Eoghan Kenny
Cork North-Central · Labour Party · Ireland
“The barriers facing families today may be different but the principle has not changed. The Labour Party believes opportunity should be determined by talent, effort and ambition, not by the balance in a parent's bank account. Technology has transformed education for the better and it is now an essential part of modern schooling.”
“Parents across Ireland are sitting at kitchen tables trying to work out how they are going to pay for another school year. For far too many families, the excitement of a child returning to school has been replaced by financial anxiety. Increasingly, parents are being forced into debt simply to educate their children.”
“Having been a teacher in two schools, I recognise that these tablets and these laptops that are provided to schools break and that maintenance for them is coming out of capitation grants that cannot be fulfilled by the schools because they are using capitation grants elsewhere.”
“I raise the issue of the lack of a plan for a new public sector pay deal and the lack of engagement on this matter. SIPTU, Fórsa, Unite and the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, are now to ballot their members for industrial action, up to and including strike action.”
“We need to stop pretending otherwise and introduce enforceable protections for families. As schools become more dependent on technology than ever before, the Government has cut the ICT grant by almost €15 million. That grant stands at just €35 million with no dedicated funding for repairs or maintenance.”
“It is a guidance letter once again, a guidance circular that was produced by the Minister at the time in 2017 that gave absolutely no consequences to the school for having branded school uniforms. In my opening speech I, as well as my colleagues, welcomed the free books scheme.”
The complete record
Every one of 651 lines we hold for Eoghan Kenny, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 13 of 14.
“Will the Taoiseach clarify whether a recruitment freeze has been put in place by the Department of Education in regard to special needs assistant, SNA, provision? I had a conversation with a primary school principal last night in my home town of Mallow in which she informed me that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, sanctioned 1.83 SNA positions for her school last Tuesday. The next day, the special educational needs organiser, SENO, rang the principal to tell her that a directive from the Department has outlined that all positions will not be filled until at least September 2025. That leaves the school two SNAs short even though those posts have been sanctioned by the NCSE. Will the Taoiseach clarify whether there is a recruitment freeze on SNA provision in the Department of Education?”
“We should recognise overseas teaching experience in terms of incremental teaching experience in this country. I refer, for example, to a teacher who taught for five years abroad being added to that incremental scale.”
“I am very glad that the Minister said she is committed to increasing the supply of teachers. That is important. In 2024, the Teachers' Union of Ireland, TUI, completed a survey of new entrants to the profession. Some 35% responded and said that over recent years they did not receive a contract for full hours when they entered the profession. Some 12% said it is extremely difficult to get a full contract. When entering the teaching profession, I found that getting a full-time contract was difficult. There are maternity leave contracts or 12 or 13 hours of teaching time at second level, when a full-time contract is 22 hours. We are having difficulty in respect of contracts. Some of my colleagues and schoolmates who have graduated have moved overseas. I do not know whether what I propose is possible under the Minister's remit; I hope it is.”
“Last week, the Minister outlined to me the amount of money that has been spent since 2020, but the reality is that we still do not have that accommodation. Classes across the country are being taught in prefabs. I ask the Minister to investigate the number of prefabs that are being used and the level of additional accommodation that is necessary in schools in order to move forward with the reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio.”
“I thank the Minister and appreciate her response. I want to work with the Minister and Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. Ultimately, the Department is trying to benefit students. The most important people across the country are those who need a good education and start in life. We have serious issues when it comes to the number of teachers in our classrooms. That is firsthand knowledge. This issue ranges across not just the Department of Education, but other Departments. One of the biggest issues for teachers is housing, followed by the cost of childcare and cost of living. I know that goes outside of the Minister's Department, but the lack of affordable accommodation and childcare are real concerns for many teachers. We do not have the necessary school accommodation.”
“I ask the Minister to outline her plans to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio to 19:1 over the lifetime of the Government. It is an important question. As the Minister knows, a lot more work is feasible in a classroom if a teacher has a smaller number of pupils.”
“For people in the likes of Watergrasshill, Carrignavar, Whitechurch, Mourneabbey, Burnfort, Rahan or wherever they may be, access to public transport is not forthcoming. Therefore, people rely on the car to get to and from work, college or school. One parent I met gets up early in the morning, travels to Munster Technological University every morning, drops the child off there and has to go to her own job. She then has to go and collect the child in the evening before going home. That is extraordinary. The child is waiting for a driving test. Waiting times of up to six or seven months are absolutely outrageous. I again welcome this important motion from Sinn Féin.”
