Results 14,781-14,800 of 17,012 for speaker:Paul Kehoe

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: Members should please ensure that their mobile phones are switched off for the duration of the meeting as they interfere with the broadcasting equipment even if they are on silent mode. Are the minutes of the meeting of 12 October 2022 agreed to? Agreed. On behalf of the committee I welcome Mr. Enda McGorman, principal, Mary Mother of Hope National School in Dublin 15, and Irish Primary...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: I thank Ms O'Rourke very much. I call Mr. McDonald.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: I have to be fair to all the members in giving them equal time. I call Senator Flynn.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: Was there a specific question or does someone want to respond to Senator Flynn?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: Mr. McGorman spoke about round-table meetings about a specific child where different agencies discuss the needs and the care of a child. Did he say they are not happening at the moment? Back in my day, when we could openly discuss a child, now with the general data protection regulation, GDPR, we have to be more careful and a principal is now cautious in coming to a public representative to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: I will interrupt Mr. McGorman to say that the GDPR issue comes in handy for people who provide the service. It is very difficult for parents to navigate. That is why they come to the Deputy. The Deputy or other public representative approaches the services but the services say they cannot discuss Mary Murphy because of GDPR issues. They ask whether we have the permission of the parent and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: From my point of view, it is being used and abused.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: That is the way it is. The child is falling between the cracks. If it was ten years ago, there would be an awful lot more accountability than there is at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: God be with the days when the person who was at the case conference would say to the local Deputy and say, "Will you push this on a little bit, I cannot open my mouth, but if you put a little bit of pressure on, it will be solved". It was solved. I solved many of them in my day.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: Ms O'Rourke mentioned absenteeism for various reasons as an issue. I am not sure whether it is in primary and post-primary, or generally. I saw a report in one of the weekend newspapers. I did not read the article, but I intend to do so because it might be beneficial to this committee. Is it a problem? Is it holding children with disabilities back, to Ms O'Rourke's knowledge?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: Go ahead.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: I could write books on mobile phones; I have children myself. Mr. McGorman, you spoke about the supports in primary schools compared to secondary. That is something I have raised with the Minister here on numerous occasions. I will give the example of the primary school where my own children go, St. Aidan's Primary School in Enniscorthy, where there are up to 1,000 pupils. They have a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: Take the example of St. Aidan's primary school in Enniscorthy. It has a special needs unit. It is a mainstream school with a staff of 60 or 70. If that was a company, it would have two or three bosses at the top, whereas it does not have that with 1,000 pupils. It is absolutely mad that this has not been addressed. There is a huge expectation on principals and vice principals. There is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: I would like to add to that before I bring in Mr. Curtis. Principals, whether at primary level or second level, do not get the same holidays. They are back in school in the first week in August. They are back in the school arranging for the following year. I have another question. What percentage of kids would have an SNA in primary school who would carry that on into secondary school?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: How many kids who would have had access to an SNA in a primary school would have access to one in a secondary school?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: I have three examples in Wexford where the principals retired and I was sure the deputy principals would take up the positions. However, they had no interest in them because of the commitment required and the fact they would not be adequately rewarded for doing it. I know a principal who has stepped back because the number in the school and the workload have increased as have the pressures....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills: Mental Health Supports in Schools and Tertiary Education: Discussion (18 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: I am not sure if Mr. McGorman is aware of it but St. Aidan's primary school is a DEIS school as well. I would like to thank all the witnesses for coming in today. The discussion has been very beneficial to all the members. Some valuable insights and extensive experience and knowledge on Irish school life were exchanged and I very much thank the witnesses for that.

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Tax Code (25 Oct 2022)

Paul Kehoe: 260. To ask the Minister for Finance if he is considering any changes to the level of inheritance tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53454/22]