2025-11-19

17. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [48516/25]

18. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [48519/25]

19. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [50000/25]

20. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [56576/25]

21. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [56979/25]

22. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [56997/25]

23. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [57003/25]

24. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island Unit. [61452/25]

25. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit in quantifying the economic and social dimensions of greater North-South integration (details supplied). [62809/25]

26. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [63178/25]

27. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [63180/25]

28. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [63429/25]

29. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Taoiseach for a report on the work of the shared island unit. [63463/25]

30. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit. [63512/25]

31. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the shared island unit. [63528/25]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 to 31, inclusive, together. Our programme for Government sets out an ambitious agenda for building our shared island. Yesterday, the Government made a major funding commitment of over €50 million through our shared island fund to ten new programmes. We are investing for the future to improve people’s lives and strengthen connections across the island of Ireland . We are moving forward with €14 million for a major new shared island media initiative by Coimisiún na Meán, delivering on our programme for Government commitment to resource schemes to encourage cross-Border journalism on an ongoing basis; A sum of €5.9 million is being allocated to the fire and emergency services from North and South to deepen their co-operation to enhance capacity and training on management of flooding events and on search and rescue operations. There will be €6 million for the new shared home place programme, which will foster a sustained, broad engagement with all communities on this island and with our diaspora on the island of Ireland’s diverse heritage, and how this can shape our shared future. Funding of €14.5 million is being allocated for an expanded creative lreland shared island programme and arts projects. There will be a €1.8 million contribution to the next phase of the all-Ireland pollinator plan to protect the island’s unique biodiversity. Ministers are also working with confirmed shared island fund resourcing to establish a new air link between Derry and Dublin next year; support development of new cross-Border and Border region greenway routes; deepen our co-operation with Northern Ireland Executive counterparts on tackling bovine TB, the information service for cross-Border workers and commercialising research. The Government also yesterday, as part of the national development plan review, published our shared island investment priorities across virtually all sectors out to 2035, backed by our shared island fund and other resourcing. The iconic Narrow Water Bridge and Ulster Canal restoration projects are forging ahead. Next year, Government resourcing will enable commencement of construction of a new teaching building at Ulster University in Derry and continue the transformative hourly frequency Dublin to Belfast rail service. In April, I launched a new phase of my Department’s joint research programme with the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, with a focus on strategic policy and co-operation considerations for the island, and research projects for 2025-26 are under way. This includes a new annual report series by the ESRI assessing economic trends across the island of Ireland, which will be published next month. Through our shared island Initiative, the Government will continue to invest in strategic all-island co-operation and deepen our partnership with the Executive and UK Government as we work every day to build reconciliation between the different traditions of this island.

The shared island unit has real potential and has had real results and benefits for County Louth and the country, as the Taoiseach said, in terms of the arts, emergency services and biodiversity. Yesterday's announcement that Dundalk Institute of Technology, DKIT, will gain university status alongside Queen's University Belfast is incredibly exciting news. It will be transformative for the north east, and will be a really complementary match-up with Queen's University as well. This is a huge opportunity for the shared island unit to invest in the future, to invest in our young people and to invest in our economy and our industry. I wish to ask the Taoiseach about the investment in people and about deeper health care co-operation with our neighbours in the North. There have to be synergies and opportunities there that we can look at with Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry and even further afield in Dundalk. We can start looking at how we can look after the communities in the Cooley Peninsula, Carlingford and Omeath, and how we can reflect this in our usual daily life and health care. They do not match up at the minute and we can do more.

I thank the Taoiseach for the reply and in particular the announcement of €50 million for the new projects, which is very welcome. We need to see more of the practical people-focused projects like those. The Taoiseach mentioned the Dublin-Derry link among other initiatives. The Enterprise rail link between Dublin and Belfast has proven very popular. I ask that it be considered to extend that further to support the night-time economy of both cities. That would be a very important move. In the same spirit, the announcement by Minister for higher education, Deputy Lawless, of a major new partnership between Dundalk IT and Queen's University, establishing DKIT as a University College of Queen's University is a landmark development for higher education and for the Dublin-Belfast corridor. Will the Taoiseach set out how these shared island allocations and DKIT-Queen's partnership will be aligned as part of a cohort plan for the Dublin-Belfast corridor? Will the Taoiseach confirm that the necessary policy and legislative frameworks will be brought to Government early in 2026 so that students, staff and local communities can see these benefits on the ground as quickly as possible?

