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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“There is work to do, but it is hugely welcome. I think the unions have welcomed it as well. One of the stand-out measures in yesterday's budget - and we were all lobbied, I presume, by the INTO at different stages over the past few months - is the €50 increase in the capitation grant. It does not fully solve the problem. At €274 per pupil, it does not fully bridge the gap, but it is a massive step in the right direction. It is one of the biggest increases I have ever seen in a single year and it has to be welcomed. While the INTO always will do what is best for students and strive to make sure that that is at the optimum level, €274 has to be welcomed in some capacity, and there is positivity towards that. Again, I was lobbied at length by the TUI and ASTI. Both bodies nominated me for the Seanad. They pushed for the capitation grant.”
“Going back to education, I will go through some of the highlights I found from yesterday's budget that I, as a former teacher, or someone who worked in the education sector for nearly 14 years in some capacity or other, really welcome. There are a lot. There is room for improvement and constructive follow-on work in the years to come, but for the next 12 months there is a huge amount that I welcome, particularly the 1,717 extra SNAs we have funded. That is hugely positive. I really welcome it. It is a step in the right direction. It does not fully solve the problem. Particularly, I would like to see more funding into the training and the on-site work experience that people in ECCE courses get when they are in college in order that they see the SNA role as something to move on to and to aspire to.”
“Third, as has been mentioned, the €117 million in additional funding for local government is hugely positive. It sends out the signal that if people want to be a county or city councillor in Ireland and want to get involved at local government level, like I was for almost six years, there is funding there to give them a meaningful role and to make sure they are in charge of a budget that really looks after local people in local communities around this country. I welcome that. We have a huge amount of work to do to give the relevant powers back to councillors at local area and to trust them with roles at local government level, but yesterday was a huge step in the right direction. It is a huge increase, and I really welcome it.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo. I will focus almost exclusively on the education side of the budget today. Before I do, there are three quick comments I want to make. First, I received hugely positive feedback from postmasters around the country last night and this morning on the measures in the budget to support our rural post offices in remote, isolated, rural areas or in smaller villages and towns around Ireland. It is a hugely positive step and has been very much welcomed by the postmasters of Ireland. An dara rud ná an méadú sa mhaoiniú atá ar fáil don Ghaeilge mar theanga. Tá sé sin thar a bheith dearfach. Tá go leor le déanamh againn maidir leis an teanga ach, ag an am céanna, tá mé an-sásta leis an méadú a chonaiceamar inné maidir leis an nGaeilge.”
“They give students confidence, real-world experience and a vision of what is possible. These girls are not just future engineers; they are role models for those coming behind them. It has created a huge buzz in St. Brigid's College and the wider area that such an achievement has been reached. Team Increvex's success shows what happens when opportunity, talent and teamwork come together. They have done the Loughrea area, Galway and Ireland proud on a global level and I have no doubt this is only the start of what is to come for these people. I congratulate Maeve, Jessica, Leoni, and Sharvi and everyone who supported them in the school community. Achievements like this make me proud to say I am a former student of St. Brigid's in Loughrea.”
“That is an incredible achievement and should be recognised. These four talented young women, their teachers and their community worked extremely hard on this. They have shown not only creativity and skill, but also teamwork, determination and ambition, the qualities that define future engineers, scientists and innovators. Through STEM Racing, formerly known as F1 in Schools, students design and build miniature Formula 1 cars, applying real-world engineering principals such as aerodynamics, drag, friction, etc. Teams like Increvex demonstrate how hands-on learning can spark a lifelong passion for innovation. It is particularly inspiring to see a team of young women leading the way. We know that women remain under-represented in STEM fields in Ireland, but projects like this are helping to change that.”
“I acknowledge the exciting new partnership between the BWT Alpine Formula One Team and the Espire Education STEM On Track initiative, which uses motorsport to engage students in STEM. Over 600 students from 45 schools are taking part, building their own racing carts and competing in national finals. It is practical, inclusive and inspiring. It is exactly the kind of experience we should be giving people in the learning environment. On that note, I offer my congratulations to Team Increvex from St. Brigid's College, Loughrea who are Maeve, Jessica, Leoni, and Sharvi. I met them a couple of weeks ago with the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth, Deputy Michael Moynihan. They have just been awarded the Formula 1 innovative thinking award at the STEM Racing World Finals awards ceremony in Singapore.”
