The manifestation of that policy is that there were 16,420 SNAs in 2020, 17,921 in 2021, and this went up to 18,831 in 2022, 20,805 in 2023, 22,000 in 2024, 23,870 in 2025, and to over 25,000 in 2026. That is Government policy. That is what I signed off on. That is what all of us in Government signed off on in the Estimate that was agreed.
In addition to that, staffing overall has gone up by about 27%. There are now…
TDs / Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin
Taoiseach
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0
questions asked
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them
688,766
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686,628 as a minister, 2,138 as a TD
197
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| December 2024 | 11 |
| January 2025 | 6 |
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| May 2025 | 426 |
| June 2025 | 424 |
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Plus 6,426 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
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- constituency Cork South-Central 29 November 2024 to now
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No, not the overall impact.
Again, the Deputy is interrupting. The Government did not sign off on any memo or memorandum or any note saying that "X" hundred SNAs are going to be cut off. That is the reality. I established the system of SNAs and, yes, when I brought it in, the SNA was allocated to the child. The system grew and we brought in school-based allocations. I know all about that, but the school-based allocation is based on the need and…
No, the Deputy asked about-----
The only reason I replied to the Deputy with numbers was that he made a false assertion in terms of Government policy on special needs assistants.
Again, the Deputy is interrupting. I did not interrupt him.
He did make a false assertion in terms of Government policy. I wanted to make it very clear to him and to the public that our story has been one of expansion in special education. Earlier this year, we brought forward the application date for schools and parents who require special education places for their children. The numbers have increased exponentially this year. Perhaps it is because of the earlier date or the…
The ESRI was very clear that the two lowest deciles in income terms benefited most from the recent budget. In terms of the supports for children and those with disabilities, embedded policies and allocations in the social protection budget and investment in disability services, education and health were all designed for the long term to support those with disabilities.
The idea that there is no money, as the Deputy …
-----to protect itself and to protect vital economic infrastructure. I do not know what the Deputy has against big tech in terms of its employment content. He seems to hate companies that employ thousands of people in this country. He seems to have an agenda against major companies that employ thousands of people. I do not agree with him. Last week, I was at Apple in Cork. It employs 6,000 people. I was a student in …
-----like Ford and Dunlop closing, the Verolme dockyard closing and the Sunbeam-Wolsey plant closing. Thousands of jobs were lost. It was a very difficult decade. I have never lost the memory of what it was like in the city of Cork and many cities across the country. Part of the renovation and rejuvenation of this country - even if the Deputy might not like it - was the fact the likes of Microsoft came to this countr…
What planet is the Deputy on that he would deny the ordinary people of this country-----
-----jobs, energy security and an opportunity to have economic participation?
We have been involved in peacekeeping in Lebanon with Poland. Poland is a member of NATO, by the way. Is the Deputy saying we should not be involved in peacekeeping in Lebanon with Poland, and PolBatt? Interoperability is key.
They must use the same equipment and weaponry. The idea that we would be involved in a peacekeeping mission with different countries and have different systems and equipment makes no sense.
The Deputy did say that.
Again, the Deputy is interrupting. When he does not like the answer, he interrupts. That is what Deputy Murphy is saying because, according to him, we should stand alone in isolation, talk to nobody - talk to nobody at all, apparently - and we will be able to procure, we will have all the in-house expertise and so on. The truth is, Deputy Murphy does not believe in having an army at all. That is actually the truth. I…
That is his view-----
-----and therefore, to take that to its logical conclusion, I see where the Deputy is coming from: that we should not buy weapons at all-----
-----and we should go back to the hurley sticks.
Coming out of the weeds, or the mud, maybe, what the Deputy is talking about is the overarching planning framework that governs development in the country, the extraction of stone from quarries or the creation of quarries, or indeed other environmental legislation, but I am not quite clear on the specifics of what he is actually seeking. Let us start from the fundamental premise that we do need a planning framework. …
First of all, recycling works in construction. I can recall that in advance of the London Olympics, and how many years ago is that-----
The Deputy did not even let me finish, or begin, actually.
Prior to the London Olympics, I was Minister for enterprise when many construction companies in Ireland wanted to see if they could submit, tender and so on. The objective was up to 80% or 90% recycling for all the demolition and everything in respect of that. That was not law. That was their objective and their vision. Recycling is very important.
We should do it.
It can be done, and it is being done.
On the competition issue, the Deputy is saying that it is going to be reduced to four. We have the competition and consumer authority. Its job is to make sure there is competition in the market. If there are any complaints or if people have concerns about any unsavoury practices developing, then please submit that to the competition authority.
First, I thank the Deputy for raising what is the very important and pressing issue of coastal erosion across the country, but specifically in the south east. The Government is committed to progressing a co-ordinated, long-term approach to managing coastal change. I know there have been a variety of coastal works and funding at specific points, particularly in Wexford, in terms of the coastal protection scheme and mi…