Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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This month the Department of Finance published its economic projections. The State will run a combined surplus this year and next of €15 billion. At the same time, the Government tells workers and families they are on their own and there will be no cost-of-living package in this year's budget. Does the Government simply not get it or is it ignoring the plight of ordinary people who are under serious pressure due to the cost of living? We have double digit rent increases. We have the highest electricity prices in Europe. The cost of insurance is going through the roof - up 9%. The cost of groceries is going up. The cost of petrol and diesel will go up again in September courtesy of the Government.

The Government also put up the price of gas and home heating oil just last week. That is why 50% of families do not have enough to get them through the next three months if something goes wrong. It is why one in eight single parents cannot put a roast dinner on the table, according to the CSO. By any measure, the Government is failing to get to grips with people's real needs here and now. It has ruled out a cost-of-living package. The Government needs to come to its senses and commit to a cost-of-living package to alleviate the pressure on so many families right across this State.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As a result of the actions of this Government, and because we have not spent every single penny we have, it has meant that over the years when we have had significant challenges - be it Covid-19 or the war in Ukraine and the implications these have had in terms of the cost of living - we have had money to give back to people. In last year's budget alone, there were €2.2 billion worth of one-off measures. What people are saying very clearly is that they want longer term measures. They want to make sure that the overall costs are permanently reduced for them. That is where our focus needs to be. We have to use the money we have because of the surplus and the fact that we focused on our economy, making sure we have enterprise here that can create the tax base that creates this funding to be spent by everybody.

This is why we are putting in place permanent measures. We will have free schoolbooks for 1 million children this year. That is a saving for families. We have hot school meals for all primary schools, which, again, is a saving for families. Social welfare payments have increased year on year. We are providing a 9% permanent reduction in VAT for businesses. We know the knock-on effect this has for people who are out socialising. In circumstances where someone has lost their job, the jobseeker's pay-related benefit that has been introduced reflects more what their wages would have been. We have had more permanent changes, particularly when you focus on the huge amount of investment that is going into retrofitting homes and supporting those who are most at risk. There is no point continuing to provide one-off measures. What people want are permanent changes, and that is what we are absolutely focused on.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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The Government is literally using support measures for senior cycle reform as a negotiating tool. These are essential for any reform. There will be a significant impact on students' experiences of senior cycle reform. As someone who has experience in the field, I am of the view that this senior cycle reform is absolutely destined to fail. The package includes fast-tracking permanent contracts for new teachers, more middle management in schools and changes to the hours under the Croke Park agreement.

The Government seems to have a great plan to alleviate teacher shortages and continues to boast about this. Now, however, it is saying that it is not going to do so unless there is compliance with leaving certificate reform. The Government is playing students off the teachers. The measures do not go far enough; they are simply not enough. What is happening now forcing teachers to support senior cycle reform. A teacher informed me yesterday that instead of addressing the very real concerns many teachers have regarding the pressing issues with rushed reforms, it feels as if they are being bullied to concede. He said that their students deserve better, and so do they. This could possibly be the issue that defines Deputy McEntee's legacy and Minister for Education and Youth. I do not want her to rush it.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Let me assure the Deputy that this is not being rushed. This issue has been discussed for ten years. It was agreed in 2023 that the first tranche would start in 2025. It is important that this proceeds. It will benefit our students and that is why we are doing it. Teachers agree with it, unions agree with it and students, who have come out very clearly in support of what is proposed, agree with it. Why is that the case? It is because it does not just focus on one day after the end of two years of study. If something goes wrong on that day, there is nowhere else to turn except to repeat the following year. What is proposed will be that we will assess different skills, expertise, abilities and capacities within our younger population and prepare them better for life.

On the measures the Deputy mentioned, I asked the unions to engage with me intensively on the issues that are of concern to them, the questions they had and, most importantly, the asks they had to help us make sure that this is a success. We all want it to be a success. The document that has been agreed deals with the asks from the unions. These are issues focusing on how we can implement more in our science labs and provide greater funding, how we can make sure that teachers have greater sight of the work they have to do in the years ahead and how to provide greater training. Many other issues are also addressed. These are all issues I have engaged intensively with the unions on. It is now a matter for them as to whether they accept what is proposed. I have tried to engage with them on everything they have sought and make sure that we provide the necessary resources and supports. Teachers really want this to work.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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We hear today that rents are up again 5.5% nationally. The new average rent in Dublin is €2,177 per month. A worker earning €30,000 per year would have to spend their entire take-home pay to cover that amount and that still would not be enough. Renters across this country are struggling. How can they keep paying higher rents? They are stressed and terrified about the potential removal of rent caps. Renters feel unheard. They also feel that the only voice the Government is listening to is that of the vulture fund landlords who want free rein to rack up rents. Renters will be making their voices heard next Wednesday at a public event we will be hosting outside Leinster House. I invite the Minister of State opposite to join those renters and hear their voices. Will he and the Minister for housing immediately publish the Housing Agency report on rent caps that is sitting on the Minister's desk? Will they give renters some certainty by committing to retaining the rent caps that are in place for a minimum of three years?

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Obviously, regarding the retention or otherwise of rent pressure zones options are being provided to the Minister. Those options are under consideration. The Government is committed to the delivery of more affordable homes. Cost rental has a key part to play in that regard. We have seen a significant ramp-up in activity on the part of the Land Development Agency and the approved housing bodies through the cost rental equity loan scheme. We want to see the activation of the secure tenancy affordable rental, STAR, scheme a lot more by the private sector. It is not a case of either-or; we need to see private sector investment in our housing market. We also need to see State investment. The way it is presented by the Deputy all the time is that it is a case of either or. It is not; it is both. It is only by using all levers at the disposal of the State that we will tackle the challenges we have.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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Will the report be published?

Séamus Healy (Tipperary South, Independent)
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When is this Government going to stop failing children with disabilities? Next Tuesday, Cara Darmody, a teenage disability rights campaigner from Ardfinnan in my constituency, will start a 50-hour sleep-out in pursuit of urgent and immediate action to secure assessments of need for children with additional needs within the six-month legal limit. There are over 14,000 children on the waiting list. To be precise, the actual number is 14,221. Some 90% of these have been waiting for well in excess of the six-month legal limit. The majority have been waiting for more than two years. Last year, the total number seen was 4,162. This means that people are spending three and a half years on the waiting list.

At my request, the Joint Committee on Disability Matters this morning agreed to invite Cara to address it. I understand that she has requested a meeting with the Minister. I ask the Minister to confirm that she will meet Cara as soon as possible.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I acknowledge the work of Cara Darmody in highlighting the very important issues he mentioned. Supporting people, particularly children with disabilities, is an absolute priority for this Government. A total of €3.2 billion was allocated for disability services in the budget. Almost one third my Department's budget is focused on supporting children with additional needs. We know there is more work to do.

On assessments of need, the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, is working with the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, to make sure that any changes that need to be made to the overall structure are made in order that we can address the challenges and the backlog and that, most importantly, children get access to the services. Parents want their children to have assessments of need, but we need to make sure they are getting the services at the end of the day. That is where the focus needs to be. For my part, it is making sure that children get access to the places in schools to which they are entitled. A huge amount of work has been done in that regard. We must also ensure that when they are in school, they are getting access to therapies.

I have replied to Cara and said I am very open to meeting with her. I hope to do so in the coming days. We will certainly meet.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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First Choice Credit Union has announced reduced opening hours at several credit unions across Mayo, namely those in Achill, Balla, Ballyhaunis, Swinford and Kiltimagh. This is the latest onslaught and the latest decline. Ballyhaunis and Kiltimagh, for example, recently lost two of their banks. The credit union is the last banking institution left in these towns. These were once thriving towns and the loss of the banks has resulted in a loss of economic activity. Ballyhaunis Chamber has launched a petition to save the credit union in its town and to ensure that the opening hours there are maintained. We have already lost two banks in Kiltimagh and Ballyhaunis under the Government's watch. Will the Minister sign the petition from Ballyhaunis Chamber? Will she intervene and protect the last banking institutions in these towns? These credit unions are crucially important in the context of keeping economic activity alive in the towns in question.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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We all acknowledge the importance of credit unions in our towns and villages, for many reasons. While I am not aware of the particular cases Deputy Lawless mentioned, I can certainly raise the matter directly with the relevant Minister.

Tom Brabazon (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to raise an inequity that has arisen as a result of changes in the pension arrangements for the uniformed members of Dublin Fire Brigade, An Garda Síochána, the Prison Service and the Defence Forces. A group from Dublin Fire Brigade delivered a letter to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage last year calling for an urgent meeting to discuss this issue, which is resulting in many members considering leaving the service. Has that meeting taken place? If it has, what was discussed and what actions were agreed? One firefighter has indicated how she could be left with a pension of about €300 per week when she retires after decades of service as a result of an unfair two-tier system. A uniformed officer who earns €60,000 a year will receive an occupational pension of only €16,300 on retirement at age 55, which he or she must live on for more than ten years before accessing the State pension at 66. Meanwhile, an older officer who joined before 2013 will get a full pension of €31,800 from the age of 55, simply because the supplementary pension scheme applies. Dublin City Council launched a recruitment campaign for the fire brigade this week.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. He is over time.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I join with the Deputy in commending the members of our fire service, An Garda Síochána and all of our emergency services on the fantastic work they do in protecting us and keeping us safe. A huge amount of work happened under the previous Government. That has continued into the term of this Government. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has engaged with the fire service, but I am not aware whether the meeting the Deputy mentioned has taken place. I will relay his concerns to the Minister and ask him to come back to the Deputy directly.

Joe Neville (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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In six months since I was elected, I have received many emails, calls and texts from concerned parents in towns such as Kilcock, Celbridge, Leixlip, Maynooth and Naas who are struggling to find special education places for their children. This Government has promised to increase the number of special schools and special classes across the country. I acknowledge the work that has been done so far, with an extra 399 new special education classes for the upcoming academic year. However, my constituency of Kildare North will only benefit from nine of those places. Considering the major population increase we have had in north Kildare, will the Department of Education and Youth consider that a catch-up is required in constituencies such as mine and supply adequate numbers of special classes in the towns I mentioned in order to ensure every child has access to suitable education in their local community?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. He and I live in commuter towns. The populations in such towns have grown significantly in recent years. What is most important is that the services respond to those increases in population and that we forward plan insofar as is possible. In recent years, particularly this year, 15 new special classes have been sanctioned for County Kildare. This will add to the 131 classes that are already in place and that support about 760 children. The new classes will provide capacity for 90 students in both primary and post-primary. In addition, there are six special schools that support 360 children. As the Deputy has mentioned previously, there are three building projects that are progressing. These will provide extra school capacity within the areas in question. Those projects relate to Sapling Special School, Stepping Stones and the school in Craddockstown. The most important thing we can do now is make sure that where a need is identified, we plan for it at the earliest stage possible and look not just at the next year but also the years ahead. I will work with the Deputy to ensure we identify that need and plan accordingly.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I will take a moment to mention Kyran Durnin who should be celebrating his ninth birthday with his family and loved ones today but who instead is subject to a major Garda investigation to try to determine his whereabouts and whether he is even still alive. I know Kyran's family is holding a candlelit vigil in Drogheda this evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

There is a need for additional funding and resources for the three housing adaptation grant schemes in County Louth. Last week, just over a third of the way through the year, Louth County Council sent a circular saying it could not accept any more housing grant applications for anything other than priority 1 applications due to funding constraints. This is not the first time that Louth County Council has had to stop taking applications for these schemes. Something similar happened in 2023. Additional funding was announced last Monday, but when I spoke to Louth County Council, I discovered that it had factored that increase in and still had to pause applications. Every application represents a person struggling to stay in their own home with the support of loved ones. Despite assertions from An Taoiseach that there is a culture of dependency within local authorities for handouts, the fact remains that local authorities are still under-resourced and our citizens suffer unless the Government properly funds these schemes. I urge immediate engagement with Louth County Council housing officials to address this concerning development.

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. Allocations have been made to local authorities in the last week in relation to housing adaptation grants. There has been significant change in grants following a review last year. The mobility aid grant has gone from €6,000 to €8,000, the housing aid for older persons grant has increased from €8,000 to €10,700 and the housing adaptation grant has gone from €30,000 to €40,000. I do not have the exact figure, but, from memory, I think that approximately €2.7 million in Exchequer funding was allocated to the local authority in Louth last week. I can get the exact figure for the Deputy. The Department is open to continued engagement with all local authorities. We have given further allocations in the past, but there will be significant uplift of upwards of 30% across many local authorities in light of the changes.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Baineann mo cheist le rialacha nua atá ag teacht ón Aontas Eorpach agus ag cur freagracht ar tháirgeoirí bia tuilleadh eolais a chur ar fáil. Is maith an rud é go mbeidh dualgas orthu tuilleadh eolais a chur ar fáil maidir lena gcuid earraí. An fhadhb ná go mbeidh sé sin uilig i mBéarla agus ní bheidh dualgas ar bith orthu an t-eolas sin a chur ar fáil i nGaeilge. Rules are being drafted as we speak. I understand there will be a cross-departmental working committee set up in relation to those rules that will place an obligation on producers to say what is in their products. However, that will be in English as a result of a decision made by the Government. Will the Government, through the new cross-departmental working group, look at this again to ensure go mbeidh sé dátheangach, that it will be bilingual?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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We have made great strides in recent years to make sure that we can allow for those who are Gaelgeoirí to access content in order that they can engage with services in their native language.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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It is specifically this issue.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy directly on this. I do not have a clear answer, but I certainly think we are all keen to build on the progress that has been made. Obviously, this would be part of that.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I want to raise the issue of the proliferation of gaming arcades, a phenomenal number of which have opened in recent months. From her time in the Department of Justice, the Minister will know that the establishment of the Gambling Regulatory Authority was an important step forward in terms of supporting people with gambling addictions. I want to see the authority take further steps in respect of these gaming arcades. In many cases, we are not just talking about adults; these arcades are attracting children into a gambling environment. While local authorities have taken steps to prevent the proliferation of certain types of outlets, for example, adult shops or gaming arcades, they often do not have a wide remit in respect of gambling. The Gambling Regulatory Authority should do some work on this. Will the Government raise this issue with the authority and ask it to provide guidance to local authorities? Places as Ballymun and Finglas currently have proposals, and there are also examples in Ballincollig and Dolphin's Barn. Supports should be provided to prevent uses of this type that do not contribute to communities.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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We need to be open to anything we can do to support those who have addiction issues but also to prevent young children from going down that path. As the Deputy rightly mentioned, the new Gambling Regulatory Authority was introduced following significant work by our colleague the Minister, Deputy James Browne. It is important that the authority should be open to looking at all forms of gambling, in particular those the Deputy mentioned. I will bring the matter to the attention of the Minister for Justice.

James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for presiding over the opening of Harcourt Educate Together National School tomorrow. It will be a really important day for the people who campaigned for the school in the first instance and for the school community and the people who live within the school's environs.

In my constituency of Dublin Bay South, there will be three formal openings of Educate Together schools that I suspect which Minister will attend. Those schools are Shellybanks Sandymount Educate Together, Harold's Cross National School and Harold's Cross Educate Together Secondary School. These new schools will deliver new special school places. For the first time, I have seen a senior Minister for education prioritise this matter. The programme for Government assures the direct delivery of therapists in special schools. Will the Minister confirm that mainstream schools will also be part of this programme? The National Council for Special Education has run a very successful programme of direct delivery of therapists. That could make a massive difference, take the pressure off teachers and deliver the services we know so many children need.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I look forward to attending the opening of Harold's Cross school and, I hope, of many others in the Deputy’s constituency as we work to provide education for our young people. It is really important that we have therapies in our schools. Children spend so much of their time in school, it is important that they have access to therapies while there. The Government's very clear commitment is that this will be rolled out. Progress has been made to date. The work that is being done at the moment now will initially focus on our special schools and make sure that those with the greatest level of need can access therapists. I am very clear that this has to be rolled out to our special classrooms as part of our overall mainstream education system. It is important that we can provide these services to those who need them when they need them. However, it is also important that teachers, their peers and younger children in classrooms and their parents will benefit from them as well. This plan is being development. It is very much my intention that it will start in special schools and that it will be rolled out to the special education classrooms in mainstream settings in which many students with additional educational needs are being educated as quickly as possible in order that they can benefit from the therapies in question.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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We are treading a precarious line when it comes to our National Ambulance Service and its duty of care. I was recently contacted by the parent of a 21-month-old boy who had a seizure out of nowhere. This young child was unconscious for several minutes, but it took 66 minutes for an ambulance to reach him. Time and again we have instances like this where people are experiencing unimaginable distress, watching loved ones suffer while they wait for help. Lives are being endangered, which is simply unacceptable. I have been contacted by paramedics who are very concerned about changes being made in County Clare, where there will be no ambulance cover in certain areas on certain days. The HSE has said these are non-funded shifts. These models are not good enough, particularly in Clare where some people live almost an hour and a half away from the nearest hospital emergency department. This is because we do not have our own emergency Department in the county. Will the Government fully fund ambulance shifts in Clare as a matter of urgency?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Once again, I acknowledge the fundamental work that our paramedics play in keeping people safe. For so many people, they are the first point of contact. They can stabilise people and make sure they get to hospital on time. I acknowledge their role and work in our healthcare system.

