Shane Curley
Cultural and Educational Panel · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“I congratulate the Acting Leader in his role as Whip. I wish Galway the very best of luck in the All-Ireland hurling final. I know everyone in the room agrees it would be great to see Liam MacCarthy go west. Best of luck to Micheál Donoghue and the lads on Sunday. We will all be there shouting them on, if we can get a ticket.”
“There are modules in special educational needs in the PME, but there is no mandatory follow-up after that. As we all know, special educational needs involve ongoing upskilling and awareness and we are constantly figuring out more about them. We will never have enough knowledge and will be researching it for eternity.”
“In some cases, teachers have to travel many kilometres to the nearest training day. It does not make any sense. I would welcome a debate in the House with the Minister on instructing Oide or some other body to carry out regular mandatory training in special educational needs for all teachers.”
“I would also like to welcome former Senator Ned O'Sullivan who I see in the Gallery as well. He is very welcome. Tá fáilte roimhe. It is high time, in the next few months if at all possible; this side of Christmas in particular, to have a debate in the House with the Minister to urgently address the issue of extra time in exams for studen…”
“CGMs allow patients and clinicians to monitor glucose levels in real time, improving diabetes management and giving many patients greater confidence in managing their condition.”
“In Ireland, you get ten minutes even if the exam lasts three hours and 40 minutes in the case of the likes of English paper 2. In third level in Ireland, the lecturers who are currently carrying out a review on the process that was undertaken by the SEC give ten minutes per hour of an exam to their students.”
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“In some cases, teachers have to travel many kilometres to the nearest training day. It does not make any sense. I would welcome a debate in the House with the Minister on instructing Oide or some other body to carry out regular mandatory training in special educational needs for all teachers. We would do the children of Ireland a service if we did that.”
“There are modules in special educational needs in the PME, but there is no mandatory follow-up after that. As we all know, special educational needs involve ongoing upskilling and awareness and we are constantly figuring out more about them. We will never have enough knowledge and will be researching it for eternity. The Department's view, in my opinion, is, "Tick box - done; PME completed - you're qualified, you're perfect, off you go and teach". Teachers do not, on a mandatory basis, have to upskill after that. Consider the damage a teacher could do and the trigger that could be to a child. I want to be really clear that it is through no fault of the teacher's. It is purely because the Department does not provide training at times that are family friendly.”
“I congratulate the Acting Leader in his role as Whip. I wish Galway the very best of luck in the All-Ireland hurling final. I know everyone in the room agrees it would be great to see Liam MacCarthy go west. Best of luck to Micheál Donoghue and the lads on Sunday. We will all be there shouting them on, if we can get a ticket. I do not understand, in this day and age, how the Department of education sees it as inessential to have mandatory special educational needs training for all teachers as part of their practice. I cannot get my head around it. It came up in committee recently. I wrote to the Department and got a standardised response stating that every teacher who goes into mainstream and teaches children with special needs must have completed the professional master of education, PME. I understand that.”
“Those review findings need to be urgently published to inform what will happen next year because it is pretty evident we need to expand on the ten minutes that was given this year. Not alone is the leaving certificate itselt not fit for purpose as an exam in a modern society, but then time pressure is added on top of it for a whole host of students who cannot deal with that type of pressure. Their brains are not designed to process information under time pressure but we expect them to do it anyway. In a modern society, I do not think it is good enough and we need an urgent debate.”
“In Ireland, you get ten minutes even if the exam lasts three hours and 40 minutes in the case of the likes of English paper 2. In third level in Ireland, the lecturers who are currently carrying out a review on the process that was undertaken by the SEC give ten minutes per hour of an exam to their students. I have said this before in this House and I feel I am at risk of repeating myself ad nauseam , but it really needs to be looked at that we are now spending money as a State to pay lecturers to research what happened this year in the leaving certificate when those lecturers already give ten minutes per hour to students at third level with the same learning difficulties. I do not know why we have not just gone with their advice and done it as a cost-effective, research-led decision that could have been done instantly.”
