Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)

Fine Gael has been 14 years in power and Fianna Fáil has been ten years in power and yet they are still talking about forward planning. It is absolutely ridiculous. Every single child has a right to an education. It is not provided to all children because some are denied that right. Parents are forced to campaign, to protest and to demand and to share their stories. They were again promised this year that no child would be left behind. Well, it is untrue because we know children are being left. We just do not know the exact number, and this tells a story in itself. What is more frustrating and causing deep anger is that many parents were informed their child had secured a place, only to find out there were no rooms in the schools. Danu special school only recently had its classrooms delivered, in the past few weeks. This is a year and a half since those children and the school were told they would have new additional places.

Why did it take a year and a half for this to happen after they were told they were getting places? We still do not know the answers to why this was the case. Is a year and a half really forward planning? One parent who got a school place then lost their school transport. Why was this? It was because the existing transport was too expensive, so the Department cancelled it. That is grand. It was too expensive. Bizarrely and disgracefully, though, it cancelled the contract and now cannot secure another alternative, leaving that child at home. How ridiculous is that? Can the Minister of State find out who made this decision and ask them why they cancelled the bus contract without an alternative? I ask this because that child is now at home.

Lastly, the report of the task force in Dublin referred to by the Minister of State to support the forward planning provision was submitted to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, on 1 July 2025. When will those who put the huge amount of time, effort and work into it see it published?

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