I thank the Senator for the opportunity to address this issue in the House today. As the Senator has already acknowledged, I am reading this into the record on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. Improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving citizens' quality of life and addressing our climate action challenge. This Government is committed to a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland. As a Government, we need to provide more options to people so that they can…

I thank the Senator for her comments. There has been no Government decision to defer MetroLink. It is the intention of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, that construction would commence in the lifetime of the Government, noting the requirements of planning permission and the necessary Government approval. As I said earlier, I understand an extensive body of work remains to finalise preliminary design, completing the required environmental impact assessment reports and closing out property referencing issues before t…

I thank the Senator for raising the issue. The energy charter treaty is a political declaration on international energy co-operation with 53 signatories and contracting parties, including all EU member states, except Italy. It was signed in 1994 and entered into legal force in 1998. I regret that the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is not present, but I will read into the record for the Senator's benefit the reply he has issued. The treaty's provisions focus on four broad areas: the protection of foreign investments, …

I again thank the Senator. The issue she has raised will be communicated to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. I appreciate the points she has raised and the conviction with which she delivered them. I have every confidence that the Minister will revert to her in due course.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to be in a position to bring the Bill to the House. The Bill has been passed by the Seanad, where it received cross-party support. I believe this is important legislation as it seeks to provide a clear framework for schools in regard to engagement within their school communities and between home and school. As Members will be aware, a spirit of open communication and partnership is vital to the running of the school. At its very best, education extends…

The school transport scheme is significant operation, managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the current school year, more than 114,000 children, including more than 14,700 children with special educational needs, SEN, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country, at a cost of more than €224.7 million in 2020. All children who are eligible for school transport, and who complete the application and payment process on time, are accommodated in school tran…

I am conscious of the issues the Deputy raises. As a consequence of that, he will be aware that there is a full review of the school transport system, which I have instigated. In the shortest term possible, we have asked for the interim report. The interim report looks at issues of eligibility in terms of nearest school and next-nearest school. I am pleased to say that in the short term, we have made those changes. There are many other changes and additions that will come on foot of the larger report, when it comes…

There will be additional 1,800.

The Department is clear on ambition. We recognise there are considerable issues with school transport. A review of the entire school transport scheme is under way at this point in time. To facilitate accommodations that could be made in the short term, there was an announcement of an initial finding of review, which will now accommodate an additional 1,800 pupils. In this very short space of time, to be able to produce a report of that nature that facilitates students who wish to attend their second-nearest school …

As someone who comes from the school sector, I am keenly aware of the vital role played by school secretaries in the running of our schools. In recognition of this role, I have put special arrangements in place for the coming school year whereby schools will be funded to employ a replacement secretary or caretaker in the event that staff who are at very high risk of contracting serious illness from Covid cannot work on the school premises. I have also extended the employee assistance service to all school staff inc…

As I have outlined and said consistently, I am very conscious of the excellent and pivotal work contributed to school communities by schools secretaries and caretakers. I have been very clear on this. I am also very clear, as I am sure is the Deputy, that there is a process of engagement via the WRC. I also acknowledge that since October 2020 the process has moved apace and there has been significant engagement and meetings have been held between the parties under the auspices of the WRC. There have also been bilat…

I acknowledge again that there has been significant progress. I reiterate that since October there has been consistent engagement via the WRC, and this includes bilateral engagements. The engagement has been very fruitful in that it has been consistently helpful to the process to chart a way forward. As outlined previously, the Deputy is quite correct that a significant body of data was requested. It was gathered by the Department, which was a significant undertaking. These data are now available. The process will …

Many schools have a GP room or sports hall and practically all schools have outdoor play areas. In addition, many schools use adjacent local facilities, including community halls, public parks, playing fields and swimming pools. Investment and expenditure on GP rooms and PE halls is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the school building programme. The provision of GP rooms, PE halls and outdoor hard play areas, such as basketball courts, form part of the accommodation brief for all new school b…

I thank the Deputy and appreciate the case he makes and the importance of the provision of these sorts of facilities in our schools. As I have previously outlined, they are part of funding via the NDP but we are looking towards the latter half of the timeframe of the plan for allocation. It is something of which I am conscious. I must also point out there is an enormous budgetary constraint in terms of provision. A GP room, for example, for a four-classroom primary school comes in at around €684,000. For an eight- …

I thank the Deputy. I again say that I am wholly in agreement with him. I know from personal experience the importance of PE departments and all they achieve at second level. The provision of halls and a general purpose room at primary school level is important. The multipurpose nature of accommodations of that nature speaks to health and fitness while also allowing for enormous creative endeavour. It also facilitates school gatherings and events. There are enormous benefits. That is unquestionable. The commitment …

The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under the Department’s design and build programme. I want to be clear that this project is a priority for the Department. The permanent location for the school will be on a greenfield site in the Department’s ownership at Maryborough, Douglas, Cork. The school when complete will provide accommodation for 600 pupils and a special education needs unit with three classrooms. The timeline for the delivery of this project has been impacted …

I appreciate the points the Deputy has made, especially the point regarding the students who have moved through the years. I understand the impact on the entire school community, including the staff of the school, the board of management, the parents and, as I said, the students themselves. The Deputy will also appreciate, however, that, as with any application for planning permission, there is always the risk of refusal. In this case, the planning application was made and, unfortunately, that was the outcome. To r…

I appreciate the Deputy's genuine interest in this issue and the necessity to advance this project as quickly as possible. I can confirm that we are doing all we can. Certainly we hit a block in terms of the planning but we have reconfigured and reassessed and are doing all we can to ensure the next application will succeed. I appreciate the points made by the Deputy. The Department has also approved the rental of additional rooms to provide sufficient accommodation for the 2021-22 academic year and is continuing t…

My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to all students because of school closures arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. Yesterday, following a meeting of the advisory group on planning for State examinations, I announced that the level of adjustment to the assessment arrangements for the 2022 leaving certificate examination cohort would be broadly the same as that applied to the assessment arrangements for leaving certificate examinations 2021, as announced in December 2020. I also announced that the…

As the Deputy is aware, I am very conscious of the time lost in terms of in-person teaching and learning for the class of 2022. I acknowledge the work of the advisory group. When I reference the advisory group, I want to be clear about who is involved in that. As the students, parents, teachers, joint managerial bodies and the Department are at the heart of that, it is a representative and rounded group of people who have engaged over a long time to address a variety of issues - in this instance, making provision f…