“Thank you. I welcome the motion from Sinn Féin. If I follow up on a query from a parent or from someone my own age about a delay in getting an appointment for a test, the RSA tells me to contact different test centres around the country. Asking a person from Cork to come to Dublin or even further afield to do their test is absolute madness. There is no quality there when it comes to trying to get those tests and those appointments fulfilled as quickly as possible. I will give the example of Evan, who is around my age. He applied for his driving test on 6 December and was given a date of 16 June. That is unbelievable. The Minister of State, particularly in his new position, will be well aware that much of the Cork North Central constituency is rural.”
“The Taoiseach will be aware that a unit with 48 single beds has opened in Mallow General Hospital. I have two questions on this. Two floors of the four-floor unit are still not open. I ask the Taoiseach to look at the feasibility of opening them. I also ask him to ask the Minister for Health, as I have, to look into the transfer of the blood transfusion service from Mallow General Hospital to Cork University Hospital as it is putting more pressure on CUH. Taking the current service away from Mallow General Hospital is also decreasing staffing levels in the hospital. It is important we keep these services in regional hospitals, such as those we have in Mallow General Hospital.”
“She is not engaging with them. Forty thousand of us stood outside schools last year. The Minister has not engaged and is willing to go forward with this rushed reform. She needs to engage with teachers. They are the ones on the ground teaching these subjects.”
“Absolutely. My greatest objective is that students across the country are open to this reform and benefit from it. The Minister said she is fully equipping schools. For seven years I was taught in prefabs. That is what happens in local voluntary schools across this country. The Government pays €90 million per year for prefabs. The Minister referred to business. I taught business studies up to November. In September I took on a cohort of transition year students. I had to tell them I knew nothing about the specification they were going to be doing. I had one training day, a few hours of in-service. How could I possibly ask them to keep on business studies? I did not know the specification; therefore, they definitely were not going to know it. That is the reality on the ground. Will the Minister engage with unions of teachers?”
“I commend Oide for doing its very best under difficult circumstances. The rushed senior cycle reform means the ink is barely dry on the syllabus before it is expected to roll out a national training initiative. It is all so rushed. Why? Will the Minister tell teachers, students and parents watching this the following? Is she okay with presiding over a senior cycle reform that favours children of more affluent families? Will she train teachers properly prior to rolling out any updated syllabuses? Is she committed to holding a convention on leaving certificate reform? Will she thoroughly engage with teachers who will teach these subjects to our next generation?”
“The revised syllabus for leaving certificate science subjects and others will begin for current transition year students, who will be next year's fifth years, yet the teachers of leaving certificate biology, chemistry and physics, as well as business and other subjects, have had just one subject-specific training day. Put yourself in the shoes of a chemistry teacher who will be teaching the new syllabus, including a whopping 40% individual project, with basically a few hours of in-service. This is totally unfair on teachers and is definitely unfair on students. Full training must be provided prior to the rolling out of any new syllabus but that is not happening on the ground. Why are teachers not being fully trained prior to the introduction of a syllabus in their subject?”
“In other words, the Minister is presiding over a senior cycle reform that favours children of more affluent families. We in Labour are open to reform and understand it is necessary, but we are opposed to rushed, poorly thought-out and poorly resourced reform. We have asked continuously for the establishment of a new convention on education, inclusive of young people, teachers, parents and stakeholders. Where is it? With the introduction of projects, 40% of every subject is being left open to manipulation. Can the Minister guarantee us today that the honours leaving certificate of 2027 will have the same integrity and respect as the one currently being sat?”
“Last year I stood with my colleagues and over 40,000 teachers to protest against the rushed leaving certificate reform proposed by the Government. The Minister's predecessor, Deputy Foley, referred to the reform as equity and excellence for all. The most important part of reform to any curriculum, as I think the Minister will agree, is to benefit students. Take two students, one in a local voluntary school and one in a private fee-paying school. It will come as no surprise that private schools are well equipped with technology, suites of laboratories and, in some cases, lab technicians to advise on the use of the lab. Then move to the local voluntary school: 100-year-old infrastructure, more than likely two very basic science labs, sporadic Wi-Fi connection.”
