There is no need for a vote. We are going to set up the committees as quick as we can.
Sentiment score: -0.15
I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. We have about 3,000 schools in this country. When schools find themselves in financial difficulty, there is a structure and system in the Department of Education to respond to such schools. I will refer the matter to the Minister for Education. I ask the schools involved to engage with the section in the Department that deals with schools that have financial challenges or are under financial pressure.
Sentiment score: 0.03
It is very disappointing-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
-----that only two orders have made any sort of meaningful responses, one being the €12.5 million from the Bon Secours order, which has been accepted. This is what was recommended by the Nunan committee. I pay tribute to Sheila Nunan for the work she has done. The other response concerned a building. I will have to get greater clarity in terms of its value and so on. The Minister has gone back to the organisations to say there is a period of time here if they wish to reconsider. Meanwhile, the Attorney General is examining options.
Sentiment score: 0.25
My understanding is that significant resources were put into the schools through that programme. This may not have been in the capitation category, but in terms of curriculum supports and other supports in the general area for young people in particular, including therapeutic supports for children and multidisciplinary teams. I think that has worked very well. Again, I will refer this matter to the Minister for Education for a response. Additionally, there are mechanisms in the Department to deal with schools that find themselves in difficulty in terms of the normal financial overheads and so on.
Sentiment score: 0.22
Easpa uisce, an ea?
Sentiment score: 0.00
Sewage, gabh mo leithscéal. Níl an t-eolas sonrach agam ach déanfaidh mé fiosrú ar an gceist. Is olc an scéal é nach bhfuilimid in ann dul ar aghaidh leis na seomraí breise. Déanfaidh mé fiosrú leis an mbardas agus leis an Aire féachaint an féidir linn rud éigin a dhéanamh go gearrthéarmach chun infreastruchtúr a chur i bhfeidhm agus slí a aimsiú chun go mbeimid in ann na seomraí breise a chur ar fáil.
Sentiment score: 0.00
I was there on the day we announced the €50,000, which was warmly welcomed by the Deputy and by everybody else. Fair play to the Deputy, he has doubled his bet now in terms of the request. It was the first time ever a response of this kind came from Government and it was part of wider financial supports that were allocated to cancer centres across the country. Yes, Cancer Connect does extraordinary work around the entirety of County Cork where it brings patients to services. The Minister for Health has a lot of pressure with regard to expenditure demands but I have no doubt that when she comes to look at this situation, we will see what we can do in terms of Cancer Connect and the other bodies as well.
Sentiment score: 0.03
The State is not being forced here; it is being very responsive. There are other factors afoot that have frustrated the State's endeavour to bring this to a conclusion. I have to put that on record. The State is wide open and wants to get this resolved. We have established a mediation process. There have been two mediation processes and we have a judge appointed. Apart from all of that, we have already made it very clear that all health services are available now to anybody affected by thalidomide until the end of his or her life. This includes any time they require a consultant or anything. When I was last Taoiseach we set that in train. In my view that was being held up unnecessarily not by the State but by people who were looking for the overall settlement. I said that, in the first instance, we should make sure all healthcare was available, somewhat like earlier schemes, and also housing adaptations or any changes to people's living environment. All of that is available as well.
Sentiment score: 0.12
There is a process there that hopefully we can bring to a conclusion. I can talk to the Deputy if he wishes and bring him up to speed on it.
Sentiment score: 0.28
I thank Deputy Aird for raising this issue. Deputy Collins raised a similar issue relating to financial services earlier. The Central Bank has issued a new consumer protection code relating to technology more generally. Technology and financial literacy are two very important programmes that are under way to try to educate people in order that they do not fall foul of these scammers and those who want to defraud people and engage in fraudulent behaviour. On all levels and across different Government Departments, constant efforts are being made to alert people to the dangers of phishing and online scams. In the context of the financial world, it is amazing how people trust others with large sums of money and then lose it very quickly afterwards.
Sentiment score: 0.08
The Deputy knows well that the new procedures and protocols governing protected disclosures have been processed under the policy in place to handle such matters. I have been assured that the independent investigation by GSOC, which is investigating this matter, will be completed in due course, notwithstanding the time already lapsed since the protected disclosure was first made. Obviously, the various bodies - the Director of Public Prosecutions and GSOC itself - must continue their investigations before I can comment. I am not in a position to comment at this stage until those investigations are complete.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue of safety in the context of the safe routes to school scheme. I take on board what he has said. I will ask the Ministers responsible to look at the scheme. The Deputy has said it is taking too long. He mentioned that 421 schools are involved.
Sentiment score: 0.23
We will see what we can do to expedite that.
Sentiment score: 0.00
The new school in Carrignavar will be open. It may not be ready for September - it has been announced already that there will be a contingency plan for students who will be in a temporary building in Fermoy - but the works are progressing on Carrignavar. The site is an old primary school, as the Deputy knows.
Sentiment score: -0.05
That is agreed and is progressing. Again, the number of special classes provided in the past four years has doubled and the number of students attending special classes has gone from-----
Sentiment score: 0.50
-----9,000 to 19,000. The population is increasing, as are the numbers identifying with special needs. Our job and obligation is to provide every child with a place and that is the objective. I am now informed - as of the latest this morning - that up to 4,000 additional places will be provided this year from the beginning of September. The aim is for every child in the coming weeks to know their place. That is the objective. I spoke this morning to the Ministers for Education and special education-----
Sentiment score: 0.11
What is the name of the school?
Sentiment score: 0.00
I will bring this to the attention of the Minister of State for special education, Deputy Moynihan. He is working flat out with schools, as is Minister McEntee, with a view to getting solutions on the ground in given locations where the need is greatest. If the Deputy sends me the details, I will forward them to the Minister of State to pursue the case. If there is a blockage, we will see if we can unblock it. Every effort is now being made to make sure every child has a place.
Sentiment score: 0.29
This is no consolation to any parent or child seeking a place now but there has been an exponential growth in the number of special classes in the country over the past four years. Over a five-year period we now have 19,000 children attending special classes. Five years ago that number was 9,000. There has been constant expansion of the provision of special classes. In the past four years 11 new special schools have opened. This year alone there will be five more. As I said earlier, close to 4,000 special education places will be provided by September this year. I will ask the Minister to talk to the Deputy in terms of specific solutions for specific school areas. Last week he said to me that Dublin was the one area that had not been closed off and that they were working extremely hard to get every child looked after and facilitated.
Sentiment score: 0.25
The Ministers is not here. However, I will raise this issue with him. I can well recall there was a determined attempt nearly two decades ago to create a financial services presence, hub and footprint in the south east, in particular in Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny. State Street opened in Kilkenny. To a certain extent that got traction. It is disappointing that BNY has made the decision it has made. I was not involved in the discussions between the IDA and the company. The company generally tends to make these decisions itself. It may be to do with trends within the company or particular issues. However, I will talk to the Minister in respect of the employees. We will certainly do everything we can to get further financial services investment into Wexford. We will also see whether we can help the employees to secure alternative employment either through Enterprise Ireland companies or through further investments via the IDA.
Sentiment score: 0.16