Helen McEntee
Meath East · Fine Gael · Ireland
“There are no new missions, so there is only so much we can partake in. In regard to UN requests over the past ten years, in September 2019, we had 14 Defence Forces personnel deployed to a UN mission in Mali as part of a joint operation with the German armed forces.”
“I thank the Deputy for his continued engagement on this matter. It is appreciated and I reaffirm our shared commitment to truth and justice, not least for Private Rooney, but in particular for his family.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I know he is committed to this issue; I am too. I have in recent months spent some time travelling to different barracks and Army bases and meeting with personnel. What I see all over the country is their professionalism, dedication and commitment.”
“I disagree that people are being pushed into the courts. The situation is exactly the opposite. I have said in the Chamber many times since I started taking these questions that the State Claims Agency is there and wants to mediate and work directly with people in order that cases do not go directly to the courts.”
“We are all committed to strengthening recruitment to and supporting retention in the Permanent Defence Force. The military authorities have advised that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,823 personnel on 31 May, the most recent date for which we have a figure available.”
“It is the case that no mission is the same, so it is also a matter for the Defence Forces to assess and scope out the mission and then to decide whether it is a mission we can partake in. A question keeps being asked about what it is we would not be able to be a part of if we were to keep the triple lock.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,132 lines we hold for Helen McEntee, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 37 of 43.
“In addition, we have the Planning and Development Act, which took a huge amount of time to progress during the previous Government but which is now being implemented and commenced. To respond to the Deputy's point, what we now need to do is to make sure we are doing everything possible to apply common sense and to ensure that where Uisce Éireann is perhaps not in a position in smaller developments in rural areas to proceed as quickly as we would like, or would need, that we can put in place other measures. It is credible and something the Minister, Deputy Browne, is looking at and is happy to engage further, in conjunction with the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins.”
“We have ramped up capital delivery. It has gone from €300 million in 2014 to roughly €1.3 billion in 2024. It is a significant investment over the ten years. Some €2.2 billion has been provided to Uisce Éireann again for this year. We are investing additional capital under the NDP as well to facilitate, in particular, housing developments in our towns. It is really important as significant investment is made into Uisce Éireann that we can see very clearly how that then correlates to additional housing developments and the opening up of new developments. We are supporting investment in electricity. Almost 150,000 homes and businesses have been connected. This is supported through ESB Networks and EirGrid.”
“How do we make sure we unlock where there are blockages, challenges and issues that are preventing housing developments from progressing? We are doing a number of things in this regard. First, we have established the new infrastructure division within the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform and that will lead to a process of infrastructure reform. To complement and work with that, the new housing activation office in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will identify what the barriers and challenges are to ensure we can open up any infrastructure needed to enable housing development. In terms of Uisce Éireann in particular, I acknowledge the Deputy is referencing areas where it is not perhaps providing the support as quickly as we need it. A huge amount has been invested in Uisce Éireann.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising what I know is an absolute priority for him and his constituents. He is absolutely passionate about achieving an outcome and delivery above all else. Housing is the number one priority for this Government. Making sure we can deliver housing for every citizen who needs it, be it in urban or rural areas, is the number one priority. That is why we are absolutely committed to delivering on our key objectives for infrastructure to support the delivery of the more than 300,000 houses we committed to by 2030. While scaling up capacity is an enormous challenge, we appreciate that this can be facilitated through appropriate Government supports to increase the capacity for critical infrastructure. This is something we have really focused in on.”
“This is about all of us collectively looking at our rules and how we can make them more equitable, fairer and how we apply them equally. We have to do so, however, within the parameters and contexts available to us. I am very aware of this and I am sure the Minister is open to doing that.”
“Our job in this Dáil is to ensure any of the rules we adhere to and abide by and any of our taxation measures are as fair as possible. It is our job to make sure anything we put in place is fair and applicable to all citizens. It is about understanding what the potential implications are, what measures need to be taken and what the overall cost will be. The Minister for Finance said this is something that can be discussed or is open to discussion as part of the overall budget conversation because that is where it must come from. I appreciate the Deputy's point that this is more than a budget conversation or taxation measure; we are talking about people's lives. I certainly do not think a dog's life is worth more or a dog should be in a better position than a young person, niece or nephew as he mentioned.”
