Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This is my first time speaking in the Thirty-fourth Dáil. I want to thank friends, family, supporters and everyone who worked on my campaign. I particularly thank the people of Meath East for their support and encouragement and for giving me the real privilege, honour and opportunity to continue to represent them. I will do my very best to repay their trust.

I welcome the opportunity to comment on the programme for Government as TD for Meath East and as my party's spokesperson in the Dáil on education and youth. The programme for Government does not contain the ambition or step change that is needed in any of the areas that matter most to the people of Meath East. In the area of housing, for example, the Government is intent on following its failed policy. We know the targets are too low and we know that the Government fails to meet the targets. We know that rents are too high and house prices are unaffordable, supply is too short and homelessness is at a record level and rising. County Meath is in the eye of the housing crisis storm and this crisis, most regrettably, looks set to continue.

In public transport, there is no firm commitment to advance the Navan rail line in the quickest possible timeframe. For that to happen, we need increased investment in the national development plan before 2030. We will see where that goes and we look forward to the review but it does need increased investment before 2030. The plan for our public bus network in the programme for Government will give no one, especially those regular users of the 103, 105 and 109 services, confidence that services will improve, which they really need to do.

In the area of community safety, the programme for Government sets out a lofty ambition to recruit at least 5,000 new Garda and additional Garda staff over the next five years. However, we have heard similar lofty targets in the past and they have all been missed. Meath has the lowest number of gardaí in the State and there is nothing in the programme for Government to suggest that will change because there is no indication that the root causes of the recruitment and retention crisis in the service will be addressed.

Similarly, in the area of children's disability services, primary care and CDNTs the lack of commitment and detailed planning and focus to address the crisis in these services is shocking. By way of example, since April 2022, 1.5 wholetime equivalent occupational therapist posts based in south Meath are vacant. This means that there is no occupational therapist serving that huge population. Based on the lack of new thinking in the programme for Government, this looks set to continue. Children are being failed. They are being left behind, particularly those children who cannot afford access to private therapies. It is an awful shame that occupational therapists were not treated with the same type of focus and investment that junior Ministers were by this Government in its first days. It truly is shameful.

In the area of youth policy, I do not see a commitment to fund and ensure the implementation of the opportunities for the national strategy for youth work and related services. This was launched last September. It is a glaring omission that has been raised by other Deputies as well. I hope it is just an oversight but I would appreciate if the Minister of State could look at that and perhaps respond in his closing comments. I have submitted questions to get clarification on it because it is a concern.

In the area of education, the programme for Government does not set out the step change required to address the staffing emergency in our schools, to cut the cost of education and to ensure that our children have equal access to education and equal opportunities to reach their potential. This is in terms of children with additional needs and in terms of educational disadvantage. The programme for Government does not contain the step change to: improve our school buildings; reduce wasteful spending on prefabs; improve school transport; improve Irish language education or, importantly, make sure that the senior cycle reform is managed and not rushed.

Yesterday, the Minister announced that she was doubling down on the previous Minister's acceleration of senior cycle reform.

This is a mistake and I urge the Minister to reconsider. Time is of the essence in this regard. It is clear the necessary preparatory work has not been done. Teachers have been left in the dark. They and their representatives are not being listened to. They have spelled out in black and white their concerns and, importantly, detailed the resources and time needed to ensure the successful roll-out of senior cycle reforms. The Minister is on the wrong track and it is a recipe for disaster. The people who will suffer most are young students. This is not right or fair and I implore the Minister to reconsider and re-engage.

See this speech in context