Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:1. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach for an update on the child poverty and well-being unit. [4031/24]
Ceisteanna - Questions
Departmental Programmes
Paul Murphy
Ceist:2. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach for an update on the child poverty and well-being unit. [4034/24]
Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:3. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach to report on the work of the child poverty and well-being programme in his Department. [3976/24]
Mick Barry
Ceist:4. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach for an update on the child poverty and well-being unit. [4125/24]
Paul McAuliffe
Ceist:5. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Taoiseach for an update on the work of the child poverty and well-being unit of his Department. [5223/24]
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Ceist:6. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Taoiseach for an update on the child poverty and well-being unit. [5274/24]
Cian O'Callaghan
Ceist:7. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach for an update on the child poverty and well-being unit. [5295/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 7, inclusive, together.
The work of the child poverty and well-being programme office is to prioritise action across government in areas that will have the greatest effect for children and families experiencing poverty. From Poverty to Potential: A Programme Plan for Child Well-being 2023-2025 was published last year and is the initial programme plan for the child poverty and well-being programme office in the Department. The programme builds on six focus areas identified by Government which have the potential to bring about significant change for families and children.
The role of the Department of the Taoiseach is to co-ordinate and focus Government action. To facilitate this, the office has established a cross-government network on child poverty and well-being. The network has met twice to date, with a further meeting scheduled for quarter 1 of 2024. The programme also envisages a national child poverty and well-being summit in 2024. This will be a pivotal moment to take stock of progress and shape the agenda for future action on child poverty.
As well as driving implementation of commitments on the six focus areas, the office will also undertake strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing the efficiency and efficacy of cross-government responses. The first of these was a commitment to assisting children and their families, with a particular focus on those who are experiencing poverty, in budget 2024. The programme office applied a cross-government approach that culminated in the development of the report, Breaking the Cycle: New Measures in Budget 2024 to Reduce Child Poverty and Promote Well-being, which was published on 14 November. The report captures new and increased budget spending by 12 Government Departments and reveals how the new budget focus is accelerating and deepening our collective ambition for children.
Child poverty and child homelessness are completely unacceptable. We have 190,000 children at risk of poverty in this country. One of the most damning facts is that child homelessness has gone through the roof and we now have 4,105 children and 2,000 families living in emergency accommodation. Child homelessness has gone up from October 2021, when there were 2,300 children in emergency accommodation, to over 4,100 now. It is shameful. The trauma, stigma and mental health impact on children are utterly unacceptable.
What I want to know is what the Government is going to do about it. In every case of child homelessness that I come across, there does not seem to be a policy to stop children and their families from going into homelessness. When they are in homelessness, unless they are at the top of the housing list, they are told to find a HAP tenancy. However, the rents are so far ahead of the HAP thresholds that they have no chance of finding anywhere, so they are trapped in homelessness. In some cases, if the parents, or one of the parents, have an income that is over the threshold, they cannot even get HAP and they are totally trapped in homeless accommodation. Yet, the Government will not do anything to raise the thresholds, control the rents or increase the amount of social and affordable housing that we are getting in private developments. What is the Government going to do to get children out of the homelessness trap?
There are more than 300 children aged four or under in the Churchfield area on the northside of Cork city. Last August, a very long-standing and much-loved childcare and community centre, Before 5, closed suddenly. All other childcare providers in this area have waiting lists. The urgent hope is that a new childcare facility will open at the old location this September. However, for that to happen, approximately €366,000 worth of works need to be done and for them to be done in time, work will need to commence before May. The new management team at Northside Community Enterprises has written to five Ministers - the three Cork Ministers, Deputies Martin, McGrath and Coveney, and Deputies O'Gorman and Harris - in a bid to unlock funding. They were unsuccessful in accessing funding late last year and they are trying to unlock it. Will the Taoiseach communicate with these Ministers and tell them it is his view that this issue needs to be treated as a matter of the utmost priority?
