Results 21-40 of 3,961 for speaker:Pauline Tully

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Student Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: I thank all the witnesses for being here and for their presentations. We heard from the student unions last week and they are all basically saying the same thing. They indicated that there was a shortage of student accommodation of somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 beds and that is predicted to rise to 68,000 by 2035 if this is not addressed. We know the effect it is having on students....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Student Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: It is something I asked last week because some of the student unions have interaction with their European counterparts and there does not seem to be an accommodation problem in the North or it is certainly not like anything here. A lot of our students go to Glasgow and Scotland and there does not seem to be a huge problem with purpose built student accommodation in other jurisdictions. It...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Student Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: It is really urgent. We cannot let it be delayed any longer.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Student Accommodation: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: It is hard to understand why a difference exists in the ability to borrow between the traditional universities and the technological universities. I do not understand why there is such a difficulty.

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (25 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: I thank the Minister of State for taking this issue. I am conscious that we are almost at the end of September so school is back about a month. There is a situation in St. Bricin's College, Belturbet, County Cavan that has not yet been resolved. I am seeking clarification and what the intention is going forward. I was contacted by the principal to say there are 32 students enrolled in...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Transport (25 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: I thank the Minister of State. I understand that would normally be the case, but in this circumstance, their nearest school is full. Even Bus Éireann has said that if the Department of education is satisfied that the nearest school is full, parents must then provide directly to the Department of Education and Youth evidence of an application for enrolment that was made within the...

Seanad: Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: Motion (25 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: I welcome this motion. There is nothing in it that I disagree with. I welcome and want to see the amended version of the motion passed here today. It needs to be much stronger than it is. While I welcome that Fianna Fáil is bringing forward this motion at this late stage, part of me is cynical and wondering if this is an effort to counteract its presidential candidate Jim Gavin's...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (24 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: I attended a pre-budget submission presentation by Rehab yesterday in the audiovisual room. I commend the work it does through its various entities: Rehab Enterprises, RehabCare and the National Learning Network. The speaker who was due to deliver the first speech, Padraig, is a wheelchair user. He was taking the train from Cork, where he lives. He had booked a wheelchair-accessible taxi...

Seanad: Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation: Statements (24 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: I want to concentrate on a couple of issues. The first is third level student accommodation. At the moment, it is reckoned that we are short 25,000 to 30,000 beds. This means students are forced to compete with workers and families in the private sector. As a result, they are paying extremely high rents. The rents in some student accommodation are becoming very high. The Higher...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Recruitment and Retention of Special Needs Assistants: Discussion (24 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: I have to speak in the Seanad in a few moments but I will ask some questions. I thank both witnesses for their presentations and for being here with us today. In recent days I have had a lot of contact from school principals, SNAs and parents who are concerned about the new criteria being introduced by the NCSE, which have been referred to, and about a reduction following a review. I do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Recruitment and Retention of Special Needs Assistants: Discussion (24 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: The review process is very poor at the moment. I know one principal who went to a review in March. He sat down with the SENO because he knew students were coming into junior infants in September who required support. There were three with quite complex needs, but when he got his allocation at the end of June, there was no change to it. When you contact the NCSE, they say it can be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Recruitment and Retention of Special Needs Assistants: Discussion (24 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: From talking to SNAs, they are really concerned by what Mr. Pike refers to, which is that the needs of the class of autistic students will be perceived to be greater than the need in mainstream and students in mainstream will not be able to cope. Another issue is that a lot of students start school without assessments because there is a backlog in assessments and therefore the need for an...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Youth: Recruitment and Retention of Special Needs Assistants: Discussion (24 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: I thank everyone for their presentations. I have been receiving a lot of emails from school principals, parents and SNAs with concern about the review process. I have been asked if the Department will consider a review or suspension of it until proper consultation has taken place with the schools, SNAs and parents. The time limit of 15 September to 24 October is very short. Students will...

Seanad: An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business (23 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: If I may start by joining my colleagues in wishing Martin Hughes the best of luck in his new position and congratulating him on it. I am sure he will carry it out in a professional way just as Martin Groves and Bridget Doody did. I thank them for their courtesy, support and professionalism and wish them long and happy retirements. I wish to raise the issue of children and safeguards...

Seanad: Migration: Statements (23 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: This discussion is on migration, which covers both immigration and emigration. As a state, Ireland is no stranger to emigration. We have had millions of people leave our shores over the last couple of centuries. Unfortunately, we still have quite a number of young, highly skilled, highly qualified people leaving our shores. They are going to Australia, Dubai and various parts of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Student Accommodation: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: Our guests are all very welcome. It is great to have five presidents in one room. I commend them all on the good work they do. I read their statements. There is a lot of commonality across them around the issues that they have identified. I am hearing that we have almost reached a situation where young people are choosing their course based on where they think they might get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Student Accommodation: Discussion (17 Sep 2025)

Pauline Tully: Thanks very much. We want to see increased investment, and all of our guests have called for that, but we want that investment used sensibly to create purpose-built accommodation for students that is of a good standard. It does not need to be suite standard. Ms Hall said that in Galway there are only 1,800 beds for 20,000 students. Has the number always been that low? The University of...