“Let me give an example. In 2016, phase 2 of a development at Scoil Oilibhéir, Dublin Hill, in the constituency of Cork North-Central, which I represent, was given the opportunity to progress in the Department of Education. Not a single block has been laid. That school, a special school in Cork city, has been let down. Additional accommodation in existing schools, be they mainstream or special, is absolutely necessary. I am disappointed that the Department has failed schools and children across the country in this way. The accommodation is not forthcoming. Therapy is not an optional extra; it is essential to the development and well-being of children with additional needs. The State is failing the affected children. Enacting meaningful change is the only way forward.”
“The Government's own disability services action plan stated 180 new CDNT posts and 300 therapy assistants were essential in 2025 to progress the disability services programme to meet the commitments in the roadmap for disability service improvements for children and young people. We are acutely aware that over 10,000 children are waiting for an assessment of need, and tens of thousands of children are waiting for essential therapies. This is unacceptable. The delays are having genuine knock-on effects on children going into education. If by the age of eight, nine, ten or 11, children have not received a proper assessment or the proper therapies they so badly needed in early-years education, including junior and senior infants, it is a significant issue. They may be in secondary school before they receive them. It is just not good enough.”
“We need to value SNAs throughout the country. I am privileged to say that I worked with countless SNAs who go completely unnoticed in the work they do in this country. We should get rid of the 72-hour obligation and provide training to the QQI level 6 equivalent. We need to undertake an autism audit of all schools and provide autism CPD training to school staff to ensure that mainstream schools can facilitate the inclusion of autistic children to the greatest extent possible. Ireland has ratified the optional protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities but children's disability network teams remain underfunded and understaffed.”
“We need to see an expansion of the educational therapy support service through the NCSE, more in-school therapists and the provision of better training for teachers during their teaching degree. I did four years in Mary Immaculate College to train as a secondary school teacher. I got little or no training in special educational needs. That is where we need to begin it. If somebody goes to college for four years to train to be a secondary school teacher - this is nothing on the college and I am a proud graduate from Mary Immaculate College - we need to start there. If we are to train teachers and fully equip them to deal with children with additional needs, we need to start with teachers who are in training. It is as simple as that. The Department has to realise that. We need to see investment in child-centred SNA provision.”
“She said to me on the phone the other day that she feels absolutely obliged to take the place. That should not be the case in the country we live in. When I spoke to her on the phone, I genuinely felt such sympathy and empathy towards her feeling obliged to take the place. She has never even seen the school or heard of it but felt obliged to take the place. That is just completely unacceptable. Schools have been losing out. Disability advocacy organisations and DPOs must be part of the process when developing new policy initiatives. It is essential that we get the people who are working in the field to be part of the policy initiatives we want to change. It is very simple.”
“As a secondary school teacher for the past two years, and as someone who came out of school five years ago, I could never understand how Ministers never used their power to give our schools the opportunity to facilitate children with additional needs in their own localities. It is almost as if the Minister has no power in the Department. I call on the Minister and the Minister of State to take that power and give those children that opportunity. One parent in my constituency of Cork North-Central has applied to ten different schools. I am putting this on the record of the Dáil again, but it is no harm to do so. She is second on the waiting list for the tenth school. She received the opportunity of going to a school, after applying, that is nearly an hour and a half away from her home.”
“In the recent general election campaign, my party campaigned on an autism guarantee to secure an appropriate school place for every child and develop a fully inclusive model of education that vindicates the right to education for all children across a range of disabilities, and complies with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. To realise this means better long-term planning, multi-annual funding, and an overhaul of the EPSEN Act. It also means the use of ministerial power because that is something I cannot get out of my head.”
“For parents in Ireland whose children have additional needs, it is more than likely the case that they are travelling long distances in the morning and afternoon to get to and from school. That begs the question of how to integrate children with additional needs into their communities, which is the best possible thing we can do for those children. If a child has to travel an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening to go to and from school, it is not possible to integrate that child into their community. It is just not possible. I have serious difficulty with that, as do many parents throughout the country. I have great empathy and sympathy with those parents and children.”
“I congratulate the Minister and the Minister of State on their appointments. I know the Minister of State on a personal level. He is hard-working and a man of integrity for the constituents of Cork North-West. I am sure that will be the same in his new role in the Department. I congratulate him. I welcome this motion from Sinn Féin and the opportunity to raise the issues and concerns relating to special education. The Labour Party will support the motion. When it comes to special educational needs, we have a cohort of students throughout the entire country who do not have the same access to education as their friends, neighbours, siblings and members of their own family.”
