D’fhreastail mé ar chruinniú de chuid BÁNÚ aréir i Ros Muc agus bhí breis agus 100 duine ann. Bhí daoine ag plé cúrsaí pleanála agus bhí fearg le braith sa seomra sin. Tuigim dóibh cén fáth mar gheall nach bhfuil aon duine i gConamara in ann teach a thógáil, a cheannach nó a fháil ar cíos. Tá ceithre éileamh ag BÁNÚ. Is iad na héilimh atá aige ná go mbeadh cumhacht reachtúil ag Údarás na Gaeltachta chun déileáil le cúrsaí tithíochta. Chuir Sinn Féin €10 milliún sa bhuiséad malartach a bhí againn mar airgead caipiti…

I was contacted by an 89-year-old woman who has mobility issues and using a car is her only way to get around and out of the house. She applied for a primary medical certificate and it is quite clear there were serious miscommunication issues because she is a native Irish speaker and the application was done through English. She appealed the decision but, incredulously, she was told she would need to do a 600 km round trip to Dún Laoghaire to be assessed for the appeal. That cannot be serious. This woman is almost …

It is unfortunate that the Minister has left. When it comes to apprentices, we hear a lot of waffle in this Chamber, every time the topic is brought up. I am shocked that the Minister has left and is not here to discuss the real need for support for apprentices. Yesterday, we heard about a 33% reduction in apprenticeship fees. It is the exact same thing that was there last year. It does not actually make a difference for apprentices. This is despite the fact that we know apprentices are really struggling. Just toda…

Hear, hear.

Bhí sé iontach a bheith ar Inis Mór roinnt seachtainí ó shin i gcomhair sheoladh oifigiúil otharcharr nua Inis Mór. Bhí súil ag muintir Inis Oírr go bhfaigheadh siad sean-otharcharr Inis Mór ach ní bhfuair mar gheall go raibh sé i ndroch-chaoi. Tuigim sin ach is léir go dteastaíonn otharcharr ó Inis Oírr. Tá beagnach 350 duine ar Inis Oírr agus i rith an tsamhraidh bíonn breis agus 3,000 duine ag teacht chuig an oileán ar bhonn laethúil. Faoi láthair, úsáidtear feithiclí atá ar an oileán ach ní léiríonn sé sin an m…

Will the Minister of State outline the actions she has taken to ensure deaf and hard of hearing students can reach their full academic potential?

My understanding is that deaf and hard-of-hearing children are getting less support than before under the new SET model. Guidelines for 2024-25 allocate virtually all hours to children who are at the lowest levels in standardised tests. This means the Department now interprets educational needs solely on low scores, without reference to ability or potential. Deaf or hard-of-hearing children who have high levels of ability and potential and who may be achieving scores have no possibility of getting additional SET su…

I will pass that on to my colleague, Sorca Clarke. Phase 1 of the scheme for ISL classroom assistants and school advisers was first announced on 2 March 2022 and an implementation plan announced in November 2022. Advocates believe only a fraction of the envisaged 40 posts in phase 1 have been filled to date and the narrow medical criteria are a barrier to many children getting the support they need and discourage families from considering ISL as a communication option for their children. Can the Minister confirm wh…

Will the Minister, Deputy Foley, be conducting a full and independent analysis of the level and effectiveness of primary and post-primary school funding?

We need to have a frank conversation about this. Parents are really struggling every single year when they are bringing their kids to school. What we are seeing now, and what we have seen from the report of the Irish League of Credit Unions this week, is that parents are spending approximately €1,400 per secondary school child and over €1,000 per primary school child. As for the real-life impact this has on parents, nearly half of them are really struggling to manage the costs; almost a quarter of them are trying t…

