It is my pleasure to welcome our colleague and friend, the Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Niall Collins, to the House for the discussion.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Rural Schemes
I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for taking this Commencement matter. The Minister of State will be fully aware of the rural social scheme, commonly know as RSS. This scheme is aimed at low-income farmers and fishers. To quality for the RSS, people must be in receipt of a social welfare payment. In return, those participating in the scheme provide services that benefit rural communities. These services are critically important. The areas covered under the schemes are: maintaining and enhancing various walkway routes; energy and conservation work for older people and those at risk of poverty; village and countryside enhancement projects; social care and care for older people projects; community care for preschool and after-school groups; environmental maintenance work; caretaking in community and local sports facilities; and other projects related to cultural and heritage centres. This is an extensive array of arrangements that are needed in communities. They are not just add-ons but critically important functions that do not necessarily require full-time work. Carried out under the rural social scheme, they are worthy of support. The Department is fully aware of the projects under the scheme and they are constantly monitored.
At a local level, the RSS is managed by implementation bodies such as the local development companies, Údarás na Gaeltachta and others. I understand the scheme is soon to be reviewed. The Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Deputy Joe O'Brien, issued a statement that the scheme was under consideration and review. That is important and we need to address how we will review it. There are also areas in which to expand the rural social scheme, for example, biodiversity projects and other projects that are critical in our communities.
The aim here is to extend the scheme to farmers and fishers on the financial margins in order that they can supplement their incomes by doing important and beneficial work in this communities and to acknowledge and formalise that. Participation is voluntary, although a contribution or payment is given, and can be monitored in the best interests of all. I see enormous benefits in extending the scheme and the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, will also see the scheme's benefits and importance. Will he comment on what the review involves, its timescale and if it is intended to extend the scheme?
I acknowledge the excellent work on the rural social scheme and the contribution this scheme and its participants make to rural communities throughout the country. Currently, there are 2,873 participants and 133 supervisors employed on the scheme. The Department of Social Protection runs the scheme which has a total budget of €51.9 million in 2022. The scheme is delivered through a network of 36 local development companies and Údarás na Gaeltachta.
RSS projects deliver a range of services which are vital to the social and economic well-being of many rural areas. Services include the development, regeneration and enhancement of community spaces, environmental maintenance, early years and after-school supports, recycling and repair of equipment, and the staffing of cultural and heritage centres. Many of these have a social inclusion dimension.
The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Humphreys, and the Minister for State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, have been hugely impressed by the range and value of the work undertaken on RSS projects, some of which they have had the opportunity to visit and witness at first-hand. Over the past year, the Minister and Minister of State announced reforms to the RSS to support recruitment and retention of staff by removing the six-year time limit on the scheme. This means all participants can now stay on the RSS until they reach the pension age. These changes benefit up to 1,400 participants.
The Department of Social Protection has recently reviewed the means assessment disregards for farm assist, the main qualifying payment for the rural social scheme.
As part of the review process, the range of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for income disregards to qualify for the farm assist payment has been greatly expanded. These measures were implemented in June 2022 and should increase the number of people who may qualify for farm assist payments and, by extension, can take up a place on a rural social scheme. Recent positive employment trends in reducing numbers claiming farm assist payments have had a direct effect on the number of people interested and eligible to participate in the rural social scheme. This is why there are still some vacancies on schemes even with the important reforms introduced by the Government this year.
The Department will undertake a review of the scheme. The review will begin before the end of this year and cover all aspects of the scheme including its social dimension. It will be overseen by a steering group which will have a wide representation including representatives of the schemes. It is hoped the first meeting of the steering group will be held this year. This review will cover issues such as: the sustainability of services delivered by the scheme; the role the programme can play in changing our society; and potential for the scheme to deal with issues such as climate change and biodiversity. It further demonstrates the support of the Government for the scheme.