My view is that the child poverty unit and the unit dealing with the roll-out of the north-east inner city model cover much of the same work. I welcome the Cabinet’s decision today to establish a task force for Ballymun which will be chaired by John Costello, formerly of the Dublin GAA county board. I thank the Taoiseach, Deputy Varadkar, and the Tánaiste, Deputy Martin, for their support in delivering that. It will make a difference in our area. I call on them to ensure that senior civil servants will be present and will engage with the task force, as we have been promised. We want to ensure that issues that are unique to our area are addressed, like the provision of early school leaving solutions, the recruitment of senior social workers, open drug dealing blackspots and the designing out of places of antisocial behaviour. These are all issues that I know the Taoiseach wants to solve. I ask that decision-makers from the Civil Service, the national agencies and An Garda Síochána will be part of that task force.
Again, I thank the Taoiseach for his work and for the allocation of the nearly €2 million that has been made available to the Department of housing and similar funding for Dublin City Council. It is a fantastic step forward today. I again ask the Taoiseach to continue to be available to the community of Ballymun. In his constituency and in mine, I know there will be other communities looking on and saying that they would like to have an area-based intervention in their area. It is a positive and I would ask us to continue to roll it out.
Child poverty is a huge concern for the Government and I know the Taoiseach is committed to addressing it. I always go back to Carlow and Kilkenny as I know so much about the issues there. A few years ago, Fr. Dunphy, I and other members set up what would technically be called a soup kitchen but which we call St. Clare’s Hospitality Kitchen, through which we give food to families and children and give out food parcels. However, we do not get a grant and we cannot get funding from the Government. That needs to be addressed.
At the moment, volunteers are running the service. We are always looking for funding. As there are so many families coming to St. Clare's Hospitality Kitchen, I ask that a funding stream be provided.
A related issue is that while I welcome all the DEIS schools this year and the amount allocated in that regard last year, there is confusion regarding DEIS status, as I have always said. In my area of Carlow, Tullow and the surrounds, there is a boys' school that is in DEIS 1 and a girls' school that is in DEIS 2. Those in the boys' school get breakfast while those in the girls' school do not. The latter school does not qualify for other supports. These issues need to be addressed. They are good schools and a significant amount of work has gone into the scheme.
Last weekend, I met with couples I know well who went to work abroad. Many of them went to Canada, Dubai or other areas eight or nine years ago when there were issues with engineering and so on. Many of them have now returned home with children. They cannot get a place in a crèche because there is a two-year wait for places. They cannot get a doctor or a dentist or the other services they need. I ask that this issue be considered. It needs to be addressed.
I add my voice to that of Deputy Murnane O'Connor. I have come across a similar scenario relating to boys' and girls' schools in Ardee. One of the schools got DEIS status but the other did not, in spite of the fact that they deal with the same demographics. These anomalies need to be considered. It is about trying to get resources to the people who require them.
This is not the first time I have raised the issue of early interventions. I am thinking about specific cases. We know that many families and communities could do with early interventions that work with all services, including those involved in education, the Garda, Tusla and whoever else, to get a better result. In some cases, however, there are very chaotic circumstances and the Garda, Tusla, the county council or whoever else does not have the tools required to deal with issues where children are in danger. I understand that, at times, Tusla has to attempt to keep family units together but I have seen chaotic scenarios where there are issues with drug addiction, criminality or other factors I will not address now. There is a need to put the resources together. In some cases, the county council gets blamed by neighbours who are impacted by this chaos. We need to provide the resources that are required.
Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue of child and family homelessness. Assisting individuals and families facing homelessness is a major focus for the Government and increasing the supply of housing, particularly social housing, is critical in responding to homelessness. We are now seeing record levels of investment being provided through Housing for All. In 2024, more than €5 billion is being provided for the provision of housing and we anticipate more social housing will be provided this year than in any year since the 1970s. Budget 2024 also allocated €242 million specifically for homeless services, including prevention. It will help with provision of emergency accommodation for those who need it, as well as increased prevention activity. Local authorities and their service delivery providers will work closely with all households in emergency accommodation to help them secure an exit to a tenancy. Local authorities have been sanctioned to acquire 1,500 social homes, mainly focused on acquiring properties where a social housing tenant has received a notice of termination and is at risk of homelessness. For private tenants at risk of homelessness who are not in receipt of social housing and do not qualify for it, the cost-rental tenant in situ scheme has been introduced. The national homelessness action committee, chaired by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, was established in quarter 4 of 2021. The overarching objective of the committee is to ensure a renewed emphasis is brought to collaborating across government to implement actions in Housing for All, along with bringing better coherence and co-ordination of homelessness-related services in delivering policy measures and actions to reduce homelessness. In terms of the income limits for social housing and cost rental, we keep them under review. We have raised them and I have no doubt we will raise them again to take into account rising housing costs, as well as inflation and rising incomes.
Deputy Barry raised an issue relating to a particular childcare service in Cork city. I do not have information to hand on that but I will make inquiries with the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman.
Deputy McAuliffe referred to the fact that the Cabinet today approved the establishment of the area intervention task force for the Ballymun area. I am delighted that John Costello, formerly of the Dublin county board, has agreed to take that on. It is a really good choice and I am delighted he has agreed to take on the role. I was in touch with him about it today. A dedicated capital budget is being provided to co-fund the task force by central and local government. I agree with the Deputy. I expect public servants and public bodies, whether that is the council, An Garda Síochána, Tusla or others, to engage fully with this body. It has worked well in Drogheda and the north-east inner city. It requires people to come to the table in a meaningful way. They cannot just show up at the meetings but, rather, must show up and then act on what happens at the meetings. We will monitor that closely and make sure it happens in Ballymun. I recognise the Deputy in particular for raising this issue and advocating for the area consistently in the Chamber for the past four years. I am glad this task force is now up and running. I hope it will demonstrate good results on the ground. We are keen to have an enterprise focus to it as well. It is an area of great social deprivation and relatively high unemployment, yet it is surrounded by an area in which there is a huge amount of employment and jobs available. It is important that we have an enterprise focus to this too.
Deputy Murnane O'Connor referred to funding for food banks. I think the Department of Social Protection and the fund for European aid to the most deprived, FEAD, which is an EU programme, provides funding for that. I will certainly check that. There are different models, however. Crosscare used to provide a food bank in my area of Blanchardstown but it has gone to a very different model. I met the organisation before Christmas and I was really impressed. It has moved away from the model where people queue up for or come in to receive food or food parcels to a model where it delivers the parcels to the house. That is destigmatising. It also sits down to work individually with each household and that has enabled it to find out in many cases that people have entitlements they have not been claiming or, in some cases, all they needed was help with a particular bill or issue. Once that is done, they are able to go back to buying their groceries and other shopping in the shops, just as we all do. It is important that we have models that enable people to avoid becoming dependent on charity provision. That is a very good model to be considered in other areas too. I echo the Deputy's comments on the need to continue to improve our public services to cope with the rising needs of our society and population.
I did not catch everything Deputy Ó Murchú said, but I trust the Garda to make the right decisions on such matters and trust social workers and Tusla to make the right decisions with regard to child protection. Often, they are the only ones who really know what is going on within a family situation and whether taking a child away from a family is the right thing to do. That is always a very big decision to make.
