Rose Conway-Walsh
Mayo · Sinn Féin · Ireland
“The very open nature of the Irish economy and over-reliance on FDI and a small number of large US firms exposes an economic vulnerability that covers an underlying deficit of €13 billion. With an all-island approach, we can tackle that properly.”
“An all-island development agency is critical to this prosperity. Competing for investment from multinational companies, based on five interlinked pillars of growth, transformational regions, sustainability and impact as promoted by the IDA is necessary to compete on a global stage.”
“I would need much longer than three minutes to discuss the fiscal implications of a united Ireland, such is the depth and breadth of the work already done. I commend all of those who have done it. Leaving all politics aside, the economic benefits of reunification present unprecedented opportunities for sustainable growth.”
“This morning, workers at Aer Lingus woke up to the devastating news that up to 500 jobs will be cut at the airline, impacting both staff at head office and flight crews. By all measures, Aer Lingus is a profitable company, reporting operating profits of €282 million in 2025. Its parent company, IAG, has operating profits of €5 billion.”
“We need to encourage student mobility across the island. I ask the shared island unit to intervene to provide funding for students from here going to Queen's University and Ulster University. Regarding the data, the NI Executive should work with the ONS, HMRC and the NISRA to improve the data on tax receipts in the North.”
“Will the Government meet representatives of the unions, the Irish Air Line Pilots Association, IALPA, Fórsa and other unions, to ensure that impacted workers receive full and fair redundancy packages and that we have full transparency, while also committing to wider statutory redundancy reforms?”
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“Most of the employers and the employers' organisations that I speak to want to get this right. The Government needs to work with them to ensure they do. Yesterday we spoke about families being priced out of urban centres as a result of house prices increasing by almost 50% since 2020. We are going to have people paying mortgages in their eighties if the Government does not look at things differently and use opportunities like this.”
“I point the Minister of State in the direction of the Good Jobs Employment Rights Bill in Northern Ireland, which was brought forward by the Minister for the Economy there, my colleague Caoimhe Archibald. That legislation addresses many of the work-life balance issues that could be incorporated here. This is about progressive rights of workers. The imbalance must be addressed. I look forward to the results of the public consultation that the Government has conducted to review the right to request remote working in legislation. This Bill provides a fair and structured framework for requesting remote working, whereby requests can only be refused on a clear and objective grounds. It is reasonable. That is why we are asking that employers be fair and reasonable too.”
“The Minister of State will know from his past football experience about all the clubs that are amalgamating in Mayo because we do not have the people living in rural Ireland. How many of those people are living and working in Dublin, which is already congested? Is it any wonder that Dublin has won more All-Ireland championships than Mayo? The solution that could lead to Mayo getting the Sam Maguire Cup is to have proper remote working so that people can live there and do not have to truck up to Dublin and move all their lives here, but can live in Castlebar. Deputy O'Reilly should not laugh. This is a very serious issue, but there is nothing here but opportunity. We have long argued for the right to request remote and flexible working.”
“I thank the Labour Party for bringing this Bill to the House this morning. I listened to the Minister of State's speech. He and the Government really need to wake up to the fact that remote working can benefit not only workers and their families, but local businesses and communities as well. The Minister of State knows that coming from a county like Mayo. He also knows that if people with disabilities - really capable people - were given the opportunity to work remotely, they could live in their own communities and work in a way they wish to and in a way that would be hugely beneficial to employers. We can have that conversation in a constructive and inclusive way that can benefit everybody. It is about quality of life.”
“Young people are being priced out of their own communities. The result is soaring house prices and extortionate rents that are in no way a reflection of local incomes. I know families facing no-fault evictions. As I said, it is happening everywhere across Mayo. Rental properties are scarce and unaffordable.”
“Taking these homes from people who desperately need them is thievery in plain sight. In one of my offices alone, in the last week there have been 15 notices to quit. That is just in a few days. Investment funds should not be permitted to bulk buy family homes full stop. Homes are for living in, not for speculating, stockpiling and squeezing profit out of hard-working people. Across Mayo, I am hearing the real-life consequences of allowing vulture funds to outbid ordinary couples. They are bulk buying homes that should be available to young people who are hoping to start their lives and families together. Any home snapped up by a vulture fund is one less home for a nurse, teacher or young couple saving desperately for a deposit. It reduces supply, increases competition and, inevitably, drives prices up, which are up 47.7% since 2020.”
