85. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans for redesignation of mild general learning disability schools. [75316/26]
TDs / Jen Cummins
Jen Cummins
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895
questions asked
Oral and written, to government departments
102,602
words spoken in the chamber
Across 269 contributions. Plus 67 contributions from the chair, not counted
406
votes recorded
Each Yes, No or Abstained in a recorded vote
168
topics asked about
Across 18 departments
From the Dáil chamber only: committee meetings are not in this archive.
What they ask about
The subject headings the Oireachtas filed their questions under.
Who they ask
The departments their questions were addressed to.
Month by month
Low months are usually recesses, when the Dáil does not sit. The archive runs to 22 October 2026.
Questions asked 895 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Contributions to debates 269 in all
Dec 2024Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions | Contributions |
|---|---|---|
| December 2024 | 0 | 1 |
| January 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 11 | 8 |
| March 2025 | 35 | 18 |
| April 2025 | 100 | 12 |
| May 2025 | 49 | 18 |
| June 2025 | 49 | 16 |
| July 2025 | 69 | 15 |
| August 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 55 | 8 |
| October 2025 | 22 | 11 |
| November 2025 | 65 | 12 |
| December 2025 | 44 | 23 |
| January 2026 | 58 | 12 |
| February 2026 | 22 | 18 |
| March 2026 | 46 | 8 |
| April 2026 | 90 | 18 |
| May 2026 | 64 | 20 |
| June 2026 | 34 | 15 |
| July 2026 | 29 | 17 |
| August 2026 | 0 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 18 | 6 |
| October 2026 | 35 | 13 |
Debates they spoke in most
Plus 133 contributions in the regular slots, such as Leaders' Questions and Priority Questions. Speech from the chair is not counted.
Asked about similar topics
Worked out by computer from the subject headings of each TD's questions, giving more weight to headings few TDs use. It shows shared subjects, not shared views.
Party, constituency and offices
- constituency Dublin South-Central 29 November 2024 to now
- party Social Democrats 29 November 2024 to now
I am just in the nick of time. I am sorry. I am just coming from the education committee and it is always a case of having to run up the stairs to get here. I am sorry for my breathlessness but I had to run up from the committee room.
I want to discuss the redesignation of mild general learning disability schools. As the Minister of State knows, the assessment of need situation is going to change. How will that affe…
Every time.
I appreciate that the Minister of State has visited schools, including one in my constituency. The fear is that if we are moving to a model of inclusive education, and my understanding is that is the way the Department is moving, not all schools will be at the same space. The difficulty is we are moving in the direction of every school being inclusive, but we are so far away from that that there will be young people …
Therefore, it is not all of them but perhaps some of them. That is fine because things change in some situations.
On the removal of the assessment of need, the Department is putting forward plans, which it did at the end of September, about how that would work in schools. When will that be implemented? Will that be from next September? If I have a child and I apply to a school down the road, how are we ensuring that…
When I come to talk about this issue, I always remember that, at the end of the day, these are children who really want to play, to be with their family and friends, and to do the things that every child wants to do. Before I start, I thank my colleague, Deputy Rice, who has done so much on this issue. As he said, we want to work with the Minister to make sure that this is the best inquiry it can be for those childre…
While I thank the Minister of State for taking my questions, I am saddened that the Minister herself is not here because this is a very important topic. I want to discuss the primary school survey. It was supposed to give parents a voice in the future of their children's education but I am concerned that while those questions have been asked, in some cases, their views are being ignored. I have been contacted by a gr…
I thank the Minister of State for that response, which I appreciate. One of the things that I called for during the aforementioned Private Members' business debate was independent oversight to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure that school communities had a meaningful say. This is where there is a challenge because I do not think that has happened in this scenario for the schools that have been in contact. Is t…
I welcome Sinn Féin's work on this Private Members' motion. I am sure what I will say has been echoed in many constituencies around this country. People are terrified in their homes because of drug intimidation. Not only are they terrified in their homes of the threat of violence and petrol bombs, as Deputy Hearne in the context of his constituency, but also their neighbours are terrified because they are wondering i…
