Excuse me, Minister of State.

The Deputy is on her feet.

Can the clock be stopped because this is unfair on the Deputy?

Minister of State-----

Education is supposed to be free in this country but unfortunately this year we have seen exactly how it is not free. Books are free, which is great, but there is an ever-increasing reliance on tablets which are not free. In fact, not only are they not free, they cost between €700 and €800 each. Exam fees are being reintroduced for the leaving certificate and junior cycle exams. There was no warning about that. There was six weeks for them to be paid in. They have not been paid since before Covid by any family. In …

I am delighted that the Minister of State is here. We often meet on Thursdays when we are chatting. I am disappointed that the Minister for education is not here because it falls within her remit. I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to come and discuss the issue of the Cork Life Centre. I am sure he is aware of it. It is in his neck of the woods, not quite in his constituency but closer to him than it is to me. I visited there in February when I was in Cork for the Social Democrats' conference. I had …

I thank the Minister of State. As he said, it really is a wonderful centre. The thing is, however, it is not a special school. When it is designated as a special school, that means a primary school, which it is not. These are young people. In fact, some of them are 16. They can decide their own medical issues. They can apply for a driving licence at 17. It is not a special school. I know the Department wants to designate it as a special school, but it is not one. Therefore, a category has to be made for this type o…

Six years ago, the Taoiseach visited Oliver Bond Street in my constituency. I can tell him the anger right now is palpable. The residents have been lied to and let down, and they live in homes that you would not put an animal in. There is damp, there is mould, there are windows rotting out of their frames and there are doors that are not able to close because they are so warped. There is antisocial behaviour that is not acceptable in any other part of the city. These families and the people who live in Oliver Bond …

The Minister of State is having a bad time today because what is happening with the Oliver Bond Street complex is an absolute disgrace. I have the letter that was sent by the senior Minister, who really should be here to answer the questions. Well done to Sinn Féin for bringing this forward. Dublin South-Central, which I represent, has a number of regeneration projects that have been going on for what seems like decades. It is quite outstanding that the State could build homes designed by Herbert Simms and all thes…

The Standing Business Committee of Dáil Éireann has completed its consideration under Standing Order 30 of the request by Deputy John Brady to waive the requirement for scrutiny of the Flood Insurance Bill 2021 by the relevant committee under Standing Order 103 and has agreed thereto.

We are feeling the shock in fossil fuel prices because of what is happening outside the country, and this really has to be the catalyst for us moving to renewables. I was shocked to hear that we used to produce more wind energy than we do now. As I said in this Chamber recently, if people go to the west coast, they will nearly be blown over. Therefore, I am at a loss as to why we do not have more wind energy. The programme for Government indicates that the Government wants to deliver at least 5 GW of offshore wind …

A new report revealed today the depths of disadvantage in Dublin's south-west inner city, where I live. On every metric, the area and its residents are being failed. There is a disproportionate disadvantage when it comes to deprivation and crime, low educational attainment and a chronic lack of sporting facilities, which I have spoken about several times in this Chamber. There are also very stark findings with regard to drug deaths and the crime rate, which is twice the national average. It is really shocking it is…

I want to talk about community training centres, CTCs, and the pay negotiations that are under way for them. I have spoken about this before. I am very passionate about CTCs. I have seen the major benefits these centres have for the young people who are in them in terms of their ability to learn, progress and gain self-esteem they may have lost in other education facilities. I would like to know how pay negotiations are going for those staff members.

I do not want to jeopardise any negotiations that are going on either, but I am aware of the frustrations people in the sector have. People are leaving CTCs because they can no longer afford to live on the wages they receive. They feel disrespected and not recognised. I am glad, as I think others will be, to hear the Minister express respect and understanding of how important CTCs are. I am a little concerned about the use of the term "consolidation strategy". I hope that does not mean CTCs are going to be replaced…

I am pleading with whoever is making the decision. I have been told several times that the Department is not their employer. Notwithstanding that, as a member of the board of management of one CTC, I have to say we can only pay the staff on the scales that are provided and those scales are provided by the Department. A bit of guidance and some moving of the scales and terms and conditions for staff members would be fantastic. As the Minister rightly said, there are vulnerable learners and they present as they prese…

I commend Deputy Kenny on this Bill. It is practical and timely. A plethora of things go on in schools. They are really busy environments where many things happen. Medical emergencies happen at times when people are not expecting it. They happen when the trained individual is not there. They happen when it is busy, there is going to be a trip, or whatever it is in the yard. It is really important that we have as many staff as possible in our school settings who are able to support those children in an appropriate w…

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global temperatures have already risen by 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels and it is increasingly likely that they will exceed 1.5 °C within the next decade without rapid emission cuts. The United Nations environmental programme estimates that around 1 million species are at risk of extinction, largely due to human activity. In 2019, Dáil Éireann declared a climate and biodiversity emergency, becoming the second country in the world to do that. However, t…

We welcome the Bill. I am speaking as someone who has children, although they are not all children any more, and has worked with young people over the past 20 or 30 years. Anything we can do to ensure we continue to address addiction to nicotine is most welcome. First there were cigarettes and there was a big debate about how we could reduce their use. Harm reduction came along and we had vapes. We now have nicotine pouches. The big business that is the nicotine industry is delighted with itself in marketing these …

Inclusive education in this country has been limping from one disaster to the next. In September, there were not enough school places. In November, the portal closed, meaning that parents could not notify the NCSE of their children's needs. In February, we had the situation with the SNAs. Now, in April, we have a new inclusive special education system. Does the Government actually have a plan for special education that is fully thought out? We need a proper debate on special education in this Chamber.

The recently announced results of the primary school survey indicated some very interesting results. Sixty percent of parents in the denominational schools would like to retain their ethos and 73% of parents in single-sex schools wanted to move to a co-educational model. Eighty seven percent of parents with children in English-medium schools wanted those schools to retain that medium and not move to Irish. The results are very interesting but they are only part of the results. The results from the cohort of parents…