“The message is very clear here. We need the Minister to ban investment funds from buying family homes. There are many things that investment funds can invest in and buy, but not family homes. The Minister has the power to change that. Young people and working families are being forced out of the market by vulture funds with unlimited reserves that are outbidding them not just of homes, but of their futures. My colleagues and I on these benches have been highlighting this scandal for years. I remember doing it when I was in the local authority. I thank Deputy Doherty for bringing this motion forward this evening and for all the work he has done in this area. Since the higher stamp duty rate was first introduced in 2021, over 2,000 homes have been bulk purchased, hoovered up and taken off the market.”
“What concrete measures is the Government is taking to align the climate action targets with a comprehensive job strategy that upskills young workers, builds a strong cohort of skilled individuals for the future economy and finally tackles youth unemployment? Will the Taoiseach commit to ensuring that this green transition delivers not only on climate targets but also on real employment opportunities for the next generation?”
“We are seeing the devastating consequences of a deepening climate crisis and persistently high youth unemployment at the same time. It is time to recognise the enormous employment potential associated with the ambitious climate action plan and capitalise on this huge economic opportunity. Investment in renewable energy and retrofitting in sustainable agriculture, public transport and green technology can create thousands of secure, well-paid jobs across the island. Successful projects like the Skillnet Offshore Wind Academy, which is a partnership with Wind Energy Ireland, that address critical skills gaps in the offshore sector should be replicated to provide permanent career paths for young people struggling to find stable employment or being forced to emigrate.”
“What is required here is that the agencies work together and not in silos to get solutions to these projects so people can get on with their lives and we can get what needs to be done, done. An awful lot of money is wasted in this country. It would be very well spent in County Mayo in dealing with some of these projects.”
“We have situations where homes and businesses are in danger of being flooded or have already been flooded. The Minister of State knows how flooding threats delay growth and development in small towns. I want to bring up with the Minister of State the River Carrownisky and the problems there. They are easily fixable in terms of the bridge that needs to be done. The situation has gone on for years. All the plans and everything for it have been done. I am asking that the bridge, which is serving the communities on each side of the river, be reinstated and fixed. We are talking about a very small amount of money. It can be done with agencies working together, with Mayo County Council and tourism bodies.”
“I am glad to have the opportunity to speak about flooding today. The Minister of State, Deputy Moran, will understand because he has been to County Mayo many times himself. I welcome that, after ten years, the Crossmolina scheme is going to be done. I ask that that project be expedited as quickly as possible as well as the project in Ballina. Many other smaller schemes, though, need to be done in the county, not least in Charlestown and other places. I would ask that is a better join-up between the OPW and the county council. What has happened is that county council outdoor staff have been reduced dramatically over the years. This is taking its toll now and we are seeing the results of it in many places where drains are not cleared and things are not done that would previously have been done by the county council staff.”
“That the Government is happy to stand over that is unbelievable. The Bill bids farewell to the modest protections of the rent pressure zones with tenancies lasting an average of just three and a half years. Within a short few years, most renters will be caught out by this reset. Renters and families need a break. Sinn Féin is calling for the rents to be cut, and for an emergency three-year ban on rent increases. The Bill does exactly the opposite and that is why we will oppose it.”
“From September, students entering the private rental sector will face immediate market resets on what they are paying already. For families in Mayo, this is absolutely devastating and nothing short of daylight robbery and extortion. Commuting is simply not an option for most students and for students in rural Ireland. Parents have no choice but to pay whatever rent is demanded, no matter how extortionate. How are parents expected to absorb this on top of the food, fuel, fees and childcare for younger children? How many students will be priced out of education altogether? I move on to the figures for tenancies in County Mayo, which speak for themselves. New tenancies average €1,181, compared with €949 for existing ones. That is €232 extra every single month, or nearly €2,800 over a year - a 24% increase.”
“This Bill must be called out for what it is. It is a Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael rip-off rent hike Bill and it must be stopped. I will tell the Minister the reasons why. The Government should be cutting rents, not facilitating them to rise even further. Rents are already out of control and renters are drowning in a cost-of-living crisis. Yet, the Government's response is to tear up what little protection remains and hand a gift to big institutional investors. At the centre of this Bill is the so-called market reset allowing landlords to hike rents to full market levels between tenancies, not 2% and not inflation, but whatever the market can squeeze out of people. Students will be the worst hit. I have talked to so many students about this.”
