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Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Schools told they cannot spent €9m phone pouch budget on other education needs
Secondary schools have been told by the Department of Education that funding for controversial smartphone pouches and other forms of phone storage must not be used for any other education needs. A €9 million plan to provide smartphone pouches to second-level schools, announced in last October's budget, sparked controversy at the time, with Opposition parties labelling the initiative 'wasteful' and 'unnecessary'. From today, all non-fee charging second-level schools can apply for up to €25 per student to purchase secure storage solutions for mobile phones during the school day, such as pouches or lock boxes. Any unused money must be ring-fenced in school accounts to fund replacement equipment in future and may not be used for other purposes. Records of expenditure must be maintained and available for audit, if required. READ MORE Paul Crone, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputies , said school leaders would prefer if this level of funding was made available for more pressing educational needs. 'I'm aware that schools who have pouches are very happy with them, but a simple ban doesn't take into account the different contexts and needs for schools, and this money would be better spent elsewhere,' he said. The move is part of a wider drive to restrict the use of mobile phones during the school day and tackle concerns over student wellbeing, distraction during class time, cyberbullying and decreased social interaction at break times. [ Smartphone bans in isolation fail to equip children for healthy use of tech, say experts Opens in new window ] In updated guidance issued to schools, Minister for Education Helen McEntee has confirmed that post-primary schools must implement a policy to restrict mobile phone use during the school day. 'First and foremost, this policy is about ensuring that our schools are phone-free learning environments. Students should not be on their phones during the school day; this guidance and support will ensure all schools have the supports they need to achieve this, having regard to their own requirements,' she said. 'Having engaged with many different school communities across the country, I am confident that this policy will support student wellbeing, engagement and their interaction with their peers, while also recognising the experience and expertise of school communities and the need for consultation.' Latest research , however, indicates that banning phones in schools is not linked to pupils getting higher grades or having better mental health. Academics say a more comprehensive approach to reducing overall phone and social media use in adolescents needs to be explored, addressing both in-school and out-of-school use. Social Democrats education spokeswoman Jen Cummins said the reality for schools is that many are so cash-strapped that they are 'struggling to keep the lights on'. 'A new survey has revealed that a record number have had to apply to the department for emergency funding,' she said. 'In that context, it is completely tone deaf for the Government to insist that €9 million should go on phone storage." Ms McEntee, meanwhile, said schools, in consultation with parents, students and others, will be asked to develop their own policies on how to implement their bans on phones Schools have been told to adopt a consistent approach for the full school day, with limited exemptions allowed for medical or compassionate grounds.
Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
What are the planned changes to Ireland's rental market and how will they affect tenants?
Huge changes to Ireland's rental market beckon under Government reforms aimed at boosting private investment to build more housing – while at the same time strengthening tenant protections. Opposition parties have attacked the plans saying rents will continue to increase. The Government ultimately hopes if more investors can be attracted to deliver more homes, rents will fall in years to come. So what are the changes and what do they mean for current and future renters? Q: What did the Government announce? A: There is to be a new system of rent controls to cover the entire country, including the almost one-fifth of renters who live outside the existing Rent Pressure Zones (RPZ). Under the new national rent control system – to fully kick in from March 2026 – rent increases for tenancies would be capped in most cases by inflation or a maximum cap of 2 per cent similar to the current RPZ system. There is an exception. Rent control for new apartment blocks would be tied to inflation even when this exceeds 2 per cent as part of efforts to encourage their construction. Q: What new protections will be in place for renters? A: There will be the ending of 'no-fault evictions' for tenants whose landlords own four or more properties. Smaller landlords will still be able to evict tenants in limited circumstances like a close family member needing the property or if they are in financial difficulty. The Government says that legislation to bring the changes in will also further enhance the current provision of tenancies of unlimited