Results 841-860 of 1,070,726 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Ciarán Cuffe OR speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Pauline Tully OR speaker:Mattie McGrath)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Future of the An Post Network: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Mattie McGrath: An Post is.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport: Future of the An Post Network: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Mattie McGrath: I disagree with Mr. McRedmond because in that case in Clogheen alone, it was too prohibitive. I refer to the costs and the space taken up in a small shop. It is different in the SuperValu stores. They are working well there and I thank SuperValu for engaging and keeping the service. In a small shop, the costs, security implications and so on are excessive. An Post cannot get any young...

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Review of Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Pauline Tully: Good afternoon to everyone. By the time we get to the bottom of the list, most of the questions have already been asked but I echo the concerns of my colleagues around low wages. I was recently talking to a young man of 23 who decided to take up an apprenticeship, but receiving only €7 or €8 per hour made it very difficult for him. I am also concerned about the delays in...

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Review of Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Pauline Tully: The witnesses mentioned a figure of 5,236 new apprenticeships in 2020 and said that the figures have grown since. That figure seems very low. Was it much higher earlier? Did the recession cause a drop-off in the number of apprenticeships?

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Review of Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Pauline Tully: If you were to go back ten or 15 years prior to that, would the figure have been much higher?

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Review of Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Pauline Tully: Deputy Ó Súilleabháin mentioned Germany earlier. There are other countries with very high levels of apprenticeships. Do SOLAS and ETBI do comparisons with other countries? Do they look at their models to see if there are lessons to be learned as to how to do things differently?

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Review of Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Pauline Tully: I refer to the drop-out rate in apprenticeships, which is very high. I assume it is related to wages. Are exit interviews done with all the people who leave apprenticeships to find out why they are leaving?

Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science: Review of Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025: Discussion (25 Jun 2025)

Pauline Tully: Yes, it is still significant.

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: School Management (24 Jun 2025)

Carol Nolan: I welcome the improvements the Minister of State has just listed, but in order to tackle the current bureaucratic nightmare, there are decisive solutions that could be taken. For example, there is a pilot of the small schools scheme. I completely welcome that. That is certainly one solution. If that were to be rolled out nationally where schools form clusters and support one another with...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: School Management (24 Jun 2025)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Deputy for sharing her own experience, which is so relevant. Ultimately, the existing models of leadership and governance in our schools place a burden on school principals as well as boards of management and the sector as a whole. It is a very difficult balance to strike to get the appropriate level of checks and balances which are critical for both our students and the...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: School Management (24 Jun 2025)

Cuireadh an Dáil ar athló ar 10.34 p.m. go dtí 9 a.m., Dé Céadaoin, an 25 Meitheamh 2025. The Dáil adjourned at at 10.34 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 25 June 2025.

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: School Management (24 Jun 2025)

School Management

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: School Management (24 Jun 2025)

Carol Nolan: As we approach the end of the school year in many primary schools, I acknowledge the hard work of many school principals and teachers but I also highlight an issue, the overloading of principals, particularly teaching principals. I met with many school principals in my own county of Offaly and they have told me that their workload is excessive, that it is continues to be extremely...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: School Management (24 Jun 2025)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is raised with many of us in this House by principals up and down the country whose jobs are constantly evolving and constantly getting more challenging. I really appreciate the Deputy raising this here today. The role of schools within communities is crucial and the Minister for Education and Youth, on whose behalf I am taking this...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: Childcare Services (24 Jun 2025)

Childcare Services

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: Childcare Services (24 Jun 2025)

Sinéad Gibney: It is not news that families with young children require childcare and early years education. Why, then, are these families continuously failed by the State in the provision of those services? In Dublin Rathdown, I am contacted regularly about childcare and early years education. Indeed, it is one of the foremost issues within my constituency. There is a shortage of available places...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: Childcare Services (24 Jun 2025)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and for sharing her own experience. It is really important that we, as female parliamentarians, share our experience. It is inspiring for others who may follow in her footsteps that the Deputy has done so. The challenge of providing accessible childcare is very much real. The Deputy outlined the issues many of her constituents face....

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: Childcare Services (24 Jun 2025)

Sinéad Gibney: While I appreciate the Minister of State's response, it is disappointing there is nobody here from the Department of children. I welcome the statistics she shared that show an increase in provision of places and the work being done to address the problems. However, as she knows, that increase is not keeping pace with the needs of families across the country, including in my constituency of...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: Childcare Services (24 Jun 2025)

Emer Higgins: I thank the Deputy and her colleague for the work they are doing on this issue. The Government is committed to building an affordable, high-quality and accessible early learning and childcare system. I will take her recommendation for a cross-party committee to the Minister, Deputy Foley. The programme for Government commits, for the first time ever, to provide capital investment to...

Ábhair Shaincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Matters: General Practitioner Services (24 Jun 2025)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor: I thank the Deputy. I understand that this issue is very important. The provision of out-of-hours GP services is an important part of healthcare and it is essential that people have access to out-of-hours GP services when needed. It is worrying that the Deputy spoke about children travelling in a taxi during the night to the hospital. That is a concern and is definitely something we need...