“While we welcome that the basic income for artists pilot scheme is extended until February, we are now in February and just a week away from the scheme coming to an end and we are still none the wiser as to when the promised follow-up scheme will be up and running, who will be able to apply and how they will be selected. Forty-seven out of the 174 artists in my county of Mayo who applied were successful and benefited hugely from this scheme but when will the new scheme be opened for applicants and when will it start providing funding? How many artists will the follow-on scheme fund? Are the 2,000 artists who took part in the pilot scheme able to reapply? Will the new scheme yet again be a random selection or does the Government intend to introduce criteria based on merit or on need?”
“I have spoken to the Minister many times about roads he knows well such as the R312, which is the regional road connecting Castlebar to Erris. This is the regional road on which Stephen Lavelle has had to travel in an ambulance with other people who are ill and or, on occasion, dying. This is a road that is not fit to put a car on never mind an ambulance, and the Minister tells us that €102.4 billion is being spent and that we should be jumping up and down and happy about it. I am sorry but there is an absolute disconnect between this Government and what is happening in rural Ireland in terms of infrastructure.”
“I will give the Minister an example of how out of touch the Government is. He stated that €102.4 billion is being allocated over the five-year period from 2026 to 2030. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. At the same time, I am being contacted by people in Carrowteige who are being told that they will have to pay €2,359 by Friday or they will not get clean water. How can we be spending billions when we have people in rural Ireland being asked to pay that amount by Friday? We are talking about pensioners who are absolutely distraught and people who are already in poverty because of the cost of living. I am asking the Minister, once and for all, to ensure that there is fairness for people in rural Ireland. When we talk about infrastructure, we are not just talking about water and the lack of clean water. It also involves our regional and local roads.”
“I want to speak on behalf of the fishermen of this island who are warning that 2026 will be the worst year the sector has ever faced after drastic reductions to fish quotas and cuts to the key stocks. The industry is facing an imminent existential threat. The Government recently announced the establishment of a task force to support the industry and coastal communities. I certainly welcome that. I ask the Taoiseach that the regional inshore fisheries forums, RIFFs, are directly represented on the new fisheries seafood task force chaired my Mr. Michael Berkey. This equity is vital for all inshore fishing communities around the county. Each RIFF member would be representing approximately 300 vessels from their local region. I ask the Taoiseach and Minister as well that we have proper labelling for imported fish.”
“We cannot continue to funnel 50,000 people in mental health crisis into chaotic accident and emergency settings that are not fit for purpose. I have already spoken at length in this House about the shortage of ambulance services in the west and overcrowded emergency departments at our hospital. This is why this Sinn Féin motion matters.”
“When her brother sought answers and intervened to have her removed to a nursing home, he was told that there was nothing that could proceed without written consent from a woman who by every account is not mentally well enough to give informed consent. This is not patient-centred care. It is bureaucracy used as a shield while families are left desperate and unheard. At the very same time, a highly qualified psychiatric nurse born and raised in Mayo with ten years experience in the NHS wants to come back to work in Mayo but is being told that there are no jobs. In a county experiencing profound mental health distress, including the tragic loss of life to suicide, a highly skilled psychiatric nurse is being told she is not needed. We need to join up the dots.”
“This motion is about real people in real crisis right now and a system that is failing them in plain sight. I will begin with the case of a woman from County Mayo who has been in an adult mental health unit since June of last year. She was admitted in acute distress but was otherwise physically well. Today after repeated incidents in what is meant to be a secure unit, she has suffered a choking episode, a broken hip and most recently a broken wrist requiring surgery. Her family now describe her as frail, traumatised, frightened to walk and deteriorating before their eyes. This is not good enough.”
“How will any outcomes from the G20 translate into tangible protections, accountability and access to justice for victims and survivors here in Ireland? It begs the question as to how we can ever adopt a zero-tolerance approach to domestic violence here when the judicial system and the Garda Síochána do not have adequate checks and balances to ensure people like Margaret do not go through the same thing.”
“I welcome Margaret Loftus to the Public Gallery. The Taoiseach will know she is a courageous and brave former garda, a survivor of horrific domestic violence whose traumatic experience in seeking justice highlights the urgent need for systemic legislative reform in this country. I want to ask the Taoiseach about the nature and substance of his engagements at the G20 summit specifically in relation to gender-based violence and domestic violence. Were these issues discussed at leader or ministerial level? Can the Taoiseach report on any progress made, commitments secured or concrete arrangements reached as a result of these discussions? How were Ireland's position and the lived experience of survivors like Margaret represented?”
