Donna McGettigan

It is part of the budget.

From talking to students and students’ unions in the aftermath of this budget, I have discovered that they feel they are being treated very poorly. Has the Minister spoken with them or heard what they have to say? One students’ union wishes to know whether he is a magician in view of the fact that he is turning a €500 increase into a reduction. There are second and third level students who have ne…

We in Sinn Féin agree with the concept of an auto-enrolment pension scheme. There is no doubt that, with an ageing population, provision will have to be made for such a scheme in order to supplement the State pension. However, this is the wrong scheme at the wrong time. It is vital that any enrolment scheme is properly designed and managed for the benefit of the people when they retire. There may …

The Government has been caught napping when it comes to vapes. We all knew this was coming down the line and yet the Government failed to take adequate action to prevent the problems we are now witnessing. I am even after hearing the Minister of State’s Government colleagues calling this out. The rate of vape use among 15 to 16-year-olds is at 18%, with 39% of them having tried it at some stage. T…

I want to talk about a worrying issue that affects parents and pupils in Shannon, Sixmilebridge and Newmarket on Fergus in Clare when they are using school transport and the problems that come with the integration of our school transport system into the public service. Last year, the NTA made a significant investment in public transport in Shannon and the surrounding areas. This was very welcome a…

11. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence his plans for the triple lock given recent comments by the Minister for Health and by other members of the Government proposing to scrap or undermine it, despite it being the expressed will of the people to retain it. [48759/25]

No.

I support the triple lock and want it retained. The vast majority of us do not want Irish troops to serve anywhere unless it is as peacekeepers under the auspices of the UN. Opinion polls have consistently shown that. It was enacted to reassure the voters of the State that we would not become involved in an EU army, NATO or any other military alliances. The Government is now clearly determined to …

Sinn Féin supports investing in our military, air force and naval services to overcome the chronic neglect they have suffered under this and previous Governments. We are not a major military power and should not strive to become one. Our standing in the world should rest firmly on our neutrality and independence. We should seek to assert influence from that basis. Any military spending in excess o…

It is clear to anyone paying attention that we have a serious capacity issue when it comes to providing school places for children with special needs. Every child is entitled to the best quality education the State can provide, and this means schooling that meets their needs and is based in their own community. Yet parents in my constituency of Clare are having to place their children on buses or …

The lack of dentists and orthodontists across the State is a long-running problem that I raised when I became a councillor in Clare County Council and have since raised in the Dáil since my having become a TD. Not only has there been no progress in this time but things have gone from bad to worse, despite the lip service paid to the problem by the Government. There was a 46% reduction in investmen…

As a mother of a trans son, I wish to say loud and clear that my heart bursts with pride, not only because he is my son but because in the face of social stigma, misinformation, fear for his safety and a world that often misunderstands or fears difference, he has remained true to himself. He is the bravest person I know and, like many in this country, he does not even realise it. He does not even …

I welcome the establishment of a commission of investigation into historical sexual abuse in schools. I commend all survivors on coming forward. I send a special thought to those who cannot come forward or those who are no longer with us due to this. This is very long overdue. This scandal has damaged countless lives, and for far too long survivors have carried the burden of silence, shame and ins…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes: — comments by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless T.D. on RTÉ where he indicated that in the absence of a cost of living package this year student fees will rise; and — the Minister's statement coupled with the refusal of Government to provide a cost-of-living package this year means student fees this c…

Does the fact that we have to repeatedly bring forward this motion not show the Minister how important it is to us? It repeatedly has to be brought forward because of repeated broken promises by the Minister and the Government. That is why we have to come here, year in, year out, and that is why the students in the Visitors Gallery have to come here to watch us do this again. I was the oldest of …

96. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for an update on developments from his and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage's refusal to provide a second-year cost-of-living package for students, despite the cost-of-living crisis continuing, resulting in student fees increasing by €1,000; and if he will make a…

The decision of the Minister’s Department and the Department of housing not to step in and offer urgent protection for students is seriously misguided and out of touch. Students are already at breaking point and now must face this cost that many cannot afford. Can the Minister not see that this is a deterrent and not an incentive to continue their education?

Earlier on, the Minister lauded one-size-fits-all for secondary education, so why can he not say the same for this?

There is a twofold decision coming from the Minister's Department and the Department of housing that offers no support, no protection and no hope to these young people. It is shocking that the Minister has decided to charge students more money for their college education while they are already struggling through this continuous cost-of-living crisis. The Government has shown it is completely out o…

To talk of students in the North is just a case of “Look over there. Do not look at the mess we are creating here.” That is exactly what the Minister is saying.

At least they have certainty. They know what they are budgeting for. I would also like to mention the pressure on parents now and that households, because of this decision, will struggle to cope. I have parents contacting my office in desperation as they are already paying massive living and grocery costs and are now facing into this payment in September. Students who also work full time are tryi…

98. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for information on the decision behind the cut of €1.3 million from SOLAS to the Tipperary Education and Training Board, which has resulted in the cancellation of a valuable programme for early school leavers at Cashel local training initiative, which affects 14 students who will be un…

Could the Minister give me some information on the decision behind the cut of €1.3 million from SOLAS to the Tipperary Education and Training Board which has resulted in the cancellation of a valuable programme for early school leavers at Cashel local training initiative, LTI, which affects 14 students who will be unable to complete their studies and progress to level 5, and if he will make a stat…

Not to continue funding really means cuts in funds because the funding is not continuing. As explained to me, these learners in Cashel can do level 4 in Youthreach but cannot do level 5, which is what these young people have set their sights on. Eight distinctions at level 5 are the equivalent of 390 leaving cert points. Even if some people do not get the eight distinctions and get a mixture of pa…

While Tipperary ETB may have tried to find solutions to avoid this situation, and it claims that "no current learners are impacted, as all students enrolled in these programmes have completed their programme", that is simply not true. I have received all the testimonials from these learners. All are very much impacted and all are now struggling to come to terms with what is next for them. At the …