Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire. Tá a lán ceisteanna fós le freagairt. I thank the Minister for his answer. He is correct when he states that the different Departments are responsible but there does not appear to be anyone who has taken charge of it. That is what happened in respect of this Topical Issue matter. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs first looked at it. The Department of Justice and Equality then looked at it and now the Minister was left with responsibility for it. We need to ensure that these people who are coming here with their families are provided with a pathway for the provision of education for their children.

I had the opportunity yesterday to speak to people from my constituency who are operating a community sponsorship initiative for refugees coming into the country who have already been granted international protection. They are providing a pathway for those families and their children. There is a responsibility on the State to provide a similar pathway to ensure that when people arrive here they are not left to their own devices or expected to look for schools themselves when they have a language barrier. We need to ensure that we accept the responsibility we have for the children in the same way as we have a responsibility for our own children.

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