duration with the introduction of rolling tenancies of a minimum of six years. After March next year landlords will be allowed to reset rent to the market rate unless a no-fault eviction occurs when a new tenant moves in or after six years. It will remain prohibited to set a rent above market rent. Q: So what does this mean for current renters? Will their landlord be able to reset rent while they live in the property? A: No. According to the Department of Housing 'resetting rules will not apply to existing tenancies'. So the current rules will still be in force indefinitely provided the current tenant does not leave the property. In the case of people living in RPZs that means annual increases capped at up to 2 per cent. READ MORE Q: What about tenants living outside current RPZs? A: There is currently no such cap for people living outside RPZs where the rule is that landlords cannot charge more than the market rate of rent. However, the Government intends to bring forward legislation within weeks to ensure renters living outside RPZs will be covered by the same protections before next March. Q. Is there a risk of landlords rushing through price hikes before the legislation is introduced? Yes, in some cases. Rents outside RPZs can be reviewed every two years and landlords are allowed to use them to increase rent to the market rate. Some tenants may face a rent review if the two-year anniversary, since the rent was last reviewed, falls before the necessary legislation to extend RPZs is passed. [ Opinion: This is a housing strategy written by Flann O'Brien Opens in new window ] Q: How does this affect students and others who live in rental properties for shorter periods? A: Sinn Féin has raised concern that students will be impacted by rent increases as they seek accommodation limited to the duration of a college year starting each September. The fear is landlords will hike the prices by using the reset option every year once the student leaves and the property becomes vacant the following summer. The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) has separately raised concern that the changes could affect trainee doctors who are required to frequently relocate throughout their training. The IHCA 'believes the proposal to allow landlords to reset rents at market price for new leases could have the unintended consequence of making accommodation even more inaccessible for frontline medical staff'. On these issues the Department of Housing said that current RPZ restrictions apply to student accommodation and it is 'the intention to continue restricting rent increases in the [student specific accommodation] sector.' It said Minister for Housing James Browne is 'actively engaging' with colleagues 'as part of the drafting of legislation on the tailored arrangements to apply to Student Specific Accommodation'. Q: So when will housing supply ramp up as a result of the reforms, and when will rents start to fall? A: Minister for Housing James Browne says the reforms are among a series of measures he is bringing in as part of efforts to increase housing supply in the coming years. But he could not say when there will be a decrease in the current sky-high levels of rent. 'I expect rents to fall over time. What that particular length of time is I wouldn't be able to predict,' he said on Tuesday.
Irish Times
09-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Opposition tables second motion to ban Central Bank role in approving Israeli bonds
Members of the main Opposition parties have combined for a second time to put pressure on the State to stop facilitating the sale of Israeli bonds through the Central Bank . A fortnight after the defeat in the Dáil of a Sinn Féin Bill to prevent the Central Bank's role in approving Israeli bonds for sale in the European Union , the Social Democrats have tabled a private members' motion calling for the exact same measures. The Central Bank of Ireland has a role in approving documents on bonds issued by the Israeli government, which have been described as 'war bonds' by the Opposition. The Bill would have prevented the Irish Central Bank from approving the prospectus that allows Israel to trade its bonds in the European Union. Israel traditionally had its European bond prospectuses rubber-stamped in the UK, but turned to the Central Bank for authorisations after Brexit. READ MORE Sinéad Gibney of the Social Democrats said the Government had insisted the State is not selling the bonds. She argued the fact remained that Ireland was 'facilitating' the sale of bonds within Europe. 'Countries sell these bonds to raise money, and in the case of Israel, that money is being spent on bullets and on weapons to kill people, and that's why we have to stop it,' she said. Ms Gibney, Seán Crowe of Sinn Féin, Duncan Smith of Labour and Paul Murphy of People Before Profit all spoke against the bonds at a joint media conference by the four main Opposition parties on Monday, and argued that by facilitating their sale, Ireland became complicit in the Israeli war effort. They said the Central Bank should have no role in approving the prospectus that allows Israel to trade its bonds in the European Union. 'What's happening is these bonds are basically going toward blood money,' said Mr Crowe. 