Results 1-20 of 7,112 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke

Review of Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004: Statements (1 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I welcome the review and the review process. I welcome the publication of the report and the comments of the Minister and Minister of State. I have to say the proof of the pudding will be in the eating and I come to this with something of a jaundiced and critical eye. I accept there is evolution in thinking, in processes and in language but it has fundamentally always been obvious what is...

Ceisteanna - Questions: Census of Population (1 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: It is really important that when we have CSO information, we use it to plan for services in areas. I look at my own county of Meath, which has the lowest number of mental health beds, the lowest number of GPs and the lowest number of gardaí per population; has some of the largest class sizes in the State; and has the lowest number of playgrounds per population. The issue of GPs has...

An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (1 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: It is scandalous that, every year, schools are forced to rely on so-called voluntary contributions from parents to plug funding gaps due to the Government's failure to provide proper investment. Parents already pay €54 million in contributions and now, as the funding crisis in schools escalates, it looks like they will be asked to pay even more. The Catholic Primary School Management...

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Minister and her officials for being here. In relation to school funding, there is an ambition to increase the primary school capitation grant from €200 to €224. This year, we had the cost-of-living funding package, which was needed. of €50 million. It equated in real terms to the funding per pupil in primary schools, for example, to be €236. If we...

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Is the principle of a cost-of-living package for each Department or for schools next year still in the mix?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: It would be a major shock to the system if we did not have it for next year. Related to that point, the reduced costs in school bus transport are significant and welcome. I see that the reduced costs have been provided for under essentially temporary measures. Is there a plan to make them more permanent? Are they dependent on similar cost-of-living temporary measures into the future?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Does the Minister have an idea of what that phasing might look like that? The commitment is an extra 100,000 children by 2030. Is that 20,000 per year?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: School secretaries and caretakers have a strong case for pension parity and pay justice. Are those pension payments budgeted by the Minister? Where does the Department of public expenditure come on those decisions? Is it the case that they are budgeted under the Department of Education and Youth but Government and the Department of public expenditure approval are needed for those increases...

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: There is an indication of potential strike action. Time is of the essence to try to get that over the line. I encourage that in a positive vein. On therapies for schools, I was flicking through LinkedIn and saw that the New Zealand education system is looking for speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. It is funny that some of its advocates have Irish accents. They...

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: On the role of the Minister's Department in early years education, is the ECCE scheme funded through the Department?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Early intervention is what you do. Very good. There is always a piece there which is interdepartmental around early years educators. If we follow through on the Chair's departmental reforms, that might be one as well in terms of taking early years education under the Department of Education and Youth.

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Yes absolutely. In terms of the change with youth coming under the remit of the Department, how will that be reflected?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: That will continue.

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I stepped out between rounds earlier. SpunOut is over in Buswells. It has a number of specific asks for the budget cycle. I will list a couple of them because they are relevant to the Minister and I told SpunOut' representatives that I would do so. They are seeking €60 million to develop six youth hubs throughout the country or the State; investment of €21.3 million in youth...

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: What is the order?

Select Committee on Education and Youth: Estimates for Public Services 2025
Vote 26 - Education (Revised) (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: While I acknowledge €9 million was spent on phone pouches, I emphasise - and I will be consistent in this regard – that there is a lot of work to be done in the area of digital literacy and tackling social media. All of that does not fall to the Minister. A whole-of-government approach is needed. Some aspects are particularly her responsibility, however. We must look at what...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Hospital Procedures (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 57. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on the follow-up for hip dysplasia patients at CHI arising out of the recently published review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33556/25]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Mental Health Services (26 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 71. To ask the Minister for Health the measures she is taking to increase in-patient bed capacity in Louth Meath mental health services in view of the fact that the area has the lowest number of beds per head of population; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33557/25]

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Minister of State for being here. Last week and the week before, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, indicated that 92% of the 3,275 children who notified the NCSE had an offer. Does the Minister of State have an updated figure, either in numbers or percentage terms? I personally know children who have had offers in the past number of days.

Committee on Education and Youth: Education for Children with Special Educational Needs: Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (25 Jun 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: The Minister of State is not giving me figures and we had the same experience the last time. He made a specific statement and the Minister pointed to it as well, so will he give some indication? Dublin seems to be a particular issue. What does that mean?