Marian Harkin

On behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O’Brien, I thank the Deputies for the opportunity to address this issue in the House today. As a number of Deputies have alluded to, the programme for Government commits to commissioning an independent feasibility study, continuing MetroLink from the city to south-west Dublin. The Government is committed to undertaking an independent feasibility stud…

I will continue afterwards.

The Deputy does not have to tell me that.

As somebody who comes from the west - I did not write this script - I can assure the Deputy that I know what he is talking about when he says that the system was better 100 years ago than it is now. My purpose here today is not to labour that point, it is to answer his questions. Again, on behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank the Deputies for their comments and for their interest in this …

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, to outline to the Dáil the current position in relation to the joint school project for St. John Bosco Junior Boys School, St. John Bosco Senior Boys School and Mary, Help of Christians Girls' National School in Dublin 7. This joint school building project will deliver two …

I agree with the Deputy that this is not refurbishment. In my initial response, I made it clear that this joint school building project will deliver two new 16-classroom primary schools with additional classrooms for children with special educational needs for both the senior boys’ school and the girls’ school and an 11-classroom primary school with additional classrooms for children with special …

It is not often I am asked in this House to behave like the man above. I am not sure what I can deliver from purgatory. Nonetheless, I heard what Deputy Byrne said about the conditions, which he told us are unique and among the worst in the country. He also spoke of the commitment of the staff. While I am not personally familiar with the school, I know that schools where conditions are not good or…

I will relay the Deputy's request that the Minister consider meeting him with the WWETB and the school principal. I am not sure what requests have been received, and I cannot speak on the Minister's behalf, but I will certainly relay that request. The Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for all school pupils and will, in the wider context outlined, ensure ea…

I thank Deputy Smith for raising this matter and for highlighting the significant population growth taking place in Swords. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I am interested to hear the Deputy say it is the third largest town in Ireland. In that context, I understand why he has raised these issues. The Government fully recognises that the succes…

The Government agrees that the delivery of housing and the delivery of infrastructure have to go hand in hand and creating sustainable communities requires investment, not only in homes, but as the Deputy said, in the transport, energy, water and community infrastructure that supports them. As he also noted, significant investment is already under way in Swords, whether it is the R132 connectivity…

I thank the Deputy, and on behalf of the Minister for Transport, I want to thank him for raising this issue. He is quite right. A lot of people are speaking about this. We have always been aware, but we have become more acutely aware in recent times, of the serious brain injuries sustained in many cases by children who use e-scooters and the inherent dangers in how e-scooters are being used. Fro…

I thank the Deputy. In response to his question about the urgency of this, the Department of Transport is examining the issue of mandating the wearing of helmets, high-vis clothing and protective equipment for e-scooters and e-bikes, along with other road safety focused measures. Proposals in this regard are under consideration by Ministers. The Department is also considering the matter of registr…

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. At the outset, it is important to note that Carlow College, St. Patrick's is and always has been an independent private institution operating outside the State-funded higher education sector. Decisions regarding its strategic direction and governance rest entirely with its own governing body and neither the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, n…

If Deputy Gibney is fair at all, she will accept that a great deal of engagement has already taken place between the Minister, Deputy Lawless, the different institutions, the trade unions and the workers. The Deputy spoke about students there. Every current learner at Carlow College will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned without disruption or disadvantage. Those are the fac…

I am stating that here in the House tonight on the record. I want it to be true and it needs to be true. I think both of us agree that should be the situation. Commitment, continuity and fairness have guided every step of this process. We have every confidence that formal discussions commenced by Carlow College with their staff and staff representatives will be carried out in a transparent and for…

I thank the Deputy. As she will be aware, Carlow College is and has always been, a private and autonomous institution operating outside the publicly funded higher education system. Despite this, it has received substantial State support, including over €3.1 million in student fee grants, with an annual uplift of €750,000 in place since 2022. Following repeated requests for additional assistance, a…

I thank the Deputy. I believe the framework agreed by the two institutions is a prudent and measured approach that protects the educational attainment and interests of students in the region. Every current learner in Carlow College will be able to complete their studies and graduate as planned without disruption or disadvantage. That commitment of continuity and fairness has guided every step of …

Do not forget Roscommon in the Connacht final.

It is a high priority for me and my Department to support the development of high-quality and accessible tertiary education systems that reflect the full diversity of Irish society and ensure that all learners can access and successfully complete their education. Since the establishment of the first technological university in 2019, the Department has prioritised targeted investment of over €300 m…

I am pleased to say that the midlands are well served by Technological University of the Shannon because it offers students from Offaly and surrounding counties high-quality university education. What I am talking about in particular today are the tertiary programmes. They offer students the opportunity to begin a course in further education before transitioning to complete their degree in higher …

I hear what the Deputy is saying. Tertiary education is a great pathway. It is such an opportunity for students. It is not within the CAO system, so it allows students to access tertiary education. They can start in their local ETB and, if they like, progress on to further education in third level institutions. That is available to students across the country - in Offaly just as well as anywhere e…

I thank Deputy Scanlon. He has made representation on this issue to me on many occasions. To provide the background to this, in February 2025, under section 8(1) of the Technological Universities Act 2018, the Minister, Deputy Lawless, approved Atlantic Technological University’s request to acquire a 16.35 acre site near its campus, to be funded from existing reserves. However, the HEA has since …

I cannot disagree with anything the Deputy has said but I reiterate that in February 2025 the Minister granted ATU Sligo permission to proceed with the acquisition of that 16.35 acre site at Ardaghowen in County Sligo. The approval did not convey or imply approval for any proposed capital investment that ATU might be considering for the lands. ATU was directed to fund the cost of the acquisition f…

I appreciate Deputy Scanlon's considered and reasonable approach to this. I am just as familiar as he is with the history, what has happened and the fact that we had student accommodation that is no longer available to students. A lot of people are extremely concerned about that. What the Deputy has said underlines the urgency to move forward with whatever mechanism we have to provide student acco…

No.