It is everyone.

Has any consideration been given to the roll-out of a national bystander intervention programme around sexual and gender-based violence and will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

That is very welcome. As the Minister is aware, Carlow is now a university town and county. I welcome the culture of zero tolerance of all forms of sexual hostility, harassment and violence by society to actively contribute to a safe, supportive environment. This is especially important for higher and further educational institutions. I welcome the extension of the programme to the second level, which is good for secondary schools. That is important. The development of a national toolkit to educate and support safe…

I thank the Minister. I welcome the online hub and the intervention programme about which he has spoken. Is there a timeframe involved? Have all the colleges and schools been contacted? It is important for that information to be out there. It is good news that the Government is being so proactive on this issue. We are going to do everything we can to ensure we give all the information and that we have a programme in place for all colleges and schools.

I have also raised this with the Minister several times and received the same answer.

I welcome the Bill and this debate on it. I welcome how committed the Government is to delivering an education system of the highest quality, where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported. The key provision in the legislation provides for a shortened section 37A process, whereby a school can be directed to make additional provision for children with special educational needs. While efforts will continue to encourage more schools to open special classes, it is considered necessary to prov…

I welcome the Bill, which provides for certain exemptions from charges for acute inpatient services, particularly for children younger than 16 in all public hospitals and for persons who have chosen to avail of private acute inpatient services. When enacted, this legislation will ease the financial burden of parents and guardians when bringing their child to hospital for inpatient care and will help to ensure that cost is not a significant consideration when children require access to inpatient treatment. The Minis…

I support the ongoing training that will be provided to teachers to deliver appropriate education and supports to autistic children entering their schools or classes. As the Minister of State knows, a proportion of our autistic children attend DEIS schools and they need these supports. Yesterday a lot of schools in Carlow got letters back from the Department to say they were not being changed from a DEIS band 2 to a DEIS band 1, and yet there are schools right beside them that have DEIS band 1 status that have the …

We have recently seen that the census data has been collected and reviewed this year. The population has increased, towns have grown bigger and our communities have expanded. I want to ask the Minister about An Garda Síochána numbers. Over the weekend, I met with residents in Tullow, County Carlow, who told me previously they had three sergeants and 21 gardaí. Now, there is now only one sergeant and 12 gardaí, despite the increase in Tullow's population. This is unacceptable. I will provide another example. Compari…

I am delighted that the Government is committed achieving its vision of a safe, fair and inclusive Ireland, where people are supported to flourish and live inclusive, healthy and fulfilling lives, whatever their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. There are many issues that prevent LGBTQI+ people from achieving their full potential in Irish society, which of a structural nature and require a whole-of-government approach to devising appropriate solutions. I welcome the National LGBTI+ Inclusion Strate…

On 8 April, my friend Helen applied for her passport, as she did for her four children. The passports for her four children came back on 31 May with a request for further information from her, which she sent in. The flights were scheduled for 21 June. This is nearly ten weeks ago and I requested this matter be treated as urgent. Last week, she came to me saying she was so disappointed because this passport was urgent as this family was picked from the Kildare and Leighlin diocese for an audience with the Pope durin…

I thank the Minister of State for being present this morning. I look forward to her response. We all know the importance of early intervention for children when it comes to critical therapy services. I know this is also a matter close to the Minister of State's own heart, and that of the Taoiseach. I have spoken to both of them previously about cases I have been working on and they are also looking at these issues and trying to find the answers. However, I am sorry to say that in many cases at the moment, we are no…

I can see how passionate the Minister of State is. I met CHO 5 two weeks ago when I raised my concerns about communications regarding services. The CHO told me it was understaffed. While I believe it is doing its best, there is no communication from the HSE to the many families involved. Some sort of system needs to be put in place so that parents can be told there is a plan. We need a plan from all of the CHOs, although I can speak only about CHO 5. Early intervention is important. From speaking with parents, I kn…

I thank the Minister of State.

This morning I met with the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO. The first issue I wish to raise with the Minister is the need to reduce class sizes by two pupils in budget 2023. The other issue is that the number of pupils at primary level looking for behavioural and emotional intervention has significantly increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, referrals to child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, and other services have risen by 40%. As such, the INTO is now looking for a national…

Amendments Nos. 20 to 22, inclusive, are related and will be discussed together.

Amendments Nos. 26 to 31, inclusive, are related and will be discussed together.

I did not mean to leave the Minister out.

Amendments Nos. 40 and 41 are related and will be discussed together.

Amendment No. 48 in the names of Deputies Funchion and Ward is out of order.