I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive response. I am pleased with it. As he correctly stated, it demonstrates the Government's commitment to keeping the rural social scheme in place. It has an important function. I acknowledge the budgetary measures of the increase in the payment under the scheme. It is to be welcomed and is significant. That also demonstrates the Government's commitment to the rural social scheme. I know from speaking to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, that she is supportive of it. Like most people who know and understand her, I see she is keen to get out on the ground and meet the people who are directly involved and tell them of her support for the scheme. That is important and it should be acknowledged and admired.
I thank Senator Boyhan again for raising the matter. I reassure the Senator that the Ministers place huge emphasis on the importance of employment schemes, especially, for rural areas, the rural social scheme. As I stated earlier, they have visited rural social schemes in recent months and are fully aware of the important work they do in the community. They have seen first-hand the great work that is being carried out, offering services to vulnerable members of our communities, keeping our towns and villages looking well, and protecting our environment.
The removal of the six-year rule is making an important difference to the operation of the rural social scheme by supporting schemes to ensure they retain experienced participants to deliver services. This change addresses an issue that was frequently raised on visits to projects and provides security to the participants who need it most and who might otherwise have had to leave the scheme in the coming years. As I stated earlier, the review of the scheme will commence shortly and will be inclusive and wide-ranging in nature to ensure all relevant views are included.
I reiterate that the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, are fully committed to the future of the rural social scheme and will continue to support and improve it for the benefit of participants, given the valuable contribution being made to local communities through the provision of services in rural areas.
We look forward to the outcome of the review in due course.
I thank Senator Boyhan for raising that critical issue for rural Ireland.
It is my great pleasure to welcome the teachers and pupils from St. Finian’s Community College in Swords. Is it a primary school? No, I apologise, it is of course a secondary school. Forgive me. There is a glass panel between us. They are all very welcome and it is great to have them in the Houses of democracy observing what we do. I hope they will be impressed by some of it and perhaps it will inspire one or two of them to consider coming here in later life.
They heard the Minister responding to a matter raised by Senator Boyhan. They will now hear an educational matter being raised by Senator Ahearn. This is the stage of the day when we address issues raised by individual Senators. Later we will have another opportunity for Senators to speak about the issues of the day. I think the pupils will no longer be here for that session as it is an hour away, but it is great to have them in the House.
I call Senator Ahearn to present his Commencement matter.
School Accommodation
I also welcome the class from Swords. A day will come as the teachers know, when it will be a compliment rather than an insult to be classed as younger than you are. In time, they will see that as a big compliment.
I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and thank him for taking the matter. I hoped the Minister, Deputy Foley, would be able to take it but obviously she is busy. It is a busy time.
I know she is aware of this school in Tipperary and I hope she will do what she can in her remit to support it. I would be grateful if the Minister of State relays some of the points I make today back to her. He is from a similar constituency to Tipperary and will understand the importance of small rural schools and the role they play not only in the village but for families across the county.
Golden National School is one of those small schools in rural Ireland. Slightly fewer than 100 children attend it. It is a four-teacher school and the principal is Mr. James McCarthy who was a pupil back in the day and is now principal. The chairperson of the board of management is Mr. Michael Ormond. They have a challenge in modernising the school.
The school was built in the 1930s and an extension was added in the 1980s but essentially nothing has been done since then. If the Minister of State were to travel across the country to see all of the local primary schools in small villages, he would be hard pressed to find one in as much need of an upgrade as Golden National School. I was there a number of weeks ago with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. My colleagues, Councillors Michael Fitzgerald and Declan Burgess, were there and, as it is his home town, the former Minister, Mr. Tom Hayes, was present.
We visited the school to raise a flag but also to look at an application the school is making for additional accommodation for classrooms and an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, classroom. The school is fortunate to have a lot of space to build on but the problem is that applications were made before and they were refused. At the moment, two classrooms are outside the school grounds in the local community hall. The two classrooms house third and fourth class; and fifth and sixth class. This means that four of the classes are not even on the grounds of Golden National School. It has also had issues with electricity, fire requirements and health and safety requirements. This is a place in drastic need of an upgrade. The school put forward an application for additional accommodation before and it was refused on a technicality. We have a situation where third, fourth, fifth and sixth classes are not even on the school grounds because we do not have classrooms for them. We need to prioritise places like this that have not had any upgrade over the past few decades.
