Results 341-360 of 7,546 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: School Costs (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue. I am raising the issue of the cost many parents are faced with for digital devices like iPads, tablets and laptops when schools move to a one-to-one digital device policy. It is happening quite a lot and comes at very significant cost to families, many of which have multiple students at school. Devices can cost anything up to...

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Statements (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a crisis shaped by the modern world, one where smartphones, online pornography and harmful attitudes towards women and girls are fuelling abuse. We cannot and must not ignore how technology has become a weapon in the hands of abusers, nor how degrading content is warping minds, including young minds. Revenge porn, coercive control via messaging...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Pension Parity and Working Conditions for School Secretaries and Caretakers: Fórsa (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Time is very tight and I thank the witnesses for coming in at short notice and the committee for organising it. I will come back to Ms Carty and Mr. Hearne for specific examples of the egregious parts of this, like how it feels at retirement after 40 years of work compared with their public service colleagues, the bereavement leave and the critical illness piece. I will come back to them in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Pension Parity and Working Conditions for School Secretaries and Caretakers: Fórsa (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Mr. Pike. Will Mr. Hearne give an example of an egregious element of discrimination or difference?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Pension Parity and Working Conditions for School Secretaries and Caretakers: Fórsa (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Has Mr. Hearne examples of that with his colleagues?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Pension Parity and Working Conditions for School Secretaries and Caretakers: Fórsa (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Yes, it is different. What about Ms Carty?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Pension Parity and Working Conditions for School Secretaries and Caretakers: Fórsa (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank everyone. Chair, I would-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Pension Parity and Working Conditions for School Secretaries and Caretakers: Fórsa (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I propose the committee write to the Minister just as a formal proposal on this issue and call for urgent engagement. I mean the Ministers for education and public expenditure.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Pension Parity and Working Conditions for School Secretaries and Caretakers: Fórsa (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: That is no problem. I think people probably agree with that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Pension Parity and Working Conditions for School Secretaries and Caretakers: Fórsa (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: The two Ministers is what I said.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Pension Parity and Working Conditions for School Secretaries and Caretakers: Fórsa (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I do not have a question, but I want to highlight some of our frustrations. The Minister for public expenditure will be before the Dáil for oral questions next week. I submitted a question specifically around the engagement with Fórsa on this issue. It has been rejected and diverted to the Minister for Education and Youth. That is part of the frustration at this end. Some of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Proposed Redesignation of Schools for Children with Mild General Learning Disabilities: Principals of Special Schools (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank the committee, the secretariat and the Chair for facilitating this meeting. I also thank Deputy Cummins for proposing it. I thank the witnesses for being here. It strikes me that there is a fundamental issue at stake in terms of the design and mix of our special education system. My concern, and what I hear from the witnesses, is that we have the potential to both lose and fail...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Proposed Redesignation of Schools for Children with Mild General Learning Disabilities: Principals of Special Schools (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: What about the suggestion that we would have special classes? I know we do not have them and that we are losing them rather than increasing the number, but is there an argument that special classes might be an appropriate forum?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Proposed Redesignation of Schools for Children with Mild General Learning Disabilities: Principals of Special Schools (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I presume what the witnesses are urgently looking for is engagement on this issue. Do they get any succour from the Minister? It was stated at a previous meeting that there will not be a change in September.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Proposed Redesignation of Schools for Children with Mild General Learning Disabilities: Principals of Special Schools (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: Ms O'Neill wants to see that happen.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Proposed Redesignation of Schools for Children with Mild General Learning Disabilities: Principals of Special Schools (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Mr. Haran.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Proposed Redesignation of Schools for Children with Mild General Learning Disabilities: Principals of Special Schools (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Mr. Browne.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Proposed Redesignation of Schools for Children with Mild General Learning Disabilities: Principals of Special Schools (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: This is more a comment than a question. For me, something quite fundamental is at stake here. I refer to the mix of our education system and accessibility for children differentiated based on their needs. That is a fundamental piece and I will be very happy to work with the witnesses. We have identified this, in fairness to the committee. We will pursue it and work with the witnesses to...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (10 Jul 2025)

Darren O'Rourke: 316. To ask the Minister for Health the number of psychiatric wards or units there are in Meath. [38328/25]