Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I concur with my colleagues, Senators Carrigy, Lombard and Ahearn, that we should have a debate. It should be specifically about special schools to ring-fence some time on that. School building responsibilities sit with the Minister, Deputy Foley, whereas special education is with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. We need to balance that because it is about school buildings and then the supports within those buildings. In Dublin 15, we fought for years to get our special school, Danu. A committee of parents drove that. They were promised a dedicated purpose-built building in Dublin 15. Over the past couple of years, their children have been in accommodation that we thought would be temporary but that may become permanent in Rath Dara. The demand is still there for a stand-alone purpose-built special school. It is what those children deserve.

I received a report in my inbox this morning from two students in Le Chéile school in Tyrellstown, Rebecca and Dalia, who did a report into the status of women versus the status of democracy in Ireland. They have pulled out some important key points that I wanted to mention. They disagree with the statement that the status of women reflects the status of democracy in Ireland and I agree with them. It is surprising the number of people who do not agree with them. They point to female political representation in Ireland being below the EU average, at 27.7% versus 31.2%; the fact that there are only 36 women in Dáil Éireann compared to 124 men; the gender pay gap is 1% higher than the EU average; and Ireland ranks 17th in the EU concerning political decision-making in respect of women. They have pulled out some excellent recommendations that we gradually increase gender quotas in the Dáil until it reaches 50%, that gender quotas be introduced in local authorities and that a weekly mandatory CSPE class for senior-cycle students is made mandatory. Well done to them.