Alan Dillon

I thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising this matter and giving me the opportunity, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, to outline to the House the current position regarding the school projects for Dunboyne junior and senior national schools, Station Road, Dunboyne, County Meath. These school building projects will deliver a new 24-classroom primary school, with additi…

I again thank Deputy O’Rourke for bringing this important matter to the floor of the Dáil. I certainly agree with him regarding the time dependency relating to this project. I will take the points he has raised back to the Minister, Deputy Naughton, in the context of her consideration of the needs of Dunboyne junior and senior national schools and ask that they be considered as part of the ongoing…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic. The irony here is that Sinn Féin voted against yesterday’s cut in excise duty, which will make the cost of fuel at the pumps cheaper and reduce the cost of energy and fuel for households and families. The Deputy is about blaming the Government for its lack of action, when we actually took action. Sinn Féin was the only Opposition party to vote a…

Sinn Féin voted against the cut.

People will see.

I thank the Deputy for raising the points she has. On this side of the House, we do not agree with them. The carbon tax has been one of the most progressive taxes we have introduced. It has contributed-----

-----more than €4.7 billion to the Exchequer.

It has allocated more than €170 million-----

------to the ACRES scheme. That is a programme that has a direct impact on rural communities across the country. It is the Sinn Féin model to spend fast, wide and worry later. How would we replace the revenue streams that support these vital programmes-----

-----not just ACRES but also the fuel allowance and the expansion of the fuel allowance? It supports the fuel allowance. How would we generate the revenue that supports 470,000 households and indeed the likes of the home retrofitting programme? It has made a substantial difference. That is why we have expanded it for four weeks. It is targeted to those who are most impacted. We have also put in me…

-----but the €250 million package announced on Wednesday will be of enormous benefit by any yardstick. If we look at what Sinn Féin is doing up the North, it is introducing a measly €30 that will not be introduced until 1 July. Its hypocrisy in telling us down here when it stands still in the North when it has a Minister for the economy and finance doing absolutely zero, shines in the face of its…

I thank Deputy Smith for introducing this Bill. It is understood that this Bill seeks to amend the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 to create a statutory entitlement to leave with pay from employment in order to enable an employee to avail of cervical, breast or colon cancer screening programmes provided by the national screening service or any other screening programme recommended to employe…

I acknowledge the contributions from those present. I reiterate the Government appreciates the intention behind this Private Member's Bill and the contributions that have been made. We are all in agreement that increasing the participation rates within the national screening service is something we recognise as vital to our public health priorities. Early detection saves lives and the commitment o…

I thank the Deputy for his question. The Government's new updated national digital and AI strategy was published last week. It sets out the Government's ambition and vision to 2030 to ensure Ireland remains a digital leader in an increasingly competitive global environment. It aims to secure Ireland as a global hub for applied AI innovation, strengthening our profile as a location for investment. …

I do not agree with the Deputy's assessment on where we are in regard to ensuring that we meet our climate commitments, which are enshrined in law. They are very much part of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act. They set binding carbon budgets and sectoral ceilings. That means no sector is left off the hook, and that includes AI and digital infrastructure. Neither of these can expand…

Let me be clear, as will the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. The Government has very clear objectives. It has twin objectives around decarbonisation, but also around digitalisation. That is very much what we are focused on. We have the policy regimes to back this up. We are looking to harness Ireland as an AI innovation hub. That presents huge opportunities for economic growth. Along with that, we are p…

Addressing energy affordability for businesses is a priority for this Government. We are committed to supporting businesses to become more energy-efficient, thereby strengthening competitiveness through reduced energy costs. In budget 2026, the Government extended the accelerated capital allowance scheme for energy-efficient equipment until 31 December 2030. It also approved the extension of the 9…

I again thank the Deputy for raising these important matters. I am someone who has a dual role within the Department of enterprise, with responsibility for small businesses. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has engaged with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities to undertake an independent review into the speed and level of wholesale to retail price pass-through. That is really important because …

I thank the Deputy for his remarks. I certainly hear that. During the engagements at the cost of doing business advisory forum. That is very much looking at the structural needs within the energy system, but also how businesses analyse and interpret their bills. We are looking to get more details in regard to how bills are calculated. I will point to empowering businesses to control the controllab…

I thank the Deputy for his question. Onshore wind is the largest contributor to renewable energy generation capacity in Ireland, with approximately 5.1 GW of wind generation capacity installed. The Government is committed to achieving 9 GW of installed onshore wind capacity. Onshore wind remains Ireland’s dominant source of renewable electricity and is second only to natural gas for overall electr…

Our immediate focus is to get these projects into construction. That is why we have established the accelerating renewable energy task force, alongside the Taoiseach's clearing house. That will provide inter-agency oversight to remove any barriers to grid planning or ports. We have very ambitious targets. In one sense, we are trying to put the resources in place financially, technically and instit…

I thank the Deputy for his comments. Confidence is growing within the sector. The Lí Ban project was the only project across Europe that was awarded last year. We are ramping up our investment, from the State's perspective, to try to ensure the key enablers are in place. While many of these projects are currently in planning, we hope many will go to construction before the end of the decade. Our r…

The Government is committed to increasing support for offshore wind infrastructure in coastal communities. This is being done in ongoing consultation with all stakeholders in the development of offshore wind energy generation. This includes our local coastal communities and our valued fishing sector, which the Department recognises as crucial to the enduring success of offshore wind energy. The D…

I thank the Deputy for his comments. I agree on the challenge faced by many communities dealing with the prospect of planning consent for large offshore projects. In the Department, my fellow Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, is looking at the national DMAP ORE element. The development of that, using the ecosystem-based approach, is really important. It is important that it is informative as to w…

Again, I agree with some of the Deputy's comments. It is an important piece that we need to get right. MARA can play an important role as to how it engages with those who are being supported through the community benefit fund and those in the locality who may not sit on the committee that manages the development fund but who have a role to play as to how we look at these types of projects. That ap…