Donna McGettigan
Clare · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“At a time when families should be proudly taking photographs of their children on their first day back at school, many parents are instead lying awake at night, wondering how they are going to pay the bills.”
“This year alone, at least 47 schools have been referred to the financial support services unit. That is a staggering 38% increase. While Government Members will stand up and list the things they have done, some which are very welcome, they will conveniently ignore the things they have done to make life harder.”
“The reality is that a growing digital divide is emerging in our schools, and while the Government celebrates its announcements, parents are being asked to pay more and more simply to ensure their child or children can fully participate in education. So much for free education.”
“I thank the Labour Party for this timely and important motion. Sinn Féin supports this motion because the cost of sending children to school has become an unacceptable financial burden on families across the State.”
“I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for this important, timely motion. I want to tell the story of Christina from Clare. Christina is an artist and like so many artists across this island, she spent countless hours creating work. She poured her talent, experience, emotions and imagination into it.”
“As an artist in wool myself, I am lucky that this AI cannot take my creativity and use it. I feel extremely lucky about that every day but across Ireland, artists, photographers, writers, and musicians are seeing their work taken without consent and used to train generative AI systems.”
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“Ordinary people who did nothing wrong are now being forced to borrow tens of thousands of euro just to make up for this Government's failed scheme. These families never asked for this. They believed they were living in their dream homes, building dreams and memories but they are now living in nightmares. They were directly promised that no homeowner would be disadvantaged when transitioning from the initial scheme, but there are now at least 25 families in Clare already locked out of that increased grant. They are locked out by nothing but an arbitrary date, a date that creates inequity, division and despair. What about those in social housing who are expected to pay rent for houses crumbling down around them? People have faced barrier after barrier and all of it has been placed there by this Government. This is not 100% redress.”
“We were told time and time again that this is a 100% redress scheme but it is not. What we see before us again today is evidence of that. The scheme is not fit for purpose and the evidence is there for anyone to look at. Behind every fact, figure and departmental line lies a human story of families who suffer every day. They are families who wonder every time Met Éireann issues a warning if this is the day their house comes down. Do Government Members really believe that €150,000 is enough to rebuild a home in rural Ireland, or in Clare? This is what the Government has decided people will get and that is before demolition, engineers and every other cost of this comes out of that inadequate scheme.”
“A number of constituents have raised concerns with me about the CCTV camera system in Shannon Town Park. Despite a number of antisocial behaviour incidents, the cameras are not operational. Under Part 5 of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act, which was signed into law in 2023, a code of practice for CCTV was to be drawn up. Almost two years later, however, the code has not been drawn up and Part 5 of the Act has not commenced. Will the Minister for justice, Deputy O’Callaghan, speed up the commencement of Part 5 of the Act? When did he last liaise with the Garda Commissioner on this and when does he plan to do so again? Can we be assured that the Part 5 will be commenced urgently when the code of practice is drawn up?”
“We need to see more domestic violence shelters in Clare and right across the State, and we need real investment in the protective service units. We need legislation to be robust, survivor-centred legislation that puts their safety first. To the women in the Gallery and all survivors, their courage, their voice, their determination to protect others is helping to shape a safer future and we will not stop until all survivors know they are believed, they are protected and they are safe.”
“When the sentence is finally handed down, we would hope that it brings relief and that it marks the beginning of healing, but that is not the case because for many survivors, it becomes in the words of one woman the ticking clock, counting down to the release date. The abuser who may never see themselves as the problem may walk straight back out of prison with nothing in place to stop them returning to their victim - no safeguards, no protection, nothing. Right now across Ireland, there are children cowering in their bedrooms, children being abused, victims of domestic violence being beaten and coerced. Someone somewhere is about to disclose for the first time what is happening to them and we must ensure they are protected, safe and believed.”
