I thank Deputy Wall for raising this important issue. He has raised the issue specifically around Kilcullen in County Kildare. Truthfully, however, the issue he has raised is more widespread than that. It is not so specific to Kilcullen, but I appreciate he is advocating for the parents in that local area who are left without childcare as an opportunity to allow them to go to work and to fulfil their daily lives and their careers. It is an issue we see nationally. However, this Government is committed to core funding being introduced to all of our childcare units around the country and trying to invest in childcare. There are myriad community childcare facilities around the country, as I am sure there are in County Kildare, and privately owned ones, too. All of them have seen a transformation in how childcare is operated and delivered upon. More than anything else, providing capacity and ensuring that parents living in any area have childcare places is critical. Deputy Wall makes very valid points. It is an argument that could be replicated in lots of places around the country. County Kildare is nearly a suburb of Dublin now, with lots of parents are commuting everyday. It impacts mothers particularly when they do not have facilities or places available to them. I will relay the issues that Deputy Wall raised pertaining to Kilcullen to the Minister with responsibility for children and disabilities, Norma Foley. I will liaise with the Minister and ask if she will meet with Deputy Wall on this specific issue around Kilcullen to see if anything more can be done in the community care setting and the private care setting to grow capacity and ensure parents in Deputy Wall's area have the childcare places they need to fulfil their daily lives.

Sentiment score: 0.19

I thank Deputy Wall for raising what is a pressing matter for his area and people in Kilcullen. As he said, it has a population of 4,000, but 110 families are affected and 153 children are without a place. Kilcullen has a growing population. When a population is growing, we want to keep that population because of the impact on enterprise, including small and medium businesses, around the area and on schools, given that populations feed primary schools. Schools depend on bums on seats to have the teachers and resources, so it all has a knock-on effect. I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue about his area of Kilcullen in County Kildare. I will follow up with the Minister, Deputy Foley, about it. The two-stream solution has to be looked at. For example, what options are there for providing a community childcare facility? Maybe it should be attached to the local primary school. I do not know, but those solutions must be teased out and the correct place to do so is with the Minister, Deputy Foley. I will ask her to facilitate a follow-up meeting with the Deputy to discuss the particular issues pertaining to Kilcullen.

Sentiment score: 0.09

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. No more than was the case in his area, busloads of people left Cavan-Monaghan at the weekend to support all things Irish language. It is heartening to hear. The Deputy is right. There is a groundswell of support for the Irish language and for seeing it adequately and properly funded as our national tongue. A day of protest, as the Deputy alluded to, was held last weekend by Irish language and Gaeltacht organisations from across the island, North and South, to highlight a range of issues, including funding for the language, language rights in the North, the implementation of the language legislation and access to public services and housing in the Gaeltacht. Levels of funding for Foras na Gaeilge are a source of frustration for six main lead organisations in the Irish language sector as they receive core funding from Foras na Gaeilge. The Irish Government provides 75% of Foras na Gaeilge's approved budget annually with the remaining 25% coming from the Northern Ireland Executive in accordance with the funding ratio agreed with the North-South language body as established. Funding for the North-South language body, including Foras na Gaeilge is approved by the North-South Ministerial Council and requires matched funding to be agreed by the Northern Ireland Executive. The Irish Government cannot unilaterally amend the budgets or ratios of the North-South implementation bodies, but the Minister, Deputy Calleary, is acutely aware of the different economic and political circumstances that exist in the two jurisdictions. Officials from the sponsoring Departments in both jurisdictions are in weekly contact at this stage in an effort to resolve the issue. Notwithstanding this, the Irish Government has provided significant additional funding to the Irish language and the Gaeltacht each year since 2020, with baseline funding doubling in the past five years. While Foras na Gaeilge has not been able to benefit directly from this, the Department has initiated a variety of schemes and programmes to ensure the funding reaches the organisations working on the ground with Irish language and Gaeltacht communities across the country. A significant amount of funding is being provided to some of the Irish language led organisations, which are also part-funded by Foras na Gaeilge. The Government has also approved over €2 million in additional funding for Foras na Gaeilge to specifically support the Irish language publishing sector under Clár na Leabhar Gaeilge, a programme that is not subject to co-funding arrangements and is entirely funded by the Irish Government. The Government has also approved significant funding for a series of initiatives being delivered by local organisations including Conradh na Gaeilge, Glór na nGael and Gael Linn, which receive core funding from Foras na Gaeilge, but are limited by the financial challenges with it. This funding is helping to alleviate some of the financial challenges faced by the leading organisations. Initiatives currently funded by the Government include the Gaelbhratach scheme for schools. Glór na nGael is promoting the use of Irish in the home. We have the latter, the careers roadshow for schools and universities and clár céad míle fáilte, which introduces migrant communities to the language, funding to provide an Irish-medium early years sector and Oireachtas na Gaeilge, which gets significant funding to develop language-based arts and the Irish language Network for the Public Service. I had the pleasure of visiting a little national school in Munterconnaught in my county. The principal, Mr. Vincent Mulvey, and his team have done incredible work, in particular on the programme where pupils are encouraged to use the Irish language. It is not a Gaelscoil, but the idea is to introduce their native tongue for simple everyday use, whether it is to go to the toilet, do their activities or whatever. Those kinds of schemes are having a real-life impact.

