Gareth Scahill
Nominated by the Taoiseach · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Before we finish up I call for a debate on home care services when we come back in September. We all know the value of carers in our society but an awful lot of the HSE support service staff going into houses are private agency staff and when the person they are looking after goes into hospital or into respite the support they are getting…”
“Can we reset the clock? I will start by mentioning the "parents notify" portal on the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, website for special classes and special places, which has a deadline of 1 September.”
“Like previous speakers, the Leas-Chathaoirleach might allow me to thank the staff of the House, including the ushers and all the catering staff and, reluctantly, all of my colleagues in the House. We do not always get on or agree but there is great respect in the House.”
“I welcome the Minister to the House. Like so many of the previous speakers, it would be disingenuous of me not to concede I agree with some of the points in the motion.”
“The whole country has these facilities now, meaning that should we ever experience something like Storm Éowyn in 2025 again, we will have supports to allow people to continue to work remotely, provide for their families and live where they want to.”
“I do not believe one size fits all in Ireland. The Minister's county, my county and Longford are all in one big district and we have not benefited from additional Garda numbers in quite some time.”
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“They are directly linked to tackling the housing crisis, meeting our 2030 climate targets and promoting balanced regional and economic development. If somebody asked me to make a business case for apprenticeships, I would ask them how quickly they can get builders, electricians or plumbers right now. Qualified tradespeople are in such high demand that they can pick and choose the jobs they want. For example, on retrofitting, like many colleagues across this House, I have helped people apply for the warmer homes scheme and similar supports. SEAI data shows the average wait time for the scheme in 2023 was 20 months and in 2024 it was 17 months. In my home county, it is over 18 months, which is a wait of a year and a half during a period of rising energy costs for a scheme designed to help people.”
“I thank the Cathaoirleach. The Minister is very welcome. I welcome the motion and the focus it brings to higher education. The area I would like to highlight is the commitment in the programme for Government to investing in and growing our apprenticeships, particularly in construction, retrofitting and healthcare. I mentioned last week the tertiary access route to general nursing, which is starting in the Galway and Roscommon ETB in Castlerea, County Roscommon. There need to be more programmes like that giving access. We often hear about proposals that do not make a strong enough business case for further education and training. Let me put it plainly: the growth and availability of apprenticeships are not just nice to have; they are essential.”
“The fellowship recognises a lifetime of advocacy, scholarship and leadership but also of continued contribution to the life of the college and broader society. Dr. John Bosco Conama is the first deaf person and sign language user to be awarded this honour in Ireland. This is an incredible recognition of someone's lifetime commitment. I congratulate him, his partner, Audrey, their extended families, friends, colleagues and the wider deaf community. I hope his achievements can be seen as an example to all, but especially to the deaf community, that there is a place in academia for them and there are no limits to what they can achieve. Congratulations, Dr. Conama.”
“I acknowledge a man from Ballintober in County Roscommon. I extend my sincere congratulations to Dr. John Bosco Conama, who was elected to the fellowship of Trinity College Dublin last week. John is a professor in the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin. His commitment to deaf equality and advocacy issues, alongside his commitment to academia, lecturing, publishing and research is outstanding. He is at the highest levels, not only on national, but on international levels. He is currently the director for the Centre for Deaf Studies, vice chair of the Irish Deaf Society, co-chair of the group implementing the Irish Sign Language Act and chair of the Irish Sign Language recognition campaign, to mention but a few of his achievements.”
“It is community-focused and the programme also contributes to the national effort to address the shortage in qualified nurses. It also reduces the need for people to travel and cuts the cost for local learners. I have spoken here numerous times on apprenticeships and alternative ways of learning. When a programme like this is created and made available locally it must be acknowledged. It was launched last Tuesday, 29 April. I encourage people across the west of Ireland to look at it as an option for getting into nursing.”
“I rise this morning to talk about a good news story this week in Roscommon, which is the launch of a tertiary route to general nursing in Castlerea. The Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board and the Atlantic Technological University, ATU, have launched a new tertiary access route to general nursing. The programme is delivered through the further education and training centre in Castlerea, offering QQI level 5 awards in nursing studies. It is the first of its kind in Roscommon, providing a free and flexible path to a BSc in general nursing at the ATU in Mayo. It is a very important thing to highlight. I commend the education and training board in Castlerea on creating this course for next September. It supports learners of all ages to build confidence, gain qualifications and pursue a career in nursing.”
