I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, to outline to the Dáil the current position in relation to the joint school project for St. John Bosco Junior Boys School, St. John Bosco Senior Boys School and Mary, Help of Christians Girls' National School in Dublin 7. This joint school building project will deliver two new 16-classroom primary schools with additional classrooms for children with special educational needs for both the seni…

I agree with the Deputy that this is not refurbishment. In my initial response, I made it clear that this joint school building project will deliver two new 16-classroom primary schools with additional classrooms for children with special educational needs for both the senior boys’ school and the girls’ school and an 11-classroom primary school with additional classrooms for children with special educational needs for the junior boys’ school. I have no information regarding the co-education provision but the Deputy…

It is not often I am asked in this House to behave like the man above. I am not sure what I can deliver from purgatory. Nonetheless, I heard what Deputy Byrne said about the conditions, which he told us are unique and among the worst in the country. He also spoke of the commitment of the staff. While I am not personally familiar with the school, I know that schools where conditions are not good or are very poor often have the most committed staff. I have a response here from the Minister for education and my job is…

I will relay the Deputy's request that the Minister consider meeting him with the WWETB and the school principal. I am not sure what requests have been received, and I cannot speak on the Minister's behalf, but I will certainly relay that request. The Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for all school pupils and will, in the wider context outlined, ensure each school project on the schools building programme is subject to the due diligence required under the infrastructure gui…

I thank Deputy Smith for raising this matter and for highlighting the significant population growth taking place in Swords. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I am interested to hear the Deputy say it is the third largest town in Ireland. In that context, I understand why he has raised these issues. The Government fully recognises that the successful delivery of new housing must be supported by timely and co-ordinated investment in the infrastructure required to su…

The Government agrees that the delivery of housing and the delivery of infrastructure have to go hand in hand and creating sustainable communities requires investment, not only in homes, but as the Deputy said, in the transport, energy, water and community infrastructure that supports them. As he also noted, significant investment is already under way in Swords, whether it is the R132 connectivity project, the Balheary Road wastewater upgrade or the Fosterstown link road proposal under the housing infrastructure in…

I thank the Deputy, and on behalf of the Minister for Transport, I want to thank him for raising this issue. He is quite right. A lot of people are speaking about this. We have always been aware, but we have become more acutely aware in recent times, of the serious brain injuries sustained in many cases by children who use e-scooters and the inherent dangers in how e-scooters are being used. From the Government's perspective, we introduced a comprehensive suite of regulations in 2024 to govern the safe use of e-sco…

I thank the Deputy. In response to his question about the urgency of this, the Department of Transport is examining the issue of mandating the wearing of helmets, high-vis clothing and protective equipment for e-scooters and e-bikes, along with other road safety focused measures. Proposals in this regard are under consideration by Ministers. The Department is also considering the matter of registration for e-scooters. Any system of mandatory registration requires significant development work to act effectively and …

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. At the outset, it is important to note that Carlow College, St. Patrick's is and always has been an independent private institution operating outside the State-funded higher education sector. Decisions regarding its strategic direction and governance rest entirely with its own governing body and neither the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, nor I have a role in the appointment of its members. Additionally, as a private institution, Carlow College does not fall…

If Deputy Gibney is fair at all, she will accept that a great deal of engagement has already taken place between the Minister, Deputy Lawless, the different institutions, the trade unions and the workers. The Deputy spoke about students there. Every current learner at Carlow College will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned without disruption or disadvantage. Those are the facts.

I am stating that here in the House tonight on the record. I want it to be true and it needs to be true. I think both of us agree that should be the situation. Commitment, continuity and fairness have guided every step of this process. We have every confidence that formal discussions commenced by Carlow College with their staff and staff representatives will be carried out in a transparent and forthright manner. It is not in my response here, but I did hear what Deputy Gibney spoke about in regard to the transfer o…

I am responding on behalf of the Minister responsible for trade, Deputy McEntee, who is very supportive of free trade agreements, FTAs, and partnership agreements generally, particularly this one with Indonesia for the opportunity it presents to both sides to deepen our bilateral economic relationship, to which the Senator alluded. Indeed, at the most recent Government trade forum, the Minister specifically referenced the Indonesia agreement as one we would like to advance during our Presidency. The EU-Indonesia Co…

Human rights are particularly important to Ireland, both at home and abroad. We consider human rights carefully when entering negotiations on new agreements. We have been carefully monitoring the human rights situation in West Papua and the Irish embassy in Jakarta engages on human rights in Indonesia both bilaterally and with the EU delegation to Indonesia and EU member states. The embassy works closely with the UN and international NGOs. The embassy also actively engages with NGO partners, providing funding throu…

I thank the Senator very much for raising this issue. Financial literacy is an essential life skill and an important component of financial consumer protection, as the Senator clearly outlined. It does not just mean that individuals have financial knowledge; it also means that they have the skills, attitudes and behaviours necessary to manage their money well. The national financial literacy strategy, as the Senator knows, was launched in 2025. Its mission is to improve levels of financial literacy across Ireland a…

I thank the Senator. I do not disagree with a word he said, in particular in respect of auto-enrolment. That is transforming retirement for many people in the future. It is a hugely important initiative. Equally, the Senator is talking about information when it comes to financial decisions that people make. He also mentioned there was €160 million in fraudulent payments last year and that is increasing. This is not in my prepared reply but one of the ways we can perhaps try to manage that is to make sure there is e…

I thank the Deputy. As she will be aware, Carlow College is and has always been, a private and autonomous institution operating outside the publicly funded higher education system. Despite this, it has received substantial State support, including over €3.1 million in student fee grants, with an annual uplift of €750,000 in place since 2022. Following repeated requests for additional assistance, an independent review in 2024 identified a deteriorating and ultimately unsustainable financial position. It became clear…

I thank the Deputy. I believe the framework agreed by the two institutions is a prudent and measured approach that protects the educational attainment and interests of students in the region. Every current learner in Carlow College will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned without disruption or disadvantage. That commitment of continuity and fairness has guided every step of the process. At the same time, the framework provides the autonomy and responsibilities of Carlow College as a private in…

Do not forget Roscommon in the Connacht final.

It is a high priority for me and my Department to support the development of high-quality and accessible tertiary education systems that reflect the full diversity of Irish society and ensure that all learners can access and successfully complete their education. Since the establishment of the first technological university in 2019, the Department has prioritised targeted investment of over €300 million in technological universities to ensure structural, high quality, inclusive education, training, research and inn…

I am pleased to say that the midlands are well served by Technological University of the Shannon because it offers students from Offaly and surrounding counties high-quality university education. What I am talking about in particular today are the tertiary programmes. They offer students the opportunity to begin a course in further education before transitioning to complete their degree in higher education. We have invested €4 million from budget 2026 towards the development of these programmes. In 2026 and 2027, L…