On prevailing side: this member voted with the winning side in 509 of 516 decisive votes (0 abstentions excluded). Read it as a government-or-opposition indicator rather than a measure of influence — the figure is near 100% for members supporting the government of the day and near 0% for those opposing it.
This is the point of the site: contributions keep the party held on the day, not the one held now.
| Party | Recorded as | Contributions | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| FF | Fianna Fáil | 19,180 | 2020-02-20 – 2026-09-30 |
Membership spells on record: FF 1989-06-15–1992-11-05 · FF 1992-11-25–1997-05-15 · FF 1997-06-06–2002-04-25 · FF 2002-05-17–2007-04-30 · FF 2007-05-24–2011-02-01 · FF 2011-02-25–2016-03-09 · FF 2016-03-10–2020-01-14 · FF 2020-02-08–2024-11-08 · FF 2024-11-29–present
We are increasing the number of special needs assistants to 25,000 for the school year 2026-27 beginning in September. I will repeat for you that we are increasing, not cutting, the number of special needs assistants for the next school year.
There will be 25,000. The numbers have gone up by 45% in the last five years.
Those are not cutbacks; that is expansion. Now I will speak about the reason.
I spoke yesterday to the Minister, Deputy Foley. We were in County Kerry yesterday. I spoke about schools appealing. Schools are well used to appealing. I do not mean that in any cold way. That is important.
No, sorry. That is right across the board.
Sorry, when it comes to any scheme, schools will seek to make some appeals, correctly in my view.
The making of appeals is a mechanism to deal with some of these issues. I have said it already that no school should lose four SNAs in any one year.
It depends on the needs of the school. If, for example, three or four children who were benefiting from an SNA in a primary school move onto second level, that can change the need.
Surely the Deputy is not suggesting-----
I am not out of touch at all. I am far more in touch than you are.
I have been working on this all my political life and I will continue to work all my political life on special needs education.
Surely Deputy McDonald is not saying that every SNA stays in situ forever, irrespective of the need.
That is what she is saying. That does not make sense either.
All I am simply saying is that we have expanded the numbers-----
-----and we want the children who need it most to get the service they require and the SNA supports they require-----
-----and that is what we are going to do.
First of all, the Minister for Health has expressed her deep disappointment-----
-----at the decision of An Coimisiún Pleanála to overturn the position of Dublin City Council and, indeed, its own recommendation from its own planning inspector who recommended that the proposed critical care wing at the Rotunda should go ahead. I would add that it is deeply disappointing. The Minister this morning met with the regional clinical director and also the regional executive officer. The HSE will be meeting with the master of the Rotunda to review the next steps and all the plans pertaining to the Rotun…
What entity?
What entity created by the Government?