All of Mr Danny Baker’s imported questions, contributions and motions in this mandate, newest first, including those assessed as not flagged, uncertain or not yet analysed.
Thank you. As I say, Committee members worked around the clock, because the Minister took the line that we had to work harder. He has mocked our Committee quite a number of times in the Chamber, particularly about its relationships and sexuality education (RSE) inquiry, on which he did not seem to place any value.
It all boils down to the fact that we were promised the guidelines but never got them. We were told, "You will have them next week or the week after", but we never saw them.
Minister, let me be clear from the outset that, because of how everything has played out, this is your Bill. It is not the Executive's Bill, the Committee's Bill or even the Assembly's Bill. Rather, it is yours and yours alone. From the beginning, you and your officials have not acted in good faith. The Education…
To ask the Minister of Health, given that the drug Skyclarys, used to treat Friedreich's ataxia, is available for use in the EU, whether his Department will consider a joint initiative with the Health Service Executive to deliver the drug.
To ask the Minister of Education to detail whether his Department has (i) costed the expansion of free school meal eligibility for all those with parents in receipt of Universal Credit; and (ii) calculated the number of additional pupils qualifying for free school meals.
To ask the Minister of Education to detail the number of pupils who are no longer eligible for free school meals, as a result of the move to Universal Credit.
To ask the Minister of Justice to outline the rationale as to why in Clause 8 of the Justice Bill, at paragraphs (2) to (4), the courts are required to consider a child’s accommodation needs, in respect of the decision to refuse to release a child on bail under Article 10F, when consideration of a child’s…
To ask the Minister of Justice to outline the rationale as to why Clause 16 of the Justice Bill provides that a child shall not be ordered to be detained in custody for contempt, unless they are over 16 years of age.
To ask the Minister of Justice to outline (i) the rationale as to why Clause 12 of the Justice Bill specifies that the period of detention, specified in a youth custody and supervision order, must not be less than three months or more than one half of the period of the order; and (ii) how these specific time periods…
To ask the Minister of Justice to outline (i) the rationale as to why Clause 12 of the Justice Bill specifies that the period for a youth custody and supervision order must not be less than six months; and (ii) how this specific period of time was chosen.
I welcome the debate today, because it goes to the very heart of what we want for the next generation: opportunity, fairness and a future in which they can thrive — a future for all our young people. When we talk about addressing skills gaps, we are not just talking about statistics or strategies; we are talking about…
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs how he will ensure that local councils are not left with unrecoverable costs in relation to tackling dereliction, given that his Department’s own figures put potential enforcement costs at around £4 million a year.
We need more than words, and we want you to prioritise special educational needs. That is not just about capital: it is about how we treat young people when it comes to placements. You are asking for Executive endorsement for a flagship investment programme. Can we expect a sea change in how collaborative work happens…
I suppose that, the whole way through this, we have been blind because we did not get the guidelines. I completely understand why the Minister had a good weekend and something to be cheerful about, because, when the Marshalled List came through on Friday afternoon, all the hard work that we had done in the Committee…
Thank you to the Member for giving way. Will he not share my frustration and disappointment that the majority of the amendments put forward by the Committee have not made it today for debate? Will he not question why, given that they are well within the scope of the Bill yet are not there?
Minister, you referenced the RAISE programme in your statement: it has been flawed from the outset. Why did you reference that in relation to TransformED, when it was initially meant to be a two-year programme? Has further funding been made available by the Dublin Government?
It is really sad that we are here again today to talk about the failures in special educational needs that our children face daily. I cannot describe how angry and frustrated I was before recess that we could not get the Minister to come to the Chamber to talk about the plans for families who had not been placed at…
I stand here to be a voice for children with special educational needs, who continue to be left behind. Before the recess, I tried everything that I could to have the Minister of Education come to the House and communicate to families his plan for children who did not have placements. Before we went into the recess,…
Special Educational Needs Places To ask the Minister of Education, in light of the Education Authority stating there is a significant risk that 164 children with Special Educational Needs may not have a school place in September 2025, to provide an update on the school placement process for children with Special…
To ask the Minister of Education to detail any steps he is taking to ensure that the school placements offered to children and young people with special educational needs are (i) appropriate and (ii) timely.