Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin (Wicklow-Wexford, Sinn Fein)
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Likewise, I congratulate the Cathaoirleach on her elevation to this position. It is a great honour for her, I am sure, to hold it. My background is that I was a primary school teacher for almost 35 years. The education and training board, ETB, in the south east and the South East Technological University that will come on stream shortly are big areas of interest to me. Like previous speakers, student accommodation is number one for me, along with keeping people here rather than educating them and sending them to Sydney, Brisbane and such places. We need to do everything we can within our remit on that. No person, especially those from the countryside, should have to drop out of college, as quite a few have in County Wexford, because they could not get accommodation. That should never happen.

Apprenticeships were always the poor relations and looked down on in many ways over the years. People saw it as necessary to have a university degree or other college degree, but the country is now crying out for apprentices in many areas, especially in the areas of retrofitting, plumbing and even school bus drivers. We cannot solve the crisis with school transport unless we have the drivers. We need to train them and work with the ETBs to do so. As was mentioned, mental health supports are needed. There has been a massive crisis since the lockdown, especially among third level students, but for students in general. The influence of the smartphone has contributed significantly to it.

As we start thinking more on an all-Ireland basis, we need to see more co-operation North and South to develop cross-Border links.

The promotion of the Irish language is also important. It has become much more popular this year than it was in the past decade, and that is a great thing to see. Is rud iontach ar fad é sin a fheiscint. Ba mhaith liom dul chun cinn na Gaeilge a fheiscint ansin chomh maith. We should do anything we can to facilitate people to have third level education through Irish, as Senator Tully also mentioned, and to broaden the use of the Irish language throughout third level institutions and put a marker on it. An Irish university or other third level institution is not like such institutions anywhere else in the world. It is distinct. They are a few of my areas of interest.