I must note the irony of a Fianna Fáil Minister coming in here and trying to lecture the Labour Party on fiscal responsibility. It is unbelievable. Fianna Fáil crippled the country and allowed the Labour Party to try to bring it back from the brink and the Minister of State comes in here and tries to lecture us on fiscal responsibility. This is a vital and timely motion. It is clear to many of us in this House that we urgently need intervention to support ordinary working people in this country. I was genuinely sho…

What about those parents who are struggling to get their children to school, predominantly children in rural areas who the Minister of State professes to represent? Education in Ireland is supposed to be free. It is clear to parents across the country that it is only free in name. Prior to the general election in 2024, the then Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Government implemented supports to households to cope with soaring energy bills. Since the election, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have cut those supports from right un…

-----but we profess to and do represent ordinary working people in this country - for example, by putting forward this mini budget, with practical, real-life solutions that will help in the here and now, rather than the Minister of State just throwing his eyes to heaven in the face of the people and the families across this country who are struggling to put food on the table for their children.

You cannot blame the housing prices on that.

At the Committee of Public Accounts in February, the Secretary General of the Department of education told me that a memo would be sent to Cabinet in relation to how we are going to deal with the exponential growth in the level of demand for children who require school places. Last Thursday, the Secretary General told me that the memo is set to be sent to Cabinet. Has that memo on how we are going to deal with this exponential growth been sent to Cabinet? The Minister cited a figure of 7,860 children who had been n…

There are also a lot of parents who know their children need a special class or special school placement and they do not know whether their child will get a school place. The memo sent to the Government did not only relate to special education, but it must have included the number of children who require a special class or special school placement. The Department knows that figure. The NCSE has told me that every Friday it informs the Department of the number of children who still require a special class or special…

I want to reference one school in particular. I taught in Coachford College for a year. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, will be acutely aware of Coachford College. I know he has engaged with the school on a consistent basis as it represents a number of his own constituents. Coachford College is a fantastic school with around 900 pupils. It has a huge offering of subjects. However, Coachford College has been waiting a number of years for a new school building. It is not part of the 105 school building projec…

I was in communication with the Department last Thursday at the Committee of Public Accounts. We have moved to a modular accommodation style of building works. While we are still building traditional school buildings we have significantly moved towards modular accommodation on which a significant amount of money has been spent over the past five years. I am not saying at all that modular accommodation is not welcome. I am sure it is welcome the majority of school grounds across the country but exact clarification m…

I wish to raise the ongoing issue of Garda numbers in Cobh in County Cork. This issue has been brought to my attention by my Labour Party colleague, Councillor Cathal Rasmussen. Over the past number of months, and including this week, there have been a number of knife attacks in Cobh. Recently the doors of the Garda station itself were closed with no access to the public because of the lack of gardaí. There are four units in Cobh and in one of those units now there is only one garda. Likewise, in Carrigtwohill both…

In relation to the student accommodation strategy, the Minister knows I am not in the business of criticising in any way, shape or form any new development and I welcome it. However, I will call out certain aspects of it that I do not perhaps agree with. We might differ on that but that is fine. I have a sense that the strategy itself is developer-led with an enormous reliance on the private market. It fails in very basic protections in terms of capping student rents and ensuring service charges cannot be used as a…

I thank the Minister for clarifying that and I will correct the record on that. I also want to speak to the broader aspect of accommodation that is being used by students in our cities. Since the Minister has taken up his position, in regard to communication he has with the Minister, Deputy Browne, there has been a significant amount of it in relation his own strategy. For example, in regard to private rental accommodation students have, there has been a significant number of cases brought to my attention where stu…

What number of apprenticeships has the State taken on each year from 2020 to date? We have discussed apprenticeships previously in this House. They are extremely important to me as a public representative and as someone who has grown up with many family members who have become apprentices.

I firmly welcome the developments in the public service apprenticeship model made by the Department of further and higher education. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, and I have had many exchanges on the role of apprenticeships in our public services. It is being focused on by the Government and I welcome this. It is something I am absolutely focused on. We all know of the difficulty with the number of apprenticeships our local authorities are able to take on. Will the Minister of State outline, in relation to the goal…

The increase is significant and I am glad that some of what I spoke about 15 or 16 months ago has been taken on board, relating to the role of apprenticeships. With regard to students in fifth or sixth year who may be thinking about going into third level or progressing their academic life, or people in their 20s or whatever age they may be, where or how can they access this information? Is it being publicised correctly? Is it being given to career guidance teachers in schools? Is it openly and freely available thr…

I wish to ask the Minister about the level of demand for specific courses, particularly in healthcare including courses in medicine, nursing and dentistry; the number of applicants who apply for a particular course and the numbers that will be granted a course for the coming academic year.

The question generally relates to the number of courses available in medicine, nursing and dentistry and if all applicants for whom it is their number one choice on their CAO form, for example, will receive a place on those courses.

I thank the Minister for that. I asked the question because a lot of people have come to me who achieved the required points but they did not get the actual course because of a lack of places. I also asked it because we all see the extensive waiting lists across our health service, particularly for those trying to access a GP in their local area. There are also extensive waiting lists within community hospitals and in larger hospitals in Cork, Dublin, Galway and elsewhere. I am particularly interested in dentistry …

The question is based on the fact that people have come to me because their child has been waiting on a dental appointment for two years. People cannot get access to a GP, particularly those who are living in rural areas. I am sure the Minister is acutely aware of that. The first question that is often posed by constituents is around why we do not have more nurses, doctors or dentists because that would bring down the waiting lists. A cross-government approach to this is important. There are significant issues in o…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I thank the Minister of State for being here and Deputies Darren O’Rourke and Jen Cummins for being in the Chamber. As I speak on this legislation for the second time, it is important for me personally and professionally, being a former secondary school teacher, as well as being an epileptic, having been diagnosed at the age of 21. This legislation is personally and professionally significant for me. The Bill would improve access to training and resources for schoo…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and the other Deputies. The Minister of State is here longer than me, but this is probably my first time to agree with everything that has been said in the Chamber, from both this side of the House and the other side of the House. A timed amendment is appropriate and necessary. I thank the Government for engaging me on this crucial legislation. The Minister of State referred in his opening statement to engaging with stakeholders. It is extremely important that there w…