That is a clear answer.

I am particularly pleased to see the inclusion of a citizens' assembly on the future of education in the programme for Government. Experience internationally and here at home of citizens' assemblies as exercises in deliberative democracy have been extremely positive. Ireland is considered a leader in the use of deliberative democracy processes, having convened three in recent years, namely the Convention on the Constitution 2012 to 2014, the Citizens’ Assembly 2016 to 2018 and the ongoing Citizens' Assembly on gend…

I come from a strong education background and I believe strongly in educational equality and inclusiveness. I am a fan of the Citizens' Assembly and I will be hugely supportive of a citizens' assembly on the future of education because I believe in the democracy that it will represent. The terms of reference for the education citizens' assembly will be set out in the Oireachtas resolution establishing it. This will be informed by the views of all the relevant partners. That is fair and as it should be. Based on pre…

I appreciate the genuine enthusiasm the Deputy has for the Citizens' Assembly. I share that enthusiasm because of the Citizens' Assembly's democratic and inclusive nature. At this point, four weeks into the job, I intend to formulate a three-year strategy and annual implementation plan which will incorporate priority actions from the programme for Government. This will include at its centre the citizens' assembly on the future of education. I will publish the details of that before the end of the year.

My Department is working with education partners on measures to address anticipated teacher supply pressures arising from additional posts in the system and to meet the demand for teachers to fill short-term substitutable vacancies. I reiterate that the additional posts coming into the system are very positive news for the education sector. The Covid-19 environment is impacting on the willingness of teachers to travel and work abroad and we are hearing from post-primary schools that there are some improvements in s…

I believe the additional posts that have been announced will be a substantial benefit to the post-primary sector. We are very confident of the various pools that are available from which to draw those additional teachers, including the 1,300 who are currently job-sharing. For the first time, we will lift the bar on the number of hours teachers can work in terms of job-sharing. For the 2,800 teachers who are on part-time contracts, those hours can be extended. We also have the pool of students who are returning home…

I thank the Deputies. Regarding the induction of new teachers, Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan will be aware that the training facility is for the whole school community, including teachers who are already working in a school environment and new teachers who will come on stream. I am conscious that, under normal circumstances, new teachers coming on stream must be particularly nurtured. The Deputy will be aware that there is always a designated teacher to ensure that. Equally, a lead response worker in terms of Covid-19 …

I appreciate the importance of the issue raised by the Deputy. I also appreciate her point about parents' intuition where their children are concerned. I recognise that the earlier the intervention, the more positive the outcome. I assure the Deputy that I will raise this issue with the Minister for Health and the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Rabbitte. The Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, and I will continue to be supportive of the matters raised by Deputy Carroll MacNeill and endeavour t…

I thank the Deputy. On 8 May 2020 it was announced that the leaving certificate examinations were to be postponed and that calculated grades would be provided as an option for leaving certificate students for 2020. At that time, it was also announced that the grades would be finalised and issued for each student as close as possible to the traditional date of issue of the leaving certificate results. At no time was a definitive date for release of the 2020 calculated grades announced. The date of 7 September is the…

The single and only reason for the additional three weeks is to ensure that all possible robust checks and balances required to ensure the high quality and integrity of leaving certificate 2020 stands on a par with leaving certificate 2019 and 2021. The only agenda and objective here is that students will benefit and have confidence in the mechanism that has been used to provide the calculated grades. The additional time is necessary to ensure that the integrity and high quality is maintained so that the leaving ce…

I thank the Deputy for raising this point. I have clarified it previously but there is no harm doing so again because it is very important to the students and the parents of the class of 2021. As the Taoiseach correctly said the curriculum will have to stand because at leaving certificate level there is no one mechanism for teachers to teach a particular aspect of the curriculum. They have the freedom to choose at any stage where they will begin within the curriculum. Acknowledging that point, the curriculum will c…

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. This major building work is included in my Department’s construction programme which is being delivered under the national development plan. The project is currently at stage 1 of architectural planning which entails preliminary design of site and location suitability and initial sketch scheme. A review in 2019 of the demand for post-primary provision in the area resulted in an increase in the schedule of accommodation to cater for up to 1,300 pupils. My Department met …

I appreciate the points made by the Deputy about the difficulties on the ground. I should point out that the Department has made interim accommodation available, initially in November 2018 and then in February 2019, to take account of the growing school population. The approved provision comprises two science laboratories, a woodwork room, a prep room and four general classrooms. There is acknowledgement that there is a requirement for a school to accommodate 1,300 pupils and I confirm again that the design team ha…

I thank the Deputy and absolutely appreciate the very genuine concern that he has about moving forward this project for the school. He mentioned the minor works grant that is also available and there is an opportunity for schools to act within the Covid-19 provisions. I appreciate that because of its location and the accommodation demands of a school of 1,300 pupils, this should be expedited. My Department and I will take on board all the points raised by the Deputy and I thank him for doing so.

I thank the Deputy and appreciate his kind words. I welcome the publication of the ESRI report, The Implications of the Covid 19 Pandemic for Policy in Relation to Children and Young People: A Policy View . The report details the impact of the pandemic on the lives of children and young people both directly because of the closure of schools and a lack of face-to-face interactions, and indirectly because of increased financial stress that many families in Ireland are now experiencing as a consequence of Covid-19. My…

I thank the Deputy for bringing that school to my attention. As he may be aware, we have 124 special schools throughout the country. We are always endeavouring to ensure that we accommodate all of our children with special needs. I will be taking this very seriously. In 2011 we had more than 6,000 schools. We now have almost 8,000 schools. As I said earlier, I am determined to ensure that no child with special needs is left without a place or without the same right of access as other children. That should not happe…

I thank the Deputy for his question. As I mentioned earlier, enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. Almost 20% of the education Vote, about €1.9 billion, is currently invested in supporting children with special needs. Notwithstanding this investment, there are some parts of the country, especially Cork and south Dublin, which I discussed earlier, where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regard…

I am happy to be in the House again tonight having taken Oral Parliamentary Questions this morning. This week has been a very significant one for the schools sector. Following an intense period of weeks involving engagement with the education partners, I secured approval for the comprehensive plan that is "Reopening Our Schools: the roadmap for the full return to school" and, most important, the funding to implement it. The funding secured is significant. As Deputies know, it is over €375 million. What is most sign…

I thank the Deputy for his questions. With regard to the commitment to special education, I am obliged to point out that 20% or one fifth of the annual budget for education is going to special education and children with special additional needs. That is very important and is a recognition of the importance of that sector in the education system. The Deputy referred to special education teachers with regard to substitution. A specific and clear measure has been introduced this year regarding substitution for school…

With regard to school transport, a substantial package for school transport has been put in place. Some €11.3 million is being made available to ensure that school transport will be able to operate as it has operated. The operation of school transport is on the basis of the public health advice-----