Citizens' Assembly
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:8. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach the expected timeline for the citizens' assemblies committed to in the programme for Government. [2746/24]
Bríd Smith
Ceist:9. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Taoiseach the expected timeline for the citizens' assemblies committed to in the programme for Government. [4036/24]
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:10. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach the expected timeline for the citizens' assemblies committed to in the programme for Government. [4019/24]
Paul Murphy
Ceist:11. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach the expected timeline for the citizens' assemblies committed to in the programme for Government. [4022/24]
Mick Barry
Ceist:12. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach the expected timeline for the citizens' assemblies committed to in the programme for Government. [5334/24]
Paul McAuliffe
Ceist:13. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Taoiseach the expected timeline for the citizens' assemblies committed to in the programme for Government. [5224/24]
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:14. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach the expected timeline for the citizens' assemblies committed to in the programme for Government. [5225/24]
Cian O'Callaghan
Ceist:15. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach the expected timeline for the citizens' assemblies committed to in the programme for Government. [5296/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 15, inclusive, together.
The Programme for Government: Our Shared Future committed to establishing four citizens’ assemblies on the following topics: biodiversity loss; the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin; drugs use; and the future of education. Three of those four citizens’ assemblies have now concluded their work and submitted their reports to the Oireachtas. The Dublin Citizens' Assembly concluded its meetings in October 2022 and submitted its report to the Oireachtas in December just gone by. The Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage published its response to the report in December. The Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss concluded its meetings in January 2023 and submitted its report to the Oireachtas in March 2023. The Oireachtas Committee on the Environment and Climate Action published its response to the report in December 2023. The Minister and officials in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are now leading on the preparation of a whole-of-government response to the recommendations of both the Dublin Citizens' Assembly and the Citizens' Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, and these responses will be published in due course, once they have been finalised.
The Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use concluded its meetings in October and submitted its report to the Oireachtas in December. The report was published on 25 January and the Dáil and Seanad will now refer the report to an Oireachtas committee for consideration. I recently met with Paul Reid, the chairman of that assembly, who briefed me on the work done. I thank him and, indeed, all those who took part in the citizens’ assembly and the secretariat for their participation and commitment to the task.
The Government will consider the question of further citizens’ assemblies in due course. However, there is an extant commitment for a citizens' assembly on education to begin its work this year.
In relation to the previous question, what I was talking about is the worst of circumstances, really chaotic circumstances where the council is probably looking at nuclear options. The fact is that we do not necessarily have all of the resources required to deal with what are very complex cases. I am also talking about circumstances that have reached the level of chaotic criminality and whatever the fears are in relation to those kids, this is having a detrimental impact on the wider community. We need better processes for dealing with such circumstances.
Regarding the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use, we are very glad it happened and welcome its final report. We have been over and back in this House in relation to the failure of the war on drugs. We all know the reality we are dealing with, particularly in disadvantaged areas that are under the cosh of criminal gangs and drug-debt intimidation. We all know that an awful lot of this is fed by those who have resources and are out on Friday and Saturday nights taking cocaine. We have to deal with the realities of the world we are in and we need to do something better than what we have been doing to date. I accept that we must measure what we do vis-à-vis other states but we must make sure there is no hold-up. I ask the Taoiseach to give us an indication of the timeline for getting the committee up and running and getting from there to action and legislation.
I had a very interesting encounter with the Irish Second-Level Students Union yesterday. I spent the afternoon discussing with students from secondary schools up and down the country the issues they are concerned about. It highlighted for me the urgency of radical reform of our secondary school system and a few points should be borne in mind in that regard. One of the things they said was that there is absolutely nowhere for students to go if they are feeling anxious, worried, scared or bullied because we do not really have the necessary staff resources in schools or people who are trained to help. They were very keen on the idea that we would have psychologists in every school so that there would be somewhere to go. They were also scathing about the curriculum in the sense that most of it is rote learning out of books rather than more participatory education involving field trips, visits to museums or theatres, or meetings with people who are specialists and experts in a particular area, whereby they would feel motivated and would participate in their education, rather than just having to learn off books. That was very interesting but obviously it requires resources. They said that buses for things like that were a huge cost that most schools could not incur. They also said that when school inspections happen, the school inspectors never talk to the students about the issues affecting the school. It is all curriculum-based, rather than engaging with the students themselves about the issues affecting them.
