Results 121-140 of 1,035,487 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Damien English OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Stephen Donnelly OR speaker:Mairead Farrell) in 'Committee meetings'

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and for his kind comments about the staff of the Department. The social welfare appeals office is an office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions relating to social welfare entitlements. Appeals officers are independent in their decision-making functions. Significant efforts and...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

David Stanton: I thank the Minister for her response and commend her on the work she is doing in this area, especially updating the IT systems, which should make for a huge improvement there. I ask the Minister to give us a bit more of a breakdown of which schemes or areas are causing the most difficulty with respect to appeals. Is there anything standing out there with respect to the number of appeals...

Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions: Social Welfare Appeals (11 Jun 2024)

Heather Humphreys: I thank the Deputy. I have a table that sets out all the data and the appeals processing times in weeks by scheme for January to December of 2023. The one that seems to have the most appeals is illness benefit, with a processing time of 40.9 weeks. I will get this sent to the Deputy, because I have only just received it. I am not too sure how many weeks it took, but they were finalised...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire: I commend the work of my colleague, Deputy Sorca Clarke, on this issue. This is ever a debate at this time of year, particularly with regard to the issues in respect of summer provision and access to school places for September, which is always a really challenging issue for many families. Deputy Paul Murphy correctly highlighted the Jesuitical attempt to say that there was no cut in the...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Rose Conway-Walsh: We are one of the wealthiest countries in the EU. We have a surplus of €8.6 billion this year. The question that many parents are asking is why the Minister of State's Government cannot guarantee a place for every child on the school-based summer programme. That is the question many parents are asking me in Mayo. Why does it have to be such a battle all of the time just to access...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Sorca Clarke: Every child has the right to an education. That right needs to be universally applied regardless of any child's additional need for support. I will go back to the Minister of State's opening contribution to this debate. She said there was a 386% increase in the number of special classes and went on to say that "While the capitation rate in mainstream schools was raised to €45 in...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Neale Richmond: I greatly appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the debate. This is an issue that is emotive to many of us and not just from our work as constituency TDs dealing with so many different families on a daily basis who face such a range of challenges and need so much support from their local representatives. Those of us who are lucky enough to have children also see it in the schools they...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Thomas Pringle: I am sharing time with Deputy Connolly. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this motion on special education. I thank Sinn Féin for putting it forward as well. I support this motion and its call for the Government to reverse the funding cut made to the summer provision capitation payments and to ensure more school-based summer provision is made available in the future....

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this motion. I will zone in on the summer provision or, as it was called, July provision. I know there is another aspect to the motion. Indeed, one has always to give a context when speaking on disability. The report today, The State of Caring survey, is a damning indictment of the Government, notwithstanding the figures the Minister of State has given...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Mick Barry: A committee was recently set up in Blarney in County Cork to make the place an autism-friendly town. There are nine parents on that committee. A majority cannot find suitable places for their children in local schools. Two have children who travel 16 km to a special class. One has a child who travels 22 km to a special school. One travels 29 km to a special school. Another travels 13 km...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Seán Canney: I, too, welcome the opportunity to speak on this very important subject. When we talk about an increase in resources, I do not believe the increase in resources is actually keeping pace with the demand that is there. It is actually falling behind. I say that because of the number of people who have contacted my office and whom I have met during my clinics who have problems with their...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Paul Murphy: I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following after "counter to the agenda of equality and inclusion": ", and ensure no school will receive any reduction in the allocation of resources in September 2024, than they had in September 2023; — ensure that the National Council for Special Education allocate additional resources to ensure adequate numbers of Special Educational Needs...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Johnny Mythen: I thank Deputy Clarke for bringing forward this motion. Special needs education is and should be regarded as a right and a given. Every child with special needs must be given the opportunity to attend school and be treated as an equal participant in their school community. However, this is not the case at the moment. Every year, we see a growing demand for school places for children with...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Holly Cairns: I welcome the opportunity to speak about special education. I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. I receive correspondence every week, as does everyone in this House, from parents fighting and struggling to get their children the education and secure the supports they need. The systems in place simply are not good enough. There are nowhere near enough special schools,...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Marian Harkin: I call on the Minister of State to conclude.

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Hildegarde Naughton: I have reached my final line. I know it will be of interest to the Deputies present. The recent SET reviews demonstrate this. Some 218 reviews were received and of the 160 schools which proceeded to a full review, 83% are receiving additional resources. I will come back to Deputy Mairéad Farrell about Scoil Chaitríona. There is progress, hopefully, in relation to that. I...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Patricia Ryan: I wish to share time with Deputies Buckley and Mythen.

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Marian Harkin: Is that agreed? Agreed.

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Patricia Ryan: I thank Deputy Clarke for bringing this very important issue before the House and for the opportunity to speak on it. I cannot over-stress the panic and worry that parents of children with special needs in my constituency of Kildare South are going through at this time of year, as they try to find an appropriate school place for their child in the coming term. We can imagine how the parent...

Special Education: Motion [Private Members] (11 Jun 2024)

Pat Buckley: I thank Deputy Clarke for bringing forward this extremely important motion. The Minister of State has heard from previous speakers so I will cut straight to the chase. I welcome her opening remarks. She stated: The allocation model for 2024-25 distributes the total available number of special education teaching posts in line with each school's profile of need. She also stated: The...