Michael McNamara TD response to Budget 2024
My response to Budget 2024 with a particular focus on agriculture, childcare, disability and education.
My response to Budget 2024 with a particular focus on agriculture, childcare, disability and education.
The need to develop a fully independent second level Gaelcholáiste in County Clare has been raised in the Dáil by Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara.
Read MoreNí léir go dtuigeann an tAire agus an Roinn Oideachais an méid oibre atá ar siúl in Inis chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn agus a chothú agus an tábhacht a bhaineann le Gaelcholáiste an Chláir neamspleách ina leith.
Autism supports to children and adolescents exist in theory but when parents in Clare seek them for their children, they encounter a wall of bureaucracy and no supports.
Despite lip service to the importance of science in the Dáil last night, poor funding of PhD students in Ireland continues.
Education Minister Norma Foley has said she will examine a situation whereby secondary school students in parts of Northeast Clare have missed out on securing public school transport for the current academic year.
Read MoreThe Department of Education’s approval of the provision of a preschool at Clooney National School has been welcomed by Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara.
Read More8,208 apprentices, including 5,720 undertaking electrical, plumbing, carpentry and stone/brick laying apprenticeships, are currently awaiting off-the-job-training. This backlog needs to be cleared for their sake and ours.
In the Dáil today, I called for ‘temporary extraordinary measures’ to tackle a backlog in apprenticeships across the country. The Taoiseach said he would be open to seeing ‘what more we can do to accelerate without diluting the quality’.
The Government’s decision not to proceed with the second phase of the Northern Distributor Road lacks strategic vision. The Clare side of the University of Limerick campus needs to be developed for the benefit of the university, Clare, Limerick and the wider region, and sustainable travel links should be central to that development. The Government has sadly neglected these imperatives.
Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara has urged Clare County Council and the University of Limerick (UL) to engage fully and constructively with Limerick City and County Council and other regional interests in their bid to have the university campus in County Clare and its hinterland designated as an Economic Strategic Development Zone (SDZ).
Read MoreBest of luck to the students of 9 Clare schools competing in the 58th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition today.
Read MoreThe Department of Education has spent almost half a million euro on COVID-19 advertising. The same spend would have delivered HEPA filter devices to over 1500 classrooms across Ireland.
Given the urgent need for construction workers to join the workforce, I asked the Taoiseach to ensure that all apprentices would complete their training on schedule despite the considerable delays to date.
Bus Éireann Payment Portal is now open. Payment Deadline Date for 2021/22 School Year is 30 July 2021
Deadline date for payment / submitting medical card details for the 2021/22 school year is Friday, 30 July 2021.
To allow for planning of school transport services for the new school year, that are aligned to public health advice, the Family Portal will close after the payment deadline and will not re-open until 20 August 2021. It will not be possible to submit an application or payment for Primary/Post Primary transport for the new school year during this period.
You may still may make a payment following this date, but you cannot be guaranteed a seat, according to Bus Éireann.
Important Message to Medical Card Holders
Department of Education states: Unfortunately, the medical card verification system used as payment for school transport tickets is currently unavailable due to the cyberattack on the HSE systems. While this issue is outside of our control, we are working with the HSE to find a resolution as soon as possible. Bus Éireann is communicating directly with existing medical card holders in relation to processing their applications, and we have rolled forward their child’s medical card details used successfully for payment last year as payment for their 21/22 school transport ticket, where their child continues to be eligible for transport. For a large number of parents, they will have nothing further to do.
Information note relating to refunds for the unused portion of tickets following closure of schools arising from public health measures relating to Covid-19 restrictions.
Bus Éireann has commenced issuing refunds to families who are due to receive a refund for the unused portion of their ticket for the period of school closures arising from public health measures/Covid-19 restrictions in the 2020/2021 school year. Bus Éireann is managing this refund process on behalf of the Department of Education.
More than 42,000 families who paid fees for school transport relating to the 2020/21 school year are set to receive refunds. Queries should be emailed to [email protected].