“This is the reality for some young children. They grow up with this, knowing it feels wrong but they do not know why. When they finally understand, they are faced with impossible questions: "What do I do? Who do I tell? Will anyone believe me? Will this tear my family apart? Will this be all my fault?" For those who make it to court, who face their abuser, who answer very harrowing questions despite the fact that it brings them right back to that vulnerable child and the traumatic detail, there is another betrayal - their counselling notes laid bare before the court. It is another trust broken and another reason for others to stay silent.”
“I commend my colleagues Matt Carthy and Maria McCormack on enabling this vital Bill to be brought here this evening. Their work and the work of the brave campaigners made this happen. I salute the very brave women who made the powerful and difficult step of speaking out. For them, this Bill will come too late but in an unselfish act, they want this Bill to be brought in to protect others so they do not have to go through what they went through. Imagine being a young child, happily playing games dreaming of what you want to be when you grow up, feeling safe and loved when suddenly that world is shattered. The person you believed loved you and protected you is doing something you do not understand. You do not like it. It hurts. Maybe you have been threatened by someone saying, "This is our secret. You cannot tell anyone".”
“The HCCI stated in its report that it relies on parliamentary questions to get access to statistics and data relating to waiting lists. We need to see transparent reporting from the HSE. Will the Government instruct the HSE to compile and report on waiting lists regularly in the same way it reports on other matters? If so, when will it do so? If not, why not? This report should serve as a wake-up call. People are being left to wait and suffer in silence and that is not acceptable. Ours is a modern society in the 21st century. This dereliction of duty by the Government cannot continue. The Government and the HSE need to formulate a plan to introduce protocols for the capturing, analysing and publicising of data related to what is clearly an inadequate home care service.”
“These solutions have to be rooted in a clear understanding of the sources of the problems. It is deeply concerning that the HSE cannot clearly identify the causes of the current excessive waiting times in County Clare. The suggestion that County Clare has longer waiting times because it is a rural county does not hold up when other rural counties do not have the same level of waiting lists we have. The idea that it is caused by an ageing population overlooks the fact that other counties with ageing populations have shorter waiting lists than ours. This seems to be another case of postcode lottery in terms of services. We in County Clare have inadequate services and the agencies responsible do not seem to know why. The people of County Clare have a right to feel abandoned by the Government.”
“It is a pity the Minister for Health is not here because, unfortunately, the Minister of State has been left to read out a response which indicates that he has not even heard what I have been saying. The answer he has read suggests that the Department has exceeded targets but we are not seeing that in County Clare. The answer does not tell us what we want to hear. While I thank HCCI for this report, which clearly identifies the problem of waiting lists for home care in various counties, we should not have to rely on a report to tell us what we should be informed of by the HSE. It is the responsibility of the Government and the HSE to bring forward solutions for this, but I am not hearing solutions. The Minister of State is saying that there are increases, but they are not being seen in County Clare.”
“Even if we in County Clare does have a higher ageing population than anywhere else, and even if we have a more dispersed rural population than anywhere else, as the HSE seems to assert, it is still the job of the Government to ensure that Irish citizens have proper, full and prompt access to appropriate home care when they require it. Every Government has had access to census data for years, which was supposed to be used to plan for future needs, so why do we find ourselves in this unacceptable situation?”
“County Leitrim, for example, has an age ratio of 28.4, according to the latest census data compared to a ratio of 25.1 for Clare, yet its waiting list is 1.254 and ours is 2.386. Let me be absolutely clear: the waiting list in Leitrim is far from acceptable. No one should have to wait for the care services they need. The HSE's statement also implied that County Clare is a rural county but so is County Kerry. It has a waiting list of 0.676 per 100,000 compared to our 2.386, so ours is more than three times the waiting list of Kerry, even though both counties are rural. The HSE is responsible for managing the waiting lists and for managing decisions to allocate home care to people in the first place, yet it seems it is not able to adequately account for the large difference between the waiting lists in each county.”