“I would also like to welcome former Senator Ned O'Sullivan who I see in the Gallery as well. He is very welcome. Tá fáilte roimhe. It is high time, in the next few months if at all possible; this side of Christmas in particular, to have a debate in the House with the Minister to urgently address the issue of extra time in exams for students with learning difficulties. In a very welcome move, the Minister gave an extra ten minutes across the board to every student with specified learning difficulties in this year's State exams, junior and leaving certificate. That is welcome. It is a good step in the right direction and it acknowledges the issue that exists, but it does not go far enough. Every expert I talk to tells me that. In the UK, if you have the same learning difficulties you get an extra 25% on the time limit of each exam.”
“As the number of people living with type 2 diabetes continues to grow, delaying a HTA will delay the gathering of the evidence needed to inform policy decisions. I hope the Minister will engage with HIQA and the HSE on scoping a rapid HTA for clearly defined cohorts of people with type 2 diabetes. There are costs of not doing this. Let us look at the cost of the current situation versus what we could achieve and at the financial benefit to the State of investing in this in the short term to avoid longer term complications. I am not a medical expert but the cost implications of the health complications arising from not investing in CGMs and not having real-time data on blood sugar levels have been explained pretty clearly to me.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I appreciate that. The issue we are trying to delve into is not the fact a HTA has not been carried out yet - we know the data does not exist in Ireland yet - but to get the timeline for carrying one out. The Government has rightly placed renewed emphasis on improving diabetes care through the recently launched diabetes policy and services review. Commissioning the evidence needed to assess innovative technologies for people with type 2 diabetes would be entirely consistent with those objectives. If we are serious about delivering on that strategy, innovative technologies must be assessed using clinical evidence so that future policy decisions can be made with confidence. This is also about ensuring health services keep up with innovation.”
“Will the Minister provide an updated timeline for the completion and publication of the HSE's preferred sensor review? I am not asking that we make a reimbursement decision today but to begin the evidence-gathering process that will allow one to be made in due course. The first step is commissioning a rapid HTA. The second is providing certainty on the preferred sensor review. Both are practical, evidence-based steps that would represent meaningful progress to better care for people living with type 2 diabetes. I would be keen to hear what the current plans are to expand access to CGMs as the disparity in patient access has been made clear to me.”
“CGMs allow patients and clinicians to monitor glucose levels in real time, improving diabetes management and giving many patients greater confidence in managing their condition. CGMs are available for patients with type 1 diabetes, but people with type 2 diabetes remain excluded, not because the technology lacks potential but because the evidence-gathering process required to inform reimbursement decisions has not yet begun in Ireland. This is at a time when we are lagging so far behind our British and European counterparts. The HSE has also confirmed that its preferred sensor review remains ongoing, yet no timeline has been provided for its completion or publication. Will the Minister commit to engaging with HIQA and the HSE to scope a rapid HTA for clearly defined cohorts with type 2 diabetes? If so, when will this be done?”
“If we look at some of the European countries with the highest regarded health systems, for example France, Germany and the Netherlands, not only have they carried out the HTA but they provide reimbursement for type 2 diabetes patients who get CGMs. More than 300,000 people in Ireland are living with diabetes, almost 90% of whom have type 2 diabetes. With an ageing population, rising obesity levels and increasingly sedentary lifestyles, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is expected to continue growing in the years ahead. Every year that a HTA is delayed is another year in which we lack the evidence needed to determine whether CGM technology should be made available to defined cohorts of people in an environment where other countries in the European Union are so far ahead of us.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht isteach inniu. I thank the Minister of State for coming into the House. Thousands of people living with type 2 diabetes remain unable to access continuous glucose monitoring, CGM, devices because Ireland has yet to undertake a health technology assessment, HTA, for its use in this patient cohort. Only recently, this House debated access to continuous glucose monitoring. In the Minister's response, it was confirmed that reimbursement cannot currently be extended because no Irish HTA has been undertaken for patients with type 2 diabetes. While that explains the current position, it also highlights the central issue that needs to be addressed, that we need to catch up to our European counterparts.”
