The 700,000 families who rely on home heating oil to keep their homes warm feel completely abandoned by the Government. They have already seen price increases of more than €700 since the start of the year. Let me tell the Minister what is happening in the real world. This is the price list that companies that buy in oil for the Irish market were quoted last night. Home heating oil went up by €100 for a fill. This morning, it is projected to go up by another €50. What has the Government's response been on this? A pathetic €43 of a reduction. That is an insult to people who have been trying to keep their homes warm over the winter period.
I told the Government that the budget was a budget that was gone before people got it and that is exactly the case in relation to home heating oil. How does the Minister stand over this? He knows that the Government has it within his power to do what Sinn Féin has demanded of it for the past six months, namely, remove carbon tax completely from home heating oil and give people a real reduction in the price of keeping their homes warm. What does the Minister say to the fact that prices have skyrocketed and the Government has given a pittance – an insult – to people who are really struggling?
Thursday 8 October 2026
Questions on Policy or Legislation
86 contributions, as the Official Report records them.
Peter Burke
Fine Gael recorded as Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (Deputy Peter Burke) As a minister Link to thisThis is a record budget whereby the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris, has been very clear in supporting the users of home heating oil, including kerosene, by bringing the carbon tax back to €48.50 and keeping it at 2023 levels for the remainder of the Government’s duration. Sinn Féin has brought forward an alternative budget that does not answer any of the questions faced in solving the long-term problems of our country. The Deputy quite rightly points out the challenges that people have, but Sinn Féin’s answer at a time when the Government is being criticised for spending too much is to spend 55% more.
Answer the question. The price went up €100 last night.
In its proposal, Sinn Féin does not say that it is going to-----
It went up €100 last night and €50 more this morning.
Do not be shouting.
Deputy Doherty,-----
The Minister is not answering the question.
-----there is no need for that crossfire.
Okay.
The Minister to conclude.
The Deputy will not let me finish. If he is not interested in hearing the facts-----
We will move on to Deputy Hayes, please.
All Sinn Féin wants to do is spend more,-----
Minister, please.
-----promise more, borrow more and tax more.
Does the Minister want to answer the question?
I was answering the question.
I will happily take his seat and answer all of the questions. Home heating oil went up €100 last night-----
We have finished the question and the Minister is opening it again,-----
-----and the Minister is just ignoring the point.
-----and he is good at it.
Three in ten older people living alone are in poverty, which is double what the figure was in 2023. It is one of the highest rates since Fine Gael entered government in 2011. This budget was one of the meanest of the decade for the elderly. A paltry €3 increase to the living alone allowance will hardly feed the cat, never mind keep up with the highest electricity prices in Europe. My staff yesterday spoke to a pensioner in my constituency who broke down in tears because she just wanted a dignified existence after a lifetime of work. She does not want to shiver in her bed this winter or choose between meeting a friend in a cafe and buying milk for the week, and she should not have to. It is clear that the Government has chosen tax breaks for investors over caring for our elderly. The question is simple: how can the Minister possibly defend that? Is he ashamed of selling poverty for the elderly to make investors richer?
It is very clear that lower income earners benefit more in terms of the social welfare code through budget 2027; that is those on the lowest deciles in our economy. We have been very clear about the increase in the fuel allowance for pensioners, which has gone up quite significantly in recent years. It is up by an additional €5 in budget 2027. Again, that supports families that are significantly challenged. We have put to bed any increase in carbon tax for home heating oil. We have gone back to 2023 levels. The Government is very honest. We cannot eliminate all the pain from the geopolitical uncertainty that we face right now. No government can. That is why we all have to face up-----
We have billions in surplus.
Could Deputy Hearne please let me finish? Did he not get a question?
We have billions in surplus.
Did he not get his slot?
Deputy Hearne is out of order.
He is totally out of order.
Could we stick to the questions? The Minister should be given a chance to answer. We should also give the same respect to those who are asking the question. If Deputies are not interested in doing that, then they should leave the House.
The fuel allowance has gone up by 14% this year for 2027. That will have a significant impact. We have also extended the reduction in VAT on gas and electricity, which is about €100 per household at a cost of €250 million. I have said very clearly that we have brought the carbon tax on kerosene back to 2023 levels. The point I am making is that any Member of this House who says we can eliminate all the pain is being dishonest. Fundamentally, governments can only go so far. We are bringing a record intervention that supports the most vulnerable and those who work in our economy.
