Like the Senator, I praise the volunteers of the Cahore team, the Courtown team and the many other teams. What he had to say is very important and I have taken it on board. I refer here not just to what he has said today but also to the continuous representations he has made to me on this issue since I assumed this role earlier this summer. I very much take those points on board and I take them very seriously. I conveyed that to my Department and I asked that the review be fast-tracked insofar as it can. I absolute…

If only it had the plan years ago.

I thank the Senator for raising this very important matter. I acknowledge his ongoing work and dedication to building relationships with legislators in other jurisdictions, working with both the Irish community and the broader community in other areas. This question is very much a thematic of his approach and I know that does not happen by accident but by hard work and diligence. These connections are not made organically but happen because of the investment of time, effort and resources. I acknowledge the Senator'…

I thank the Senator and I have carefully noted what he said. The argument is well made and I will be certainly happy to take that away and to do further analysis on it. I will ask the RSA to provide further detail on the analysis it undertook. I note also with interest that the Senator suggested that a Canadian province licence is compatible where there is perhaps an exchange agreement with the United States. Someone could therefore have an United States licence, converted to a Canadian licence, converted to an Iri…

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue. I am aware of his ongoing advocacy for his constituency, especially the County Monaghan area. I know that this project is of great importance to him and the users of the service. I will take this opportunity to state the Government’s commitment to supporting disabled people to live ordinary lives in ordinary places, even extraordinary lives at times, by helping to provide the services and supports that they need. This year, the Department was able to secure a si…

I again recognise the Senator's continued advocacy for this centre and for communities in County Monaghan. I once again restate the Government's commitment to providing services and supports for people with disabilities, empowering them to live independent lives, providing greater independence in accessing the services they choose, and enhancing their ability to tailor the supports required to meet their needs. Ultimately, our aim is to provide supports and services in line with commitments under the United Nations…

I thank the Senator. At the outset, I wish to acknowledge her advocacy for this sector and many other issues in the justice area. As she said, I had the pleasure of working with her on the justice committee for a number of years. I also thank her for arranging a visit to Mountjoy Prison in which I participated. She worked with the inmates through the medium of drama, essentially, an art, showing the individuals as human beings, for better or worse, as all of us are, as opposed to numbers in a prison system. That wa…

Again, I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I note what she said in her responding remarks. As the Senator is well aware, sentencing practice and sentencing per se is a matter for the courts and the trial judge as opposed to any politician or government. The Prison Service is thereby obliged to accept into custody anybody who is sentenced. That is wholly a matter for the courts to decide. It is a fact that Ireland's population continues to grow. The Minister wants to assure the Senator that Government remain…

Go raibh maith agat. I thank the Senator for raising the matter. I stress that enabling students with additional needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is an ongoing priority for the Government. The SET allocations provide additional teaching support for students with special educational needs enrolled in mainstream classes in primary and post-primary schools. Approximately 97% of all children, including those with special education needs, are educated in mainstream classes. There has been an incr…

I thank the Senator for raising the question and giving me the opportunity to reassure him and the House that the Department of Education and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that all children can access an education suitable to their needs. Additional teaching and SNA resources are being provided in budget 2025 to ensure a record number of SETs and SNAs in schools in 2025, supporting children with additional needs. I gave the figures in my earlier remarks on the increases during this term of office. The NCSE has…

I pay tribute to the Deputy's ongoing advocacy for the special education sector and special educational needs resources. He has been a strong advocate for that over the last term. I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Education. I will outline on behalf of the Minister how the Department and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, continue to support children with special educational needs. I stress that enabling students with additional needs to receive an education appropriate to their…

It is a complex matter, as I understand, and there have been a few twists in the tale already, which is probably unfortunate. I thank the Deputy for raising the question and for his continued advocacy for Ballincollig, Cork and the wider special educational needs sector over the past four and a half years. He has been a strong advocate for them. The Department continues to engage intensely with the NCSE in forward planning for new special classes for the 2025-2026 school year and, indeed, for future years to ensure…

I thank the Deputy for raising those concerns and this issue. I am glad to have the opportunity to work through the Department of Education's planning and how the model was arrived at whereby Ériu Community College will relocate from Hansfield to Hollywoodrath. To plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas, SPAs, and uses a geographical information system, GIS, that uses data from a range of sources, including CSO census dat…

I thank the Deputy. I know what he is saying and I take careful heed of it. Perhaps such a meeting would be useful. It may be something that could be organised. I reiterate that the Minister has stated that Department of Education officials are very willing to engage with the patron on this matter. I am sure the Deputy's influence with the school carries a lot of weight. He might encourage the patron to take up that offer and to engage with the Minister and the Department, which may allow progress to be made on thi…

It is a busy afternoon, Ceann Comhairle. I thank Deputy Tully for raising this very important matter. I am glad to have the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education, to update the House on the response. On primary school staffing, the key factor in determining the level of staffing resources provided to an individual school is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The primary staffing arrangements for the 2024-25 school year are set out in …

I thank the Deputy. I had not been informed of the outcome of the October appeal. Deputy Tully is telling me it was also refused, is that correct?

I will certainly pick that up with the Minister and have that discussion. I will make sure he is aware of it. Deputy Tully said there are three other children imminently to arrive in the school, is that correct?

It is always difficult with education cases in any scenario, especially in cases when there are a set of rules and a case falls just below the line, such as in this case. I believe the numbers Deputy Tully suggested were 77 versus 78. These calls are always difficult ones. People who are on boards of appeal and hearings having to adjudicate on these cases always find themselves in a difficult situation. Often, sticking to the letter of the rules is a way to ensure transparency and consistency. I appreciate complete…

Yes. The best was saved to last. I thank Deputy Ó Cuív. Before I respond, I pay tribute to him and welcome his family. I have just been informed they are in the Public Gallery. I do not know whether he will have an opportunity to contribute again in this House in the coming weeks. Knowing him, I am sure he will find a couple more opportunities. I wish to put on record his significant contribution to this House, the nation, this Republic and to the party in which I am privileged to serve alongside him. Since I start…

I note everything the Deputy says in his very strong contribution. I reiterate that the goal and one of the core objectives of Project Ireland 2040 is strengthening rural economies and rural communities. Building up and improving services for the population requires significant investment in infrastructure, now and into the future. That is undoubted. Prioritising key social and economic investment has been a critical component for the Government in supporting Ireland's growth and in delivering better, fit-for-purpo…