Eoghan Kenny

I am taking this question on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Duncan Smith. This is something he and the Labour Party as a whole have championed for many years. Will the Government commit to the reinstatement of the supplementary pension facility for uniformed services to ensure that retention and recruitment can increase?

On the face of it, that is a complete and utter "No". Do Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and the Government for many years now, not realise that the men and women in our Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, fire services and Prison Service go above and beyond? What we have right now in all of our public service, but particularly in our uniformed services, is a retention and recruitment crisis. All of tho…

Mr. Karl Dalton, the Prison Officers Association general secretary, said, “If the last government believes that extending the retirement age alone addressed the concerns of Prison Officers, Gardai [sic], Firefighters and members of the Defence Forces, this survey [which was carried out] shows just how little they understand these services and the people who work in them.” I know the Minister does …

89. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Youth the plans to deliver pension parity for school secretaries and caretakers as of December 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70181/25]

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, for securing a school bus for Rahan National School. That is essential, and I thank him for his work. We have worked extremely closely on that school bus.

I wish to focus on secretaries and caretakers across the country and their pension parity and leave entitlements.

The Minister of State said that the same package that was agreed with secretaries will be offered to caretakers. That package is a load of rubbish. I would not even offer it to the caretakers. It is a matter of disrespect. I would not offer it to them. I know, and the Minister of State knows that I know, about this issue first hand. I live at home with my grandmother, who has been a secretary for…

I appreciate the Minister of State's response and I am sure that my grandmother would appreciate the kind comments. What we do not want is what happened at the beginning of this academic year, when secretaries and caretakers were outside schools and the Dáil Chamber, protesting for fairness, dignity and respect. That is what this is about. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers were standing outsi…

Yesterday, we saw the announcement from the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, that the Government will replace the existing assessment of need process with a new system. However, I have deep concerns about the proposal announced to replace the requirement for a formal diagnosis when determining access to a special class or special school. As a former teacher, I cannot overstate the seriousness of this…

The question was simple. Who will carry out these educational assessments? Will it be teachers? Will it be SENOs? Who will it be? John Boyle from the INTO said this morning that teachers were not consulted, briefed or even informed in advance of these proposals. It is grossly unfair that Government Departments are using vulnerable children as political footballs after failing to provide them with …

I never said that. What I asked was who will carry out these educational assessments. That was quite clear. The Taoiseach did not answer that question.

The question is fundamentally clear. Will the Department of education have this programme established by October next year? Right now, to me, it seems that it will not. The Government cannot even answer as to who will carry out these educational assessments. That is the question I am asking. Will it be teachers? Will it be SENOs? Who will it be?

I did not, not once.

That is not true.

Who will do the assessments?

I am delighted to speak on this motion. It is timely in that it has been only a matter of weeks since we had homophobic attacks on the streets of my home city of Cork. This behaviour is repulsive and should be roundly condemned by all in this House. No one should walk our streets in fear, no matter who they are. One of the best things this Government could do to address issues of homophobia and t…

It has been suggested that this motion is not called for and that other, more important issues should be raised. To that, I tell Deputies to look around them. This is a big Chamber with over 170 Deputies. The spectrum of issues we all raise is massive. I have spent my time in this Dáil raising various issues that affect this country. I would never suggest that one of these issues is more important…

Me too.

I move amendment No. 2: In page 3, between lines 18 and 19, to insert the following: “(2C) A payment for a purpose specified in subsection (1) in respect of works referred to in subsection (2B)(b) shall, where practicable, be made subject to the condition that tenders for the procurement of those works shall include as a condition that apprenticeships or training opportunities, of such nature an…

I thank the Minister for his engagement on this. Going slightly off the amendment for a moment, he touched on an important aspect of apprenticeships more broadly. As I said and he referenced, there is still a slight mantra in Ireland that an apprentice is second best to a child or young person who goes on to UCC, UCD, Trinity or somewhere like that. There is still that perception out there. As a f…

I thank colleagues for their contributions on the amendment. As the Minister stated, everyone is in agreement. We need apprentices. My constituency colleague Deputy Gould is right, however, in that we actually cannot get apprentices. There are people who have contacted my office and said that something broke at home, that it has been two weeks and that they cannot get somebody out to fix it. They …

It is my first opportunity to wish the Tánaiste well in his new role. I wish to speak on the secretaries and caretakers talks, which have broken down again, in relation to their pension entitlements and leave entitlements. Mr. Andy Pike from Fórsa said: The Department’s refusal to table a constructive proposal on this point has now brought the process to an impasse. School secretaries and caretak…

Absolutely.

We got elected at the same age.

Maybe I will be Tánaiste some day.