“It is about empowering these individuals to determine and plot out their own futures. I wish the Minister of State the very best of luck with that.”
“We would be doing a disservice to young people throughout the country if we did not try to come up with a way of being able to tag and call out the social media companies to actually monitor and back this up themselves because there is a knock-on effect to this. It is affecting families and communities and the number of suicides in our rural communities at the moment. It does not stop there. Drug intimidation follows these people, who may be incarcerated or take their own lives. These individuals are being followed for the money they are losing through this. We need education, first of all, within the youth diversion programmes, schools, youth clubs and family resource centres to support and provide the information and give them the opportunities to learn the impacts of their actions and where they are leading to.”
“It is by engaging with businesses, individuals or domestic households who have experienced crime or suffered from crime and having them speak with people who have been convicted or found guilty of these things. It is a two-way process of rebuilding but if the victims can engage with the perpetrators, there is no reason the communities cannot engage with the perpetrators. It was also highlighted to me that young people nowadays are using social media and specifically Snapchat - I do not know if I am allowed to say that - and are being offered opportunities for easy money. This easy money has a knock-on effect.”
“I met representatives of the north-west restorative justice service the other night. They are talking about changing cultural norms and what needs to change. They are on about drug intimidation. They made a valid point to me that our prisons are full to capacity at the moment. By building more prisons, are we going to put more people away or do we have to change how we deliver and administer justice? They highlight the fact there is no such thing as a victimless crime nowadays. We need to integrate people who have had one or two indiscretions back into their communities and let them serve a part in and become part of those communities. They have a great way of doing that.”
“Education, education, education - that will be the key to turning the curve, diverting these people away from crime and empowering our young people. I spoke in the Chamber yesterday about a pilot programme in a secondary school in Strokestown, where a commercial entity has gone in and started delivering Safe Pass courses to students in transition year. I highlight it because those students now have something to look forward to in the summer months when they go out and do a physical job they would otherwise have been impeded from doing because they did not have the proper paperwork. Since Covid, young people have a different social environment from the one we all grew up in and experienced. They engage with things very differently from how we did, and that is why we have to constantly evolve and come up with solutions.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming in today. I will not go over what my colleagues have mentioned but I would like to acknowledge the family resource centres in Roscommon, Foróige, Youth Work Ireland and the 101 youth diversion schemes going on around the country. I ask that we continue to support them and look to expand the range of their offering. Senator Flynn mentioned Ballyfermot and Donegal and how the influx of people turning to crime and criminal activity has increased there, but it knows no borders, county lines or constituency lines. It is only by having conversations like we are having now that we will highlight it, address it and come up with potential solutions that will reduce the number and reduce the curve. Senator Rabbitte mentioned education and that was what I had down here to speak about in relation to this.”
“To every business owner, especially in the west of Ireland, working long hours to keep their doors open, and to every retail worker who stands behind a counter facing the public each day, you deserve respect, security and protection. The Protection of Retail Workers Bill 2025 is a critical start. Let us not just stop at physical abuse. Let us include reputation, dignity and fairness in that conversation, especially for rural businesses that are too open and left to fight this battle on their own. On what Senator Andrews said about the previous Minister, today is about protecting retail workers' rights. Let us pass this Bill today and push it through the House. Let us not use it as an opportunity to gain bonus points.”
“It is where we meet our neighbours, post letters, get prescriptions and hear the latest news. These businesses are anchors in towns that are already fighting depopulation, infrastructure issues and rising costs. When they are attacked, physically or reputationally, it affects everyone. This Bill, while focused on worker protection, must be seen as part of a wider effort to defend the entire rural retail ecosystem. Let us send a message that abuse and false accusations, whether in-store or online, have no place in our communities. Let us back our shopkeepers, staff and small businesses not just with words but with legislation, and give them the tools to respond, rebuild and continue to serve.”
“It many cases it is a battle they are forced to fight alone. This needs to change. If we are serious about supporting retail workers and businesses, especially in rural Ireland, we must take a broader view of protection which also includes protection from defamation and digital abuse. This Bill opens the door to that conversation so I propose we use this opportunity to push for recognition that retail defamation is a form of abuse, especially when it targets individual shops or staff through online platforms. A support system for small businesses, including quick response mechanisms for dealing with false accusations and access to legal guidance or mediation services is needed. In rural Ireland, the local shop is not just where we buy bread and milk, as some of my colleagues have said.”
