93. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on the impact that changes to special education school transport and escort provision have on children with special educational needs. [74578/26]
TDs / John Clendennen
John Clendennen
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709
questions asked
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31,070
words spoken in the chamber
Across 128 contributions
418
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
182
topics asked about
Across 19 departments
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Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 709 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 128 in all
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| Month | Questions | Contributions |
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| December 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 12 | 3 |
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| April 2025 | 21 | 9 |
| May 2025 | 17 | 6 |
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| August 2026 | 0 | 1 |
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| October 2026 | 27 | 7 |
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Plus 105 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
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Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Offaly 29 November 2024 to now
- party Fine Gael 29 November 2024 to now
Will the Minister of State provide an update on the impact of these ad hoc changes?
I thank the Minister of State. I fully acknowledge the work that has gone into improving our transport scheme in terms of school transport, with 180,000 children supported, 24,000 of whom are special education children. The budget, as outlined in response to a parliamentary question in September, has increased from €200 million in 2018 to €537 million. The Government has not been found wanting and I acknowledge that,…
I fully agree. A safe, familiar and routine means of transport is important to these children. It is also important that we clarify the means of appeal in such scenarios so that we can give that element of reassurance to parents.
In the last couple of seconds I have, I want to raise the importance of the increased budget that the Department has in 2027 for school transport provision and the need to provide for areas…
The town of Birr has a population of 5,000. We have had nine outages across the town this year so far. Right now, Uisce Éireann has nine outages right across the town.
These are lasting for two, three, four, five consecutive days. It is simply not good enough. One might expect me to come in and ask for the investment to upgrade this, but that has actually happened. In 2023, we got €10 million to upgrade a water trea…
I welcome this budget. It is a budget for families, workers, pensioners, carers, businesses, communities and farmers. We need to ensure we support the present and protect the future. We need to encourage people to get up and get out, make a positive contribution to the economy and society and have the opportunity to not just get by but get ahead. This is a budget that very much supports income tax. We see the measure…
Today I would like to raise the provision of diabetes care and services for the people and families of Offaly and the midlands. The HSE acknowledges the importance of timely access to appropriate diabetes care, yet waiting times for this service at the Regional Hospital Mullingar, RHM, are over two years. I have had a number of constituents in touch with me. One individual, diagnosed at childhood, cannot apply for a …
I start by sending my sympathies to the families and loved ones of father and daughter, Mihai Chinez and Denisa Mihaela Chinez, who tragically lost their lives in a workplace accident in Banagher on Monday. It has left an entire community sad and in shock at a very difficult time. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dílse.
Migration and citizenship are issues that we all need to be able to have an open, mature and hon…
Over a short number of weeks, we will see over 300,000 people descend on Offaly for the Tullamore Show and, right now, the National Ploughing Championships. The Taoiseach has visited both events and has seen at first hand how well the Tullamore Show committee and the National Ploughing Association have organised them. I also acknowledge the role of An Garda Síochána. There is a model in the National Convention Centre…
Could there be a study?
I welcome the decision that is being taken here today. It is very much practical and necessary to bring the Dáil back during the summer recess. The Government had committed to monitoring and reviewing the cost of fuel and it has listened and responded to these ever-changing circumstances. In the past 120 days, we have seen fuel prices gradually fall but also rise sharply because of international volatility. The last …
I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter on the cumulative regulatory burden and the rising cost of doing business. It is certainly not an abstract issue. As someone born and raised in a family business, I am acutely aware of the challenges that many businesses face. I am very conscious that the two Ministers of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Deputies Niamh Smyth and Alan …
I have a number of asks. First, we need to look at the effectiveness of the local enterprise office, LEO, reporting to the local authority and Enterprise Ireland. There is a question there of effectiveness. I would also like to see the local authority leading out on enterprise parks to give opportunities for businesses. I would like to see more competition in the banking sector and looking at new creative ways of acc…
We have seen huge improvements in rail services that are benefiting commuters and regional development on a balanced basis. I recently received a commitment from Irish Rail in relation to the reintroduction of catering services later this year. I ask that it be considered on the Dublin to Galway and Westport route to benefit the Tullamore area. More importantly, after 7.30 p.m. five trains leave Dublin for Portarling…
I welcome this Bill. It will ensure the planning code works effectively when the remaining provisions commence later this year. If we look at the tone and sentiment of this Dáil term, it has been all about delivery across all types of infrastructure while maintaining public confidence in the planning system. If we consider some of the representative bodies, there is a changing view regarding how the pace of progress …
I will start by acknowledging the Minister and her officials for the event that took place in Dublin Castle today. It showcased the best of every facet of Irishness, our identity and how we had evolved since we joined the EU all those years ago. It was a day when I was proud to be Irish and proud to be European. It shows our strong affinity with Europe and how we have evolved over the past 50 years.
I am very much p…
I welcome the Bill. It is legislation that we debated at length at the Joint Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy. As a member of the committee, I can say that we had open and frank encagement. Objectively, our goals are to be independent, secure and affordable and to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels but we also need to ensure that we have a backup policy in place.
I listened to some of the criticism ab…
I welcome this Bill. It underscores Ireland's commitment, under EU direction, to a future where technological advancement will be inextricably linked to ethical governance and societal well-being. The commitment to implementing this through the EU AI Act is about protecting citizens and building trust around AI. More often than not, we hear too much doom, gloom and negativity around AI. We hear about the threats it p…
Earlier this year I received confirmation that an additional 12 therapists would be appointed to the midlands integrated healthcare area. This would benefit my own constituency with occupational therapy, physiotherapy and children's disability services. I fully understand the challenges around recruitment right now but this week another barrier was brought to my attention via a response to a parliamentary question. T…
The summer programme or July provision scheme has proven an invaluable resource to families and provides a vital service over the course of the summer months. Since the turn of the decade, those numbers have quadrupled from 13,000 to almost 70,000. However, I have received a number of queries from principals in the past 24 hours whose special needs assistant, SNA, allocation for this summer scheme has been cut. One p…
I fully acknowledge the Government's commitment to education, with over €7 billion committed over the lifetime of this Government, including €1.6 billion in capital funding in 2026 alone. However, there are several schools across my constituency that have progressed to stage 2B in recent years and are now anxious to move forward to tender and construction but they seem to be stuck in a waiting area. Some examples of …
It is broadly agreed that 65% of children who start primary school this year will start work when they finish their education in jobs that do not currently exist. That shows the level of change we are seeing. The OECD and the World Economic Forum have outlined that the average person will have ten to 15 different jobs during their working life. On foot of that, we need to be more dynamic and more adaptable than ever …
I thank the Chair for giving me the opportunity to speak in advance of Deputy Boyd Barrett. I hope I will be as entertaining. I want to welcome members of Daingean Development Association who are in the House for a tour and who may be in the Public Gallery at some stage today. I acknowledge the work they do consistently in the town. They have a festival scheduled for 14 June and anyone who might want to attend-----
Yes, I will be there or thereabouts.
To get to the nub of the matter in relation to the Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026, I will begin by acknowledging the work of the Government in relation to enterprise, tourism and employment in recent times. I welcome the constant references to simple, lighter and faster in terms of how we do business. We need to reflect that more and more in terms of what we see and in being…