Results 281-300 of 1,030,556 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Niall Collins OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Mary Butler) in 'Committee meetings'

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Richard O'Donoghue: I thank the teachers, SNAs, cleaners, communities, caretakers, parents and schoolchildren who go above and beyond to make sure their schools stay open. The work they do outside of what is funded by Government goes above and beyond. Look at what smaller schools have to do. They do not get the same funding as schools with more than 100 students. There are criteria whereby smaller schools -...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Richard Boyd Barrett: A number of years ago, we passed a referendum to put children first, but when one listens to the testimonies of the school principals who were in Leinster House last week or of the parents, teachers and SNAs who attended our recent meetings on special education, what they describe is a dire crisis in our schools and the Government's complete failure to adequately resource, staff and fund...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Seán Canney: I welcome the sixth class boys and girls and their teachers from my national school in Belclare in Galway. They are welcome to this great House. I thank Belle Keating for organising the trip with me. It is appropriate that national schools are present when we are discussing funding primary schools. I thank Deputy Harkin and her team for tabling this motion. The Minister of State...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Paul Murphy: I am going to share time. I welcome the motion and note that the Government has not tabled an amendment to it, which means it is going to allow the motion to pass with no intention of implementing its demands for dramatic reductions in pupil-teacher ratios, investment according to OECD averages and so on. It makes something of a farce of this place, to be honest. Our primary schools have...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Duncan Smith: I thank Deputy Harkin and the Independent Group for bringing forward this motion. I have a speech prepared but I received an email from a principal in a school in my constituency at 10.05 a.m. which I would like to put on record because it relates to funding challenges for the provision of autism classes, which is within the broader scope of this motion. There is a school in my...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Gary Gannon: I thank the Independent Group for this timely motion. It is an important motion for discussion as schools start to wind down at the end of the year and have an opportunity to rest and to start looking at what they had to do just to keep the lights on during the past year. Primary schools nationwide face a funding crisis. They face crises on multiple fronts but funding is to the fore....

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Brian Stanley: I welcome this opportunity to address this with the Minister because I have been contacted by a number of schools across Laois-Offaly in recent weeks regarding the funding crisis and they have outlined to me the dire financial situation they are in. I have also met the Irish National Teachers Organisation and the Irish Primary Principals Network to listen to them and their concerns about the...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Michael Ring: Thank you, Deputy. You are sharing your time.

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Brian Stanley: The Minister should do the right thing.

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Martin Kenny: Last week, a number of teachers in the audiovisual room spelled out to us in great detail the situation with primary school funding. All of us across every constituency are very aware of this. We deal with schools up and down the country that are in dire circumstances, particularly in the area of special needs education. We have waiting lists there and families trying to find a classroom...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Martin Browne: I thank the Independent Group for bringing this Private Members' business before us. A clear message was sent to us in the audiovisual room last week by primary school principals from across the country, including Tipperary: urgent action is needed immediately. A lack of support staff to give teaching principals the time they need, the lack of consistent funding schedules to aid school...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Pat Buckley: I thank Deputy Harkin and the Independent Group for bringing forward this motion. This is the crux of the matter every year, with school transport and everything else. One of the main groups I met last week was the Irish Primary Principals Network. It set out a synopsis of the solutions. Its first request is to increase admin time for teaching principals, stating: Burnout and Job...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Sorca Clarke: Regardless of which sector or group comes into Leinster House, when they come back six years later to say that not only does the problem remain, it has actually got worse, any Minister worth their salt would sit up and pay attention to what these people are saying because that is exactly what happened last week. It does not need to be like this. This is the real irritation and the crux of...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Pauline Tully: The long-term effects of inadequate funding in primary schools have led to a crisis which, if not properly addressed, will continue to have negative knock-on effects on our children's education and well-being. This is especially the case for children with additional needs, who also face many barriers to inclusivity, such as short school days, reduced timetables and permanent exclusion from...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Marian Harkin: Do we have a copy of the Minister's speech?

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Michael Ring: I will get the usher to organise that. Deputy Connolly is next, sharing time with Deputy Joan Collins.

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Catherine Connolly: I thank Deputy Harkin for proposing this motion and giving us an opportunity to speak on it. It is quite a comprehensive motion calling on the Government to do nine things. I am going to zone in on one of them in my limited time, in respect of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004. I welcome that the Government is not proposing an amendment to the motion but in...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Joan Collins: I thank Deputy Harkin for bringing this Private Members' motion to the House today. I want to highlight the great work that has been done to campaign for adequate funding for primary education. The work by the primary school principal representatives is a great resource for all of us, as well as the constant work by the INTO in fighting for better funding and conditions for teachers and...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Thomas Pringle: I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for the opportunity to speak on this motion regarding primary school funding. I thank Deputy Harkin for proposing such an important motion today. I fully support the motion, which calls on the Government to commit to aligning primary educational funding with the OECD average to ensure the ancillary grant is sufficient to cover the cost of running...

Primary School Funding: Motion [Private Members] (26 Jun 2024)

Michael Ring: Is the Minister, Deputy Foley, moving an amendment or is she accepting the motion?