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 For far too many families, the excitement of a child returning to school has been replaced by financial anxiety.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.”
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“I echo my Labour Party colleague, Councillor Peter Horgan, who has called for a renewed national focus on supporting remote and hybrid work opportunities. The recent utterances of Irish billionaires so far removed from the realities of real work are completely out of touch with the reality of modern working practice in Ireland. We can see the benefits, whether a reduction in commuter chaos in our cities, better work-life balance, practical benefits for parents or the increased activity in local economies. We can see that hybrid and remote work works for workers. I have received a lot of contacts from workers in Cork in recent months about the multinationals in Cork, some of which do not recognise trade unions despite Labour Court support, removing flexible work and work-from-home policies.”
“They are making easy money off vulnerable people. Based on what some in this House say on this motion, the phrase "running with the hare and hunting with the hounds" is quite appropriate. Some people have offered sympathy and empathy to some families, but along with that they are not man enough to stand up and have a real debate on how we must be progressive on our drug policy and absolutely take a health-led approach to drug users.”
“Some weeks, it only has ten recovering patients because people cannot afford to get in and for those who are waiting to get in, when the time comes around for them to take a place in the recovery programme, they do not want to help anymore. When a person makes a decision to seek help, they need it there and then. They have had a realisation that they want a better life. We should not be placing them on a waiting list because of the affordability of services. Recently at the Simon Community in Cork, I spoke to the nurse there who told me she started working for Simon 20 years ago when the issue was 100% housing need. She now believes it split 50:50 between drug addiction and housing needs. We make it unequivocally clear that those who sell and distribute drugs should be treated as the criminals they are.”
“Along with this, a key recommendation of the Citizens' Assembly on Drug Use was a greater focus on prevention and recovery, and greater supports for family and children impacted by drug use. This motion is also quite personal to me. Two family members of mine have been in rehab facilities in Cork, most recently my own brother this year. I see the amazing work being done in these facilities. However, if a family cannot cope with the exorbitant figure to enter this facility, the individual must wait up to eight months in some instances to be referred by the HSE. I know of a treatment centre in Cork that my brother went to.”
“Christine lost her three sons, Dillon, Damien and Leon, to drug overdoses. Christine outlined that more services need to be offered to help people with addiction and mental health. I will just read some of what Christine said, "Mental health always comes with addiction... I just feel there’s nothing being done for people with addiction and mental health [issues]". On a supervised injecting centre for Cork, Christine said, "My two children might have been saved if they were inside in a centre." This story gripped many people's attention - a mother who had been through what no mother should have had to go through, calling for increased supports, a reform of our drug policy and a drug-injecting facility for Cork. That is exactly what I am calling for here.”
“This Private Members' motion is very personal for many people across the country. In each and every community, urban and rural, a significant number of people are now using drugs in their daily lives, in their nightlife activities or as their coping mechanism. This motion at the end of the day is about people. It is often a conversation that is taboo. People do not speak about it. I am very proud to be in the Labour Party which has led on this in calling out our country's failed drug policies. I wish to speak about the great mother who suffered so badly because of the harm of drug taking, overdosing and the lack of support. Ms Christine Kavanagh is a mother from Cork who has lost three sons to drug overdoses. A number of months ago I watched her interview on RTÉ and her deep emotion struck many people across the country.”
“That clarifies the position of the predictability of when that funding will come through and the fact some of the €200 million fund previously in the strategy still remains and will be followed through on. Does the Department outline guidelines to each school when it gives the ICT funding on what possible initiatives the school could use the funding for or is it totally up to the boards of management or principals of schools or people who are in post in relation to ICT equipment? The previous Bill debated this evening was about back to school costs. In regard to the ICT equipment required by schools, is there a possibility that schools would be able to set aside a certain amount of funding they receive every year to buy pieces of ICT equipment that could be allocated to or rented out to students?”
“That is extremely good. In regard to the €35 million given to schools in May, was that funding down on last year's provision or is it the case the €35 million that was given in May and the funding that will be given in January will be placed together as the whole funding for one academic year? Alternatively, has the ICT grant funding reduced since last year? If the Minister could clarify this I would appreciate it.”
“The predictability of when funding will be made available to schools is absolutely welcome, and I know this from my own experience in some schools. To clarify again, am I correct in saying the minor works and the ICT funding will be given in December or January?”