“I welcome guests of the Leas-Cathaoirleach, Senator Maria Byrne. We have Joy Neville, George Clancy and Eoghan Cross, who are all elite Irish international rugby referees. I do a bit of GAA refereeing, so I know the pain. They are all very welcome.”
“I would be nervous about moving away from the balancing to rebalance more favourably on the leaving certificate than the HPAT because it is the worst type of exam. I have a bugbear with it and am trying to get rid of it in its entirety but that is a long project. In the meantime, that is the one concern I have with the response. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire.”
“It is good news in one way that there is acknowledgement from the Department that there is an issue with the entrance exam system. I welcome that. The only bad news from the response is that the only thing worse than the HPAT is the leaving certificate. They are going to rebalance with more focus on the leaving certificate results than on the HPAT. There is a matrix called Cronbach's alpha - I discussed this with Dr. Muirne Spooner in the RCSI - that is used to test the validity of high-stakes exams that have strong consequences. The HPAT is one of the lowest scoring exams that can go through that system. They cannot even test the validity of the leaving certificate. It is so bad they cannot even put it through the matrix.”
“It is globally recognised as the best way of predicting future medical performance. In terms of the overall rationale for this, there are two main reasons we should do it. The first is equality of educational access and the second is that, inevitably, it would lead to a higher quality of doctors being available for us in this country, whom we would have to try to retain. I am very interested in the Minister’s views on whether or can move to a more modern way of doing the entrance exams.”
“The RCSI takes in, on average, approximately 400 students every year. Some 300 of those are international students who sit situational judgment tests and multiple mini interviews. That is already carried out in this country. The situational judgment test is a really good one. It tests interpersonal skills. In the modern day, it beggars belief that we do not have a system whereby we interview people to test their interpersonal skills before they go on to do one of the most important jobs anyone could ever do, which is to be a medical doctor or dentist, or any job where one has to communicate with patients in order to ascertain the best outcomes for them. The situational judgment test is the best predictor globally of a student's future medical performance. There is a company that provides it in Ireland.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht teacht isteach inniu don rud thar a bheith tábhachtach seo. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, states that the HPAT has no validity and no predictive validity on future attainment in medical courses. The issue is the validity of the HPAT as an entrance exam to medical courses in Ireland. It is the only example we have of a State exam where young boys outperform young girls, the reason being it was a 1960s construct created by men for predominantly young private school boys who would go on to do medicine in college. It also, unfortunately, favours those who have the financial means to pay for tuition. There is a huge amount of evidence that those who get tuition before they sit their HPAT exam do significantly better when they sit it. There are alternatives.”
“No levy will be placed on a business that puts a business out of business. I would not see it happening. If there was ever a danger of it happening, local authority members would be lobbied so hard that they would double back on the measure very quickly and make sure that the right thing was done. I want to speak strongly in favour of the motion. It is a good idea from Senator Fitzpatrick. Anything that gives power back to local authorities and members to administer the running of their local authorities is a good idea and I want to speak in favour of it.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht teacht isteach don díospóireacht seo. I commend Senator Mary Fitzpatrick on bringing this conversation to the House. It is good to have it. Similar to Senator Boyhan, I was a councillor. One of the biggest frustrations I had was the lack of power councillors had at local level to run their own local authorities. I found it very frustrating, in particular in terms of county development plans, local area plans and things being overridden by the Government after local consideration had been given to matters that would affect one local area. Any measure that gives more power to bring money into an area is a positive step. I do not think any local authority member would ever envisage or countenance introducing a measure that would damage the local economy. That is something we need to remember.”
“Sula dtéim ar aghaidh leis an gceist, cuirim fáilte roimh Ollscoil Tulane. I welcome the guests of Deputy Ryan O'Meara from Tulane University, atá sa Ghailearaí inniu. Tá fáilte mhór rompu. Gabhaim buíochas leo as ucht teacht isteach.”
“What this motion speaks to today is to try to bring down that student-teacher ratio, give the teacher a chance to cater to the needs of every student and allow that student who needs a extra little bit of help to thrive in the context of a reduced student-teacher capacity.”
