There is no doubt that the financial scandals in RTÉ have rocked people's trust and confidence in both the national broadcaster and the television licence system. The drip-feed of information from RTÉ has caused huge reputational damage and displayed a level of abuse of the trust taxpayers placed in it from which it will take a long time, if ever, to recover. From the Toy Show The Musical debacle to flip-flops, not one person is seen to be held accountable for the incredible waste of public money. The public now wa…

I wish to ask the Minister for Education if she will carry out a full and comprehensive review of the pay and working conditions of school bus escorts.

I note that the first part of the Minister's response was, essentially, verbatim to a parliamentary question reply given to my colleague, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, last November. I welcome what the Minister mentioned about the SNA reviews and, let us be honest, an awful lot of school escorts are also SNAs but not all. I wish to draw the attention of the House to the reality. The education committee had the privilege and honour of visiting the Holy Family School for the Deaf Cabra recently. We had a very warm welcome fr…

We all recognise that movement is needed here. I do not for a moment underestimate the impact these escorts have in allowing children to access education, as is their constitutional right, where they present with that level of need. Will the Minister confirm what I think I heard her say, which is that the school transport review is now complete? I am talking about the school transport review that has been going on since 2021. On what date will she bringing that review to the sub-committee? If it includes reference …

Many parents and teachers have raised with me very valid concerns about the oral examinations due to take place over the Easter break. Will the Minister outline what engagements she has had with the State Examinations Commission, SEC, on those oral examinations due to take place over the Easter break?

The Minister said there is the extra payment to examiners. I spoke to a principal of a school with three autism classes where five students are due to sit their leaving certificate this year. When that principal spoke to the SEC oral section to inquire as to what supports would be available for those students in terms of an SNA, she was told that nothing would be made available. When the principal pushed for a more definitive answer the principal was told, "Well, it depends on what is wrong with them." What an horr…

What can be put in place this year for the students with special educational needs to receive the necessary accommodations for the oral exams? It seems to me that instead of creating a system that tailors oral examinations to meet the needs of students and actually caters towards their need regardless of their educational ability, this scheme does the exact opposite. When I asked a question of the Department I received a four-page response, of which only five lines were applicable. One point about exemptions from t…

According to a poll by the National Principals Forum, 76.4% of primary school principals say the SET allocations for 2024-25 do not meet the needs of children with additional needs and that the allocation for the academic year is wholly inadequate. Three pillars are identified in the circular that was put out, that is, the enrolment allocation, the educational teaching profile, which is the literacy and numeracy profile, and educational disadvantage. In the grounds for review, the circular specifically states: For …

The Minister answered this question to a degree in one of her earlier replies. Will she please provide an update on the school transport review?

The Minister is correct that the review has been extensive. That is one way to describe it. It has been going on since February 2021. The Minister said earlier that she would have the review published by the end of March. Does she envisage the report, and the review in its entirety, being published at that time? The school transport system is quite unique in that parents, students and Deputies want it, but each of those moving parts also needs this to happen for a variety of reasons. If this review is to be publish…

As I said, we all want this to work and to work effectively. I again ask the Minister what impact she sees this review, to be published by the end of the first quarter of this year, having on applications for school students for the 2024-25 school year. The significant reduction in the number of vehicles on the road will not be lost on anybody who has been in a car during the mid-term break this week. We can make that a permanent feature if we have a fully functional and fully resourced school transport system. The…

It is rare that I comment on other contributor's words in this House but I cannot let one of the sentences that was uttered a moment ago go. I will not go out at the beginning of March to blow off steam in a ballot box. I will go out to think about all of those families that somehow were considered less in our Constitution and less in law because of that. It is about the likes of Johnny O'Meara, whose case is due on Monday, and the single parents out there who were less in the eyes of the State. It is not to blow o…

Quality, not quantity.

I was struck by something Deputy Bríd Smith said about the wording of a women's place in the home in the Constitution. I was reminded of somebody who, in my formative years, said that never was a single sentence more responsible for the paving of ways and opening of doors of feminist centres across the country. If she were here to see this, she would agree. It is important to note, as we speak about care and the role of care, that there are many who would like to be here but who, due to circumstances in their perso…

I thank the Minister. I did not intend to make reference to his opening statement when I came in today. As somebody who was raised in a single-parent household, however, I feel compelled to do so. We need to congratulate, acknowledge and celebrate those women, the grannies - and in my case soon-to-be great-granny - for the work they have done in building those stable homes and nurturing their children, some of whom still benefit from such nurturing. I acknowledge and thank all of those who gave so freely of their t…

It is durable relationship, with respect. The Library and Research Service highlighted that it was not mentioned by the Oireachtas committee or the citizens’ assembly but it is used in European law.

I very much welcome the debate here this afternoon and the opportunity to contribute to it. Carers, be they women or men, play an absolutely crucial role in Irish society, yet too often their work goes unrecognised. Whether it is a lone parent, someone caring for an elderly relative or a relative with a disability, or someone raising young children, people from all kinds of families and all walks of life the length and breadth of Ireland do invaluable work to support loved ones. Too often, carers feel abandoned and…

The locals around Parnell Square and the parents and teachers of the children in Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire will tell you that there has been a worsening element of antisocial behaviour in that area for years. However, it is has taken a brutal attack on children and their carer for the Minister to do the job for which she was appointed. In the position of Minister for Justice, where people's lives can be on the line, it is important to be proactive rather than merely reactive, something this Minister has simply fai…

The longer Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are in government, the worse things get in housing. Nowhere is this more evident than in the most recent report from the RTB. Deputy Ó Laoghaire is correct to say that, while it was shocking, nobody was surprised because this is what we see in our constituency offices day in and day out. It is also why we need to immediately introduce an emergency three-year ban on rent increases and why we need to put a full month's rent back into the pockets of private renters while, at the sa…

I support Deputy Bruton in the context of what he said. It may sound really peculiar that a TD from Longford-Westmeath is speaking about Clongriffin, but I was at that train station at 6.30 a.m. It is an area I am very familiar with. I utterly concur with the sentiment of feeling abandoned. It is grossly unfair. The Minister spoke of the access from the Baldoyle side. I recommend that he visit the area and takes a look at this hub. Certainly, in my constituency, we are green with envy that this type of station exis…