Cathal Crowe

The Oireachtas education and youth committee, which I chair, recently compiled a report on school meals. It is a fantastic scheme led out by our colleague, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and was hugely supported by the Minister, Deputy Foley, when she was at the Department of education. One of our recommendations is that we abolish water charges for schools. The meals are free in the classroom but…

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this Bill. The imposition of a passenger cap was ludicrous and never worked. It is quite unique in world aviation. The removal of it was always inevitable. On the eve of the last general election, I remember the main party leaders, both Government and Opposition, saying that this would have to happen, with various promises being made in the lead-up to …

I am glad to have speaking time in this debate. I was born in 1982, so I spent much of the 1990s in primary school and secondary school, finishing up in 2000. During all those years the schoolyards were, I think, tougher places than they are now. I was a teacher before I became a TD and I think the school I taught in was quite soft and inclusive. However, certainly when I was in school, you shot i…

Is the amendment being pressed?

The Minister of State may go ahead.

Okay. So, the amendment is being pressed.

The debate is finished. I am going to put the amendment. The question is that the amendment-----

Okay. Proceed.

We move on to amendment No. 4 in the name of the Minister. It arises out of committee proceedings. Amendments Nos. 4 to 8, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together.

We will now proceed to the voting block. I thank Members.

I raise the issue of St. Joseph's Secondary School in Spanish Point, County Clare. A beautiful school, its enrolment has doubled across the last decade. With that growth have come certain difficulties for the school. At the moment, 216 female students in the school have to use four toilet cubicles. That is all the students have. The school has been approved for ten more toilet cubicles but the app…

Pursuant to Standing Order 194(3), it is reported to the Dáil that the Long Title has now been amended.

Amendment Nos. 4, 7 and 69 are related and will now be discussed together.

Amendments Nos. 5, 6, 70 and 71 are all related and may be discussed together.

Amendment No. 10, in the name of Deputy Kelly, has been deemed out of order.

The Deputy has made her point. We have to try to speak to the amendment but I hear what she has said.

Does the Deputy wish to press the amendment?

Amendments Nos. 13 and 14 are related and will be discussed together.

Amendments Nos. 15 and 16 are related and will be discussed together.

Amendments Nos. 17 to 20, inclusive, 22 to 26, inclusive, and 65 are related and will be discussed together. Amendments Nos. 18 to 20, exclusive, are physical alternatives to amendment No. 17. Amendments Nos. 19 and 20 are physical alternatives to amendment No. 18. Amendment No. 20 is a physical alternative to amendment No. 19. Amendment No. 65 is consequential on amendment No. 20.

There are 26 minutes left.

The ground is still too damp in Clare to get the tractors in for the hay, but we are aiming for July, all things going well, and maybe we will get a bit of silage as well.

Yes, we are still hurling. I am glad to have the opportunity to speak in this debate. I support the Government amendment. I thank the Minister of State for his efforts. It is very important that we have fiscal prudence. I was elected on the same day as the Minister of State back in 2020. That whole five-year period felt quite different. There was relative global economic stability, whereas things…

There was a recent landmark An Coimisiún Pleanála ruling relating to the Ballycar wind farm in County Clare. The argument centred on whether building the wind farm proximate to a radar installation would make the radar unsafe. It was argued that the flicker - the turning of the turbine blades - would distort the radar and make aviation unsafe. Key to that case were the Irish Aviation Authority, Ai…

27. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in his Department. [14897/26]