16. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in respect of his responsibility for infrastructure delivery, his plans to ensure that all other Government Departments will receive enough funding for essential infrastructure projects and services in the next budget and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40612/26]
Sentiment score: 0.23
69. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in respect of his responsibility for infrastructure delivery, his plans to ensure that planned investments in necessary infrastructure projects and services by other Departments will not be reversed or cancelled due to newly proposed overspending rules by his Department and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40613/26]
Sentiment score: 0.20
The Minister has indicated that a levy of more than €446 million will be imposed on Departments to pay for an overspend in the Department of Education and Youth yet he suggests that this will not really have any impact because we are going to spend more next year anyway. In reality, will it not mean that there will be less money available than was projected for multiple Departments to undertake key infrastructure or projects or to provide services?
Sentiment score: -0.09
Is there enough then to deliver the critical infrastructure that we know we need? I will give one example where I cannot understand frankly why the money was not made available, namely, the case of The Complex. We need arts infrastructure. We had the Government bringing in stuff yesterday about drinking on the streets because we need greater vibrancy in our city centres and I agree that we do, so how could the Government let The Complex close down in Dublin's north inner city when all they were looking for was €6 million and they offered a win-win? It said that rather than sell it to a developer that was going to get rid of an art space, if the Government gave it €6 million on top of the €4 million it already had, we could retain a multidisciplinary art space and build social and affordable housing on top of it, so we would get a win-win. We would get a community, arts and cultural space, which we badly need, rather than allow it to be lost, and we would get social and affordable housing in the city centre for €6 million. Instead despite the promises of the Minister's predecessor to that community, it has been allowed to close down. By the way, it is not yet over, so it is something the Minister could reconsider.
Sentiment score: -0.02
This is the game of pass the parcel that led to The Complex being closed down. If one goes to the Department, it says that it would love to leave The Complex open but it cannot buy properties, which is something I did not know, so what the Minister just said is complete nonsense. The Department is not allowed to buy properties. Dublin City Council said basically it did not have the money for it. The Minister is the Minister for infrastructure. We need housing, social and affordable housing in particular, and we need arts and cultural spaces, which are being closed down left, right and centre in the city centre. That building has not been sold. Apparently, the sale has not gone through so it is not over yet. That space could be saved and we could get a site for social and affordable housing for the small figure of €6 million. I suggest that the Minister, as Minister with responsibility for infrastructure, cracks the whip and says that it is madness to let this thing go and that we should save that site and save The Complex for all the artists and the local community and to deliver social and affordable housing on the site.
Sentiment score: 0.07
It cannot buy stuff.
Sentiment score: 0.00
85. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Youth when the promised SNA circulars to replace 30/2014 and on redeployment will be released; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40714/26]
Sentiment score: 0.13
We are all aware how the failure of the 2014 circular and the Government to recognise the evolved role of the SNA and what the meaning of inclusion in education really means led to in the crisis we had earlier this year. When will the promised new circular be out? I think I heard the Minister say it will come before the summer recess. Will she confirm this? Will it reflect the needs and aspirations of SNAs, school communities, parents and children?
Sentiment score: -0.09
It is coming out over the coming number of weeks. That is good. It happened because the Government got it so badly wrong. There were massive protests and there was fear and anxiety but it is good that we have moved on. The question is really whether it will be maximalist in terms of the need to include children and genuinely recognise the role of the SNAs and how it has evolved, and genuinely recognise what inclusion means. It is not just physical presence in the school. It is emotional well-being, genuine support and communication. Just because a child is doing well does not necessarily mean an SNA has to be taken out and moved somewhere else because a child who might need that support to continue flourishing could regress because they do not have SNA support. All of this was reflected in the alternative proposed circular put forward by parents' groups. Obviously, teachers have to have input and have to teach. However, this has to be maximalist in terms of inclusion and genuinely recognise the importance and role of SNAs. Will it be?
Sentiment score: 0.13
That is all good and not a moment too soon. However, we know there is always a tension between budgetary constraints being imposed, the needs of the children and a genuine recognition of the importance and role of SNAs and what school communities really need. It is absolutely critical that the needs of children, a genuine recognition of the importance and role of the SNAs and what school communities need trump any budgetary pressures being imposed. The concern is that these delays and what happened the last time was ultimately driven by budgetary constraints, and it led to the sort of crisis we had. It is good we have had the conversations but let us hope people have genuinely been listened to and that there is no diluting happening for financial reasons, and that this does the job it needs to do for children, SNAs, teachers and schools.
Sentiment score: -0.04