After an 11-year delay, the Government recently took the final steps towards ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. However, it turns out that the government has for now abandoned its pledge to at the same time ratify a key protocol that goes along with the Convention. The protocol gives people with disabilities a real chance to achieve their rights in cases where the government is failing them. The protocol allows groups or individuals to make complaints to the UN to ensure the government does what it says it will do. This government has effectively turned its back on 640,000 people with disabilities in this State by failing to ratify this protocol.

Our University should put the welfare of students at the center of everything that it does. We need a freeze on fees for all students and affordable rental options. We are a collective of undergraduate and postgraduate students in Trinity College Dublin who can no longer stand by and watch the commodification of our education. Last month, in a referendum held by TCDSU 82% of students voted strongly against the implementation of Supplemental Fees. The College Board decided to ignore the voice of the students, and implement Supplemental Fees at a flat rate of €450. Last year, College signed the Student Partnership Agreement, which promises to promote democracy and ensure that students are stakeholders in decisions that College make. Trinity’s decision to introduce supplemental exam fees is evidence of their continuing disregard for students, their opinions, and their welfare. Please sign this petition to show your support of the #TakeBackTrinity campaign. If you are a Trinity student or staff, please sign with your tcd.ie address If you are not please use your preferred email address. We thank you for your support!

A crisis is looming in the Naas area, in terms of families securing second level places. Unless this school is rapidly progressed, that looming crisis will become a reality. Naas & its environs are in dire need of the ASD classes that are part of the plans for this school. The school is currently at Stage 2B of the building process & has been awaiting Department of Education & Skills (DES) sanction to move to Stage 3 since November 2017. If sanction is given immediately, the earliest time construction can start, following the tender process, is January 2019. The construction phase will take a minimum of eighteen months so the earliest possible time that this school will be completed will be August 2020. As you are aware, Naas Community College (NCC) is currently located in a shared building with Naas Community National School. NCC will have circa 400 students in 2018/2019 academic year & circa 520 in the 2019/2020 academic year. This will mean that the Craddockstown building will be far in excess of its capacity during 2019/2020. The site will not be able to sustain the 2 schools during the 2020/2021 academic year. It is essential that the construction of NCC is completed by August 2020, and for that to have any chance of happening, DES sanction to move to Stage 3 must be granted by the end of February 2018.

The population of Lusk and also it's surrounding area's is growing at a rapid pace and therefore it is imperative to facilitate this growth. A swimming pool would not only bring some much needed investment and also ease the pressure of unemployment but also facilitate the area for our children to enjoy. The Lusk Sports Hub 2020 is a fantastic new project that will bring a multiple of new sporting facilities to the area with the exception of a hugely required swimming pool. In addition, the erection of the Lusk Sports Hub, Lusk will become the epicentre of sporting facilities for the surrounding areas and therefore a swimming pool is a necessity and not just a requirement. Swimming is not only a life saving technique that everyone should be taught from a young age, but it is also an incredibly fun and enjoyable experience for the old and young, whether it’s for ones mental health, fitness, leisure or play everyone can enjoy the benefits of a swimming pool. Kind regards, LSP.

We as humans have a responsibility to ensure that animals do not have to endure unnecessary pain. Lobsters can be held in storage tanks with their claws bound for up to a year before being purchased by the end consumer only to be boiled alive in scalding water. It can take up to 3 minutes for a lobster/crab to die in this most horrific way. There is plenty of scientific evidence now available to support the fact that lobsters feel pain and there is absolutely no need for them to die in such a horrifying and inhumane way. Let us put a stop to this forever.

Too many of our children and teenagers are self-harming and dying by suicide, many of whom have reached out to their peers, many of whom are being bullied by others. Irish Millie Tuomey aged 11 killed herself after announcing to friends that she wanted to die, Darren Hughes 17 from Balbriggan and Gabriella Green aged 12 died also killed themselves after they were cyberbullied. Our children and teenagers often find it easier to talk to friends instead of their parents but these friends are often unequipped to help. Some kids want to tell an adult that they are worried about someone but they don't want their friend knowing they betrayed their trust and often are just afraid to get involved in case they get bullied too so they stay quiet and say nothing. Often kids themselves want to tell a teacher that they are dealing with bullying, suicide thoughts, self-harm or abuse but they find it too hard to reach out and are often afraid that it will get worse if the bullies find out they told. By introducing "Speak-up" boxes, it allows the children and teenagers to anonymously tip off the teachers that one of their classmates are in harm's way and may need support. This allows the teachers and parents to put in the necessary supports. The person themselves that is being bullied can make an anonymous report about themselves without fear that the bullies will know they went to a teacher as anybody could have reported it. These "Speak up" boxes should be in all schools, in bathrooms, common areas and easily accessed. There should also be a way to "speak up" online also anonymously without fear of repercussion. Enough of our children and teens have suffered long-lasting damage because they were dealing with these issues alone. We need the Minister of Education and the Schools to be pro-active instead of reactive in reaching out to make it easier for their classmates to speak up without fear of consequence. We are thankfully getting to an age where "whistleblowing" and "speaking up" is seen as brave and right and no-longer tell-tattling or troublemaking. We need to pass this message onto our children and teens to protect them from harm's way.

