How dare you? Who do you think you are?

Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire in Broadford, County Kildare, an exceptional national school with 60 pupils, is typical of a lot of rural national schools around the country that have a reduction in school numbers and therefore a reduction in capitation. This is posing a challenge for many rural schools. The Financial Support Services Unit has engaged with the school and has essentially used it as a best-case example of a national school doing the most it can with the capitation it has. However, there is a clear issue wi…

The world is quite a scary place right now from the war in the Middle East, including in Iran and Gaza and the West Bank in Palestine, to what we are seeing in Somalia and Russia's continuing onslaught on Ukraine. We experienced hikes in the prices of various goods and services, particularly energy, after the invasion of Ukraine. What we are seeing now is a multiple of that because the Strait of Hormuz plays a crucial role in the supply of oil worldwide and in the supply of rare earth minerals that are crucial to t…

This morning, The Irish Times reported on work done by Conor Gallagher and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, OCCRP, in relation to Aughinish Alumina in Limerick and how product from that facility is being used in the military industry in Russia. This afternoon, I spoke with the Ukrainian ambassador, Larysa Gerasko, who expressed her deep fears about this news. What is the Government doing and, to the best of its knowledge, what can it do in relation to this work at Aughinish Alumina to stop the …

I had the opportunity to visit Teach Tearmainn women’s refuge in Kildare recently where I met Lorraine Rowan, the CEO, and her team who are carrying out incredible work. A lot of questions arose from that meeting, particularly the need to outline the criteria being used by Cuan in identifying priority locations for new refuge units and if counties with established domestic, sexual and gender based violence services, such as Kildare, may be considered for inclusion in future phases of refuge development.

I welcome the Minister saying that Cuan is considering Kildare for phase 2 development. That is welcome news. Teach Tearmainn is in Kildare town, which is quite a considerable distance from the north of the county, from the likes of Maynooth, Leixlip, Celbridge, Kilcock and Clane, and it is technically in the Kildare South constituency. However, it caters for women not only across Kildare but also across the midlands. The work it does is truly outstanding. One thing that has arisen for Teach Tearmainn is the amount…

I want to state my appreciation for the work the Minister, Cuan and the Department are doing in increasing supports for domestic violence survivors and indeed those who care for them. What the likes of Teach Tearmainn are looking for is the long- and medium-term assurances that staffing capacity will keep pace with the rising need. We are seeing a rising need, particularly in domestic violence situations which is quite worrying. It is not just in Kildare - it is across the country – and that is reflected in the inc…

Tá fíorthábhacht a baint leis na hoifigí an phoist timpeall na tíre. Tá siad i gcroílár an phobail i ngach pobal timpeall na hÉireann. Cuirim fáilte roimh a thuilleadh maoiniú; timpeall is €15 milliún a fógraíodh i mí Eanáir. Is rud fíorthábhachtach é sin. Tá seirbhís poiblí riachtanach á chur ar fáil ag na hoifigí an phoist fud fad na tíre. As I have just said through Gaeilge, particularly during Seachtain na Gaeilge, the post office network and post offices play a vital part in our local communities, be that in r…

Cheapfá go raibh staid na Gaeilge go hainnis sa tír seo ón méid atá cloiste againn inniu ón bhFreasúra. Ní hé sin an cás. Is dea-scéal í an Ghaeilge sa lá atá inniu ann, agus is scéal dearfach é. Tá an Ghaeilge le feiscint agus le clos i ngach uile pháirt den tsochaí anois - sna scannáin, sa cheol agus fiú sna sráideanna. É sin ráite, tá dúshlán fós ann. Tuigimid uilig é sin. An rud is tábhachtaí ná go bhfuil dul chun cinn dochreidte déanta ó thaobh na Gaeilge de sa tír seo, agus tá an athbheochan fós beo. Tá níos …

The building “is not fit for purpose to operate without considerable risk” and “is unsafe and poses a serious immediate threat to the well-being, health and safety of the occupants and users.” This is a consultant's report in relation to St. Patrick's National School in Celbridge. Those occupants and users are children, teachers and staff. The Minister for Education and Youth visited the site just over a month ago. What are needed right now are new modular units. There is a long-term plan for a permanent school, bu…

Cuirim fáilte roimh ráitis na nAirí faoin maoiniú breise de €19 milliún agus, mar aon leis sin, nach mbeidh laghdú ar líon na gcúntóirí riachtanas speisialta fud fad na tíre. Reference has been made throughout the debate to the amazing work that SNAs do. Having friends and family as SNAs, and being close to the schools in Kildare North, I see it first-hand. What I think we need to acknowledge is the number of children in education, both in the past and currently, who would not have gone through the education system…

I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy John Connolly. The programme for access to higher education, PATH, 4, is the universal design for learning. It supports HEIs in making teaching assessment and student supports more inclusive. Does the Minister or Department plan on developing or expanding any phases of PATH 4?

I thank the Minister for his reply. There has been a concerted effort from the Minister and the Department to ensure that PATH 4 is expanded. It is about realising the potential of every young person through education, in particular. PATH 4 certainly offers that. There has been strong uptake across higher education institutions, improved staff capacity and awareness, and inclusive training and teaching. There is early evidence of more accessible learning. I pay tribute to some positive examples. Maynooth University…

I understand the phased approach, but ensuring multi-year funding would allow higher education institutions to move from pilot phases to full implementation. I ask as well that a national UDL benchmark be established so we can measure consistency across higher education institutions. We need to ensure there are benchmarks that show what is success, what is working and not working, and what we can learn from, change and improve. Finally, I ask for further support to institutions with dedicated UDL co-ordinators or t…

What measures are being considered this year, in 2026, to support students with accommodation and living costs, including any planned adjustments to SUSI thresholds, particularly in our constituency of Kildare North and the Maynooth area but also as students from across our constituency are travelling into Dublin. Not everybody goes to Maynooth, as I did. A lot of people go into Dublin. What plans, if any, are there for 2026?

I acknowledge the efforts and measures the Minister has taken in increasing the non-adjacent grants, the student assistance fund, etc. I spent a year in student union politics just after university in Maynooth students' union. An issue then, which continues to be an issue, is that there are those who sit right above the threshold for grants, for whatever reason. It is similar in a way to when somebody is applying for social housing and there is an income limit of €40,000. In circumstances where there is a €40,000 i…

I welcome that. It is really positive. Deputy Jen Cummins mentioned earlier children who are estranged from their parents, etc., and having to rely on their parents then when they are looking for student grants or if they are not getting student grants, even though they are estranged. The Minister's response to that made complete sense. It could increase the number of people claiming they are estranged when they might not be. The Minister and spoke outside the House about the other issue I raise. He stated that abo…

The most frequent issue I raise in this Chamber is the issue of infrastructure. While I welcome the infrastructure plan, and there is a lot to it and some excellent developments in it, particularly in terms of national infrastructure, what it fails to do and what we are not focusing on but should be focusing on is the social infrastructure throughout the country, especially in our towns and villages that are growing exponentially. When I speak about social infrastructure, I speak about the Garda stations. Maynooth,…

One of the G20 members, namely, India, and the European Union today announced the progression of a free-trade agreement which has been almost two decades in the making and will impact over 2 billion people. Has the Government assessed any particular issues, risks and indeed opportunities for Ireland in the EU-India free trade agreement? Has it assessed what the ratification process will mean for Ireland?

I, too, wish to raise the issue of Sudan and other conflicts in Africa, such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and the Sahel. Ireland has a proud history of peacekeeping in Africa. Has there been any discussion or consideration about UN peacekeeping troops being deployed to Sudan in the future? Would Ireland consider such a request?