“I acknowledge the work the Minister of State has been doing. An extra 860 special educational teachers is a mammoth investment. Any time I have approached him, whether about school transport or special education, he has been incredibly approachable and I acknowledge my appreciation for that. The special education side of it is obviously something we need to hugely focus on but what I am trying to get at today with this extra 1,000 teachers is more about mainstream education and the student who has additional needs who may thrive in the mainstream setting if the student-teacher ratio is brought down a small bit. It can be a very lonely place for a child, particularly if they have educational needs, to be in the classroom and feel totally lost and not know what to do, simply because the teacher is spread too thin.”
“That school is a vital cog in that whole area's social fabric, and we need to be really careful to make sure that we keep rural Ireland alive when it comes to these schools. Could we look at maybe a lower teacher ratio that we target in some of the more sparsely populated rural areas?”
“First, take a student with special educational needs. As a teacher myself, I think I did my best teaching in smaller classes. It is way easier to spread yourself across a classroom when there are 12, 13, 14 or 15 students in it, as opposed to trying to teach 30 students, which is just not doable. Students with additional needs, in particular, need a lot of the teacher's one-on-one focus. When that is not available, it reduces the effectiveness of that teacher in the classroom, no matter how good a teacher they are. Second, we could also look at rural Ireland and the number of one- and two-teacher schools that are in danger of closing. A rural school is the focal point of a rural community that might have only the school, the post office and maybe a small shop and the local pub.”
“A total of 7,864 substitute teaching roles are being covered by unqualified teachers, which, again, is not a good reflection on our primary school education system and it is something we need to work on. As to what that looks like in practice, we have 51,028 primary pupils who were educated in the 2023-24 school year in class sizes above 30 pupils. That is a lot. That is 1,637 primary school classes that had over 30 students. The fact that our record low number of students in the 2023-24 student-teacher ratio still had those startling statistics shows how far we must go to improve that. My ask is clear. We need 1,000 extra teachers in the 2026-27 school year at primary level to bring us in line with the OECD and EU averages and to try to push ahead and be one of the standard bearers in this field. Why?”
“We in Ireland, as a wealthy country, instead of trying to achieve the average across Europe and the OECD, should strive to be standard bearers in this area. In my party, we pride ourselves on being the party of education. We have huge work to do in this context. From a teacher's point of view, we talk all the time about the crisis in retaining teachers in the country, and retention is one of the key issues here. We have 419,823 children in oversized primary school classrooms, if we take that EU average of 19. That is 996 teaching posts unfilled, which shows the unattractiveness in some ways of the role and the problem we have facing the retention of teachers.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht teacht isteach. I raise this issue in the context of a conversation I had last week with the INTO over in Buswells Hotel. While a lot of what I will raise probably highlights negatives that exist within the education system and offers solutions to them, I also acknowledge the good work that has been done. In the 2023-24 school year, Ireland achieved its lowest ever student-teacher ratio at primary school level. In the context of the global turmoil we see and the uncertainty that exists across the world, that is a huge achievement and must be acknowledged. However, large class sizes remain the reality. The average primary school class size in Ireland is 22.5 students, in comparison with the OECD average of 21 and the EU average of 19 students per teacher.”
“Tugann sé guth níos láidre do phobal na Gaeltachta. Neartaíonn sé an nasc idir an t-údarás agus na pobail a bhfreastalaíonn sé orthu. Cuireann sé struchtúr níos daonlathaí ar fáil. Go pearsanta, gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Aon uair a tháinig mé chuige le smaointe maidir leis an nGaeilge, léirigh sé fíorshuim sa Ghaeltacht agus sa Ghaeilge. Tá muinín agam go mbeimid in ann dul i ngleic leis na constaicí atá roimh an nGaeltacht sa todhchaí agus sna blianta atá romhainn.”