“We have tried to make sure where families are passing on something, be it their home, land or property, that insofar as possible as much of that goes directly to their children and family so they can plan for their future. That is why so many of us invest in what we do and why so many of us work; it is to make sure we can provide for and plan for our family and those closest to us. What the Deputy is suggesting is that this would go broader than the immediate family unit, as has been set out. That is a discussion we as the Dáil and as colleagues can and should have. Ultimately, it is a decision that must be taken within the budget and its parameters. That can be done prior to the budget and as I said, there is a conversation due to take place in the AV room next week.”
“We as Deputies have an opportunity to engage with and listen to the various different challenges, concerns and issues he has just outlined. There is absolute merit in what he is saying. The relationship a parent has with his or her child is so often similar to the relationship a person has with his or her niece, nephew or indeed with a close friend. We must ensure our taxation system works for everyone but also that there are clear lines and strict rules that can be clearly followed. As a Government, we have made changes to our inheritance tax system in recent years. I appreciate it does not apply to the scenarios the Deputy has referenced.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. This is something that impacts a significant proportion of our population and there are very different reasons people may not have children, choose not to have children, cannot have children or are in different scenarios where it does not happen. It is always open to any individual or group of people to make representations, be it prior to the budget or any time of the year, to try to put forward changes to our taxation system, whether that is to inheritance tax or any other part of our system. This is no different. I am aware there is a briefing due to take place next week on this particular matter where many of the issues the Deputy has outlined will be discussed and raised.”
“This is across a number of different avenues. Our farmers, business people, those involved in transport and private economy and all of us in our homes need to make sure we are doing every single thing possible to contribute to the overall reduction so that we can achieve our targets. It is something we are committed to doing, as I know the Deputy is.”
“We have made huge progress, with more than 50% of our energy coming from renewable energy at a certain time last March. We have a target of 80% and we need to do more to ensure we can reach that target, otherwise we are at risk of energy insecurity and the challenges that come with that.”
“If we are to achieve our overall targets, which we have set out clearly in law, we need to take a number of measures. I have mentioned just some of the reductions we have seen, including in energy or agriculture overall, which includes our forestry targets, and focusing on our environment, overall economy, transport and private sector. The critical issue is that whatever we do - and I will repeat this whether it relates to agriculture, forestry or plantation - it has to be backed by science. We know that there are certain permits for planting on shallower peat soil, less than 30 cm deep. Again, where it is permitted, possible and follows the science, we must explore all avenues. We have a huge amount of work in planting 500,000 acres to be able to meet that 18% target but there are other areas in which we need to make progress as well.”
“Our economy is growing yet we are still managing to reduce our overall emissions. The work that has been done and the measures that have been put in place include those of the previous Government, in which we worked together collectively, but also those started by Richard Bruton when he was Minister for climate in 2019, when there was the first all-of-government climate strategy. All of us this work collectively, backed by, adhering to and following science, has brought about these changes. We absolutely need to do more, which is exactly what we will do.”
“I am not saying it is working at the rate and speed that we want it to, but it is certainly working. Looking at our emissions, the most recent inventory report from July 2024 shows a decrease of 6.8% in Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. This is compared with 2022 when we saw a 1.9% reduction on the previous year. It is reducing further for the year coming. Where have we seen that reduction? There is a 21.6% reduction in electricity, 5.8% in industry, 4.6% in agriculture, where we are making progress, and 7.1% in residential. This is all because of the interconnection, increased renewable energy capacity, reduced nitrogen fertiliser use in agriculture, and fewer fossil fuels in our home, all at a time when last year alone we saw a 5% increase in our overall economy.”
“Anything that we do in this regard has to be backed by and informed by science. That is not going to change. That is the approach that we have taken from the outset. It is for those reasons that we have started to see significant progress on climate. It is one of the most pressing challenges for our society. It is already causing an increased occurrence of extreme weather events, whether those are storms or flooding. We only have to look at Storm Éowyn recently, at once-disappearing lakes in County Roscommon and the midlands, which are now permanent, and the impact that it is having on homes. We have to take action and address the root causes while at the same time making sure that we prepare for the impacts of climate change. It is working.”