Sentiment score: 0.25

As I said, I thank Deputy Murphy for raising this. It is really important that we discuss the funding and vision for our national tongue here in our Parliament. Up to now, it has really been a groundswell of support. Some counties are doing fantastic while others do not have the same opportunities. For example, in County Monaghan, for example, there are four national schools and one secondary school. I do not think I would be wrong in saying those national schools have been championed for years by people like Brendan O’Duffy. A new Gaelscoil will open in Castleblaney in the coming weeks. That is how it should be so that in all our towns, all parents have the option of having their children go through school with Irish as their principal language and having their primary education in that. I wholeheartedly agree with that. Then coming to my county, County Cavan, it has only one primary school and we do not have that secondary school. Again, there are people like Pádraig Ó Cuinneagáin have done enormous work in championing that from the ground up. We have, of course, a responsibility as a government to make sure that the people who are so passionate about it are facilitated and enabled whether it is primary schools, Gaeltacht areas in the local area and having public services through their local authorities. Having all that in place is incredibly important. The protest we saw at the weekend demonstrates to me how passionately people feel about it. It was heartening to see that. As I pointed out earlier, the Government in this jurisdiction cannot unilaterally amend the budgets or the funding ratios of the North-South implementation bodies. There are obviously issues as regards the funding arrangements for Foras na Gaelige. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, is acutely aware of these issues. In light of this he has requested that his officials keep in regular contact with their counterparts in the Department for communities in an effort to resolve the matter. Government investment in the Irish language and the Gaeltacht has seen major increases over the last five years with the baseline funding doubling since 2020. I am sure the Deputy and I are on the same page in saying that we need more for the organisations on the ground. I welcome the Gaelbhratach scheme where schools which are not Gaelscoils have every opportunity to nurture our native tongue in everyday scenarios in their classrooms and we want to see more of that. While Foras na Gaelige has not been able to benefit directly from the funding I alluded to, the Government has initiated various schemes and programmes to ensure the funding reaches the organisations working on the ground with the Irish language and Gaeltacht communities across the country. The Minister has serious ambitions for his Department. He is a Gaelgeoir himself. Unfortunately, I only have a cúpla focail but I always make the effort where I can. It is great that the Minister is so proficient with the language. He is a great advocate for it too. He has serious ambition for the Department over the course of the programme for Government and he has the full support of the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and the coalition partners in that regard. I have no doubt that the Minister will be kicking down doors to ensure there is an increase in the allocation for the Gaeltacht and the Irish language in budget 2026.