I raise the issue of the future of education and the citizens' assembly on education that was mooted. I ask the Taoiseach to provide a timeline on when that might actually be instigated. I raise this because now is a very pertinent time, particularly in the context of the skills crisis that is facing the country. I acknowledge the work that has been done on higher education over the last number of years, including the provision of extra places for apprentices and so on. A citizens' assembly would be the right forum to question what education is for, to determine how we devise an education system going forward to produce a sustainable society and to answer all of those big questions that need to be asked about how we develop our future education policy. Of particular interest is the area of special education. Do we still follow a special school model or do we become more inclusive in mainstream school campuses, for example? The issue of school transport needs to addressed. Should every child have an equal right to access school and so on? If the Taoiseach could provide us with an update on when that citizens' assembly might be formed, that would be appreciated.
It is good news that a special committee is being set up to consider the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use. That is a good development about which I have a number of questions. First, when will that committee commence and, second, how long will it go on for? If it goes on for a protracted period, it could run into the next general election and then nothing will happen. I hope the special committee will be short-lived, running for only three or four months. That would at least give the Government some time to consider its recommendations and any possible legislative changes based on those recommendations.
I thank the Deputies for their questions. In response to Deputy Ó Murchú, I understand what he is saying about complex and chaotic cases. I have come across them myself but as every case is different, it is difficult to comment without knowing the circumstances. I know the Deputy appreciates that.
A number of Deputies raised the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use which was discussed at Cabinet today. The Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, brought a memo to Cabinet establishing a dedicated committee, which will be made up, if I remember correctly, of 14 members, both Senators and TDs. The Independent Members will be asked to nominate a chairperson because it is their turn in the rotation. We expect it to be up and running next month or certainly no later than April. There are some technicalities around that. The committee is being given seven months to carry out its work and produce a report, but it does not have to take seven months. It could be done more quickly. It was pointed out to me by my staff who were involved in the citizens' assembly and by the chairman, Paul Reid, that because all of the different interest groups and experts appeared before the assembly, it is not necessarily the case that the special committee should have to do that all over again. Ultimately, it is going to be a decision for the members and the Chair as to whether they want to have everyone come in again or whether they would be happy enough to get it done in one day. That is their call, not ours.
What I would say in relation to the three takeaways from the report is that the chairman, Paul Reid, was very clear on these things. He said that we should have a dedicated committee and not just refer the report to the health or justice committee because it is about health and justice and a lot more. That is why we decided to go ahead with a dedicated committee. Another takeaway is that we should develop an Irish model that works for Irish circumstances and not try to copy a model from any other jurisdiction. He was also very keen to point out that while the citizens' assembly recommended decriminalisation and a health-led approach, it made many other recommendations as well. He was keen that this not just be about the issue of decriminalisation, how that works and what it would mean, important as that is.
Deputy Boyd Barrett spoke about children who are in difficulty needing someone to go to and I know from my visits to schools and from talking to young people in primary and secondary schools that many schools have a school chaplain. In the past, that would have been a religious person but that is now normally not the case; it is a teacher with special training. We have increased the number of guidance counsellors too. I had a chance to visit Foróige services and Jigsaw services which are really good services, where they exist, but I appreciate that it may not be the case that every student in every school has access to the supports he or she needs.
On school visits, I do a lot of them too and I have to say when I visit primary and secondary schools around the country I am so impressed with how much education has evolved and now much more interactive it is now than it was when I was in school. There is so much more technology and engagement now. Technology being available to schools is really of huge and crucial importance.
I do not know if inspectors talk to students as part of carrying out inspections but I think they should do. If it is not done, it sounds like a good idea. Any time one inspects a service, one would often ask the service users what they think so if that is not done as a matter of course, I would agree with the Deputy that it ought to be done because it is really important to hear the voice of students when it comes to the quality of their education. It is their education in the end.
