Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

One year ago I tabled a motion asking that the Minister for Education and Skills implement the recommendations in the National Council for Special Education report of May 2013. I called on the then Minister to ensure his Department introduced a robust regulatory enrolment framework for schools to ensure that all children with special educational needs, particularly those with Down’s syndrome, would be protected from school enrolment practices or policies that would have overt or covert barriers that would block their access to local schools. The Government amended my motion to ask the Minister to "consider" taking that step. The amendment was supported by some of the same Senators putting tonight’s motion before the House. I assume they share my disappointment that nothing has happened to tackle the barriers some children with disabilities face when enrolling in certain schools. I will return to this topic this evening.

Many people will be nervous as they await their first water bill in January, charging for water from October. Given the meagre allowance, and the fact that people will be charged on a usage basis, Irish Water should allow people to see their bills on a monthly basis either with an online account, mobile text service or by calling a phone number.