Sentiment score: 0.27

I thank Deputies Butterly and O’Rourke for raising this important issue. I think all our offices have been flooded which tells its own story of the concerns and fear out there among SNAs, parents, schools and everyone involved. We need to defuse that but more importantly we need to give the information so that people are clear about what the guidelines will mean. I apologise on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, that he cannot be here this evening. At the outset, it's important to say that the Government is fully committed to supporting children with additional needs to achieve their full potential and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver on this objective. The Department has been steadily building on the number of special needs assistants in our education system. I think we can all agree on that. This month sees over 23,000 SNAs allocated to schools. This is the highest number ever. As all Members of the House know, these SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students and are committed to supporting and nurturing children with additional needs. I assure them that the Department and the NCSE, through all policy and guidance, including resource allocations, take a child-centred focus to ensure that all children in our schools with additional care needs are provided with a supportive environment and the resources needed to help them develop and be prepared for life after school. Furthermore, and contrary to some commentary in recent days, I reassure the Deputies that the allocation of SNAs for special classes and mainstream schools has not changed. The NCSE guidelines that were issued relate solely to SNA reviews. There is no change to the allocation process for schools or special classes. Schools can apply for a review where they require additional SNA support. We encourage schools to contact the NCSE in this regard. Schools can apply for a SNA review from 15 September to 24 October via the NCSE school portal. This is to support the earlier announcement of allocations for the 2026-27 school year to align with the release of the annual staffing schedule, which was requested by schools to allow them to plan better. It also supports our SNA workforce and the implementation of SNA redeployment schemes. It is crucial to state that where an emerging requirement for future SNA support arises after 24 October, a school can contact their NCSE special education needs organiser, SENO, as in previous years, to discuss the need for an SNA review. This has not changed. Where additional SNA resources are necessary to support the needs of students in a school, this will be provided as it has been in previous years. The NCSE requirements for SNA reviews for 2025-26 are based on existing parameters and circulars relating to the role of the NCSE. The criteria for the determination of a school's allocation have not changed and are outlined in Circular 30/2014. Any school which has a special class or is opening a new special class will be allocated the base number of SNAs according to class category and this will not be reduced. The NCSE has confirmed it will be contacting school representative bodies and school leadership in the coming days with further clarification on all issues raised since publication.

Sentiment score: 0.37

I thank Deputies Butterly and O'Rourke again. No more than them, I have had many meetings with principals. Prior to the guidelines being printed over the summer or the beginning of the school year, the allocation of SNAs was a source of concern and upheaval for schools. Principals were ringing around trying to make sure they had everybody in place. I take on board what Deputies O'Rourke and Butterly said and I will relay their suggestions to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee. I was not privy to the committee meeting yesterday, which they referenced, but I will relay their concerns. I thank the Deputies for raising the issue and for giving me the opportunity to discuss it. As they know, the NCSE has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on education provision for children with special needs. Clarity is very important. I hope our school principals, leaders and, most importantly, parents will, through the SENOs on the ground, be given clarity on this and will not have this concern in the new academic year. As I mentioned earlier, there has been increased investment in the provision of SNAs throughout the country in recent years. The numbers have doubled in the past ten years. I do not see this in any way being depleted; I see it as increasing. Far be it from me to say, because I will not be at Cabinet during the budget discussions, but I think we all agree it will have to be increased. It increased by 43% in the past five years alone. Any school that may have a concern should contact the SENO to discuss the matter. The NCSE is available to schools to support them with the deployment of the SNA resource allocation to support their pupils with their care needs. The Department of Education consults all stakeholders, including parents' groups, advocacy groups, schools and representative bodies on any new policy changes relating to special education. I could continue reading the script, but I want to say in earnest that I appreciate this has been a difficult and challenging time. The communication has upset parents and got them very worried. All of our inboxes are full. The Deputies have articulated their concerns very well. I will relay them to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. I hope we can bring clarity and peace of mind to the parents affected.