The Minister is being dishonest. The fuel allowance is less this year than it was last year.
It is not. It has gone up by €5.
It is less.
That was an emergency extension last year.
The Minister should please not rise to the bait.
The Government is leaving older people in the cold.
The Minister should not rise to the bait. The Deputy is out of order and he knows it. Maybe he is seeking a headline. I do not know. Deputy Duncan Smith is next.
The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, was on the radio this morning cleaning up yet another mess from the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan. He said we need cool heads. Who was he referring to? I do not think he was referring to RTÉ director general, Kevin Bakhurst, who I think has shown a remarkably cool head under scrutiny at Oireachtas committees and in public on this matter. I do not think he was referring to the Minister of State in the Department, who in fairness shows a remarkably cool head in dealing with affairs. I think he was referring to the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, who again has shown his oversensitivity and vindictiveness when dealing with a matter of public concern. We have seen it with the Arts Council, we have seen it with An Post, we have seen it with League of Ireland fans, we have seen it with an Irish-language podcast this week and now we are seeing it with RTÉ. It is a hugely serious matter of concern for the independence of our national media for this Minister to hold the public purse like a guillotine over RTÉ. Where did RTÉ fall short in the eyes of the Minister for him to announce this €20 million cut? Could the Minister, Deputy Burke, please give a straight answer to that question? What is the Government going to do about the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, and that problem?
First, everyone needs to be calm in connection with this. The Government is very clear in its support for public service media. It is fundamental to a constitutional democracy like we have in our State. I am very clear that all moneys going to agencies are based on them having a programme of reform. RTÉ came forward with its programme of reform. We must ensure it is implemented in order to get budgetary sanction. It is very clear in recent years that RTÉ has got a significant increase in funding. As I pointed out, it got about €725 million over a three-year period. The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, is working to ensure that we have an independent broadcaster and that Coimisiún na Meán is independent. He is also working in many other areas. When we talk about the hallmarks of the Minister, we remember that he has brought forward a sustainable funding model for artists. That is something new that people in our economy can have with certainty from year to year. He is also bringing forward a record level of sports capital allocation. The Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, is doing exceptional work. He will get a resolution in this area. He is meeting with the director general and essentially the chairperson of the board today.
Why does the Government have such contempt for workers, in particular for workers who keep our public services going? There was a €20 million cut to public service broadcasting - to RTÉ - because the Government wants more jobs cut in RTÉ, but it had no problem giving €118 million to the tech bros and the social media companies in a tax break - six times as much. It gives it to the billionaires but not to the workers. Similarly, there were big tax breaks in the budget for capital gains tax and corporate investment but the Government will not even talk to the nurses who are having to go out protesting, the council workers, the SNAs, and the teachers who are fighting for pay increases just to keep pace with the racing cost of living. Is it just that the Government prefers the profiteers to the workers who actually keep this country going?
The negotiation table is open. The seats are ready. We are waiting for the union leaders to come and negotiate. The sum of €1.2 billion has been put on the table. We need to ensure we support our workers right across the economy. We must judge the situation by the evidence. I pointed out in regard to the previous public sector pay deal that we have had a cumulative increase of 9.6%, which has been ahead of inflation in the period.
It is not ahead of inflation.
Lower-paid workers have benefited most. Since 2019, a clerical officer's pay has increased by 33.3%, which is a significant increase. The Government wants to ensure that the wages received by those who provide our public services - nurses, teachers, outdoor staff, council workers, clerical staff and the Civil Service - are supported to get a fair deal for them to meet the challenges in our economic situation right now and also to ensure-----
It is not in the Government's budget but it is in ours.
To be fair, Deputy Boyd Barrett's party has come forward with a figure, which is more than Sinn Féin or some of his other colleagues have provided. We must also ensure that we are supporting them and supporting the taxpayer with a sustainable deal.