“The programme provides unprecedented incentives to encourage the planting of trees as well as a range of measures to support owners of existing forests to manage their forest sustainably, forest creation measures, including native woodland expansion, and planting of small native tree areas. We have a comprehensive package of measures, including the programme, with an increase in forestry premiums of between 46% and 66%. Farmers will receive 20 years of premium payments compared with 15 years for non-farmers. We also have forestry licensing, which is a complex process due to the requirements to take account of environmental requirements, which are set out in both national and EU law. All of these measures in the programme are measures that will continue, which were supported by the Deputy and the previous Government.”
“It is clear that to meet the 18% forest target set out in our national forest strategy, we have a huge amount of work to do. We need to plant an additional 500,000 acres and, therefore, it is important that we continue to examine all of our lands, invest in research and make the best decisions possible. A huge amount of work has happened and more is under way to address our overall forestry targets and approach. To outline some of that progress, we have a new forestry programme from 2023 to 2027, approved by the previous Government on 6 September 2023, which the Deputy was part of, with funding of €1.3 billion.”
“It is simply not the case that the Minister has and is working on a concrete set of recommendations and is not telling anybody. The report has not been finalised and presented to her, but once it has been, the Minister will first and foremost engage with families, Cappagh hospital, CHI and of course will engage with the Dáil to see what we need to do now and what the next steps are. Where there are recommendations and changes that need to be made in procedures and patient and client engagement in our hospitals, they can proceed and start immediately.”
“I cannot be any clearer on this. The Minister does not have the report. She does not have recommendations. While elements have been unhelpfully published in online articles, the report has not been presented to the Minister. It stands to reason that while this work is being done, the hospital is not going to sit still and say it will wait for everything. It knows it needs to change its practices. That is why it has put new multidisciplinary teams in place. It knows it is important to write out and to engage with the families as it has identified them because those figures have been intentionally put into the public domain to try to alleviate any concerns that they are escalating beyond anything we would have thought. That work is under way.”
“Separately, CHI has given an element of information to be able to engage with those families and to make that communication at the very outset, which is set out as best practice. Third, work is under way in our hospitals to make sure that anything that the same practice is not being applied to anything that is happening now and procedures that are in place. Of course, once this report is received, the first thing the Minister will do is reach out to the families and make sure that she can engage with them on the facts and information that she has.”
“We now have that figure because it was asked to be put into the public domain. That alleviated some of the concerns around the increasing numbers overall. We have established helplines or email addresses for patients to make queries: there is ceo@childrenshealthireland.ie and cappaghkidsenquiries@nohc.ie . These are dedicated email addresses that have been put in place for families to be able to communicate separate to the letters they have received, which very clearly state that if they have not had engagement from their hospitals, follow-up or engagement in the past year or 15 years, we will engage with them and reach out to them. There are a number of strands. I appreciate that it would be better if everything was happening at once. The review is looking at exactly what has happened.”
“That is what is happening already. While we need to ascertain the facts for the families involved, it does not prevent us from starting work on looking at why these practices were carried out and how to ensure that surgeries happening at the moment are not applying the same practices. That change is taking place already. For any surgeries at the moment, there is a multidisciplinary team that sits down, looks at the cases and then decides whether to go forward. That is really important progress that has been made. In terms of the letters, it is important that families have communication throughout all of this. There is piecemeal information being put out there and, in my understanding, it was the Minister who asked for the correct figure to be put out there, as it was increasing and decreasing.”
“She has recently spent quite a number of hours in the Dáil answering questions, not just on this, but on many other issues as well. There has never been any doubt that the Minister does not want to engage, does not want to talk to families or does not want discuss this matter in the Chamber. To go back to the basic facts here as we have all outlined, there is not a single one of us who could even comprehend what it is like for a family to believe or know that their child has had a surgery the child did not need. As a mother of two young children, the very thought of that is terrifying. I apply that to anybody who has children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews. We all want to make sure that we get to the bottom of this, that those who need any further clinical assistance get it and, above all, that the practices that have to change do.”
