I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education, Deputy Norma Foley, who is otherwise engaged. I thank the Senator for raising the matter, which she has raised persistently over recent months, as it provides me with the opportunity to outline steps the Department of Education is taking to support post-primary schools in managing and co-ordinating their enrolment processes for September 2025, including in the Dublin West area. The provision of school places to meet the need…

The Senator’s points are noted. Certainly, the Department is proactive. It is using demographics and CSO data to inform its planning. As I said, the growth we are seeing will peak and taper off, but perhaps not so profoundly in the greater Dublin area and Dublin West. Regarding the common applications system, especially for special educational needs provision, at primary level in Dublin 15, the Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, has asked her Depar…

I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Education, who is otherwise engaged. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which gives me the opportunity to set out the position with regard to school places, including for children and young people with special educational needs, in north Kildare for September 2025 and onwards. The provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post-primary level, including children and young people with special educ…

I assure the Deputy that the Department is at all times planning ahead. I mentioned earlier the additional classes and places that are there for children with additional needs. On top of that, there are additional special needs assistant, SNA, supports in schools in north Kildare and throughout the country. Where there is good availability of first-year school places in Kildare for the 2025-26 year, the Department will continue to work with the schools to ensure the admissions process will be transacted as smoothly…

I thank Deputies Murphy, Donnelly and McAuliffe for bringing this important issue to the fore. The Government is committed to supporting all children and young people to achieve their potential through education and address the barrier of educational disadvantage. In government, the Minister, Deputy Foley, has secured approximately €170 million in funding to provide free school books as a universal support to all primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme. Since 2020, the Minister has provided th…

In response to Deputy Murphy, an extensive consultation was carried out in regard to the OECD review and it met with school leaders, teachers, parents, student organisations, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the Children's Rights Alliance and Social Justice Ireland. It was broad and comprehensive. I agree with the three Deputies. Deputy McAuliffe made the point that we should be looking at all of our manifestoes for the general election and making sure this issue crosses the line, if any of us are in a position …

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media operates two capital funding programmes for sport, namely the sports capital and equipment programme, SCEP, which is now renamed the community sport facility fund, and the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. At the outset, I should note that the provision of recreational and sporting infrastructure in Dublin city is primarily a matter for Dublin City Council through its sports and play policies. Earlier this year, the Minister for Touris…

They are very valid points. Critically, this lies with Dublin City Council and its elected members. They develop very proactive sports and play policies. One day I toured some of the pocket parks and play facilities with Dublin City Council, which is doing really innovative work. It is increasingly trying to fit them in smaller sites. Weaver Park is a great example. Those small facilities can make a big difference to small localised communities in inner-city Dublin. Regarding the point on the LSSIF and the two gran…

I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, as she cannot attend today. I welcome the opportunity to speak about this important issue on behalf of the Minister. I thank the committee members, its Chair, Deputy Healy-Rae, and Vice-Chair, Deputy Kenny. We have spoken about this on a few occasions as the committee was ongoing. This is an important and comprehensive report on assisted dying. How we die is the one thing we all face but we talk so little about it. The committee has done a wonderful…

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions. As we have seen from the debate, it is a very complex and emotive but hugely important issue we as legislators have a responsibility to debate and tease out. This is what this report is about. Again, I respect the points made by Deputy Nolan and the issuance of the minority report. All the Deputies have spoken about the need for evenly balanced palliative care across the country and that there would not be geographic disadvantage in this regard. This is greatly impo…

I thank the Senator for that contribution. To follow on from the Minister’s points, Senators are aware that we could draw the line at a number of places and cover a wide variety of educational qualifications but, given that we have already made such significant change to the constituencies, I believe it is prudent to hold the qualification level to what is currently in place. It is a matter that can be considered at another time, given that An Coimisiún Toghcháin has broad-ranging powers, roles and responsibilities…

I thank the Senators for their contributions. To respond to Senator Warfield specifically, the Minister has no role in ruling on amendments. The issues he raised, and that all three Senators raised during their contributions, are very similar. We agree reform was somewhat forced on us but it is an important step forward. This Bill will result in a significant expansion of the electorate in Seanad elections which is an important step forward. I agree with Senator Cummins about looking at the positives from this and …

I am delighted to be here to bring the Bill before the House. This Bill passed all Stages of the Dáil last week. It intends to make amendments to the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 and the Affordable Housing Act 2021, as well as a further amendment to the National Treasury Management Agency (Amendment) Act 2014, to be brought on Committee Stage in the Seanad. The Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 provides for the regulation of approved housing bodies, AHBs, for the p…

I thank both Senators for their contributions. I thank Senator Fitzpatrick for her positive comments on the Bill and her comments generally around cost-rental and its imminent introduction into the programme for Government and Housing for All. It will certainly deliver significant benefits. It is based on what occurred in Vienna and is an attempt to take that approach and ramp it up over the coming years, which will be important. I also note the comments on the fresh start initiative and the cost-rental tenant in s…

As previously outlined, there are two Parts to this Bill. The first relates to amendments to the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 and the second relates to amendments of the Affordable Housing Act 2021. As announced by the Minister on the Second Stage reading of the Bill in the Dáil on 8 October 2024, a further amendment is being brought forward that relates to the National Treasure Management Agency (Amendment) Act 2014 at this Stage. The amendment being brought forward today will amend sec…

Yes, leis an Teachta Steven Matthews. Tógfaidh mé seacht nóiméad. Go raibh maith agat. I will respond briefly to some of the points raised by Deputies. I thank them for all the contributions. A lot of points were raised about depopulation, bánú, including by Deputy Connolly. As regards the whole issue of our towns and villages being hollowed out and the notion of clustering houses where they should be, where there are schools, water and wastewater facilities and post offices, there are contradictions in Deputy Myth…

That is an urgent situation. We will engage with Uisce Éireann. I know the Deputy has raised this issue on a number of occasions. We will engage with Uisce Éireann and get back to the Deputy with a reply as a matter of urgency.

I am conscious the Deputy has raised this matter on a few occasions. Clean drinking water is an absolute human right that everyone should have an entitlement to. We will engage with Uisce Éireann on this. I met with Uisce Éireann recently about the upgrade of the Kilkenny regional water supply scheme and the commitment has been given by Government, both in the budget and in the additional money from the AIB funds, to ensure Uisce Éireann can realise its capital ambition over the next number of years.

Absolutely, and that upgrade is on the list.

We will follow that up with Uisce Éireann.