Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)

In the Minister of State's opening statement, he referenced Ukrainian students and that there was a need for a budgetary top-up. I do not disagree with that; I recognise that is needed. My real concern, unless I am wrong, is that the EU temporary protection directive started in March 2022, immediately after the war was declared. It is shocking to think we are coming up on four years. We have all been following for the past 24 hours the news that a peace deal of some sort has been cobbled together. It is worrying and a whole different debate. However, if a peace deal gets worked on between now and March, it is conceivable that the European Union will rescind the temporary protection directive. That would be great and people would return and be safe. In September 2026, that huge number of Ukrainian students in our schools, and their families, would no longer have the right to be here and would be returning home. When they arrived in 2022, the school community had colossal flexibility. I remember classes being taught in cloakrooms and everything being cobbled together to make this a roaring success. The flexibility shown by the Department, schools, boards of management and parents worked, and it had to work. We got to a point where it became workable. My worry is that if they all leave in September, the flexibility the Department had towards schools might go. Rural schools in particular have staffing levels dependent on these students. Is there anything the Minister of State can say in terms of reciprocal fairness and flexibility?