I wish to ask about the report on the Department’s forward planning for special education places in 2026-27. When I wrote this question, it was mostly to do with the portal at that time. I am now even more concerned since the announcement in relation to assessment of need by the Minister for children. I am just wondering about those two things. I know I got a letter from the Minister of State earlier this week or late last week with regard to the portal. I am concerned, however, because you still cannot log on and …

My concern is that when the portal closed on 1 October, parents were no longer able to apply. Was that a way of saying that, for example, 600 parents applied for their children through the portal and we were able to provide those places? The vacant places that the Minister of State talks about, and I have raised this previously, are phantom places because if there are children at home without an appropriate school place, it does not matter how many vacant places we have. If they are not appropriate, they are a wast…

The plan is that the Department will allocate places over the next few days. If it then realises that there is further capacity, is the Department going to reopen the portal so that all of those late applications will be able to be considered as well? We are in one process currently, but an announcement has just been made that will affect the school year after next. It is important not to confuse the two issues because there is huge confusion and fear out there with regard to that. Will the Department be able to op…

How?

They are being turned away. I am sorry to speak over the Minister of State, but they are being turned away.

On Tuesday, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality announced that there is to be a complete overhaul of the assessment-of-need process, which, we can all agree, is absolutely not working. Some 18,000 young children are on the waiting list. That is evidence of how ineffective the system is. The announcement was made with no consultation with education staff and there is little or no detail for either education or clinical staff. The timing of the announcement coincided with research from Dublin City Univ…

What plans are there to ensure universities have up-to-date and working equipment for the sciences? We discussed this issue following Science Week. I would like to know how universities can be fully funded to ensure they have the most up-to-date equipment. We need our researchers to be working with equipment that is fit for purpose and fit for the future, particularly in the sciences.

I am interested to see how that shared portal will work. I understand a lot of this equipment is incredibly expensive but, I assume, very important to have. I would like to hear more about how that will be managed. Are we ensuring our PhD and postdoctoral researchers are being fully supported to be able to work in this area? I refer specifically to those who receive stipends and I am asking whether they are adequate. There is a second element to my question. The Minister recently announced that the rent pressure zo…

Will the Minister explain how the sharing part will work? He said he will address student accommodation presently. I will have to step out of the Chamber but I will listen to what he says. All of these things are interlinked. When we are trying to make third level as accessible as possible, it is really important that all aspects are there to support learners but also the universities. It will put pressure on universities if all those aspects are not there. Is there a timeframe as to when the equipment will be in p…

I am not sure if the Minister of State is aware of the issues with BusConnects in Chapelizod but that is what I want to raise today. It has made up a huge amount of my work over the last number of weeks. People in Chapelizod, Palmerstown and Islandbridge are absolutely at their wits' end with the 80 bus route that came into being in the middle of October. I have held two very large public meetings in that time. In fact, the first one was so large that I had to divide it into two groups. I took one group of people f…

It is very positive that the bus is not going to go up Bridge Street because it can take so long to get up that hill. People are just waiting there and it is a complete and utter waste of time. However, the issue is that there was no public consultation about changing the route to include the 130. Part of the overall difficulty is the time at which consultations for BusConnects were held. Not many people engaged because they did not know how difficult the change was going to be. Consultations happened during the Co…

I will keep trying, though.

I thank my colleague Deputy Jennifer Whitmore for her work on this Bill. Her work in bringing this proposed amendment forward is a step towards ensuring that dogs and puppies are treated correctly. I also thank Dogs Trust and Dog Law Ireland for their work to make sure that dogs are given a chance to be loved and treated properly. As I said yesterday during the briefing in the audiovisual room, how we treat our dogs is so important because they are sentient beings. This is a political issue. In fact, I would say it…

I want to focus on young people. I have worked with young people through youth work and through the school completion programme for many decades. Their involvement in the online world is as important to many of them as their real-life existence. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw a huge replacement of the physical – being together and playing – with online life. We regulate things. If you go to the cinema, there is an age rating for the film that you are going to watch. If you want to drive a car, you have to be …

Imagine trying to convince a government that it has to uphold the laws that it rules over. It is like the plot of an eery psychological thriller. Imagine being the parents of a child with additional needs who is trying to access these supports for their child but they are met with blockage after blockage. Parents have enough to be doing to support and parent their child without having to be activists to be able to get the basic legal entitlement for an assessment of need for their child. Parents are exhausted and t…

The Deputy's time has passed.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss housing voids across local authority housing. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere - To discuss the Kilkenny institute further education and training campus. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the issue of respite beds for children and adults with special needs in Kerry. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin - To discuss the roads budget for W…

Thank you, Deputy.

Thank you, Deputy.

Deputy, you are 30 seconds over time.