I thank the Deputy for the question. It is clear that he has been in the position I am in now, and he understands the circumstances. I must give him the response that I have been provided with. In whatever way I can, I will try to address the Deputy’s questions. They give me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, to outline 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, all …

I thank the Deputy. I recognise there are schools with important building projects that are not included in the first tranche of prioritised projects. As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the design pipeline, having regard to the continual need to maximise existing capacity and determine the prioritised need going …

I am happy to take this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address the issue in the House this evening. Improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving citizens' quality of life and addressing our climate action challenge. The Government is committed to a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland. There is a substantial number of people in regional towns, the rural hinterland and in the metropolitan area who …

As I noted in my reply, the NTA is progressing park-and-ride sites at Sallins and Kill, which together will provide more than 1,500 additional car parking spaces, as part of its co-ordinated programme of park-and-ride development at strategic locations. In addition to this work, collaborative work is ongoing with Iarnród Éireann to deliver increased parking at existing rail stations nationally. That includes the recently completed works at Kildare. I acknowledge what the Deputy said about that car park not being su…

I thank the Senator for raising what is truly a very important matter to an awful lot of people. I am delighted to be able to respond positively to her this morning. First, I will give a small bit of context. As the Senator will know, the provision of courses for students with intellectual disabilities was a key commitment made in the national access plan published back in 2022. Progress on the delivery of the courses has been most encouraging, with 193 students studying in 11 higher education institutions, HEIs, a…

I thank the Senator. There is not a lot more to say except that it is good news all around. The HEA is in the process of engaging an expert consultant to work with the participating institutions on a common evaluation instrument. That is an important part of any aspect of funding. The outcomes of that evaluation will inform the next steps regarding the expansion of the programme in line with the programme for Government commitments. As I said, the answer to the Senator's question is "Yes". It is good news for Kevin…

Do I call the Cathaoirleach Ceann Comhairle? I am not sure. It is my first time here.

I have no doubt. I thank Senators for the kind invitation to address the House. I have addressed the Seanad a few times previously, but never in my capacity as Minister of State. I have spoken on behalf of other Ministers, so it is a real privilege to be here today to address the House. Like the Cathaoirleach, I welcome most sincerely our 2025 Rose of Tralee, Katelyn Cummins, an electrical apprentice. I have met her before. She has done more for the promotion of apprenticeships than any Government programme or Mini…

Which?

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I have heard a lot of contributions and I have been scribbling notes. I do not know how much sense they will make. I have a closing speech prepared but I am not even going to look at that. I will just try to respond as best I can to some of the points that were made. Senator Dee Ryan spoke about the importance of earn-as-you-learn and peer-to-peer engagement so that young people can get a real sense of what apprenticeships are about. She stated that employers are interested in inves…

I thank the Deputy. His question relates to expanding apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities. As he is aware, work-integrated learning, where learners apply their studies in real-world settings, is a cornerstone of Ireland’s tertiary education system and this includes apprenticeships and traineeships. Apprenticeships provide structured routes into employment for roles requiring hands-on learning and guaranteed workplace experience, whereas traineeships offer shorter, much more flexible options where work expe…

I absolutely agree with the Deputy regarding the great work being done at Mount Lucas. I think I have been there three times at this stage, looking at its work on modern methods of construction, MMC, its flagship development. Of course, it also has what is called the Skillnet MMC Accelerate platform. That showcases the different career pathways that are available to participate in MMC. It is one thing to have it and to have it developed and have really good work going on, but is another thing to make sure apprentic…

This is again a very important question. I agree with what the Deputy is saying. Perhaps up to now, though it is changing, apprenticeships and sometimes traineeships were seen as a second or third option. They absolutely must be a first option for those for whom they are suitable. We are starting in the schools. There are a number of programmes in transition year. We have the initial vocational education and training, iVET, programme, which is a taster programme in construction available to transition year students…

I think the Minister will be back in a few minutes, but I will respond to this question. The reply states the student grant scheme is a universal scheme and the rules including the means-testing of reckonable income are applied on an equal basis to all students who make an application. In general, for student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances, either as students dependent on their parent or legal guardian or as independent mature students. Students may be assessed as independ…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The proposal before us, as he said, is not just another bricks-and-mortar project. It is a strategic investment to deliver an integrated further education and training college for Kilkenny which addresses historical infrastructure deficits and drives the reform we have committed to across the FET sector. As the Deputy told us, a suitable site has been acquired at Joinersfolly, to the south of Kilkenny city. This purchase, coupled with the investment in enabling infrastruc…

I am grateful to Deputy Cleere for providing me with the opportunity to set out the position for this project in Kilkenny. The Department and I are prepared to continue to work collaboratively with Kilkenny and Carlow ETB via SOLAS to advance this ambition. Capital investment is a key priority for the Department, and I recognise fully the importance of developing, enhancing and supporting the FET sector to allow it to provide high-quality campuses for teaching, learning and research. Let me be clear that the Depart…

I will begin by thanking all Members for their contributions on the motion, the purpose of which is to seek the approval of Dáil Éireann for Ireland to participate in enhanced co-operation on the establishment of a loan for Ukraine. I have heard Members' comments and reactions. I hope to respond to some of the key points that they raised. We must not lose sight of why we are doing this. Ukraine has experienced almost four years of Russia's illegal aggression against its people and its territory. The brutality of Ru…

I sincerely thank Deputy Burke for raising this important matter concerning the Cork dental hospital and the availability of dental training places. As the Deputy said, he has raised this issue on a number of occasions and I have responded to him. The Government is firmly committed to ensuring our healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of highly skilled graduates. My Department, in collaboration with the Department of Health, the Higher Education Authority, HEA, and the higher education…

I am sure at the committee meeting tomorrow the Deputy will have the opportunity to question the Department representatives. I am not here to defend its figures but I can quote them and I can say that we have increased by 33% the number of students commencing dentistry studies in 2025. That is factually correct. The Department of Health also tells me that we have had a steady increase in the number of registered dentists since 2016, from 2,949 to 3.945 today. The number of registered dentists per 1,000 of populatio…

I thank the Senator for raising this topic. I welcome the opportunity to discuss this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, with her and the Members of the House. From the outset, I would like to clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. However, neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibilit…