Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on education will next meet. [60870/22]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on education will next meet. [60876/22]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach when the committee that deals with education will next meet. [3407/23]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach when the committee that deals with education will next meet. [3409/23]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 4 together.

The newly established Cabinet committee on children and education will oversee the implementation of programme for Government commitments in the area of children and education with a specific focus on child poverty and well-being. The first meeting of this Cabinet committee will take place shortly.

This new Cabinet committee will have a greater focus on improving the lives of all children in Ireland and on giving them the best start possible.

I speak regularly with the Ministers, Deputies Foley and Harris, at Cabinet and away from Cabinet, and I also speak with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. Education is the great leveller and the best way people can build a better life for themselves and their families.

Every time I visit a school, I meet students who are full of optimism and enthusiasm about the future. They believe anything is possible and through the world of learning, they can achieve anything they want.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I raise the issue of provision for students with autism spectrum disorder, ASD. I will talk specifically about north County Louth. I have received correspondence from the relevant special educational needs organiser, SENO. I will not name every school in north County Louth but I will name a couple of them. Coláiste Chú Chulainn has two ASD classes. St. Vincent's Secondary School has one ASD class. Sanction has been granted to that school for an additional three classes and that expansion is due to happen before September 2024. An extension to Bush Post Primary School is under construction and will house an ASD classroom. The projected completion date for that project is September 2024. I could also talk about De La Salle College, St. Louis Secondary School, Coláiste Rís, the Marist school and Ó Fiaich Institute of Further Education. There have obviously been conversations involving the SENO and the Department about delivery. There are many projections for 2024. A significant amount of work must be done in respect of planning. There will even be difficulties in respect of the Marist school because it is a public private partnership build. We must ensure there is a full Government response to allow for delivery.

There are issues in respect of ASD services within the HSE and the education sector. We must ensure we can deliver for those parents in Dundalk and throughout County Louth who are pulling their hair out because they are not sure where their kids are going to be able to go to school.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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There have been a number of recent media reports about the treatment of staff at a college in south Dublin, the Spiritan-run Templeogue College. Last month, two dozen teachers raised concerns about a non-inclusive culture regarding LGBT+ issues and the taking down of a Pride flag in the student canteen. Clearly, we need to ensure staff and students from the LGBT community and minority backgrounds are protected in all schools and that employees are guaranteed equality in their workplaces. The Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, has estimated that thousands of its members are still forced to hide their sexuality due to fears of discrimination and that is despite the amendment to the Equality Act introduced on foot of Labour Party initiatives in 2015 which addressed some of the discrimination then possible in faith-based schools. Despite that important amendment, there still remain concerns about treatment of staff, discrimination on the grounds of sexuality and there are, in particular, ongoing issues in Templeogue College. What plans does the Government have to address incidents such as these that have occurred in particular schools? What plans does the Government have to ensure that LGBT+ staff in the education sector can be protected and no longer have to hide their sexuality and who they are? It is a concern to see reports that this behaviour is still going on years after the passage of legalisation in respect of marriage equality and other legislative reform in this area.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Taoiseach said that the Cabinet committee was concerned with the well-being of children. I wonder has he considered two things in respect of our National Educational Psychological Service. The child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, suggests a damning situation in respect of the treatment of young people with mental health issues and so on. There is a big overlap between that issue and the need for proper psychological services in schools. Such services are already considerably under-resourced and understaffed. There is a particular lack of psychologists. Children who are fleeing war and the children of refugees are often already traumatised and are then moved around from school to school and area to area when they need stability. We need psychological services and supports for those children. At every level, we need to up our game considerably in respect of the availability of psychological services. We would ideally have psychologists in every school. We make it incredibly difficult for people to qualify as educational psychologists because of extortionate fees.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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The action plan on bullying refers to progress in providing safe and supportive school environments for LGBTQ+ students. My question to the Taoiseach is, what will the Department do in circumstances where that is not the case and where there is, in the words of the staff of the Spiritan-run Templeogue College, a toxic culture and atmosphere? I will quote from a collective grievance submitted by a majority of staff members of that institution. Writing to the principal, they stated that regrettably, matters came to a head recently when the principal unilaterally decided to remove a rainbow Pride flag from the school canteen area, which became a rather emotional issue for many of the students and staff in the school. They went on to say that the removal of the Pride flag from the school canteen was not an isolated incident. Following the incident, the principal reportedly cited the Spiritan ethos as justification for the action. The staff expressed that they were upset and disturbed by the principal's statement. They went on to state that this episode merely represented one instance of a contribution to a non-inclusive culture and environment regarding LGBTQ+ issues, led by the principal in her capacity as head teacher. The staff also expressed their deep unease about the principal's belief that any LGBTQI+ individual is living a lifestyle, as she described in meetings on 21 and 22 November 2022. They went on to state that the facilitation process says that for many, the style of management, especially from the principal, feels oppressive, unsafe and fear-inducing in many aspects.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies for raising these various matters. Deputy Ó Murchú mentioned the issue of ASD classes in County Louth. I agree we have a need for more investment across the country to allow space for more ASD classes come September, when they are particularly going to be needed. They are needed now but they will be needed even more come September. That will require additional capital investment. The Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, are engaging with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, on precisely that issue at the moment. In fairness to the Department of Education, once it gets capital funding, it tends to be able to spend it. That is not always the case with every Department for various reasons. The Department is engaging on that issue as we speak.

I am not inclined to answer questions about a specific school because I do not necessarily know if what I read in media reports is accurate or reflects the full story. However, I can say that there should be no place for discrimination against LGBT students and staff in any school, full stop, regardless of patronage or whether the school in question charges fees. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, to respond to any questions about a specific school.

I agree with the view that there should be a psychologist in every school, certainly any school of scale. A service should be available to smaller schools. Achieving that, of course, is a different matter. There are skills shortages across the board in Ireland and, indeed, there are similar shortages across the rest of the world. There are only so many psychologists to go around. We must consider-----

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Government should get rid of fees for educational psychologists.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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------how they can best be deployed.

The issue of the CAMHS report was raised. The findings of the independent review are concerning and raise significant risks and deficits. Similar to the Mental Health Commission, I thank the young people and their families who spoke to those conducting the independent review and shared their experiences. That was not easy. It is incumbent on all of us to listen and ensure that action is taken. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has been clear on this point. I will meet her and the HSE on the issue of the CAMHS report tomorrow.

It should be said that the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, asked the Mental Health Commission to expand the remit of its report following on from the Maskey report. I am advised there has been ongoing and extensive engagement between the Department of Health, the HSE and the Mental Health Commission concerning the findings.

Following receipt of the draft of the interim report in late 2022, the HSE acted in relation to individual service users. It is essential that a full review of open cases by the HSE takes place to ensure that all children and young people are receiving the appropriate care they need. I am told this is now under way. The HSE will arrange further clinical follow-up for any child where it is required and will make direct contact with parents and guardians as necessary. We are encouraging any people with particular concerns about their children to contact their key workers.