“The HSE issued a statement to the media in response to the HCCI report. We should not be reliant on the HSE to issue statements in the wake of a report like this about the lack of services that people have to endure to try to find out what is going on. The HSE statement may have been its best guess as to why the people of County Clare have been so neglected but a number of its assertions simply do not add up. It states that the mid-west has an ageing population and that is a contributing factor. However, other counties with higher age profiles have lower waiting lists. The Central Statistics Office gives a ratio for the number of people over 65 years of age to those under 65 in each county.”
“Behind each of them is a person who has been approved by the HSE for home care hours and yet cannot avail of this vital service to keep them in their own home for longer. Without this help, people's health can deteriorate, making them more likely to need hospital care or nursing home care. They may also face difficulties in being discharged because they cannot be sent back to their own home if the home care is not available to them. A spokesperson for HCCI said that they have heard of examples of where people have died while on the waiting list, only for their families to be later offered home care for them. This must be utterly heartbreaking for family members. They must feel like their loved one was completely let down and neglected by the State in their time of need.”
“HCCI has compiled reports on waiting lists for a few years but they were based on the total number of people on the waiting list in each county. Under that measure, Cork had the highest waiting list. This is the first report that calculates the HSE waiting list as a percentage of the population of each county. Since it is the first report of its kind, we cannot even say for sure how long this problem has persisted in County Clare. More importantly, we do not know why the waiting list is so much worse in County Clare, so that is the first question that needs to be answered. What is causing the excessive waiting lists in County Clare? If the Government does not know, what does it intend to do to research the problem and find out its causes? These 304 are not just numbers.”
“Recently, Home and Community Care Ireland, HCCI, published its new report and witness for home and community care throughout the State. Home and Community Care Ireland is an umbrella group for home and community care providers across Ireland. Its report is based on the latest available statistics. The report makes for grim reading, with almost 5,000 people currently waiting for home care, but what is of particular concern for me is that my constituency of Clare has a waiting list of 304, which when calculated per 1,000 people of population equates to 2.386 per 1,000 or 157% of the national county average. The lowest waiting list per 1,000 of population is Dublin, with 0.076. County Clare's waiting list is more than 3,000% higher than that.”
“Experts say we are at a tipping point, a point of no return. On top of all that, this agreement would allow Mercosur countries to sue if the EU deforestation regulation or any future environmental or social legislation affected their exports to the EU. How anyone can believe this deal will be good for farmers, our country’s health and our climate is beyond me.”
“Our farmers worked hard on this. What will all that hard work amount to and where will we stand if we allow cheap imports from Mercosur countries with lower standards? Our family farms are struggling as it is, and this deal will be so bad for farmers and the production of healthier food. When it comes to deforestation, governments only agreed to trying to prevent deforestation six years from now. Six years will bring us to the end of 2031, yet at the COP26 climate change summit our Taoiseach, along with more than 100 governments, signed a pledge promising to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. Where does that pledge lie now? Is this going to be another broken promise? Are the lungs of our world going to continue to be decimated? How much more stored carbon is going to be released?”
“Mercosur will allow the cheap importation of beef, poultry, pork, sugar and biofuels produced to lower standards than ours. Our Food Safety Authority was established after several high-profile outbreaks and deaths from food-borne illnesses, and its commitment since to openness and transparency has helped us as consumers to look for and demand healthier food. Knowing where our food comes from, its production method and its journey to our tables allows us to make decisions on quality, freshness, nutrition and environmental sustainability. More importantly, it allows us to make decisions on supporting local farmers and producers. This deal is a threat to public health. Mercosur countries do not even tag cattle and they use hormones and antibiotics that are banned here. As a country, we worked hard to reach the high standard.”
“However, we must hold the Government to account to ensure that jobs are protected, that our climate is protected and that AI does not become a threat but instead becomes an important tool to help, especially those who are most vulnerable in our society.”
