I speak plainly about the role of SNAs and what they mean to children, families and schools and why the current situation has caused such anguish and confusion. What special needs assistants bring is “S” for security and safety, “N” for nurture and needs and “A”, they are advocates and assistants in our schools for our children who have additional needs. They are not add-ons to schools as somebody already said. They are not an extra that we might like. They are absolutely essential workers in our schools. I know th…

Mary, Miriam, Mary and Maurice should never have had to fight this hard to hear the words they did today. We should never have met outside Leinster House when they were outside on hunger strike, in the cold and dark alone, as they were so many times as children. That should never have happened. They should never have had to endure that. I thank them all for entrusting me with their stories. It broke my heart the first time I met them, and it still breaks my heart today. I am sorry for getting emotional, but it is o…

Considering the level of upset, uncertainty and worry the SNA cuts have caused, and the screeching U-turn that was made very late last night when most education workers were asleep, this matter needs to be on the agenda in the form of a debate as opposed to just statements. It is important that the Ministers responsible give a clear outline of the plans relating to what happened in the past week in order to make sure that trust is replaced and that we can have plans going forward that do not make people uncertain.

I want to speak with the Taoiseach about SNAs. I know he has been very involved with SNAs and everything to do with education, and I have praised his efforts in the past and will continue to do that because it is really important that we build bridges in this Chamber and work together. Earlier, the Taoiseach offered to work with Opposition. As he knows, tomorrow there are going to be protests throughout the country, and one thing the people from that campaign are asking for is that the Ministers facilitate a meetin…

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this motion and the work it has done on it today and over the past while. The Opposition and several Members on the Government side are united on the fact that what occurred should never have happened. The Government has been forced to climb down because of enormous public anger. It is a victory for parents, SNAs, school communities, advocacy groups and others who have contacted every TD, Senator and publicly elected representative. Unfortunately, the Government is now desperate to kic…

I congratulate the Minister on her role. I have not seen Deputy Naughton in the Chamber in this capacity. I wish her the very best of luck. I wanted to discuss those people who were on hunger strike for 51 days before Christmas. Lots of promises have been made and negotiations have happened but there has not been much action. I want to remind people why they were on hunger strike. It was because when they were children, they were boarded out. They were part of industrial schools or reformatory schools. They were ph…

While that is welcome and the survivors, with whom I have spoken, are happy the things being outlined are going to happen, the problem is around when they will happen. When will there be the apology from the Government about the criminal records given to these children? The Taoiseach promised these things in the letter in November. When will the apology from the Government about the boarding out of the children happen? Has the circular to the local authorities gone out as promised? With regard to the social protect…

I appreciate that, and I know they do as well. Going back to the human level, however, that Act was enacted in July and they were on strike in the autumn. It is now springtime. They have had decades of recurring trauma based on how this country treated them as children. Some of them are of advanced age and some are not but, with the toll it has taken on them - not only the hunger strike but the entirety of their lives - they have said they do not know how much longer they have. I urge the Minister to be as fast as …

The issue in respect of SNAs is coming up in my constituency. When the review from the NCSE comes along, there is a downward turn in respect of the numbers of SNAs. That is despite the fact that when the new students arrive, schools must again increase the numbers of SNAs. Long-term staff are being let go and rehired by another school, or reappointed when the new students come. Everything is a little topsy-turvy. One school in Kilkenny contacted me. It is very concerned because it is going to lose 1.5 SNAs. The way…

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for letting me come in. I agree with Deputy Lawless and the Minister of State that the planning is most welcome because there is then an opportunity to foresee what is going to come down the tracks. However, I have raised several times that the 1 October cut-off point has been very detrimental to parents and I am still hearing they are not being given letters of eligibility and are being told the portal has closed. What is the solution to that? I am still concerned. I had a meeti…

Maud Coffey was killed by her partner who was suffering from a severe and enduring mental health condition three years ago. They were a loving couple and life was looking very positive for them. Maud was a lovely, kind, creative person who loved her family. The family have only her best interests at heart in the context of what they would like to see happen. I grew up with Maud Coffey and her family, and I count them among my extended family. This family are coming from a place of care, for their sister they lost a…

We cannot help it. We are all very excited about this Bill.

We did not think we would be this excited, to be honest, as Deputy Gannon said. I nearly had a heart attack when I thought I was going to be talking on public procurement because it is not something you think about every day but, as the Deputy says, it is vitally important. As education spokesperson, I have to say we can see this in our schools every day. Where we see that is when, for example, €5 billion has been spent on prefabs over the last five years. Prefabs are a stopgap or are put in because things are not …

I have spoken many times in this Chamber about flood prevention and future planning. Climate change means that Ireland will be more prone to flooding due to adverse weather conditions. In my constituency, there are a number of rivers that have either caused or threatened to cause flooding. The River Poddle flows through Kimmage, Crumlin and Harold's Cross. I am happy that a flood alleviation scheme is happening there at the moment. Work on that is ongoing. It cannot happen fast enough, particularly in view of the w…

The starting point has to be numbers because the political debate has become completely detached from reality. Last year, Ireland granted family reunification to just 669 relatives of people with international protection status. That is the full scale of what we are talking about. These are not people who arrived yesterday or who have bypassed the system. These are people who have already met one of the highest legal bars in the State. They have been formally recognised as refugees after a rigorous process that oft…

Road safety is an issue in every part of the country. In recent weeks and today, we heard of yet more tragedies. I welcome any measures that can be taken to make road safety better but I will not hold my breath. These are some examples from my constituency, Dublin South Central. Calm Crumlin Road was set up a few years ago because of the absolute danger zone that road is. Two years ago, a woman was tragically killed on her bicycle and two years later - recently in November - another accident almost identical to tha…

Thank you, Deputy.

This Bill is deeply flawed. It says it is going to protect security of tenure, but it is like I am living in a parallel universe. I am hearing two sides. The Minister's story is one thing and the reality for our constituents is different. The suggestion is that the Bill will protect existing renters from rising rents. Apparently, it is going to protect renters and set rents at market rates. It promises the sun, moon and stars but the reality is that it will not deliver what it purportedly sets out to deliver. New t…

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time on Wednesday, 11 February 2026.

I thank Deputy Healy for bringing forward this motion. It is timely that we are discussing a cost-of-living Private Member' motion. The Social Democrats have brought forward a number of measures to try to support people with the ever-increasing rise in the cost of just existing, due to the cost of so many things. I want to focus on a number of areas and the first is poverty. We have been hearing for a very long time about the number of children who are living below the poverty line. It is one in five, or 225,000 ch…