“I mentioned in the House previously that I heard from retail businesses recently that they do not follow people they suspect of stealing from their businesses, mainly because the likelihood of a conviction is low, but also because they open themselves up to a defamation case for accusing someone. If someone has a history of stealing, they should not have a character to protect. We owe it to the businesses to protect the businesses in that situation. In a rural town where every customer counts, one defamation post on social media can be catastrophic. It can deter customers, spark rumours and undo years of honest hard work overnight. I have spoken to business owners who have to defend themselves online against false claims without the time, resources or legal advice to do so effectively.”
“That is especially true in small towns and villages across the west of Ireland where a single business might employ half a dozen people and keep the heart of the community alive. Retail crime and abuse are on the rise. From theft and threats to verbal abuse and harassment, workers are facing growing hostility. This Bill rightly recognises that retail work should not come with daily risk. There is also another threat that is less visible but just as damaging to businesses and this Bill must help us to begin us to address it. It is retail defamation. Retail defamation refers to false, harmful and often public accusations made against businesses, which can be severely damaging to reputations, customer trust and staff morale.”
“I welcome the Minister to the House. The Protection of Retail Workers Bill 2025 is a timely and necessary step in acknowledging the challenges retail workers face and offering them real enforcement protection. I therefore commend the Senators on bringing forward the Bill. Retail workers are the visible face of commerce in every community, from corner shops to petrol stations, local supermarkets and family run stores. However, in rural Ireland these workers are often the same people who run the business. The role is not only about service. It is about community. When we talk about protecting retail workers we must also speak about protecting retail businesses because the two cannot be separated.”
“The mills are getting through that supply at the moment but, as there is an oversupply, there is a reduction in the actual price forestry owners are getting. My colleague, Senator Brady, made me aware that, for the first time in the history of the State, private forest owners have exported sawlog. A total of 3,000 tonnes of sawlog left Dundalk Port destined for Belgium last weekend. This was done without help or assistance from the Department. Forestry owners did it by themselves to achieve a fair price for their product.”
“As for trying to hit the target of 8,000 ha of tree planting, I am looking at what has happened in other sectors and what other things we will need in that sector when we hit these targets. Arborists and arboriculture apprenticeships are something we need to promote right now in order that we will have the people on the ground to deal with this supply in a couple of years' time when the Minister of State hits the targets he is looking to achieve. Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board, GRETB, has a practical hands-on course in Petersburg Outdoor Education Centre. It is very well subscribed. I would welcome the Minister of State visiting that facility at some stage. We spoke about the 25,000 tonnes of trees that came down during Storm Éowyn. I may have that figure wrong.”
“I will not go back over a lot of what my colleagues have said. One of the big things I encountered on Roscommon County Council before Storm Éowyn was the guidelines required for clear corridors in forestry for power and telephone masts and the proximity to roads and the enforcement and monitoring of those guidelines. That is one thing I wish to raise with the Minister of State. A few of my colleagues mentioned the issue of roadside trees. Local authorities need to be resourced to treat roadside trees or to remove them. I know some of my colleagues do not agree with the latter approach. Tree management plans are what local authorities are following at the moment, but there is a safety element there. Many local authorities need assistance with removing these trees.”
“I commend this pilot scheme which took place in Roscommon and look for a discussion with the Minister for Education, Deputy McEntee, or the Minister for further and higher education, Deputy Lawless, to see whether there is an opportunity to introduce this scheme for transition year students nationally.”
“It is an initiative that should be replicated and delivered throughout all transition year courses in the country. When I was growing up, you were able to go builders, construction workers and tradespeople during the summer holidays to look for work experience and get paid employment. Students now are hit with safety regulations that are impeding their ability to do something like that during the summer. Delivering a course like this as part of the transition year programme will empower and open up opportunities for those students that will stand to them when they go on to third level or further education.”