'It's buying the bullets, it's buying the ammunition.' [ 'Repulsive'; 'obscene'; 'genocide': Dáil voices rise in unison over Israel's slaughter in Gaza Opens in new window ] He added: 'Is there anyone in Ireland comfortable with the fact that we're facilitating this blood money coming into our country and being spent on weapons that are killing men, women and children?' Mr Murphy said that in the past day Israel had seized a boat carrying humanitarian aid from international waters and 'kidnapped' activists, including Greta Thunberg . He said the argument of the Government 'boiled down to the fact that if they don't authorise the bonds, someone else in Europe will authorise the bonds, and they'll be able to be to be sold. 'We do not accept that we should be assisting in the sale of Israeli bonds used for genocide at all,' he said. Mr Smith said that Ireland may be doing more than other European countries but the bar was so low, it was nowhere near enough. 'This motion could send a clear signal that Irish people do not stand for the selling of Israeli war bonds. We are asking for the Government to legislate, on an emergency basis, for the Central Bank to ban those sales.' [ Harris praises Madleen volunteers for highlighting 'urgent need for humanitarian aid' to reach Gaza Opens in new window ] Ms Gibney said the Government had a very clear mandate of support for Palestine from the population. 'Other Member States have much more divided populations, much more gritty things to deal with in terms of getting people on board. The Irish Government has the mandate of the Irish people, and they should be leaders on this. And it is simply not good enough to say, 'if we don't do it, somebody else will', because that is the absolute definition of complicity. If we stand up and stop this, other countries will follow suit.' Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said during the Dáil debate at the end of May that the Sinn Féin legislation was 'unworkable' and inconsistent with EU law.
CBC
30-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Breaking down the Ford government's controversial Bill 5
The Ford government has been receiving criticism from Ontario's opposition parties, as well as environmental and Indigenous leaders on their controversial Bill 5. CBC's Mike Crawley breaks down what you need to know about the legislation.
Irish Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the latest moves on housing: recognise there are no quick fixes
It comes as no surprise that the Economic and Social Research Institute is predicting that the number of home completions this year will rise only modestly to 34,000, from just over 30,300 last year. The Minister for Housing, James Browne, was forced to concede yesterday that reaching the target of 41,000 for this year would be very challenging. And to meet the Government target of 303,000 houses between 2025 and 2030, further sharp increases would be needed in subsequent years. The Government will be all too aware of the 'Groundhog Day' nature of the housing debate , with targets consistently being missed. The Opposition parties are trying to take advantage by organising a day of protest next month – it remains to be seen what proposals they will put forward. The Government is exposed here because of the failure of the previous administration and the denial of reality in the general election campaign, when outgoing ministers insisted that close to 40,000 homes would be built last year. In addressing all this, the Government needs to accept that there are no quick fixes. Tinkering around with policy is at best pointless and at worst counter-productive. Longer-term solutions are the ones that count and the Government needs to get on with these if it is to see any meaningful results during its term. READ MORE In this context, the move by the housing minister to extend the terms for which planning permissions apply in some cases seems sensible. At the moment developers can 'time out' if hit with lengthy judicial review proceedings and have to reapply. Offering planning permissions extensions in some cases should help in terms of encouraging development and could be particularly helpful for apartment projects. It will provide some more certainty in the process. Opposition complaints that it will encourage land hoarding need to be taken into account. The Residential Zoned Land Tax, due to encourage landowners to develop housing on land zoned for this purpose, is finally being introduced, even if it may need to be better focused to achieve the desired result. Both carrot and stick, in other words, are needed. Penalties, as well as incentives, need to be kept under review. There are other problems in planning and viability which also need to be addressed, as well as the contentious issue of rent pressure zones. In tackling these, the Government needs to continue to build certainty for developers, as well as protecting renters and giving hope to potential buyers. It is not an easy balance to strike. State intervention, through a host of routes, is already enormous, but if the core issues of planning, utility provision and viability are not solved, then spending will not achieve the desired results. The Government will not want to go back to basics, but really it has no choice.
