Michael Moynihan

I hear loud and clear the frustration in the Deputy's voice in relation to this issue. The points he made are very relevant. Water is a basic requirement for everyday living. The Deputy referred to children, adults and the elderly. Water is a fundamental aspect of everyday living. The Deputy also spoke about businesses and the frustration people have when the water is cut off. The challenge we hav…

I thank the Deputy. These are operational matters for Uisce Éireann but we have been making inquiries in relation to the issues the Deputy raised. I have been informed that works in Lusk have been undertaken between the junction to Hand's Lane and Minister's Road, along Minister's Road and Barrack Lane to the junction at Treen Hill and then Kelly Park. This is a targeted programme of works to stre…

It is great to see Deputies welcoming their former teachers to the Gallery. They are very welcome and I hope they are enjoying their trip to Leinster House today. The investment is being put in to upgrade the pipe network. A lot of investigation has gone into the pipe network in this area, which is 50, 60 or possibly more years old. In a lot of the upgrading, particularly in urban Ireland, when U…

I thank the Deputy. Three out of five of the Topical Issues have been about Irish Water. I know the Deputy has been talking about Courtbrack and other communities in his constituency for quite some time. In the correspondence we had in the past half hour or so, it covered three constituencies in Kildare, Dublin and Cork, so we can see the frustration of Members about Irish Water, the challenges th…

I thank the Deputy. He has heard all the official answers in relation to what is being done. What he needs to do is to have clear sight of what that is, what that means in simple English, what screening and what work is going on, what levels they have to reach, and what stage they are at. I will endeavour to get sight of the remedial works Uisce Éireann is doing and also what they are considering …

To take the last point first before I go into it. Not to take it in isolation, that is a completely separate issue. Reducing child poverty is a key aspect of Government policy. The Government has been working on this and understands it. In September 2025, the Government agreed a new target to reduce the child consistent poverty rate to 3% or less by 2030. While an ambitious target, in setting this…

The CSO surveys are hugely important as a basis on which to measure poverty. The investment the Government has made over the past number of budgets, not just those for 2024 and 2025 but also for 2026, and the social protection measures we have put in place, show that not just the Department of Social Protection but all Government Departments are very conscious of child poverty. We are very conscio…

I express my gratitude to everyone and thank all the members of the joint committee for their work in preparing this report. I know full well the work that they are engaging with. As I was the chair of the committee in the previous Dáil term, I am aware of the work, effort and preparation involved. I have watched a number of the committee's meetings over the past year or so. The dedication, commit…

No. Certainly not.

In the new school year.

I thank the Members for their contributions. A number of issues were raised. It was remiss of me at the start not to talk about the education therapy services. We made a decision at Government back in March or April of 2025. Some people said we would not be able to do it. This involves the whole of Government. It was a decision made at the Cabinet disability committee. The housing committee is th…

I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this question regarding County Louth. I will first give him an overview of where we are and then address the specifics, if that is okay. We are extremely committed to the provision of additional places for children with exceptional educational needs. The number of special classes provided across the country has doubled over the last few years. In addition, 16 n…

There are a number of issues to discuss. The Deputy mentioned a case. I do not want to go into the specifics on the floor of the Dáil but that is one of the pieces we are concerned about. We are concerned about meeting profound levels of need within an appropriate school. We are doing a number of things. We have sight of the need earlier in the school year. We will continue with that programme ove…

I thank the Deputy for the question. Like the Deputy, we recognise the importance of the summer programme as a vital piece in the education system. It is vital for children at primary and post-primary school. It is specifically designed for children with complex educational needs or those at risk of educational disadvantage. While it is delivered during the summer months, it is an educational prog…

There has been an increase in the number of schools. More applications were received for school-based programmes this year than in 2025, with an increase across the primary, post-primary and special schools. In addition, there has been an increase in home-based applications, which significantly increased last year. We are working across the system to ensure we are delivering decisions and appeals.…

I thank the Deputy. I appreciate the question and thank him for his ongoing engagement on matters of education, not just in the House but also his own engagement in it. It is important that we do so. I want to go to the school the Deputy raised. I assure the Deputy that the Government is fully committed to supporting students with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential. The prog…

In all school projects when the Department engages, the Department is one side of it, the planning and building unit is one side of it, and there is the National Council for Special Education, which has sight of the numbers that are notified on a yearly basis. The most important ingredient as well is the school authorities and we have to bring them with us. The school authorities have the best in…

The primary school staffing schedule is a long-standing feature of the primary allocation system which ensures fairness and transparency in the allocation of mainstream class teachers in primary schools across the country. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided in an individual school is a staffing schedule for the relevant school year and the number of pupils enro…

We have a huge level of investment in terms of teachers. The past number of years have seen more than 5,000 extra teachers within the school system. That is little comfort to Bunscoil Chríost Rí. In order that we are all understanding this, there is no reduction in SNAs from 2025 to 2026 or from 2026 to 2027. The Deputy will be aware of the documentation that was launched last week on the SNA work…

The Deputy mentioned 455.

I believe my information is correct in relation to that. I take the Deputy's point on the numbers and the acceptance of the school community. We have put in a huge amount. Bunscoil Chríost Rí has a huge reputation as a massive school within the Turner's Cross area, as the Deputy outlined. Any information that is submitted to the Department in terms of an appeal will be adjudicated on. I know the s…

I compliment the way both Deputies work across political divides in terms of education and I will continue to liaise with them. We might not turn water into wine at every juncture but we certainly will try. Addressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can achieve their full potential are key priorities for me and the Minister for Education and Youth. The intr…

I accept that engagement by all political representatives with regard to school communities in disadvantaged areas is hugely important because education is a fundamental. It can determine the trajectory of someone whether he or she is in a disadvantaged area or elsewhere. I do understand that the Deputies have a real and genuine engagement within the education sector. Although St. Dominic's Natio…

The Department of education and the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, continue to work closely with school patron bodies, school management bodies and schools to confirm new special classes for the next school year 2026-27. The NCSE began sanctioning new special classes in January of this year, which is several months earlier than was the case in 2025. The NCSE advise that 7,860 verifi…

We have the additional capacity that is being brought on between 2025 and 2026 and we have over 1,000 special classes opened across the country. We have new capacity and then there is additional capacity which is from the movement of students from primary into second level and from those leaving education. Just to reassure Deputy O'Rourke of the figure prior to 1 October, the NCSE and Department o…