Rose Conway-Walsh

This morning, workers at Aer Lingus woke up to the devastating news that up to 500 jobs will be cut at the airline, impacting both staff at head office and flight crews. By all measures, Aer Lingus is a profitable company, reporting operating profits of €282 million in 2025. Its parent company, IAG, has operating profits of €5 billion. Yet, 500 families in north Dublin, Cork, Shannon and across th…

I thank Deputy Farrell for allowing me some of her time. I think Michael Collins would be pleased with the Tánaiste today. I thank him for allowing us Government time to discuss such an important issue. I also acknowledge the work Deputy Currie has consistently done in this space.

I would need much longer than three minutes to discuss the fiscal implications of a united Ireland, such is the depth and breadth of the work already done. I commend all of those who have done it. Leaving all politics aside, the economic benefits of reunification present unprecedented opportunities for sustainable growth. As we prepare for the constitutional future of this island, one of the key …

I acknowledge the huge work that my colleague Deputy Ó Snodaigh puts into the arts time and again. The fact that this is our last item of Private Members' business before we break up for the summer shows the real importance of what we are trying to do here. I welcome some of the things in Minister of State's speech, particularly her comments on Ireland co-ordinating the EU's position at the World …

9. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht for an update on his Department's efforts to reverse rural depopulation in County Mayo; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53292/26]

Rural depopulation is one of the greatest challenges facing Mayo, with too many young people leaving because they cannot see a future at home. One of the main reasons they are leaving is they cannot afford a place to live. As a Mayo TD and Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, I ask the Minister to provide an update on the plans and efforts the Minister is making to rever…

I do not deny those things that the Minister has read out. The problem with it is that there is not a consistent approach. While there are many really good projects that the Minister and I have both visited, and this is not us saying it as a party, let us consider the GAA, for instance. It is a minor miracle that Mayo is in the all-Ireland football final with so many of our young people being in A…

On the planning guidelines, the Minister needs to engage in proper consultation with groups across the country and counties in rural Ireland. I do not believe there has been enough consultation. The Minister knows what we need in Mayo, such as the non-sterilisation of land along the N59, people being able to build on their own sites, consistency in planning. All of those issues need to be addresse…

Absolutely.

I requested that this issue of renewable energy be discussed tonight because I am dumbfounded that we are now finishing another year without having the national guidelines for wind turbines. There are no national guidelines. I just cannot believe that we are in the last week of this session and we still do not have them. It is absolutely outrageous that we are developing onshore wind energy with p…

I thank the Minister of State. That response makes more promises but there is nothing for the here and now and what people are experiencing right now. The damage caused by the Government's regulatory vacuum is leading to a deteriorating situation in local areas. That is a fact. It is also a risk to Ireland's energy security. Meanwhile, households live in fear of their ever-increasing, and already …

As we take over the EU Presidency, we have an opportunity to demonstrate the kind of leadership it should embody. The agenda rightly includes competitiveness, security and Europe's economic future. However, competitiveness cannot simply mean protecting profits and expanding markets. It must also mean protecting workers, strengthening strategic sectors and ensuring that European businesses operate …

I welcome this legislation, which gives effect to the €15 million that was announced earlier in January. I commend all the post offices and thank the post office owners who communicated with me at the time, including those I met in trying to get this vital extra funding. We all know that post offices are far more than just places to send letters and collect parcels. They provide essential public s…

The majority of Members of this House want to do the preparation for Irish unity. They recognise we have a distinctive opportunity to create a new and united Ireland; to create an island where nobody is left behind; to create an architecture underpinned by our values as an Irish nation; and to create a national health service where optimum outcomes can be achieved by the world-class medical expert…

Ireland's EU Presidency is a significant opportunity for the country that must not be missed, but it has to be for the whole island. I was really glad to see our First Minister, Michelle O’Neill, at today's event, because we cannot talk about any of the issues we are going to talk about during the Presidency without taking an all-island approach. We have a chance to demonstrate leadership, advance…

I have been trying to find out for some time the number of members of An Garda Síochána who have criminal convictions. I cannot get anywhere with the Minister or the Garda Commissioner. The latest response I got was that this information was not held centrally and would require a disproportionate amount of time and resources to address. Does the Taoiseach think that is acceptable? I think it is ab…

18. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [49340/26]

I too wish to state, as I said to the Minister, how concerned I am about the short space of time we have had to really scrutinise something as important as this. The time is just too short for amendments with all the other legislation at this time of year that is piled on together. I take from the Minister of State’s opening contribution that she will be taking on board the enterprise committee’s …

Amendments Nos. 4, 8 and 9 concern small and medium-sized businesses. They aim to expand the statutory functions of the AI office so that it not only regulates AI but also provides guidance, training and technical assistance support for small businesses, particularly SMEs, to comply with the AI Act and to adopt AI responsibly. The AI office should be more than just an enforcement body. It should o…

I thank Deputy Ward for bringing forward this motion. It is no surprise that I and my colleagues are very happy to support it. It is very important we all work together to tackle this. However, the Government is still not listening; it is not hearing what is being said. That is the great tragedy of all this. Since we started this nearly 12 years ago - or more than that - on the Erris peninsula in…

15. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on Water Quality will next meet. [45629/26]

The people of Newport have waited decades for a wastewater treatment plant that is fit for purpose. This is absolutely critical infrastructure. For them to hear now that it may be 2031 before they get this critical infrastructure is absolutely not acceptable for families, businesses or community groups in the area. This is a beautiful town that has waited too long. I am asking the Taoiseach to int…

Could the Taoiseach tell them to hurry up?

I welcome the opportunity to mark Pride Month. It is a time to celebrate diversity and inclusion and also to reflect on the journey that has brought us here and the work that remains to be done. Ireland has made significant progress in recent years in advancing the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people, including, as my colleague Deputy Devine noted, through the work of ICTU. We welcome Deputy Ó Sno…

Artificial intelligence is transforming our economy, workplaces and daily lives at an extraordinary pace. It offers enormous opportunities to improve public services, drive innovation and enhance productivity but it also presents serious risks that cannot be ignored. We all can recognise the benefits AI can bring to individuals, business and the public sector, be it through task automation, improv…