Naoise Ó Cearúil

4. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his recent meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister. [28400/26]

While yesterday was Bastille Day, I think in the soccer it was certainly Spain's day.

It was an excellent evening in the French Embassy last night, particularly with Michel Barnier, the Taoiseach and the ambassador. Notwithstanding that, further to the Taoiseach's meeting with Prime Minister Sánchez, it is exciting that there will be an Ireland-Spain joint action plan. When does the Taoiseach plan on finalising this? I know he mentioned that it will include trade, investment and ed…

I will focus on the competitiveness element of the European Council and Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union because this may become one of the most important parts of our Presidency. Europe is at a crossroads. We face an uncertain geopolitical environment, slower growth, pressure on households and businesses and a technological transformation that is moving faster than our i…

There has been a significant increase in the population in Naas and the Department of education has requested St. Corban's national school in Naas to increase its enrolment for September by an additional 25 students. The school is more than happy to do so. It applied for a grant for furniture and it has a classroom ready. However, the Department will not allocate a teacher. It is only allocating 1…

7. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the criteria applied in assessing projects under the digital public service transformation fund, including the way in which service improvement, efficiency gains and potential for wider roll-out are considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51534/26]

23. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his St. Patrick’s Day visit to the US. [22422/26]

A few weeks ago, we saw the AI company, Claude, switching off its Fable and Mythos models after engagement with the US Government. We are particularly vulnerable in Ireland because many of the public services are aligned with, and using, Microsoft and Copilot, which is AI software. There is a fear that something like what I have mentioned could happen with the likes of Microsoft in the future. I a…

Gabhaim buíochas as an deis labhairt ar an mBille seo inniú. As Chair of the AI committee, I think there is some frustration around it. It is mostly procedural. In fairness, the enterprise committee is the statutory committee and it is for that reason that the scheme of the Bill went there for pre-legislative scrutiny. If there was a way that any future Bills or primary legislation would come to t…

I welcome the opportunity to speak today as we mark Pride and reflect on the progress we have made as a country and, more importantly, the work that still lays ahead. I want to acknowledge my friends, family members and, indeed, colleagues here this afternoon as we mark Pride. It has been said here a few times already but Pride is not just a celebration; it is a restatement or statement of values.…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as an mBille seo a thabhairt os comhair na Dála. I welcome this Bill and want to start by commending the Minister of State and her officials on the considerable work behind it. As a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence, I have watched this framework take shape and I want to state clearly that its arrival is good news. It puts our i…

The Government prioritised critical infrastructure in the last budget and we are seeing the benefits of that in Kildare with water infrastructure. However, the management of the projects by Uisce Éireann is extremely poor from traffic to water outages. There have been particular issues in Celbridge, Maynooth, Leixlip and north east Kildare. The difficulty I and communities face involves holding Ui…

First, I want to pay tribute to the parents and families of young boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who have campaigned for access to givinostat. I commend them for their work, and I also acknowledge the work of colleagues in this House, such as Senators Teresa Costello and Anne Rabbitte, and Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan, for their work in driving this from a parliamentary perspective. I also ack…

2. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach if he will report on his attendance at the most recent EU leaders’ meeting or Council. [12978/26]

I believe that the Taoiseach will have the next meeting of EU leaders next week. What will be on the agenda next week? Will the leaders be discussing the suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement?

25. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the revised national digital and AI strategy. [16307/26]

I welcome the progress made to date in relation to the national digital and AI strategy, with the 20 objectives and the 90 deliverables. Things such as the AI skilling platform, AI Ready, are already up and running. We have seen progress made with the regulatory sandbox and the AI office, which is due to open in August. There are a lot of competing demands here and a lot of priorities, including s…

I also join in congratulating the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, on her appointment and wish her the very best as she takes on this important and challenging role. First of all, I commend Deputy Byrne and thank him for continuing with this legislation. Deputy Byrne had this on First Stage in April 2025. If we think of how far AI has developed in that time, this legislation is needed now more t…

128. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Defence to outline Ireland's position at the recent meeting of EU defence ministers; the main outcomes regarding Ukraine, the European defence industrial strategy and EU defence co-operation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43590/26]

Having worked in the artificial intelligence space prior to my election to this House, I have seen the amazing pros but also the cons that come with such technology, particularly as agentic technology develops. Basic administrative tasks in the workplace are being taken away from individuals, allowing them to do more strategic and focused work. That should be welcomed. On the other hand, there are…

The roadmap for technology skills of the future, the statement of ambition on digital and AI skills, AI micro credentials and the online platform AI Ready, which was only launched two weeks ago, are all great, particularly in the context of skills. This is not a skill issue, however; this is a worker's issue. It is about stopping people losing their jobs or retaining the jobs they currently hold. …

Thinking of a changing world, many of us this afternoon are speaking about AI, and rightly so. However, in Ireland the changing world also means an increase in population and an ageing population. Thankfully, we have the National Training Fund and €650 million of that is for healthcare training. In my hometown, Maynooth, for example, there is now a school of nursing helping to tackle the issue of …

I want to highlight a situation facing families in County Kildare following a suspension of the paediatric community assessment tool service in CHO 7. Parents have been told that there are no clinicians available, and ten families have directly contacted me. As a result, children who have already been accepted for an assessment have no clear pathway forward. It is obviously creating worry and unce…

19. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on climate action, environment and energy will next meet. [11869/26]

Ireland now has the highest household electricity prices in the EU. They are approximately 40% above the EU average. Households in Ireland are now paying roughly €480 more per year in light of this. When will the updated national energy modelling be considered by the Government, and will nuclear be considered as a part of it? We need to look at all options here to reduce energy prices for families…