Results 1-20 of 1,066,380 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Carol Nolan OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Thomas Pringle OR speaker:John McGuinness OR speaker:Emer Higgins OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Richard O'Donoghue OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman OR speaker:Brendan Smith OR speaker:Jim O'Callaghan)

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Apologies have been received from the Cathaoirleach, Deputy Paul Kehoe. I remind members and officials to please ensure mobile phones are switched off for the duration of the meeting as they interfere with broadcasting equipment, even when on silent mode. This meeting has been convened to consider the Supplementary Estimates for Vote 26, education, which has been referred to this committee...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: If I might interrupt, officials cannot address select committee meetings. I apologise. I ask the Minister to address the matter.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: We are well over time. Does the Deputy want to ask a very short supplementary question?

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: The Minister might be able to come back to the Deputy with a detailed breakdown.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: I welcome the Minister and her officials before the committee. What appears to be the most significant part of the Supplementary Estimates is the significant additional capital allocation of €517 million in respect of the schools building programme. I very much welcome the significant activity on the part of the programme, not just in my constituency but throughout the country. The...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: How is the school building unit doing in terms of projects coming in on time and on budget? Sometimes we only hear of capital developments by the State that do not come in on time and on budget, but am I correct in saying very many of them do come in on time and on budget?

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: The Minister mentioned already the provision of accommodation for children with special educational needs. I think I am right in saying it is now the case that any new schools being developed will automatically have special educational needs classrooms.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: What is the Department's role in trying to facilitate and assist schools that have been there for a longer time and may have difficulty in identifying space for SEN classrooms?

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Jim O'Callaghan: This is not a question but a comment. I am not sure whether the Minister has had an opportunity yet to look at the new school on Harcourt Terrace. Harcourt Terrace Educate Together National School is an absolutely fantastic building. I commend the planning and building unit on it and hope to see the Minister out there shortly so she can see the benefit of the good work being done by her...

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 26 - Education (Supplementary) (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: Very good. That concludes the discussion. I thank the Minister and her officials for the constructive engagement at this meeting. That concludes our consideration of the Supplementary Estimates for Vote 26.

Select Committee on Education and Skills: Message to Dáil (22 Oct 2024)

Marc Ó Cathasaigh: In accordance with Standing Order 101, the following message will be sent to the Clerk of the Dáil: The Select Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has completed its consideration of the following Supplementary Estimates for public services for the year ending 31 December 2024: Vote 26 - Education.

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: I thank the committee for the opportunity to present our Department’s Supplementary Estimate to the members of the select committee this evening. As the Cathaoirleach did, I would like to use this opportunity to express the Minister's apologies for not being able to attend the committee today due to a family bereavement and to let him know his is in our thoughts and prayers. I know...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Yes, the Estimate includes the power up grant. This grant is being provided by the jobs and enterprise programme. The finer details of it are being worked out at the moment. The ambition is that we will have €4,000 straight into the accounts of SMEs in the retail and hospitality sector over the next couple of months between now and the end of this year. That is subject to the same...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: PRSI is a matter for the Department of Social Protection but having said that, this is something which we are working closely with the Department on. Earlier this year, my Department, in collaboration with the Department of Social Protection, produced a report on the increased cost of doing business and PRSI was one of the things that was flagged in that. It is something on which there is...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: They are savings for Enterprise Ireland and IDA. The Enterprise Ireland savings relate to two programmes, namely, the capital investment scheme for agriculture, which is something on which we work in collaboration with the Department of agriculture and the other one is the smart regions funding. I assure everybody we fully intend to fully draw down the EU ERDF funding for that scheme. We...

Select Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Supplementary) (17 Oct 2024)

Emer Higgins: Correct.