2006 saw a lot of new housing estates built in Bweeng with no amenities for the people moving into these estates. A childcare facility was to be built but builders never built it. The estate was left unfinished after the recession and Nama had control of the estate. They put in for planning to change the childcare facility to two houses. Now estate Is finished with 80 houses and no provision for Early years service.

Every parent should be able to send their child to a school where they feel they will get the best possible start in life. In the town of Tramore there are three denominational primary schools. The Educate Together is the only multi-denominational primary school, however if the Department's recent decision to downgrade the school to 'half stream' status is implemented, the school will only be able to accept 13 students every year. This in a town with a population of over 10,000 people. The Educate Together ethos supports children's moral and spiritual development and teaches children about different belief systems. Everyone takes part and no one has to opt out. Due to the dedication and hard-work of the Principal and teachers of Educate Together in Tramore, places for the school are in very high demand. The Department's decision is taking away the option for parents of all faiths and none to educate their children in a school which reflects their equality based ethos. That this can be allowed happen in 2018 is a scandal. We call on the D.E.S. to reverse their unwarranted decision and allow Tramore Educate Together to grow to full capacity to serve the children of Tramore into the future. This will give the people of Tramore the educational choice that they were promised after the 2012 plebiscite on school patronage.

At the moment the Dep of Education doesn't allocate a set time for eating, leaving each school to decide it for themselves. For many years parents have been complaining that children were coming back home with their lunches barely touched, their explanation being the lack of time. This is a very unhealthy habit that concurs in many eating related problems, in the short as in the long term (as obesity and other issues) We believe it's time to review this and the first step is for the schools to have set a minimum of 20 minutes for eating in a single lunch break, followed by the recreation time.

We want the people's voice to be heard respecting water and sanitation services in Ireland, and a referendum be held. Across the globe ordinary people have undergone tremendous hardship and suffering when water services are privatised. Water is a human right and must never be under the control of 'for profit' companies. Publicly owned, funded and managed water and sanitation services, free at the point of use, is the only way to guarantee access for all.

Every parent should be able to send their child to a school where they feel they will get the best possible start in life. There are currently 4 primary schools in New Ross and a further 4 within 5km of the town. 7 out of these 8 are Catholic schools with The Educate Together being the only multi-denominational primary school in the area. However, due to the Department's recent decision to downgrade the school to 'half stream' status, New Ross Educate Together will only be able to accept 13 students every year. This is in a town with a population of over 8,000 people. The Educate Together ethos supports children's moral and spiritual development and teaches them about different belief systems. Everyone takes part and no one has to opt out. Due to the dedication and hard-work of the Principal, staff and community of families of Educate Together in New Ross, places for the school are in high demand. The Department's decision is taking away the option for parents of all faiths and none to educate their children in a school which reflects their equality based ethos. This restriction violates the lawful rights of families to choose a school that reflects their religious and philosophical beliefs. That this can be allowed happen in 2018 is nothing short of a disgrace. By reverting back to its original decision to allow the Educate Together become a full-stream school, as well as help identify a suitable permanent site for the school, the Department can make good its original promise to the families of New Ross. Our children should be allowed to flourish and grow in the best possible environment for them.

In December 2017, with the lead up to Christmas, Tony Lowth and the Gardeners arrived one day to find that the Garden gate had been arbitrarily chained up to prevent us access to a space that we diligently maintain. This act was done with zero forewarning, communication, and ultimately any level of human respect or considerations toward the Caretakers of the Garden. This lack of communication, empathy, and essentially acts of adult bullying, hit Tony particularly hard over Christmas - where he became ill with Shingles from the stress of the situation. The slogan of our Community Garden is "Grow Me" to highlight the concept of "no-dig organic gardening" and "growing" positive social economy - by specifically focusing on soil and compost production, by using local waste around Dublin to "grow" new soil. We source our "soil food" through local businesses which helps them to reduce unnecessary bulk waste; minimizing city rubbish collection output. For instance, we collect coffee grinds from local businesses, leaves and grass cuttings from parks and streets, wood chip and other material from local stables, etc. The Garden essentially acts as a hub for this "waste" by transforming it into incredibly fertile soil - which needs to be maintained daily through physical labour to optimize its effectiveness. Tony Lowth, the founder of the Garden space, has been a pillar to the community by transforming a once neglected space FULL with cans and rubbish, into an amazing plot of green. This space is now home to an array of organic vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees, wildlife, and to the people that pass through. Speaking as a Volunteer Gardener, this space has offered me an opportunity to learn planting and composting wisdom directly from Tony which has been invaluable to me. I have further benefited from being in nature which has been extremely beneficial to my well-being and mental health. And the Garden has allowed me to feel a connection to a community which has inspired me on so many other levels. Going to the garden twice a week was the best part of my week. The purpose and benefit of a Community style Garden, is that it weaves all walks of life together to express, inspire, grow, learn, and connect in an open space. These are all concepts that a school - or any form of creative institution, should be promoting at grassroots level, not ostracizing with a lock.