“I do not think it is helpful for any of us to be discussing certain elements without having the full facts. I appreciate fully and agree with the Deputy that families want all of the facts. They want the information and they do not want it piecemeal. They certainly do not want parts of an unpublished document being published elsewhere and not coming through the Minister or not having that direct engagement with the Minister, CHI or the other hospitals involved. The most important thing is to have the review completed. The information that has been provided to me is that the Minister for Health has been told she will have the review next week. I do not have the exact day, but as soon as the Minister has it next week and is able to, she will engage with the families first and foremost.”
“That is why those letters were written initially. Many of those families will have had continued engagement. Many of those families where surgeries happened years ago will have been engaging with their teams and will have had that support. However, for those who have not - I accept there are those who might not have and who do not know whether the operations should have happened or not - we need to ensure that we find that information as quickly as possible. Without a shadow of a doubt, they will get the assistance and medical support they need if this has not been done correctly.”
“I cannot be any clearer with the Deputy on this. We first need to ascertain the facts. We need to ensure that we have absolute clarity as to what has happened, how many people are involved and how we make sure this never happens again. At the same time, we need to ensure that, where families need follow-on care and further information and clinical support, that is provided. The Minister for Health could not be any clearer in the commentary she has made over the past number of months. We will provide any support that families and children need, going as far back as 2010. That year was chosen because 15 years is the skeletal reference age at which a child's bone density matures. Those are the parameters that have been chosen. Any child and his or her family within that timeframe will be provided with support.”
“We will have those facts, but we do not have them yet. We do not have the report. We know that the initial recommendation, as published by CHI in its statement this week, is the reason it sent the letters to families, ensuring that engagement starts immediately and we are not just waiting on the report. We need to have those facts and that information so that whatever practice is followed moving forward ensures this situation does not happen again and, above all, we can stand by the medical advice we are given when our children go into hospital and know that best practice is being applied in every case.”
“We know that 1,700 of these were with CHI and 500 of them were with Cappagh. Where there has not been follow-up in these instances, it is important that now begins. Many families where surgeries have taken place have had follow-ups, engagement and consultation with their consultants and their teams. For those who have not, there is a clear commitment that engagement and consultation will happen immediately. As the Deputy said at the outset, of most importance is that we ascertain the facts. What has happened? What practices were followed? How many children were impacted? What do we need to do now? Above all and to the Deputy's point, how do we ensure that any follow-on support, including medical support, and any assistance that is needed by those families and children is provided immediately? However, we have to get to the bottom of this.”
“Revised procedures have been put in place and new protocols are in place. All surgeries are being assessed by a multidisciplinary team before any decision is being taken. Separate work is also being done which will follow through from the review to make sure absolute best and up-to-date practice, which is in place in other countries and should be in place here, is adhered to if any child is being put forward for these potential surgeries. In terms of the overall numbers, we have to be careful. The figure of just over 2,200 young people does not suggest every single one of those young people had surgeries where they should not have had them. We have to be clear about that. It is important that these families have been written to and engaged with by CHI, but also by Cappagh.”
“The most important thing we need to ascertain at the outset is the facts. That is why this review is taking place. I appreciate we all want to know the facts as quickly as possible but we do not have those yet. I know the Deputy is referring to parts of the report but it has not been published. The Minister has not seen the report. While it has been made very clear to her that she will have the report in the coming weeks, we do not yet have the absolute facts of the review that is taking place. We all have a responsibility in this Chamber to make sure that what we are talking about is based on facts and reports that are published. It is also important to assure families where surgeries are taking place at the moment. We know there are children who do need surgery today.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We agree on a number of things here. We are all working on behalf of the children the Deputy has mentioned. We are all working to make sure we get answers to what has happened here. We have discussed this a number of times in the Chamber. We are all extremely concerned at the thought of a child having a surgery where that was not necessary. We can probably all point to somebody we know or who has come to us where they were recommended the surgery and did not go through with it or were recommended it and went through with it but it was not needed, or indeed where they needed the surgery. The issue we need to get to the bottom of is where surgeries were carried out on children where they were not needed, where injury was inflicted on young people where it simply was not needed.”