I will quote the Taoiseach who told an international audience at COP30: The science is undeniable. Temperatures are rising, and the clock is ticking. If we are not prepared to tell our citizens the truth about this, we are failing them, and this planet, in the most profound way. Has the Taoiseach tried telling the truth to the big dairy farmers and the big dairy processors who are driving up carbon emissions and are polluting our waterways, North and South? I have raised the issue previously in terms of Lough Neagh. Lough Derg is the latest of our lakes to turn neon green, a 41st shade of green that the Taoiseach will not be plámásing world leaders about. The main cause is nutrient pollution from agriculture, accelerated by the nitrates derogation. When will the Taoiseach tell the truth that environmental protection and intensive for-profit animal agriculture are incompatible, that we need to reduce the number of dairy cattle, that we need to compensate farmers with a herd reduction scheme and that the nitrates derogation must go?

I will just pause the clock for a minute. We have only eight minutes left in this session and we cannot go over time, I am afraid. I do not have that discretion for Taoiseach's Questions. I will have to limit each Member's contribution to 30 seconds give the Taoiseach an opportunity to respond.

I would like to bring up the fabulous news about the partnership between DKIT and Queen's University. We are talking about a greater level of provision of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and an innovation and research hub to be based in Dundalk. We know that this can definitely develop the Dublin-Belfast corridor. There is a necessity to follow through with legislative support. Beyond that, this could be part of a vital shared island project. I would like to know what will happen in that regard.

The question of greater North-South integration and any future constitutional change carries profound economic implications. It is really important that we approach this debate with honesty and clarity. Further integration will require significant investment, aligning public services, connecting infrastructure, integrating health and education and ensuring social welfare compatibility. If we are to maintain public confidence, we need transparent, independent economic analysis. We need to be honest about the challenges and the opportunities.

In recent times we have seen an alarming escalation in racist violence against immigrants and minority communities both North and South of this island. According to An Garda Síochána statistics, race crimes and related incidents rose by 24% between 2021 and 2024. There were similar increases in such crimes in the North between July 2024 and June of this year. Amnesty International has described this period in the North as "a year of hate and fear". There is a striking similarity of experiences of minorities both North and South in respect of these increased threats. There is also clear potential to collaborate on an all-island basis. What initiatives are under way or planned to help support integration through communities North and South to help them learn from each other in terms of best practice?

Yesterday's announcement is very welcome in terms of the infrastructure foundations put in place to harness the economic potential of the shared island. Part of that, which we have discussed in this House, is the role of the all-island labour market and the need for focus and skills. I would love to hear from the Taoiseach about what engagement is happening with the Northern Ireland Executive with regard to building up the SME sector across both sides of the island. They will be the fabric that knit the economic fabric of this island together in creating the shared island and creating a shared and united future for all. What schemes are being put in place to incentivise and promote that?

I commend the work of Dublin City University, Aberdeen University and University College Dublin on the constitutional deliberations from grassroots that is being done by Dr. Shelley Deane, Professor Joanne McEvoy and Professor Jennifer Todd. I raise this because this work has been done with focus groups in Mayo, Bellaghy, Longford, Cookstown and Monaghan. The shared island unit, which is very much welcome, is doing work on women and the Constitution. I ask that the unit uses this academic work to underpin what the unit is going to do. The credibility of the work the academics are doing would really carry this forward. Why has it not got academic underpinning?

Across Britain and the North of Ireland people are being arrested, prosecuted and, in some cases, imprisoned because they support Palestine Action, on the basis that the British Government has designated Palestine Action, a group campaigning against British complicity with the genocide that Israel is committing, as a terrorist organisation. It is absolutely outrageous. There will be a protest this Saturday in Belfast as people stand in solidarity with it. Sally Rooney has written an article in The Guardian this week about prisoners being close enough to being tortured in British prisons who are in prison awaiting trial on this. Will the Taoiseach speak out against the British Government's outrageous decision to designate protesting against genocide as somehow terrorism?

BBC Northern Ireland runs a podcast called "Borderline". The podcast is part of the significant debate on Irish unity that is happening across the country. One of the themes of that podcast is the fact that the Irish Government is not participating in that discussion. Many voices have stated there is a serious reluctance from the Government to even discuss the issue of Irish unity. The debate has moved on. People North and South are now talking about what planning and preparation is necessary for the referendum to be held. Brexit shows the danger of holding a referendum without doing the planning and preparation in the first place.

Thank you, Deputy. I call Deputy Lawless.

This morning the BBC mentioned that the Irish Government is the only place where this planning and preparation could happen.

Deputy Lawless.

When will the Taoiseach step up to the plate?