“DEIS plus is a welcome initiative and has been championed by my party and the former Deputy Ó Ríordáin, now an MEP. There has to be cross-party support for the roll-out of DEIS plus. It is about the implementation being as quick as possible because schools need it. Deputy O'Rourke and I met with a number of principals recently in the audiovisual room in relation to their schools and one point they focused on was the deputy principal role. I hope DEIS plus will help to tackle disadvantage in many schools across the country. We only have 0.75 of a deputy principal in one DEIS school in a socioeconomically disadvantaged area of Cork, for example. I do not doubt the Minister's bona fides on this. We just need to get it done as quickly as possible.”
“I appreciate that. With that design advisory group, are we on track to hopefully roll out DEIS plus for the academic year 2026-2027? Is that the priority for Government? In relation to the €16 million grant funding, that will not be the full amount to roll out DEIS plus in totality but is it the job of the design advisory group to come up with the specific schools or areas we were going to target first? If so, how do we pick those schools or areas? The Minister knows I am absolutely willing to work with her. At the centre of this are the most disadvantaged children across the country and the Minister will appreciate that the questions that are forthcoming constantly in relation to this are genuinely based on the need for extra supports in our communities.”
“I would normally work with the Department on this, but I am extremely disappointed that the Department has not taken this Bill on board. It is legislation we could all have worked on together. It is disappointing. For the end of my speech, I have written, "I urge you to support this motion." However, there is no point in saying that now because the disappointment is there now. It is felt in the pocket of the people who have to pay for their children to go back to school every year.”
“They said they would go into debt until March the following year before it was all paid back and the situation would repeat again in August. They said they are worried about whether they can keep it up, year after year. These are real-life examples. They are particular examples from associations such as Barnardos and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which are constantly advocating for and meeting families who are coming to them for help. No family should be going into debt, skipping meals or turning off the heating or lighting to cover basic needs such as school uniforms. No child should have to go through the plight of not knowing whether they will have every piece of school uniform every year. I am extremely disappointed.”
“In her article, she included that one of her daughters' schools favoured iPads over schoolbooks. They had to be bought from a particular supplier at a cost of €604. When speaking about school uniforms, she referenced the new PE kit the school has introduced. It cost €117.50 for one child. She went on to speak about exam fees, extracurricular activities, voluntary contributions, school transport and school lunches. These are all what we would consider basic and part and parcel of free education. Every year, parents contact public representatives about the costs associated with going back to school. One parent told me in August that they would not pay gas or electricity bills in August but would borrow, take out a loan and use instalments to get as much as they can for back-to-school items.”
“Some 27% of secondary and 14% of primary school parents across Ireland said they have used savings to meet back-to-school costs, while 15% of secondary and 8% of primary school parents said that they have taken a loan out or borrowed from family or friends. The Zurich cost of education 2025 survey, based on information from 1,900 respondents, put the estimated cost of sending a child to primary school at €1,442, an increase of €30 on last year's report, and a lifetime cost of €12,920. That is our free education system. In August, I read about back-to-school costs for one parent, Ms Claire O'Rourke, who lives in Glasnevin in Dublin. I read about her in The Irish Times . She came up with a figure of about €800 per month for four children. That figure applies every month during the school year.”
“Those are the two main expenses, but SVP is conscious that the school year doesn't stop in September. There are costs associated throughout the year, and we'll get a lot of calls for assistance on those too. Those additional costs include voluntary contributions and school trips. Mr. O'Sullivan went on to say: For the [transition year] students, there's big pressure on parents to be able to fund overseas trips. We're asking schools to put in place a suitable alternative for people who just can't afford that. Barnardos in August published the results of its back-to-school survey, which showed that 50% of primary and 60% of secondary school parents were worried about meeting costs this year.”
“He said: We’ve seen an increase in calls in the last [number of weeks], and it’s only going to get busier now as we get through August. SVP has been advocating for the last 15 years for free schoolbooks, so it’s great that this year both secondary and primary schools are both receiving free books. However, we're seeing an increase in people looking for help to buy technology, laptops and tablets. The books are free but now many schools are expecting students to have devices, which is quite a big expense for parents. It's not mandatory to have them, but there's an expectance there, and kids don't want to be the only one in a class without one. We've also seen an increase in people looking for help to buy uniforms. The back-to-school allowance is there, but it's not enough to cover everything.”
