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IN WHAT IS expected to be the final Cabinet meeting before the general election is called, Minister for Education Norma Foley is set to bring a plan to waive state exam fees next year and reduce school transport scheme fees.
The Minister secured funding as part of the Budget to keep the current reduced school transport scheme fees in place for the forthcoming 2025-2026 school year.
Before the 2023-24 academic year, the annual school transport scheme fees were €100 for primary students and €350 for secondary school students, and the cap was €650 per family.
In 2023, these fees were reduced to €50 for a primary school child and €75 for a child in secondary school. The maximum fee for a family was capped at €125.
These reduced fees are being kept in place for the 2024-2025 school year and will now be also kept in place for the 2025-2026 school year.
According to the Department of Education, this will benefit approximately 120,000 children that pay fees to use the school transport system.
Meanwhile, the waiver of the examination fee of €119 for Leaving Cert students and €109 for Junior Cycle students will benefit approximately 100,000 students expected to be sitting State examinations in 2025.
Both measures will cost the state a combined €70m.
Recognition of Palestine
Meanwhile, Cabinet is also set to approve the establishment of a full embassy and Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, following the recognition of Palestine earlier this year.
At the moment, Palestine is represented in Ireland by the Palestinian Mission, headed by an ‘Ambassador – Head of Mission’.
If Cabinet approve a full embassy today it will mean the diplomatic mission will now benefit from the full range of privileges and immunities applicable under the Vienna Convention.
The current Ambassador – Head of Mission is Dr Jilan Wahba. It is not yet confirmed if Wahba will continue as ambassador, with an announcement expected after Cabinet tomorrow morning.
The Irish Government, alongside Spain and Norway formally recognised the state of Palestine back in May.
Palestine formally notified the Department of Foreign Affairs of its intention to change its representation in Ireland to a resident Embassy under the Vienna Convention last month.
This came after formal diplomatic relations between Ireland and Palestine were established on 29 September, through an exchange of diplomatic notes.
Palestinian has had a delegation in Dublin since 1993, with its status upgraded to “Palestinian Mission” and the title of the Delegate-General to “Ambassador-Head of Mission” in 2011.
Separately, as reported by The Journal at the weekend, Minister Eamon Ryan will seek Cabinet approval for significant new powers to allow secret flash raids of US aircraft suspected of carrying weapons or parts that could be used in wars like the Israeli assault on Gaza.
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Ffg and thier election bull has no ends
There is no end to what this government will do to try win votes. I hope people can see through this and vote these guys out for ever. These guys can only have their own greedy interests at hand. Remember the little kids in hospital with terrible pain from scoliosis and the money that was squandered on the bike shed and the RTE bail out and the most expensive hospital in the world that facilitated a developer to have an ever ending cash cow from this government. It’s a pity we don’t have laws like they have in America where these crooks would be in jail.
@Dave Barrett:
I think strengthen the Pedo laws should be a priority
before the election.
Just in case.
FF FG GP Bribery and Corruption Specialists .
@Jim Ryan:
Bribe away if it puts money in the people’s pockets
PS
IRELAND 15th on the list of LEAST corrupt counties in the world.
@H Woo: 193 countries in UN
Micheal Martin, trying to bankrupt the country a second time. It’s the fiannna fail way.
@Michael o connor: ffg one party, one agenda.
@Colette Byrne:
Sin. Fein, the one trick pony party.
@Michael o connor:
Sin Feins proposed spending over the years when added up would have wiped out the middle income families with the tax increases needed to finance their waffle.
Again, not targeted. Oh we do love giving away money, esp when it’s not theirs to give away. People need to wake up.
It’s a few years since we protested at Shannon Airport !!!!!!!
@Elizabeth Doyle:
Who cares?
Cue, the schools will exploit an opportunity to introduce a new voluntary charge, just wait!
More bribery, more freebies, more welfare handouts, more Hamas appeasement, more anti-West nonsense, more wacky environmental policies, more disrespecting of America, does this government have no end to their terrible policies? Is Simon Harris allergic to supporting any sort of policy that isn’t left-wing? This current government has been nothing more than a Statist leach, mooching off the taxpayer and their money. At some point, the people of Ireland will wake up and realise that they are being screwed over, but it looks like they are blinded once again and continue to stab themselves and their wallets in the chest. Harris and Varadkar are up there with Jack Lynch and Garret Fitzgerald as the person who was the worst Taoiseach in our nation’s history.
@Frank O’Hara:
That’s it, get it all up, yill be grand.
@H Woo: You haven’t offered any sort of coherent rebuttal to what I said. Is that because you know that I’m right?
Recognising Palestine is so hypocritical when aeroplanes carrying war equipment flies over Irish airspace and Shannon is used as a stopover.
@Hector turtlehead:
Good to see we play our little part keeping the the free world free
Fantastic news well done government
I see the Sinn Fein (kangaroo cult) bots are creeping back out
@John Nolan: You must have great eyesight to see them in the herds of pro FG & Trump bots …. Weird you haven’t noticed them !! FG supporting Trump bots man.. Like they do stand out, considering FG has always tried to liken SF and their supporters to Trump and his supporters in an attempt to smear them.. but now it’s a good thing when FG bots are supporting Trump bots ..
have your say