I hear Deputies on the other side of the House talk about opposition for opposition's sake. It is such nonsense. There are very few Opposition spokespersons who have produced work of the same quality and detail as that of Deputy Ó Broin, with its constructive, realistic and costed alternatives, including in this motion, many policy documents and legislation. The fact is that where there are good sections or proposals in Government legislation, they will be backed. They have been backed, and the record of the Dáil w…

It is widely acknowledged that the children who lost out most during lockdown were those with special educational needs and those in situations of disadvantage. I and Sinn Féin called for the largest ever programme of summer provision and for the DEIS summer camps to be extended beyond DEIS schools. I welcome the fact that significant funding has been announced and there is a wider application potential there. The concern I have is ensuring the maximum number possible of those eligible can avail of the programme. R…

We called for an expansion in DEIS and in the summer provision for children with special educational needs. I will not criticise the provision of additional funds because it is what we wanted. However, I am concerned that there is a significant difference between eligibility and the ability to apply and the spaces that will exist. The problem is we are right down to the wire. There was a nod to some of the disincentives in the Department's press release a number of days ago but we need more detail. The first disinc…

My understanding of the guidance that is there is that it refers to the broad principles of the programme, rather than the detail that schools need. I will move on to pay-related issues. I will identify three issues and ask the Minister of State to respond to each directly because they are all vitally important. There was a passing reference in Tuesday's announcement to earlier payment of school staff. What exactly does that mean? When will payment accrue? That is important and was a massive disincentive. The signi…

RSE is vitally important. It is also vitally important that we get it right, because if we do not then we risk our children growing into adults who potentially have a feeling of being othered, a disfigured or unhealthy understanding of sexuality and a feeling of exclusion and discomfort within the educational setting. The Minister will be aware that there is a significant amount of concern about some of the programmes that are being provided in schools at present.

A couple of matters arise. The first concerns timescales and when we are going to see some of that work come back because we cannot have it going into the never-never. The second is more a question of principles. Schools are at liberty to teach in this way when there is no objective sexual education curriculum. Where it is the view or the ethos of the school that a relationship should be between a man and a woman, and there is an LGBT child in that school, does the Minister accept they would feel uncomfortable? Doe…

The Minister has partially answered one question but she has not answered the others. Many parents are alarmed at the content of some of the religious-based RSE programmes being introduced in schools. We can talk about parental choice but the reality, particularly at primary level, is that many parents do not really have a choice. The vast majority - nine out of every ten - national schools are of a Catholic ethos, and that element of choice is something we need to advance very significantly. There is also the fact…

We are debating this legislation primarily because of the campaigning voice of leaving certificate students. They have been through a difficult two years, having lost out on months of in-school learning, with profound uncertainty and stress about what was going to happen. It appeared until earlier this spring that they were facing a system telling them that a traditional leaving certificate was necessary despite the fact that what they had experienced was anything but traditional or the conventional leaving certifi…

May I raise a point of order?

It is important that my position is not misrepresented.

I will be brief.

I simply want to clarify that I am not, in any way, tolerant of canvassing, in the event that it is being implied that is the case. I am simply suggesting an alternative means of sanction.

I thank the Minister for attending. I am pleased the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is present as well. Perhaps they can have a conversation afterwards and the Minister of State can give the Minister an insight into the conditions at the school. St. Gabriel's does incredible work. There are over 40 children at the school aged between four and 18 years with severe to profound learning disabilities. It plays an incredibly important role in Cork city and the surrounding area. Many children come from a fair distan…

I do not have much to add to what Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan said. I can be critical of the Minister, but I commend the provision of the new school in Cork. That is very welcome and important. I will take this opportunity to point out that it is unfortunate that the medium- and long-term plans of another national school were discommoded in that regard. I urge the Minister to ensure that this school gets a solution. It is vital that the Owenabue Educate Together national school gets interim and long-term accommodatio…

A fortnight ago, the hopes of many pregnant women and their partners were raised on foot of some of the speculation and leaks relating to maternity restrictions only for them to be dashed the following day. What happened the following day was that what is in effect throughout most of the country was dressed up as an advance and as something new. I am one of those partners who, I have to say, was deeply disappointed. I was looking forward to attending a 34-week growth scan but it does not look like that will be poss…

We need look much beyond that. Will the Government direct the hospitals to put in place a minimum standard-----

-----well beyond that relating to 20-week scans and neonatal visits?

Small and medium-sized enterprises have been hit desperately hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. Across the country, business owners have been put to the pin of their collars. Family businesses, which may have gone down through generations, have had to close their doors because of the pandemic. Many of them may never open up again. It is vitally important that we support as many of them as possible to ensure they have the opportunity to recover, whether it is shops, pubs, restaurants or other retail units. These small a…

It was already hard enough for young people, people trying to start out and people trying to have a home of their own. It was already hard enough trying to pull together a deposit with extortionate rents and with housing not being available anywhere near them or their communities. It was already such a challenge for many workers. The Minister is making the argument that this is an issue that has appeared overnight and has just come to light. The Minister knew this was happening in many communities around the State …

I am glad for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our generation and is, undoubtedly, an emergency. I speak as one of the younger Deputies in the House. It is very possible that I, and certainly my children, will see the severe impacts of the climate emergency unless significant and radical action is taken, not only here but on a global level. In that regard, we have a role as an exemplar to the world. There is no doubt that, if the climate emergency accelerate…