Emer Currie

The proposed scrapping of the 70 bus service under BusConnects represents a downgrade in public transport for Littlepace residents. This is a direct commuter service into the city centre, operating with reasonable frequency at peak times and then once per hour during the day. Under BusConnects, peak-time services would remain direct but during the day, they would be replaced with a connection at t…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Valuation Act 2001 in order to provide that property occupied for the provision of early childhood care and education, where such is provided either otherwise than for profit or subject to Core Funding and caps on all provision at Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE Programme) rates, and property consisting wholly…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

I am raising childcare again today. There are not enough places and we have poorly planned spaces. Dublin West is peppered with either unused crèche buildings or sites where crèches were supposed to be built but were not. I know this is happening in other parts of the country too. Developers are currently required to supply crèche facilities in large housing developments but not to industry viable…

I move: That the Ceann Comhairle direct the Clerk of the Dáil to issue her Writ for the election of a Member to fill the vacancy which has occurred in the membership of the present Dáil consequent on the resignation of Deputy Paschal Donohoe, a Member for the constituency of Dublin Central.

I also welcome this debate. We have had great engagement on the Good Friday Agreement committee in our work examining the constitutional future of this island. Everybody has a voice. I welcome research and information from anywhere to contribute to this debate. Two things that have not been referenced are the productivity gap that exists North and South and the difference in educational attainmen…

Over recent months, I have been vocal in this House and elsewhere in supporting the Government's proposals for personal investment accounts and calling for further tax reforms to ensure that existing investors will not be not left behind. I have pushed the need to abolish the deemed disposal rule. As long deemed disposal exists in Ireland, it will discourage international funds, including many dom…

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response, including the reference to growing exchange-traded funds, which is something I want to see. I welcome the reduction in the exit tax, but the issue that remains is the deemed disposal rule and taxing unrealised gains, which interrupts compounding and undermines long-term savings behaviour. That is something the Tánaiste is looking at. Th…

I was elected for the first time in 2019 as a councillor in Dublin West in the election after the Minister. In preparation for tonight, I looked back over some of my leaflets on transport and infrastructure from that year. One referenced €1.5 billion that was ring-fenced for BusConnects that would cut journey times by 40%. Another referenced a €2 billion investment in rail to electrify and upgrade…

4. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht whether consideration has been given to introducing dedicated community support officers at local level to assist community groups with accessing funding streams, including grant applications and associated administrative requirements, particularly in areas where groups may have limited capacity; and if …

8. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht whether he will expand the town and village renewal scheme to allow for Dublin west villages to meet eligibility criteria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22377/26]

The Minister and the Minister of State will both be familiar with this question because I have met them previously. When it comes to funding streams and Dublin West, our Dublin 15 villages are too big for the likes of town and village renewal scheme or are too small for the urban regeneration and development fund, URDF. I would like an update on our discussions on that please.

I thank the Minister and the Minister of State genuinely for engaging with me on this because I feel they understand the challenge we have. Our Dublin 15 villages are falling between two stools. I am talking about villages like Castleknock, where the Minister was yesterday for which I thank him, along with Clonsilla, Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart and Corduff. These are distinct communities. They are …

Those villages are entitled to apply under the town and village renewal scheme but our villages in Dublin 15 currently are not. I will touch on what our communities are doing. The Castleknock business forum was set up at the beginning of last year. The members have done a survey that points to traffic issues. They are diagnosing the problems but do not have the funding to come up with the solution…

I want to raise the issue of driving test waiting times. Nationally, the average waiting time is back up to 12 weeks. Last year, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, who is present, instructed the RSA to bring the average times down to ten weeks. We need to bring them down and we need to keep them down. The policy should be to stabilise and sustain them at ten weeks. The centre with the second h…

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak about International Women's Day. I congratulate Jessie Buckley for becoming the first Irishwoman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress. Her success is a powerful reminder Ireland continues to perform strongly on the global stage but while we celebrate achievements like that, we must also look inward and ask whether the systems and structures here at ho…

While much of today's focus is rightly on rural closures, I want to speak about a different challenge, namely, delivery pressures in rapidly growing urban areas like Dublin West. In my community the problem is not the loss of a post office today; it is whether the system can keep up with demand. Parcel volumes across Dublin West have increased by 42% in the last year. At the same time, the number …

142. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport for an update on his efforts to support the League of Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16822/26]

The League of Ireland is experiencing sustained growth, with Premier Division attendances up 8% in 2025 and over 1.1 million attending matches involving League of Ireland clubs across the country. At a time when domestic football is clearly on the up, will the Minister of State outline what measures he and his Department are taking to support the rise of the League of Ireland?

I agree with the Minister of State. In a few weeks, thousands of Irish supporters will cheer on the boys in green as they face the Czechs in Prague on 26 March, aiming to move closer to World Cup qualification for the first time since 2002. Moments like this remind us of our responsibility to strengthen the domestic game in order to support future national success. As the Minister of State said, B…

I am also biased about Dublin West football clubs. We have the best in the country. I welcome the €3 million allocated in budget 2026 for League of Ireland academies. This important investment gives clubs the resources to build modern and professional academy systems and create clear pathways for the next generation of Irish players, both boys and girls. It represents a significant opportunity. Mo…

14. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the programme for Government commitment to introduce pay-related parents benefit and explore other payments where a similar model could be applied. [15142/26]

I am seeking an update on the commitment to introduce pay-related parent's benefit and potentially others. I am doing so because Government policies are not joined-up enough when it comes to new parents whose babies are in their first year of life. These parents can find themselves in a catch 22 situation where they either want to stay at home but cannot afford to do so or want to go back to work …

That is really encouraging, particularly as we in Ireland are above average when it comes to the length of time we can spend at home with our new babies on foot of maternity and parent's benefit. As stated, we are below average when it comes to the financial supports to do so. As the Minister indicated, pay-related jobseeker's benefit is working very well and is a model that could be applied in th…

I am really looking forward to engaging in the public consultation. The figures are important. According to the OECD, payments are lowest in Ireland and the UK, where less than one third of gross average earnings are replaced by maternity benefit. Countries such as Lithuania, Austria, France and Germany have benefits based on past incomes. We have a high percentage of maternity leave employer top-…