Catherine Callaghan

That is music to my ears. I am glad to hear that. I wish to follow up on the Minister of State's point. There has been a large degree of support from the local authorities in Carlow and Kilkenny and they have been proactive with circular economy initiatives. For example, Carlow County Council recently completed a survey of businesses in the county to assess attitudes towards the circular economy a…

The programme for Government has many commendable commitments to support apprentices which, as a former apprentice myself, I welcome. Today, I wish to discuss the disparity in off-the-job training allowances that are currently being paid to metal fabrication apprentices. If two metal fabrication apprentices are doing the exact same training but one is working for a company that is registered as an…

I speak today about the cost of third level education in Ireland. The programme for Government states the Government will reform SUSI to better meet the needs of students and their families. This is something I welcome and I urge the Government to take action on it from this year onwards. My question today relates to the discontinuation of the reduction in the student contribution fee. Since the M…

To echo what all the speakers have stated today, the ongoing genocide in the Middle East is abhorrent. Innocent civilians are being starved to death. Parents have no baby formula for their infants. This is happening in our world today. While I acknowledge the Government's work so far, we need to keep the pressure on. I hear from concerned people every day across counties Carlow and Kilkenny who ar…

I wish to highlight something that is happening across County Carlow, namely, the proliferation of solar farms. To be clear, neither I nor anyone I know in Carlow is against renewable energy regeneration, nor are we against our neighbours and friends who make a living from having wind or solar farms on their lands. In the area surrounding Rathoe village, though, there will potentially soon be in e…

77. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality the extent to which parents of adult children with a disability are consulted with regard to a future plan for their child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32193/25]

Carlow-Kilkenny has much to offer in terms of amenities, education and jobs but we have a difficulty with providing houses for the people who would love to live there. Some of the difficulty relates to the provision of water and wastewater treatment plants and road infrastructure. Developer-led infrastructure provision and investing in services is the only way we will move forward. It is imperativ…

As it does every year, the UN today, 29 May, marks the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. This day serves to honour their dedication, bravery and sacrifice, and I pay particular tribute to the Irishmen and Irishwomen who have served, and continue to serve, our country with distinction and honour at home and internationally. As the Tánaiste knows, Irish peacekeeping began in 1958 and…

I would like to shine a light on the dire need for an increased roads budget in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. The programme for Government states that the Government will invest in all road projects in the current national development plan, NDP, and consider additional important road projects as part of the NDP review. We all know we are in the midst of a housing crisis. Across Carlow town a…

Like every Member, I am horrified at what is currently unfolding, and has been for months, before our eyes in Gaza. On Sunday, there was a little hope with the Israeli statement, which stated it would allow some aid to cross the border into Gaza. However, with this morning's news from the UN that no aid has reached any civilian in Gaza yet, I just could not sleep last night thinking of the little …

Disability is something that touches most of our lives. We all know someone who is living with a disability or is caring for someone with a disability, be that a seen or unseen disability. This lived experience should be what directs policy. It is people living with disabilities, or those who care for them, who know best what we need to change and how we can improve. I call on the Government to ex…

167. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on his recent trip to Lebanon and, in particular, his meeting with Lebanese officials about the ongoing legal proceedings in the matter relating to the death of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18043/25]

My question is also about Private Seán Rooney. As the Tánaiste knows, I have a special interest in the Middle East and in peacekeeping as a former UN peacekeeper. I travelled that road from Tibnin to Beirut Airport as Private Seán Rooney did. Can the Tánaiste provide us with an update on his recent trip to Lebanon? He outlined it to Deputy Ó Murchú, but if he has something else to add, I would be …

I urge the Government to support calls for pension parity in our schools. The current lack of parity is adversely affecting our school secretaries and caretakers. All parents and caregivers know the vital role our school secretaries play in schools. In the school I worked in as a SNA, our secretary is known by pupils and staff alike as Super Sue because she, like all school secretaries I know, in…

I stand to say what I wrote in a letter earlier this week to the Ministers, Deputies Browne and Chambers, and to express my incredulity at the dire situation coming to light in respect of the Uisce Éireann infrastructure deficits in Carlow town. I implore the Department of housing and the Minister for public expenditure, Deputy Chambers, and his Department to hold Uisce Éireann to account as it is…

8. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Finance his views on how taxation measures could help arrest the decline in the uptake of electric vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16104/25]

Will the Minister give his views on how taxation measures could help arrest the decline in the update of electric vehicles?

I thank the Minister for his response. I have been an EV driver since 2015, a so-called early adopter, and I am on my third EV. When I purchased my first EV, there were a number of incentives such as the SEAI grant that covered the entire cost of the charger. That has been greatly reduced in the intervening years. There was also free public charging and low road tax, as the Minister mentioned, as …

I thank the Minister and acknowledge the measures that have been implemented. A lot is often made of the insufficiency of the public charging network. I do not share that criticism myself because I have a home charger and rely solely on that. The Government decision to reduce VAT to 0% on solar installations in 2023 was hugely beneficial to my family and others like mine. It allowed us to invest i…

Many families I represent in rural counties Carlow and Kilkenny have been granted home support services for their relatives, due to illness or advancing age. In theory, these families in Kildavin, Callan, Bagenalstown and Bennettsbridge have State support to care for their family members at home but in reality, in many cases, there are zero HSE staff to fulfil these home support hours. Hard-presse…

128. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the type of non-lethal military aid provided to Ukraine, including the additional aid recently announced; how this aid is being used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15213/25]

The Tánaiste mentioned non-lethal aid that is being provided to Ukraine, including the additional aid that was recently announced. I ask how this aid is being used and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I share his deep concern in relation to the situation on the ground in Ukraine and I welcome the additional allocation of €100 million that was announced last month. It is imperative this non-lethal military aid will be used to procure items that are identified in co-ordination with Ukraine as we need the aid that has been allocated to be delivered into the are…

That is very welcome news. I thank the Minister of State. It is very clear to see then that the allocation of the extra €100 million is having a significant impact and providing vital support for Ukraine as it continues to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, support that, as the Minister of State himself says, is needed now more than ever as Ukraine continues to defend itself against…

136. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide an update on the efforts of his Department to help secure a cessation of violence in the Middle East; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15212/25]