Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Alan Farrell for raising the school meals programme. This is fundamentally important in tackling child poverty and child hunger but it is also a measure above and beyond that for all parents. It is an assistance in respect of both cost and convenience. People are time poor as well. It is also enables us, because we link it to our healthy eating guidelines, to make sure a child is getting a healthy and nutritious meal too. It has been a great success. We will have an ability to roll it out to all primary schools that wish to have it in 2025. I am struck by the point the Deputy made regarding the schools that wish to have the programme. I intend to probe that a little further now. My understanding was that the take-up had been quite high but let me check that out and also check what feedback there may be from schools on this. I am sure many schools would want to be involved, and I know many schools are involved, but the way it is done is quite helpful to schools and is not a particular burden. I will follow that up because it is important to take the feedback.

I thank Deputy Cairns for raising the issue of special school places. I am not going to dispute this. She is right; there is a need to plan much earlier. This idea that the system is surprised that somebody needs to move from preschool to primary school, primary school to secondary school or even secondary school to third level education is a nonsense. I accept we are not doing enough in this space and we need to do much more and much better. It is one of the areas on which we have a particular focus at the Cabinet committee on disability. We are focusing on how we can start to get ahead of this situation. I can read out notes here that will say that everybody who needs a place will get a place. I believe that to be true but it misses the point in terms of the stress, anxiety and worry that somebody feels, such as the parent of the twins referred to by the Deputy. There are other examples of that. I take the legitimate point and I will come back to her further on that.

Regarding Deputy McDonald's question, I do not want to be argumentative in this regard. Summer provision is something I really believe in. It is something that works and is something I invested a fair amount of time into inquiring about, as I should. The Deputy does not want me to give the figure from the global budget but I have to pick a point. The changes we have made are truthfully on the basis of feedback and engagement we have got regarding those who are delivering the programme. I will inquire as to what the Deputy is saying because I am not dismissing the importance of this. I am not having a row with her and I am not saying her numbers are wrong. I accept there have been changes to the capitation grant but I also know that every single cent moved from there is still within the budget to provide various aspects of the programme.

We had been hearing from the schools of the different supports they needed. We have seen an increase in our schools looking to partake this year compared with last year which is an encouraging sign. I am happy to talk further with the Deputy on this and I am happy to receive any correspondence from her. More people will access July provision this year than last year. More schools are participating this year than last year, which is positive.

I know Deputy Ó Murchú brings up on a regular basis, which is a positive, the need to find more crosscutting ways to address families or children who find themselves in chaos through no fault of theirs and the need not to have a siloed approach. There are some examples of work the Department of children has led on to allow other groups to plug in. I might get the Deputy a note on initiatives we currently have in place. He might come back to me with any gaps he might see on that.

Deputy Paul Murphy, and Deputy Boyd Barrett briefly, spoke about the tenant in situscheme and the rather upsetting case Deputy Murphy outlined. We introduced the tenant in situscheme to help ensure the tenant could remain in situ. If that is not being operationalised or there are shortcomings, I would like to follow that up. I will take the example Deputy Murphy has given - Deputy Boyd Barrett has said there are many more like it - talk to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and he or I will come back to the Deputy in writing on it. I also ask him to send me details on speech and language therapy. I accept there are challenges in the system. We are recruiting more. I do not accept a scenario that somebody should be told they had an appointment very shortly and now that appointment is in 2026; that is not acceptable.

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