Marian Harkin

I thank the Deputy for the question. It is clear that he has been in the position I am in now, and he understands the circumstances. I must give him the response that I have been provided with. In whatever way I can, I will try to address the Deputy’s questions. They give me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister, to outline the current position in relation to the joint school project for St. …

I thank the Deputy. I recognise there are schools with important building projects that are not included in the first tranche of prioritised projects. As part of planning ahead for the next tranche of projects to progress to tender, the Department-led prioritisation process will continue over the course of 2026 and 2027 to assess and evaluate the progression of individual projects through the desi…

I am happy to take this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to address the issue in the House this evening. Improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving citizens' quality of life and addressing our climate action challenge. The Government is committed to a fundamental change in the nature of transport in I…

As I noted in my reply, the NTA is progressing park-and-ride sites at Sallins and Kill, which together will provide more than 1,500 additional car parking spaces, as part of its co-ordinated programme of park-and-ride development at strategic locations. In addition to this work, collaborative work is ongoing with Iarnród Éireann to deliver increased parking at existing rail stations nationally. Th…

I thank the Deputy. His question relates to expanding apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities. As he is aware, work-integrated learning, where learners apply their studies in real-world settings, is a cornerstone of Ireland’s tertiary education system and this includes apprenticeships and traineeships. Apprenticeships provide structured routes into employment for roles requiring hands-on lear…

I absolutely agree with the Deputy regarding the great work being done at Mount Lucas. I think I have been there three times at this stage, looking at its work on modern methods of construction, MMC, its flagship development. Of course, it also has what is called the Skillnet MMC Accelerate platform. That showcases the different career pathways that are available to participate in MMC. It is one t…

This is again a very important question. I agree with what the Deputy is saying. Perhaps up to now, though it is changing, apprenticeships and sometimes traineeships were seen as a second or third option. They absolutely must be a first option for those for whom they are suitable. We are starting in the schools. There are a number of programmes in transition year. We have the initial vocational ed…

I think the Minister will be back in a few minutes, but I will respond to this question. The reply states the student grant scheme is a universal scheme and the rules including the means-testing of reckonable income are applied on an equal basis to all students who make an application. In general, for student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances, either as stud…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The proposal before us, as he said, is not just another bricks-and-mortar project. It is a strategic investment to deliver an integrated further education and training college for Kilkenny which addresses historical infrastructure deficits and drives the reform we have committed to across the FET sector. As the Deputy told us, a suitable site has been ac…

I am grateful to Deputy Cleere for providing me with the opportunity to set out the position for this project in Kilkenny. The Department and I are prepared to continue to work collaboratively with Kilkenny and Carlow ETB via SOLAS to advance this ambition. Capital investment is a key priority for the Department, and I recognise fully the importance of developing, enhancing and supporting the FET …

I will begin by thanking all Members for their contributions on the motion, the purpose of which is to seek the approval of Dáil Éireann for Ireland to participate in enhanced co-operation on the establishment of a loan for Ukraine. I have heard Members' comments and reactions. I hope to respond to some of the key points that they raised. We must not lose sight of why we are doing this. Ukraine h…

I sincerely thank Deputy Burke for raising this important matter concerning the Cork dental hospital and the availability of dental training places. As the Deputy said, he has raised this issue on a number of occasions and I have responded to him. The Government is firmly committed to ensuring our healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of highly skilled graduates. My …

I am sure at the committee meeting tomorrow the Deputy will have the opportunity to question the Department representatives. I am not here to defend its figures but I can quote them and I can say that we have increased by 33% the number of students commencing dentistry studies in 2025. That is factually correct. The Department of Health also tells me that we have had a steady increase in the numbe…

I thank Deputy Wall. I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. First, the Minister is committed to the provision of additional special places for children with special educational needs. Budget 2026 has secured funding for 3,000 new specialist places and the NCSE is currently examining where these places are best located for the 2026-27 school year. Over 2,700 …

The Deputy did not just raise an important question, he did it so passionately as an advocate for the school he spoke of. I can fully understand his passion in this regard. All I can do is thank him for raising the matter and for giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education and Youth and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that all children can access an educatio…

While I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for education, I hear very clearly what the Deputy is saying. As somebody who has championed carers' rights for many years, both at European Parliament level and at home, I fully hear the argument he is making. However, I have a response I will read to him and I will perhaps make one or two further comments. As the Deputy said, the carer’s…

I have a further response here reiterating all of what I said. To be honest with the Deputy, I know he does not want to hear it. Nonetheless, that is my role and responsibility this evening. The Deputy talked about bureaucracy, but it is also the law. He is an expert in this area where I am not, but perhaps the law is what needs changing and not so much the bureaucracy or how the law is implemente…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Health. The Minister once again acknowledges the extraordinary role our healthcare workers played during the pandemic, as do I. They went far beyond the call of duty working on the front line, treating Covid-positive patients, and doing so in the early days when the protections we now take…

I hope the Deputy will understand that I will not comment on his remark regarding former Members of this House who are unable to explain their rationale or whatever. However, as he asked, I will bring this to the attention of the Minister for Health, as it has been. I just happen to be answering tonight on her behalf. I again acknowledge the extraordinary service of our healthcare workers during …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for housing, Deputy O'Brien. The Deputy will appreciate, and already knows, the supply of public water and provision of wastewater services in general are matters for Uisce Éireann in the first instance. Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and …

I thank Deputy Donnelly. Again, without knowing any of the specifics, I agree with the Deputy and hopefully we are dealing with the final steps and that, as he said, it would be sealed up and concreted over. I agree nobody should have to live with that. I will again refer to what is contained in the response I have here. I think I can say with sincerity that Uisce Éireann would like to assure cus…

-----in order that the Deputy will not have to raise this matter again and that nobody will have to respond to it again. The updated national development plan has secured record levels of investment of €12.2 billion for the water sector, of which €11.7 billion will be invested by Uisce Éireann to support the delivery of key strategic projects in our cities and regions in order to deliver the addi…

I agree with the Deputy about Jim Hargis and the excellent work he is doing at St. Andrew's Resource Centre. I have been there twice. If anybody wants to see how to help to get young men and women into different sectors through traineeships and apprenticeships in a supportive and inclusive way, they need to look at what is happening there. It is an excellent example. I commend the Deputy on mentio…

Again, I agree with the Deputy. We are making real efforts to try to ensure that apprenticeships are seen as plan A, not plan B or C. They are not something students get involved in if something else does not work out. They are real, meaningful pathways and opportunities to employment. The Department is very actively involved in a number of programmes to highlight and showcase the attractiveness o…

The Deputy and I are both in agreement. We recognise the need to increase the number of apprentices. Sometimes, we have to change people's minds before we do anything else. Certainly, a lot the programmes the Department is progressing are attempting to do that. I mentioned the Facts, Faces, Futures and Building Heroes programmes. We also have the Build Back Home programme, which is an internationa…