Mairéad Farrell

The Minister and Deputy Sheehan were just talking about the approval of the ring road. In Galway we have been waiting decades for the approval of the Galway ring road. We also have a chronic infrastructural deficit across Galway city and county. People in Galway have been waiting decades for the approval of the ring road. This is the kind of infrastructure that has been desperately needed to reduc…

It really has been decades that we have been waiting. I do not remember a time when we were not talking about the Galway ring road. It is also about people being able to access services through a gridlocked city, which is incredibly difficult. I was talking to one mother who said that to get to a 9 a.m. appointment in Merlin Park hospital from Connemara, really she would have to stay the night bef…

5. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to provide clarity on what can be designated as critical infrastructure within the Critical Infrastructure Bill 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27581/26]

The Critical Infrastructure Bill is currently going through the Oireachtas, but it does not provide a full definition of critical infrastructure and seems to leave it up to the Minister of the day as to what is and what is not critical infrastructure. I ask the Minister to provide some clarity on what he means by critical infrastructure.

I understand that the Minister is giving me the layout of the Bill and exactly how it will work. My interest is in what he would deem to be critical infrastructure. Obviously, we have serious issues when it comes to the delivery of critical infrastructure. I think of the likes of homes and houses, hospitals, public transport and infrastructure of scale. At the moment, what is being built an awful …

My party colleagues and I want to work constructively with the Minister on this Bill. We understand that our people and our communities need critical infrastructure to be delivered with urgency. We want to engage with this legislation and scrutinise it in order that it is fit for purpose because, as the Minister says, the critical infrastructure that is built by this Government will be in use for …

People took to the streets in a way that we have not seen before. People left their homes, their families and their livelihoods to stand up for themselves and for their communities, demanding a better Ireland, and how dare the Government ignore the people again here today. The Government talks about Sinn Féin but it does not talk about the people. It was the people who went out and said enough was…

Not one of the Ministers here spoke to the people today. Instead, they spoke to and about themselves. The Government has in no way heard the message that came from the people of Ireland, a message that they could not have given to the Government any louder or any clearer. Coming in here today, I had thought that maybe a little bit of humble pie had been eaten after the arrogance of last week but, …

Is é buninfreastruchtúr ceann de na rudaí is tábhachtaí d’aon cheantar nó pobal atá ina gcónaí i gceantar tuaithe ach go háirithe, áit go minic nach bhfuil an buninfreastruchtúr ann. Mar gheall air sin, ar ndóigh, is maith an rud é go bhfuilimid á phlé seo agus ag breathnú air. Tá súil agam go gciallóidh sé go ndíreoidh an Rialtas ar chúrsaí infrastruchtúr, ach go háirithe sna ceantair cosúil leis…

Go raibh maith agat.

Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta.

Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta.

Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta.

7. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Mairéad Farrell den Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht an mbeidh ardú ar an bhfóirdheontas do theaghlaigh agus do choláistí cónaithe Gaeltachta faoi Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge i mbliana; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [23101/26]

Is í an cheist atá agam ar an Aire ná an mbeidh ardú ar an bhfóirdheontas do theaghlaigh agus coláistí cónaithe Gaeltachta faoi scéim na bhfoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge i mbliana. An mbeadh sé in ann ráiteas a dhéanamh ina thaobh?

Níl a fhios agam an féidir i ndáiríre labhairt faoi ardú de 45% ó 2022 i leith nuair atá ardú de €1.50 i gceist ón mbliain seo caite go dtí an bhliain seo. Tá a fhios againn go bhfuil mná tí ag streachailt cheana féin agus go bhfuil éileamh ollmhór ar na coláistí samhraidh seo. Díoladh na spásanna sna coláistí samhraidh i dtréimhse de dhá nóiméad mar gheall go raibh an t-éileamh chomh mór sin. Mun…

Impím ar an Aire staidéar géar a dhéanamh ar an gceist seo. In iarthar na hÉireann, tá formhór na ndaoine ag brath ar ola. Tá a fhios againn cé chomh daor is atá ola anois mar gheall ar an gcogadh san Iaráin. Tá na praghsanna sin ag ardú agus tá sé sin ag cur tuilleadh brú ar mhná tí, a bhí ag rá cheana féin go raibh níos mó airgid ag teastáil. Chomh maith leis sin, tá orthu brath ar pheitreal agu…

Tá fadhb leanúnach sna ceantair Ghaeltachta maidir le gardaí agus a gcumas Gaeilge. Dúirt an Coimisinéir Teanga nach bhfuil ach duine as gach triúr garda in ann Gaeilge a labhairt. Is fadhb ollmhór é sin i gceantair Ghaeltachta. Ag an am céanna, áfach, tá gardaí le Gaeilge i gceantair éagsúla atá sásta agus ag iarraidh bogadh chuig na ceantair Ghaeltachta sin, áit ar féidir leo clanna a thógáil tr…

A woman in my constituency of Galway West got the devastating diagnosis last year that she had cancer. She expected she would be seen and begin her treatment within days, but instead she had to wait three months to start it. When families receive a diagnosis of cancer, or when a person receives that diagnosis, they have a lot to process. The last thing they need to be doing is fighting and gettin…

It is not your speaking time.

86. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update regarding funding for piers in Connemara; when Galway County Council will be notified regarding same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20926/26]

I am seeking an update on funding for piers across Connemara. As the Minister will be aware, this is an extremely important matter, especially for those who rely on the piers in Connemara.

Tuigim an méid atá á rá ag an Aire Stáit faoi Chomhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe agus an ról atá aige féin ann. Is í an fhadhb atá ann ná nach mbíonn an maoiniú ar fáil ag an gcomhairle contae chun an infheistíocht atá ag teastáil sna céanna a chur ar fáil agus an obair a dhéanamh a bhfuilimid ag caint fúithi. Mar shampla, ar Chaladh Gholaim i Leitir Mealláin, tá siad ag caint ar dheisiúchán ó 2024 a…

Táim sásta é sin a chloisteáil. Tá sé ríthábhachtach go mbeadh muid in ann díriú ar na céanna sin agus ar an mbuninfreastruchtúr sin ionas go mbeadh sé ann don phobal atá ina chónaí ann freisin. I welcome that because I think it is important that there is recognition we need to look at exactly how we will fund these. There has been a lack of funding for basic infrastructure across Connemara, and …

Evictions have been notified to 14 tenancies on Ballybane Road in Galway city. This is a devastating and frightening time for those who are affected. This is the third time in recent weeks that we have seen larger-scale evictions come into play. It is the first time we have seen it in Galway city, where there are serious housing pressures, and it is very worrying. It is a frightening time for thos…