Results 3,321-3,340 of 6,137 for speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 455. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the situation in a school (details supplied) which is experiencing demand on special educational resources that far exceed supply of SNAs; and if she will support the application for an additional SNA allocation at the school. [14347/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 456. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views regarding the situation of those children with additional learning needs who attend a school (details supplied) but due to lack of proper facilities and the ongoing delays in the completion of the new school project are accommodated almost 20km away. [14353/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 457. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an ongoing delay at a school (details supplied); and if she will intervene to ensure this is resolved for the opening in September 2020. [14354/20]

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Gabhaim buíochas leis na cainteoirí as a bheith linn tráthnóna. It seems to me there is a strong message from both presentations that the objective is, and should be, the full return of education in school buildings. I welcome that. I have been saying for some time that this should be priority, and it is the priority of most people involved in education. This reflects a...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am sorry; I am very conscious of the time. I will take Mr. Clerkin's answer as a "Yes". I am aware of the resource bundle. I have looked at it. It is an excellent resource. Will Mr. Mongey briefly address that same question? Does he believe this is doable? I may then move on to some other questions. I ask him to be as brief as he can. I apologise.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: My next question is crucial and relates to space. We have some of the largest class sizes in Europe. I believe they are the largest in the EU at the moment. I address the following question to both representatives. There is to be social distancing and 1 m between children from third class upwards. If all children are to return to school together, there are two possibilities; either this...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: While Mr. Clerkin is addressing the question on space and social distancing, I might ask him another question. He said a good deal in his commentary about PPE and the cost of same. What kind of PPE does he anticipate might be needed? There are educational issues with some forms of PPE such as masks because facial expressions are important for children, especially children with special...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I want to hop in with a supplementary question. How many children will be in a pod?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I agree with that and that is an important point. Refuse costs, for example, could increase so that also needs to be considered. Mr. Clerkin does not have any specific idea in mind on what kind of PPE might be required. He is just anticipating that if there is a requirement from public health guidelines for PPE then that would be covered. Am I understanding him correctly?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (Resumed) (7 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I have a concern about children who could drift from the education system. In terms of monitoring, we have the educational welfare service but the monitoring of children attending school will become difficult because there will be increased absences, perhaps because children have symptoms or because a parent or child is immunocompromised. Is Mr. Clerkin concerned about this issue and how...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (2 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: Gabhaim buíochas leis na ceardchumainn go léir as a bheith linn. I wish to put on the record of the committee something I spoke about in the Dáil last week. In many respects special needs assistants and other school staff believe that the efforts they have made during this crisis have not been adequately recognised. They have been shown considerable disrespect by the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (2 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I will group my remaining questions and ask that all three of our guests respond to them accordingly. It seems that the process undertaken by the Department began too late. Documentation produced in recent weeks has answered some of the questions, but without the Department having provided guidance to them directly, schools were left in a significant vacuum and had to use their initiative to...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Impact of Covid-19: Education – Return to School and School Transport (2 Jul 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I am afraid I am out of time. If the issues I have raised come up again, the other two speakers might address them. I am sure I can pick this up with the unions at a later stage. I thank the witnesses.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Medical Aids and Appliances (30 Jun 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: 518. To ask the Minister for Health if he will release the findings of the Review of the FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system undertaken by his Department in 2019; and if he will consider extending the availability of the FreeStyle Libre to all persons with Type 1 diabetes [13403/20]

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Special Needs Education: Impact of Covid-19 (25 Jun 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I first want to acknowledge and thank the representatives of Inclusion Ireland for their attendance today, and all the speakers throughout today's sessions. For me, some of the hardest stories we have heard in recent months and weeks are from parents and children with autism, intellectual disabilities and special educational needs. Some of the stories are on the loss of learning and in some...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Special Needs Education: Impact of Covid-19 (25 Jun 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: That reflects the current situation. On the issue of the loss of speech, many parents fought an inch-by-inch battle to make progress. The children and their parents were so proud of the gains that were made. It is very difficult for them to see those gains being lost. On summer provision and the way in which it is laid out, July or other summer provision is typically four weeks long....

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Special Needs Education: Impact of Covid-19 (25 Jun 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: When the scheme was announced, there was reference in the Chamber and the press release to almost doubling its capacity to cater for up to 20,000 children. Yesterday in the House, the Minister referred to 9,200 children having registered for the home-based programme and perhaps 3,400 for the school-based programme. That is a long way short of 20,000 children. I fear that there has not been...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Special Needs Education: Impact of Covid-19 (25 Jun 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: In terms of the 9,200 children for the homeless programme, the comments made by the witnesses are very valuable. Are they concerned that children and families will be disappointed because they will be unable to find a tutor? Will a large cohort of people be affected?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Special Needs Education: Impact of Covid-19 (25 Jun 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: My final question is on children with Down's syndrome. The point has already been well made by Deputy Butler about children with Down's syndrome who attend mainstream secondary education and who are not entitled to avail of this programme. There was much hope when the Minister announced that children with Down's syndrome would be entitled to avail of this programme but it now appears there...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Special Needs Education: Impact of Covid-19 (25 Jun 2020)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: As I have 30 seconds left I will ask a final question. Is the proposed transport grant feasible or workable? Will it assist parents to get their children to the school-based programme?