“Nuair a fheiceann saoránaigh an Ghaeilge á húsáid go nádúrtha agus go hiontaofa ag an Stát féin, cuireann sé sin le stádas na teanga agus le muinín inti. Fáiltím freisin roimh na leasuithe a bhaineann leis an sprioc de 20% d'earcaigh nua sa tseirbhís phoiblí a bheith inniúil sa Ghaeilge. Má táimid chun seirbhísí Gaeilge ar ardchaighdeán a chur ar fáil, ní mór dúinn an fhoireann a bheith againn chun na seirbhísí sin a sholáthar. Ar ndóigh, ní réiteoidh an Bille seo gach dúshlán atá roimh an nGaeltacht. Tá obair mhór fós le déanamh i réimsí na tithíochta, an oideachais, na seirbhíse poiblí, an iompair agus na forbartha eacnamaíochta. Tá sé ríthábhachtach go leanfaidh an Rialtas ag déanamh infheistíochta i mbonneagar agus i ndeiseanna fostaíochta sna ceantair Ghaeltachta, ach creidim go láidir gur céim chun cinn é an Bille seo.”
“Tá saineolas luachmhar forbartha acu agus tá sé ciallmhar go mbeadh an cumas ann leanúnachas a choinneáil nuair atá dul chun cinn déanta. Tá fáilte freisin roimh an bhforáil a leathnaíonn an sainmhíniú maidir le bailte seirbhíse Gaeltachta agus a chuireann san áireamh bailte laistigh de 30 km ó limistéar pleanála teanga Ghaeltachta. I go leor cásanna, bíonn daoine sa Ghaeltacht ag brath ar bhailte seirbhíse d'obair, don oideachas, do chúram sláinte agus do sheirbhísí eile. Tá sé tábhachtach go n-aithníonn an reachtaíocht an réaltacht sin. Cuirim fáilte freisin roimh na leasuithe ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla. Tá sé suntasach go mbeidh ainmneacha comhlachtaí poiblí nuabhunaithe i nGaeilge amháin. Ní beart siombalach amháin é seo. Tá tábhacht ag baint leis an bhfeiceálacht atá ag an nGaeilge sa saol poiblí.”
“Ar an gcúis sin, tá fáilte ar leith le cur roimh an bhforáil a thugann cumhachtaí soiléire don údarás talamh atá faoina úinéireacht a úsáid chun tithe a thógáil. Tá géarchéim tithíochta ag dul i bhfeidhm ar phobail Ghaeltachta. Tá daoine óga atá ag iarraidh fanacht ina gceantair dhúchais ag streachailt le teach a cheannach nó a fháil ar cíos. Má chaillimid an chéad ghlúin eile de chainteoirí Gaeilge mar gheall ar easpa tithíochta, beidh tionchar tromchúiseach aige sin ar inmharthanacht na Gaeltachta amach anseo. Tá roinnt leasuithe sa Bhille seo freisin a bhaineann leis an bpróiseas pleanála teanga. Fáiltím roimh an gcinneadh a sholáthraíonn tréimhse níos soiléire do phleananna teanga agus a thugann solúbthacht níos fearr don chóras. Tá obair mhór déanta ag na heagraíochtaí pobail agus na grúpaí pleanála teanga le deich mbliana anuas.”
“Fáiltím freisin roimh an bhforáil a bhaineann le bunú na gcoistí réigiúnacha. Tá sé tábhachtach go mbeidh na coistí sin ceangailte leis na grúpaí pleanála teanga atá ag obair ar an talamh cheana féin. Is iad na grúpaí sin a thuigeann na deiseanna agus na constaicí atá roimh phobail na Gaeltachta ó lá go lá. Mar urlabhraí ar oideachas agus ar an nGaeilge, ba mhaith liom a rá go bhfuil nasc láidir idir an Bille seo agus todhchaí na Gaeilge freisin. Ní leor labhairt faoin teanga mar ábhar cultúrtha amháin. Má táimid dáiríre faoi thodhchaí na Gaeilge, ní mór dúinn pobail inmharthana a chruthú agus a chothú. Ní féidir teanga phobail a chosaint mura bhfuil daoine in ann cónaí sa phobal sin.”
