The most recent figures available regarding school completion rates report on students who began their post-primary education in 2017. Of those students who entered first year in 2017, 90% sat the leaving certificate examination in 2022 or 2023. A total of 97.8% sat the junior certificate - now called the junior cycle - examination in 2020. While the latest retention rate to leaving certificate stage of 90% represents a decrease of one percentage point on the retention rate for the 2016 post-primary entry cohort, I…

I fully agree. Our youth services have such an important role to play in supporting those who are most at risk and in dealing with issues of attendance and providing that support outside of school hours. When we talk about formal education, our youth services are the informal side of that in so many instances. That is why I welcome that the area of youth has now come into the same Department as education because there is a role for both areas to work hand in hand. My Department, which now has responsibility for you…

In a lot of instances in the past, what happened with funding being provided was that we focused on specific projects because there had been specific needs in areas, whether they were related to drug abuse, crime, mental health or various different challenges that young people identified. What I want to ensure is that we are looking at the geographical spread. We know young people in rural areas are just as impacted as people in urban areas, although the issues might be different. The new programme and funding that…

As part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting schools, I recently announced €65 million in minor works and ICT grants. This funding provides schools with flexibility to address small-scale infrastructure improvements and to invest in IT equipment and digital infrastructure. The minor works grant is provided on a standard flat rate plus a per capita basis. This provides the most straightforward and consistent basis for provision of the grant funding to all eligible schools. This approach allows school…

To clarify on ICT, we gave a commitment as part of the overall strategy that we would provide €200 million to schools over the lifetime of the strategy. What had been provided to date was two amounts of €50 million but they were not exactly every year so they were spaced out. I want to make sure that every year schools get the grant, that they know they are getting it and how much. The €35 million is for this year. I want to make sure there is a further €35 million next year and the following year. Schools are tell…

I want to stress that the Department is there and available to engage with schools. While we have seen an increase in the number of people coming to the FSSU it is not to the level that we are hearing more broadly. I encourage schools which may be in difficulty and have a challenging time ahead with their finances to engage with the Department. The DEIS grants and status mean that students and schools get an increased rate for various things and increased supports but I appreciate that is often not enough. The comm…

The DEIS programme is a key policy of the Department to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. The Tusla education support service, TESS, is under the remit of my Department and has three strands: the statutory Educational Welfare Service, EWS, the home school community liaison scheme and the school completion programme. These all work extremely well and support a huge number of students every year. The scheme is an important support under DEIS, promoting partnership between parents, teachers…

I will start by also acknowledging Sheila and thanking her for being here. In introducing the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024 before this House, I am very conscious of the enormous trauma that has been endured by survivors of all abuse. Nothing we can do now and nothing I can say here will ever undo the hurt that has been caused. It has been nearly 25 years since the then Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, on 11 May 1999 apologised on behalf of the State to the victims of childhood abuse. …

I thank the Cathaoirleach. I thank my colleagues and acknowledge the very powerful words that have been spoken today. I also acknowledge all survivors, their strength and resilience and their voice. Without it, we would not be here, and none of the changes that have happened over time would be possible. I acknowledge Sheila and Catherine, who are with us today. As my colleagues have rightly done, I acknowledge Senator Boyhan. I thank him for his advocacy, not just on his own behalf but on behalf of so many others w…

I move amendment No. 1: In page 5, line 10, after “Education” to insert “and Youth”. I will speak broadly as I know this is the first time the Bill has been back in the House with this Government and this is the first time I am taking it as Minister. I am pleased to be before the House to progress Report Stage of the Supports for Survivors of Residential Institutional Abuse Bill 2024. The Government is deeply conscious of the trauma that has been experienced by all survivors of abuse, including those who were resid…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. There is nothing we can say or do that will change what happened to so many young people. That is not what we are trying to do here at all. With the introduction of a redress scheme when parameters are put in place, the challenge is that someone will always be outside them. It is difficult, whether we are talking about this particular scheme or the mother and baby homes or Magdalen laundries schemes, to have an open-ended scheme. Parameters have to be set to make sure t…

I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, lines 27 and 28, to delete “Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth” and substitute “Minister for Children, Disability and Equality”.

I move amendment No. 5: In page 6, line 15, after “Education” to insert “and Youth”.

I move amendment No. 7: In page 7, lines 12 and 13, to delete “by a registered medical practitioner or a registered nurse” and substitute “on behalf of the Executive”. This is a technical amendment to section 4. It was raised on Committee Stage by the Minister, Deputy Foley. Section 4(1)(d) currently provides for the provision of a home help service following an assessment of needs made by a registered medical practitioner or a registered nurse. Assessments of need for the HSE home support service may be carried ou…

I thank the Deputies. To clarify, it is for exactly that reason that this amendment is being made. It is to ensure it is not so narrow that it would exclude other practitioners who could make these recommendations. It is not to make it more difficult but to make it broader - I will not say easier as it is never easy - by allowing more medical practitioners within the HSE to make these recommendations and an assessment of need. To the Deputy's point on the Coventry Irish centre, I am aware of the fabulous work it do…

I move amendment No. 20: In page 15, after 11, to insert "and Youth".

I thank the Deputies. A number of points were raised. The criteria that were agreed previously for the redress board focused on the abuse that was suffered within the institutions as opposed to those who were in the institutions. Deputies might say that, irrespective of this, someone was in an institution and suffered abuse, and I do not dispute that. However, what we have here has the same parameters and is what had been agreed, that is, it referred to those who received redress in the previous scheme. That is wha…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. More children than ever are accessing the transport scheme, at 173,000. There is a very clear commitment to make sure we expand that further and that as many children as possible can access it. Of course, that means more buses and more drivers. There are clear reasons as to why the 70-year age limit was set, but we have given a clear commitment in the programme for Government to review that to see if any changes can be made, be it in the size of the buses or the number of …

I thank the Deputy for acknowledging the changes being proposed around the permanent posts. The reason I am proposing that is to make sure our young teachers have that permanent position so that they can access mortgages more quickly and that it gives them that sense of belonging within their schools. It is very much a decision for the individual schools as to whether they allow career breaks. We have said very clearly, and the Department has set out clear rules, that if schools cannot fill the position, they shoul…

I am grateful for the opportunity to set out some of my priorities as Minister for Education and Youth and to share time with my colleagues. My objective is to deliver a world-class education system that breaks down barriers and ensures every child is supported to achieve their full potential. An education system that wraps around all children and young people in every community is essential if we are to achieve that. I want the outcome of my time as Minister to be greater equity and excellence in education for all…