Jen Cummins

Youth work is indeed fundamental to our society. I stand here as a TD who came through youth work and youth theatre. I was a youth worker for a very long time. I see in my community the importance of youth work. Responsibility for youth has come within the remit of the Department. We very much need to keep it as a priority. There is a lot in education, and I would not like youth work, in all its g…

When we know how well youth work works, we can see what happens when it is absent. In my community in Dublin South Central the Donore Avenue community centre burnt down four years ago. A number of voluntary and paid youth work services were based there. Their absence has meant more young people do not have constructive things to do, and this has led to antisocial behaviour and challenges. The thin…

This is an extremely difficult and challenging topic. I feel a huge weight on me to speak on behalf of people who have experienced child sexual abuse in day and boarding schools. I welcome the visitors to the Gallery. As difficult as it is for me, I do not know the words to describe what it must be like for them. It is very important that we discuss this here, that there can never again be silence…

I am thankful to Sinn Féin for tabling this motion and I welcome all the people in the Gallery. Yet again, here we are in Ireland where women have to talk about the most private things in public. I was in here earlier talking about child sexual abuse in Ireland, another secret that was kept for so long. In the time I have been here, I have spoken many times in the Dáil on issues that affect women …

In the 1990s, I worked in London at a domestic violence project to support Irish women in my job in a school completion programme. Every single year, we supported children who were growing up in families where domestic violence was an everyday occurrence. My doctoral research found that the number of young people who left school before the leaving certificate was due to violence in the home. I int…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Catherine Ardagh - To discuss the need for all special schools to accept children at different levels on the autism spectrum. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue - To discuss the need to improve the design of the entrance to the Rush side of t…

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time on Wednesday, 16 July 2025.

In recent days, the Chamber has spoken about the cost of living and how it affects education. To provide the bigger picture of what the cost of living for families is at present, if we look at it through the lens of education, which in my opinion is the foundation for our society, we have voluntary contributions for schools because schools cannot afford to keep the heating on. Parents are not fund…

Gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as an rún seo a thabhairt. For the previous nine days or so, chaos and confusion has reigned. It has been an omnishambles of a will they, will they not? There have been three different proposals as to how putting the student contribution fee up by €1,000 might look. Fees will go up by €1,000, followed by discussions about a two-tiered model and there was then support …

That is very welcome but words are one thing. We need action. I did not come in here to lecture the Minister, although I was a lecturer in DCU and as was my educational role previously, I will set some things out. Sometimes in this House, we forget what the rights of young people are. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights explicitly states that everyone has the right to education and that educ…

I represent Dublin South-Central which is a densely populated area. A huge amount of building is going on, particularly in areas like Bluebell, Inchicore, Ballyfermot, Park West and around that area. Our access to rail is actually quite limited. The Luas goes through it but it is constantly jammed. Bus services are being re-evaluated at the moment in terms of BusConnects and people are quite unhap…

Some of the parents in our school system are having to act like fundraisers because the schools are not fully funded. I know the Government has increased the capitation grant, which is welcome. However, having spoken to many different schools, DEIS schools in particular, I know that fundraising is very difficult because families are struggling with general day-to-day costs. The same is true in spe…

-----but I am wondering about forward planning. I thank the Minister.

In recent months, since the Government was formed, there have been announcements about additional school places for children and young people with additional educational needs, be it in special classes in mainstream schools or in special schools. There have been promises that special education will improve. I know the Minister of State and his officials are trying their best in every way to ensure…

It is a defining moment for the preservation of our history. The GPO is fundamental to our past but it is not a relic. It has huge potential. I am lucky to live in Dublin South-Central, where Deputy Ó Snodaigh also lives and where history and historic buildings are preserved and celebrated. They include the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Kilmainham Gaol, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Of course we do no…

In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the next weekly division time.

This motion comes at a time of deep concern for the people of Ireland but particularly for my constituency of Dublin South Central. Our capital city is at breaking point. The housing crisis we are living in is dire. Every single clinic I have is jammed with people who are in desperate situations. They are coming to the clinic, the phone never stops ringing and the emails are full. When we reach th…

I thank Sinn Féin for introducing this motion. The Social Democrats will support it. Democracy is something we must strive to keep in a world where we see it being eroded and erased. Voting in elections is fundamental to democracy. The decision to extend voting rights to people has been a battle, particularly for women, over the past 100 years. Last year was a bumper year of elections. We had lo…

Community training centres, CTCs, provide an excellent education to young people in second chance education. There are 31 community training centres located around the country. Young people aged 16 to 21 who have left mainstream education before the leaving certificate can attend these centres, which provide a range of training and other supports to them, achieve QQI levels and progress to further…

I thank the Minister of State. It is great to raise this issue. It is great that the Minister of State is visiting these centres because they are amazing. While I understand that boards are responsible for the pay and conditions of each staff member, the funding given centrally to the community training centres is not enough. Although the staff are supposed to be put on the same pay and conditions…

88. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to redesignate special schools that cater to children with mild general learning disabilities. [30858/25]

I wish to ask about schools that cater for young people with mild general learning disabilities. I recently had the pleasure of visiting Scoil Eoin in Crumlin in my constituency and seeing the absolute care and love in that school for those students. I was really taken with how well they are provided with an excellent service for their education but also for their future. What will happen now with…

I accept there are children who will pass by special schools to go to other schools because there is no capacity for them in that school, whether that is because of the admissions policy or because of what they are catering for. Notwithstanding that, could we not as a country, seeing as we are quite rich, have schools that cater for mild general learning disabilities as well as schools that cater …

To that end, could we pause that for this September so that those schools can be engaged with further by the Department and the Ministers to allow them to negotiate a timeframe for those students who are already in the school but also for students coming in? I want to make clear I do not want to delay any child getting a school place for September. That is not my intention and I know it is not th…

Many schools across the country are struggling to keep the lights on. That is not my opinion; that is fact. A new survey has highlighted the huge increase in the costs that schools are grappling with. In the past five years insurance costs have increased by one third, while utilities soared by 50% and cleaning costs by 80%. However, funding for schools has not gone up. The capitation grant they ha…