Sentiment score: 0.27

I congratulate the Deputy on the work he is doing in the artificial intelligence committee. I listened in to most of this week's meeting. As the Deputy has said, the young people who spoke were very articulate and great advocates for the young person's perspective on artificial intelligence and the impact it will have. I thank the Deputy and the committee for the work they are doing. They are doing us all a service in interrogating the issues in this area. As the Deputy will be aware, the EU AI Act entered into force in August 2024 with a very ambitious timeline for national implementation. The role of AI across our economy and society is of crucial importance and provides all of us with huge opportunities while also necessitating guardrails around its deployment. I believe that is what the Deputy is referencing when he talks about our sandboxes and that national AI office. It is about having space for innovation and creativity. Start-up companies must be very clear on the guardrails but the development of such companies or the AI apps we will see in the future should not be inhibited. That is an ambition of mine. It should be a positive rather than a negative. It should not be a regulatory body that just says "No, you cannot do this" but a place where people can experiment and be certain that what they are creating and devising is human-centred and will not provide any harmful content. As Chair of the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence, the Deputy will be fully aware of the need to drive innovation while also protecting our citizens. While the details of the AI office are being finalised and my Department has retained professional consultancy services to assist, four clear functions for the AI office have currently been established. The first is to co-ordinate the competent authorities' activities to ensure consistent implementation of the EU AI Act in Ireland. I had the pleasure of facilitating one of those meetings last week. We had the 15 competent authorities in the room and all on the same page with an ambition to do this. The second function is to act as a single point of contact for the EU AI Act and the third is to facilitate centralised access to technical expertise for the competent authorities, as required. The final function is to drive AI innovation and adoption through the hosting of a regulatory sandbox and to act as a focal point for AI in Ireland encompassing regulation, innovation and deployment. My officials are currently developing the general scheme of the regulation of artificial intelligence Bill. This general scheme will provide for the implementation and enforcement of the AI Act at a national level in domestic legislation, including the establishment of the new AI office as an independent statutory agency. I take the Deputy's point. In its infancy, the office will be set up under my Department but, as the Deputy knows, the final creation will be an independent statutory entity. The Minister, Deputy Burke, will bring the general scheme to Government in the next four weeks. Detailed work plans have been developed to ensure the AI office is in place by August 2026. These are informed by research and analysis prepared for my Department by leading professional services firms. Funding for the new office will be determined as part of budget 2026. The implementation of the AI Act is truly a cross-government initiative. As the Deputy himself has said on many occasions, this cannot be something that happens within the Department of enterprise alone. A whole-of-government approach must be taken. I was delighted to see the Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers, launch guidelines on the implementation of AI within public services at the beginning of the summer. The implementation of the AI Act is truly a cross-government initiative and I look forward to working in a very collaborative way across government to ensure Ireland achieves its ambition of being a centre of regulatory excellence and maintaining its place as a leader in human-centric and responsible AI.

Sentiment score: 0.36

I think the Deputy knows my work rate and work pace. I certainly intend to be a driving force to ensure this happens. As he has said, three big things have to happen as quickly as possible in the lifetime of this Government. The first is the establishment of the AI office. The second is the establishment of the AI observatory, which is critically important to predict the impacts AI will have, including where jobs will be created and where they will be displaced, so that we can be resilient rather than just reacting. On the third piece, I am happy to confirm to the Deputy that we will be holding an AI summit in October 2026 as part of the European Presidency. I look forward to the Deputy and his committee collaborating with me on that. We can work collaboratively on that. The EU AI Act is a pivotal regulation that is horizontal in nature, that is risk-based and provides the necessary guardrails for transparency and the ethical adoption of AI to protect our citizens. The AI Act also supports AI innovation and will have a positive impact on our economy and our society at large. That is a critical message I would like to deliver today. This should not be seen as a negative. The many start-ups I have met so far are all very keen to see the regulation in place. They do not see it as a negative. They see it as a positive. We are seen as a country of excellence when it comes to regulation. AI will be no different because it gives people a pathway. They know what they can and cannot do. They know what the expectations are. We will drive that as a place for innovation and not stifle creativity in any way. The Government is committed to ensuring that Ireland is a leader in the digital and AI economy and recognises that harnessing the potential of AI and digital technologies more broadly is vital to maintaining our competitiveness, driving productivity and ensuring that Ireland maintains its position as the location of choice for doing business. When I say that, I mean globally. I thank the Deputy for his comments and questions and look forward to working with him on the three big ticket items.

Sentiment score: 0.20