“Ba ghealltanas soiléir é seo sa chlár Rialtais agus creidim gur céim dhearfach é. Tá luach ar leith ag baint le daonlathas áitiúil agus le deis a thabhairt do phobail na Gaeltachta a gcuid ionadaithe féin a roghnú agus a gcuid tuairimí a chur in iúl go díreach trí phróiseas toghcháin. Leis an mBille seo, beidh deichniúr comhaltaí tofa ar bhord an údaráis agus seisear eile ceaptha ag an Aire. Cothromaíocht réasúnta í seo idir ionadaíocht dhaonlathach agus an gá atá ann scileanna agus saineolas ar leith a bheith ar fáil ar an mbord. Tá sé tábhachtach freisin go mbeidh ionadaíocht ag gach limistéar Gaeltachta ar an mbord nua. Is comhartha dearfach é sin do phobail bheaga Ghaeltachta a bhí buartha san am atá thart nach raibh a nguth le cloisteáil go láidir sa chóras.”
“Cuireann an eagras fostaíocht ar fáil, tacaíonn sé le fiontraíocht, cabhraíonn sé le forbairt pobail agus, thar aon ní eile, cabhraíonn sé leis na coinníollacha a chruthú a chuireann ar chumas daoine maireachtáil agus obair a dhéanamh ina bpobail féin trí mheán na Gaeilge. Ach, tá sé fíor freisin go bhfuil an Ghaeltacht athraithe go mór ó bunaíodh an t-údarás in 1980. Tá dúshláin nua os ár gcomhair anois: brú daonra i gceantair áirithe, easpa tithíochta, costais mhaireachtála níos airde, imirce daoine óga, agus an brú leanúnach atá ar úsáid laethúil na Gaeilge mar theanga phobail. Dá bhrí sin, ní mór dúinn a chinntiú go bhfuil na struchtúir rialachais atá againn oiriúnach don lá inniu agus don todhchaí. Ceann de na gnéithe is suntasaí den Bhille seo ná an cinneadh toghcháin dhíreacha chuig bord Údarás na Gaeltachta a athbhunú.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht teacht isteach inniu. Tá áthas orm an deis a bheith agam inniu labhairt ar an Dara Céim den Bhille um Údarás na Gaeltachta (Leasú), 2024. Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an mBille seo. Is reachtaíocht thábhachtach é a dhéanfaidh athnuachan ar struchtúir dhaonlathacha Údarás na Gaeltachta agus a neartóidh an nasc idir pobail Ghaeltachta agus an eagraíocht atá freagrach as a bhforbairt eacnamaíoch, shóisialta agus chultúrtha. Le breis agus 40 bliain anuas, tá ról fíorthábhachtach ag Údarás na Gaeltachta i saol na Gaeltachta.”
“We recently had Dr. Schön-Quinlivan and Ms Collier before the education committee and its Leas-Chathaoirleach, Senator Scahill, and we got to hear from students about their insights into how successful the programme was. I just want to mention that Senator Scahill and the rest of the committee are fully supportive of the initiative.”
“I found it frustrating when I was a councillor. In the case of other public bodies, such as the ESB or the public lighting companies that look after the county council, we had a direct line to a direct representative who looked after our county council. If we had an issue as public representatives we had a direct phone line we could use to have a conversation to explain a niche on-the-ground issue. Councillor Caroline O'Reilly and other councillors throughout the country have no ability to do this with Uisce Éireann and I ask why this is. It is about time we brought in the Minister to discuss having a more on-the-ground presence from Uisce Éireann throughout the country so people can represent their constituents properly.”
“Tá rud éigin le rá agam faoi Uisce Éireann. I want to raise the issue of Uisce Éireann's communications, particularly with public representatives. Not alone have we had reports in the House about its communication with Oireachtas representatives but I am now getting communications from councillors that what they are getting in feedback is nowhere near sufficient. Councillor Caroline O'Reilly in Dunshaughlin in County Meath raised discolouration in the public water supply last November. Six months later she has received three generic copy-paste emails telling her and her constituents to run the cold water tap for 20 minutes and if the discolouration continues to call a generic 1800 phone number for a call centre nowhere near Dunshaughlin in County Meath with absolutely no on-the-ground knowledge. It is an extremely frustrating situation.”
“We are loosening the boundaries of what is relevant to an amendment. Unless it has some relevance to journalistic privilege, can we deal with it later on a more relevant amendment? Is that fair enough?”