“We need education on how we got here in the first place so that, when this is over - I hope it will be soon - we never get here again. Conversations in classrooms all over the world must make sure this is dialled down and this hatred and this brutality never happen again. Politicians around the world need to dial down the rhetoric about military complexes so we are not obsessed with defence spending and arming ourselves to the teeth in order to carry out the level of brutality we are seeing in Palestine on a daily basis. I hope we will see that soon.”
“I am very disappointed as a person who is proud to be an EU citizen - I engaged in LYMEC debates and went to the European youth debates in Brussels - that the EU has been so lethargic and there has been so little action. Irish citizens are in IDF custody as we speak for no justifiable reason and the European Union needs to act now. I commend the Kinvara Palestine Solidarity Group, the Loughrea for Palestine group, the Athenry for Palestine group and Gort Palestine Solidarity Group. They are four local groups in Galway that have kept constant pressure going and kept the flag flying on a constant basis. They are the best of what Galway has to offer and have been consistent in their support and advocacy. I commend them. They have never given up. We need three things now. We need sanctions straight away.”
“I often hear people say the European Union is the greatest peace project of all time, that we achieved peace on a continuous basis - until the Russian invasion of Ukraine, perhaps, looking at it a different way. However, at least in the European Union, there has been constant peace since the end of the Second World War. That notion has been undermined by the inaction of the European Union against Israel. In contrast with what it did with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and what it is doing now, there is hypocrisy at European Union level. I am not blaming our Government. What the European Union is doing is hypocritical.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht teacht isteach ar gearrfhógra. Táim buíoch de. I commend Senator Ruane on proposing the amendment to the Order of Business today to enable us to have this debate. I am glad we are talking about this. I wish there were more of us in the room on both sides of the House. I am not pointing fingers; this is serious. What Israel did last night was smash international law. Not alone did it smash international law relating to protections for boats on international waters, but it prevented food going to people who were starving and medical supplies getting to people who really needed them. It is systematic and deliberate and it is total brutality. That needs to be said.”
“The locals tell me it is only a matter of time before there is a fatality. Over 900 students cross the N67 main road daily for school drop-off and collection. There is not a single pedestrian crossing in the village and no traffic management plan either. County council officials told Kinvara community council it does not have the funding to provide what is necessary to make the village safer for those who live there and for the 900 plus students who go to school there every day. We need to talk to the Minister about this. He needs to come to the Chamber to have a conversation about why funding has not been made available to the council and why there is not a safer situation for people who really deserve it. This has been going on for years.”
“I acknowledge what has been said. What Senator Andrews is doing is extremely brave. It is not just symbolic. If those on the flotilla only save one life or prevent child having to go through an amputation unanaesthetised, they will have either saved a life or prevented a mental trauma that will never be reversed. I just cannot understand what the IDF is doing. It has shown absolutely no regard for international law, which it purported that it wanted the protection of for so long. What is happening beggars belief. We are all thinking of Senator Andrews. I hope he is okay. In Kinvara, County Galway, two weeks ago, a schoolchild was knocked down while returning home from school. Last week, an elderly person was hospitalised after being struck by a vehicle in the village of Kinvara.”
“We have a grant for the solar panels, but there is no grant to put the battery with it so that we actually store battery supply in our own homes that we can call on when we need it and stop the reliance on the national grid. These are small initiatives. Obviously, there would be a cost to the State in the short term but the long-term gain is huge. It is a strategic move that would really bear fruit if we look into it and have a discussion rather than a debate on the matter, as I think we are all on the same page here. I do not think anyone is opposing this but we should have a discussion with the Minister on this if we can.”
“It is a no-brainer that we should go about making sure that on a second occasion people can avail of 0% VAT as an incentive to bring in battery storage, if they cannot afford to do everything in one go when they initially install the panels. This initiative would really bear fruit. I also suggest that we have a discussion with the Minister on the idea of a nominal fee for solar panel installers. The reason I raise that is we do not have enough inspectors going around from site to site, making sure that the work is done to an adequate standard. This would allow for increased funding to hire more inspectors, who are very hard to get into the job, and make it a more attractive career. Finally, there are no grants for batteries.”
