Naoise Ó Muirí

17. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the reforms that will be introduced under the Accelerating Infrastructure Delivery plan to enable developer-led infrastructure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70468/25]

My question relates to the recently published Government infrastructure plan and the steps that will be taken by Government to work more closely with housing developers and builders, big and small, on essential infrastructure for housing. What reforms will be introduced under the accelerated infrastructure delivery plan to enable developer-led infrastructure?

I thank the Minister for that update. I welcome the progress the Government is making on accelerating this infrastructure, particularly from a wastewater perspective. Standards are essential, but this is a way for these housing estates and these developments to get on the blocks, get done and get moving quickly rather than having to wait for Uisce Éireann, local authorities, the ESB, etc., to get …

As Chair of the climate committee, I am acutely aware of this. We hear a lot at that committee about the pressures on the energy grid, its ability to move energy around the country and to take additional houses, and how important that is. I welcome private wires, investment in the grid and anything else that will help relieve that pressure and put capacity in place in the network to allow resident…

I want to raise the issue of lithium batteries which are everywhere now. Lithium is in rechargeable batteries, disposable vape battery packs and mobile phones. I think the Minister has a background in chemistry so he will know that lithium is highly reactive. I visited a waste to energy facility in Dublin recently and learned that lithium batteries are a huge problem because they end up in the was…

I welcome this debate. The role that social media and online content play in inciting violence against women cannot be overstated. I had the opportunity to meet the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre last Thursday and I heard first-hand about the central role that digital spaces now play in enabling and amplifying violence against woman. The discussions, examples and direction of travel in relation to porn…

I am not sure if the Minister of State was in LH 2000 earlier for the lighting of the Christmas tree. It was a lovely event that kicks off the Christmas celebrations for many. Christmas offers a chance for families around the country to come together and reconnect. However, it can also be a time of additional emotional stress and pressure. I refer to the pressure of additional spending for those a…

I thank the Minister of State for her response, and I acknowledge the development and service development work that has gone into this in the past number of years. As she set out, we started from a very low base, but it is hugely positive that the service is being developed. It is important we recognise the challenges that many people face in our communities. Reduced service hours during the Chri…

13. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will outline the projects developed by Gaois in DCU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68148/25]

An leagfaidh an tAire amach na tionscnaimh atá á gcur ar bun ag Gaois in DCU, and will he make a statement on the matter?

As the Minister mentioned, the €4 million investment is a very substantial commitment from the Department and I welcome it. Gaois's building in DCU is a big northside institution right on the edge of Dublin Bay North, my constituency, and it serves that entire area well. Tá sé iontach go bhfuil an infheistíocht seo ag tarlú ach go bhfuil sé lonnaithe sa tríú leibhéal. Tá an cumas acadúil ag na hin…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta.

Bím breá sásta i gcónaí ardán a thabhairt don Teachta Heneghan. Bíonn sé liom gach uile áit a dtéim. Nach bhfuil sé sin fíor? Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Tá an-fháilte roimh an infheistíocht i dtuaisceart Bhaile Átha Cliath. Tá an institiúid sin thar cionn. Déanann Dáire Keogh agus an grúpa ansin an-jab. Tá na fréamhacha leagtha acu ó thaobh an obair a dhéanamh. Ar aghaidh linn leis an tionscna…

5. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if she will outline the preparations currently under way in her Department to meet the demands of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66109/25]

Ar dtús báire, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire ar a ceapachán mar Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha agus Trádála. Go n-éirí léi ina post nua. My question concerns the significant opportunity Ireland will have this year to help to shape the clár, or agenda, of the European Council. Will the Minister outline the preparations currently under way in her Department?

It is clear that there is a lot of work already under way on planning. I welcome that. There will be over 250 meetings in Ireland over a short period of time. It is going to be intense, as we saw before, in 2013. It is an opportunity for the country as we take a leadership role in steering the EU agenda for that period of time and dealing with some of the challenges that confront us collectively a…

We would appreciate that opportunity from the committee's perspective. I will pass that onto the committee. To come back to the matter of the United States, the US is a long-term ally of Europe and Ireland. Irrespective of what Administration is in place in the United States and the coming and goings of individual Administrations, that relationship is important for Ireland and Europe in the long t…

I want to raise the issue of nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, with the Minister. Because it is used in medical, industrial and commercial applications, nitrous oxide is cheap and accessible, but it is also extremely harmful. I am sure the Minister has seen the discarded containers, small silver bullets and big industrial containers. You see them in parks, car parks and playgrounds across the city. …

Darndale Park playground was vandalised in May and closed, needing repair, by Dublin City Council. Eco toilets were installed recently in St. Anne's Park and a week, later, on 26 October, they were set on fire. Kilmore playground was lobbied and campaigned for by the local community for years. The city council went through a big process to put the facility in, and rightly so. Last Sunday, there wa…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I call for anybody who has any information on any of these incidents, particularly in my area of Dublin Bay North, to report them to Coolock Garda station. We must get to the bottom of this. By way of more background on Darndale Park, I received an email from a teacher in Our Lady Immaculate school in Darndale. She states: "The playground located be…

My question is about the changes arising from the roll-out of BusConnects across Dublin and the accessibility issues that are coming into focus. We need to ensure that our public transport system is fully accessible to all who rely on it. I ask the Minister of State to outline the plans to ensure that public transport systems like BusConnects and the improvements being made to the Dublin Bus netwo…

I fully support BusConnects. As the Minister of State mentioned, there is major investment going into that programme, which has been under way for a number of years. Nonetheless, it is important that it is accessible. The Clongriffin corridor of BusConnects is heading for CPO in my own area, and it will plug into the great work done by Dublin City Council on the C2CC. However, we have had accessib…

I welcome the ambition to add to the capacity of Dublin Bus’s network and to make it more efficient. They are the fundamental principles of BusConnects. The benefits to the city and the wider Dublin area, all the way from the suburbs into the city centre and beyond, are enormous. However, there is still some way to go. To go back to the 73 service, buses are bunching, with two or three buses in a …

In the week when the two-week COP30 summit started without, regrettably, the involvement of the USA, it is vital that we remain steadfast and committed and that we redouble our efforts to hit our climate targets. The Joint Committee on Climate, the Environment and Energy has been looking at this topic. In that context, I want to raise the issue of decarbonising home heating. Perhaps the most chal…

As the Tánaiste says, the enemy of the good is the best. There is a risk that we will go down that road. The barriers are not insurmountable but they require a bit of thought and some practical, sensible solutions to build on what has been done already. When it comes to climate work, what often happens is that affordability for the punter seems to play second fiddle to the work that is being done.…