I thank Senators Aisling Dolan and Micheál Carrigy for raising this very important matter and allowing me the opportunity to address same. The Department and the State Examinations Commission have been progressing and planning for the 2022 junior cycle and leaving certificate examinations. This has been done in consultation with the advisory group on planning for the State examinations and with public health. Both the National Parents Council post-primary and primary are represented on the advisory group, and I wil…

The points the Senators have raised are very valid. The Taoiseach said in the Dáil today that he met the senior statistician in the Department of Education and the Minister for Education yesterday. It is a complex issue as the Senators know. There are two cohorts within this year’s leaving certificate; some who sat the junior certificate and some who did not sit it. That throws up a lot of complexities and the Senators understand that. That is part of what has to be worked through in arriving at a decision. I canno…

I move: That the proposal that Dáil Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Technological Universities Act 2018 (Section 36) (Appointed Day) Order 2022, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Dáil Éireann on 29th November, 2021, be referred to the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, in accordance with Standing Order 95(5), which, not later than 1st February, 2022, shall send a message to the Dáil in the manner prescribed in Standing Order …

I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who is unavailable this morning. I thank Deputy Guirke for raising this very important matter for his constituency and for County Meath. I concur with his concerns and also with his comments on the workforce, which is very skilled and dedicated and works in a high-pressure environment. Boliden Tara Mines DAC is the operator of Tara Mines, located in Navan, County Meath. While drilling a pilot hole f…

In my initial response, I outlined the number of contacts between the different State agencies and the mining operators. I will convey the Deputy's request to the Minister with responsibility for the OPW that the OPW make contact with the mining operator to see if any assistance can be offered. There is robust legislation and regulation in place to ensure that mining in this State operates to the highest standard. Environmental enforcement activities are carried out by the EPA through inspections, audits and emissi…

I reiterate that the Government supports the principle, and the objectives behind this Bill. I assure the Deputy Murphy that the Minister of State, Deputy English, and his officials, will work with him on determining the best approach to achieving its objectives. It is important that the objectives of the Bill can be delivered in an effective and efficient way. Officials of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will also engage with the HSA to determine the best mechanisms for the delivery of the objec…

Every way.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I have a long written reply before me, but I will only speak to parts of it. Section 21 of the student grant scheme sets out the person whose income is to be considered. Section 21(2) states: "Where the dependent student's parents are divorced or legally separated, or it is established to the satisfaction of the relevant awarding authority that they are separated, the reckonable income shall be that of the applicant and of the parent or parents with whom the app…

It is a fair request and the Deputy has raised a legitimate concern. To nail it down, is he asking about appeals to the independent appeals board that have been found in favour of the applicant in circumstances where the parents were divorced or separated?

I can ask my Department to undertake that.

I am delighted to partake in another session with the House. In his opening statement, the Minister referenced our past achievements in the fields of science and innovation. Building on this, we can look to the future and the many advances we are making every day in research and innovation. For example, the Science Foundation Ireland, SFI, future innovator prize is a challenge-based prize funding programme that seeks to support Ireland's best and brightest in developing novel and potentially disruptive technologies…

I thank all the Deputies who have contributed to tonight's debate. In his opening statement, the Minister referenced our past achievements in the fields of science and innovation. Building on this, we can look to the future and the many advances we are making every day in the fields of research and innovation. For example, the Science Foundation Ireland future innovator prize is a challenge-based prize funding programme that seeks to support Ireland's best and brightest to develop novel, potentially disruptive, tec…

The Deputy might at least let the Taoiseach start to answer before jumping down his neck.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Solid fuel, that is, coal and peat, is liable to excise duty in the State in the form of the solid fuel carbon tax. The solid fuel carbon tax is a national excise and applies at different rates to four categories of solid fuel, including coal, peat briquettes, milled peat and other peat. The solid fuel carbon tax rate is €33.50 per tonne of carbon dioxide emitted. Liability to solid fuel carbon tax arises when solid fuel is first supplied in the State. As solid fuels are …

The points the Deputy made are very valid. Officials from Revenue will be watching this debate and will take note of what she said about social media and other forms of advertising campaigns that are impacting on fuel suppliers in Cavan-Monaghan, the part of the country the Deputy represents, which are impacting on suppliers on this side of the Border. Her points are fair ones. Revenue carries out enforcement operations and cross-Border multi-agency enforcement operations. It does this in conjunction with local aut…

I thank the Deputy for her question. As she is aware, the development and promotion of apprenticeships is a significant Government priority in responding to the key skill needs across the economy. These requirements are identified through work carried out to project workforce and skills needs in key economic sectors. In particular, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs plays a crucial role in analysing future skill needs in areas such as construction to meet housing and climate action targets. I understand that t…

An integral part of the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 is the establishment of the national apprenticeship office and a stakeholder group to inform that office in doing its work of co-ordinating and researching the particular demands of the whole apprenticeship area. I have already referred to the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs. The development of any apprenticeship is a collaboration between SOLAS, employers, industries and trade unions. We have existing craft apprenticeships. The figures on estimat…

I could not agree with the Deputy more. The Minister, Deputy Harris, and I have taken every opportunity to seek to promote the whole area of apprenticeships. In conjunction with the action plan, we are taking concrete steps to embed apprenticeship offerings and further education and training options into the Central Applications Office, CAO, process. This will mainstream apprenticeships and destigmatise them. There is a suite of actions contained within the action plan to address gender balance, for example, and to…

I thank the Deputy. We are committed to significant expansion in apprenticeships to secure the targets set out in the apprenticeship action plan, given the key role of apprenticeship in meeting key workforce needs. Apprenticeship is a demand-driven educational and training programme, which aims to develop the skills of an apprentice in order to meet the needs of industry and the labour market. The development of new apprenticeships is employer-led, with consortia comprising employer groups and educational providers…

As I pointed out to the Deputy, the new national apprenticeship office is to be established and a director appointed this month. That office emerges from the apprenticeship action plan and will act as an umbrella and overseer of the entire apprenticeship landscape. Allied to the national apprenticeship office will be the national apprenticeship alliance, a stakeholder group which will support that office with respect to its future direction and will also support it in terms of the demands of our current apprentices…