“Ba mhaith liom ceist na slándal fuinnimh a ardú. I wish to raise the issue of energy security and securing the national grid with enough electricity supply. A local solar energy company in Loughrea raised with me the issue of VAT on solar panel batteries. If we take an instance where somebody gets the grant to install their solar panels, there is a once-off opportunity to get the 0% VAT. If that leads to the person wanting to reinstall a battery at a later date, they have to pay the full rate of VAT. We are missing an opportunity here to incentivise people to bring long-duration battery storage capacity into their homes. These take a huge drain off the national grid and allow for people to be more energy secure in their own homes without having to rely on the national supply.”
“If a culture could be embedded through conversations in the classroom that would allow for financial hygiene to be a norm in the mind of a young person leaving secondary school, we might not see people pulling out of this and the opt-out clause may not even be in people's minds in a few years' time. The tapering off of the fund as regards the risk level is hugely welcome. It is a very clever move on the Government's part to allow that little bit of risk for those in their 20s and 30s and to taper it off.”
“I really appreciated the presentation that was given but we did not get a huge amount of clarity about the actual ethical side of the investments. I would share some concerns about when people work hard for 30 or 40 years and put some of their money in an auto-enrolled pension that we are sure it is being invested in ethical causes. It is important we have the clarity on that because they are trusting the State with their money. We need to make sure that we play an active role in the monitoring of the ESG side of this. As a secondary school teacher, I would love to see far more financial well-being education at second level.”
“There is a runaway train of people at retirement age and not enough young people coming through the system to actually contribute PRSI to allow for elderly people to be looked after. I really do care about the care of the elderly. That is something we need to have a conversation on. I respectfully disagree with what the Senator said on that. I also raise the issue of a €1 billion bonanza for the private sector. Who is going to pay for the public to actually administer the funds? Will it be the same squeezed taxpayer that we have right now? We will either cost the State a fortune or trust private companies with the system. I respectfully disagree with the points that were made. I will share some of the concerns that were raised regarding ESG and ethical investment of the funds. There was a talk in the audiovisual room about this recently.”
“I will not repeat everything that has been said about the positives of this move except to say that I hugely welcome the movement towards auto-enrolment. One of the huge positives I see that has not been mentioned today by Senators is the mobility of the fund. Nowadays, people do not have lifelong careers in one particular job as much as they did previously. The fact that the fund moves with the person as he or she goes from job to job is hugely welcome. I would like to pick up, respectfully, on a couple of points Senator McCormack made about the Government being out of touch on this. What would be out of touch is to allow us to move towards an apocalyptic scene in 30 or 40 years' time, when I hope I will be retiring, where there is no money left in the country if we allow things to develop the way they currently are.”
“We all agree that no parent should face sleepless nights in August, wondering if his or her child will get to school safely on a bus for the school year. That is a goal that we should all have, namely, to make sure that no parent faces that uncertainty in August. Continuous investment and reform will ensure that the scheme is fairer, more flexible and fit for the future.”
“It is important for parents to have that peace of mind when they are hopping into their cars to go to work in Galway or wherever, to know that their children are at home in a rural parish and are getting on school buses safely. That provides huge peace of mind for parents. I know that we are doing a lot to enable that but there is a way to go to get the scheme completely sorted by 2030. I reiterate that Fianna Fáil, like the Minister of State himself, is committed to the scheme. We are committed to the three goals of certainty, compassion and capacity. We want to give certainty to parents, we want compassion in the system for those isolated incidents and we want a huge increase in capacity in terms of the number of buses and drivers in the system.”
“We lower the carbon emissions that we are producing in rural communities and that is vital. It is also vital for students to develop life skills. There is independence involved in getting themselves ready in the morning for the school bus. It teaches them time management skills and gives them an ability to navigate public transport. This is all vital for the development of a child. It is not just about buses and routes; this is a lifeline for families in a lot of cases, where parents need the flexibility to be able to get to work early in the morning knowing that their children will be picked up at the gate and brought to school safely.”
“In some cases, a driver over the age of 70 years can definitely drive a school bus safely. They currently come in to school at 11 a.m. to pick up a hurling, camogie or Gaelic football team and bring them to an extracurricular event but they are deemed unsafe by Bus Éireann at 8 a.m. to bring the same students to school safely. There is an anomaly in the system. If we had more regular driver tests, we could provide a huge supply of drivers that are not currently available before and after school but are available during the school day, because it is a private system. We need to have more flexibility on that in order to address the driver shortages. In the bigger picture, this scheme is vital for rural access for working families and to reduce carbon emissions in rural areas. We take cars off the road every time we get a child onto a bus.”
