Marian Harkin

I am here.

Not true.

I acknowledge the Deputies who tabled the motion and the genuine debate we have had here this evening. The Government recognises the real depth of concern surrounding the proposed EU Mercosur agreement. In particular, those concerns relate to Irish agriculture and our rural economy as well as the importance of ensuring sustainable adequate environmental protections. For these reasons, and in ackno…

That is not true.

Gabhaim buíochas le Deputy Ó Snodaigh for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position in regard to Gaelscoil Lir in Dublin 24. I speak on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. My Irish is not as good as Deputy Ó Snodaigh's, so while I could understand most of what he said to me, I will not be able to respond to him in the same way, so it will have to in English. First…

I hear what the Deputy is saying. There are specific issues in the school. He can correct me if I am wrong, but I understand many students come from a local IPAS centre. It has challenges that perhaps not every school faces, although a lot of schools around the country, including many in my constituency, face similar challenges. That is one of the reasons the capitation grant increased so signific…

I thank Deputy Currie for raising this issue. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Dara Calleary. The Deputy mentioned the town centre first policy. As she said, it is a major cross-government policy that aims to tackle vacancy, combat dereliction and breathe new life into our town centres and provide an integrated policy approach to the development of Irish towns. The…

I will go back for a minute to the town and village renewal scheme. I know Deputy Currie is talking about certain towns or villages being too big and others being too small. I say again that funding has been allocated under the town and village scheme to Fingal County Council to support projects in the county. I mentioned Rush but I can also mention Skerries, St. Margaret's and Donabate. This fund…

Yes, I know, but I can only quote what is in front of me and what is possible. It may not be her area but the idea here, and she is the best judge of this, is that this is possible in similar areas, and it is what might be done. I heard what she has said and I fully understand her frustration. While there is really good intent in all of these projects, a really good push behind them and successes,…

I thank everyone in the House for the opportunity to have this debate and their contributions. Many of them were quite insightful and thoughtful. As a former science and maths teacher, I am pleased to see so many people across the country participating in Science Week because it is about making science fun, accessible, interesting and real. I agree with Deputies Eoin Hayes and Paul Gogarty that d…

I thank Deputy Burke for raising this important matter again tonight. This might be the third time he has raised this issue. I can see he is determined to highlight it. The issue is important. I am taking this on behalf of my colleague, the Minister, Deputy James Lawless. The Government is firmly committed to ensuring that our healthcare system is supported by a steady and sustainable pipeline of…

I thank the Deputy. I hear what he is saying. The document I have here tells me the Department of Health stated the Dental Council has reported a steady increase in the number of registered dentists since 2016 from 2,949 to 3,971 today. As of 2022, there were 2,420 practising dentists in Ireland, marking a 3.9% increase from the previous year. The number of registered dentists per 100,000 populati…

The Government remains firmly committed to apprenticeships and has significantly expanded the opportunities for learners in recent years. We fully recognise the vital role that apprentices play in equipping Ireland’s workforce with the skills needed to meet national priorities. That includes infrastructure delivery. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, and I have prioritised this area and in budget 2026 …

As the Deputy said, this funding will increase the numbers of apprentices already here. We see that phase 2 training capacity has increased from 5,600 in 2023 to over 7,000 in 2025 across the country. He also mentioned the fact that more instructors are being put in place. Over 80 instructors were converted from fixed term to permanent, and that supports retention, which is the question the Deput…

The Government's objective is that by 2030 we will have 12,500 apprenticeships in the system. We are already well on track to achieving that, with, I think, about 9,300 last year. The Deputy said we are relying on migrant workers. Certainly, they play an important role in the sector. We are pleased to see that the sector is working but we also have a responsibility to grow the number of apprentice…

I thank the Deputy. My Department has secured a gross allocation of almost €5 billion in budget 2026. That will support the delivery of inclusive high-quality learning opportunities across the entire tertiary education system. In 2026, we secured an additional investment of €79 million for apprenticeship delivery, as well as €2.5 million to permanently reduce student fees for apprenticeships. This…

To specifically answer the Deputy's question around capital, the allocation for the tertiary sector in 2026 is €810 million. Last year, the allocation was €677 million, so we can see that represents an increase of €133 million, which is quite significant. That will help to deliver research capacity and a pipeline of transformative projects, which will support a thriving, inclusive - that is a real…

I will deal with two issues the Deputy raised, one of which is funding to community education, Youthreach and CTCs. I did say there is no specific additional funding in 2026. SOLAS has advised that the investment in community education increased by 55% from 2018 to 2024, from nearly €11 million to over €70 million now. Therefore, we can see that the funding is increasing. We also introduced the re…

I hear the Deputy's question because this is an issue that has come to my attention, especially in more rural counties. Apprenticeships are national programmes. As much as possible, SOLAS schedules craft apprentices to an available training location near to the home of the apprentice. If a placement is not available near an apprentice's home, SOLAS will endeavour to schedule him or her to attend t…

I thank the Deputy. I absolutely agree. That is why an extra €79 million was acquired in this budget for apprenticeships, bringing the overall investment to nearly €411 million. That is clear evidence of the Government's determination to fund the apprentice system. It is more than just funding. It is also ensuring that more and more people see apprenticeships as a viable and exciting educational p…

I fully appreciate what the Deputy is saying. Accommodation is a significant issue for all third level students. We are talking about apprenticeships in particular. I just had a look at the apprenticeships that are available in Galway-Roscommon ETB. I see that it offers training in various locations. For example, Galway Technical Institute offers training as an accounting technician, auctioneering…

From the north east.

I thank the Minister, Deputy Lawless, and his officials for bringing forward this important and innovative legislation, which I fully support. I believe it has huge potential benefits for the further and higher education sectors. I want to thank all the Deputies for their contributions. I think we all are largely agreed that this is a positive move. Yes, there are some queries and there are some n…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions to the debate. I am happy to take the closing statement on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Calleary. The Government is well aware of the additional costs faced by disabled people. I re-echo the Minister’s statement when he said he was committed within the lifetime of this Government to addressing the cost of disability in both a comprehensive and a perm…

I thank Deputy Scanlon for the opportunity to address the issue of public transport along the N17 corridor. Deputy Scanlon and I are well aware of the specific issues and I agree with him that we need to find better solutions. I am responding on behalf of the Minister for Transport. While the Minister has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport, neither the M…