“I, too, wish to be associated with the remembrance of Pope Francis. I had the pleasure of attending mass in the cathedral in Ballaghaderreen last Saturday delivered by Bishop Kevin Doran and Vicar General Fr. John McManus in recognising and celebrating the Pope’s life. I also wish to be associated with the good wishes towards Martin Groves on his retirement. I take this opportunity to raise an issue that came up in the local media in Roscommon during the Easter break, that is, a pilot scheme delivering Safe Pass courses to transition year students. It is a pilot scheme spearheaded by Selina Galvin of John F. Hanley Limited in collaboration with a local construction company, Shannon Valley. They have been delivering Safe Pass courses to the students of Scoil Mhuire in Strokestown.”
“I have the support of my Oireachtas colleagues in the Roscommon-Galway constituency on this matter and I have had the support of the Minister of State in the past with regard to water issues, for which I thank him.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I will read out a communication I got from a hospitality business in Cloonfad on 18 April, Good Friday. The title of the communication was "Absolutely Fed Up". It said that the business was left with no option but to remain closed that afternoon due to yet another water outage in Cloonfad on one of the busiest weekends of the year, the Easter bank holiday Saturday. This, the business said, was beyond frustrating. It said it was angry and disappointed with Irish Water, that this was not the first time it had happened and it would not be the last. It asked how small businesses like it are supposed to survive under these conditions. I will be in touch with the Minister. I tried to make contact with him last week.”
“I look forward to the Minister of State's response and thank him for taking this Commencement matter. I know this is not his particular area.”
“I call on the Minister of State to do open heart surgery, so to speak, and replace the actual pipes in the area as opposed to continuing with the Band-Aid solution. This is just one case. I am sure, with 30% leakage nationwide, that this is replicated in many other rural areas. I would like the Minister of State to address this now so that people living in this area have access to a fundamental requirement, namely, reliable water infrastructure. It is a basic requirement for domestic and business premises, no matter where they are located, but it is also a matter for public health, economic growth and regional equality. I have numerous examples and headlines from local media over the past four years highlighting the outages that have taken place in Cloonfad and across that particular part of Roscommon.”
“Following that, at the beginning of this month, Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice from my constituency raised the issue of Cloonfad, a small village in County Roscommon. On 2 April, he was alerted to the 21st water outage for the village, where a pipe had burst once more. It has been a consistent issue at Lowberry Cross, with the people in that particular area consistently having to put up with water outages. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. For Cloonfad and specifically for Lowberry Cross, we have consistently tried to put a Band-Aid solution in place where leaks in the pipes have occurred. The same issues happen consistently and repeatedly.”
“Capital investment in water services has increased from €300 million in 2014 to €1.3 billion in 2024 but there is significant work that needs to be done. I note national leakage has reduced from 46% in 2018 to 37% at present and the target is 25% in leakage rates, saving 200 million litres of water by 2030. After four months as a county councillor, I raised in the chamber of Roscommon County Council the need for the infrastructure in an area from Cloonfad to Garranlahan to be looked at. We called on Irish Water to specifically look at this particular area. It related to the infrastructural network of the organisation. A letter was sent on 12 December 2024, which was proposed by me and seconded by my former colleague, Councillor Paschal Fitzmaurice in Roscommon.”
“I rise today to seek an update on the provision for funding for the replacement of older water infrastructure in rural Ireland. I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber once again. I also acknowledge the Uisce Éireann staff on the ground across the country who are doing an exceptional job in often difficult circumstances and with very limited resources. From my experience of alerting the local teams to leaks and outages across my home county of Roscommon, I have always found them extremely helpful and supportive. I would be doing them and the people of rural Roscommon and rural Ireland a disservice if I did not ask for an update and continue to do so. First and foremost, I welcome the significant progress on Irish Water services in the past decade.”
“When does he expect the work on the permanent solution to begin, and when do we expect to have it completed? Before I finish, I wish the Minister of State a happy birthday today.”
“Their deep connection with Lough Funshinagh and its preservation has been to the fore throughout the whole process, notwithstanding the challenges they have faced from the flood risk to their homes and businesses. Following on from Senator Keogan's comments, the water level in Lough Funshinagh reached a new record in April 2024 of 3.3 m higher than the average levels, spread across 175 ha of land. I want to look toward the permanent solution with certainty. I call on the Minister of State to keep the pressure on to deliver that permanent solution without delay. Would it be possible to get the dates An Bord Pleanála will allow the temporary pumping to run until? When do we expect to lodge the planning application for the permanent solution? Will the Minister of State outline when he expects the injunction to be lifted?”