“Sula dtéim ar aghaidh, ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh na daoine sa Ghailearaí. I think I missed the memo on bring your mam to work day today. We have Deputy Pádraig Rice with his mam, Teresa, and his aunt, Marie McCarthy, in the Gallery. They are all very welcome. Thanks for coming in today. He is the second Member to have his mother in the Gallery in the last few minutes. Glaoim ar an Seanadóir Cosgrove. An bhfuil sí ag iarraidh am a roinnt?”
“Sula leanaim ar aghaidh, I welcome our special guests in the Distinguished Visitors Gallery today. We have Senator Ollie Crowe’s mother, Breda Crowe, as well as his sister-in-law, Caroline Crowe. I hope they are both very proud of Senator Crowe. He has been a great mentor to me since I became a Senator. He is a gentleman. Breda and Caroline are very welcome.”
“Sula dtéim ar aghaidh, ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh na daoine sa Ghailearaí. I welcome the guests of Deputy Joe Neville, namely, Tara Carpenter, Lexie Doherty and Isabella Morone. Gabhaim buíochas leo as ucht teacht isteach inniu.”
“The process already collapsed once many years ago and the school was sent back to square one. The builder at the time pulled out. The school is now faced with going back to square one again after having gone through the entire process a second time up to stage 3. We do not need to see a third round of going back to square one for Carrabane National School. I am asking the Deputy Leader to talk to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and ask her to directly intervene with the buildings unit in Tullamore of the Department of education. This is genuinely urgent because the builder is about to pull out for a second time. We do not need to see Carrabane National School losing out for a second time.”
“Earlier this week, Gaelscoil Riada and Coláiste an Eachréidh received the great news that they have been issued with a letter of intent to go to construction, which is huge news for them. Déanaim comhghairdeas leo. Tá mé an-sásta dóibh. However, this was met with dismay by other schools, such as Carrabane National School just outside Loughrea, which has been waiting a long time – over 20 years – to get to construction phase. Four months ago, the announcement was made that it was sanctioned to go to stage 3 which, in my opinion, should be the green light to see diggers on the ground and construction commenced. This is a 20-year saga. The school is in a dangerous condition and teachers are teaching in dangerous conditions. Students are not in fit-for-purpose classrooms. This needs to be sped up urgently.”
“I am required to put the following question in accordance with the order of the Seanad: "That amendment No. 7 is hereby negatived, Fourth Stage is hereby completed and the Bill is hereby received for final consideration; and the Bill is hereby passed." Is that agreed?”
“I welcome the winners of the National Short Story Competition to the Gallery with their parents and teachers. I see my own former workmate and friend, Eoin O'Sullivan, down there. I do not know if Deirdre is still around. Just to say hello to them all and thank them for coming up today. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.”
“Ultimately it is about ensuring that every young person in Ireland, regardless of their background, has access to the support spaces and opportunities they need to thrive.”
“They really change the lives of young people, particularly marginalised young people. We saw a huge intervention with girls from both the Roma and Traveller communities to try to get them out of their houses and into the community which was really welcome. This is not an issue of disagreement on principle. Across this House there is broad consensus on the importance of youth work. The Government’s position differs slightly because we are not starting from zero - we are already increasing funding, expanding services, investing in infrastructure and implementing a long-term national strategy. While we welcome this motion and the focus it brings, our task now is to continue delivery, deepen investment and ensure sustainability.”
“We are also seeing over €54.5 million invested in the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme, which targets young people most at risk and expands services, with new UBU projects supporting an additional 1,000 young people. Over €16.7 million is being provided for national youth organisations through the youth services grant scheme. Over 1,200 local youth clubs are reaching more than 60,000 young people in their communities. Importantly, for the first time, we now have a multi-annual capital commitment with €4 million per year secured to 2030 for youth infrastructure. This directly addresses one of the longstanding asks from the sector around facilities and spaces. I had the honour for five years of being the chair of the youth and arts committee on GRETB. I went all across Galway and Roscommon and saw the interventions that these measures make.”