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timeframes for empty houses in our towns and villages and in our stock. Carlow is now a university town and county. Like other university towns, we know the value colleges and students bring to the local communities and our economy. I ask that student-specific accommodation would

report back to us on the matter. It is an important point. I know the town of Carlow well and the Deputy makes good points with regard to hospital and college. It is a large centre of population as well

address key skills challenges faced by our country and embrace new and emerging technologies and work practices. I was a member of Kilkenny-Carlow ETB for over ten years, seven of which I was fortunate enough to spend as chairperson. It was confirmed with huge excitement recently that … third level college campus in Kilkenny city. Government funding to the tune of tens of millions of euro will be required to drive the development of the site and create a new state-of-the-art education and training campus for Kilkenny-Carlow ETB. The purchase

portfolio. The Cathaoirleach Gníomhach is from this area. He represents Carlow-Kilkenny. They are looking to make sure there is provision in that area, but it would be a great development to have a veterinary college in our area, in the west of Ireland. It would help Mountbellew

formally do it. For a number of years, I have lobbied about veterinary colleges and I welcome the announcement where Letterkenny and Mountbellew was going to be one of them and Carlow-Kilkenny and Waterford was going to be the other. My understanding was this was going

done urgently. Everybody in Carlow and Kilkenny ETB is excited for all of the current and future FET learners in the locality. With one in ten adults in Ireland now learning through FET or apprenticeships, the ongoing development of high-quality college environments is absolutely key, especially … will play a critical role in meeting the increasing demand for upskilling in our communities. The capital infrastructure announcement for the Kilkenny college of the future is a milestone moment for FET in the south east. It will drive access to education, lifelong learning and workforce transformation

smoothly. I wish to raise the question of Bunclody Community College. I have had to do it on a number of occasions. This is an excellent and very inclusive school in Bunclody, County Wexford on the Wexford-Carlow border. It has 310 students … heaven. I hope the Minister of State will be able to provide some of the joy of heaven for Bunclody Community College in her response today

Kilkenny and Carlow. That is important. We need additional gardaí in rural areas as much as our city counterparts need them. On higher education, I acknowledge there was a series of one-off measures over the past two years, including the €1,000 college fees. That was welcome

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 … been scattered around 15 different locations. It should not matter where people live. This proposal aims to and will change that. Kilkenny and Carlow ETB proposes to deliver a flagship facility designed for approximately 1,000 full-time learners and 3,800 part-time learners. The campus will

commend Deputy Kerrane on bringing forward this motion. I remember five or six years ago Kathleen Funchion, the former TD for Carlow-Kilkenny, began a process of speaking to childcare providers and families around the country about this issue. It was an issue for everyone in every constituency … early-years educators were in the very same position. They could not afford to continue to work in the sector after going to college and qualifying. They loved working with children yet they could not afford to continue to do that. We recognised something needed to be done

from the end of this month. That will have a huge impact on the travelling public going to hospital appointments, schools, colleges or wherever they might be going for social occasions. To think that service would end without a seamless transition to another service and another bus operator … cost of putting the vehicle on the road, the cost of energy and the cost of fuel. It will now be introduced for Carlow to Waterford in terms of a public service obligation but what concerns local communities affected along the route from Waterford to Dublin Airport

with that practice and in the private sector long term. However, if a student is placed, for example, in a local facility in Carlow, Kildare or wherever it happens to be, they are more likely to stay there. It is critical that during their training students are exposed … difficult and stressful environments in which to work. We need to encourage our graduates to go into those sectors when they leave college. I agree with the Deputy that we also need focus on retention measures

supporting farmers and food businesses, which underpin the vitality of rural villages and towns across the country, including in my own constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. The agrifood sector has come through a difficult number of years, dealing with many challenges such as Brexit, Covid, a new Common Agricultural … revamping support and eligibility criteria. We also need to ensure that Ireland remains an exemplar in agricultural education by investing in agricultural colleges and facilities such as Kildalton Agricultural College in Piltown, south Kilkenny. Supporting farm families is also crucial. This Government needs to work with the Department

serious problem for the social infrastructure of the town. There are also a lot of students who, unfortunately, cannot get accommodation in the colleges in Dublin and are still living at home in Athy. They are also suffering because of the times and restrictions in times that … asking the Minister for Transport to support the call by the people of Athy to include that train service, and by extension Carlow town, in additional services. What we really need is an hourly service from the town, because it is a growing town. Over 11,000 people

Members to put their case and highlight the issues in their constituencies. I will get directly to the point. The south east, particularly Carlow and Kilkenny, has very poor connections. Regardless of whether one is en route from those locations to Dublin or down to Waterford, not enough … than the car, and to allow those who do not have a car to commute properly and efficiently to a job, school or college. We have to think of those who are studying or working in Dublin and need that transport timetable to meet their needs. I wish

there are two tiny shelters and hundreds of people stand out in the rain getting soaked. They could be on their way to college or work in Dublin, Limerick or wherever. The situation is the same in Portarlington and Ballybrophy. That needs to be addressed. We need basic … taxpayer. We need to expand the local town and bus service as well. We have a good one in Portlaoise and Carlow but that needs to be exteded. I appeal to the Minister of State to see that this happens

people going to college. Parents cannot afford to live in their own homes and they cannot afford to send their children to college purely because they cannot afford to pay the rent. That is not right. The housing policies only work to line the pockets of the mega … capital. Homelessness is the single most pressing social issue that affects individuals and families in Ireland right now. There are people in Carlow and Kilkenny who are working but cannot afford to rent, if they could even find a house to rent. They cannot get a mortgage because

country and wonderful community life in all our towns and rural areas but many people have to commute to work or college. Part of that is due to the continued failure of the IDA to arrange for visits to the Wicklow-Wexford constituency. A lot of people … realistic rail alternative. From Gorey, Arklow and Rathdrum, there are only six daily rail services. For towns equidistant from the capital such as Carlow, there are 11 services, from Drogheda or Dundalk, there are 16 and from Portlaoise there are 32. When I posed a question to Irish

Government to: — publish the promised dental services plan; — provide for a significant increase in Dental School places in University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin, and provide additional funding for this; — facilitate the re-introduction of a structured mentorship programme to allow new graduates to gain work experience … example, for people in Laois, only one dental practice currently takes clients under the scheme and it is based on the edge of Carlow town. The budget for the current scheme is €73 million this year. That is a reduction of €6 million on the allocation