I welcome the Sinn Féin Bill and thank that party's Members for their work on it. The use of school uniforms is often debated by parents, patrons and researchers. Some people love uniforms and others do not.
The Social Democrats support this Bill, however, if the Ceann Comhairle will indulge me, I will speak about having school uniforms in the first place. I will not take up too much time on this but Ireland is one …
TDs / Jen Cummins
Jen Cummins
Portrait: © Houses of the Oireachtas (Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence) · source file
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
Before I start, I have some visitors in the Gallery from a school who are on leaving certificate applied, LCA, work experience. I want to say thank you to them. They have done excellent work so far this week.
I would like to pay tribute in this debate to a group of my constituents in Dublin South-Central, the Dublin 12 Men's Shed. I had the pleasure of going to visit them recently with my constituency manager, Amy K…
10. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of new resources from budget 2026 allocated specifically to further education and training provision, community education, Youthreach and community training centres; the capital and current funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55972/25]
I would like to ask the Minister about specific allocations in the budget for further education and training, community education, Youthreach and community training centres. These programmes play a vital role in inclusion, lifelong learning and skills development, yet they operate with limited resources. Could the Minister please outline the new resources, capital and current, that are being allocated and explain how…
It is wonderful to see the amount of money going into all that which the Minister of State outlined. It is much needed. I am concerned, however, for three parts, one of which is capital budgets for buildings. The Minister of State has visited many different places around the country. As she knows, I have worked in education for a very long time, and I have been to see adult education centres, Youthreach programmes an…
I am a bit concerned that the FET aspect will only be finalised in the future. FET sometimes is forgotten, and it is such an important part. The Minister of State talked about inclusive education. FET is a form of education that enables social mobility. People entering into FET often come through community and adult education. We need to make sure that is not forgotten.
With regard to pay and conditions, the last po…
I bring up the issue of opting out of religious classes for children who go to religious schools. A number of parents have contacted me about this issue, and it is causing huge concern, upset and disappointment. Children who attend schools that are under religious patrons and who are not part of that religion or belief system are supposed to be able to opt out. It is set out in the Constitution under Article 44.2.4° …
I often talk about how education does not finish with the leaving certificate or junior certificate. It goes on and on. For many people it is a fantastic thing that they engage with on a regular basis, well past the need for qualifications or the skills for work. It is because they really love engaging in education. It is fantastic that, in this country, we have so many options open to people.
I am surprised to see …
I thank Sinn Féin very much for bringing forward this motion. It is a lot of common sense. Anything we can do in this House to make the transition into our formal education system easier for children with disabilities and their families, we should try to do. It would bring certainty and forward planning into that.
A year is a very short time. We say a year but, really, applications are made on 1 October to start the…
Education is the foundation of every society, and education has been spoken about in this Chamber and in committee rooms on numerous occasions. Ireland should have an education system that is inclusive, equitable and accessible to every child and young person regardless of his or her postcode, income, ability or background, yet day after day and week after week, the truth of the poor supports, exclusion and inequalit…
The Social Democrats have brought forward this motion to abolish the means test for carers, which was promised by this Government, and I am very happy to see there is no amendment to the motion. Carers and people with disabilities cannot wait any longer for the Government to fulfill this election promise. One area that is often overlooked when we speak about carers is education. Family carers are not only the backbon…
I raise the deeply concerning issue of student contribution fees. Freshers week across the country is wrapping up and students have started lectures, and yet families across Ireland are none the wiser as to what they will be paying in fees. The rumour mill around the Government's budget is that the decrease will only be €500. The confusion and concern about student contribution fees is unacceptable and was completely…
Thank you very much.
This House can talk about many different things. Today we are talking about child poverty. I thank the Labour Party for bringing this motion forward. I have to say that talk is cheap and action is limited when it comes to child poverty and this Government's record. I worked in some of Dublin's poorest communities for close to 30 years. I do not need to remind people in this House that there was an economic boom and t…
Vapes and nicotine products are the absolute bane of parents' lives. I have been contacted many times by parents asking what can be done about vapes, their contents, how they look and how they are sold. I am speaking not only as a TD but as a mother and somebody who has worked with children and young people for many decades. As previous contributors have said, school principals and school communities are really looki…
I raise the issue of the new SNA review guidelines with the Minister. At a time when we should be increasing the support for our students, the Government - despite saying disability is a priority - seems determined to make it more difficult for children to get adequate support. The new SNA review guidelines appear focused on gatekeeping and rationing and not supporting children. The review window is too short, the cr…
I am glad to have the opportunity to speak about school transport, but in particular the urgent issue of accessibility for children with special educational needs. The transport system we have was set up in 1967 to bring children to school safely and reliability. It is managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. However, it not working for every child. We see this every year and their f…
I will use my time to show appreciation and give thanks to two groups in my constituency in Dublin South-Central, Inchicore For All and Dublin 8 for All. These two groups have been working to ensure that people coming to this country seeking protection are welcomed, supported and feel part of the community.
Inchicore For All was set up to support several people and families who arrived in Ireland and are temporarily…
When I read this Private Members' motion, I was genuinely taken aback by elements of it. I am flabbergasted that it was put forward in its current format and even more flabbergasted that the Government is going to support it. It looks like a group of people who hate young people got together to blame them for all the antisocial behaviour and crime that happens in this country. I have worked with children and young pe…
I thank Sinn Féin for tabling the motion. It is a disgrace that the Opposition has to constantly fight the Government on this issue of special education. It is a monumental and completely avoidable situation that it has to be brought up. The amount of anger out there is absolutely avoidable. I have to say the promises and plans made before the end of the school year were empty promises and shoddy and undeliverable pl…
81. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education and Youth for an update on implementation of the youth work strategy, Opportunities for Youth. [39687/25]
The opportunities for youth strategy for the period 2024 to 2028 outlines 18 priority actions to be delivered by the end of 2026, including the establishment of an interdepartmental group and a review of the Youth Work Act 2021. Will the Minister provide an update on the implementation of the strategy?
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 guises, to be forgott…
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 thing about youth work i…
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 for what has happen…