Micheál Martin

I thank the Deputy for raising an issue that is very close to her heart and for which she is advocating strongly. The €200 childcare cost is a programme for Government commitment. We will progressively implement that. The next budget will be important in that regard, in addition to what has been achieved already. We accept that childcare remains a very significant cost for many families and affect…

Investment has grown significantly. It is up 12% again this year compared with last year. The sector will receive about €1.5 billion this year, but demand will grow. We also have to keep an eye on the quality of childcare that is provided as much as on capacity. That is why investment in the workforce is important. A total of €45 million has been provided this year in ring-fenced funding for anoth…

The pause means what I said as I discussed in response to earlier questions raised by other-----

The Ministers will engage with those schools and with the National Council for Special Education on that review. The schools themselves have appealed the decision, or will have appealed it, and there will be engagement.

Russia's invasion is and has been an horrific act, violating not just territorial integrity but also causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, including Russian soldiers, Ukrainian soldiers and the appalling attacks on civilian infrastructure. Circumvention of sanctions has been a feature of the war. Europe has tried everything it possibly can, including the appointment of a former S…

First of all, the age verification tool is currently being piloted, or the intention by the Department is to pilot it.

Robust age verification is part of the infrastructure we need to build to protect our children online. Our counterparts in Europe are of the same view on how to achieve this and we will work together to ensure the online realm is safe for children. Piloting, by the way, is about evaluation, asking whether it works and whether it has other implications. The intention is that it would be privacy-pre…

There is a workforce plan under way within the Department and the NCSE in respect of special needs assistants. Consultations are taking place and that would involve a review.

On the guidelines, there is a circular from 2014. As I said, the workforce planning involves all the issues the Deputy just discussed.

The Deputy is saying there are two patients left.

Again, I do not have the full details or specifics of the case but the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, will undertake to examine it and understand the full background of it before making commitments in respect of it.

Obviously I did not attend the committee and am not aware of the full details that ensued but if you were to look at every agency in the country and back at where staffing was three or four years ago - it may not be the case here and I put that reservation or qualification in - there has been an increase generally. Numbers in the public service have risen very considerably. We are going to have to…

Beidh an tAire Stáit, an Teachta Dooley, i nGaillimh Dé hAoine. Beidh sé ag bualadh agus ag déileáil leis na grúpaí áirithe ann. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil daoine imníoch faoin cheist seo. Gan amhras, tá an reachtaíocht agus an dlí ann. Tá fonn orainn cearta chosmhuintir na háite agus na dúiche sin a chosaint chomh fada agus is féidir linn. Caithfidh muid é a dhéanamh i gceart, áfach. Is áis nádú…

I acknowledge the concerns raised in respect of the schools Deputy identified regarding the outcome of the review of their schools and those that perhaps did not get the additional SNAs that they sought and so forth. The Ministers will engage with the NCSE in the context of those schools where it was indicated that there would be a reduction. We want to clarify this issue as quickly as we can. The…

I agree with the Deputy. There was an internal review by the National Ambulance Service in 2024. It apparently identified potential benefit-in-kind tax liabilities for NAS staff using NAS response vehicles to travel to and from work and the HSE sought a ruling from the Revenue Commissioners on the matter. In the interim, it took the decision to inform staff that there could be an issue, which has …

We will proceed with the increase in the number of SNAs for the school year commencing September 2026. We have budgeted for additional numbers and that will not stop. We will continue to increase the number of SNAs. Our concern will always be to prioritise the needs of parents and children to enable their full participation in school. Special needs assistants are a key part of that.

Clearly, the Deputy was not at a nightclub last night. He is full of the joys of spring, despite the rain and all the rest. Deputy O'Gorman raised a similar issue yesterday. I undertook to speak to the Minister for justice in this regard. Maybe I should have left him take the question. There is a broader issue. Clearly, we will discuss this with the Minister concerned. There was an earlier iterati…

-----and a few older guys who want to hang around in nightclubs.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It has always been a complex issue; it is not simple. More than 20 years ago we set up the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction and it has taken that time to get a legislative framework to deal with the many issues pertaining to assisted human reproduction. I will talk to the Minister for Health in this regard. She has prioritised the commencement of…

There is an expansion in the number of SNAs. The number will go up to 25,000 in September from 23,000. I listed earlier that since 2020, we have had an extra 8,000 plus SNAs. That is the level of expansion that has occurred. It is enormous by any standard and that should be acknowledged. There were pressures on certain schools as a result of the recent review and therefore we have paused it. Minis…

We need to look at other potential supports for children to ensure good fruitful inclusion and participation in schools.

The Minister of State, Deputy Murnane O’Connor, has been very focused on this. The implementation will be imminent. These are necessary Bills and we want to get them done and implemented through both Houses and see what more we can do to get rid of these things and protect young people.

Imminent.

I have responded to this on a number of occasions this afternoon. We have increased the number of SNAs and will continue to do that. There will have to be reviews on an ongoing basis. Members accepted that in the House this afternoon. One has to evaluate all of the time. Needs change in schools. Some schools have additional need; others may not.

Obviously it will be after a substantial review. It should be school by school, ongoing and regular, so there are no big surprises like what happened with the letters that were sent by the NCSE when some schools were told they would lose four SNAs. That was never the case. Approximately 68% of those 500 are staying the same and increasing.