Results 3,501-3,520 of 6,188 for speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health: Discussion (Resumed) (18 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Yes - my question was directed at Mr. Duffy and Ms Piggott.

Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Amendment) Bill 2021: Second Stage (Resumed) (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: As Deputy Burke outlined, nursing home care and care homes will become a more considerable issue politically and socially in the years to come, undoubtedly because of our growing and ageing population. The Deputy outlined that there are challenges in this regard. Undoubtedly, there are but it is important that we acknowledge that it is good that people are living longer. What is important...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 2: In page 5, line 24, after "appropriate" to insert "(taken as a whole and not any one individual('s) result)". I expected there to be debate on amendment No. 1. I flag to Deputies who are leaving the Chamber that I am likely to push amendment No. 3, which is coming up very soon, to a vote.

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Yes, I have moved amendment No. 2. The purpose of the amendment is fairly straightforward. It is a concern that has been relayed to me by a number of students. A commitment was previously made that the collective junior certificate data of the cohort or year group would be used to determine the accredited grade, not any individual's performance. This is possible and as I understand it, it...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am not pressing the amendment. I appreciate the Minister's response. Overall, I am broadly reassured by it that the results of the cohort will be used rather than the results of individuals. I am not entirely convinced that it makes sense for an individual student who is an out-of-school learner and who is not part of a cohort to have his or her junior certificate results used. I...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 3: In page 5, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following: "(iv) be set out in writing and published by or on behalf of the Commission prior to the issuing of results to each candidate;". I will be pressing this amendment. It is an important amendment. There was an awful lot of controversy last year and much of the discussion was about standardisation. We...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I find that difficult to comprehend. This process has already started, the company has been engaged and the Minister is recruiting another company for additional scrutiny, which I welcome. It is 19 May and we have June, July and into August for this to take shape. I do not understand why the Minister suggests this work will never be done until the results are out. I find that very...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: To be clear, I appreciate there is no bad faith or anything like that in not publishing this. I appreciate the Minister is not deliberately concealing anything. However, the fact remains this formula and the process connected to it will not become public until after the results are issued. It is different from marking schemes, when we take into consideration the controversies here and...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 4: In page 6, to delete lines 10 to 12. Amendment No. 4 relates to the appeals mechanism. As the legislation is drafted, the mechanism operates only on the basis of how grades are transmitted to the Department. The mechanism is technical, limited and unlikely to make any difference for the vast majority of students if there is an error or problem with accredited...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 5 In page 7, between lines 22 and 23, to insert the following: "(b) Where a review is carried out, the Commission shall afford the candidate an opportunity to be heard.". These amendments relate to where there is false information or wrongful communication. It is important that there be protections and very severe sanctions but we must be confident that, where...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am broadly willing to accept that. I will make a general point and then return to the specific issue. There is a bit of a difficulty with this Bill that has arisen regarding other Bills over the past year. I am referring to where regulations that follow the passage of legislation are of a significance that goes far beyond the usual significance of regulations. The regulations under...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I move amendment No. 6: In page 7, between lines 29 and 30, to insert the following: "(7) The Commission shall not decide to withhold all or any of the accredited grades as provided for by subsection (5), where it can be shown that the candidate had no knowledge of the communication that was made for his or her benefit by the first-mentioned person. (8) Where a communication is made...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I will be pressing that amendment.

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Siri does not agree. Siri does not have a vote. We discussed this matter on Second Stage. It is an important amendment. The point was perhaps misunderstood, so to clarify, there should be no toleration of canvassing or interference. There has to be a clear message to everyone, including students, parents and anyone connected with a student, that teachers and school staff are off limits,...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I do not agree with the Minister's interpretation of the legislation. I refer to section 4(5)(b), which states,: "The Commission may, following a review referred to in paragraph (a), withhold all or any of the accredited grades comprised in the Leaving Certificate 2021 in respect of any candidate by whom, or for whose benefit, the communication concerned was made." That is the only sanction...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am more concerned now than when I first submitted the amendment. All the Minister has talked about is the review that happens afterwards and the procedure. I am sure that they will be heard and have a chance to make their case, which is why I withdrew the previous amendment. There are only two potential interpretations of what the Minister is saying. She has not been clear on which is...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: The Minister is not being clear. Yes, it states "may" and there is discretion, but if that discretion is not used and the Minister is saying that it may be the case, where it is only fair to the student that it not be used, she has not provided any other sanction. The Minister has not provided for any sanction for the parent or the person connected to the student, which may be another...

Education (Leaving Certificate 2021) (Accredited Grades) Bill 2021 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: My final contribution will be a question. If a review finds that lobbying happened or, to give a particular example, if it finds that a parent lobbied, and if the review accepts the student did not know, there will be no sanction for the student. What is the sanction for the parent? Is there any?

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 136. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when school staff can expect to be paid for their work facilitating the supplementary programme. [26750/21]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (19 May 2021)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 137. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the justification for the delay in payment of school staff for their work facilitating the supplementary programme earlier in 2021. [26751/21]