Finally, in response to Deputy O'Sullivan's question on the citizens' assembly on the future of education, we have not taken a decision on the timing of that yet but it is intended that it be done this year.
I think we need to have it set up, ideally by the middle of the year. Citizens' assemblies do not fall when the Oireachtas falls, so the election date is not a determinant in that regard, but we would like to have it set up this year. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is working on the terms of reference for that.
Cabinet Committees
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:16. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will next meet. [2807/24]
Paul Murphy
Ceist:17. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will next meet. [2810/24]
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Ceist:18. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will meet next. [3805/24]
Michael Moynihan
Ceist:19. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will meet next. [3808/24]
Peadar Tóibín
Ceist:20. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will next meet. [3973/24]
Alan Dillon
Ceist:21. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will meet next. [4026/24]
Mick Barry
Ceist:22. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will meet next. [4126/24]
Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Ceist:23. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will meet next. [5275/24]
Ruairí Ó Murchú
Ceist:24. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will meet next. [6307/24]
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:25. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on children and education will next meet. [6644/24]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 to 25, inclusive, together.
The Cabinet committee on children and education oversees the implementation of commitments in the programme for Government in the area of children and education, including further and higher education, with a specific focus on child poverty and well-being. The Cabinet committee provides for a greater focus on improving the lives of all children in Ireland and giving them the best start possible, ensuring every child has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.
The Cabinet committee on children and education met twice in 2023 and it is due to meet again shortly.
I welcome what the Taoiseach outlined. Following on from that, what some of the second level students said is that sometimes, teachers handpicked people to talk to inspectors but there was not engagement with the mass of students and there should be a bit more engagement on the ground.
The other point they raised related to facilities in a lot of schools, which vary widely from inadequate heating systems to toilets that are completely inappropriate and do not allow for privacy and other such issues. The point about the curriculum really struck me.
I take the Taoiseach's point about things becoming more interactive with technology and so on but it is a fact that while it varies, wealthier schools have more resources. When I asked about theatre trips, one student said they had been on three theatre trips while another said there was no way their school could possibly afford to go to the theatre. They would have to hire a bus which would cost a fortune and there is no way they could do it or that a lot of money would have to be raised, which would be punitive. They were all very strongly of the view that they would be able to engage far better with their education if there was more of that kind of thing – interactive field trips that made real the stuff in the books.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta.
I just think we should listen when school students speak because they were passionate about education but they just felt the current system was not fit for purpose.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta.
We need to listen to the school students about what they think is necessary to make it work for them.
I wish to raise special education. I acknowledge the good work that has been done in Cork in the last couple of years, during the lifetime of this Government. To be parochial, I point to the provision of a new special school in Carrigaline and the identification of a site for a new special school in Glanmire, not to mention the refurbishment of St. Gabriel's Special School, which will be officially opened on 1 March. There is plenty of positive news in terms of the allocation of school places for kids with special needs.
To be fair, the Minister, Deputy Foley, has made progress on the provision of ASD classes but this is one area where I think we are still lacking. We face the scenario whereby in some cases kids are travelling for between 30 minutes and an hour to all corners of the county due to the lack of ASD classes in their local communities. We are letting down kids with special needs. We are letting down kids who are neurodiverse in terms of the ASD provision. While things are improving, they are not improving quickly enough. The focus for the forthcoming period needs to be on the escalation in the number of places provided to those kids locally.
I will follow on from Deputy O'Sullivan's questions. I welcome the provision of two special schools in Glanmire and Carrigaline but there is a chronic need for special schools throughout County Cork. I was approached yesterday morning by a board of management that intended to seek the provision of a special school.