“It is about fairness and dignity for children. No child should be left behind because their family cannot afford the basics. Along with this, there are other clear actions that the Government could introduce. We could permanently abolish exam fees and we could make school transport free for everyone with a €27 million investment. We could ban voluntary contributions and increase capitation grants by a further 20%. We could also ensure that home economics students get the same ingredients support that exists for woodwork and metalwork. Education should be a right, not a burden. The Labour Party's proposals are constantly practical, costed and achievable. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul's regional co-ordinator in Cork, Mr. Cormac O'Sullivan, said that back-to-school costs season is very busy for them.”
“Issues such as these are the fundamental issues that create a stigma within our schools. We must ensure we reduce any cause, or get rid of any cause or possible cause, of bullying within any of our school environments. However, we must be real with ourselves. We have all been in schools. The children without are often the ones targeted. School uniforms should not be another target placed on a child's back. As was mentioned previously, data from the Irish League of Credit Unions revealed in August that parents are now spending over €1,450 per primary pupil and €1,560 for those in secondary school. One in three families are being forced into debt to cope with the financial burden. It is absolutely unacceptable that 35% of parents say they have had to deny their child at least one essential item. This is not just about cost.”
“That includes the costs I mentioned previously, including the universal back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance and a ban on voluntary contributions. We must also continue working towards increasing our capitation grants not just at primary level but also at post-primary level. Parents are doing everything they can to give their children the best start in life but they are being failed by a system that continues, as I said, to demand voluntary contributions, to charge for uniforms and exam papers and, increasingly, as has been mentioned, to require expensive digital devices, such as tablets and iPads. This is not free education. Making the clothing and footwear allowance universal would come at a cost of €250 million to the State. It would include €260 for four- to 11-year-olds and €385 for those aged between 12 and 22 years.”
“However, this is not the school's fault because it is often the case that these fundraisers go towards funding for essential day-to-day running costs, new school equipment or even jerseys for their sports teams. I welcome recent increases in primary school capitation grants and the roll-out of the school meals programme. However, as I said, if you take one step away and analyse this free primary and second level education system, nobody here can say it is free. Education is our greatest tool for creating a more equal and prosperous Ireland and costs should not be a barrier to any child reaching his or her potential. We must ensure that every child has a fair start and we must cut costs for parents by making education genuinely free.”
“No family should be put before a means test to access a payment to help with the very basic, in this instance school uniforms and shoes. In the Labour Party our mission is the provision of an inclusive and genuinely free-of-charge system of State-run education. To be totally frank, we can say we created free primary and second level education in this country all we want, but when you step back and analyse it, have we actually? We still have voluntary contributions that are not that voluntary. We have exorbitant school uniform costs. Schools now ask children to have €500 laptops and tablet devices. Many schools are begging parents to partake in fundraisers every year, placing another burden on parents.”
“How can that be if mothers or fathers cannot afford to go out and purchase a branded jumper or shirt for their children? Where is the equity in that? Where does the great leveller come in there? It does not. We must see a culture change back to second-hand uniforms. That will only be made possible by interventions from the Government. Many people will tell you that it was once the norm. Pieces of uniform, be they school ties or jumpers, were passed down a generation. Unfortunately, it does not happen any more. We must see that culture change. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance is a payment to help families with the cost of school uniforms and shoes. However, the payment is not universal but is means-tested. I speak for all families when speaking on this topic.”
“Apart from only a few, nearly every picture shows each child in their school uniform. This is no coincidence. The school uniform is an essential element of school life and has been for many generations in this country. However, with this, we must be progressive in our views on school uniforms. In 2017, the Department of education issued guidelines to schools to reduce uniform costs by encouraging the use of generic uniforms with sew-on crests. Implementation, however, has been inconsistent, with many schools insisting on expensive and branded uniforms. When schools mandate crested or branded items of uniform from exclusive suppliers, costs increase further, thereby undermining the principle of equitable access to education. That is the fundamental issue. We talk about education being the great leveller.”
“We should not be in a situation where parents are forced to take out loans, apply for supplementary welfare allowance or for their children to go without. The reality is this is what is happening. These families do not want sympathy or empathy; they want fair and transparent access to everything that others in our society have. This Bill leads towards the very basic things that children in this country should have access to - school uniforms. I recognise the role and the pride that schools take in their school uniforms. They are part and parcel of the history and of the fabric of each and every school community. Every parent wants to see their child, no matter how young or old, in their school uniform. I think of my own grandmother's house. There are pictures of all of her children and grandchildren on her wall.”
