Barry Heneghan

Anocht, ba mhaith liom ceist a chur ar an Aire regarding a heritage centre for north Dublin bay. This would be a single focal point for cultural heritage and would increase the number of year-round visitors to the area. Huge numbers of people already visit north Dublin. We have two castles there. People do not know that with the Guinness family, Bram Stoker and Daniel O’Connell all connected to th…

I welcome the fact that the Minister thinks this is a good idea. It would be brilliant for the economy, local tourism and jobs. I will mention a few things that north Dublin has going for it, namely the Battle of Clontarf, Brian Boru, the two Norman castles, Lord Charlemont and Casino Marino and Daniel O’Connell and the monster meeting that took place in Clontarf in 1843 from which the Irish revol…

It is great that the Minister thinks this is a good idea. Think of what would be in place in another country if Bram Stoker had lived there. He lived in the Fairview area. You can still see his house. I know the person who lives in it. They voted for me. Actually, I do not know if they did.

Yes. It is great to see Deputy Ó Muirí’s enthusiasm, but, sadly, you cannot ask a supplementary on a priority question. A heritage centre would act as a home for Bram Stoker's story . It would be a base for tourism and a shared space for the community. It would drive footfall in the area. When I work as a barman, I spoke to Americans who came to the area. When I told them about Bram Stoker and th…

10. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on housing will meet next. [69689/25]

I too join in the condolences on the attack that happened on the Jewish community in Australia. I also support the plea for funding for The Complex. Regarding the Cabinet committee on housing, across the country AHBs have signed turnkey deals that then collapse. In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, there was a recent scheme that had the contract signed, everything was above board, they were all ready and,…

Yes.

I am national now.

93. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth to provide an update on post primary capacity planning for locations (details supplied), including the current assessment of projected enrolment pressure; the steps her Department is taking to ensure an adequate supply of secondary school places in the coming years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70838/25]

I ask for an update on post-primary capacity planning in Clontarf, Killester and Raheny, including the current assessment of projected enrolment pressure and the steps the Department is taking to ensure an adequate supply of secondary school places, particularly in co-educational schools as a survey has shown that 89% of parents in the area want co-educational education.

I appreciate that every child has a space but these spaces are not where parents desire to send their children. It is bananas. I was recently at an event with a load of up-and-coming parents, the new generation, and they were unanimously for this. The report submitted to the Minister's office shows a community that is ready for change and parents who are willing to support that change. Is there an…

I appreciate that. It is very important that Education Equality is invited to the national convention on education. It represents a large cohort of parents and a large cohort of the future generation. It needs to be replied to. We can be assured that representatives from State bodies and patrons will be there to fight their cases. It is important that Education Equality is there to show the other …

208. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will outline current and planned measures to expand apprenticeship and trade-focused education opportunities in north Dublin given the significant demand for skilled workers Ireland will face through major housing delivery targets and offshore renewable energy developments over th…

I, too, wish the Athenry camogie team the best of luck. We need to change the public perception of trades. I am aware that Jim Hargis, at the education and training hub in St. Andrew's Resource Centre, Dublin, is playing a key role in designing and running community-focused education. For the construction industry, the skills programme and the future of our offshore renewable energy, we need more…

I am glad the Minister of State has visited the training board at St. Andrew's in Dublin. Having gone through the points race in the leaving certificate, apprenticeships were never really an option and were not discussed among my peers because we were not shown and educated about the trades route. I now see a lot of people going into it when they move abroad, or if they come up, but they need to b…

It is great to see that. I welcome the engagement the Minister of State has had with me so far. Especially for my constituency, and from speaking to young adults, it would be great if we could continue to see the investment she mentioned into more apprenticeship programmes. There are a lot of derelict sites in north Dublin that could be upgraded and used as an apprenticeship college. There are one…

27. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on infrastructure will meet next. [69690/25]

Ba mhaith liom ceist a chur ar an Taoiseach faoin flooding we saw in Clontarf yesterday. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Boxer Moran, for coming down and sorting out the dreaded sandbags, but households and businesses were very worried yesterday. I had tens of people-----

Clontarf. Does the Taoiseach not know I am a Clontarf man? The flood defence is critically needed. Will flood defences be included in critical infrastructure with the recent announcement last week? This needs to be fast-tracked and people and businesses need assurance.

I concur with some of the other younger Deputies. I was brought up with this. I remember going to school when the first phones came out and growing up through the smartphone era. I remember my first time having that urge to check the phone and feeling like I was tied to it. I currently have a blocker on my phone that restricts my social media access but kids are not very aware of what they are doi…

I thank the Minister of State for her visit to the CRC in Dublin Bay North. It was great to see her and long may her visits to north Dublin continue. This topic was one of the first things I spoke about in this House as well. When we were in discussions on government formation as regional Independents, it was big part of our negotiations. We made a clear commitment in the programme for Government…

15. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the reason a graduated VAT system based on business size or turnover was not considered to support small and family-run SMEs; if his Department has examined such an approach to provide meaningful relief for community businesses; the alternative measures being developed to ease the VAT burden on smaller enterprises; and if he wil…

I wanted to raise this as well to ask the reason a graduated-----

Sorry, I am still new to the House.

I would support a graduated tax system based on business size and turnover - a tiered system, like in other EU countries. I would particularly support small family-run SMEs. Is the Department examining such an approach to providing meaningful relief for community businesses? Are alternative measures being developed to ease the VAT burden on smaller enterprises? The Minister referred to this in his…