Despite repeated assurances from the Government, there is still a crisis in special education. Children are travelling miles outside their communities and some are still without a school place. Assurances were given to me that the closing of the portal on 1 October would not mean that any child would be shut out. However, children are being shut out because the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has failed to engage with them. Only 7% of post-primary schools have opened with the target set by the Departm…

I am raising this issue on behalf of Ballyfermot Youth Service, which I visited recently. It has a fantastic facility in Ballyfermot. I am not sure if the Minister of State has ever been to Ballyfermot. It is an area of Dublin which has faced a lot of difficulties over many decades but there is a great sense of community in it, and that can really be seen in the skate park facility that has been built there. It is absolutely fantastic. Youth service staff lock it up every night and open it up every morning. There a…

I am delighted to hear that the Government values the work being done in Ballyfermot. If the Minister of State or the Minister ever gets an opportunity to visit, they should take it because the model there is fantastic. I spoke to the community garda in Ballyfermot who said that Ballyfermot Youth Service safeguards vulnerable young people. The role it plays in diverting young people from crime and anti-social behaviour cannot be overstated. We have heard a lot in the Dáil in the last week about the scourge of scram…

We would prefer if Deputy Coppinger did not mention any company that is not here and cannot defend itself. Others have not done it, so it would be great if Deputy Coppinger could also not mention company names because they are not here to defend themselves.

I know, but other Deputies have refrained from doing that so it would be very helpful. It is because the company is not here to defend itself. I ask that the Deputy refrain from doing that.

I am giving Deputies the knowledge that we are not supposed to name people in the Chamber. It is for the protection of the Deputies under Dáil privilege.

I know. I am the messenger today.

This motion requires the Government to do the right thing for disabled people. I worked with the Irish Wheelchair Association in the late nineties as a personal assistant. Just before that, I worked as a personal support worker for disabled people in London. I was a newly graduated young person and I was very happy to do that work and gain an insight into the perspectives, practical needs and care needs of people with disabilities. At the time, I noted that services and supports for disabled people in London were f…

Following Storm Chandra in the past few days, many homes around the country have been destroyed. I have stood in this Chamber previously asking about flood alleviation and what will be done in terms of planning. As I told the House on those occasions, I have personal experience, with my German family, of the effects of flooding. Four years later, things are not great from a building perspective but also from an emotional and psychological perspective. Things are very difficult and that is echoed in any society wher…

As the Minister knows, our paths crossed when she was Minister for Education and I was working with the school completion programme. I worked with children and young people over a couple of decades, lots of whom have gone into care. As we all know, children and young people who go into care do so for a variety of reasons. Unfortunately, the resources to prevent young people from going into care are not always there. We need an increase in family support workers, youth workers, social workers and public health nurse…

The Minister for education, Deputy Naughton, has said that the use of Grok to create sexualised images of women and child sex abuse material is "very concerning". She went on to say that we need to make sure that we tackle it and keep our young people safe. I wholeheartedly agree with her and I am sure the Tánaiste does too. Can the Tánaiste explain why the Department of Education and Youth is still posting images of children on X? Given what we know about what is happening on that platform, how can we possibly jus…

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until next week's weekly division time.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Peter Roche - To discuss access the supports for persons with an end-of-life medical card. Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss core funding for Ballyfermot youth service. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss allowing allow for modular housing and low-cost sites. Deputy Barry Heneghan - To discuss the NTA proposed merger of the 130 Dublin Bus with the 80 bus.…

This is the Topical Issue debate.

I thank the Minister of State.

Deputy, stick to the topic.

I remind the Deputy not to name people in the Chamber.

AI has the ability to be useful and harmful. In the last couple of weeks, we have not been able to open newspapers without seeing the negative impacts of AI. As a result of the disgrace of Grok on the X platform, I will no longer be using it. I was a Twitter user for about ten years. I have to say that since its current owner took over, I will not be using it because of the misogyny, the meanness and the racism. I have to say the step too far for me is the generation of child sexual abuse material. It is a step too…

I see that the Minister for education is not here. I believe she has an engagement this morning. It is very rare for me to get the opportunity to raise a Topical Issue so it is very difficult to not have the Minister here. I am not questioning the Minister of State's ability to answer the question. I am sure he is very well prepared. However, it is very difficult when you go to the bother and do a lot of research into an area only for the Minister not to be here. I find that a little bit frustrating. Now that I hav…

I am glad to see that we are on the same page with regard to following the child. To clarify, I do think DEIS has been extremely positive. However, it is not as positive as people thought it was going to be. When DEIS was brought in, people thought that schools would automatically become able to answer all the questions over time. They cannot because, as the Minister of State has rightly said, his Department is also responsible for intergenerational disadvantage. We cannot just pigeonhole this in the Department of …