Naoise Ó Cearúil

The EPA recently identified 115 risks to Ireland from climate change. These range from disruption to Ireland’s energy system, as we saw recently with Storm Éowyn, to damage to Ireland’s built environment from extreme wind and weather events. Will the Taoiseach clarify if the Cabinet committee on climate action will address this report and provide updates on it? Furthermore, we have heard talk of d…

17. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach the role the new ministerial council on national security has in developing measures to tackle cyberthreats; how these will be delivered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18017/25]

The Taoiseach will recall that in 2021 the HSE experienced a cyberattack. The estimated cost to the HSE was in the region €102 million. The upgrade costs on its security amounted to an estimated €657 million. With the rise of artificial intelligence, we are now seeing far more sophisticated cyberattacks. I have asked the Deputy Malcolm Byrne, the chair of the Joint Committee on Artificial Intellig…

13. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the role his Department will play in the preparation of a revised national security strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30994/25]

As the Tánaiste knows, the programme for Government committed to the development of a revised national security strategy, one that reflects the changing threats and geopolitical realities Ireland now faces. Progress has been made with the establishment of the national security council and secretariat, but five years on from the original commitment the full strategy remains outstanding. Can the Tán…

As the Tánaiste is aware, the nature of national security has fundamentally changed. We are no longer talking solely about traditional military threats but, rather, hybrid threats, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, energy security, technological vulnerability and foreign interference. The world has moved at pace, from the war in Ukraine and the instability in the Middle East and particularl…

The Tánaiste has outlined the issues quite succinctly and well. One thing to bear in mind as well is whether the strategy will incorporate external expertise to ensure that it reflects best international practice. That is not necessarily expertise from the private sector. We would be looking to our partners in Europe specifically, and then obviously to our Canadian and American partners, when it c…

I wish to raise a matter of urgent importance affecting communities across Kildare North, that is, the sustained and worsening failure in water infrastructure, particularly in Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth. For far too long, families in estates such as Primrose Hill, Temple Manor and The Grove in Celbridge have been forced to endure weekend after weekend of drastically reduced water pressure. Co…

I want to outline how the communications on burst water mains happens in Kildare. I will pick Maynooth as an example. I was a councillor there for close to 11 years before being elected to this House. I could get a call at 2 o'clock in the morning from a resident in a housing estate or from the local fire service telling me there is a burst water main. I then had to get on to Irish Water and the c…

I welcome Ireland's associate membership of CERN and, like others, I would encourage our moving towards full membership. I acknowledge the work done in this regard by the Minister, by Deputy Malcolm Byrne and by the previous Oireachtas. We really need to focus on the many positives coming out of this. The most important thing to bear in mind is that we get far more out of our associate membership …

7. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach to report on his attendance at the recent European Council. [27219/25]

23. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach to report on the recent work of the Economic and Social Research Institute as part of the shared island initiative. [22483/25]

I acknowledge the progress made this year to date. The CSO has announced 5,938 home completions happened in quarter 1 of 2025, which is the second highest first quarter since the series began in 2011, and that apartment completions in quarter 1 of 2025 were up 13.4% on quarter 1 of 2024. Many more apartments need to be built and I hope the announcements being made will increase the number being bu…

90. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform if he will detail the way in which the new accelerating infrastructure task force will address persistent delays and cost overruns in major public projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27773/25]

The new accelerating infrastructure task force is a welcome move to tackle delivery delays and cost overruns in major public projects such as the national children's hospital, MetroLink and thousands of social and affordable homes that are delayed or over budget. The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has noted that our infrastructure delivery is 25% below European norms. How will the task force overco…

The appointment of 12 experts to the taskforce, including from the ESRI, the NTA and IDA Ireland, is encouraging. Its focus on high-impact reforms and boosting productivity is crucial. With construction productivity around 30% lower than our European peers and an estimated shortfall of 80,000 workers, delivery risks falling short, according to the CFI. Will the Minister outline which specific refo…

It is encouraging to hear about engagement with the private sector on the taskforce. With €165 billion committed under the national development plan, delivery must keep pace with ambition. How will the taskforce work with industry to close workforce gaps and improve productivity, to which Deputy Byrne also alluded? Would the Minister consider establishing dedicated delivery units within agencies t…

10. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach to report on his recent engagement with the US President. [27217/25]

We all welcome the postponement of the 50% tariffs from 1 June to 9 July by the US. What are the Government's plans to accelerate talks and avoid escalation of the transatlantic trade war? I appreciate that it is an EU competency but how does the Government plan to feed into that?

21. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [27218/25]

Last Wednesday, we had statements on the situation in Gaza and Palestine and since then there has been a continuation of indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilians. Consideration is being given by the EU to the EU-Israel trade agreement and last week, the Taoiseach mentioned in the House that a memo would be brought to the Cabinet on the occupied territories Bill. Is the Taoiseach in a posi…

I congratulate the Minister on his elevation to Cabinet. As a constituency colleague, it is great to see him in that brief. He has hit the ground running, and I have no doubt that the rest of his term will be a success. I wish him well. We know from the IUA that half of the equipment in third level institutions is more than ten years old and that a third is more than 15 years old. How does the Mi…

In March 2025, the IUA stated, "increased public investment in research is the best way to protect the Irish economy from external threats such as US tariffs," and what is happening in an international context. I welcome the Minister's commitment to not just funding third level institutions but also modernising those institutions. As a follow-up question, when does the Minister envisage that fund…

I will give some time back to the Minister in order to allow him to finish his point. I acknowledge the President of Maynooth University, Eeva Leinonen, for her work there and as chair of the IUA. I am keen to hear from the Minister in terms of what his timeline is. I appreciate that any scheme like this cannot be just a once-off; it needs to be continuous because of the rate of change and develop…

I speak not only in condemnation but in deep outrage at what we are witnessing in Gaza. More than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed over the past 19 months, children have been bombed in their homes, hospitals and shelters, starved due to the denial of aid and treated as pawns in a brutal campaign that flies in the face of every principle of international humanitarian law. Entire families have b…