“Key to this work is the survey and I look forward to working with colleagues and school communities across the country to make sure we get a clear picture of what parents want, where the need is and how we take the information, because information is key, and we provide choices in the places where they are required. I look forward to working with colleagues as we start this progress in the coming weeks.”
“As we enter our second century of independence, it is only proper that we give all of our citizens a chance to talk about education for themselves and to be involved in this, not just now but for those who come after us as well. That is why I believe the convention will reflect the Ireland of today, incorporate all of those different views and make sure everybody, particularly children, have a say in what education looks like in the future. I consider progress has been made but I accept and fully support the need for greater change and increased parental choice in education. Increased options need to be made available in order that a greater number of parents can choose the patronage at primary level that suits them and their children.”
“As we speak today, let us remember that just over 900,000 children and young people are in 4,000 schools being taught by 70,000 teachers, special needs assistants, special education teachers and many more. They are looked after by school secretaries and caretakers and many are looked after by special needs assistants. That is close to 1 million people involved directly in our schools. They have friends, families, grandparents and neighbours. Hardly a day goes by where a group of people are not talking about a school, preschool, college, university or apprenticeship. Education matters to every person in this room and in this country and it matters to our nation's social and economic well-being and progress.”
“On the education convention, the programme for Government sets out clearly that we will hold a convention bringing together all the stakeholders in education. The last conversation of this kind happened about 30 years ago. It was a hugely inclusive conversation and resulted in many of the agencies and bodies that now support our schools being established. It was an important step at that time but I want to go beyond that and have a larger conversation on education that will include school communities, the wider public and all the voices of stakeholders in education. The convention will deliver that and I intend to launch this early in the new school year later this year.”
“They have been welcoming to students with special educational needs and those who suffer from educational disadvantage. That is down to the leaders in the schools, the teachers, the management bodies and all the staff. That is clearly reflected across the thousands of schools in this country. Article 44 of the Constitution recognises the right of children to attend school without attending religious instruction at that school. It is expected that this right will be upheld by schools on foot of a parental request. The Education (Admissions to School) Act 2018 requires that where schools provide religious instruction, they must clearly set out in their admissions policies arrangements for students where the parent has requested that the student attend the school without attending religious instruction.”
“If the survey shows in certain areas there is not a demand or requirement, then I do not think it is for any of us to make that change or force it on anybody. It is important we get the survey right and everybody supports it and encourages people to take part in it because the better the picture we have and the more people engage in the survey within a community, the easier it is for us to make those choices. Denominational schools, including Catholic schools, have played an important role in primary education in Ireland for over a century. Along with other primary schools, there is a strong history of inclusivity and of serving their local communities, accepting children of all faiths and none. I can attest to that from looking at the local community schools and primary schools in my area.”
“It is important that a separate survey will be made available to staff and boards of management. I will announce details of the survey, the framework and the action plan in the coming weeks. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of parental preference in any conversation regarding patronage. The Government and I will support the transfer of patrons of schools where this is supported by the school community. We can pick a figure of 400 but most important is whether there is a lower or higher demand and where that demand is, as well as how we identify that and how we go out to those communities, say it is clear there is a demand, engage with the school and the patrons and get involved in the process that is already there and has worked for other schools. If that is what people want, we will bring about that change.”
“In that regard, I intend to publish a framework and action plan on multidenominational education shortly. In order to make progress, it is important to know what the demand is. That is why central to the plan is a survey of primary school communities. The survey will give my Department a greater picture of parental preference to enable it to plan into the future. It will ask parents or guardians of children in primary school or of children who will start primary school in the coming years for their preferences on important aspects of school provision and choice, including the future patronage and ethos of their school. As well as parents, the voice of teachers and staff is important in this conversation. We have heard, and it is referenced in the memo, that the INTO did a survey recently and the results of that were clear.”