Eleven nationalist residents groups from right across the North of Ireland met in Drumcree community centre yesterday. They warned that the agreement in their areas on contentious Orange marches could come to an end if the Orange Order keeps trying to force its way down the Garvaghy Road. The peace of the last 28 years is in danger of unravelling under this Government's watch. Yesterday, the Minister for foreign affairs stated that the only solution to Drumcree was an agreement between the Orange Order and the residents of the Garvaghy Road. Where has she been for the last 28 years? For 28 years, the Orange Order march was banned down the Garvaghy Road. For 28 years there was peace. It is not rocket science. Two weeks after this crisis has started, neither the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste nor the Minister for foreign affairs has even met with the residents of the Garvaghy Road. As of yet, none of the members of the Government has met with the residents of the Garvaghy Road. Why is that? I urge the Government to defend the peace process. I urge it to stop sitting on its hands. Will the Government meet with the residents of the Garvaghy Road and tell the British Secretary of State for the North to stop the Orange march down that road?
I thank the Deputy for his question. To be very clear, the Irish Government takes very seriously its role as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, and the huge dividend that the peace process has delivered to Northern Ireland over the last three decades. It is critical that we keep calm, continue our support and try to get a solution to this significant impasse. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is in close contact with the Secretary of State. I heard the Taoiseach address the Dáil yesterday in response to a question on the matter in relation to his contact with the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. We are working to get a solution. This is key, as we do not want to ever go back or lose the dividends that the peace process has given our country.
St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny has a proud tradition as the oldest secondary school in Ireland. It is also the most famous and the most successful hurling school in the country, with 26 all-Ireland colleges titles to its name. The college has very ambitious plans for the future to upgrade and enhance the existing school facilities. Planning permission was approved for these works in 2023 but the college has been waiting for departmental approval and has been stuck in stage 2B - detailed design - for far too long. All the school community is now waiting for is departmental approval to allow this upgraded school project to go to tender. Will the Minister prioritise this project for St. Kieran's College and for the Kilkenny school community? Fast-tracking this project would be a positive step forward for Kilkenny. It would deliver much-needed investment into our schools, which would serve the children of Kilkenny and the wider Kilkenny community for generations to come.
I thank Deputy Cleere for his very important question in relation to St. Kieran's College in Kilkenny, and also the work that has been carried out in getting the project to stage 2B. I hear the frustration in relation to moving it further. The next tranche of projects to proceed to tender under the national development plan funding will be published in 2027.
Obviously, there will be a prioritisation. I know from the budget that €1.6 billion in capital funding is being allocated under the NDP for this phase. I will raise the Deputy's key concern with the Minister for education to ensure the school progresses. It is important as it goes to phase 2b that we execute it for the citizens and the community.
Budget 2027 made significant investment in public transport. It is important that communities like Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk see that translated. One issue that I have repeatedly raised with the Minister for Transport and the NTA is the lack of a local feeder bus from Rush and Lusk to the train station, which sits outside both towns. Many commuters have little option but to use their cars. This is a rural road. The station carpark is heavily congested. We need to deliver a local bus to encourage better public transport take-up and to move kids to the local schools. I ask the Minister to advise us whether we will see this and whether he will take this up with the Minister for Transport.
I thank the Deputy. I acknowledge her advocacy in this area in relation to ensuring that the people of Rush and Lusk get sound public transport services, which is key. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, is doing a lot of work with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, in the context of the pipeline for 2027. It will be critical that we continue with the ring-fenced approach for local services like the Deputy pointed out. There is funding in the budget for services like this. We will work with the Minister and the Minister of State. I will raise the Deputy's concerns to ensure that commuters get this service that they so need.
The Minister might be the wrong person to answer this as he cannot get a rail station in his constituency in Killucan in County Westmeath, but I will ask anyway. Navan is the largest town in Ireland without a rail connection. Thousands of people spend three to four hours a day trapped in traffic while also paying heavy tolls and fuel costs just to get to and from work. Yet all we see is endless deferrals and drifting timelines. We have seen the railway order timeline slip yet again, while key infrastructure projects stall in bureaucratic red tape. To make matters worse, the Navan rail line was completely excluded from designation as a critical infrastructure project. This week, the Meath Council of Trade Unions has called for critical infrastructure status for the Navan rail project. When the Government designated major transport projects, such as the Dublin MetroLink and Cork area commuter rail programme, why was the Navan rail line left out? Will the Minister commit to adding the Navan rail project to the critical infrastructure list immediately, so we can fast-track planning and see the Navan rail line finally delivered?
I thank the Deputy for his question. We can see delivery of €20.3 billion in capital infrastructure in our economy next year. Critically, the accelerating infrastructure task force has set out 30 clear objectives that we have made significant process on. That will be demonstrated by a number of projects that have already been allocated for the fast-track infrastructure delivery. I will raise the Deputy's concern in relation to Navan with the Minister for public expenditure and reform as the next designation will come under way shortly.