“I welcome the Minister of State. I thank him for the wonderful day we recently spent in Roscommon, turning on the temporary pumping system in Lough Funshinagh to help manage the flood risk pending the completion of the permanent scheme. On that day he praised the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and my colleagues, former Ministers of State responsible for the OPW, Deputy Kieran O'Donnell and Deputy Patrick O'Donovan, for identifying the interim solution, along with the team in Roscommon County Council, led by the senior executive engineer Caroline Nally. I also acknowledge the work done by my predecessor, Senator Aisling Dolan, and Councillor Laurence Fallon who lives in the area beside the turlough itself. The Minister if State also acknowledged the support and constructive engagement of the residents of Lough Funshinagh.”
“If someone has previously been convicted of shoplifting or robbery, he or she should not have a character to protect. It is our job to protect those businesses in that regard. Small business owners invest everything in their businesses - their time, their energy and their resources. I call on the House to have a debate on retail crime.”
“On the front page of my local newspaper, the Roscommon Herald , this morning, the owner of a retail business spoke about the deep impact a burglary has had on his life and his business. No one deserves to feel unsafe in their own workplace. I am hearing about retail crime and shoplifting and about businesses not chasing people they catch stealing in their shops because of the cost of doing so and the poor likelihood of a conviction. We are failing businesses if that is the way we are leaving things and we do not protect them. For business owners who even ask somebody or take somebody they suspect of shoplifting aside, we have this whole issue of retail defamation. The person who has been approached can go after the business and get money off it.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response. I appreciate this is not his Department. I welcome the fact the HSE has sanctioned the filling of the 34.7 positions and I look forward to those being filled. The year 2027 is still two years away. I will therefore work with the Minister and see whether anything can be fast-tracked with regard to delivering the services in our rural counties. I thank the Minister of State for coming today.”
“When will the next dental strategy be formulated to ensure we have enough dentists to meet the demand nationally for medical card holders? Can the Minister prioritise this issue for the large number of people affected by this in the Roscommon-Galway constituency, the west of Ireland and nationally?”
“Dentists, in turn, are frustrated by the limited care they can provide to medical card holders because they are limited on the number of fillings they can provide under the scheme. It is a disincentive to dentists who do not want to have to resort to extractions that that is the only treatment open to them in the end. It would be like patients going to a GP and the only option for treatment they were given was amputation. We need more dentists and we need to be able to provide more services to patients. The dental treatment scheme should be a demand-led scheme, not a budget-led scheme. Nobody can have good general health if they do not have good oral health. People are paying the price. The most vulnerable, the people who need help from the State the most, are the ones being ignored.”
“This is leading to these people being referred to dentists in other counties and is adding considerable time to the journeys of those patients. Many years of neglect transformed what was a poor service into a state of crisis within that sector. We are dealing with an emergency where patients simply cannot be seen or patients have to travel half the length of the country to get another dentist to see them. A total of 810 dentists are signed up to the dental treatment service scheme but, according to the media, only about 600 of those are active. The lack of availability has had a dramatic effect on people’s treatment. It means they cannot access routine treatments and they are presenting very late. They are often in a lot of pain with swelling and, inevitably, teeth are having to be extracted.”
“The issue I raise today is with regard to the lack of available dentists accepting medical cards nationwide. While I was a member of the regional health forum in the west, I raised this issue and the answer I received was not sufficient, considering the number of people nationwide affected by it. The question I asked of the regional health forum was whether the HSE could confirm which dentists in Roscommon were taking medical card patients and what the accepted waiting period for an appointment was. I was referred to the fact that four dentists in County Roscommon are accepting medical card patients. However, the note also stated that some dental practices are advising that they are at capacity and are unable to take new patients.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber today to answer questions on behalf of the Government. First and foremost, I congratulate him on his appointment. I also congratulate him on Galway’s win over New York at the weekend. Thankfully, he is here today and not in two weeks’ time, when Roscommon and Galway will be playing in the semi-final, or he might not be as accommodating to me. I also acknowledge the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, with this Commencement matter, as well as for meeting with me recently with regard to the university hospital in Roscommon and the provision for the rehabilitation unit and for the refurbishment of the radiology unit. I hope that my opinion and the opinions I reflect of the people of Roscommon will be reflected in future planning by her Department.”
