I understand the politics of the motion. I have been around now for a bit to understand the motivation behind Private Members' motions and the need to keep the Government under pressure. I fully understand that. We will deal with the motion in the manner that we as a Government see fit-----

-----just as you, equally, will put forward motions with a very clear political agenda behind them. We did not all come down on the last cloud. I am fully comfortable with what is happening this evening in respect of the Private Members' motion on this issue.

The more important point is that the fundamental issue of ownership has been dealt with-----

-----in terms of the 300-year-----

With the greatest respect to Deputy Healy-Rae, when I spoke to him before the formation of the Government, his main request was that we would last five years and make no intention to undermine it in any shape or form.

I am not a bit worried about Deputy Healy-Rae's faux bravado.

Deputy Healy-Rae knows where his bread is buttered at the end of the day when it comes to the longevity and lifespan of this particular Dáil.

The more important point is the ownership issue has been dealt with and the guarantees are there.

I will deal with the issue on which the Deputy has focused in Leaders' Questions. I have dealt enough with the hospital today. I watched that programme. It is not good enough. The State has failed the Milne family, and Ryan and Kyle in particular, in terms of providing a proper, comprehensive education for the children that would be appropriate to their complex needs. They have applied to two schools and been refused. This morning I spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. I also spoke to the recently appoin…

The Government is proactive on this. The NCSE is very focused on the current legislative framework and on this on an operational level. Under the Acts that I have mentioned, very often the onus is put on the parents to seek to places. In my view, the system should be seeking the places for the child. That is the fundamental change that must occur. That requires an automatic response from the State whereby, when children with complex needs require provision, the State goes and finds the place for them. This is oppos…

We talk about inclusivity, and the Acts provide for that.

I will finally say that there are approximately 19,000 SNAs in our schools at the moment.

We have created 918 new teaching posts alone. This is an issue of-----

-----organisation, planning and so on.

As I did yesterday, I again take the opportunity to recognise the hugely important and vital work carried out by medical scientists, as well as their role in respect of the functioning of our health service. They are dedicated, professional and highly committed and have been so for many years. This was particularly the case during the pandemic. There is a long-standing concern. The Medical Laboratory Scientists Association has had an ongoing long-term concern in relation to pay and career structure of the medical s…

As I said, the most effective way to resolve this issue is through the labour relations machinery and industrial relations machinery of the State. It is the most effective way to resolve all disputes of this kind and, ultimately, the only way to do it. That is understood and accepted across all the social partners in respect of disputes in the public and private sectors. As I said, there was engagement between the parties at the WRC yesterday. It is important those talks continue and the existing industrial relatio…

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is not present in the room at every dispute that occurs.

Obviously, as the Department representing the taxpayer and everybody, it is always there as an influence. We know that but the bottom line is there is always tick-tacking and-----

-----things do not happen in isolation. The Deputy knows that. As a trade unionist, she knows how-----

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. As she said, she has made a submission in respect of it to the group looking at reform of the SUSI scheme. As she said, at the last budget, the Government took a number of decisions to improve the student grant scheme, in particular the increase to all student grant maintenance payments, including the special rate of grant of €200 per year, which will benefit all students entitled to receive a maintenance grant. The income threshold to qualify for the standard rate of stud…