Clonmel Garda station caters for the town of Clonmel, which has a population of approximately 20,000 people, and a hinterland, including Fethard, Mullinahone, Kilsheelan, Lisronagh and Clerihan, which has a population of approximately another 20,000 people. The station is significantly understaffed. Official Garda statistics show that the 2024 complement of gardaí at Clonmel was 64. They also show that the 2026 complement is 53, which is a reduction of 11. The existing gardaí work above and beyond and are stretched to the limit. The understaffing means that only four gardaí are on duty for 40,000 people at any one time. It means that the number of gardaí on the beat is totally inadequate and almost non-existent. It is obviously not good enough. Along with Deputies Mattie McGrath and Michael Murphy, I have raised this issue on numerous occasions. We were promised a meeting with the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, before the summer break. That has not happened. I ask the Minister today to arrange that meeting with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and the Garda Commissioner so we can have a safe level of policing in Clonmel.
I thank the Deputy for his very important question in relation to policing in Clonmel. There is a new Garda station under construction in Clonmel, which will be-----
There is not enough gardaí for it.
-----a very important capital infrastructure for the community. Critically, right now in terms of the Garda Vote for 2027, there is €2.578 billion in current funding. This will see an allocation of up to 1,000 new gardaí to be recruited for visible policing in both rural and urban communities. There is an additional €180 million for garda overtime. I will raise the issue that the Deputy has raised with the Minister for justice to ensure that all communities get adequate policing resources. The Minister for justice has secured-----
He arranged a meeting-----
Deputy Healy, you are out of order.
-----a significant increase in his budget to ensure that we have 1,000 new gardaí. That will be a significant strength to the force.
It was a meeting arranged that was promised before the summer break.
I raise the very serious and concerning issue of the recruitment of nurses in University Hospital Galway. It is absolutely unacceptable that so much money has been spent to train up these highly qualified nurses only for them not to be recruited by the HSE. We had the HSE in the public accounts committee last week. It was focused on the fact that it is trying to reduce its agency spend so that it can move people over. We have approximately 70 nurses who were promised jobs in Galway and have yet to be given their contracts. As well as that, almost 23 midwifery places have been identified by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, and not fulfilled in University Hospital Galway. This is unacceptable. We need to show these young people who are starting out in their careers that this hospital, the HSE and the health service will give them an opportunity.
I thank the Deputy for his very important concern for the hospital in question. Over the past decade, we have seen about 30% growth in numbers in our health service. We have a big challenge with agency nursing bills in relation to a number of hospitals. I see it in my own constituency as well. We need a more sustainable approach. The Minister for Health is working hard on service delivery to ensure we have just that. Continuity of service and having full-time permanent nurses is the only solution for top-class patient care. We acknowledge all the work that our nursing staff do throughout our communities. I will raise this specific issue with the Minister for health and ask her to respond here.
The CEO of the HSE is aware of it. It just needs to be signed off.
I will ask them to respond to the Deputy on it.
Mary Butler
Fianna Fáil recorded as Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Mary Butler) As a minister Link to thisIt has exceeded its budget, unfortunately.
Can I have a clear timeline for the commencement of construction works in a number of secondary buildings in my constituency of Wicklow-Wexford? Nearly all are stuck at phase 2b planning and design stage, but there is no further movement as there has been no Government approval, which is shocking as the population rapidly expands in south Wicklow and north Wexford. Students, parents and teachers deserve answers. We need Government approval. In July 2024, Arklow CBS had planning for a new three-storey building that is needed, but nothing is happening. Avondale Community College in Rathdrum is bursting at the seams with a massive demand, and nothing is happening. Coláiste Bhríde in Carnew is overcrowded and has campaigned for years. It has received lots of promises, but again nothing is happening. Bunclody Community College is spread over multiple buildings and prefabs and has been seeking buildings since 2014. This is not good enough. Gorey Educate Together school is at stage 1. Gorey's population is rapidly increasing, and we need to be thinking ahead. There are lots of promises, but parents, students and teachers are still waiting, and they deserve answers and Government approval.
I thank the Deputy for his question and concern in relation to a number of school projects in his constituency. In the context of budget 2027, there is €1.6 billion to prioritise and bring schools onto the next stage, which has to be critical to deliver our educational service. There will be a prioritisation list published for 2027. That will happen shortly. Hopefully, some of the schools that the Deputy referenced, if not all, are on that list.
