Aindrias Moynihan

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Robert O'Donoghue - To discuss funding for family resource centre buildings. Deputies Sorca Clarke, Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Máire Devine - To discuss the proposal to close a ten-bed child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, …

Since this relates to an individual, I am conscious that we should be mindful of their privacy and their family.

Tá leasú le cur chun cinn. I call on the Minister of State to move the Government's amendment. Tá deich nóiméad aici.

98. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the long-term measures being developed to protect farmers and horticulturists from fertiliser market shocks, including price volatility and supply disruption; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35766/26]

125. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline his strategy in ensuring stabilisation of fertiliser prices and supply for farmers and horticulturists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35767/26]

Farmers and horticulturists are being hammered by the price of fertiliser and supply uncertainty yet again. The conflict in west Asia has driven up fuel and fertiliser prices and disrupted key shipping routes. Fertiliser bills have shot up and vital deliveries are in doubt for so many. Farmers feel little has been done since the last fertiliser crisis and are getting more and more frustrated. They…

It is hugely important to look beyond the immediate crisis and to set out a strategy for a more resilient supply. As the Minister said, the European Commission is about to launch its fertiliser security plan aiming at cutting dependency, boosting production and promoting alternatives. That is good and vital, but those solutions are going to take time to implement and farmers are under pressure in …

Has the Minister looked at the possibility of moving towards green sources of energy? We do not have a supply of fertiliser manufactured here at home because we do not have the gas, but we do have wind. Has the Minister looked at the possibility of using that type of energy in the context of developing green ammonia plants here? Second, there is a great opportunity in relation to recovered nitrog…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Joe Cooney - To discuss the need for a statutory community engagement standard. Deputy Emer Currie - To discuss the need for regulation of loot boxes and chance-based microtransactions in video games in view of their similarities to…

Dhá nóiméad.

Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta.

Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta.

164. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the way the newly launched AIReady.ie platform will specifically support workers who are at immediate risk of job losses due to AI; the plans that are being considered in expanding the platform’s content beyond introductory AI literacy to keeping pace with AI advancements; and if he …

I welcome the launch of the aiready.ie website and its aims to upskill over 1 million people through free, short, accessible courses. As an introductory platform, it is very helpful and is a positive in that direction. My concern is whether aiready.ie in its current form is equipped to support workers who are facing immediate displacement and whether it connects clearly into deeper retraining path…

Demystifying AI and familiarising people are an important first step. It cannot stop there, however, and the current AI Ready platform is focused very much on the first steps of introduction to AI. AI, as the Minister said, is rapidly evolving, and I am concerned that AI Ready may be focusing on yesterday's AI already. Can it bring people towards deeper retraining pathways? Can it act as a gateway…

AI Ready is an important first step and it needs to evolve quickly from the basic introduction into a more meaningful enabler and a gateway for other courses. I am glad that the Minister has been engaging with the various colleges, SOLAS and others about the courses they are offering and developing. Will they be available through the AIready.ie portal? Will it act as a gateway or a portal? Because…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputies Pádraig O'Sullivan, Louis O'Hara - To discuss equitable access to rare disease medicines. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss refurbishment of school buildings across County Kerry. Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss the financial stra…

The Deputy's time is up.

I need to raise with the Taoiseach the situation at Coachford College. There is a major plan for a new 1,000-student school, but it is not on the Department of education's priority list. It really needs to be. Two and a half years have been spent on getting planning permission, with the education and training board, ETB, going through issues with the council and Irish Water. There is real concern …

-----and they really need to get access to a school of the best quality.

131. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the way in which his Department is ensuring that small- and medium-sized enterprises can move from AI awareness initiatives into measurable productivity gains from AI adoption; the changes that are required on current schemes to ensure sufficient scale and design; and if he will make a statement on the matter. …

AI is no longer evolving year on year but rather month on month. Businesses are now encountering agentic and autonomous AI systems that can plan, act and execute workflows. While larger firms are moving more quickly, SME adoption is lower and more uneven. That risks embedding a two-speed economy. Will the Minister of State set out how current AI supports are being adapted and scaled to help SMEs t…

We already see evidence that many SMEs are stuck around entry-level AI adoption. Most businesses planning AI investments are expecting to spend under €10,000. That is typically on more basic content creation and basic marketing rather than on deeper, productive gains through workflow automation and supply chain optimisation, for example. At the same time, Ireland remains mid-table, just above aver…

I want to move the focus towards job protection. The real risk from AI is not so much AI itself as the poorly managed adoption of AI. Where we have seen agentic and autonomous systems, as I mentioned earlier, they must not just assist with the work but should carry out tasks and co-ordinate workflows. Where people are trained to supervise and validate the work alongside the AI, productivity can g…

Menopause has recently begun to receive the recognition that it deserves in this country. The introduction of the free HRT scheme was a significant and welcome step forward. However, the policy has always contained a clear and acknowledged gap for women who are medically contradicted from taking hormonal treatments. The National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics last week published its assessment on Ve…