“This has been driven by two factors, namely the opening of new multidenominational schools in response to demographic needs and the reconfiguration of schools from a denominational ethos to a multidenominational ethos in response to parental choice. The opportunities for the establishment of new multidenominational primary schools have declined. Demographic trends and projections at primary school level nationally have peaked, so the focus has to be on maximising the use of the existing school estate. That means transferring from one patronage to another. The school reconfiguration for diversity process allows us to do that. It is designed to maximise the use of the existing school estate, as it involves the transfer of patronage of existing schools. Any changes in this area should be done hand in hand with parents and school communities.”
“The schools reconfiguration for diversity process has been developed in order to support the transition or transfer of schools to multidenominational patrons in response to the wishes of local communities. When a school transfers from one patronage to another, it remains open, has the same roll number and operates from the same property with the same staff and pupils. All State-funded primary schools follow a common national curriculum and are subject to the same departmental rules and regulations. While progress has been slow, it is important to say that progress has been made towards increasing the number of multidenominational primary schools, with the number of multidenominational or interdenominational schools increasing by 65 in recent years.”
“Society has changed and continues to change. It is important that we reflect on what those changes mean for the education system. For example, just over half of people getting married now do so in a religious setting. While this is not a direct proxy for what type of school parents may wish to send their children to, it requires us to discuss and consider the type of school provision we have and how we meet parents' expectations and demands of us as policymakers. It is important we understand what demand actually exists and, crucially, what parents want for their children, which will allow me and all of us working together to plan accordingly. It is recognised, including by Catholic patrons, that we need more diverse provision to cater for that changing society and meet the expectations parents have for themselves and their children.”
“As Minister and as a parent whose children will attend school in the coming years, I recognise the importance of increasing choice for parents when it comes to the education of their children. The number of children attending multidenominational schools has increased, albeit not as quickly as people might have liked, from just under 24,000 to over 44,000 students in the past decade, while 51 of the 52 new primary schools established to cater for increased demographic demand since 2011 have had a multidenominational ethos. There are currently 172 mainstream primary schools with a multidenominational or interdenominational ethos out of the total of 3,082 schools. A number of counties have no multidenominational schools and many others have only one option available for parents. For me, this certainly does not equate to choice for parents.”
“Of the remaining 11.7% of primary schools, 6.2% have a religious ethos other than Catholic, mainly Church of Ireland. These schools are catering for minority faith communities and add to the diversity of the primary school landscape. The remaining 5.5% of primary schools have a multidenominational or interdenominational ethos. Multidenominational schools provide choice for parents. They provide primary schools which are under the patronage of non-religious patrons to allow children to learn about all faiths and belief systems through a multidenominational programme. In our programme for Government, we clearly commit to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring families can access multidenominational, nondenominational and faith-based education. This work is a priority for me and the Government.”
“I thank the Social Democrats for tabling the motion and enabling this important debate. It is important that the issue of parental choice and multidenominational primary school provision is discussed. I understand the issues that are being raised in the Private Members' motion tonight. School communities are reflective of the rich and diverse society in which we live. Parents decide on the school to which they will send their children for a wide variety of reasons and, of course, ethos can be an important factor, if not the main factor for some. Currently, 88.3% of primary schools have a Catholic ethos. Catholic patrons have indicated they are supportive of an educational landscape which will reflect the reality of the increasingly diverse society in our country.”