“The €6,000 per kilometre that Cork county received is a measly amount. It is one of the lowest in the country, even though the county has the most road infrastructure. I ask the Ministers of State to consider the amount we get per kilometre in the county.”
“Cork County Council has requested €800,000 to keep the momentum behind the project because it is to go to approval stage by March 2025, I hope. However, council officials have told me that unless the council receives the €800,000, the project will be stopped. That is just the way it is. With regard to road safety, the main street of Mallow is like a car park. People are constantly parked there and it is backed up constantly. The Mallow relief road will be the project to solve the issue. In terms of economic, social and housing development, we need the Mallow relief road built. I ask the Ministers of State sincerely to liaise with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, on the Mallow relief road and try to get this project over the line and built as soon as possible. It is for vital infrastructure.”
“I thank my colleague Deputy Ahern for giving me a couple of minutes. I congratulate the two Ministers of State, namely Deputy Canney and my Cork colleague Deputy Buttimer, on their new roles. I wish to raise the Mallow relief road, which the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer might be aware of. It is very important infrastructure. Since I was a young boy, the Mallow relief road has been talked about. It has been talked about for 20 years or more and has been raised in this Chamber on a number of occasions. Transport Infrastructure Ireland will be giving its allocations in the next few weeks, I hope. I have a sincere request for the Minister. A sum of €100,000, a very measly amount, was received in 2023, and €300,000 was received in 2024. This was eventually topped up with moneys left over.”
“In 2023, one in seven children lived in households that were below the poverty line, with over 264,000 children living in households experiencing deprivation. The homelessness figure has exceeded 15,000 people. We, in the Labour Party, have consistently brought legislation and motions to Government to meaningfully tackle these figures. The Government needs to enact radical, meaningful change. We are throwing genuine people to the dogs when it comes to housing.”
“When a person calls to my door at home or at my office who is willing and in a position to rent a home, I have to tell that person to walk through the main street and call to every local auctioneer on the main street to try to rent a property. That is unbelievable. On daft.ie this morning, there is not one single home in Mallow to rent. What does that tell me? It tells me the Government has failed on renters' rights. A development in Kerry Pike in County Cork was promised a crèche by private developers. People paid over €500,000 for their home based on a pretence that they would be able to access early years education on their doorstep. That crèche never came. Lies, again, by the private developers. These commitments must be seen in the first phase of developments instead of the last.”
“What would the Minister of State say to this elderly couple? I want to put on the record of the Dáil a figure that I cannot get out of my head. In more than nine years, Cork County Council has sold 99 homes through the tenant in situ scheme. That is an unbelievable and stark figure, pathetic actually. The Government's poor delivery of and weak commitment to this scheme has resulted in landlords having little or no confidence in it. The Labour Party wants to introduce monthly reporting by each local authority on the tenant in situ scheme, with adequate reasons outlined as to why the purchase of rental property did not proceed. Accountability is neither here nor there. Nobody is taking ownership for failed action under the tenant in situ scheme.”
“Every single day, numerous calls, messages and e-mails come in to my office from genuine people who find themselves in difficult circumstances. I met a family in Togher, County Cork, during the recent local election campaign. There are three kids living with their parents, each with a child of their own in a three-bedroom house. There are eight people in a three-bedroom house. The woman stood at the doorstep crying to me. What would the Minister of State say to her? An elderly couple live ten doors down from me in Mallow. They have rented their house for over 15 years. The landlord informed them that he wishes to sell the house and was more than willing to use the tenant in situ scheme. However, after months of the local authority dragging its heels and ignoring him, the landlord made the decision to sell the house privately.”
“The level of respect that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Regional Independent Group have for people on the housing waiting lists throughout the country is stark to those of us on this side of the House when the benches opposite remain empty and we have one Minister sitting here. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael should be ashamed of themselves. Cabinet meeting or no Cabinet meeting, the motion brought forward by the Labour Party is one of integrity and respect for the people we meet every single day of the week. The benches opposite speak volumes to the people we represent. This is the issue of our time and for our generation of politicians. I am 24 years old, and one of the 70% of 25-year-olds living at home with their parents.”
“I appreciate that the Tánaiste said his next step is to meet Senator Black. Is it possible to get a timeline on when he will meet the Senator? The original question was to get an update on the plan. It is important that this country takes a stance on this issue at European and UN level. Words are meaningless without significant action. I think the Minister would agree with me on that. We now have an opportunity to pass the occupied territories Bill. It should not be watered down in any sense but brought before the House to send a clear message to the people of Palestine that we stand with them and see the ongoing suffering.”