“If that ticket was valid for the full eight years from junior infants to sixth class and another similar system was brought in at second level to allow for a first year to sixth year ticket, that would take a huge amount of the workload off the administrative staff in the Department who have to issue tickets every year. It would also give a lot more certainty to parents who face that lottery every August, as they have described to me. It would be a hugely positive move. The Minister of State mentioned driver shortages. I understand that we have to be absolutely certain on this and that student safety on a school bus is paramount. They have to get to school safely every morning and get home safely every evening. I was a teacher for years and saw them hopping on the buses. It is extremely important that they be safe.”
“I do not think anyone working in the Department lacks compassion or flexibility but the system handcuffs them a small bit and prevents them from showing compassion in those niche, exceptional circumstances. I have a number of ideas that I would like to bring to the table today to make the system a little bit more efficient. One is a multi-year applications process that would allow parents to apply once for the full duration of the eight years of primary school. A child would get a ticket in junior infants and have it the whole way up to sixth class because we know the child is going to need that ticket for eight years.”
“Having referred to all of the positives in the system, it is fair to say that we also have massive challenges. Parents have described to me facing a lottery on an annual basis, every August, when it comes to trying to get their child on a school bus. The fact of a student getting a ticket every single year and then potentially losing it the following September needs to be examined. It causes huge anxiety for families every August and September and we need to remember that. This morning, I got a phone call from Councillor David Cassidy in Longford who is dealing with a family that missed the deadline due to a bereavement abroad. The family had to fly to America for a funeral and because they forgot about the deadline, the child has been left without a school bus ticket for the year. We need to have a bit more flexibility in the system.”
“Since we got back into government, we have more than doubled the amount of investment in school transport in Ireland, from €200 million up to €512 million. We are spending more than half a billion euro on an annual basis, which is a huge amount of money and it shows our commitment to school transport in this country. The programme for Government commits to more than 100,000 extra students in the school transport scheme by 2030. That shows real ambition but I am sure the Minister of State will agree that there are challenges to be faced in achieving that by 2030. We all need to work together to make sure that we find the blockages in the system that are making that difficult and make sure we get there by 2030. There are pilot projects under way to try to bring this in on a phased basis to make sure it is achieved and that is very welcome.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as ucht a bheith anseo arís. I will start by acknowledging the sheer scale of the school transport system in Ireland. The Minister of State has outlined some of the figures, including the fact that 178,000 students get on approximately 8,200 vehicles around the country on a daily basis, covering 10,600 routes. That is a massive undertaking and we should acknowledge the work of Bus Éireann, departmental officials, drivers, escorts, contractors and everyone who makes this possible. It is a huge undertaking to get 178,000 students safely to school every morning and home again every evening. That is to be commended. Our party has a huge track record of delivery in the area of school transport.”
“Everybody agrees on that, but there needs to be a more mature conversation when we are discussing some of the details in this Chamber.”
“Our biggest role will be when the generations of trauma come out of it. I want to pick up on something Senator McCormack said. She said the flotilla should not be doing the work; we should be. It is something we need to discuss. My granduncle was a proud servant in the navy. I am not sure of the sense of sending our navy over there with the equipment they have. It is something we need to be mature about when we are having these conversations. How do our Defence Forces create humanitarian corridors in Gaza without changing the triple lock? I ask that this conversation takes place properly. When we are discussing the Gaza issue, we need to have more mature conversations. It is completely atrocious. What the IDF is doing is genocide.”
“It is important to acknowledge that what happened on 7 October 2023 was a complete atrocity. What has been done since then by the IDF has quite rightly been designated as a genocide. I have a real issue with the fact that many prescribed terrorist groups around the world quite easily achieve the status of being designated a terrorist group when we see what the IDF is doing. That needs to be acknowledger in this Chamber. The images coming out of Gaza and what is happening there trouble me. It is extremely emotive. I visited the University of Galway last week and had a really long conversation with a Palestinian girl who signed up to the youth wing of my party. It was really tough. We have a huge amount of work to do as a nation to try to help the people of Gaza in the aftermath of this.”