Full information is available at https://www.buseireann.ie/SchoolRefunds
School Transport On-Line Application / Tickets
To use School Transport Scheme Services, pupils must be in possession of a valid ticket for travel.
School Transport Applications 2021/2022
Bus Éireann’s on-line application system for school transport is now open for the 2021/22 school year.
The closing date for School Transport Applications is Friday, 30 April, 2021.
How to Apply
Apply on-line now @ www.buseireann.ie\schooltransport
Submitting Statement of Attendance Form during the current Covid-19 Period of Restrictions
Important Information regarding school administration issues during the current public health emergency
Schools administration during the current public health emergency
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The Taoiseach says the Government is considering the introduction of antigen testing to primary and secondary school settings in the autumn.
Leo Varadkar was responding today to a Dáil question by Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara who asked if ventilation would be improved in school buildings over the summer holidays to reduce the spread of Covid in classrooms and to negate the need for classroom windows to be kept open during the autumn and winter months.
Questioning the Tánaiste, Deputy McNamara asked, “Over the course of the summer are we going to introduce ventilation works to schools or are we going to have children returning to schools wearing coats and wearing masks in poorly ventilated buildings and freezing in the middle of an Irish winter with the windows open?”
Deputy McNamara also raised the potential for using stand-alone HEPA (high-efficiency particulate absorbing) filter devices in classroom.
He added that an Expert Group on the Role of Ventilation in Reducing Transmission of COVID-19, set up by the Department of Health, said such devices “maybe useful in reducing airborne transmission in spaces with insufficient ventilation.”
In response, Leo Varadkar said the matter is under consideration by Government.
“We accept that schools will need better ventilation in September and October and the issue of CO2 monitors is part of that,” stated the Tánaiste.
He continued, “We have asked the Expert Group on Antigen Testing to advise us on applying antigen testing both to indoor hospitality and to schools when they reopen in September.”
I asked the Tánaiste if ventilation will be improved in school buildings over the summer holidays.
I sought clarification from the Minister for Education Norma Foley about the text used on the Return to Educational Facility Parental Declaration Form that parents had to sign before their children returned to school.
I asked the Minister for Education if school transport ticket refunds will be issued to parents in light of the school closures.
I asked the Minister for Education if school transport ticket refunds will be issued to parents in light of the school closures.
Glad to receive confirmation that the Government will examine the cost of the online “immersive Gaeltacht course” required by the Teaching Council.
Michael McNamara, Independent TD for Clare, has received confirmation from the Minister for Education that updated guidance has been issued to schools in relation to ventilation practices in the classroom.
Read MoreI spoke on RTÉ Radio’s ‘Late Debate’ programme about the urgent need to address hospital capacity, the Leaving Certificate grade errors and the public reaction to Golfgate.
I asked teachers’ and SNAs’ representatives whether the time away from schools has had a detrimental effect on pupils. This afternoon, I am chairing two further sessions of the COVID Committee and will be putting questions to Education Minister Norma Foley, Inclusion Ireland, National Parents Council Primary and National Parents Council Post Primary.
The Secretary General of the Department of Education, Seán Ó Foghlú has told the Covid-19 Oireachtas Committee that reopening schools as fully, normally and as safely as possible is the Department’s number one priority. The Department hopes to have guidance issued to schools by the end of the month.
Despite schools having opened across much of Europe, there remains more doubt than I would like about what will happen in Ireland in September.
The Clare Crusaders therapy-based clinic in Barefield provides services, without any Government funding, to 450 children with special needs.
Read MoreMichael McNamara, Clare T.D., has received confirmation that the Governing Authority of the University of Limerick (UL) has approved the issuing of refunds for students in rented accommodation at UL.
Read MoreAll Leaving Certificate students should have the same opportunity to advance to the Third Level Education regardless of the school they attended. I am concerned about the proposed method of standardisation of grades in this year’s Leaving Cert. I raised the matter with Education Minister Joe McHugh today.