“Their infrastructure and research equipment also continues to fall into disrepair. Some institutes are using equipment that is not fit for purpose. Proper investment in science and research is needed in order that our future scientists can thrive and flourish because they are using state-of-the-art equipment that can propel their careers further. Ultimately, successive Governments have created funding deficits in the university sector that could threaten the viability of Irish universities. I acknowledge that science week is an opportunity to bring together children, students, teachers and communities.”
“From a climate perspective, we must also acknowledge there is a direct correlation between advancements in AI technology and its reliance on data centres that produce massive amounts of energy. Furthermore, this also means it will directly impact on Ireland's future housing supply, largely as a result of to the failure to invest in energy grid resilience. In 2015, data centres used 5% of Ireland's electricity. In 2023, they used 21%. It is well known that AI is a massive contributor to this usage. The rise in electricity use by data centres is outpacing new renewable electricity sources. This is concerning. Additionally, the National Training Fund, which has a surplus of €1.8 billion that we are seeking to unlock, needs to be urgently invested. The outcome of this not happening is that some universities are posting financial deficits.”
“The Minister announced Government support for a major new initiative to boost Ireland's AI capacity by bidding to host a European AI factory antenna. Serious questions must be asked regarding his responsibility to be bidding for this when our graduates could struggle to find entry level employment because of these advancements. The long-term implications of overreliance on this technology, particularly for the future job security of our third level graduates, is a serious consideration. Irish start-ups and other businesses will fully benefit from the rapid development of AI innovation. What we must be aware of is that these technologies could in fact replace jobs in the various sectors.”
“There should be robust measures to ensure the technology is available for all students, not just the elite few. Speaking broadly in terms of Ireland's economy, the knock-on effect of AI replacing workers is a very real and serious concern. Recent announcements that Amazon will lay off approximately 14,000 office workers globally, including staff in Ireland, largely due to increased investments in artificial intelligence means that at least 30 staff cuts in Ireland are planned. These layoffs are set to continue at a pace not seen previously. While AI technology continues to expand and evolve, there is a real concern that this can lead to very serious outcomes for third level graduates who face very insecure prospects due to the advancements of AI.”
“AI companions like Hayley, as featured in a recent RTÉ news report, can really benefit those who are caring for loved ones at home. This new system involves AI and movement sensors, which could mean that future older populations may never have to enter nursing homes. While we celebrate AI advances of this nature, there is a need to ensure that AI language and systems are being taught at a high standard at third level. With the necessary equipment and infrastructure, future science researchers can effectively integrate these tools, ensuring that AI complements their area of expertise rather than replacing it. AI can be utilised as a working tool to enhance the effectiveness of laboratory work, assisting researchers to manage complex biological problems.”
“The theme then, today and tomorrow sparks a very important conversation about the future we want to build in this country. The overlap between science and technology has really ramped up at an unprecedented rate with the development of AI. AI is becoming an essential part of scientific endeavour, and some of it is remarkable in its capabilities. It can analyse large and complex data that would be difficult for humans to spot. It can automate repetitive tasks in laboratories, such as liquid handling, incubation and imaging, making workflows more efficient and reliable, among many others. We in Sinn Féin believe that science and technology must first and foremost be used in a responsible way and not be an opportunity to serve the interests of the few. While there may of course be benefits to AI, there is one that is really worth mentioning.”
“I welcome science week as an important moment for children at primary level, further and higher level students and our educators. This is a celebration of the achievements of science and the advances in rapid technological change. Science week promotes STEM and hands-on learning. It also inspires future scientists and creates curiosity in young minds, making science more accessible, and provides a platform to showcase how science can become a subject for young people to take up in their studies. I saw this first hand while visiting the Póstaeir san Oireachtas exhibit 2025. This year's science week marks 30 years of collaboration to advance science in Ireland. Science week is a nationwide event with events involving industry, colleges, schools, libraries, teachers, researchers and students throughout Ireland.”
“Let us end the yearly cycle of stress and financial strain. I urge the Minister to support this Bill, stand with children, parents and schools, and support families.”