“He was facilitated to drag her through the courts a total of 58 times in all. Miriam O'Callaghan filmed an interview for "Prime Time" that was aired on Tuesday. Margaret has now left an Garda Síochána. Fiosrú is conducting a root and branch investigation into the case, attitudes to domestic violence and treatment of women on the force while Trevor was given a gun. There are so many wider implications to this case that I am asking the Minister to meet with Margaret Loftus to address the critical issues she has raised and ensure that no other woman who is a victim of abuse from a member of an Garda Síochána is forced to go through this torturous journey.”
“She realised the senior counsel assigned to the case by the State knew Trevor Bolger well and had worked with him on high profile drug cases previously. As Margaret queried this, the senior counsel removed herself from the case with no explanation given. Margaret's victim impact statement was censored by the defence and Trevor Bolger. She had to take out parts of it he was not happy with when the report was read out. Details of this case were reported by the media in 2019 and 2020. Trevor Bolger pleaded guilty to a section 2 assault in the Circuit Court and was sentenced in January. The case was before the Circuit Court 55 times before this plea was entered. During these 55 times, Trevor Bolger was granted disclosure order after disclosure order to gain access to every inch of Margaret's life.”
“Eventually, the legal firm for the media got this application lifted so it could be reported on. Margaret was questioned twice by an Garda Síochána on articles that appeared in the media. Conor Lally, a journalist with The Irish Times , was also questioned. Margaret made contact with at least eight politicians over the years seeking help. Three of those were Ministers for justice at the time she made contact. One of those sent back an email to say he could not be of any assistance but was deeply troubled by what she had told him. Still, nothing was done. The DPP took a plea deal. Before this plea deal, there was a disposition heard in court. Margaret was not happy with the way the State presented the case, so did some investigating herself.”
“The fact that vital evidence that was given in the family law courts but was not allowed to be transferred over to be used in the criminal court is, I believe, a miscarriage of justice in its own right. A proper investigation was at last conducted and a file was sent to the DPP. The criminal Circuit Court granted Trevor Bolger full State legal aid throughout the whole court process. There was no means test or evaluation of assets carried out. He was suspended from an Garda Síochána with full pay. The criminal Circuit Court also accepted an application from Trevor Bolger to get a media gagging order on the court proceedings with full consent from the State. Margaret did not consent to this order and there was no legal basis for this order being made.”
“Meanwhile, Trevor Bolger repeatedly looked Margaret up on the PULSE system and sent gardaí to her home in Mayo to carry out welfare checks on her children. Justin Kelly, who is now the Commissioner, was the first person to take her seriously. This gives me some hope. Margaret was emphatic in her statement that her journey through the family law courts was torturous. I believe her.”
“A disciplinary fine was attached to her file and taken from her wages, unknowingly to her, and was returned after she questioned it and followed it up, asking numerous times what it referred to. Margaret requested the gardaí investigate her husband, his violence and his ongoing threats to kill her. Margaret could see on the Garda PULSE system that Trevor Bolger had checked her more than 20 times. Every time an incident occurred, he could see if she reported it or not. Margaret prepared her own investigation file and sent her statement directly to the office of the Garda Commissioner. While the investigation was under way - that is, while Trevor Bolger was under investigation for domestic violence and a threat to kill - he was promoted to detective, with glowing references from his sergeant and superintendent. He was given a gun.”
“Margaret went through a horrendous ordeal in the family law courts and had a committal warrant served to send her to prison based on Trevor Bolger's assertions. Margaret was initially granted the transfer but shortly after, the behaviour of some gardaí became increasingly sinister. They began to interfere with her and her life. It was very clear that an Garda Síochána, or some members of Garda Síochána, were siding with Margaret's ex-husband, barring order or no barring order. Her transfer was revoked so to remain with her family in Mayo, Margaret was advised to go on sick leave. While on sick leave, her pay was stopped on multiple occasions for spurious reasons.”
“I thank Deputy Ward for sharing time. I want to talk about the offences under the Domestic Violence Act in this Bill. This is my first chance to talk about a profoundly courageous woman I have the privilege of knowing. Margaret Loftus is a former member of an Garda Síochána who was married to another garda, Trevor Bolger. Trevor Bolger was violent, abusive and isolated Margaret from her family in Mayo. Events came to a head when Trevor Bolger viscously attacked Margaret and threatened to kill her after a family event. Margaret left Trevor Bolger, got a barring order and requested a transfer to Mayo to return to her supportive and caring family, who I also have the privilege of knowing.”
