Robert O'Donoghue

Storm Éowyn exposed significant vulnerabilities in our national preparedness and recovery systems. Rural Irish communities endured prolonged power and communications outages while many small family-run farms were excluded from State supports due to restrictive eligibility criteria. We cannot continue to respond reactively to such crises. Will the Minister commit to developing and implementing a c…

I appreciate the Minister’s response in regard to horticulture, but I want to return to the reality facing many small farmers after Storm Éowyn. These people are on modest incomes, with nothing in reserve, yet they are central to food production and rural life. Many of them suffered genuine damage, including polytunnels torn apart and crops lost, yet they could not insure those structures, nor did…

I appreciate the support. I might, in the future, talk to the Minister about this outside the Chamber. I thank him.

99. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will commit to developing an integrated national food security strategy that strengthens local production, addresses food poverty and ensures that our food system is both environmentally and socially sustainable (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55119/25]

Farmers are under pressure and families are struggling with food costs. Communities want to see more local produce on shelves. Is it not time we had a new joined-up national plan to make this happen?

The recent Irish Country Living feature on Talamh Beo's Gorse Farm and Hinterland highlights what food security should mean in Ireland, namely farmers and communities working together to grow healthy, local food and keeping value in the local economy. These groups are doing that with little or no Government support. They call for exactly what is missing, which is a joined-up national food security…

103. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the measures being taken to strengthen existing animal welfare laws and enforcement mechanisms; if his Department intends to engage with campaign representatives to progress the aims of Stout's law (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55118/25]

What the Government showed on Tuesday is just how completely out of touch it is with some of the struggles of normal people. It announced the 9% VAT rate for the hospitality sector and handed out rewards to developers, fast food chains and lobbyists - the well-connected who do not need a cent of the money involved. Meanwhile, the people who keep this country running by going to work and paying the…

2. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will consider transferring certain State services, such as voter registration, motor tax payments, or cash collection, to An Post with a view to supporting its long-term viability, preventing further post office closures, reducing pressure on other public services and allowing people with lower levels of dig…

Post offices are far more than service providers; they are the beating heart of the community. They bring people together. Therefore, it is not just about posting a letter or paying a bill; it is about human interaction. In rural towns and villages, post offices often serve as the only local retail outlet, frequently integrating with shops and newsagents. This makes them indispensable in providing…

It is good to hear that the Department is seeing this as a challenge to the organisation because that is key in all of this. I urge the Minister to support the IPU in its calls for €15 million in additional funding for budget 2026. This is just to keep them viable. It is to stop them closing their doors. However, what they really need is a long-term plan. As the Minister outlined with physical mai…

9. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the measures he is adopting to ensure that independent radio and broadcasters have fair access to funding in budget 2026, particularly in underserved or rural areas; the means by which he plans to support current affairs and local news provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52422/25]

What measures is the Minister adopting to ensure that independent radio stations, such as Live 95, which covers the constituencies of the Chair and the Minister, have fair access to funding in budget 2026, particularly in underserved rural areas? By what means does he plan to support current affairs and local news provision?

I thank the Minister for the response. Independent radio is a trusted voice for 2.5 million people across Ireland. For less than 1.4% of total media funding, we can protect and strengthen that service, with just €4.5 million coming from the budget. It is good to hear €3 million will be kept ring-fenced in order to continue delivering independent, high-quality news and public service content. A tot…

I thank the Minister.

Sport has always been more than just a game. It has the power to unite people, create memories, give us moments of pride that last a lifetime and improve health outcomes. I was a soccer referee for 15 years, which was good for physical and mental health to some degree. Over the past year, Ireland has enjoyed some truly great sporting highs. Last weekend Shane Lowry played a key role as Europe cli…

This debate comes at a rather important time. Yesterday, in the audiovisual room, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions had its Respect at Work campaign. One point that it raised that struck me is that we are still in this position, in 2025, where we have a constitutional right to join a trade union but we have no legislative right to collective bargaining or to halt union busting, which undermines t…

I am proud the Labour Party has brought forward this motion. This Government has many things to be considering and reasons to be under pressure. There are 5,000 children are homeless and that one in five children is growing up in constant poverty. That will be the legacy of this Government. Food prices are up, energy prices are up, childcare fees are up and college fees are up. Rents, when you can…

Ireland has been scarred by decades of institutional abuse. Due to the clergy, industrial schools, mother and baby homes and Magdalen laundries, nearly every family in Ireland has felt some trace of pain. It is not lost on me that we are discussing this topic when excavation work is starting on the mother and baby home in Tuam. Survivors have been denied justice for far too long. I welcome the ann…

The need to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence has never been more urgent. It is not merely a matter of rising numbers; it is an epidemic. Women and children across the country are facing violence in their homes, which should be their safest space. Recent research shows us one in four women in Ireland, as well as one in seven men, will experience violence over the course of their li…

75. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how he proposes to increase the tillage area, as outlined as a key desire in the programme for Government; when a tillage incentive scheme will be introduced to support tillage growers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36299/25]

I thank my colleagues, Deputies Wall and Sherlock, for tabling this important motion. The care system is increasingly in crisis. From cradle to grave, we have seen care farmed out to private investors who think of profits and not people. The current crisis is driven by two factors in particular. These are the natural ageing of the population and the State's hands-off approach to providing care. We…

The GPO is more than just a building. It is the beating heart of Dublin city and of our history. It is the centre of civic memory with a 200-year history and, crucially, it is a site with enormous potential. The GPO stood witness to the events of 1916 but the walls have seen far more than that. It bore witness to the 1913 Lock-out, which was a defining moment for workers' rights. It has stood thro…

126. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport when he expects to receive the findings from the independent review of the night-time economy pilots; and if he anticipates these findings will recommend the appointment of night-time advisers across all local authorities. [35189/25]

Will the Minister outline when he expects to get the findings of the independent review into the night-time economy? Does he anticipate the findings will recommend that a night-time adviser is appointed to each of the county councils?