The Minister of State will have seen in the past few years that this Government has invested hugely in education. The Minister knows and the Minister of State will know from higher education, that we have invested heavily in education. As a Government we prioritise it. This school has applied for two additional classrooms and an ASD unit. It is not excessive by any stretch of the imagination. We are building a school in my home town of Cahir. It is a redevelopment of a girls' and a boys' school. It is a massive school. A lot of money was put into it and that is welcome, but the Golden school is just as important as all of the others and it needs investment to be able to go forward. It is a school that is progressing. It expects more pupils to join in the next few years because businesses are employing more people in the area and the staff want to send their children to Golden National School. They need this accommodation to be able to take them. It is not ideal for parents who are sending their children to school to find out that four of the classes are in the community hall next door.
I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline the current position in respect of the accommodation needs of Golden National School, County Tipperary, and the Government's firm commitment to enabling students with special education needs to receive an education appropriate to those needs.
Golden National School is a co-educational national school which caters for pupils from junior infants to sixth class. The school had an enrolment of 94 pupils in 2021 and has a mainstream staffing complement of three mainstream teachers for the current academic year. In addition, the school has one special education support teaching post.
The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has a statutory function to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, in consultation with the relevant education partners and the HSE. This includes the establishment of special classes and special school placements in various geographical areas where there is an identified need. When the NCSE sanctions a special class in a school at primary or post-primary level, school authorities can apply to the Department of Education for capital funding to reconfigure an existing space or spaces within the school building to accommodate the class or to construct additional accommodation under the Department's additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme, or both. Recognising some of the difficulties experienced by parents in securing appropriate school placements, since 2020 the Department and the NCSE have been working closely on a more streamlined and joined-up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school year. This intensive intervention has seen 393 new special classes opened nationwide for the 2022-23 school year, bringing the total number of special classes to 2,545.
There are currently three special classes established in the Cashel school planning area, with two in Thomastown National School and one in St. John the Baptist school. In addition, there are two special schools, namely, Scoil Chormaic Special School and Scoil Aonghusa. The NCSE is aware that there is demand for further provision and is grateful to schools that have responded positively to the needs of children in their communities. The NCSE, through its network of special educational needs organisers, SENOs, is currently identifying areas of priority in the area. The Department is liaising with the NCSE on this matter and the need for a special class to be established in Golden National School.
Golden National School submitted an ASA application in October 2022 requesting funding for two special classes. Supplementary information was requested from the school by officials in the Department in respect of the school's engagement with the NCSE and special class requirements in the area. Once this information is received, the Department will be in a position to fully assess the accommodation needs of Golden National School. The Department is also liaising with the NCSE on the matter.
The Senator will be aware of the significant schools building programme that is currently under way, including projects for the provision of special class accommodation. Overall, there are in excess of 1,300 school building projects at various stages of design, planning and construction. The current status of approved projects and projects already completed under the schools building programme is listed on a county-by-county basis on the Department's website and that list is regularly updated.
I thank the Minister of State for his detailed response. He is correct. As I stated, significant funding has been allocated to school building across the country. In that regard, County Tipperary has been no different from the Minister of State's own county of Limerick, or anywhere else. He is correct that in the area there are two special schools - Scoil Chormaic Special School and Scoil Aonghusa - and there are ASD units in Thomastown as well, but there is still very high demand and Golden National School has recognised that. Mr. James McCarthy, its principal, has seen that demand and wants to be able to facilitate those kids. As the Minister of State is aware, that is not the case with all schools across the country. When a school is being proactive in trying to build ASD units as part of an ASA application, that should be looked at positively.
He is correct that supplementary information has been requested by the Department. A change of the school's SENO is the reason for the delay but the information will be submitted quickly. The main point from the principal and the board of management is that half of the school's pupils are not even located on the grounds of the school. I do not know how long one would have to review the case to realise that if third, fourth, fifth and sixth classes are not even on the grounds of the school, it needs further accommodation.