“The referral seeks to ascertain whether the agreement is in breach of EU law. What is it, Tánaiste? Is his party and the Government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Lowry Independents for or against the Mercosur deal? It has now been suggested by Ursula von der Leyen that the provisional enactment of the deal should be put through. Is the Tánaiste going to stop that? How can Government stop it if it does not know what side it is on?”
“The legal challenge initiated by Sinn Féin MEPs Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion, and The Left group which includes Luke Ming Flanagan, to refer the Mercosur trade deal to the European Court of Justice was narrowly but thankfully won in the European Parliament yesterday. I commend them, and Deputy Kenny here, on their months and years of hard work. I stand here as a rural TD where farming matters, where food security matters and where environmental protection matters. The thing about rural people is that they say what they mean and they mean what they say. This is in complete contrast to the carry-on and the codology of the Government stance on Mercosur, which reached a pinnacle of extraordinary spectacle yesterday when half of Government MEPs voted against the referral to the ECJ test and half voted for it.”
“I ask the Minister to allow flexibility in the funding criteria to allow for all households to have a water supply, get Irish Water to formally take over the schemes presented by Mayo County Council, get Irish Water to write off the debts run up because of neglected infrastructure-----”
“I know there is an emergency staffing request in and I am absolutely certain that every elected representative in the county will support this request. It would be unthinkable that unspent money would be clawed back by the Department at the end of the year just because we do not have sufficient staff in the water section to deliver the projects. I welcome that Mayo County Council has been selected as the pilot county for the new-look multi-annual rural water programme, MARWP, which starts in June next year, but without the necessary staff, this work cannot be done. Has the Minister done comparisons between the counties to ascertain how many schemes have been taken in charge in each county? I think he will find that Mayo is hovering the bottom there, so that needs to be looked at. I will sum up my requests for today.”
“With the pipes deteriorating and leaks happening, the volunteers and the households in the scheme cannot be held to ransom over these leaks. Can the Minister get Uisce Éireann to write off the debts, take over the schemes and just get on with it? These debts are going to be there for 100 years. They are not going to be paid by anyone; they cannot be paid by anyone. We need flexibility between the local authority and the Department to find and execute solutions. I commend the rural water section in Mayo County Council on its work. Indeed, Michael McDermott, who has just left that division, did excellent work too. There are just not enough of staff members to do what needs to be done for the delivery of water in the county.”
“Funding must be provided so that Mayo County Council can get on with the work and the households can get on with their lives. I ask the Minister and Minister of State to listen to what I am saying because I am providing them with solutions. I do not want to be standing up here again in front of them speaking about water in Mayo. The second thing I want addressed is the eight schemes in Mayo that are waiting at the moment - there are others in the pipeline - to be taken in charge by Uisce Éireann. Six of them have not been taken in charge because of debt. Some of them have been with Uisce Éireann for the past seven years. Uisce Éireann will not take over one of these schemes because it is being fed by another scheme with leak issues. Debts on these schemes have mounted up over the years, through nobody's fault.”
“That is really good because it is unusual for Mayo to be first. I wish to talk about the situation with water in County Mayo and, in particular, with group water schemes. Let me be very clear: the people in Mayo are just as important as the people living anywhere else in this State. I know the Minister and the Minister of State will agree with that. They have a right to water, a right to clear running water, and a right to access water 24-7. I want to talk first about homes in areas like Glensaul in Toormakeady, in Craggagh near Balla and in parts of north Mayo where there are clusters of fewer than 25 houses. The rules for funding exclude them from getting a water supply. That is just not right. This is a weakness in the system and the criteria must be relaxed.”
“The thousands of workers who are working remotely and flexibly has meant more time with their families, less stress, better mental health and, often, higher productivity. Yet, instead of building on what works, the Government is pushing people back onto roads that are at breaking point. Dublin is the eleventh most congested city in the world. Commuter routes are gridlocked. Trains are overcrowded or delayed. The vital public transport projects are stalled or abandoned year after year. This congestion does not exist by accident. It exists because of the Government's failure to deliver transport infrastructure, properly fund public transport and legislate for modern, flexible working. In rural Ireland, it is even more evident. There is no joined-up thinking between the public transport systems.”
“We can have that conversation in a very constructive way that can benefit everybody. We are seeing more employers, including in the public sector, forcing workers back into offices, regardless of whether their work can be done from home. That is not right. This is a workers' rights issue. It is also about trust, productivity and work-life balance. It can work brilliantly where employers and employees embrace the system. As was mentioned earlier, it can work brilliantly for the measurement of outcomes. This is always about outcomes. It is not even about outputs but outcomes and how that can be done. Systems have to be set up so that it can be done in way where there is confidence between the employer and employee. That certainly should be done.”