I, too, wish the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, all the best in his recovery. Yesterday I joined 23 pickets. I know it is not a competition but I visited quite a lot throughout the constituency, and I was really happy to do so. I went to schools, Youthreach centres, colleges of further education, prisons, hospitals and local authority buildings. I am sure I am forgetting some. I was involved in trade unions for all of m…
I express support for both parts of this Bill, including the gender pay gap element of it. Currently, the gender pay gap in this country is at 10.8%. I welcome mechanisms to increase the reporting because when we have more data, we can see exactly what the difficulty is. I was trying to figure out how to explain the gender pay gap to somebody. If two people are working in the same company and they work from 9 a.m. to…
This budget is being delivered in the middle of industrial action by education workers from primary to third-level institutions due to the failure of this Government to engage with the unions on public service pay. That is an utter disgrace and extremely disrespectful to public servants. The programme for Government promised to reduce the student contribution fees. This year, we see there will be a reduction for thos…
Last week, I asked the Tánaiste about special education in this country in advance of Virgin Media's documentary airing on Monday. On Tuesday, Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach about the documentary and the stark things outlined within it. The Taoiseach said that he had not seen it and that it would only give one side of the story. Those words really hurt people. It is one side of the story where we are see…
I thank my colleague, Deputy Jennifer Whitmore, for bringing forward this important and timely motion. Deputy Whitmore and the Social Democrats have consistently raised the enormous pressure that energy costs are placing on households. This motion puts forward a practical solution that the Government always says we do not do but we are putting forward a solution that is simple. When energy companies are making extrao…
The role of migrants in this country, as my colleague has said, is so important. We go, people come - that is how it is. Our hospitals would not exist without people coming from all over the world. How would our restaurants manage? I would like to mention teachers who are coming here, people who want to set up life here because it is a great place to live. They want to work as teachers but it is incredibly difficult …
On Monday, Virgin Media will show a documentary about special education in this country. The sneak previews I have seen show there are still children without an appropriate school place. However, equally shocking is that those who do get a place in school are being educated in cleaners' rooms with no windows or natural light, or they are being educated under staircases in classrooms. On top of that, a regulation room…
I welcome the effort to streamline things for children with disabilities but I have a number of concerns. It starts from when a child is born. In my own constituency of Dublin South-Central there is a lack of public health nurses so developmental checks that take place at zero to six months, six to 12 months, one to two years and three to five years and so on are not happening in my constituency. There is not enough …
Question No. 7 is in the name of Deputy O'Dea, but Deputy Dolan is taking it.
All Ministers and Ministers of States should finish within their time because we have to get to as many questions as possible.
The Deputy can come back in. He should allow the Minister of State to reply.
The Irish Men's Sheds Association has been contacting its members around the country to let them know that funding for 2025-26 will now not proceed. The association has been told that funding may proceed in 2027. The Taoiseach has been around as a politician for a very long time and I am sure he has visited many men's sheds. They are set up to help with men's mental health, their social, emotional and psychological w…
Like my colleague, Deputy Gannon, I welcome aspects of this Bill. It is important that gardaí are able to police our communities in the most effective way possible and that things are clear as to how communities will be policed and how their safety will be affected. To that end, I was at a safety forum meeting in my constituency on Monday and tonight I will be at another one. For years, the conversation has been that…
I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion. It is very timely. These are the summer months when parents start to think about how we will we stretch our finances to autumn, get everything that we need to ready and then still maybe take a holiday, organise summer camps, etc. The motion is, as stated, very timely. I thank everyone involved for their work on it.
It has been very interesting to listen to t…
8. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister. [51502/26]
27. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Taoiseach for an update on the implementation of the Dublin city task force report. [51503/26]