I thank the Senator for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to reassure the House that the Department of Education is committed to ensuring that children can access an education suitable to their needs. Planning is actively under way to ensure that children without a placement for next year are provided with a suitable placement. The NCSE is leading the work in this regard.
This year, the Department of Education will invest in excess of €2 billion, or 25% of the Department's budget, in the area of special educational needs. As a result, the numbers of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels. Since 2011, the number of special classes in mainstream schools has increased from 548 to the current total of 2,545 for the 2022-23 school year.
I reassure the Senator that the Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing education. In this regard, I assure the Senator that the application for capital funding for Golden National School will be assessed when the NCSE has confirmed to the Department the special needs requirements for this area. The school authorities will then be notified of the decision directly.
Foreign Policy
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I appreciate that he is taking this matter on behalf of the Department of Foreign Affairs. When he was Fianna Fáil spokesperson on foreign affairs, he very much upheld a strong tradition of speaking about the importance of human rights. In our relationship with any country, and indeed in our engagement with multilateral organisations, human rights should be at the core. I welcome recent statements in that regard, including that of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, in an interview with Finbarr Bermingham published in the South China Morning Post. In the interview, he stated that Ireland will soon be implementing EU foreign direct investment screening tools to protect critical assets. That is essential, particularly in light of the approach of the Chinese Communist Party and its deployment of technologies, including in certain aspects of cyberwarfare in which it has engaged. The Minister of State will be aware that the Minister had to intervene to ensure the closure of an illegal Chinese police station here in Dublin.
We are seeing more evidence of an increasingly authoritarian Chinese Communist Party and its abuses need to be called out. We are very much aware of the Uyghur genocide and the continuing sabre rattling against Taiwan. The Minister of State may have seen an interview published in the Business Post on Sunday with Caoilfhionn Gallagher, a Dublin-born barrister and friend of mine who is representing Jimmy Lai and a number of pro-democracy activists and those who defend freedom of the press in Hong Kong. They have faced threats and been told it is not safe for them to travel to Hong Kong. Jimmy Lai is currently in prison, serving a 13-month sentence simply for attending a protest on the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
China is not a normal country. The rules applied to its citizens by the Chinese Communist Party are seriously questionable. In Tibet, the Chinese Communist Party, which is determined to exterminate Tibetan culture, is now gathering DNA samples from Tibetans, including children. That is not in circumstances where persons are accused or suspected of a crime; it is a routine gathering of DNA. This has been reported on by Human Rights Watch and other civil liberty organisations. I have serious concerns in respect of how China is deploying new technologies. In an era when we are seeing China using artificial intelligence and, in effect, monitoring all its citizens, how it will deploy that to the rest of the world represents a serious concern.
It is essential that we set out clearly Ireland's foreign policy in respect of China. Yes, there is a lot we respect about Chinese history and culture and we want to engage with Chinese people and look at education and trade opportunities but we cannot turn a blind eye to the increasing abuse of human rights by the Chinese Communist Party.
When Lithuania took action, in particular by recognising Taipei, it was targeted by that country. We need to show solidarity with our EU neighbours, as they have shown us during discussions on Brexit and so on.
Ireland has always had a very proud foreign policy tradition of being involved in multilateral organisations and upholding human rights. In our engagement with China we need to set out clearly that those are the principles we wish to continue to follow.
I thank Senator Byrne for raising this important matter. This agenda item is timely following discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council and European Council in October on the EU's strategic engagement with China. Those discussions, attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Simon Coveney, and the Taoiseach, took place against the backdrop of the re-election of President Xi to a third term as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.
Ireland, together with other member states, reaffirmed our support for established EU policies on China. This includes seeking co-operation and partnership with China, where it is possible, in areas such as climate change, global health and regional security issues, including the threat of nuclear activity posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This Government believes it remains important that we engage with China on these issues.
