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Deputy David Cullinane- To discuss staffing shortages at Waterford South City CDNT. Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss the high cost of mandatory digital devices for children attending school. Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the need for modular accommodation at a school in County Meath. Deputy Sinéad

schools and boards of management this year, she emphasised the importance of minimising that cost burden on students and their families where digital devices are used as part of school life. She requested that school authorities have regard to a number of key principles. The guidance also reflects

WALK for the continuation of peer ability programmes in County Louth. Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss the high cost of mandatory digital devices for children attending school. Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the need for modular accommodation at a school in County Meath. Deputy Brian Stanley

However, the benefit many parents have seen from that has been wiped away by the increasing numbers of schools mandating the purchase of digital devices. We have an absolutely ridiculous situation whereby in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis continuing unabated, the Government has decided

cost families are facing are absolutely bananas, and real action needs to be taken, especially in terms of uniforms but also digital devices. Voluntary contributions are absolutely Dickensian. We have parents fundraising to keep the lights on. Schools do not get enough money to actually

tell you. The Minister indicated that she is very conscious that parents can feel under pressure when some schools seek the use of digital devices for learning. She said that is why she wrote directly to all schools on 25 May and made it very clear that there

Unions and Zurich, are forcing many parents into debt. Added to them are growing digital costs. According to Barnardos, the average cost of digital devices for second level has reached €430. That is up from €221 a couple of years ago. Families are going to be contacting

Instead, it has cut the grant scheme for ICT infrastructure for schools by 30%. It provides no funding for repair and maintenance of digital devices. We have a bit of a cruel joke whereby schoolbooks are being made free, which is great, but on the other hand

leaving certificate curriculum, yet parliamentary questions that I submitted confirmed that there is no departmental requirement for students to have a personal digital device at either junior or leaving certificate level. That contradiction leaves parents and students whom I represent caught in a middle ground. On one hand

trade. It keeps the price down. Alongside these pressures, parents are increasingly faced with the expectation that they provide laptops and other digital devices for their children. While technology is important, why should parents be carrying that cost? Families have benefited from the schoolbooks scheme. We should

cannot strip this away from the cost-of-living crisis. Parents are dealing with uniforms, transition year fees, voluntary contributions and digital devices. It is a major burden on families at a time when they need relief rather than additional costs being heaped on them. Will the Minister

free books scheme. The Government is happy to remind people of that. On the other hand, a significant number of schools are demanding digital devices for every child, at a cost of hundreds of euro each. We saw media reports in recent days and weeks about Sweden

public awareness campaigns and well-being training. Finally, dedicated resources should be allocated to a public health research programme examining the impact of digital devices and online platforms on children. We need to tread carefully around a blanket ban on online access for kids under 16. The online

mocks fees, study blocks, lockers and career outings, and that is only by the start of November. This is before uniforms or digital devices are taken into account. Inequalities keep growing. The Government’s plan for leaving certificate reform risks creating a system where well-funded schools pull

schools are forced to pass the cost of facilities on to parents due to inadequate capitation. Families increasingly have to pay out for digital devices. According to the Irish League of Credit Unions, back-to-school spending is €364 more expensive this year than last year for primary

have been part of a consultation but whose opinion is not reflected in the policy of the school. They simply cannot afford new digital devices and they are really exposed. Notwithstanding that they have been pointed towards the credit unions or other financial supports, they cannot afford this

children are taken into State care. Deputy Darren O'Rourke - To discuss the need for support with the cost of essential tablets and digital devices in secondary schools. Deputy Gary Gannon - To discuss the delays with new school building for Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire, Dublin 1. Deputy Aidan Farrelly

transparently and are allocated an amount per student. Schools, in conjunction with parents, are responsible for decisions on the use of digital technology, including tablet devices, laptops and learning platforms, and how best to manage their integration into classroom practice, reflective of their own context and requirements. Under … learning planning. Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community, including parents, when planning for the introduction of digital technologies. This includes devices with cost and other implications being fully considered by the board of management before a decision is made. The Oide technology

