Jennifer Whitmore

166. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the engagement he has had with his “like-minded” European counterparts on the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16073/25]

The looming threat of Mercosur is causing enormous stress in the agricultural community. What level of engagement has the Tánaiste had with like-minded European counterparts, by which I mean those who also do not want to see the Mercosur free trade agreement go through, and will he make a statement?

I thank the Tánaiste. France is one of the leading countries in opposition to this. It has said it does not want to see European farmers being used as an adjustment tool for trade. Similar to the Tánaiste, they question the environmental concerns about the deforestation of the Amazon and the weaker agricultural standards in Mercosur countries. Poland is backing France in a blocking minority withi…

If it is split and trade is dealt with separately, my understanding is that it will cause us concerns. Regarding European partners, has the Tánaiste had any conversations with the Netherlands and Italy? My understanding is that their framing of this is softening. Is the Tánaiste or is the State also trying to have conversations to get them back to a position where they are opposing it? I am conc…

It is really hard to find the right words to say about Gaza now. Week after week, month after month, we have seen the most awful and horrific actions and destruction happening in Gaza and it is just getting worse and worse. To try to reduce it to a three-minute speaking slot is impossible. How can we honour those dead and how can we express our outrage at what is happening on the floor of this Cha…

The Government is going backwards when it comes to climate action. The EPA report today states that even if every one of the Government's plans and policies was implemented, this would only meet 23% of our emissions target reductions. We are meant to be meeting 51%. It is clear that the Government is not doing enough. The Government may think it is doing a good job on climate and it may spin to th…

You are standing back and closing your eyes.

The Taoiseach needs to meet them.

It is the Government that needs to take the action.

I thank my colleague for sharing her time with me, especially when she has such valuable insight to give and so much to say on the issue. I wish to raise the issue of the school transport scheme. A key part of the education system that we provide is the ability for our children to get there, particularly those who are living in rural communities. This facilitates parents who might need to work an…

I want to raise with the Minister of State today the issue of the immigrant investor fund and the difficulties faced by a number of charities as a result of delays in funding. I thank him for coming to the House today. All too often, we do not get the responsible Minister in the House. It is very welcome that he is here today to answer questions. A charity in my home constituency of Wicklow, St. …

That is an incredibly disappointing response. It is also very confusing. In one part the Minister of State said it is a private matter between a potential investor and the project concerned and that, essentially, he has nothing to do with the administration of it. In another part, he said the immigrant investor programme was first introduced by the Government and directed us to the Department's im…

It is all written here.

I would like the script for the follow-up response.

That is low, Minister of State.

That is wrong.

Schools are getting ready to close for the summer but yet again, in County Wicklow, a number of students and children do not have places for September. I am aware of seven in Greystones. A small number in Newtownmountkennedy and Ashford do not have places for September either. This is a problem every year. It is really unfair on students. Will the Taoiseach send a departmental liaison to meet with…

Just where the schools come together and actually-----

Yes, just general enrolments.

A number of students who do not have a place-----

I love the Minister of State's passion for nature. You can tell it is a huge part of who he is, and I look forward to working with him over the term of this Dáil to see what we can achieve in this regard. It is absolutely needed and I know he wholeheartedly knows and believes that as well. In his statement he spoke about how this needs to deal with nature and how our biodiversity crisis needs to b…

As he should be. There is a housing crisis.

A total of 15,296 children. I know the Minister has heard that figure a lot today but each one of them is a child that is being failed by this State and the Minister’s Government. Each is a child that cannot reach his or her full potential because of that failure; a child who is living a life where they are uncertain, do not know what is happening and do not know their place in the world, where th…

The last time we discussed driving test wait times was in February as part of a Sinn Féin motion. At that time, the wait time in Wicklow was 26 weeks. It is now 33 weeks so the situation has got unusually worse. In Meath, the wait time is now a staggering 43 weeks. According to CSO data, wait times have grown in nearly every county. The situation is going backwards, unfortunately. It is clear the…

That is in the past and going forward, they will be full-time jobs. I welcome that. I was not aware that these staff can be moved. One could be living in Dublin and be required to go to a centre that is a long commute away. I imagine that lack of certainty makes it difficult to recruit when people are required to travel considerable distances. I acknowledge the current staff, who have been put i…