I thank the Deputy for his question. He has indeed raised this matter with me previously. I have spoken to Mr. John Kearney of the National Council for Special Education and officials in my Department about this school. As the Deputy said, it is an excellent school. Before I speak about it, though, I have been in my role as Minister of State with responsibility for special education for three years and have been in a ministerial role for three years today. Three of those years I have spent working on special educat…

I very much welcome the efforts of the board of management of the school, the principal and the teaching staff who are willing to open a special class. The resources we have are for 350 special classes to be opened. This year alone, we have opened 384 special classes. There are 3,000 of these classes around the country which will have to be adequately resourced in order to provide those appropriate placements for the children who desperately need them. The Deputy mentioned three local families who are looking to en…

As the Deputy knows, the right to education is enshrined in the Constitution. However, the location of the school is not enshrined as a right. That is not to say that I, as Minister of State with responsibility for special education, do not want children to be able to go to school in their locality. Unfortunately, it is not only children with additional needs but also other children who need to travel. I understand that Dromore National School is 10 km away, which is a bit of a distance. In my discussions with the …

As Minister of State in the Department of Education, my heart goes out to Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. As the Minister, Deputy Foley said, it is an excellent school. NEPS is providing assistance to the school and I hope it particularly provides it to children with additional needs. Something like this is traumatic for all children, but particularly those with additional needs. I hope NEPS is supporting them in that role. I will make sure, along with the Minister, that that happens. I was in Dublin town on Thursday n…

Stop interrupting.

I appreciate that I am not the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine or indeed a Minister of State in that Department but I hope the statement I give will be of assistance to the Deputy. The Government fully recognises there has been exceptional flooding in the Shannon Callows during late summer, which has prevented some farmers from completing their normal traditional harvesting of silage and-or hay. This has left affected farmers in a serious situation requiring them to purchase fodder to maintain animal …

I heard what the Deputy said with regard to expediting compensation. In my statement, I said that I understand that payments from that scheme will be made by December. I will also bring back the Deputy's comments regarding expanding the scope of the compensation scheme, his wish for the compensation amount to be reassessed and his wish for the establishment of a more inclusive and consultative process in the future. I also note what he said earlier about the cascading effect of farmers regarding their well-being an…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to address the funding of schools in the ETB and voluntary secondary school sectors. The Department has different models of funding to meet the needs of the different types of post-primary school, including those in the Irish-medium sector. The funding arrangements made by the Department for voluntary secondary, community and comprehensive and ETB schools and colleges reflect the different management and ownership arrangements that apply to sch…

I appreciate there are differences in the funding and models of funding among the different types of schools, but it would be erroneous to say ETB schools do not receive funding. Rather, it is a different type of funding scheme. Voluntary secondary schools receive capitation funding but it is a block grant that goes to ETBs, and they are given a high level of autonomy in the management and appropriation of that grant, so it is a very different type of funding. We are satisfied they are able to deal with and manage …

I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic. I wish to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and the overall funding for public transport, but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statuary responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority. The NTA works with the public transport operators that deliver the services a…

I am not sure how the Galway TDs might feel about Sligo being described as the new Galway of the west. However, I appreciate the Deputy’s advocacy for Sligo. I note what he said about the fact there is a new surf centre in Strandhill, the new Atlantic Technological University, the Carrick Business Park and the Paddy Whiskey and Drumshanbo distilleries, which is bringing much attention to Sligo. I will bring the Deputy’s comments back to the Minister for Transport. I note he is looking for parity of esteem and more …

I thank the Senator for his question on providing adequate school places in the county and city of Galway next September. As Minister of State for special education, obtaining appropriate placement for children with special needs is slightly separate to the question but I am aware of the need for that and how forward planning is critical. That is also critical when we talk about mainstream schools. The Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system to antici…

It is important that every child has a right to education under our Constitution and should have access to an appropriate education. It is something the Department works on daily, particularly where there are pinch points and a growing population. I note the Senator’s suggestion, which is a good one, around the 314 school planning areas. It is worth the Department reviewing those, whether annually or more than that. I can get that information to him. He mentioned Maigh Cuilinn and other areas. Localities can change…

The Senator will have heard me respond to Senator Kyne, not about Newbridge but about Galway. As she mentioned, ensuring we have adequate school capacity throughout the country is a perennial issue and Kildare is no exception to that. As I mentioned to Senator Kyne regarding the 315 school planning areas, child benefit data, school enrolment data and residential development activity, which Senator O'Loughlin mentioned, will all inform what capacity is required and where it is required. The projections are informed …

I can understand why the Senator is advocating for Kildare, Newbridge and, as she said, not just those places but other smaller villages and towns in the vicinity. We want to make sure that as a State we provide an appropriate education for every child. Sometimes, there is not a streamlined approach between a primary school and a post-primary school, where a child may have received a really good education in a primary school and then is at a loss as to where to go for post-primary. We want to make sure that does no…

First, it is important to note that the management of new connections to the electricity grid, including community-led energy projects, is a matter at distribution level for ESB Networks - which I note the Senator knows - and at transmission level for EirGrid under rules determined by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU. My understanding is that ESB Networks and EirGrid are both independent of the Minister in the exercise of their functions. The CRU, ESB Networks and EirGrid have respective contact emai…

I note what the Senator said about the enabling grant. I will certainly bring that back to the Minister and the Department. I also note what she said about RESS 1 and RESS 2. The information I have on the small-scale renewable electricity support scheme is that it will help those community projects in the future. It will be launched in the coming months and will provide a strong level of support to and certainty for community energy projects, notwithstanding what the Senator said about the fact that they have signe…

If the Deputy would like to give me the details of that case I can speak to the Department about it. There are guidelines from the Department that go directly to schools concerning travel and weather issues. Were the Deputy to give me the details, I could discuss it with him afterwards.

I thank Senator Boylan for raising this matter. She is correct that I am responding on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Department. I refer the Senator to the July 2022 statement on the role of data centres in Ireland's enterprise strategy. Government policy seeks to enable the twin transitions of digitalisation and decarbonisation of our economy and society. These transitions can and must be complementary. For this to happen, digital and climate change policies need to move in tandem. In July 2022, the…

I will bring the Senator's comments about biomethane and hydrogen and Gas Networks Ireland back to the Minister. With regard to the legislative barriers to implementing the July 2022 statement, I understand the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is working closely with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities to implement that policy statement. That work would include the conside…