“I am new to the Chamber so I am trying to learn the logistics. Our leader, Deputy Bacik, met the Palestinian ambassador this morning. I share the concerns Deputy Smith expressed last week and those our party leader shared in relation to the amendments the Government proposes and what they mean for the occupied territories Bill. As a young person, it comes up constantly in conversation with my friends. It is close to our debate. I ask the Minister to clarify the amendments, if possible.”
“I am looking for an update on the Government's plan to introduce the occupied territories Bill. It is good to get the opportunity. I thank Deputy Duncan Smith for the opportunity to raise this issue. Do I have 30 seconds?”
“The responses to the ASTI's survey indicate that job dissatisfaction has risen from 22% to 33% in three years. The Government's idea of reducing class sizes to a ratio of 19:1 is out of the window if this is going to be the case and if this is the way that teachers are going to be treated. As the Labour Party has called for, we need a national convention on education before this Government destroys our system further.”
“We are protecting neither the student nor the teacher. I could talk about this for hours. The final point I wish to make relates to training for teachers. Ninety-eight per cent of the respondents to the ASTI's survey indicated that they have not received training. Having spoken to a number of my colleagues and former teachers and having sat in two staff rooms, I am aware that a number of teachers considering early retirement and others - some the same age as me and others who are new to the system - who are considering moving abroad in order to uphold the integrity of subjects they teach and to teach in systems of integrity where they do not have to put their students in difficult circumstances by being obliged to provide 40% of their examinations in the manner to which I refer, which is nearly impossible.”
“The system is completely open to manipulation. If the Minister, Deputy McEntee, were here I would ask her to indicate whether she believes that from 2027 onwards the leaving certificate will have the same integrity and enjoy the same respect that it does at present. That question would be rhetorical in nature. We know the answer to it. As a secondary school teacher, I have serious concerns for teachers. In the context of all of the guidelines and advice set out, it is next to impossible for any teacher to authenticate the work being handed over. It is open to manipulation and puts our teachers in a very difficult position. I refer to circumstances where accusations may be made when teachers are trying to authenticate work, possibly submitted by students they have been teaching for six years.”
“It is outrageous to contemplate that. It will leave our education system, particularly in the context of its integrity and how it is seen across the world, in a very difficult position. Our education system is renowned for its diverse, fair, inclusive and academically driven nature. There is genuine fear among my colleagues and those who taught me when I was younger that the integrity of the leaving certificate exam will be damaged significantly. With the measure of the component being a minimum of 40%, how could we possibly guarantee that 40% of the leaving certificate exam is not AI-generated, ChatGPT-generated or, in some instances, paid for by a student or families? This is not to say that students or families are definitely going to do it, but it is a possibility. In addition, authentication is not possible right now.”
“In the context of equity of access, if the Minister, Deputy McEntee, was here and was being honest, there would be no way she could possibly state that every school has the same access to resources to move to this model of examination from September next. I firmly believe that students in our most disadvantaged areas and schools will be left behind. It will come as no surprise to anyone that students in private schools will have these resources immediately when those schools get the opportunity to adapt to this rushed reform. While we in the Labour Party accept that reform is needed, we also accept that it must be reform which benefits students and teachers. What does that say about this rushed reform? It quite clearly says that the Department of Education will leave the most disadvantaged students even more disadvantaged.”
“I share the sentiments expressed by colleagues, Deputies Smith and Wall. Today, however, I wish to raise the serious concerns many people across the country have with regard to reform of the senior cycle in secondary schools. In the programme for Government, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Regional Independent Group wrote that they intend to continue the same programme of senior cycle reform that more than 40,000 teachers have rejected. The most important part of reform of any curriculum is to benefit students. As a secondary school teacher, I know that from first-hand experience. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, ASTI, conducted a survey on additional assessment components, AACs. The results of that survey were absolutely stark.”
“Last year, locals in the area held a demonstration on the road, calling for repairs and resurfacing. It is shameful. Now, after nearly five years of this carry-on, the road is getting worse and worse. I call on the Minister to act on this.”
