John Connolly

The decision of the Government to purchase the Hammerson site on O'Connell Street - the site of the old Carlton Cinema - clearly shows the intent and determination of the Government to progress and complete the MetroLink project. Hopefully, the intent and determination are not limited to MetroLink or to other transport projects within the Dublin area. As the Taoiseach will know, I am referring to …

Cuirfidh mé tús le m'óráid leis an méid ar chríochnaigh an Teachta Aird leis. Molaim an tAire Stáit go bhfuil sé anseo le linn na díospóireachta ar fad. Tá sé anseo ag fanacht. Ní dheachaigh sé amach as an Seomra. Taispeánann sé an meas atá aige ar an ábhar agus an méid cúraim atá air agus ar a bheirt chomhghleacaithe taobh thiar de go bhfuil siad ag fanacht linn chomh maith le haghaidh na díospói…

Mar a dúirt an Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, táim ag iarraidh ábhar a ardú, is é sin, an gá le hionad gortuithe beaga do dhaoine i nGaillimh. Le tamall fada, táim den tuairim gur cheart go mbeadh ionad mar seo againn i nGaillimh. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss this issue. It has long been a contention of mine and, indeed, many others that Galway city and the wider regi…

I very much welcome the response. I particularly welcome the clarity it brings, in that the Minister of State said consideration is being given to the feasibility of the development of a minor injury unit in Galway. If I had not received a response from the Minister just last week advising me there were no current plans to establish a new unit in Galway at this time, I would not have been here thi…

9. Deputy John Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance when he will be making a recommendation with regard to any further extension of the tax and excise changes introduced on foot of the Middle East war; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48378/26]

I observed the interaction earlier in the question session between the Tánaiste and Deputy Doherty on this same issue. I very much welcome that the Government is going to bring clarity to this over coming days. It is as I expected because from the outset of the conflict in the Middle East, the Government said that we would observe the impact of the conflict on prices in Ireland and take the approp…

I welcome that and I very much welcome the fact the Tánaiste has forecast that we want to avoid a situation where there would be a cliff edge, where suddenly there would be a massive increase in price again, which would impact on households, in particular, and people who depend on their cars because, as we know, unfortunately, the transport system in many parts of the country is not at the capacit…

The final clarity I would seek is in terms of the figure the Department of Finance has put out consistently about the full cost of these measures as being €750 million. Are we making provision, given the fact there may be consequences and there may be a necessity to extend these measures? The Tánaiste is talking about the prices having come down somewhat and maybe ameliorating the change but have …

6. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on water quality will next meet. [37325/26]

I ask the Government to examine legislation and regulation in respect of the term "bathing season". The bathing season began on 1 June and will run until the end of September. The challenge is that local authorities will only sample water quality in bathing areas during the bathing season. This is despite the fact that people are now swimming outdoors throughout the year. This has developed in pop…

I ask that the Government offer some guidance to local authorities on providing access to our bathing waters for people with limited mobility or wheelchair users. The bathing season commenced on 1 June. That term is somewhat archaic. I think we need to look at it. Many people cannot access the waters, and there seems to be some divergence among local authorities as to how they address this situati…

28. Deputy John Connolly asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the revised national digital and AI strategy. [37324/26]

Similar to previous speakers, I urge a note of caution. The impetus seems to be focused on introducing a ban on social media for those under 16. Deputy Malcolm Byrne mentioned the importance of getting the input of children in the decision-making process. The children's committee held a number of meetings regarding this issue. It met experts from the world of academia and those who worked with chi…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, for being here to take this Topical Issue. It is one of particular importance to the people of my constituency, particularly young families in the west part of the constituency, Connemara. I will elaborate on that as I go on. One has to recognise in raising this topic the significant investment and expansion in the provision of classes for children …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. I welcome the Minister of State's final comments. I would welcome very much that we would provide the opportunity for the families who are making this very genuine case. He is correct. I have met two families in these circumstances but no doubt there are many more who would benefit from the provision of a class for children who have a challenge with speech and …

There are few other instances in the country that highlight how challenging and difficult we have made it to complete crucial infrastructure projects than the Galway city ring road. As the Taoiseach will be aware, the project was first mooted and planned for in 1999. There have been three separate planning decisions. The design and planning work that has gone into each of those has taken a signifi…

-----engagement with the transport authorities and the parties who have taken judicial reviews.

Like other Members I am going to discuss the virtues of my own constituency from a tourism perspective. It offers a unique tourism experience. Unlike many other areas, we have a bustling city that is expanding but we also have a region of great natural beauty beside it in Connemara. It offers tourists a unique opportunity to experience both. Many see Galway mar príomhchathair dhátheangach agus prí…

I welcome the Minister of State home. I also welcome the fact that, at the meeting of EU defence ministers, there was continued support and solidarity among all nations with the people of Ukraine, given the circumstances they currently endure. Was there any specific discussion at the meeting about a post-war scenario in Ukraine and the potential for a peace agreement between the countries? I note …

I compliment the Government on its continued support, in particular for that loan measure. The Minister of State mentioned the ending of the UNIFIL mission at the end of this year. Are there other European countries like us that are concerned they will not have the opportunity to provide peacekeeping missions in other parts of the world? Unfortunately, if troops from European countries are not ke…

129. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Defence the plans in place for an expanded Naval Reserve presence in Galway as supported by the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42813/26]

Will the Minister outline the plans in place for an expanded unit of the Naval Reserve and an infrastructural presence in the form of a Naval Reserve base in Galway, as supported both by the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces and by the maritime security strategy, and will she make a statement on that matter?

I commend the frankness of the report by the Commission on the Defence Forces. It noted the serious area and scale of responsibility that we have in "our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the scale of fishing activity in our waters, the number of aircraft crossing Irish controlled airspace, our growing seabased energy infrastructure, and the number of subsea communications cables and sea lines passin…

One of the things I have often found puzzling is that the very proud and historical tradition of maritime and naval participation that a location like Galway has among its citizens seems to have petered out in recent times. The operation of a naval support base or naval infrastructure along the west coast in Galway would encourage more local people, potentially, to join the Naval Service or the N…

The Irish workforce's strong foundation has been referenced frequently throughout this debate. We have one of the youngest and most educated workforces in Europe and continue to attract significant investment because of that, particularly in high-value sectors such as med tech and ICT. Galway has become a global leader in medical technology, employing thousands in companies that export worldwide.…