I did not have enough time on accommodation earlier. We need a change of thinking here. Student accommodation has to be an integral part of third level education and it has to be an investment. I do not think we need another strategy, even though I welcome that, because we have enough strategies on student accommodation to pave the way from here to Mayo. We need the investment. The effect of not having enough student accommodation on young people's mental health is huge. I am also acutely aware of the wider accommo…

My question relates to the process of getting qualifications obtained in Britain recognised in this State, particularly since the cessation in 2021 of the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. The Minister's Department serves as the national co-ordinator and the national assistance centre for EU Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications. The directive provides the main legal framework to facilitate the mutual recognition of professional qualifications between the EU and EEA…

This is a real problem, including in a North-South context. We want to encourage student mobility across the island, which is how things are progressing. However, there appears to be a particular issue in regard to the health and social care professionals regulation body, CORU. In 2023, there were media reports that qualified Irish physiotherapists returning to Ireland from Britain, having attained their degree in one of that country's leading sports science universities, had to wait more than a year for their qual…

In that case, that person was paid less than her counterparts and is documented as an unqualified teacher. My question is: how can she be registered to teach with the Teaching Council yet be branded as an unqualified teacher? It just does not make sense. In October last, the Australian Government announced that doctors from Britain, Ireland and New Zealand will have their ability to practice in Australia fast-tracked under new changes introduced by regulators. Why can we not do the same here? We have such a shortag…

Yes, to fast-track. They brought in a policy to fast-track. Why can we not do the same here?

It was for the medical professions - for doctors in particular. It was for doctors from Britain. The doctors from Ireland are being fast-tracked there; why can we not fast-track our own who are living abroad?

I wish to raise a similar issue. It is the very same in County Mayo. We are two months on but we do not have phone lines, which has very serious consequences. To add further insult to injury, bills are being sent out. People are being asked to pay bills for a service they do not have. I have written to the consumer protection commission on that because I am sure that is not allowed. This is an issue that has to be addressed. I also wish to ask about the humanitarian assistance scheme, which is inconsistent and deep…

We are rightly proud of the Irish goods and services that are traded across the world and of our indigenous companies and entrepreneurs who have taken risks and successfully navigated world markets. I recognise the immense contribution to the national economy of our export trade and the role that FDI has played and the truth is that in this time of global political and economic uncertainty and volatility in our trading partners, significant threats are becoming apparent in many sectors. I am concerned at the trade …

I thank Independent Ireland for bringing forward this very important motion. The staggering list of financial mismanagement across multiple Government Departments and agencies is downright disgraceful. I think the Minister of State will agree with me on this. We can give him all kinds of examples. People are really angry. They know the cases being made public are only the tiniest tip of the iceberg. We all know of the other cases. The cases that have been made public include: the €9 million mobile phone pouch proje…

The unit within the Taoiseach's Department must deliver tangible results, not least for scoliosis patients who have been let down. Sixteen-year-old Mikey Henry is a scoliosis patient. I have approached the previous Taoiseach, the previous Minister for Health and the current Minister for Health and there is no response. All I am asking for, and all Mikey Henry's parents are asking for, is an opinion from a spinal specialist who deals with specific complex care along with having respiratory expertise, either in Irela…

A second opinion, yes, please. That is all.

The parents for their child, just to see if there is anything that can be done before things get too bad.

I have met with special needs co-ordinators in Mayo and they have raised two serious issues with me. The first concerns students in mainstream classes with mild to moderate learning difficulties accessing the junior cycle level 2 learning programmes. These students required specialised special education needs teaching. However, the National Council for Special Education, under the auspices of the Department of Education, does not provide training in the level 2 learning programme to all mainstream teachers. Will th…

And the extra hours.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Snodaigh agus Eoghan Finn for tonight. Ar dtús, caithfidh an Rialtas tacú le Scoil Náisiúnta Thuar Mhic Eadaigh, Gaelcholáiste Chomáin agus leis na bunscoileanna go léir i gContae Mhaigh Eo. Anois, le teacht an earraigh agus an lá ag dul chun síneadh, fós níl meánscoil lán-Ghaeilge i lár Chontae Mhaigh Eo, san áit ar chónaigh Raifteirí an file. Teastaíonn Gaelcholáistí i gContae Mhaigh Eo le freastal ar an 700 dalta Gaelscoile i gCathair na Mart, i gClár Chlainne Mhuiris, i mBéal …

I thank Deputy Coppinger for bringing forward this motion, but I do so with a heavy heart. The truth is we do not take this issue seriously. Let us face it, if we were serious about tackling violence against women - sexual, financial, coercive control and all these aspects - we would be doing something about it. We are not. I looked at the aid granted and the total is twice as much as what the scanner in the National Gallery of Ireland cost. We do not take this issue seriously. We do not have the sanctions in place…

I congratulate the Minister and the Minister of State on their new roles. I wish them well. We all want them to succeed and we all need them to succeed in the area of health. I wish to concentrate my contribution on eating disorders. Some Members may have attended when Cared Ireland presented in the audiovisual room. The reason I went in there was I am desperately seeking help for a constituent whose BMI is at 14.8 and she weighs 39.9 kg, as it is. I have been looking for help for her for the past six to eight mont…

It is almost four weeks since Storm Éowyn battered the country. I wrote to the Minister early in February to ask that a scheme be put in place urgently to assist businesses affected by the storm. Last week Sinn Féin used its Private Members' business time to call for Government support to businesses. Why has no scheme been put in place to date? Businesses need to know today what help they can expect from the Government in the aftermath of the worst storm in history.

The Minister might clarify if he got agreement from the insurance companies that the amount they pay will not be impacted. Businesses have two concerns about insurance. The first relates to the excess. If the excess is a couple of thousand euro and their loss is less than that, obviously they will not be able to claim. They are also afraid that their premiums will go up, meaning that over a three- or five-year period, they end up paying back more than they got in the first instance. The Minister said he has been in…

I want to get clarity on this. Will a scheme be put in place for businesses? I welcome what the Minister has said about horticulture. As he knows, the land in Mayo and the west in general does not lend itself to that. Will we have a scheme similar to the one we had for Storm Babet? It is important that is done sooner rather than later because people and businesses want certainty. There are many people who are self-employed, including farmers and fishermen. Last week, I spoke to either the Minister or the Taoiseach …