I reassure the Deputy and, most important, the parents and their children that the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I, working with the NCSE and the Department, will ensure the children have school places come September and do everything possible to make sure those places, in so far as it is possible, are within the children’s communities and that they have the right resources and supports when in school. We have to make sure children can access the supports with the school places they need in their own communities, and that is exactly what we are working towards.
Sentiment score: 0.73
The Attorney General is looking at this and, yes, it was brought to Cabinet this week. We need to assess the report and look at the potential options. The Deputy is right that of the eight orders, only one came forward with something substantial. There were some other minor offers from two of them but really we need to make sure that everybody who is responsible and everybody who played a part in the horrific situations women were left in and subjected to plays their part in any type of recourse. This will take time. We need to work together. I have no doubt the Minister, Deputy Foley, will be engaging with all Members of the House, as well as Cabinet and the Government, to make sure we get this right and do the right thing for survivors but also to make sure those who are responsible provide recourse and are held accountable.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I apologise as I am not aware of the details of the case. It is obviously essential people can access the care they need as quickly as possible. I will bring this to the Minister for Health and see if there is any way in which she can provide support.
Sentiment score: 0.43
There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government to review the current policy that you cannot drive a school bus over the age of 70. There have been reasons set out as to why that is the case but it is important we review it. We have approximately 7,900 buses across the country that bring children to and from school every day but we need more. We need to be able to fulfil our commitment to expand that school transport scheme by 100,000 students. Of course, that will require not just more buses but more drivers. This is something I and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, will be looking at but we will have to engage with the Minister for Transport to see if any changes can be made.
Sentiment score: 0.33
I thank the Deputy. We all know and remember this case, which was a devastating case for Noah's family. As it is an ongoing investigation, the Deputy will appreciate I cannot comment on what is happening there. I can say that with any investigation of this kind, the Garda will always support, co-operate and do what it can in this type of investigation and, certainly, if there is work the Government needs to do. However, it is a live investigation that is ongoing so I am slow to comment any further on it.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I wish all of our students well and acknowledge the stress they are under and, indeed, the preparation under way at the moment. To clarify first and foremost from the information I have, 25% of students from last year will not apply this year.
Sentiment score: 0.12
On average, approximately 13% every year reapply for the next year and the indications are that this year will be no different. On top of that, every year, irrespective of whether there have been fluctuations or not, eight to nine out of ten students will get one of their top three choices. It is really important to stress that to students. It is not 25%, it is most likely about 13% and eight to nine out of ten students will get their one of their top three choices. The reason there will be a change and there needs to be a change is the grade inflation that has happened since Covid. It had to happen and it was important that students were supported in what was a very difficult time. Grade inflation makes it more difficult for students because it pushes up the marks and we are now seeing people in a lottery to get the courses even though they have the points. It is proposed that there would be a much more gradual reduction at a much lower and slower rate than that at which it increased, which was over only two years. This will be a much slower, more gradual reduction which will impact a very small number of people. We need to be clear on those facts that may be misunderstood at the moment.
Sentiment score: -0.01
I thank the Deputy. This is an issue I know is ongoing and there is significant engagement between the Minister for Transport, the DAA and other relevant bodies in this regard. The Deputy is right; we are an island and we rely heavily on our airports and our air connectivity so it is really important we are not in any way disadvantaged. However, it is also important that we support the communities that live near the airport, as the Deputy referenced, whether it is making sure flight paths are adhered to or addressing issues around noise or traffic. As we progress and move to increase or remove the cap, it is important that those issues are addressed as well. The Minister for Transport is very aware of these issues also.
Sentiment score: 0.38
My number one priority is to make sure that every child has a school place come this September - not just this September but next September and beyond - and that we have the right structures in place such that children, families and parents do not have to fight as they have done in the past. I am very much aware of the situation in Dungarvan, County Waterford. I have been working with my colleague the Minister of State, John Cummins, on this for some time. We are working to make sure that every child who needs a school place in Dungarvan, Waterford or anywhere else gets one. That is the focus at the moment. I hope that in the coming weeks, as the enrolment policies are rolled out and the final decisions are made across schools, parents will have those decisions as quickly as possible.
Sentiment score: 0.22
I thank our ambulance workers and our paramedics for the unbelievable job they do in keeping us safe. This issue came to light only recently, and my understanding is that there is a review or the Revenue Commissioners are looking at this. Nobody should be disadvantaged or unable to do their job because of the situation the Deputy has outlined. My understanding is that a ruling is expected soon from the Revenue Commissioners and that will be given to the HSE, which will then have to act on it.
