Gerald Nash (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I second the proposal from my colleague, Senator Humphreys, to have a debate on the future of Saint Joseph's in Shankill. It is an important facility for families in the south County Dublin and north Wicklow areas.

We must have a debate on the provision of second level education places in the Fingal area, as Senator Reilly mentioned, as well as the south Louth and east Meath areas. Every day I deal with families in Drogheda, Laytown, Bettystown and Mornington who are still waiting to be allocated places in local schools. Coláiste na hInse in Bettystown is oversubscribed as is a successful local Educate Together school, Ballymakenny College. That is the case with many other schools in the area. The Drogheda Educate Together school is a new second level school and we had to persuade the Department of Education and Skills in recent weeks to allocate an additional 24 places to allow it to meet some of the demand in the area. This is a consequence of the enormous development that is taking place in the Drogheda and east Meath area. Indeed, there will be future development. There are approximately four strategic housing development proposals and if they proceed, the equivalent of the population of Ardee will be added to south and east Drogheda over the next three to four years. We simply do not have the school places to accommodate the demand. This is urgent and we must have a debate in the House on it.

Tomorrow, there will be a demonstration outside the Houses by Tara Mines workers. They have been enjoying flat rate expense allowances from the Revenue Commissioners to allow them to obtain gear and the other material they need to do their jobs. The Revenue Commissioners are currently undertaking a review of the flat rate expense allowances enjoyed by shop workers, firefighters, nurses and healthcare assistants to the tune of a couple of hundred euro each year to allow them to address the needs they have in the context of the work they do. The Tara Mines allowance is worth €1,132 to those who work underground and €655 to surface workers. These are legitimate expenses accrued by them in the course of their work. There are legitimate expenses that small business owners and sole traders are allowed to recoup from the Revenue Commissioners to allow them to do their business, but now the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Finance are going after the small expense allowances enjoyed by PAYE workers. This must stop now.