“I thank Sinn Féin for putting this Bill forward. The Labour Party is very happy to support it. For many years, the Labour Party has championed the serious effect that back-to-school costs are placing on families across the country and the serious need to implement concrete support measures. Every family is affected by this, not just the chosen few. However, we stand and debate another topic that has a significant effect on our most vulnerable people in our society. This year's budget is another missed opportunity to show real ambition for Ireland's teachers, children and school communities. It is not enough to make token gestures while ignoring the major issues at the heart of our education system. This is one of those major issues.”
“I thank the Minister of State again for visiting Mallow. He is well aware of the fishermen he met that day and the significant hurt and anger that continue to be felt. It does not matter whether I am in the Opposition or the Government, the lack of accountability remains an issue for the people in Mallow. I ask the Minister of State to speed up those conversations that have begun with IFI and give it those enforcement powers because unless we do that, events like that on the Blackwater will continue to happen on our waterways across this country.”
“The essential issue that members of our communities have, which they have directed at me even though I am not even in government, is that there is a serious lack of accountability when it comes to protecting our environment and pollution in our environment. If we are serious about protecting our environment, rivers, fish and wildlife, enforcement powers must be increased. EPA licences must be withdrawn if constant pollution happens, because I can think of a number of organisations, private and public, which have polluted rivers in and around my own town of Mallow for many years, and which are making millions of euro in profit, that continue to pollute. My firm belief is that the reason for that is that it will cost them far less to take the slap on the wrist and the few thousand euro of a fine than to put in the infrastructure.”
“The Minister of State well knows that the fish kill caused significant hurt and anger in my home town and its environs. To get this conclusion is a cause for significant and serious concern. Following the joint committee on the environment meeting, I am shocked to hear IFI chairperson and the workers themselves believe that they do not have strong enough enforcement powers within their organisation to stop companies, individuals or State agencies from polluting our rivers. My understanding is that the Minister of State, his Department and IFI have begun conversations to give IFI further enforcement powers but my firm belief is that that must be sped up or more events like what we saw on the Blackwater in August will continue to happen across this country.”
“As a first time TD, I meet many people across many different sectors. Meeting those people, particularly volunteers in various groups and organisations, and learning from them is possibly one of the best parts of this job. In August this year, fisheries, the importance of fish, wildlife and our rivers landed on my desk. To be totally honest with everyone in this House, I knew very little about fish, wildlife and our rivers, despite living in and being from Mallow, which the River Blackwater flows through. The River Blackwater was the scene of the greatest fish kill ever seen in this country. In excess of 40,000 fish were killed by a chemical irritant. The cross-party agency group came to a conclusion that no definite source could be found. I again thank the Minister of State for coming to Mallow. The people of the town appreciate that.”
“Supporting healthcare is not activism. It is governance. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler's commitment, first and foremost as a mother and as a Minister, to ensuring trans young people receive appropriate evidence-based care is exactly what we should expect from a Minister for mental health. While I agree with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, I must also highlight the shortcomings in healthcare in this regard. Wait list times for the National Gender Service are in excess of ten years. If a cis man was experiencing a hormone imbalance, he would not be expected to wait ten years. The attempts of some politicians to politicise trans healthcare is not leadership. Rather, it is an attempt to sow division where instead we should lead. Trans men are men. Their health is men's health.”
“To suggest that the Minister might breach the code of conduct for simply supporting healthcare for trans people is unfounded and unfair.”
“Men's health deserves serious attention in this House. Across Ireland, men are struggling with mental health, access to care and a culture that too often tells them to stay silent. I must commend the good work of Pieta House, the Samaritans, Men's Aid and the Irish Men's Shed Association and the fantastic work it does for men struggling with mental health, loneliness and exclusion. Words are easy, but I would like to encourage everyone and advise any man struggling with his mental or physical health to talk to someone. You are not alone. When we talk about men's health, we must mean all men, including trans men. Their well-being, safety and access to healthcare are part of men's health. That is why recent remarks from certain quarters of this Chamber are deeply concerning.”
“I compliment the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, on the progress he has made in rolling out essential school therapies but students face consistent barriers. I know this from experience. There were children in my classroom at second level who should not have been in a mainstream environment. The reason they were was there was such a backlog in assessment of need they were not given the opportunity to go to a special education needs setting. At the centre of this are children. I understand this is outside the Minister's remit. This Government must realise the extent of the problems families face.”