In relation to the fuel subsidy scheme being reissued and the CBAM, when will the €30 million for fuel and €15 million for fertiliser be paid to farmers and contractors?
I thank the Deputy for his concern in this area. I wish to put on the record that I have an interest in farming. We are waiting for the Minister, Deputy Heydon, to detail the exact date of the payments. In relation to the people who have been working with the first scheme on fuel, it has been successful in terms of those who have got paid. Critically, we need to see the additional money being used in the sector to support the production of food. We all have to be clear here that lowering the production costs of food has an effect on groceries on the shelf in the shop and has a positive impact on the consumer.
I also welcome the fertiliser scheme which will be critically important considering that costs have been driven up. Europe is looking right now at negotiations of CBAM. When there are very significant points of crisis like those we have now in supply chains we need to ensure we have exceptional circumstances that we can bring to bear.
I am absolutely furious at the ongoing situation at Doolan's service station, an incredibly busy An Post agent in Blue Ball, which services the wider area. Last December, the systems in the area which carry the broadband were upgraded to fibre but An Post equipment could not operate on it. Imagine that, in 2026. We are heading on towards AI and An Post is unable to operate its systems on fibre cable. An Post has since successfully trialled a solution in another outlet in another part of the country, yet, ten months later Blue Ball is still waiting. Pensioners and others who depend on the vital rural service have been left without it and they are forced to travel elsewhere. I have raised this repeatedly here on the floor of the Dáil, written numerous letters and made countless telephone calls. We have had promises, reopening dates and now another delay. To add insult to injury, an An Post employee told the owner he did not have a politician shouting loudly enough. If that is how An Post wants to do business I will shout and I will not stop shouting until this situation is resolved.
I thank Deputy McCormack for his concern for Doolan's Spar in Blue Ball and the technical issues it has experienced with the broadband that has affected the payments system and a number of other postal agencies as well. A trial carried out in Hollywood, County Wicklow, that they were seeking to roll out but obviously there was an issue with it for Blue Ball. However, I can assure the Deputy that An Post has advised it is working on a new solution for Blue Ball so that customers will be able to get their social welfare collections back. We should be prioritising that. I will raise the issue and the Deputy's concern with the Minister-----
We have had loads of promises from Government-----
We will do our very best. I will ask the Minister to keep the pressure on it.
Universal hot school meals have been a really positive step by the State. It is a practical policy that supports children and eases pressure on parents. It is not perfect but it gives us a strong foundation on which to build. For a family with two primary school children the estimated savings per year is €1,152. In Dublin west, 11 eligible schools, about a quarter of schools, do not participate. That is a lot of families missing out on significant savings and practical support. I understand there may be different reasons. Space is be mentioned, along with the right facilities, management of the programme or parental preference, but we really need to understand the specific information as to why this is. Parents want to know as well. As part of the reform of the programme, will the Minister gather more information from non-participating schools with the aim of overcoming those barriers? We have achieved universality of eligibility; our next ambition should be universality of participation.
I thank Deputy Currie for her advocacy for the parents and, more importantly, the school children in connection with the particular school she mentions. I note there were about 300 schools that had not joined the hot school meals programme and that these schools have been contacted by the Department of Social Protection. As we frame the changes that we will be making to the hot school meals we need to find out the reasons schools have not signed up to this vital support for students, and hopefully we will be able to resolve the issue with the schools in question. I will also raise it with the Minister, Deputy Calleary.
After weeks of media coverage, where has the culture card gone? It was a good initiative. The culture card was supposed to open doors for young people. It did not go far enough. We in the Social Democrats proposed €150 sports and culture voucher for people aged six to 18. However, it was a good one nonetheless and would have made a difference.
We know the importance of sport and culture to young people. I know the importance of it. I would not be standing here if it was not for sports and culture. My community knows the importance of it. Not only does it change lives but it saves lives, and there are the obvious improvements to people's physical and mental well-being. Again, another promise, another announcement, not delivered upon. Is that the respect the Government has for our young people? We had young people before the children's committee today who said they want to move away when they get to 18 because they see no future in this country. Is that the respect we have for our young people? Where has that culture card gone? Are we going to see it coming back and extended?
