Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

The question is in the context of the previous discussion we had about enforced deprivation among children. Other statistics are available. The Barnardos figures are striking. They are so striking that the former Taoiseach simply did not believe them at the time and he thought they were probably exaggerated. They stated that in November 2023 one in four parents did not have enough food to feed their children at some point in the previous year, which was an increase from one in five parents in 2022, again giving the lie to the idea that things are improving when, certainly for children, they are not.

Is the Minister saying that if any primary school authorities come back to her and say they are in a position to do it and they want to do it, that they could be facilitated from September 2024? Could she also give me an update on post-primary schools?

See this speech in context