“It is deeply emotional because at the centre is a child. That is the bottom line. Children are not being given the entitlements. They face barrier after barrier to get the essential therapies and supports they so badly need. There are a number of examples. A manager in a CDNT in Cork told a family, "We are finding it impossible to source a psychologist to allow us to complete the assessments. We are continuing to explore all the options but we are not in a position to complete any autism assessment right now". A school in Cork informed parents it would move to either a three-day or four-day week due to a critical shortage of special needs assistants. These children depend on consistency and care provide in schools.”
“There is a difficulty for a lot of people who cannot fill out the form. I previously worked for the former Deputy, Sean Sherlock. I spent a lot of my time filling disability allowance application forms for individuals who genuinely could not do it. Now, my secretary fills out disability allowance application forms for people. Ultimately, that is the ground hurling; it is what we are there to do but it is difficult for some individuals to present at a constituency office to ask people working in the office to fill out the form. I will touch on something that is outside of the Minister's remit - assessment of need. It is one of the biggest difficulties I hear from families. It is often in the most stressful of cases that families come to their local politician to try to progress an assessment of need.”
“I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this motion and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, for his presence in the Chamber. This is an important debate because it affects every TD. People call into our constituency offices about family members or themselves in relation to their disabilities. Often, you come across people in difficult circumstances who may be on disability allowance. My colleague, Deputy Wall, gave an example. People cannot turn on the heating, afford to pay a phone bill or keep the lights on. That is the difficulty we face. It is shameful politicians would have to speak to individuals with disabilities and offer them absolutely nothing of substance to keep them warm in their homes and allow them to keep their lights on or their phone on. The rigmarole of the disability allowance form is something I struggle to comprehend.”
“There was absolutely no mention of the roles of secretaries and caretakers across our schools, who had to go on strike. There was no significant or firm funding commitment for the school transport system. The so-called continued investment in school transport is another empty promise. There is no fooling anyone in the school transport system and families across this country. I welcome the announcement on new special needs assistants and special education teachers but I was in schools where I have seen allocations being made. What actually happens is that teachers and SNAs are taken out of mainstream environments and put into special education needs settings. I hope that is not going to be the case here as well. There is a significant lack of progress being made for the most vulnerable people in our society.”
“The Government has now announced DEIS plus on two occasions yet there is still no clarity on what funding will actually be available. It can produce surgically accurate figures for restaurateurs and builders but not for our most disadvantaged children. It is astonishing, in what Simon Harris has declared a child poverty budget, that the Government cannot even outline how it intends to resource the schools serving those most in need. Ireland is one of the richest countries in the world, yet ESRI research shows that one in five children, that is, over 225,000, live in families below the poverty line. Projects like DEIS plus are vital and urgent. We need to see this reflected by the Government. There was no mention of student-teacher ratios yesterday, even though it was a commitment in the programme for Government.”
“It will get you nothing in the colder months of November, December, January and February. Locally, yesterday's budget once again highlights the lack of follow-through from the Government on significant projects like the Mallow relief road and the Cork to Limerick motorway. Both of these projects are vital for the development of Mallow and its environs, as well as connectivity and safer routes between our second- and third-largest cities. These projects cannot just be shoved into the general budget of the Department of Transport or Transport Infrastructure Ireland. They should have been recognised as stand-alone projects by the Government. On education, there have been improvements. I will accept that but they in no way go far enough for the ordinary child in the local voluntary school.”
“This farce about the 9% VAT on gas and electricity supplies is just a cover. It will not help the more than 1 million homes, families, individuals and others who rely on a tank of home heating oil, specifically lower-income and rural households. What am I to tell a pensioner living on the side of the hill in the likes of Carrignavar or Mourneabbey who will not be helped by this Government because they have to rely on home heating oil? Along with this, there is €5 extra for fuel allowance. Five bloody euro. What an absolute farce. I looked it up this morning. A packet of firelogs is €10, so you would have about enough for a half a packet of firelogs. We are told an extra 50,000 people will be reached by the working family payment. My understanding is that they will receive that in March 2026 and it will be backdated to January 2026.”
