This morning on The Agenda we discsussed the growing debate around the cost of digital devices in Irish schools.

Sinn Féin’s TD for Meath-East and Education spokesperson, Darren O’Rourke, has criticised the Government’s approach to technology in classrooms, saying parents are being left with huge bills for compulsory iPads and tablets.

According to Deputy O’Rourke, some families are being asked to pay as much as €750 per child for devices, despite the introduction of the free schoolbooks scheme, which was intended to reduce the overall cost of education.

He says many parents are contacting his office struggling to meet the expense, particularly households with more than one child in secondary school.

Deputy O’Rourke joined us to us some more about this.

We also got the latest on the situation with the house in Stamullen which was earmarked for asylum seekers.

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Legislation to introduce ‘Valerie's Law’ went before Cabinet yesterday - a move described by Valerie French’s brother as “one more step towards child protection”.

The legislation is named after Valerie French (41), who was murdered by her husband, James Kilroy, in Castlebar, Co Mayo, in 2019. The couple have three children.

Under the law, killers who take the life of their child’s other parent will no longer automatically keep guardianship rights.

Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan brought the bill to the Cabinet yesterday.

The victim’s brother, David French, said he is “really looking forward” to seeing the text of the bill and for it to go before the Dáil.

Valerie’s brother David joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

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The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation are holding their Annual Delegate Conference in the Fairways Hotel in Dundalk today.

Over 50 motions will be debated on safe staffing, cost-of-living, burnout, assaults. Emergency motions will be debated on cost-of-living measures.

The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, will address delegates, and Minister MacNeill joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.

Minister Caroll MacNeill addressed the issue of overcrowding in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

We also discussed the “scoping exercise” into convicted sex offender and former Louth hospital consultant Michael Shine, which is expected to take up to 16 weeks - Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill told the Dáil this week that the total number of those impacted is believed to be “in the high hundreds and it ranges across a huge age span”.

We alsio discussed endometriosis care in Ireland, after our interview earlier this week with Amie Berns, who is now housebound as a result of the debilitating case of endometriosis that she is living with.

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