Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh

3. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Education and Youth her position in relation to the exemptions system for the Irish language as it stands; her views on whether it is fit for purpose; her plans to combat the increasing number of students seeking exemptions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59852/25]

Is mian liom labhairt faoi cheist na ndíolúintí Gaeilge inniu. There has been an unprecedented spike in the number of exemptions from Irish granted in recent years, with one in seven young people in the State exempted from learning our national language. What is the Minister's position on the exemptions system for the Irish language as it stands? Does she believe it is fit for purpose and what are…

It is great to hear the Minister talk of revision but currently the system for these exemptions is not working. We must not forget they are meant to be exemptions for students with severe or complex learning difficulties who simply cannot learn a language. The figures tell us Gaeilge is essentially optional. The numbers have risen sharply, with more than 73,000 exemptions, and it is hard to see an…

It is nearly 60,000 in secondary school. What the Minister mentioned about primary school is great but the reality in schools does not match the picture she is painting. We need real leadership from the Minister. We need it from the top down. We cannot leave the decision up to principals on their own any more. The rate of exemptions depends entirely on where a child goes to school. In some places…

They will say that, will they?

Disabled constituents of mine feel absolutely forgotten about in this budget. They are not angered any more; they are absolutely heartbroken. Arís agus arís eile, tá an Taoiseach agus an Tánaiste tar éis seasamh sa Teach seo agus an dallamullóg a chur ar dhaoine a bhfuil míchumas orthu. D'inis siad don phobal go raibh cúrsaí míchumais mar thosaíocht dóibh i mbuiséad 2026, ach ag deireadh an lae ri…

This budget does little to resolve the crisis facing education today. The measures announced will not make a dent in the cost-of-living pressures on schools, in recruitment and retention in teaching or in the problem of oversized classes. We have 600 vacant teaching posts, 51,000 pupils in oversized classes and schools struggling to keep the lights on, yet this budget fails to meaningfully address…

Time is measured in blood in Gaza. Those are the words of Bisan, a young Palestinian journalist whose people have endured nearly two years of bombardment, siege, starvation, and displacement, and still, the world watches and still, we do nothing. Now we hear talk of so-called peace plans - plans pushed by Trump, who shows no regard for international law, and by Tony Blair, an unconvicted war crim…

The Government has not passed the occupied territories Bill. It has placed no sanctions - not one. It is always words, never action. Meanwhile, the Associated Press exposed harrowing stories of Palestinian women being exploited and offered food, water, work, or shelter in exchange for being raped. The perpetrators were reportedly linked to the aid organisations operating in the chaos created by Is…

They were listening to the debate, so the Government might-----

I, too, raise the Global Sumud Flotilla because to be quite honest, the Minister's answers so far have been weak and inadequate. The flotilla was attacked in European waters last night. It is a humanitarian fleet of over 500 civillians, among them our colleague and my friend Deputy Chris Andrews, my friend and comrade Tadgh Hickey, and 20 more brave Irish citizens, who are doing the work that the …

We need to ensure the safe passage of this flotilla-----

-----and keep our citizens safe.

Ensure that our citizens are safe. Place sanctions on Israel.

Make sure that Israel does not get away with this any more.

Keep your eyes on the flotilla.

Keep your eyes on Gaza and the West Bank. Right now, the slaughter is increasing and we have not put in place any sanctions.

He has no answer and there are no sanctions.

Condemnation.

Sanction the terror state.

The roll-out of the school transport scheme in Kildare this year was a complete shambles, as my colleague just said. On the first day of school, my phone and inbox were flooded with messages from parents who were informed at the very last minute that their child's bus route had been cancelled. We know that in some of these instances no bid was made on the route, yet parents were left completely in…

Ó toghadh mé, tá mé tar éis labhairt leis na scórtha teaghlach, teaghlaigh a bhfuil iachall orthu troid lá i ndiaidh lae ar son an rud is bunúsaí atá de dhíth orthu, oideachas ceart dá páistí. Parents are sick and tired of fighting. They are carers and workers, often raising other children too, and they are forced to become part-time activists and policy experts on top of that, just to secure the …

We can measure the success of any society's progress on welfare, well-being and inclusion by looking at how it treats its most marginalised groups. We are failing our most vulnerable miserably here in Ireland. Last night, we heard no shortage of horror stories about women suffering as a result of poor treatment for endometriosis in this State, with an average wait of nine years for a diagnosis. At…

I thank the courageous women in the Gallery who have bravely shared their stories with us today and over recent months. Women have been forced to travel abroad due to the neglectful health system in this State. It is a system that has told young girls to get pregnant to stop their periods, allowed their mothers to go into debt seeking treatment abroad and referred our women to mental health servic…

Fáiltím roimh an deis ráiteas a thabhairt ar fhoilsiú na tuarascála seo. Is cáipéis chríochnúil atá os ár gcomhair inniu. Molaim an rannpháirtíocht leathan le páirtithe leasmhara sa phróiseas, go háirithe ionchur suntasach na ndaoine óga a tógadh san áireamh. Ag an stad seo, is beag duine sa Stát nach mbaineann an cheist seo leo ar bhealach amháin nó bealach éigin eile. Is fianaise é an freagra m…