Donna McGettigan

99. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the protections his Department can give to apprentices to ensure they receive the agreed wage and are doing work relevant to their apprenticeships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37829/25]

SOLAS was at last week's committee meeting, when we were told nobody was overseeing that these things were happening. A percentage of apprentices said that they do not have any access to a training adviser. Some of them are afraid to complain in case they lose their apprenticeship place. Some of them are given an agreed wage through collective bargaining but are not getting that wage or are being …

I hear the Minister on that but in my recent discussions with Connect, the trade union representing apprentices, I was told that there is great need for quality assurance in all areas of apprenticeships. This must be measured within the employment to ensure the apprenticeship is delivered properly and that the apprentice is given access to all areas of the curriculum which feature on the job. If S…

I welcome the publication of this report. However, there is nothing new in it and without political will to implement its recommendations, it will be another report that is left to sit on the shelf. The fact is that the issues and shortcomings in the provision of education for pupils with special educational needs have been identified in the past, and spoken about in this House on numerous occasio…

36. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the defects remediation scheme for apartment owners. [35765/25]

We know this is a crucially important matter, given that defects were first detected in 2011. The scheme is intended to cover apartments and duplexes built between 1991 and 2013. I accept that an interim remediation scheme was introduced, but this was for the first of the fire safety defects, which still leaves thousands of apartments in need of remedial works. Families are being raised in some of…

It was recently reported in the media that the remediation scheme will not come into effect until 2027. Will he give an assurance that this is not the case and that the scheme will actually commence in 2026? We cannot have a repeat of the defective blocks scheme fiasco, the details of which we do not need to go into. Will he guarantee there will be 100% redress for all apartment and duplex owners?…

Throughout the State, more than 15,000 children are currently overdue an assessment of needs. Under the Disability Act 2005, children are entitled to assessment of their educational and health needs within six months of being on the waiting list, so each of these 15,000 children represent a breach of law by the Government. In my constituency in Clare, parents who are at their wits' end are contact…

I already gave these cases to the Government and they were referred to the HSE, which is where we got the answers that reliance on the private sector is not working in the HSE Mid West region. While I appreciate that there are difficulties in the system, especially around the need for robust regulation of psychologists, just 7% of assessments were completed within the six-month timeframe required …

Everyone in this House opposes partition, or at least they pay lip service to that position. Partition was a disaster for our country and the sooner it is ended, the better. That is the viewpoint from which we should approach this debate on presidential voting rights. Irish citizens are denied the right to vote for the President simply because they live in the North. This seriously undermines thei…

Students are among the most mobile of all renters and will be disproportionately and negatively impacted by this new measure. I questioned the Minister for further and higher education in a committee meeting to ask what measures would be put in place to protect students against the impact of these changes. It was clear that students had not even been taken into account when the changes to rent pre…

96. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to broaden the criteria to allow more schools to be classified as DEIS schools; and if she will ensure that schools, such as one in County Clare (details supplied) which takes in students from three DEIS schools, are classified as DEIS as a consequence. [30557/25]

I acknowledge that there was an expansion of the DEIS programme in 2022. Given that we are in a cost-of-living crisis, will the Minister consider ordering another review and expansion of the programme? Will she also order a review of the qualification criteria with a view to broadening them out so more schools can be included in the programme? Can she also confirm that the period to appeal the 202…

Go raibh maith agat. Some secondary schools receive pupils from DEIS primary schools but they are not classified as DEIS schools themselves. In my constituency, St. Patrick's Comprehensive School is one of those schools that receives DEIS pupils. All of a sudden, there is a cliff edge for those pupils suddenly missing out on supports they badly need. These pupils are often from households sufferin…

I welcome that. Hopefully, the expansion of this scheme will come in, especially for those in need and those in disadvantaged areas. We have seen a dramatic rise in the number of children in child poverty in the past year. It now exceeds 100,000 children, according to the Central Statistics Office. That is certain to mean that the deprivation profile of some of the schools that did not qualify in…

I welcome the recent signing of the associate membership agreement between Ireland and CERN. It is a long-overdue step and Sinn Féin will support it. We commend those who have worked to bring it to fruition. Let me be clear, however: this membership is more than symbolic. It is a game-changer. Sinn Féin believes firmly in the transformative power of science and education. This agreement with CERN …

In the middle of a housing crisis, there are more than 2,600 houses boarded up across this State. Some 91 of them are in my own constituency of Clare and of those, 18 have been empty for more than 18 to 24 months. This is not down to a lack of work on the part of Clare County Council. It is being hampered by a lack of Government commitment, a lack of action and most of all a lack of funding. Can y…

Through the Central Bank, this State is complicit in Israel's genocide and apartheid. Its role in the funding of the most unspeakable crimes must end immediately. This Bill is legally sound and independently drafted. What does breach international law is Israel's brutal occupation of Palestine. It is burning children alive, starving entire communities and killing civilians with impunity. Despite m…

3. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will reform the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, assessment criteria for independent living given that students under 23 years are assessed as dependent on their parents even if they live independently, as are those over 23 years who cannot leave home due to the housing cr…

There are issues with the SUSI grant and people being able to access it. Will the Minister reform the SUSI assessment criteria for independent living? Students under 23 are assessed as dependent on their parents, even if they live independently, and those over 23 who are forced to live at home due to the housing crisis are assessed as dependent on their parents. Will the Minister reform SUSI?

My apologies, I mixed up the questions.

We all want to work together for fairness, justice and equality in education and one of things we can do to help us is the reform of the SUSI grant. For too long, SUSI has been a barrier rather than a bridge for many of our young people. This is supposed to be a scheme which enables access to education but instead for many it is yet another wall that blocks their future. Let us speak plainly. The…

I am glad to hear the Minister will be looking at this but there are other people who for myriad reasons - some deeply disturbing - have had to leave home and are living with other family members. They are independent but do not have bills, rent or other things in their name and are finding it difficult to get evidence that they are separate from their parents. As there is a breakdown in communica…

1. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he is satisfied with the current level of mental health supports available to third level students; and if further investment is planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26576/25]

I want to raise the pressing issue of the mental health crisis among third level students. We are failing our young people in this regard. The mental health services available to students in our colleges and universities are underfunded, understaffed and overwhelmed. Is the Minister satisfied with the current level of mental health supports available to third level students and is further investme…