“Parents in Clare are calling it a scheme of frustration with poor-quality food. Some schools in Clare are unable to afford even the electricity to heat the meals, and others are unable to access the scheme at all due to procurement and supply issues. Therefore, once again families are left to fork out for packed lunches on the back of empty promises. Teachers’ unions and parents have been clear: schools need proper funding and increased capitation grants. However, this Government has not listened. Budget 2026 once again fails our parents, our teachers and our schools. When will we see the day when back-to-school photos show not just the smiles of children but also the relief of parents who no longer have to struggle or sacrifice to give their kids a fair start? Let us make that day come sooner rather than later.”
“We all know how fast children grow. Jumpers shrink, jackets get lost and the bills keep piling up. On top of that are the so-called voluntary contributions, estimated at over €54 million this year, forced on parents because this Government has failed to properly fund our schools. One parent of a child in a secondary school has paid €272 so far this year for mocks fees, study blocks, lockers and career outings, and that is only by the start of November. This is before uniforms or digital devices are taken into account. Inequalities keep growing. The Government’s plan for leaving certificate reform risks creating a system where well-funded schools pull further ahead while other schools, starved of investment, fall behind. Even the so-called hot-meals scheme is a postcode lottery.”
“We all see it every year: the proud photos of our little ones in their school uniforms standing tall and smiling on the first day back. Those bright faces fill our social media feeds but what the photos do not show are the stress, the struggle and the sacrifice of the parents or guardians behind the camera, the sleepless nights worrying about how to afford it all. For far too many families, 54% of them, going to school is not a joyful occasion; it is a financial burden. Some are forced to cut back on essentials, even food, just to make sure their child has a uniform or a pair of shoes that fit. This is shameful in a so-called modern state. Uniform costs alone are spiralling. Hundreds of schools have a uniform policy that requires crested uniforms often with only one supplier meaning parents have no choice but to pay whatever price is set.”
“We are calling on the Government to establish a citizens' assembly as a forum for informed discussion and an Oireachtas joint committee on Irish unity to facilitate the necessary preparations for unity because we need to listen to all voices and to learn from each other about how we can build an Ireland for all. For now, there are not even criteria set out by which we can call a referendum and the Irish Government needs to push on this. Both governments need to understand that the signing of the Good Friday Agreement was not the end of the process but the beginning. We need now to build on the peace we have achieved and work to achieve the long-term future by planning for the reuniting of our country.”
“For many families, we may have separate currencies and separate healthcare and education, but in our hearts, we are together. We play the same sports and listen to the same music. All of us just want to belong. The Good Friday Agreement allows for a referendum on a reunited Ireland but that will not come about automatically. We all need to play our part in preparing for a unity referendum. Irish unity is now part of the national discourse. People from all walks of life can see that our shared future will be built together. Ní neart go cur le chéile. I look forward to my family and others living in the same country.”
“We have a great opportunity to reunite our county and our people, and to have engagement through a citizens' assembly with all sectors of our island. It is long past time for the Irish Government to prepare for the reunification of our country. It is particularly important that a citizens' assembly is established to allow anyone, North or South, to have their say and provide their input to the process. Many families in my hometown of Shannon, including my own, are originally from the North. Many did not have a choice but to move. While we got a welcome, we also faced being told as young children to go back where we belonged, but where did we belong? Did we not belong in Ireland? I was born in Belfast; I am Irish. I hold an Irish passport, so where do I belong? I belong in a country that should be reunited.”
“The Minister mentioned repair and maintenance, but the gov.ie website states it is intended to use capital payments from the National Training Fund for retrofitting and decarbonisation. Does that really fall under the remit of what this fund is for? At the end of the day, successive Governments have created funding deficits in the university sector, which could threaten the viability of lrish universities. Therefore, while we are supportive of measures unlocking NTF funding, we need to be alert to its spending. We do not want to see it being used for uses for which it is not intended, thereby leaving the fund unable to be used for its intended use.”