My Sinn Féin colleagues brought forward the Education (Voluntary Contributions) Bill in 2021. I understand that the Minister did not oppose this Bill, but she has not acted upon it. That Bill would have placed an obligation on schools to make clear to families that contributions are voluntary. It would ensure that no child is stigmatised or denied opportunities because their parents cannot pay the contribution. It would place an obligation on the Department to publish online the total amount collected in voluntary …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Cathasaigh as an gceist seo a ardú. It brings me back to something that was discussed at the comhchoiste Gaeilge yesterday about ensuring that people we employ to deal with schools in the Gaeltacht and with Gaelcholaistí are proficient in the Irish language. There should be an onus on those advertising jobs to include a requirement in respect of the Irish language. Bhí plé inné ag an gcomhchoiste Gaeilge maidir leis na daoine atá ag plé le scoileanna sa Ghaeltacht agus i nGaelchol…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Byrne. Caithfidh mé a rá go gcuirim fáilte roimh an Bille seo. Tá mé cinnte go bhfuil sé féin sásta gur féidir leis, mar Aire Stáit na Ghaeltachta, é seo a chur faoi bhráid na Dála. Tá sé seo fíorthábhachtach. Is dócha go bhfuil go leor againn, nó chuile dhuine atá anseo ar aon chuma, ar aon intinn mar gheall ar na toghcháin a bheith ag teacht ar ais. Ar ndóigh, mar atá a fhios ag chuile dhuine, bhain Rialtas de chuid Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre agus Fhine Gael na toghchái…

-----an dáta do na toghcháin. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach go bhfuil sé seo ag tarlú mar ba bhuille é i dtéarmaí daonlathais na Gaeltachta. Cuirim fáilte roimhe sin. Ar ndóigh, tá cúpla rud gur mhaith liom a lua. Cé nach suím ar an gcomhchoiste Gaeilge, tuigim go raibh tuairimí ag an gcoiste mar gheall orthu. Is mór an trua nár éisteadh le cuid den mhéid a bhí ráite ag an gcoiste maidir leis an mBille seo. D’fhoilsigh mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Ó Snodaigh, roinnt moltaí freisin, go háirithe maidir le líon na ndaoine a …

I am deeply concerned because, once again, families in Galway city are coming to me as they are homeless and unable to access emergency accommodation. One woman came to me with her three young children. They had fled domestic violence but were told they had to wait for emergency accommodation because there were 11 other families waiting before them. She has now been homeless since April. Her children are two, four and ten. Where have we come to as a society when we cannot offer shelter to those who are most in need…

We are meeting here today at a time when the torture of the people of Gaza and Palestine continues. At this moment in time, we really need to consider our role and what we can do on the international stage. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, continues to tell us that US military planes landing in Shannon Airport are not carrying weapons bound for Israel despite his acknowledgement that no serious checks are made on these planes. Since 7 October, 11 direct flights to and from Israel and 85 flights to distribution points in …

I welcome the passing of this Bill. It is very important that we have worked collaboratively on it. The Bill is necessary and will have an impact on many students. We have seen that, unfortunately, vulture funds specifically have begun to use 51-week leases as a way of forcing students to pay even more for student accommodation. We must tackle student accommodation and affordability from every single angle possible. This is one way that we can do this, but going forward we must ensure that we look at the issue in i…

I welcome the fact that the Bill is before the House. It is timely and absolutely necessary. I acknowledge the work done by the students' unions in raising this issue and by so many students impacted by this who have come forward. I am conscious this is the last week before the Dáil goes into recess and I have two concerns as a result. One concern is that this is something we should have had before the Dáil a number of months ago. I first raised this in February. Unfortunately, people have already signed contracts …

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion. It is extremely important and it is really good we are having this discussion. It should be something we continue with and not have only when it is especially in the news. We often hear in the discourse on violence against women that women deserve to feel safe. I have heard throughout the past number of weeks this concept that women deserve to feel safe, but it is imperative we ensure women are safe in our communities. Women should be safe in public, on the…

Third level education is important, but it is also costly. One of the costs is the student contribution charge, which increased considerably during the austerity period. It should be removed fully, which Sinn Féin has committed to doing. The current Taoiseach reduced the charge by €1,000 in recent years, but that reduction was temporary. We need to see it become a permanent reduction. Now that he is Taoiseach, will he commit to reducing it permanently and then getting rid of it?