Results 421-440 of 1,095,424 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Seán Fleming OR speaker:Joe Flaherty OR speaker:Pádraig Mac Lochlainn OR speaker:Mattie McGrath OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Imelda Munster OR speaker:Fergus O'Dowd OR speaker:Mark Ward OR speaker:Michael Creed OR speaker:Johnny Mythen OR speaker:Denise Mitchell OR speaker:Kathleen Funchion OR speaker:Bernard Durkan)

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: Next, I call Deputy Wynne to discuss the ECCE scheme's cut-off point for disabled children who need AIM-model funding for equipment to access preschool safety. I ask her not to mention anybody's name.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Oct 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: Yes. We have another name for the child that is not the actual name, if that is okay.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: Yes.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Early Childhood Care and Education (9 Oct 2024)

Violet-Anne Wynne: Lovely. Go raibh maith agat. I am incredibly grateful that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is here to take this question. It is of great local and personal importance to my constituents and to me. I had hoped the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, would take the question, but I was informed late yesterday evening that he was not in a position to do so. I will certainly not waste any time...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I am sorry about that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: We should recognise that all my questions are questions. The Chairman knows that. I usually finish on time as well, which often does not apply to everybody.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: Can we start again? We are coming to the most intricate stages of the contract. It is important that everybody, the client and the builder concentrate on that. The smallest of things can cause an alarm and can lead to bigger things. Then, bigger things can go unnoticed. I have had occasion in the past to look at a number of contracts. I was surprised at some of the things that had gone...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: That is good. In recent times, this committee has asked particular questions and the contractor has stated that there have been changes to the contract. We know that there have to be some changes. There will always be changes to a contract. Some are instigated by the client and others by the contractor. Is the Minister satisfied that sufficient provision has been made? Is he also...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: That is understood. I presume the changes are due to changes in regulatory compliance that have arisen since the contract was originally signed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: Is it recognised on both sides that this is a requirement that has to be dealt with.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: We are aware from previous discussions that some of these matters remain unresolved and may have to be dealt with after the hospital is in operation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I happened to have been on the hospital site in a private capacity on numerous occasions in the past 12 months. I learned an awful lot. One can learn from a site inspection. Mine was not an official site inspection, I might add. I was there, and I must say it is a complicated project. Any complicated project will require the minutiae to be dealt with as part of the overall project. ...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I know. Presumably, part of the car park is in the concourse adjacent to the hospital.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: Adjacent to the main entrance to the hospital there is a concourse where one can come up from the car park and go into the hospital. That is part of the hospital's effective design in order that patients, consultants or nursing staff can get to where they are supposed to be in the shortest possible time without going having to ask for directions, etc.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: National Children’s Hospital: Discussion (9 Oct 2024)

Bernard Durkan: I thank the witnesses.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (9 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: It seems that those numbers have dropped off from an earlier parliamentary question I asked. We are now talking about 98, which is the figure the group I met were spoken to about, whereas there was a plan for 101. Three classes have now dropped off. I would like to think everything will be done to make sure that is delivered because we are dealing with a lack of provision. I think the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (9 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: We are over time now, Deputy.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (9 Oct 2024)

Ruairi Ó Murchú: I also spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, about Shelagh National School, a primary school, to make sure it has contact. It is about building autism units already planned. That is another issue across the board.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (9 Oct 2024)

Catherine Connolly: We will be late starting the next session.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Special Educational Needs (9 Oct 2024)

Anne Rabbitte: I will bring back the name of Shelagh National School to the Minister of State. The Deputy is a very strong advocate in this space. With the recruitment of the extra NCSEs - doubling numbers - I have no doubt there is provision for a new NCSE to look after the wee county of Louth to ensure there is proper capacity building in primary and post-primary. When you look at the numbers going...