I understand the Minister has got funding to examine the mechanism where he would roll out the culture card. However, being frank with the Deputy, I do not think there is sufficient money in his budget to deliver the full card but he will progress it. We have brought significant support in other areas for our young people, particularly in the Minister's Department around sports and capital funding, but also in good quality jobs in our economy which are so important for our young people to have a clear trajectory for their career paths. We need to do more to support young people, as Deputy Ennis quite rightly points out, in connection with getting them involved, be it in their local cinema, the arts or in local areas that make a huge contribution. We need to support them to develop culturally and get people's heads out of phones all the time as well, which is very important.
West Waterford needs a primary care centre to serve Tallow, Lismore, Cappoquin and the wider area. Despite years of campaigning and despite the clear need and demand, there has been no meaningful progress. A suitable premises has been identified in Tallow and as is under HSE review. An existing GP practice is ready to move in but what is needed now is a positive decision from HSE. Alongside Councillor Donnchadh Mulcahy and Deputy Cullinane, I have raised this issue with the HSE and the Minister for Health. The opportunity is there now but the premises will not remain available indefinitely. In this particular case, time is of the essence. Further delay risks us losing the opportunity to deliver the primary care facilities that this part of west Waterford needs. Will Government intervene to end the delay and to ensure the HSE moves urgently to secure this premises before it is too late and finally deliver a primary care centre for west Waterford?
I thank the Deputy for his question. The delivery of healthcare in west Waterford is something that is very close to my own heart, as he knows. We have an exceptionally large primary care centre in Dungarvan. It is not at full capacity. We would like to see more capacity going into certain areas of it, for example, the extension of Jigsaw services from Waterford city into the primary care centre. I have been working very closely with a GP in Tallow in relation to an extension there. I have also been working very closely with a GP in Ardmore for an extension there and I have met recently with HSE estates to see the situation in Lismore regarding the proposed primary care centre. At that time, a bundle of five was being put together and the developer fell away. An audit has been done of all primary care centres across the country. I met with estates last week to see how we can progress this. I do not think we need a primary care centre at the scale of some of them like we have in John's Hill in Waterford, or like we have in Dungarvan, but we certainly need a new build and it is something on which we are focused.
The Taoiseach's comments yesterday about public sector workers wanting to go on strike were absolutely disgraceful. My question to the Minister of State is whether Fine Gael associates itself with those comments. We can have all the arguments about what was in or not in the budget but the disrespect and disdain that was shown to public sector workers is absolutely unacceptable. Nobody takes the decision to go on strike lightly. They lose a day's pay. Those public sector workers also have children who are going to be missing school and family members who will miss health appointments. Of course, they are really conscious of the backlog. The reality here is this is not just about pay. It is about the contempt the Government has shown to successive Labour Court recommendations to public sector workers and it is about staffing issues that others in the Chamber have raised today. Does the Government understand why workers are going on strike next Wednesday? What is it doing about it?
I thank Deputy Sherlock for a very important question. I laid it out very strongly in the House that I want to see the union leaders take their seats at the negotiation table. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, has written to all the unions inviting them to come in to negotiate to get a fair and sustainable deal for their own pay and for the taxpayers. That is the established process. We are very clear as a Government how much we appreciate the work of all our front-line staff, our nurses, our teachers, our outdoor staff, our local authority staff, our firefighters and first responders right across the economy, who do so much to keep our country going.
We want them to take their seats at the table. We will try to get a sustainable deal that will benefit all, particularly in local bargaining and areas where we need to make progress over the years ahead.
Some of the concerns coming to my constituency office in recent times have been about speeding, particularly on country roads. Since the introduction of the new speed limits on our country roads, one of the things not reflected is the speed limit signage to reflect the changes. Under the Department's guidance, there is supposed to be a speed limit sign every kilometre on a 60 km/h route, every two kilometres on an 80 km/h route and every three kilometres on a 100 km/h route. That does not seem to be the case. I ask the Minister to engage with the Minister for Transport to support the local authorities to introduce the signage to support the changes in the speed limits.
I thank Deputy Roche for his very important question. I will absolutely liaise with the Minister for Transport to set out the Deputy's concerns, including in relation to the new review that is under way and the installation of new speed limit signs, which is critical to the changes to come into force by 31 March 2027. I will bring the Deputy's concern to the Minister and hopefully we will be able to see clear progress on the matter.
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