I thank the Senator. I know he is passionate about this area, because he and I have had numerous conversations. He is working extremely hard in his constituency to try to get people over the line. I will raise the issue, as I have done previously, with the Minister for foreign affairs in relation to who can actually sign and do the verification. I am conscious that it can be done by peace commissioners, commissioners of oaths, schoolteachers and school principals, etc. I see no reason why somebody who is elected to…

I thank Senator Lynch for raising this important issue and recognise her very considerable interest in broader European issues. I know she is a vice-president of the European People's Party, which is an important role, and she has a long history there. I think she was secretary general of YouthEPP at a stage in the past. It is really good that this House seeks to embrace all that is involved at European level. I thank the Senator for her continued interest in this area. The Minister, Deputy Naughton, along with Min…

I know of the Senator's commitment to the European Union and her desire to broaden the reach to the greatest extent possible, not in a lectural way, but an embracing way, to try to inform and educate. Of course, the best place to involve oneself in education generally is in an education setting. While Departments of state generally are rigorous about being associated with certain programmes, I cannot disagree with anything Senator Lynch has said, to be frank. I encourage her to use her office as an outreach to scho…

I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for his continued interest in this matter. It is an issue in which I know he has a personal interest and one on which he has advocated considerably in this House and elsewhere. I thank him for that continued work. As the Deputy knows, the current position in relation to this major development project in Coláiste an Phiarsaigh, County Cork, is the responsibility of the Minister for Education and Youth. She has asked me to outline the current position. The project referred to has been devolv…

The Deputy has made a strong case for this project. I set out, in broad terms, the criteria that apply to all schools and building projects. I set out, in a clear way, the commitment of the Government, from an overall financial envelope available over the next number of years, to complete these projects and how they get assessed. Of course, there are more projects than there is money to address them over the next five years. That is why the prioritisation is part of it, but just because I have set out the prioritis…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for allowing me to update the House on what has happened. I acknowledge the significance of a very severe fish kill that occurred on the River Glyde and the devastating impact it has had on the local communities, anglers and users of this important river catchment. I want to pay tribute to the angling community and those who use the river for leisure and other activities for the way in which they care for that river. As in many cases around the country, they act as citi…

I thank the Deputy for his contribution. I know Deputy Eoghan Kenny and other Members of this House were centrally involved in the Blackwater issue. As referenced, I cannot recount if a licence was ever removed. I know licences have been suspended in cases and it may be that there is a difficulty from the EPA's perspective on how it might do that. Maybe that does require to be codified better in the law. The lessons learned from the Blackwater fish kill continue to inform Government policy and are certainly guiding…

I thank Deputy O'Reilly very much for her series of questions. I know her interest in this area and she has been a strong advocate, not just for specific schools in her area but also for the educational needs of children. The Government is fully committed to supporting children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the programme for Government makes several commitments to deliver on this objective. The summer programme is a vital and targeted intervention that is specifically designed fo…

The original intention and the continued emphasis of the summer programme is to mitigate the impact of learning loss on those children while schools are closed. An increase in special educational needs prevalence rates, particularly of autism, and the presentation of children with more complex needs has meant that the summer programme is more important than ever. Details of the summer programme were communicated to schools and stakeholders in early May. While it is acknowledged that the details of the programme are…

I thank the Deputy very much. As I indicated, there has been a significant increase in demand for both school-based and home-based tuition during those months. From a departmental perspective, it does take a little bit of time to iron out all of that. I will ask the Department to communicate directly on his specific questions and that, perhaps, there be a level of engagement between it and the school so that the school does not have to be at loggerheads or not have all the information available to it that it would …

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage pursuant to Standing Orders 103(2)( b ) and 188(1).

I thank the Deputies very much. It is refreshing to see everybody on the same side of an important issue like this. Addressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for this Government. The DEIS plus scheme represents a significant expansion of targeted educational supports. It is designed to provide enhanced, evidence-based supports to schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people experiencing persistent and i…

-----by just one. I get that but there has to be a cut-off. There has to be some line so the Department's hands are tied in that regard. As the Deputies know, the school submitted an appeal to the primary staffing appeals board and, unfortunately, that appeal was unsuccessful. The board operates entirely independently of the Department and the rules set out that its decision is final. It is unfortunate for the school to find itself in this situation but, on a more positive note, the Deputies seems to indicate the n…

The Chair is emphasising that.

I thank the Deputies. I understand and get the difficulty but there have to be objective criteria for allocating or reducing the number of teachers. My understanding is that, with the awarding of DEIS plus status, the school got additional resources. I set that out for the Deputies. There was an additional element. I get that it is challenging when there is a reduction of just one. If it were five or seven, it might be more easily comprehended and accepted. I will, of course, bring this matter directly to the atten…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter regarding the delivery of social and affordable housing in Arklow. I am answering on behalf of our colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, and his Department. Affordability and the chance to own a home remain at the heart of this Government's housing policy, as set out in our new national housing action plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025–2030. At the same time, we remain firmly committed to delivering the s…

I thank the Deputy. Of course, I know of his significant interest in homes and housing. He has been and continues to be a strong advocate. There is a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation from the Department's perspective. It is looking at the overall delivery of social homes and it is on target and on budget. To get into micromanagement is a bit of a challenge for the Department but I will certainly raise the issue with the Minister. The fact that the Deputy is raising the issue is giving vent to his concerns. Engage…

I welcome our dear friend, former Deputy Humphreys. I think he was a Member of this House as well. He is coming back to check up on us today. It is good to see him here with his colleagues. It is good to have him in the House. I thank the Senator for raising this important matter. The National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, is Ireland’s national standards body operating under the National Standards Authority of Ireland Act 1996. The NSAI is under the remit of the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employme…

I thank the Senator. I get it. I can tell by her that she is passionate about this because she has seen what she perceives to be a failure by all concerned to provide safe passage insofar as we can for somebody who is visually challenged. It is about having a joined-up system. I am happy to work with the Senator to get her introductions in the Department of housing, which has a responsibility to the local authority, the Department of Transport, etc., to try to get some coherence to this. The standards are a good id…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth to outline to the Seanad the current position in relation to the major funding project for Newtown School. The project involves the redevelopment of Newtown School to provide accommodation for a long term enrolment of 600 students. The existing shared campus will be reorganised and extended to complement the historic architecture that the Senator identified. The project involves a sign…