I do not have the details of the particular case the Deputy mentioned, but I can ask the Minister to look at it and assess any changes we are making to the overall structures. Such changes are designed to try to benefit people in communities and make sure we have the necessary funding and the best services in place. Above all, we want to ensure that people can get access to an ambulance service or a paramedic as quickly as possible. I will bring the case the Deputy raised and the changes directly to the attention of the Minister.

As I was not able to attend the Chamber on Tuesday, I wish to offer my deepest condolences to the family of Garda Kevin Flatley on the very tragic incident that occurred at the weekend. While we are talking about those who keep us safe and support us, I want to acknowledge his passing.

Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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I will begin by congratulating the Tipperary under-20 hurlers on their victory over Clare in Limerick yesterday evening. I congratulate Brendan Cummins and his management team, Sam O’Farrell, the captain, and Paddy McCormack, the vice captain, on lifting the J.J. Kenneally cup. I am one of a number of Fianna Fáil TDs who represent Kilkenny. I believe the Leas-Cheann Comhairle would expect nothing less of me than to wish Kilkenny the best of luck next Wednesday against Dublin. We can cross that bridge when we come to it if we get to an all-Ireland together.

The large-scale infrastructure sport fund was announced last November prior to my election to the Dáil. Tipperary GAA applied for a multisport complex on the TUS campus in Thurles in conjunction with Tennis Ireland and Tipperary County Council. That application was unsuccessful, as was the application for funding to redevelop the Kinane Stand in Semple Stadium. Will there be a more sizeable large-scale infrastructure sport fund next time around? It is really needed. It was hard on the people of Tipperary and our sporting organisations not to receive funding last time when so many other counties did.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I can report to the Minister that details of so many games were replayed here in the Dáil during the week, it was like Croke Park at one stage.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge and commend our colleague from Louth for the fantastic result at the weekend in what was a fantastic game.

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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What about Donegal?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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If I mentioned other counties, we could be here all day. I acknowledge the importance of the large-scale infrastructure grant and the contribution it has made to sport across our country. There is a very clear commitment in the programme for Government to make sure we continue to invest in smaller scale projects via the sports capital grant. Obviously, any decision on a larger scale would have to be agreed between the Minister for sport and the Minister for public expenditure at budget time. Of course, we all want to see continued investment in those larger projects, particularly where different groups and organisations can come together and use the same facility. That is something we have been promoting over the years.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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Given that we are on the theme of hurling and the GAA, I may as well wish the Waterford hurlers the very best of luck against Tipperary on Sunday in what is a must-win game for both teams.