“It has kept us going in small communities in rural areas like Galway East. The rural regeneration and development fund, RGRD, is under stress at the moment such that if LEADER is not knitted into the next CAP and if the Minister does not get this right, there could be serious issues in funding in rural areas in the months and years ahead. We need to take a serious look at that. I ask that we invite the Minister, Deputy Heydon, to the House if he has time to talk about this in advance of the budget because he has to get this right. It is just timing that it has landed on him, but we must get this right.”
“With regards to the capitation grant, the €229 per student at primary level at the moment is not sustainable. We need to get that up to €299 or €300 that is being asked by the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO. That is critical at this stage in that what used to be voluntary contributions by parents are basically now involuntary contributions in the sense that if they are not given, the schools cannot pay their electricity bills. We need to move forward on that. We also have the largest average class sizes in the EU. From an agricultural point of view, I met representatives of the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, yesterday. One thing that struck me as alarming is that the CAP is where LEADER is knitted in. LEADER funding for rural representatives is absolutely critical.”
“The Gort area small schools pilot project in south Galway has been such a success that the cluster administration officer in that role has been name-checked and highlighted as a shining light of what can be rolled out across the country for small schools. The role allows one day of administrative relief per school per week. It is a genius idea. It has been such a success for the schools that have been involved in the pilot in south Galway that it should be rolled out more nationally. We need to see that more aggressively rolled out in the coming months in the rural parts of east Galway. I urge the Minister to include that in the budget this year to allow for the finance to be provided. It has been costed at only €6 million per year. It is a lot of money in one way, but it is a small drop in the ocean regarding overall national budget.”
“I was given a tour of the school by the principal on Monday. They are struggling down there. Whatever can be done, I would really appreciate it.”
“I appreciate that a definite timeline cannot be given. There is a review under way and I hope it moves quickly. As the Minister of State mentioned, two special classes were included in the build. Twenty years ago, Carrabane National School was the first national school outside the city boundary in County Galway to introduce a special class. The school was proactive. Extended members of my own family have benefited enormously from the education they got in special classes in Carrabane National School. It is a shining example of what can be done when people want to bring inclusive education into the education setting. I urge that we reward them for what they have done over the years. They have survived conditions that students probably should not be learning in and teachers struggle to teach in.”
“I would appreciate it if we could help it at this stage by intervening and ensuring it is on the school capital programme when it is introduced.”
“I know there is a school capital programme in the pipeline. I would appreciate it if Carrabane National School was included and I urge its inclusion. I visited the principal on Monday. The man is under severe stress. Not only is the school completely not fit for purpose, there are multiple classrooms in prefabs because the floor has fallen through. The roof of one of the classrooms fell in during the summer. Thank God no kids were in the classroom at the time. Schools are also facing other issues, including the cost of heating these prefabs when the capitation grant is only €224 per student at primary school level. That is out of sync with our second level schools. The school is under severe pressure.”
“On Tuesday, I raised an issue on the Order of Business and, on the advice of the Leader, submitted a Commencement matter. The issue relates to Carrabane National School just outside Loughrea, County Galway. I was strong in mentioning that this is a 20-year debacle that is not the doing of the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy McEntee. It is something they have inherited, but it urgently needs to be addressed. A few years ago, Carrabane National School got approval for construction but the builder pulled out and the planning permission lapsed. The school had to go back to the drawing board as regards all the preliminary designs. It got as far as 2B and submitted again. As it already did a tendering process, it is entitled to appoint the next available tender but needs approval from the Minister straight away.”
“A lot of people go through life not realising that they do need therapy. It is a conversation that men need to open up about. I am probably one of few men in the room right now, but as men, we are a very closed shop at times. We do not talk the way sometimes women are better at doing, and we do not open up and talk about how we feel. That is something we need to change as a society and move our attitudes forward. Gabhaim míle buíochas leis an Aire Stáit arís. Rinne sí an-obair maidir leis seo. Táim fíorbhuíoch as an obair ar fad a rinne sí. Táim ag tnúth leis an obair atá le teacht.”
“That is a huge thing, especially among men. Male Traveller mental health is through the floor. They are 6.6 times more likely to die by suicide than males in the settled community. Senator Flynn is 100% correct on that. Something needs to be done. What we are missing here is a community aspect outside of legislation that we really need to address as a society and we need to adjust our attitudes towards mental health. I thank the Minister of State for the 15,000 free counselling sessions that she has targeted at men. I am a man who has attended therapy sessions. I have struggled with mental health throughout my life in my own story. I will not get into it too much, but it is really commendable that she has targeted male mental health with those supports. It is a really positive step.”