“Deputy Farrell stated in 2024 that the Government had not provided enough funding to the sector to cover the cost of the wage increases that had arisen from the public service pay deal and that a supplementary budget to deal with this issue was needed. Here we are two years later and we are no further along. Clearly, this is due to the lack of dedication for the fund to help the sector. We in Sinn Féin support this Bill but work is needed to tease out what exactly the Minister intends to use unlocked NTF moneys for. We will determine after Second Stage whether further amendments are necessary. We need to make sure the funds go to where they are needed but also to what the fund is intended for, and to ensure the fund will have enough money for upskilling.”
“To improve national research capability, IBEC has also called for the use of the National Training Fund to attract skilled research talent, as well as investing in developing the domestic workforce, by “expanding and subsidising pathways for skills development". My party colleague Deputy Mairéad Farrell previously drafted an amendment to Bill to allow the NTF to support the sector’s research infrastructure but it was ruled out of order. Furthermore, within the tertiary system, the Government's failure to act has seen some universities under considerable pressure around recruitment, with some posting financial deficits.”
“This is an extremely worrying trend for industry when eight in ten employers in Ireland are experiencing a skills gap, and it is undermining the competitiveness and productivity of Irish workers. In this case, the unlocking of this fund will be welcome. Another worrying issue relating to the NTF is around the status of lreland’s national research innovation. Last June, The Irish Times published an article reporting that leading Irish business lobby group IBEC had described Ireland’s national research and innovation infrastructure as becoming "obsolete and out of date". We are way behind in Ireland’s public investment, with just 13% of the €8 billion national spend on research and innovation. According to IBEC, the State spends €199 per person on directly funding research and innovation, compared with the EU average of €274.”
“In July 2025, the National Skills Council made its first tranche of recommendations to the Government, which included the establishment of a national skills observatory to create a unified repository of information on skills and the labour market, and targeting leveraging of the NTF. There are also many repercussions from the perspective of the economy. The business lobby group ISME raised concerns that employers will lose faith in a 1% levy imposed on them being channelled to a purpose other than intended by law. The group has also called for Government consultation with the SME sector on any such plans. It is already predicted that an additional €3 billion of unspent employer contributions could accumulate by 2030 if a permanent solution to unlocking the training fund is not found.”
“Instead, this LTI course was cancelled, leaving learners devastated and their educators totally stranded and made redundant, with no supports to fall back on. This was disgraceful. In communities up and down the country, opportunities are being provided through LTIs, like the one in Cashel, for people to upskill, further their education and build a career path. We need to place way more value on the education and training boards, which badly need the Government to expedite their commitment to further NTF funding for the further and higher education sector. It is unacceptable that member ETBs continue to face funding constraints in infrastructure and learner access when there is funding there that could improve these. Our skills and labour market should also be at the heart of the NTF.”
“It will support thousands of learners each year across further and higher education institutions, apprenticeships and new upskilling pathways, producing skilled graduates who are ready to contribute to a dynamic and competitive economy. However, we are still seeing the knock-on effect of this funding deficit, with cuts to ETB funding. These cuts hurt ordinary communities. I give the example of a local training initiative, LTI, in Cashel, which was such a valuable part of the community in which it operated. Fourteen early-school leavers aged 16 embarked on a successful LTI programme to provide them with a level 4 major award and the option of progressing to level 5 this year, which would have given them the equivalent of an honours leaving certificate.”
“To put this in perspective, in 2014, more than 82% of the National Training Fund was spent on training programmes for employment, compared with only 55% in 2024. The funding deficit in the university sector was first identified in the Cassells report back in 2016 and was the result of the austerity measures following the economic crash, when funding to third level institutions was cut. To make up the funding shortfall, a student contribution was introduced. Austerity measures are long over but the promise that these cuts to the third level sector would be reversed has not been fulfilled. The Minister said that this package will help to deliver the education, training and research needed to keep pace with a fast-changing world.”