I wish to raise a very serious issue. University Hospital Waterford is a level 4 hospital. It is the regional hospital for the south east and it does not have a positron emission tomography, PET, scanner. PET scans are very important in diagnosing brain disorders, tumours and heart disease. There is a PET scanner in UPMC Whitfield, a private hospital in Waterford. Unfortunately, it has broken down several times in recent months. Public patients in University Hospital Waterford were being outsourced to UPMC. I have been told that machine is coming to the end of its life. I was in contact with the manager of the hospital in Waterford this morning and he tells me that it needs a PET scanner. Very sick patients are being obliged to travel to Cork and Dublin for scans at present. Will the Minister for Health and the Government support this major hospital, the only model 4 hospital in the south east, and ensure that a PET scanner is put in place there to ensure that patients from Waterford and the south east who are sick do not have to travel to Cork or Dublin?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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We all agree that our objective, working closely with the HSE and individual hospitals, is to make sure that hospitals have the equipment they need and that patients can access services in their communities as quickly as possible. I will raise the matter with the Minister directly.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I wish to raise an issue of fundamental rights, namely the right to education. This right is being denied to children not only in the north inner city but also nationally. Peer research conducted by a group of parents who came together under the title of FACT reveals that 100% of parents of children with additional needs surveyed said their children need additional support but that only 70% of those children are receiving such support. Many children are in classrooms without special needs assistants, SNAs, and are limited to just two hours of schooling a day. Yesterday, one mother shared that her son has no school place for September despite two years of her trying to get one for him. That is not inclusion; it is a systemic failure. Parents in the inner city watch their children regress as they are turned away or home early due to a lack of places, training or resources. These are not isolated cases. Nationally, there will be 126 children with additional needs left without school places in September. We can all accept that this is wrong. Can the Minister give a guarantee that no child will be left without a school place in September?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The significant investment that has gone into special education in recent years has been with the sole purpose of making sure children have places and that when they are in school, whether it is in special schools, special education classrooms or mainstream classes, they have access to the support that is appropriate to them. That is why we have more than 23,000 SNAs and thousands of new special education teachers and why over 20,500 young people are being supported in special education classrooms separate to those in mainstream. It is really important to me that we are providing more places than are needed. That is what we have been focused on for this September. When I say that we have sanctioned 3,900 places, we have done so knowing that there are just under 3,300 young people who have a need.

It is about ensuring that we can match that.

Having sanctioned the classrooms, the real focus of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I is on working intensively with the NCSE. We are engaging with the schools and patrons on their enrolment policies and how we match the two. Where we have identified needs, schools have been sanctioned and enrolments are taking place, it is about ensuring all of it matches up so that, come September and well before that - in the next few weeks - people know where they are going, what supports they have and that we are already planning for next year, which we are.

Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Since I first entered this Chamber, the extension of Scoil Aonghusa Special School, Cashel, has been a key priority for me. The current situation has enormous implications for the 150 students with complex special needs who attend this centre of educational excellence. Approval by the Minister of a 14-classroom modular extension and ancillary facilities, announced in this Chamber on 27 February in response to a parliamentary question from me, came as a huge boost to everybody involved in the school. It is news they had been waiting for since, I believe, 2015. Will the Minister give an update on the delivery of this project?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the significant engagement I have had with the Deputy on this. It is a priority for him to make sure that children have access to those special school places. I can confirm that, following agreement by the school to the brief of accommodation in March, my Department is preparing the brief formulation report for the 14 special educational classrooms and ancillary accommodation. Once that is complete, my Department will consult the school to ensure we have agreement. I also confirm that an official from the Department will visit Scoil Aonghusa, Cashel, in the coming days to discuss progression of the project and to ensure it progresses as quickly as possible.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Scoil Mhuire Milford, County Donegal, is a school that was built in the 1950s. It sits right on the corner of a very busy road junction but the facilities are completely inappropriate. You would have to see it to believe how bad it is. Somehow, the school delivers an incredible education to its children. It has secured a new site at no cost to the State. It is within the control points of the town, Donegal County Council is happy with it and it is across from Loreto Secondary School. Everything is there, which is an incredible situation. The school has presented that to the Minister. It was a commitment before the election that inspectors would come out and this would all be examined, but it appears to be going nowhere. Will the Minister urgently intervene to get an update from her officials, look through the documentation and, if she will be in Donegal soon, to see this for herself? She will be shocked at how poor the conditions are and how incredible it is that the school delivers an education to those kids. It has given the Department a site and everything else on a plate. I ask the Minister to please sort this out.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I acknowledge the teachers, the wonderful SNAs and special education teachers and everyone in our schools for the fantastic work they do. While billions of euro has gone into our schools portfolio in recent years, there is obviously more we need to do. I am very aware that there are schools that need replacement buildings and extensions and where further progress needs to be made. I am happy to engage on the school in question to see what progress can be made to ensure it has the resources it needs to support teachers.