Over the last several weeks, I have had the pleasure of hosting two transition year students, Kate and Saoirse, as interns in my office. During their time at Leinster House, they have been learning about the purpose and functions of the Houses of the Oireachtas including the differences between the Dáil and Seanad Éireann and the role of the Government. They have provided administrative assistance in my office and learned about the workings of a political office and the different workflows in political life such as helping constituents, raising issues in the Seanad, debating legislation and so much more.

An issue I have raised in recent months and one that Kate and Saoirse have brought up as relevant in their lives is the choice of wearing tracksuits in school. In Kate and Saoirse's experience, they find wearing a uniform to be uncomfortable and they would prefer the choice to wear their tracksuits. This is a widespread feeling among many pupils who feel that uniforms restrict their ability to stay active. From their experiences in school, there can be punishments given to students for wearing a school tracksuit on days they are supposed to wear their uniforms, with students often given detention. The feeder primary school down the road, though, allows their students to have the option of wearing a tracksuit or uniform every day because their student council campaigned to make this change for student comfort and to encourage more physical activity. We should be trying to encourage movement as much as possible in a school environment, and not just limiting this time to PE time. Uniforms are often uncomfortable for many students and inherently limit their ability and their willingness to move. Would you cycle to school in a skirt? Would you go for a kick-about at lunchtime in your slacks and your hard shoes? I accept that schools feel strongly about uniforms and wish to uphold their identity but this can still be achieved through a standard issue, school-specific tracksuit.

Having heard feedback from parents and students, traditional uniforms are not always practical and are very uncomfortable for many students. This is particularly the case for neurodivergent pupils. Parents will be all too familiar with the complaints of scratchy jumpers, which not only places a child in discomfort and limits their ability to move but fundamentally limits their ability to learn. Kate and Saoirse and the thousands of other students who call for greater choice in their school attire are not calling for uniforms to be abolished. They are not calling for school identities to be diminished or taken away. They are simply asking for a choice to be comfortable in the clothes they wear to school. The benefits are not just in comfort but also in their ability to learn more effectively and move more freely.

There is a reason I am reading this speech word for word; Kate and Saoirse wrote it for the Seanad. They are in the Gallery today and I welcome them, Saoirse O'Callaghan and Kate Fairbrother. They have done Trojan work over the last ten weeks. They have been with me every Wednesday doing all the work I have described. Jamie and Garrett in the office upstairs have been helping them very diligently. I thank the girls and congratulate them for the work they have done. I hope they would consider a career in politics and legislation because they are fantastic role models for their peers.

I welcome Saoirse and Katie and congratulate them on their first speech, delivered by Senator Ní Chuilinn. Maybe they will be delivering their own speeches here in the future.