James O'Connor

Given the fact that stamp duty went from 4% to 9% in the period between 2005 and 2007, and collapsed by over 80% when the crash happened in Ireland, we look now at multinationals paying corporation tax accounting for over 30% of Exchequer revenue. Does Government see a danger in this given that 90% of that corporation tax, paying 30% of Government's income in a year, is being paid by just 10% of c…

I raise the issue of improving Local Link services in the east Cork constituency. I highlight specifically the need for better public transport. Thousands of people across the constituency are concerned about this problem. I also acknowledge that over 1,200 signatures were collected by our office through Councillor Patrick Mulcahy specifically about ensuring there are more fit-for-purpose Local Li…

I acknowledge the response. I am coming to this with a solution-focused approach. I have seen in Athlone in particular how successful a local town-based bus service can be in providing state-of-the-art public transport connectivity for people living in the housing estates and satellite urban areas near the town. Midleton is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland. A new town adjoining Midleton…

Sinn Féin is the only party raising money in America.

From their Provo supporters.

I raise the issue of the new community nursing unit in Youghal, a 60-bed unit comprising two 25-bed blocks and, in addition, a ten-bedroom dementia care unit. This is very much needed in Youghal as part of the renewal of our infrastructure, particularly the replacement of the Cois Abhainn building and also Youghal Community Hospital. I would like to ask about the business case. The Tánaiste and th…

26. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the revised national digital and AI strategy. [16308/26]

141. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance if he is considering new taxation measures to strengthen Ireland's competitiveness to support the growth of the indigenous sector and encourage retail investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39878/26]

Will the Government consider any new measures in the forthcoming budget to support the growth of the indigenous sectors in Ireland and to encourage more retail investment? I do not need to tell the Tánaiste the importance of small and medium-sized companies in this country. When we see the enormous exposure Ireland has regarding our corporation tax receipts, although it is a huge benefit to the ec…

I thank the Tánaiste and appreciate his response. Yesterday, we saw some very important information come from the International Monetary Fund that effectively warned Ireland about a level of exposure our economy has when it comes to bloated expenditure and wastage of public money and the risks in our economy, such as the advances in artificial intelligence. They are things the Government cannot af…

I appreciate the Tánaiste's response. Undoubtedly, the agencies he mentioned, including the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, have done great work. As Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, I commend them on the huge body of work they have done over many decades. Beyond politics and beyond what happens in this House, they are working diligently on behalf of the…

31. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade when the Government trade forum will next meet; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38378/26]

I ask the Minister about the needs of the east Cork area. East Cork is one of the fastest growing regions in the country. It is expected to deliver 40% of Cork County Council's future housing target growth. We have a population of 50,000 people. There is a new town being constructed in Water-rock, while €1.4 billion is being invested in the new Cork metropolitan area rail corridor. The problem we …

I raise the possibility of having nuclear energy in Ireland. As people across both sides of the House will be aware, I am bringing forward legislation to remove the prohibition on generation of power by nuclear fission. I would like to get an idea from the Tánaiste, the leader of our coalition partners in government, of his views on whether this is possible. As we are in the House and it is being…

Sometimes I wonder whether Róisín Shortall had a point but I will say this. We have the possibility to follow what other countries in the 27 EU countries have done already by implementing nuclear power. We can look at Finland. The grand committee of the Finish Parliament was in Leinster House two weeks ago. Finland has the same population as Ireland and 40% of its energy comes from nuclear power. …

The Tánaiste's comments are welcome and the fact that we are having this debate is a healthy thing. Input from all sides of the House would be welcome, and that is why I am proud to bring this forward. We need to discuss dealing with our future demand. We know we are looking at a 45% increase in energy need in Ireland up to 2034. That cannot be delivered by renewables alone. We will be heavily dep…

We have a strong economy at full employment. We need to grab the bull by the horns and plan ahead because if you fail to plan ahead, it is much like politics, in that you could end up like the Labour Party - out of government for over a decade and irrelevant.

I will raise an issue of the utmost importance in Youghal, County Cork. Under the HSE capital plan, we were promised that there would be an exploratory look into Youghal in respect of a new ambulance training college by the National Ambulance Service. We need this in our community for the economic investment, the jobs coming from the State and because of how much work was put into this under the p…

I wish to raise the issue of the Carrigtwohill Community College and the school campus in Carrigtwohill. To give the Dáil a bit of insight in respect of this, this was the largest single school project ever undertaken by the State. It involved the construction of three schools on the one campus, a large secondary school in addition to two primary schools that went in together. There are approxima…

I thank the Minister for the response. I want to highlight the Department has agreed the area of circa 1.9 acres to the north of the campus in the Department's ownership can be used as a recreation area by the school on a licence basis. Following on from those comments, I would like to get an insight into how long that is going to take. I welcome it; I really do. I wish we did not have to wait so …

4. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [9934/26]

15. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when the next round of sports capital grants will be opened for applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33161/26]

75. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the role her Department plays in the action plan on market diversification; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23046/26]

I support the work that is done by post offices. In my constituency of Cork East, as in other Deputies' areas, I recognise the social values that they add to communities, whether its people utilising the services in post offices or the fact it is a very important community outlet. I acknowledge that operating a post office is an expensive undertaking but it provides a community with enormous socia…

163. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he has discussed the potential total funding that will be available for the next round of the community sports facilities fund; if his Department has completed the review of the last round of the same fund; the timeline for the next round of the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16720/26]