At the moment we have a massive challenge in terms of kids coming out of primary school. We also have kids with additional needs and complex medical needs who have nowhere to turn. They are faced with commutes in excess of an hour or an hour and a half. In cases I have been dealing with, parents have said to me that they are willing to do that if they think they can get a place for their kid. The Cabinet subcommittee, the entire Government and this House should be looking at how we can address those chronic shortages in the short term, in addition to the long-term planning that is needed. In view of the data and information that are coming through the school services, the need will become more acute in the future. I would welcome a response specifically about individual kids who face having no educational facility in September 2024. This is a chronic crisis and I ask that the issue would be prioritised because we will be judged on how we look after kids with additional needs.
While I welcome the significant work that has been done in the special educational needs area and the allocation of a dedicated Minister of State to hold the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, and the Department to account, the distribution of special education teachers is a critical matter that has come up in recent days in many rural schools. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of discussing Clogher National School outside Castlebar with its principal and one of the parents. The school has experienced nearly 100% growth in enrolment over the past six years. The school has two special needs assistants, SNAs, to support children and it is facing a reduction in its special education teacher, SET, allocation from 20 hours to 17.5 hours. That might seem insignificant but to them it is hugely important. This is particularly alarming given the diverse needs of the students, including a child with Down's syndrome, multiple children with autism and two children with significant speech and language delays.
Similarly, Meelick National School also contacted me, which employs one full-time SET, and shares the role with different schools. The real concern here is the rationale for the removal of complex needs in the context of the allocation of additional resources for schools. It is a real concern, which has been highlighted by AsIAm and Inclusion Ireland and it is causing significant problems for school principals and boards of management.
I thank the Deputy.
I ask that we would revisit the issue with the National Council for Special Education and streamline the review process to ensure there is consistency across the board.
Adult education tutors in education and training boards from across the State will protest outside the Dáil at lunchtime tomorrow. They want to know why the Government is making an offer that falls short of equality with other post-primary teachers. Why is the Government not offering equal pay for work of equal value? Teachers in this country progress up the pay scale based on years of service. Why is the Government offering the adult education tutors progress up the pay scale based on number of hours worked? Why is it defending or promoting a two-tier system?
James O'Keeffe of the adult education tutors organisation says that their employers consider them qualified to stand in front of classes and teach. They are doing the same work as others in the post-primary area who are better paid and they want parity with their permanent colleagues. I put it to the Taoiseach - is that not a fair demand?
I know schools in Carlow that have been told they are getting new builds. A commitment has also been given to one school in Castletroy, Limerick, which my own grandson attends, but there has been no further word on that. My concern is that while we have done a lot with schools and building, we cannot get any communication from the Department on delivery, timescale or if there is a priority list and who is on it. Lack of information is my big concern. Schools are told that they are getting a new build and then cost factors arise. The longer the schools are left before they are built, the greater the extra costs involved in the build. This issue really needs to be addressed.
Parents come to me, as we spoke about earlier, about ASD classes. In County Carlow, families travel an hour to get their child into a school because the buildings are not there. Yet, schools are told to accommodate children with special needs but there is no urgency in building. Schools tell me they will go with it and when they go back to the Department, it is like a ticking-box and there are about 100 papers to be ticked and then the Department looks for further information. There seem to be huge issues. While I know we have done a lot of work, I am aware of a particular school in County Carlow that is using a PE hall as a classroom. That is unacceptable. Other schools have come to me that do not have a proper playground area because they had to build on it. There are many issues. The longer it goes on, the harder it is to get answers - that is becoming the biggest issue.
There are huge issues with special education teacher allocations and the new scheme. We have all been approached by teachers who got the circular. This was first brought to my attention by Fiona Mhic Chonchoille from Scoil Naomh Lorcan in Omeath. She put it very well:
The new SET model that is coming into play from September 2024 is not supporting children with additional needs. The new model is based on academic results and does not take into account any other needs. The Department will say it is up to the principal to give out SET hours but they do not have enough hours allocated so they either help the children with special or additional needs or they just help those children below the tenth percentile with maths and English. The new model has not enough hours allocated for both. These concerns are widespread among schools in Ireland.
