Ryan O'Meara

6. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth to outline her plans to reduce the teacher-pupil ratio in primary schools to 19:1, as per the programme for Government commitment, and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54419/26]

What does the Government intend to do to meet the programme for Government commitment to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio in our schools to 19:1?

I acknowledge the work that was done by the previous Government in reducing the pupil-teacher ratio. Good work was done and, to be fair, in the last budget, good work was done in respect of the capitation grants to schools and that needs to be recognised. It was a huge issue this time last year, particularly at the Oireachtas education committee. The pupil-teacher ratio is key and we have committe…

The ask from this budget from the INTO is very important - 1,000 additional teachers - to help us reduce class sizes for every child to give him or her more attention, to support inclusive education, to meet growing pupil needs, to ease the workload pressure and potential burnout for teachers facing those very high numbers within the classroom and to bring stability to school and strengthen leader…

15. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on this year’s climate action summer works scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54102/26]

Before I ask my final question before the summer recess, I thank the Minister and Minister of State for all of their engagement throughout the year, and I wish them both a very productive summer recess. With my better half being a Galway woman, I had also better wish the Minister the best of luck for Sunday. I hope the Minister of State next to her will soon forgive Galway for what its team did to…

I thank the Minister for that. On her final point, I will raise one school to begin with. Presentation Primary School in Thurles originally applied in 2016 for works to its car park and school yard in terms of tarring, relining, safer access and drop-off zones. Cars have to yield going in and out because there is only one space for one car, but it has the land to increase the width of the entrance…

The Minister mentioned labs, which is fantastic because that is my next point. St. Mary's Secondary School in Nenagh has been approved for its science labs. The tender has been done and the proposed contractor is to be appointed. The school sent its information to the Department on 10 June and followed up on 29 June. Essentially, the school will be somewhat of a building site certainly up until …

I want to read an excerpt from an email I got today in relation to Skyclarys for people with Friedreich's ataxia: At 19 years old, I should be excited about my future. I should be looking forward to building a career, travelling, making memories with friends and planning the life I want to live. Instead, I wake up every day wondering what ability I will lose next. My future is overshadowed by fea…

Many communities I represent in north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny want to know when the Government is going to introduce updated guidelines for onshore windfarms. Last December in this Chamber I received a commitment that we would see regulations this year to update the 2006 regulations we are currently dealing with. In April I received a response to a parliamentary question which stated th…

3. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will next meet. [12365/26]

I wish to raise the issue of difficulties of building a one-off rural house, particularly in my constituency of Tipperary North and in north-west Kilkenny. From restrictions around access onto regional roads that do not always need to be there, to sight-line issues, ribbon development and the difficulty of building on one's own land, it should not be a privilege to build a house and live in the ar…

I have been contacted by farmers across north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny, who are currently finding it difficult to access funding under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, for the installation of solar panels on their farm buildings. A recent parliamentary question reply stated that the solar capital investment scheme has been hugely popular with farmers wishing to invest…

-----be prioritised in the next round for funding?

I welcome the opportunity to contribute during national biodiversity week and I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, who I appreciate had to step out, for his continued commitment to biodiversity projects, nature restoration and engagement with rural communities. I say this to acknowledge a visit he made with me to Cloughjordan in my constituency last November. This visit involved a num…

152. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he has any plans to scrap development levies for one-off housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37318/26]

Does the Minister, his Department or the Government have any plans to reintroduce the waiver for development levies, particularly in this case on one-off rural homes; to incentivise drive-on but also to make the building of a one-off home in rural Ireland more affordable, particularly for young people?

If I consider a young person or couple building a home for the first time in a rural part of my constituency outside of the villages or towns - for example someone building a house outside Toomyvara village, in a rural part of the parish, or outside Cloghjordan, Ballynahinch or Ardcrony - they will not get a footpath or public water most probably. They certainly will not be connected into any form…

In relation to the potential of a waiver, it would be important that central government step in and continue to fund the local authorities to the same level they would have been funded if the individual was paying this. I am conscious, however, of those houses that are already there. Some people might be paying for sites, if they do not have one they can get from a family member. There is the cost…

The community sports facilities fund, formally known as the sports capital grant, is very popular in north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny. I will be hosting an information evening with the Minister of State with responsibility for sport, Deputy Charlie McConalogue, on Tuesday, 26 May at 8 p.m. in Littleton in the Moycarkey-Borris Community and Sports Centre. It is in conjunction with Senator Im…

I will raise with the Minister of State the issues my constituents are facing in relation to the Limerick to Ballybrophy rail line, which travels through north Tipperary and stops in Birdhill, Nenagh, Cloughjordan and Roscrea. I will begin by acknowledging the North Tipperary Community Rail Partnership, which has highlighted the potential of this line and the issues facing it for many years. I wi…

In his answer the Minister of State touched on a number of points I had intended to raise. There are the issues concerning the amount of time it takes to travel the line or the limitations on the speed of trains in the line. The first is level crossings and the second the signalling system, which is not out of the past century but the century before that. Some Members in the House might know but t…

As the Minister knows, I am proud to be a rural TD and to come from a rural part of Ireland, representing some of the most vibrant, passionate, dedicated and ambitious communities in this country. There are challenges to being from and living in rural Ireland. The Minister knows that better than most in this House, with the many years of service he has given as a public representative representing…

10. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Education and Youth the training available for teachers to support them in their AI literacy skills; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29161/26]

I would like to focus briefly on the additional assessment components, AACs. These are being rolled out fully but they exist already in some subjects. This time 12 years ago, I finished my research study report as part of leaving certificate history. I did that report on the Modreeny ambush, where the north Tipperary flying column ambushed the Black and Tans between Cloughjordan and Borrisokane du…