Sentiment score: 0.08
I welcome the students from Tara Hill to the Dáil. I absolutely agree with the Deputy on the need to support our own sector here at home. I have a brother who is very much involved in it, and the work they do and the content they produce is phenomenal. As regards the details, this was brought to Cabinet just this week, and the Minister was clear that while there will be a directive in the legislation allowing a Minister to impose these levies, it will be at the discretion of the Minister. We need to think carefully as well about imposing an additional levy on top of a charge or a fee that people are already paying. While we need to support our own industry at home, we also need to make sure we are not imposing an undue levy or cost on people at home who are enjoying the various streaming services. Maybe I will ask the Minister to engage with the Deputy directly on some of the further detail of this.
Sentiment score: 0.41
To be very clear on this, there are no aircraft carriers landing here with any type of ammunition.
Sentiment score: 0.18
It is not something that is allowed. It has never been approved.
Sentiment score: -0.16
It is not happening. We need to be very careful about saying that this is an absolute fact.
Sentiment score: 0.11
My understanding is that, as the Deputy has rightly outlined, we do not have a national quota on this. At the time when this was being divvied up, there was not a track record of commercial fishing for bluefin tuna. Obviously, that has changed. What we have now is a small bluefin tuna bycatch quota which is available to Ireland, primarily for use in our important Northern Ireland albacore tuna fishery and Celtic Sea herring fishery, when there can be bluefin tuna bycatch. Any changes, as the Deputy has mentioned, would have to be negotiated with our European counterparts, where there would be an element of taking away from other member states in terms of the quotas they have. The role of our Minister is to make sure that we raise these issues and that we engage with our European counterparts. Our objective when it comes to the European Presidency in the next year and a half is to do everything possible to support our agriculture and fishing industries. Where possible changes could take place, that is the place to do it and the place to try to drive it.
Sentiment score: 0.15
I do not think anybody thinks mistreatment of any animal, whether an animal in the food chain or an animal in our home or a pet, is acceptable. We need to make sure that where there are clear laws and procedures that should be in place, they are adhered to. As the daughter of a farmer, I would say the vast majority of farmers comply with these regulations and treat their animals better than they might treat anybody else. I appreciate there are exemptions to the rules here, but obviously where somebody does not comply with very strict regulations they need to be held accountable.
Sentiment score: 0.48
My understanding is HSE South West has developed a business case and that has been presented to the HSE and the Department of Health. I also understand it is a supported plan, so there are conversations and engagement happening to see how this plan can be funded and how it can be progressed for all the reasons the Deputy has outlined, including that we provide that support and that resource to people who need it most. There is a costed plan there and the intention is to see how funding can be secured.
Sentiment score: 0.40
I thank the Deputy. I too acknowledge and recognise our entire teaching profession, our teachers, our special education teachers, our SNAs and the entire school staff who support children every day and those who support children with special educational needs. It is for the reasons outlined by the Deputy that I wrote to the Teaching Council recently to ensure we put a process in place such that any person coming through teacher training would have a focus and emphasis placed on a mandatory element on special education teaching and mandatory placements in special education classrooms and rooms, so every teacher has the ability to support every young person no matter what their needs are. We have a separate body of work being done looking at our teacher workforce, including how we support teachers, how we encourage more into the profession, how we keep those who are there and how we encourage those abroad to come home. We need to look at all options and ways in which we can support teachers, not just those who are teaching children with special or additional educational needs. We need to acknowledge the work they do and support them in every way possible.
Sentiment score: 0.67
I thank the Deputy. Having been one of the leads in the negotiations for the programme for Government, I know the conversation on this was very clear. We need to support Dublin Airport but we also need to support our regional airports. We need to ensure people living outside our capital city in our rural towns and villages have access to perhaps not the same level, but to an increased level, of air connectivity. That is why those commitments were made in the programme for Government. I do not have a timeline for the review but I will certainly ask the Minister for Transport to come back and engage with the Deputy directly on it.
Sentiment score: 0.48
I thank the Deputy. I do not think we should compare or pit any student against another. It is important every child has access to education and can progress. It is important also to acknowledge that a huge number of young people can access grants - there has in fact been an increase over the years in the number of young people who can access SUSI - but also the investment that has gone into higher education to reduce the fees for those attending college or university. Obviously that has a positive knock-on impact on parents who are supporting their children. There have in the past been reviews looking at the boundaries. There is unfortunately always going to be someone who is on the wrong side of it, but every single year the Government has done more and more to allow, support and encourage more students into higher and further education. I have no doubt this Government will respond and act in the same way.
Sentiment score: 0.31
I thank the Deputy. There is a record €6 billion being invested in all our different housing policies and only in recent weeks the Minister for housing secured additional funding, so we are doing everything we can to support not just the development of new homes, the bringing back of homes into stock and the development of social housing, but also to support every person to be able to purchase or to stay in the home they are in. There is a lot of money going into it and every further extension of that will have to be negotiated in the budget. I will raise the fact the Deputy brought this up with the Minister for Housing directly.
Sentiment score: 0.28