Ireland has welcomed the ongoing focus in the EU on economic resilience and security. Collectively, the EU has agreed to continue a broad range of measures to reduce our vulnerabilities in all aspects, from raw materials supply to countering coercive behaviour and protecting against hybrid threats. The Minister for Foreign Affairs underlined that this approach must go side by side with promoting our values and protecting the international rules-based order.
Foreign affairs ministers also agreed that Ukraine will continue to be a priority in our interactions with China. Ireland and the EU have a clear focus on China's responsibilities in upholding the rules-based multilateral order. Ireland used our recent high-level bilateral contact to impress this message on China.
Senior officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs met their counterparts twice in recent months, and held constructive discussions where our views on Ukraine, reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, in particular, were highlighted. Human rights is a cornerstone of Irish foreign policy. Ireland welcomed publication in August of the assessment on human rights concerns in Xinjiang by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The report found that several human rights abuses in Xinjiang, including the use of forced labour, may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity. This is a serious and significant finding by a leading UN body.
Senior officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs raised the findings of this report with Chinese counterparts on 1 and 22 September. On those occasions, they outlined Ireland's long-held position on the matter, emphasised that the report contains a number of very serious findings and urged China to give serious consideration to the assessment and the recommendations proposed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
As concrete follow-up, Ireland co-sponsored a resolution in October calling for a debate on the situation at the Human Rights Council. There was not a majority in favour of this resolution and we regret we will not have the opportunity to discuss the matter at the next session of the Human Rights Council in March. The council must fulfil its role in promoting respect for human rights for all, without distinction of any kind. Ireland will continue to raise our concerns with the Chinese authorities in our bilateral contacts, through our EU engagement and at the United Nations, through national and joint statements.
I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate some of the concerns are being raised, but frankly I do not feel we are going far enough. Let us imagine, for instance, the outcry if the British Government decided to open a police station on Capel Street. Yet, the Chinese authorities seem to be able to do this. This is part of its extraterritorial reach around the world.
We talk about reports from the United Nations on crimes against humanity, yet we are not taking a strong enough line on what is happening. We must set out very clearly that we need solidarity with our EU partners, and I welcome that critical assets are being protected. At a global level, we need to ensure there are very clear rules in place around ethical behaviour when it comes to the deployment of new technologies. We also need to ensure that Ireland continues to call out the human rights abuses in Xinjiang against the Uyghur people, the people of Tibet and Hong Kong and Falun Dafa, Christian and other minorities. I respect the position of the Minister of State but I do not believe the Government or European Union is taking a strong enough position.
Any relationship with a country as large as China has many strands and our relationship covers political, economic, cultural and people-to-people links. We have never held back from criticising human rights abuses where they have occurred. It is also the case that we seek to ensure Ireland's values and interests are promoted and protected within the bilateral and EU relationships with China. This will continue to be the approach of the Government.
The visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs to China in May 2021 was one of the few in-person high-level political visits from an EU member state to China in the past three years. The Minister raised the issues I outlined in my initial reply. From the recent visit of Chancellor Scholz to China and President Biden's meeting with President Xi this week, we saw that it is possible to discuss China's global responsibilities in the context of dialogue. Alongside this, we will also continue to work with our partners in the EU to reinforce our economic security and resilience, reduce vulnerabilities and protect the rules-based international order.
Regarding what has been described as an overseas police station, we appreciate that there has been considerable interest in this so-called police station. When the issue arose immediate cross-government action was taken to clarify and resolve the matter. On 5 October, the Department of Foreign Affairs informed the Embassy of China that the office on Capel Street should close and cease operations. The Chinese Embassy has stated that the activities of the office have ceased. We are aware of the report of Safeguard Defenders highlighting human rights concerns related to the operation of these offices in other countries. The Government upholds human rights standards for all residents in Ireland and any evidence of violation will be considered by the relevant authorities.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 11.07 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 11.35 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 11.07 a.m. and resumed at 11.35 a.m.