we just cast these …

Could the Minister give me some information on the decision behind the cut of €1.3 million from SOLAS to the Tipperary Education and Training Board which has resulted in the cancellation of a valuable programme for early school leavers at Cashel local training initiative, LTI, which affects 14 students who will be unable to complete their studies and progress to level 5, and if he will make a statement on that?

Not to continue funding really means cuts in funds because the funding is not continuing. As explained to me, these learners in Cashel can do level 4 in Youthreach but cannot do level 5, which is what these young people have set their sights on. Eight distinctions at level 5 are the equivalent of 390 leaving cert points. Even if some people do not get the eight distinctions and get a mixture of pass, merit and distinction, they will get points for every module they undertake. There are no points for level 4 and as …

While Tipperary ETB may have tried to find solutions to avoid this situation, and it claims that "no current learners are impacted, as all students enrolled in these programmes have completed their programme", that is simply not true. I have received all the testimonials from these learners. All are very much impacted and all are now struggling to come to terms with what is next for them. At the heart of communities and smaller towns throughout the country are further education and training, FET, courses that give …

SOLAS was at last week's committee meeting, when we were told nobody was overseeing that these things were happening. A percentage of apprentices said that they do not have any access to a training adviser. Some of them are afraid to complain in case they lose their apprenticeship place. Some of them are given an agreed wage through collective bargaining but are not getting that wage or are being asked to do jobs that are not relevant to their apprenticeship. Apprenticeships are an investment in the skills developm…

I hear the Minister on that but in my recent discussions with Connect, the trade union representing apprentices, I was told that there is great need for quality assurance in all areas of apprenticeships. This must be measured within the employment to ensure the apprenticeship is delivered properly and that the apprentice is given access to all areas of the curriculum which feature on the job. If SOLAS is responsible for employer registration, it should also be in responsible for ensuring that sanctions are imposed …

I welcome the publication of this report. However, there is nothing new in it and without political will to implement its recommendations, it will be another report that is left to sit on the shelf. The fact is that the issues and shortcomings in the provision of education for pupils with special educational needs have been identified in the past, and spoken about in this House on numerous occasions. We now need to see implementation of the solutions. This review must be more than a box-ticking exercise. It must pl…

We know this is a crucially important matter, given that defects were first detected in 2011. The scheme is intended to cover apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013. I accept that an interim remediation scheme was introduced, but this was for the first of the fire safety defects, which still leaves thousands of apartments in need of remedial works. Families are being raised in some of these apartments. Many of these homeowners are in my constituency and have been in touch to express their concern. I am…

It was recently reported in the media that the remediation scheme will not come into effect until 2027. Will he give an assurance that this is not the case and that the scheme will actually commence in 2026? We cannot have a repeat of the defective blocks scheme fiasco, the details of which we do not need to go into. Will he guarantee there will be 100% redress for all apartment and duplex owners? Will he guarantee there will be a full refund scheme for anyone who has had to undertake remediation works at his or he…

Throughout the State, more than 15,000 children are currently overdue an assessment of needs. Under the Disability Act 2005, children are entitled to assessment of their educational and health needs within six months of being on the waiting list, so each of these 15,000 children represent a breach of law by the Government. In my constituency in Clare, parents who are at their wits' end are contacting me. They are watching helplessly as the childhood of their son or daughter passes by year after year with no interve…

I already gave these cases to the Government and they were referred to the HSE, which is where we got the answers that reliance on the private sector is not working in the HSE Mid West region. While I appreciate that there are difficulties in the system, especially around the need for robust regulation of psychologists, just 7% of assessments were completed within the six-month timeframe required by law. CORU was established under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, and part of its remit was the regu…

Everyone in this House opposes partition, or at least they pay lip service to that position. Partition was a disaster for our country and the sooner it is ended, the better. That is the viewpoint from which we should approach this debate on presidential voting rights. Irish citizens are denied the right to vote for the President simply because they live in the North. This seriously undermines their fundamental rights - rights this House is supposed to protect and uphold. It arises from the forced partition of our c…

Students are among the most mobile of all renters and will be disproportionately and negatively impacted by this new measure. I questioned the Minister for further and higher education in a committee meeting to ask what measures would be put in place to protect students against the impact of these changes. It was clear that students had not even been taken into account when the changes to rent pressure zones were considered. It was not reassuring that this point had to be raised at the committee and I felt students…