“It is essential to minimise the impact of the tariffs in that regard. Access to the markets must be a top priority, and that means supporting businesses to understand the rules and logistics they need to succeed in global trade. We must make the most of the Single Market and our access to the UK market while exploring new international opportunities. Investment will be key to ensuring that businesses get the help they need to enter this and growing those markets. With the right strategy, what may seem like a challenge can actually drive on progress, advance initiatives like the capital markets union, unlock EU funding for people and small businesses, support the shift towards greener, more digital economies and strengthen our overall economic stability. That is the way we are moving forward from this.”
“The Tánaiste is very welcome. I welcome his comments on the supply chain. Supply chain disruption will have a big impact on Ireland, and I would like to work with the Tánaiste on that. I also welcome the Tánaiste's comments on small business, and the knock-on effect of the tariffs on small business and the multinationals. Last night, I did a little research on some of the multinationals based in rural Ireland. One of the key issues many of them cite as a reason for locating here is quality of life. We should not lose track of that because it is a big selling point, as some of my colleagues mentioned. To follow on from what Senator Ahearn said about looking at other markets, we need to look at empowering business to expand and thrive in new markets and help business reach new markets.”
“The Technical University of the Shannon had an award for innovation which was won by Farm Alert, an unbelievable idea from transition year students. It utilises GPS and smartwatch technology to alert family and the emergency services if something happens to a farmer working on his own on his land. The farmer would be able to instigate this alert. I wish to acknowledge the programme, which is encouraging tomorrow’s entrepreneurs today. Some 28,000 second level students participate in it annually. As I said, the national final will take place on 8 May. I wish all the schools the best of luck.”
“A number of them would be commercially viable and ready. I wish to acknowledge some of the awards: the commercial potential award went to Devine Design from Elphin Community College; the one to watch was Treasured Threads from Mercy College Roscommon; the best business report went to Bee Bright Candles from Castlerea Community School, which is my old school; the best stand and display on the day was Kommunication Keychain from Roscommon Community College; and the sustainability award was won by Poll2Pole from Scoil Mhuire Strokestown, where students came up with an innovative way of repurposing old electoral posters for use as farm safety signs. I know some Members have advertised to the latter group already.”
“In light of the impending announcement later today which poses uncertainty for businesses throughout Ireland, I wish to highlight the student enterprise programme run by local enterprise offices. The national competition has been taking place, with the national final due to take place in May. On the way to Dublin yesterday, I had the pleasure of dropping in to the Athlone Springs Hotel, where the Roscommon final, run by the Roscommon local enterprise office, was taking place. You would be enthused and encouraged to see the young people coming up with their business ideas. I am sure the students from Ramsgrange Community School who were here a moment ago are very familiar with this initiative as well. A number of businesses were represented, including the textile business and the creative arts element.”
“I hope the Minister could look at this, with a view to taking on new dentists to provide this service in counties. I intend to raise it as a Commencement matter.”
“I reiterate the goodwill to Jeremy. Like Senator O'Donovan, I did not have an opportunity to enjoy his hospitality during his term but I hope I will have a good working relationship with George. I want to raise the issue of dentistry services for medical card holders. It is something I raised at recent regional health forum meetings. I would like an idea of the availability of dentists providing a service for medical card holders. I was told that for my home county of Roscommon, four dentists are participating in the scheme. Unfortunately, due to capacity issues, many of them are oversubscribed and are not taking on new clients. People are being referred to dentists in other counties, sometimes a two- or three-hour drive away. I do not think this is acceptable at this time.”
“I listened to their story and I welcome Sarah and Darren Hennessy to the Chamber. Where I am from in Roscommon, we are blessed to have a number of school places for individuals and kids with disabilities and learning needs. St. Michael's Special School in Castlerea has recently undergone a major investment, and the teacher-SNA ratio there is one of the best in the country. My kids - I am a parent like other Members of the House - go to a national school in Termon, which 15 years ago was a rural school with 28 students but now has more than 250. The way that investment came was the principal taking on an opportunity and developing the special classes. The opportunity and the abundance of places that are available there at the moment is a credit to them and to our county.”