“I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dail Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — the Government recognises the importance of parental choice; and — the Government is committed to seeking to increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education, in line with the Programme for Government commitment; further notes that: — enrolments in mainstream multi-denominational and inter-denominational primary schools rose by 87.5 per cent (from 23,721 to 44,476) over the 10-year period from 2013/14 to 2023/24; — there are 172 primary schools with a multi-denominational or inter-denominational ethos (2024/25 school year), this includes 32 multi-denominational primary schools which transferred patronage and/or changed ethos to multi-denominational and schools established under the patronage divesting process; — 51 of the 52 new primary schools established to cater for increased demographic demand since 2011 have a multi-denominational ethos; — the Programme for Government, includes a commitment to 'increase choice for parents by ensuring that families can access both multi/non-denominational and faith-based education'; — as part of delivering on the Programme for Government commitment, the Minister for Education and Youth has indicated that she intends to launch an online school specific survey of parents and school communities on what type of education they would like to see for their child and their school; — in tandem with the proposed survey, the Department of Education and Youth will be providing clear information for parents and guardians to enable them to make an informed decision in relation to the different types of primary school patronage options; — denominational schools have played an important role in primary education in Ireland for over a century, and they, along with other primary schools, have a strong history of inclusivity in serving their local communities and accept children of all faiths and none; — under the Constitution, the provisions of article 44 recognise the rights of children to attend school without attending religious instruction at that school, the Education Act 1998 also provides that a school shall not require a student to attend instruction in any subject which is contrary to the conscience of the parent/guardian of the student or in the case of a student who has reached the age of 18 years, the student; — for historical reasons, most primary schools are State-aided parish schools, with the local Bishop as patron; — it is recognised, including by the Catholic patrons, that more diverse provision is required to cater for our changing society; — the Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity process has been developed in order to accelerate the delivery of multi-denominational schools, and this process supports transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons, in response to the wishes of local communities; — when a school transfers from the patronage of one patron to another, the school remains open with the same roll number, operating from the same school property and with the same school staff and pupils; — all State-funded primary schools follow a common national curriculum and are subject to the same Department rules and regulations; — the Programme for Government commits to holding a convention bringing together all stakeholders in education; and — nationally, at post-primary level, 48.6 per cent of students are enrolled in multi-denominational or inter-denominational schools, 47.6 per cent are enrolled in schools with a Catholic ethos and 2.9 per cent are enrolled in schools with a Church of Ireland ethos, and the remaining 0.9 per cent is accounted for by post-primary schools with an ethos other than Catholic, Church of Ireland, inter-denominational or multi-denominational; and calls on the Government to: — take any necessary steps to ensure that patronage transfers are facilitated, where parents and school communities support this; — establish the level of parental demand for the primary school their children attend now or will attend in the future to change to a multi-denominational ethos by commencing the planned survey of primary school communities; — continue to progress the reconfiguration process, with the goal of establishing a strong process, that has the support of patrons and local communities, and which will enable us to continue to increase the number of multi-denominational primary schools across the country; — ensure that the Department of Education and Youth continues to engage with key stakeholders on the reconfiguration process; and — continue to support school communities when schools are transferring patronage.".”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. About 172,000 young people access the school transport scheme. Many of those are children with additional needs. The programme for Government sets out very clearly that we will expand the scheme even further. There is no set timeline, and the expansion has to be done across the lifetime of the current Government, but we have set a very clear target to ensure 100,000 more children will be able to access the scheme. In particular, that would mean removing the barrier that essentially forces young people to go to their nearest school or the school allocated to them. We want to remove the barrier to ensure children can attend, via the school transport scheme, the school they are attending already.”
“We will engage with our secretaries and caretakers through their representative organisation as well. They are an integral part of our schools and it is really important that we support them in every way we can.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this. I join with her in commending the fabulous work by our secretaries and caretakers in our schools. I had the opportunity last week to meet many of them at the Fórsa conference as part of the overall Easter conferences. We have made a lot of progress, notably in changing the way our secretaries are paid so they are now paid through the Department of Education. We are hoping to make similar progress for our caretakers. The next step, and the next request from our secretaries, is that there would be pension parity along with those changes. That is engagement that will have to happen as part of an overall engagement with the Department of public expenditure and reform. That engagement is ongoing through my Department with the Department of public expenditure and reform.”
“We heard this very clearly last week at our conferences. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I wrote to the Teaching Council to ensure that when teachers are being trained initially in universities and colleges, there is a clear focus on special education and mandatory placements but that there is also increased continuous training for teachers in our schools already, those who are now in our newly opened special education classrooms, to make sure they have the supports and resources they need. We all have the same objective here. We all want to make sure that every single child has access to the school place they are entitled to and that they have the supports and provision in that place. I thank the Deputies. I look forward to working with colleagues.”