I want to raise concerns about the Supreme Court ruling in Britain on religious education and collective worship in the North of Ireland. Aontú is a pluralist republican party. I believe it is really important that all parents can choose the ethos of the school they wish to send their children to. Catholic schools played a significant role in the lives of nationalist families. They were a safe place for Catholics in the North and promoted the Irish language and games.

Thank you, Deputy.

Will the Taoiseach engage with his counterpart-----

Thank you.

-----in Britain to ensure we can retain our Catholic schools in the North? Schools can be an inclusive-----

Thank you, Deputy. Your time is up. If you want a response-----

-----place and a religious place.

I call the Taoiseach, who has limited time I am afraid.

I thank all of the Deputies for raising important issues. Deputy McGreehan in the first instance correctly identified that we are delivering results in respect of the shared island unit. It is practical and impactful. It is not about rhetoric. We have had rhetoric for 60 or 70 years and longer. It is about getting things done and delivering, and that is what we are doing. I take the point the Deputy made in respect of Dundalk IT and Queen's University. That is a very exciting development. It is a huge opportunity. Both institutions have to work now, as Deputy Ó Murchú said, to get the heads of agreement worked out and proper understanding for the benefit of students and staff. Deputy McGreehan has been a strong advocate of this. Deputy Ó Murchú has raised it as well. I have made it clear to the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, that I am supportive. I have no doubt that if the shared island unit gets a concrete proposal, it can respond positively. Obviously there is a lot more detailed work to be done. We need to do this properly, which is why the fund goes out to 2035. We do not need to rush things. We need to get them done properly and effectively so it is informed. Deputy Devlin used the phrase "practical people-focused projects". This sums it up. No other Government since the foundation of the State has invested in Northern Ireland like this Government has. The shared island unit is a unique departure. It speaks far more than a lot of the rhetoric. I have been reading a lot about the 1940s, the 1950s and the 1960s. Some pretty good histories have been published recently on partition. Some good work has been done on all of this. Throughout the decades people spoke about four green fields, unity and all the rest of it but very little happened. We have come through 30 years of horrific violence, which was unnecessary in my view. We have an opportunity now. People are entitled to their constitutional positions. There is no issue there. There is nothing stopping any political party, by the way, from advancing a detailed blueprint. I have yet to see one. There is nothing stopping any political party doing this but we can come back to it on another day.

The Government is the best place to do it.

These questions are on the shared island unit so I will keep it there. Deputy Devlin raised Dundalk IT and Queen's University and I have explained this. With regard to Dublin and Belfast and the night-time economies, we are very anxious to really develop the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor. The councils are good. I get the point on the night-time economies. I will look at it in terms of what we can do. To respond to Deputy Paul Murphy, COP is a bit outside the shared island unit but he got it in. When he speaks about "the big dairy farmers" - he is classic at this - he is pretending that medium-sized and small dairy farmers would be okay under him. What he is saying would wipe out dairy farming entirely. This is what he is saying and he should be honest about it. The Government has made its position clear on this. I agree 100% with Deputy Michael Murphy that we need evidence-based, informed and objective research and data. The shared island unit has a separate strand for big funding where we commission the ESRI to do major research. It did one on school completion North and South. The North was higher. We now have an initiative under the shared island unit on healthcare.

Thank you, Taoiseach.

It has done economic studies as well as studies on primary care and health. Very good studies are being done by the ESRI and there will be more. More data will be coming next month. Research is also being done by the National Economic and Social Council. To respond to Deputy Quaide, we are doing work in the area he mentioned but there is potential for more work if we can get a viable project. He is correct that attacks have increased. People are living in fear and this is a big concern. To respond to Deputy Shane Moynihan, work has been done under the shared island unit in terms of enterprise centres and on SMEs. Deputy Moynihan can look at InterTradeIreland's project under the shared island unit, which I launched recently. Tremendous work has been done joining companies North and South together using shared island unit funding. To respond to Deputy Conway-Walsh, there is commissioned research from the ESRI on economics. The shared island unit is outside of the constitutional issue and will remain so to try to get buy-in from all communities without prejudice. This is one of the reasons it has buy-in across the board from all communities and traditions.

I am trying to avoid reinventing the wheel.

Yes, but we do not want to undermine and kill what is a good initiative.

It is not-----

We are out of time.

Deputy Boyd Barrett raised what is a separate issue really. I would disagree with Deputy-----

It is not a separate issue. People in the North are being arrested.

I cannot account for the British-----

Thank you, Taoiseach, we are out of time. That concludes Questions to the Taoiseach.

I will come back to Deputy Boyd Barrett another day on that.