“I welcome this Bill and thank the Minister for bringing it forward. I also welcome his commitments on this. The NTF was established by the National Training Fund Act 2000 as a dedicated fund to support the training of those in employment and those seeking employment. Its aim is to support the development of a highly skilled and adaptable workforce, ensuring that Ireland remains competitive in a global economy. The Act also provides for the funding of the provision of information on existing and likely future skills requirements of the economy. On paper, this is exactly what is needed for the country. However, between 2014 and 2023, the funding priorities of the NTF significantly and drastically changed.”
“I will have to look into that. The Minister said he recently approved funding of €67 million but that funding was announced in April 2024. It is not new funding. There is no mention of DCU, which has gone to tender and already has plans in place. All it is waiting for is permission to go ahead. This fund of €100 million was announced back in 2024; it is not new funding. Is there going to be new funding for student accommodation? I accept that giving extra money for accommodation and travel is a good thing but these people do not want to have to travel. Long commutes are causing huge issues for their mental health and are interfering with their studies. They want to be able to live on campus. Regarding UCD, the cost of on-campus accommodation there is an eye-watering €11,888, the dearest in the State. Something needs to be done about this.”
“What the Minister, Deputy Chambers, talked about was accommodation that was already delivered. He spoke about Maynooth, which is already delivered, and UCD, which is already in the process of being delivered. He did not mention anything new. How much later in the year is the Minister talking about for the publication of the strategy? We are now in October and people are anxious to see it. I have students coming in to me every week who are in despair and distress. They are facing the unrelenting task of trying to find suitable accommodation for their studies. A huge percentage of them are being forced into unregulated digs. We also have technological universities that cannot borrow even though they have land available. This needs to be expedited because it is a matter of inequality.”
“I looked through the budget documentation but found no mention of student accommodation, which was quite shocking to me. I still have not received information on why the shortfall in student accommodation has happened. The strategy missed it targets but there has been no explanation for this. It is no secret that there is a crisis for students and families who are currently in distress trying to find accommodation. I ask the Minister to outline the current targets and whether new funding will be allocated for this.”
“I appreciate those words. I am glad to hear that this will all be worked out. As the Minister said, it needs to be simplified and streamlined. The last letter that went out from the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin's office in 2025 states that LTIs are independent. This needs to be clarified for those LTIs out there that are trying to work through this. The fact the Department instructed SOLAS in 2023 to award 5% pay increases shows that they are not independent. That needs to be clarified.”
“I welcome that. I agree with the Minister that they are well needed and well placed. They help people get their foot on the ladder. They are in communities. There is a real issue with the lack of transparency, which the Minister has pointed out as well. The pay and conditions for staff in both LTIs and community training centres, CTCs, are determined through a central process involving negotiations with unions and the Government rather than being set by each individual initiative. Surely there should be a mechanism in place to offer anatomy to LTIs in terms of overall responsibility. The pay disparity is an inequality that can no longer be justified. Instructors working at CTCs have increments from the start while LTI co-ordinators have a set scale salary with no increments. This cannot continue.”
“The local training initiatives, LTIs, operating guidelines states that any income received towards the running costs of a LTI, whether from earned income or secondary grant aid, must be offset as income in the LTI monthly claim form. This clearly demonstrates that LTIs are not financially independent and cannot generate or retain income to improve wages or conditions as all funding is fully controlled and accounted for through the education training boards, ETBs, and SOLAS system. This appears to contradict the view that LTIs independently set their own pay and conditions. Will the Minister make a comment on that?”
“They need to see light at the end of the tunnel and it is the Government's responsibility to give it to them. It is essential that they are listened to, that their needs are understood and that they are addressed. We have raised this repeatedly with successive Governments for years and still homeowners are waiting for a raise in the square metre costing cap, updated grant rates and an extension to the timeframe for complete remediation works and legislation to be passed. We in Sinn Féin are committed to the 100% redress scheme for affected homeowners. It is time to act and it is time to deliver. It is time to stand with the families, not against them.”