“I would like to pick up on some of the comments Senator Flynn just made, and she is right in some of the things she said. I sat on the local Traveller accommodation consultative committee, LTACC, in Galway County Council for five years, and I learned an awful lot. I also sat on the Galway and Roscommon education and training board, GRETB, and worked as chair of the youth work committee. I saw young Traveller boys, in particular, crying out for a purpose in life. While the Senator mentioned the legislative side of it, what we are missing here is the community side of it. The fact is that we are bringing in the interventions at GRETB level, with a lot of intervention programmes that are really showing huge success, but then kids get to 16, 17 or 18 years of age and they hit the roadblock of employment as young Traveller boys.”
“I have been contacted on a number of occasions, including yesterday, by one member of my own community down home near Loughrea. There is huge concern around the fact that 16- and 17-year-olds are being recommended by the UN not to be treated in the adult ward setting. It is just one small concern I am going to raise to echo the voice of my community. However, I also understand how the Minister of State said that she cannot tie the hands of clinicians as regards clinical decisions. There is a balance to be struck and I am not an expert in that. I do not sit on the committee, although I would like to take part in some of the conversations. However, I do understand that medical decisions have to be made by the experts, so I am not sure how we balance that.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as an obair ar fad a rinne sí maidir leis an mBille seo. Tuigim go raibh an-chuid oibre déanta roimh an téarma seo nuair nach raibh mé i mo Sheanadóir. Táim an-bhuíoch as an obair atá déanta ag an Aire Stáit. I commend the work the Minister of State has done, both in this term and in the previous term, on this Bill. I was not a Senator in the previous term, and I did not get to take part in these debates, but I really welcome the fact we are bringing a mental health Bill forward. It is a positive step in its own right. I welcome the fact that this is person-centred in nature and that it is done in consultation with the community, with clinicians who are experts in their field and with service users. We have all been lobbied on this in recent weeks.”
“I thank him for his responses and, in the instances where he did not have the full answers, I thank him for his commitment to liaise with the relevant Ministers and revert to the Seanad. It is much appreciated. Bhí sé mar onóir ollmhór orm a bheith i mo Chathaoirleach Gníomhach don chéad uair inniu sa Seanad. Is onóir ollmhór é a bheith in ann suí anseo mar Chathaoirleach Gníomhach. Gabhaim buíochas leis na Seanadóirí as ucht na hoibre ar fad atá á déanamh acu agus leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Grealish.”
“Before I thank the Minister of State and Senators for their contributions, I welcome to the Gallery Deputy Cleere and his three special guests, Erin Hoare, Oisín Hennebry and Caroline Morrisey. I reassure the guests that at times I see steam coming out of the ears of Deputy Cleere in the corridors of Leinster House. He has been working extremely hard since he was elected. I will pick up on one small point from Senator Ruane. It is the play therapy concept, which could be explored. As a former secondary school teacher, I have seen it in action. A lot of what she said hit home. I acknowledge that. The Minister of State covered everything from enterprise to health, tourism, employment, justice and home affairs. He covered a wide range of briefs today.”
“Sula bogaimid ar aghaidh go dtí an Seanadóir Cosgrove, ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh na ndaltaí sa Gallery ó Ballyhaunis Comunity School, County Mayo. They are very welcome here. It is great to see students and their teachers coming in to the Chamber and witnessing politics in action. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as teacht isteach inniu.”
“I urge the Minister, in the school capital programme, to now approve Carrabane National School in the latest round of school capital. It is high time for the school to get what it deserves, which is a brand new school building with proper parking facilities and adequate spaces for children to learn, so that we have a new generation of people coming through our education system who learn properly.”
“Twenty years ago, it was the first ever school to have a special class in County Galway, outside the city boundary. Ten years later, a second special class was introduced. The school has been proactive in its inclusivity. However, the school has been through the mill. A few years ago, the school achieved stage 3 tender approval only for the builder to pull out at the last minute. The planning lapsed and the school had to re-apply. The school now has full planning permission and a developer ready to go. It just needs the green light. The school cannot wait any longer. I appreciate that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, inherited this debacle and it is an ongoing issue that she did not create; it is not of her doing.”