Bay Estate national school, the primary school in the estate I am from, was in the House today. Its representatives also brought up the issue that it initially thought it might lose two special education teachers. It might be able to pull it back to one. This will not work for everyone. The whole point is that we need to deal with a more diverse school setting than before. We need to make sure we put the resources where they are required. We know the issues we have had in not delivering for those with disabilities before.
I live in a constituency that has a rapidly expanding population way ahead of what was anticipated even in the recent past. There are a number of schools about which parents are concerned. I am going to one of those meetings tonight in Prosperous. Parents are concerned about the schedule for the provision of a new post-primary school, the provision of school transport associated with the catchment area and the provision of primary and post-primary schools in accordance with the expanding population to meet its needs. There is the added problem of the needs of children who require special needs accommodation, teaching facilities, teachers and assistants. That causes a worry for parents, all of whom are working under pressure and facing cost-of-living increases. They are concerned that next September might cause a problem for them based on the information available so far, which nobody seems to be able to grasp the answers to. Will the Taoiseach join the Minister for Education and assist in every way possible to ensure the provisions urgently required are met in time for the coming school year?
I thank Deputies for their questions and contributions. I think we can all agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett that the quality of school buildings varies hugely. I have the privilege from time to time of opening new schools. I am really impressed with the quality of building and facilities but that reminds me how much we need to do to bring the older ones up to standard. Some of our schools are very old indeed. The budget for school building is now more than €1 billion a year. It has increased dramatically but it is clear we will need to increase it some more given rising building costs in particular. I know the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, and the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, are working on that at the moment. I agree with Deputy Boyd Barrett on the benefits of additional field trips by students.
Deputy O'Sullivan mentioned a number of school projects in County Cork and specifically brought our attention to ASD provision and the need to do more of that, with which I firmly agree. Both Deputies Moynihan and O'Sullivan mentioned the new special schools in Glamire and Carrigaline. There is a relatively new one in my constituency, Danu Community Special School. The Government's preference is still very much for mainstreaming but special schools are needed in certain circumstances. Home tuition is also an option in other circumstances. I agree that we need to prioritise the whole issue of special needs and having a dedicated Minister with a dedicated budget was a good innovation on behalf of this Government, which I hope will continue into the next one.
Deputy Dillon raised the issue of special education teacher allocations. I am advised that schools were advised of their allocations on 6 February. There will be 14,600 special education teachers in the forthcoming school year. That is an increase of 1,000 on 2021 and the highest number ever of special education teachers. The allocation model has been in place since 2017. I am told a limited change was made to the method following consultation with unions, management bodies and schools to hear their views on the strengths and shortcomings of the allocation model. It distributes the total available number of posts in line with the school's profile. Of all schools, 67% saw their allocation increase or retained their previous allocation. Of those who saw a decrease, in almost all cases, it was five hours or less. I appreciate that nobody will welcome or want a decrease for the kids attending their school.
Deputy Barry raised the industrial relations dispute regarding tutors. This is an industrial relations dispute. I am sure it will be resolved - they always are - if not by negotiation, there is always the option of a referral to the WRC or Labour Court where all arguments can be heard and it can make a recommendation.
Deputy Durkan raised the issue of school places in County Kildare, an area that has seen a huge increase in population in recent years. I am advised that in County Kildare, there are 3,500 junior infant pupils and that 4,000 first enrol every year. Enrolment pressures can be driven in some cases by duplication of applications, applications from outside the area and parental or student choice. In the majority of areas, including across most of County Kildare, there are sufficient places available to meet the needs of children in the area. The Government has invested more than €250 million in new school infrastructure in County Kildare. While some applicants may not have received an offer of a school place yet for 2024-25, families can be assured that all children in an area who require a school place will be provided with one. The Government and the Minister are happy to give the assurance to the Deputy that will be the case. We are working with schools and patrons to ensure there are sufficient places available and that everyone has a place for September next year.