On Friday, I visited St. Finbarr's Boys' National School, Bantry, which is working with the local mixed-ability sports club, the West Cork Jesters, which is one of the first clubs of its kind, to develop an all-weather pitch for the whole community. The students believe strongly in having an inclusive school and I hope there will be support for that application for funding. That visit was also a reminder for me that, despite being elected to represent all of our constituents and not just the electorate, we rarely hear the voices of children or representations on their behalf here in the Dáil. We may need new models of engagement to better capture and reflect young people's perspectives. On that point, I asked the students what they would like from their Government. They had a few different requests. They wanted money for kids and better playgrounds, which is a reasonable request. It may not be a surprise that the removal of homework also came up. This may be an obvious request for students to make but, when I read up on the issue, I saw there is merit to their suggestion. Homework for primary school-aged children has little pedagogical benefit. Will the Minister for Education review this practice to at least ensure our policy is based on evidence?

I am not sure what is meant by "money for kids" outside of child benefit but I definitely agree that there should be more playgrounds and sports facilities. That is happening and it is something that Government and local authorities are very much investing in. I am interested in the debate about homework. I am not sure what is the right decision. My sense is that some homework is a good idea and that it is a good idea for kids to practise at home what they learn in school but I absolutely agree that our approach should be evidence-based.

I have not studied the evidence and certainly would be interested to hear the Minister for Education's view on it.