“Prior to the winter and recent storms, the portion of the road between Clonbanin Cross and the Lislehane area was the worst-affected area of the road. The Minister of State, Deputy Healy-Rae, sitting next to the Minister, Deputy Calleary, would be able to tell him that. This is nearly an 8 km stretch. Now, the condition of the road, beginning around the Ballyclogh turn-off and Lombardstown cross area, as far as Rathmore on the County Kerry border, is terrible and frankly unsafe. That represents nearly 30 km of roads. We are aware that funding for a small portion of this road had been granted at the end of 2024, but meaningful work on the road has yet to transpire. Additional funding must now be made available to repair the road to a safe and sufficient standard. That is the least that motorists across this country deserve.”
“This road has been in a dire state for the past four years and, since the beginning of January, it has deteriorated at an alarming rate. This road is one of the busiest national secondary roads in the country, with daily usage by hundreds of private cars in the community for work and school, as well as heavy industrial use for haulage, logistics, construction and agriculture. We have numerous neighbours and people in communities in Cullen, Knocknagree, Dernagree, Kanturk, Newmarket, Banteer and Bóthar Buí who have faced safety issues and car damage due to the road's condition. The road is frequently used by tourists travelling to Killarney. I was there myself at the weekend. The road poses a serious hazard for anybody who is not familiar with the road.”
“The relevant Departments must offer a scheme to support small farmers and the rural economy immediately. I noted this morning that the parliamentary question I asked the Minister has not been responded to in a way that I and the small farmer who contacted my office would appreciate. I ask the Minister to revisit that, look at it and see whether or not the opportunity can be made available for people like the small farmer and small business owner, where insurance does not cover damage caused. In addition to this, there must be a ramped-up effort to expand the humanitarian relief funds to address the significant damage to our roads during the recent storms. I highlight the N72, the main Mallow to Killarney road.”
“This situation involves a small farmer with a small farm who will now be out of pocket through no fault of his own. This is not a large farm operation that has funds to rebuild, restore and return to working order. This will be a significant cost and, right now, there is no support, as I said. The damage suffered during the snowstorm has worsened since the recent Storm Éowyn. In numerous cases across north Cork, people are being left without the supports they need to rebuild their livelihoods. I am not calling for supports for industry that has the means to sustain itself and weather these storms, but it is vital for the rural economy and for agriculture that smaller farmers and farms like these receive some supports from the State, otherwise people like that small farmer who contacted my office in Mallow face losing all of their assets.”
“These supports will be vital for households and small enterprises to rebuild their homes and livelihoods going forward. To give an example of a farmer, a small farmer in north Cork contacted me, initially regarding significant damage to a shed roof due to excessive snow build-up leading to the roof caving in, rendering that shed unusable. It was incredibly fortunate that there were no animals or people in the shed at the time, as the loss would have been much worse. This happened during the snowstorm experienced at the beginning of January. This farmer has been told by his insurance company that damage caused by weather events such as this is not covered by the insurers. I find that to be totally unfair, but the injustices present in the insurance sector are a conversation for another day.”
“Many small businesses, small farmers and households simply do not have the funds to manage these repairs. They are now in a position where their livelihoods and homes are damaged through no fault of their own. The Minister might note in the programme for Government that there is an extreme weather assistance scheme that the Minister said predated this storm. If we are to say that this storm is the worst so far in the history of the State, I would expect Deputy Calleary, as Minister, to outline whether or not he will bring in a humanitarian assistance scheme for small farmers and small businesses affected where insurance does not provide coverage. Following previous storms and flooding events, that humanitarian relief scheme was established to support people who have suffered such losses during these weather events.”
“With the impact of the recent winter snowstorms and Storm Éowyn still being felt, with 18,000 still without power, it is vital that this Government commence a relief scheme to support those who have suffered damage to commercial property and farming property. I have been contacted by many people over the past three weeks who have had damage to their homes and business following the effect of these storms. I have also been contacted by numerous farmers who have suffered significant damage to property. Many of these have told me that their insurance policies do not cover damage to property caused by storms and extreme weather events. Whatever the Minister stated earlier about insurance companies and his contact with them, it does not cover the majority of people who have contacted my constituency office.”
“I would ask them to consider every day over this Dáil term the families calling to my constituency office in fear that their child will not have a school place for the coming academic year. We, in the Labour Party, understand that sufficient current and capital funding is needed to meet the demand for school places both in special schools and mainstream classes and we must ensure every school's designs are fully accessible for all. The problems of parents do not stop there. There is the cost of childcare. Parents will tell you that in order to pay for early years childcare, it will cost almost an entire wage. The State should be ensuring that parents can afford early years childcare. As with many socioeconomic issues-----”