“Yesterday was my first budget in this House. Having spoken to a number of families last night and individuals who contacted me, they have looked at that budget yesterday and found absolutely nothing of substance that would help them. These are working families and working men and women. If the Minister takes the ordinary middle-income working family with two or three kids, there is no change in the price of their groceries or in their household bills. The tank of diesel or petrol costs more. Voluntary contributions remain. There is no help with childcare costs. Groceries are a prime example. They are an exorbitant cost. Families are cutting back to cover basic needs. The mother or father who is skipping a meal to make sure his or her child has a meal would have seen nothing for him or her in yesterday's budget.”
“I am hoping for this for the Department of Education and Youth and that when the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers stand here next Tuesday, they will give us a clear outline as to what budget will be given towards the advancement of DEIS plus in this country. I appreciate the Minister of State's response.”
“The first year cost to cover increased energy and operational costs would be €18.2 million. We want to extend the summer school meals pilot to all DEIS schools, which would be €3.2 million. We want a 10% increase in school completion programme funding, which would be €3.7 million. We want to appoint 20 additional home school community liaison positions, which would be €1.7 million. We have a significant costed plan in the Labour Party to introduce DEIS plus. That is the energy and dedication we need from this Government now to tackle disadvantaged children in this country. I am absolutely fully aware of and appreciate the work that has been done by the Government on this, but with the announcement having been so long ago, we must make sure of this next week.”
“I appreciate the response by the Minister of State. It is extremely important that we continue to highlight the significant issues faced by children across this country and the barriers before them in education. Today the Labour Party launched our Alternative Budget 2026. A significant part of this relates to disadvantage in our school communities and in education. In our alternative budget we want to begin the phasing in of all DEIS plus with identified clusters, which would cost €3 million. We want to expand the City Connects programme to all DEIS band 1 schools, beginning with schools in DEIS plus clusters. The first year costs would be €7.2 million. We want to cut the DEIS schools class size ratio to 15:1. The phased first year costs would be €5.5 million. We want an additional 100% increase in capitation for DEIS schools.”
“However, right now, we also have significant focus on what other brilliant achievements other children have, be it in academia, sport, arts or whatever it may be. I ask the Government now to produce a timeline and a budget for the rolling out of DEIS plus to benefit not just schools but most importantly students in this country.”
“I spent a lot of my time while I was teaching trying to encourage all students, particularly those in fifth and sixth year of the schools I taught in, to progress after they finished school into whatever career they wanted. The rolling out of DEIS plus would be a serious advantage to giving these children the opportunity to progress in life after they finished school. It is extremely important that we acknowledge the fantastic role that SNAs, special educational teachers, guidance counsellors, mainstream teachers, school principals and deputy principals play in our education system. I also want to acknowledge the fantastic students we have in this country. A lot of the time for many years we focused particularly on how good the child was academically.”
“It is quite a significant step to take because we must ensure there are absolutely no barriers for any child in this country to accessing the appropriate school that is needed for that child, be it in primary or post-primary. We must also ensure that they have the relevant special educational needs teachers, SNAs and absolutely any other special educational teacher they need to progress in their academic life. Alongside this, we need to promote in all post-primary schools across this country the opportunity to progress in academic life or the opportunity to progress into apprenticeships. We did not have that across the island for many years. As a former secondary school teacher, I can attest that we need to see far more of it.”
“The school principals outlined to us the significant challenges they face. The job of a school principal now has significantly changed over many years. Their job, particularly in a DEIS school where you are dealing with serious, different needs as opposed to just academic needs, is quite significant. I will take Mayfield Community School as one example. The deputy principal in the school is a fantastic woman. She is not a full-time deputy principal. She is on 0.75 hours of a deputy principal's role. That is extremely difficult to comprehend because the level of need in the school is quite significant. Today, the Labour Party launched its alternative budget for 2026 and the party is fully committed to investing in the roll-out of DEIS plus across band 1 schools in this country.”
“I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, for being here and I also acknowledge the communication from the Minister, Deputy McEntee, on my Topical Issue. I wish to raise the roll-out of DEIS plus, which is a significant development in education across this country. It is something of keen focus for the Labour Party. I know the Government has announced, following the general election this year, that DEIS plus would be rolled out across many schools in the country but my firm belief is that we still do not have a timeline or a budget for this. Last week, I had the great privilege to meet three school principals. One of these, Mr. Kieran Golden, was my former boss in Mayfield Community School. I was absolutely honoured to teach in Mayfield Community School with such fantastic students and colleagues. The school is a DEIS school.”