lies ahead. Telemedicine and remote monitoring can improve care, especially in rural areas, by providing medical advice without unnecessary travel. Wearable health devices and digital diagnostics will increasingly help early detection of conditions and monitor existing ones. However, none of this will be possible without investment … must be maintained and expanded. There will be increasing use of healthcare data to plan our healthcare services, AI and brain-computer interface devices, and a growth in personalised medicine. However, this will only happen in an ecosystem of innovation, security and human expertise. The future of healthcare

therefore essential that An Garda Síochána has modern powers to gather evidence and investigate serious offences effectively. The provisions dealing with electronic devices and digital evidence recognise that reality. However, effective policing and civil liberties are not competing objectives. In fact, they depend on one another. Public trust

must also discuss inequality. Technological change can deepen inequality if governments fail to intervene. We already see worrying divides in access to digital infrastructure, devices and educational opportunity. We know children from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to face barriers their wealthier peers do not. Educational disadvantage still maps

inner city, Waterford city and Longford, which has informed the national roll-out of these arrangements; the distribution of nearly 15,000 digital communication devices enabling front-line gardaí to perform their duties without returning to stations; the implementation of new human rights structures, strategies and training across

recognition by the Department that there is a move towards digital learning, whether in terms of augmentative and alternative communication, AAC, devices for people with disabilities, digital learning plans being developed by schools or the additional assessment components in the new senior cycle redevelopment. Schools are moving

policy with regard to ICT use in our schools, there needs to be proper supports to families to access the devices, and we need to end the digital divide and the very blatant inequality emerging to a much greater extent because of access to ICT devices

public and to Garda members themselves. The Bill also reflects the reality of modern crime. Criminals increasingly use digital technology, encrypted communications and electronic devices. The law must keep pace if gardaí are to effectively investigate serious crime and protect the public from those who seek to exploit

impact assessment carried out by her Department prior to the introduction of the revised senior cycle programme in relation to students' access to digital devices; if the financial burden on families of providing laptops was considered; and the measures put in place to mitigate this. [39523/26

asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department will issue binding national guidance requiring any post-primary school operating a compulsory digital-device scheme to have a formal device loan scheme, hardship policy and non-exclusion guarantee in place before such a scheme is implemented

Department for parents who believe their child has been disadvantaged, excluded, or pressured due to inability to afford a compulsory laptop or digital device scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39731/26

Digital Strategy for Schools are required to demonstrate that reasonable measures are in place to support students whose families cannot afford personal digital devices [39732/26

number of complaints, representations or queries received by her department in each of the past five years relating to compulsory laptop or digital device purchase schemes in post-primary schools; and the actions taken by the Department in response. [37803/26

Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of primary- and post-primary schools that require students to have a digital device for learning instead of traditional textbooks; the number of these that are DEIS schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter

Guirke asked the Minister for Education and Youth if her Department will consider implementing an updated circular for schools requiring students to use digital devices to ensure that affordability and reusability, particularly between siblings, are accounted for in a universal approach; and if she will make a statement

Reilly asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of recognised primary and post-primary schools that require students to use personal digital devices for schoolwork or homework; the number of students affected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29722/26

Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the financial support measures available to parents whose children attend a school that requires digital devices rather than traditional textbooks; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25256/26

asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department is aware that some secondary schools are requesting that parents purchase laptops or digital devices for senior cycle students at significant cost; the supports available for families who cannot afford these expenses; how this aligns with the objectives

Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of secondary school students who do not have access to a personal digital device at home. [36700/25

Gorman asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update in relation to the development of the online digital evidence device management storage system allowing members to upload footage of traffic incidents; the implementing timeline on this; the cost; when it is likely

Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration when part 5 of the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording Devices) Act, 2023, concerning authorisation for installation and operation of CCTV for the prevention, investigation and prosecution of crime will be commenced; when the required statutory code

will review the correspondence (details supplied); the policy position regarding the requirement for secondary school students to purchase personal devices such as tablets as part of the Digital Strategy for Schools; if she will address the financial burden this places on families, particularly those who are also availing

checks and oversight mechanisms in place to ensure that such funding is being used to support student access to digital learning, including the provision of laptops or devices for students whose families cannot afford same; and if she will clarify whether schools are permitted to state that such

Education and Youth the ICT-related funding streams provided to post-primary schools, including digital strategy and technology grants, and to clarify whether such funding may be used to provide devices directly to students who cannot afford compulsory laptop costs. [37800/26