Paula Butterly

This Bill is framed as a progressive step towards modernising employment, yet it is a deeply flawed legislation that risks undermining productivity, weakening organisational cohesion and placing disproportionate burdens on the employer. While the intention behind the Bill may be admirable, its practical consequences are far from beneficial. First, the Bill seeks to erode workplace culture and lo…

13. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide an update on the legislative and non-legislative progress being made to implement the measures recommended in the accelerating infrastructure action plan. [9939/26]

I thank the Minister for his comprehensive answer. I want to go back to what he said to Deputy John Connolly in relation to gate 2. I welcome the announcement that it will no longer need ministerial approval. The Minister said it did not add value, but added only time. How much time will this actually save? Is it four weeks, eight weeks or 20 weeks? This is an important point to highlight. Whether…

My understanding is that 17 of the task action points set out for quarter 1 sit with the Minister's Department and nine of those, if not progressed, cannot go any further. Has the Minister already identified any pinch points that could delay this progress and, if so, how are they going to be addressed?

May I ask a further follow-up question?

A follow-up on this one. It would probably follow on more fluently, if the Minister is so willing.

Before I speak about my approval of this Bill and give my thanks for the work done on it, I wish to make my position on immigration very clear. Having listened to various debates over the last number of days, sometimes it feels, as an outsider looking in, that the lines tend to get a little bit blurred when we talk about immigration and what immigration is. It is important to underline that our po…

I absolutely concur with everything Deputy Callaghan has said. She rightly mentioned that families come in many shapes and forms and different sizes. I am very conscious that we link everything to our blood relatives. The time has come that when we are reviewing all the categories we have to consider those members of our families - because essentially, they can be very much considered as family - …

I thank the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy.

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Deputy.

Deputy Doherty, no more please.

In broad strokes, I welcome this Bill and the debate in the Chamber on it, be it on childcare places or the Bill itself. Today I want to focus on two points, namely, the duty to co-operate and the establishment of the committee. For the past couple of months, I have had my eyes opened in Drogheda. I normally visit schools on a weekly basis. Most recently, before Christmas, I visited three schools …

There are many aspects of this Bill that I welcome. In particular, in relation to so-called sex for rent, I welcome the protections that will be afforded to people who are victims of such behaviour by ruthless landlords. I also welcome the detail in regard to the complex network analysis, CNA, techniques in locating missing persons. Unfortunately, there are a number of constituents of mine in Coun…

I raise an issue on behalf of one of my constituents who is quite literally pulling out her hair because she has no idea where or if she will place her child in a special school next September. We know that parents of children with special needs face many challenges and one of them is the assessments. Through no fault of her own, last October she knew she was going to miss the deadline because her…

I truly thank the Minister of State for the reply and look forward to a proactive approach from the NCSE and local SENOs to finding a solution to those individual cases. As the Minister of State said, anxiety is being caused to families by so many issues. If we can alleviate it and make sure these children, who are very special, have the right structures in place, are not delayed any further and g…

As my colleague, Deputy Barry Ward, said, this is a very wide-ranging debate but I would like to focus on international aid. In 2024, the US made $82 billion in contribution under USAID. In 2025, it was just under $20 billion. Other European countries and Great Britain also announced major cuts in their contribution which means it is estimated that only 29% of global humanitarian funding needs are…

We have water, water everywhere, except flowing through the pipes and down through the taps in County Louth. I fear I will be very repetitive, like many of my colleagues. As Deputy Barry Ward said about previous speakers, I am about to take the Minister of State on a whistle-stop tour, this time of County Louth. While I recognise that Uisce Éireann committed €28 million to Drogheda last year, the …

I thank the carers and the home helps who come into our homes and take such good care of our mothers, fathers and loved ones. Without them, quite frankly, I am not sure if I or my family could function properly day to day. That is my first thought on this Bill. Overall, the Bill is very positive. It is timely that the sector is regulated. I still see some gaps, however. First and foremost - I ha…

When I want to take a bus or train from Belfast to Dublin, Dundalk or Drogheda, the routes have improved. By rail or bus, they are absolutely excellent and even on the hour. However, if I want to go from east to west, from Clogherhead to Dunleer or Ardee and on to Trim or Kells, there are no buses and no public services to enable people to get to work or to get to medical appointments. I have writ…

Yes. County Louth, where there are 140,000 people-----

It is based on rail, Deputy Mac Lochlainn. With a population of 140,000, County Louth is growing and houses are spawning at an accelerated rate. Our businesses are growing and we are attracting businesses into the county, month after month. However, our two train stations are jammed. There is no parking and there is no facility. I listened earlier when the Minister of State talked about how we hav…

105. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment to provide an update on capital investment allocations for electricity grid upgrades under the national development plan; and the way in which decisions support Ireland’s renewable energy targets and security of supply [69909/25]

Can the Minister provide us with an update on the capital investment allocations for electricity grid upgrades under the national development plan, and the way in which these decisions support Ireland's renewable energy targets and, most importantly, our security of supply?