Let us be clear that this should be led by the Department of Education and education partners.

The service providers will be consulted in due course.

The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the last school year, more than 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. The cost of the scheme in 2021 was €289 million. In July 2022 and as part of a wider package of cost-of-living measures, the Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport …

More than 130,000 applications or registrations were received by 29 July and we have issued 127,800 tickets. That process is ongoing. The 127,800 tickets represent a 23% increase on previous years, including a 33% increase in concessionary tickets. Regarding the late application process, it is important for families to note that the application deadline was 29 April and that the deadline to confirm registration was 29 July. Any application completed after this date was a "late application" and, therefore, many scho…

Deputy Ó Cuív referred to Yahoo and the difficulties in that regard. If he has any specific cases where an issue arose, I would appreciate if he could forward the email address to my Department. However, in the main, that is not the only means of communication with parents; there were others. There was public information and the closing dates were advertised. The responsibility rests with individuals applying to be mindful of the application dates. I am happy to hear from the Deputy about specific instances. If he …

The Department has a strong record with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings and this performance has been recognised at both national and international level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in design and specification. The National Development Plan 2021-2030, published on 4 October 2021, provides for capital funding of more than €4.4 billion for investment in school infrastructure during the period from 2021 to 2025. There continues to be a strong climate action dimension to this additio…

I agree that this is a very positive move, and I welcome the fact schools will be eligible for the programme and it will be fully funded for them. Much work is being done in this regard and it is the absolute intention to roll it out as quickly as possible. Obviously, this is not within the gift of just my Department, but we are working constructively to ensure it will be delivered as quickly as possible. I acknowledge the Deputy's reference to the deep energy retrofit programme, a significant and successful progra…

The Department has many award-winning schemes that are internationally recognised for their agenda and for the priority given by the Department in the area of climate action and sustainability, and we have a strong strategy in that area as well. I mentioned the pathfinder programme and the solar panel scheme, in conjunction with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, and I acknowledge the work of my ministerial colleague in that regard. As the Deputy knows, the summer works programme is inva…

We are working on the finer detail of that.

The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers were agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council, TCC. This council comprises representatives of teachers, school management and the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and Education. The council is chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission. The TCC meets at least every two months and the agenda is agreed between the Department and the teacher unions. The award criteria for incremental credit are l…

I appreciate that a body of work needs to be done in this regard. As the Deputy acknowledged, it is positive that this is now the work and consideration of the sub-committee. We must be clear that the TCC is made up of a variety of bodies. It is not just the Department of Education. It is also made up of teachers' representatives, school management and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in order that there is a full, frank and open discussion as regards what we can do. It is my hope and expectation tha…

For my own clarity, is that somebody who is working in the primary sector?

The current process as we know it has been in operation for more than 20 years now. Over the years, a number of amendments have been made. As we said, there is now an opportunity to address very specifically some of the issue that have been raised and, indeed, the wider issues I raised earlier. The fact is that this process has been operating for more than 20 years and within that period we have seen amendments, which shows the openness to looking at new opportunities to address situations as they arise. I am very …

Gaelscoil Laighean is currently located in interim accommodation in a building at Kill Lane and a room is also rented from the Mount Merrion parish centre, which is located directly across the road. It is intended that the school will move to interim accommodation and a permanent site at Mount Anville for September 2023. With regard to the interim accommodation for Gaelscoil Laighean, an application for planning permission was lodged for the Mount Anville depot site on 21 June 2022. The final grant of permission is…

I want to be clear; the planning system is the planning system. In the first instance, however, I totally reject the Deputy's view in terms of the Department of Education and its delivery of school buildings and knowledge of planning. The Department has an extremely strong record of delivery in terms of school buildings. More than 360 school building projects were at construction during 2022. That is a phenomenal investment by the Department. That includes brand new schools, of which there are more than 50. The Dep…

It is intended that the school will move to interim accommodation on its permanent site at Mount Anville for September 2023. The grant of planning permission was received on 16 September 2022. The Department officials, the project manager and the design team have engaged with the planning roles and departments within Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to agree the works required for the public road and junction outside of the school site, as required on condition No. 7 of the planning permission. The last commun…

I thank the Deputy for her question. As Minister for Education, the online safety of our children and young people is a priority both for myself and my Department. Within the education system, the current social, personal and health education curriculum, known as SPHE, at primary level covers the important topics of personal safety and protection, and includes online safety. This SPHE curriculum content aims to foster well-being, self-confidence and seeks to develop the child’s own sense of personal responsibility.…

I completely agree with the Deputy. We are living in a much-changed and very different world now and it is important that we have an agile workforce. It is also important that we have students who are well informed and capable of living safely in this world. I want to be clear that there are a number of initiatives under way, while we are talking about the redevelopment of the primary school curriculum, and equally so of SPHE at post-primary level. Significant resources in the interim are being made available to ou…

I appreciate the Deputy’s interest in this area and indeed her shining a light on it. It behoves us to acknowledge the world in which we live today. Significant progress has been made by the Department. There is also a recognition that more needs to be done in this space and it is for that reason there is the review of the programmes we deliver. In the interim, we have made the toolkits available, and we have, as the Deputy has referred to, supports such as Webwise. We also have our PDST, which is specifically supp…

I welcome the opportunity to provide a statement on the deeply shocking and disturbing accounts of abuse in certain schools. I know that all in this House and right across the country will have felt the same sense of shock and revulsion at the revelations made in recent weeks about the extent of sexual abuse in Spiritan schools. I have engaged with survivors over recent days and will continue to do so over the coming days. At the outset, I commend the courage of those who have come forward and indeed all of those w…