“I thank the Labour Party for bringing this motion forward. We share almost all of what is in this motion. I passionately believe in flexible working hours and the opportunities it can present. This motion goes to the heart of the daily reality for workers of the stress of long commutes, gridlocked roads and unreliable public transport. Workers in Ireland have no right to remote working. They have a right to ask and a right to be refused. I am a pragmatic person and I completely understand that many jobs that do not lend themselves to working from home or remote working. However, we need to have a comprehensive conversation about how work patterns are changing and how remote working can benefit not only the workers themselves and their families but local communities as well.”
“I ask the Minister of State to go back to the Department to say that nine years is too long and that it needs to get moving on this project, get the main project done and in the meantime provide a small bit of money that will make a huge and profound difference to the work the teachers and students are doing there. On behalf of the students, the teachers and the principal, I thank the Minister of State for his response.”
“After nine years with the Department, one can imagine, even from a public expenditure point of view, how much the Exchequer would have saved if that was done when it was planned and approved, never mind all the benefits for the children who would have benefited in the meantime from having the additional space and the additional rooms which are desperately needed. We are fortunate that there is demand for that school and the numbers are increasing. We see in many rural schools that the numbers are decreasing. It speaks to the excellence of the teachers and management in that school. I have to praise the other two secondary schools in Erris as well which do excellent work. One of the key advantages of living in that area is the education provided.”
“I appreciate that. I know the Minister of State is genuine when he says he will do that with St. Brendan's College because doing so would send a clear message that while we plan for the future, we do not abandon the students in the present. I look forward to some movement on that issue. This is a very small investment in terms of the interim measure which would have a profound impact on the students who need that space. This is about fairness, urgency and care and about ensuring children who need support are not left behind while waiting for buildings that may still be years away.”
“The school community has already raised almost €8,000, demonstrating strong local commitment and support. However, the community requires a total of €15,000 to make this project viable. My question is simple but urgent. Are there any funding streams, grants or discretionary supports available that would allow St. Brendan's College to meet the immediate needs of its most vulnerable students while the larger extension project for the school remains delayed? This request is not about replacing the long-awaited extension but about ensuring that children who need support today are not left without it because of processes that move too slowly.”
“I know that from my own experience because my own two boys went to that school and received a wonderful education there. The Department and the ETB have advised the school to wait for the long-promised extension but the reality is that students cannot wait. Right now there are several students in the school who urgently need access to a quiet space or a nurture room to help them to manage their emotions, anxiety and sensory overload. Without such a space, their ability to engage in learning, remain in school and reach their potential is compromised. In response, school management has taken a proactive approach. Rather than waiting indefinitely, it has identified a small portable building that could be placed on the site and converted into a sensory room. This is a modest, practical and cost-effective solution.”
“Despite this, the school was forced to spend €15,000 of its own annual budget this year alone just to keep these units usable for students throughout the winter. This is not a sustainable or acceptable position for any school but particularly for a school that is serving a community with significant disadvantage. St. Brendan's College is a DEIS school in a Gaeltacht area. Over 70% of students come from the primary schools in Erris, a geographically isolated area the size of County Louth. The demand for educational provision and sensory support has grown significantly but the physical infrastructure of the school has not kept pace. The principal, teachers and board of management in St. Brendan's College cannot be praised enough.”
“In reality this approval is eight years old and the school is still waiting for construction to begin. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is a practical person and I know he will agree that this is absolutely far too long. Pupils who were not even at the school when approval was granted have come out the other end and have not benefited from what was promised then. In the meantime, staff and students continue to work in prefabricated buildings installed in 1991 and 1992. That is over 30 years ago. These prefabs are well beyond their intended lifespan and are no longer fit for purpose. They suffer from water ingress, inadequate heating, ongoing structural deterioration and mould.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue on behalf of the staff, pupils and the community of St. Brendan's College in Belmullet. I am asking today for urgent interim funding for a nurture room at the school for students with additional and special needs. This funding would allow the school to act now and provide a much-needed facility for the school community rather than having to wait indefinitely for long-promised extension works. I will outline the recent history of the funding allocated to St. Brendan's College for extension works. These works were approved as far back as 2009 under the additional accommodation scheme and include seven classrooms and two specialist educational units. The project is now at stage 2a and has been sitting with the Department for several months.”