Jen Cummins

I thank the Labour Party for its motion on special education. I have heard so much pain, frustration and determination from families throughout my constituency and many constituencies in this country. I have travelled to different places to hear from families. In my constituency of Dublin South-Central, from Ballyfermot to Drimnagh, Inchicore and Crumlin, there are parents who at crisis point with…

My question is similar to that of the previous speaker with regard to parental choice. I was very disappointed to see Government backbenchers expressing what is maybe a U-turn in what the programme for Government was talking about in 2020 on school patronage. It does not seem to appear in the current programme for Government, which I am a little bit concerned about. With 94% of primary schools bei…

111. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Education her plans to ensure there are multi-disciplinary teams in all schools, including the recruitment and retention of therapists. [14637/25]

I congratulate the Minister on her post. I have not yet had an opportunity to say that to her across the floor. What are her Department's plans to ensure all students, especially children with additional needs, have access to in-school supports such as occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and psychological services? What is the plan to roll them out, for recruitment and resourcing sc…

It is great that it will be rolled out. I am anxious to know exactly how far along the implementation of those places is, particularly at third level, for the autumn intake under the Central Admissions Office, CAO. I note from the programme for Government that a plan was set out to double the number of college places for speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and…

I thank the Minister. Going further than that, it is great to see there will be a roll-out of these services and supports to young people and children in special schools. From looking at it, what we would like to see from an education perspective is that young people who need a service in mainstream schools will be able to access it. There are children throughout the country who need that support.…

I am sharing time with Deputy Paul Murphy.

No, Deputy Murphy will go first.

Like Deputy Murphy and I am sure many others, we have seen numerous emails coming in from parents worried about how this is going to affect their children. In 2021, 1,300 students received a maximum of 625 CAO points, which I am sure everybody knows is an extremely difficult thing to do. That was more than double the number in 2020 and nearly six times the figures from 2019. Now we are in a situat…

I thank the Minister of State for acknowledging the huge pressure students are under. Having worked in education for many years and having my own children go through the leaving certificate, it is a time of huge pressure not only for the student but also for everyone around him or her. It is quite a difficult situation. At what point will we be rid of this system? When will what was put in place d…

During the Taoiseach's maiden speech in June 2020 following the election, he mentioned the school completion programme. I do not know whether he knows that school completion co-ordinators and project workers throughout the country were delighted that it was mentioned in his maiden speech. As he probably knows, I worked for a school completion programme, Ballymun Anseo, as Deputy Paul McAuliffe kno…

Like my colleague, I was a youth worker for many years and worked on the school completion programme. Anyone who has worked with young people knows just how amazing they are, how hopeful they are and how clear they are in their vision for the future. They love their friends and their families. When things are going well for young people, it is a positive experience to be around them. However, Ire…

8. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his Department's plans to provide adequate protections for students renting in digs accommodation. [14649/25]

I wish the Minister the very best of luck in his new role. I look forward to working with him. How does the Government plan to protect third level students who are in digs accommodation? Over recent weeks and months, we have had people into the audiovisual room explaining the very difficult situation they are in with regard to their accommodation. Digs accommodation may not be the first preference…

I thank the Minister for that. I agree that there needs to be a variety of accommodation. My own daughter is in college and travels quite a long distance to get there-----

-----because there is no on-campus accommodation, which would be ideal for a great many people. It is also very expensive. I live in Dublin 8 and quite a lot of student accommodation was built in the area over recent years. However, it is totally unaffordable for the average student with rents of €1,250 per month. If it is a five-week month, it is €1,350. That accommodation is totally unaffordable…

The flipside is that parents sending children into digs accommodation cannot be sure they will be fully protected. That is also a challenge. I agree with the Minister that there definitely needs to be balance from the perspective of both the landlord or digs provider and of the student. These students are often in their first year and do not have a big network so we need to have that protection in…

I congratulate the Minister of State on his new role. I wish him the best of luck and look forward to working with him over the course of this term. I will be speaking on pathways to youth work at third level. Youth work in Ireland is decades old. There are many types of youth work and they exist in every community in the country. Youth workers do a job that is sometimes mistaken or misunderstood …

I thank the Minister of State for his contribution. The increase in funding for youth work is very welcome. The role I had immediately after youth work was working in the school completion programme. While there have been increases in funding for both of those sectors, during the austerity era youth work and the school completion programme were cut so dramatically and so drastically that they have…

This motion is about giving voice to the people of Ireland. It is a matter that goes beyond policy; it is about democracy. The Government's attempt to remove the triple lock without public consultation is not just a policy change but a fundamental shift in Ireland's stance on the global stage and yet the people have not been asked. During the most recent election, neutrality and the triple lock d…

-----because it is not about that. I want to be very clear on that.

Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Labour Party as an rún seo. Fáilte to all the young carers, those from Family Carers Ireland who are in the Visitors Gallery and those watching. I support this crucial motion because for too long, young carers in this country have been invisible as they work in their homes providing vital assistance to loved ones in their families and communities. The sac…

As this is my first Topical Issue, hopefully I will get the timing and all the rest of it right. I thank the Minister of State for taking this and wish him the very best of luck in his new role. I do not think I have congratulated him yet. Today, I am asking about families in Dublin 8 who are looking to have a multidenominational secondary school for their children. They have been campaigning for…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive answer. Yes, it is not the answer I want but God loves a trier. The reconfiguration process has been very slow to date. The previous programme for Government had it that, I think, 400 schools would be transferred. Unfortunately, that number has not been reached yet and I did not see it in the programme for Government this time. The survey has be…

Gabhaim buíochas le Sinn Féin as an tairiscint seo. I ask the Government to engage with the Opposition on housing because, frankly, the policies the former is putting forward are ensuring that people go into homelessness, and that includes families, children and hard-working individuals. They are facing homelessness and there is absolutely no reason for it. This scheme is a solution, and it is jus…