James Geoghegan

I did.

I welcome this Bill. It underpins the investment the Government is making in public transport. There is a false narrative which seeks to divide urban and rural Ireland and which states that this Government is all about roads and that the previous Government was all about public transport. That is absolute rubbish. There is investment in MetroLink, which will be a critical project. Deputy McAuliffe…

This week we remember Garret FitzGerald, 15 years on from his death, and 2026 marks 100 years since his birth. I think we can all agree that the leadership he showed has shaped our national identity. We are a more tolerant, inclusive and open society because of him. We are also a country that embraces our European identity because of him. He was central to our own European integration story, which…

It is good that the Government has set values as a key priority in this Presidency because we often take our membership in the European Union for granted. To some extent, we actually might take for granted the population’s support of our membership of the European Union. In countries where governments withdraw their support for the EU, we see the relief that is felt from the population when anothe…

Will the Taoiseach join me in condemning the racist abuse that Suad Mooge, the recently selected Dublin Rose, received simply by virtue of winning the competition? She was subjected to racist abuse because of the colour of her skin. I understand that she grew up in Sligo and then went to school in Terenure, which is in my constituency. I happened to listen back to her on "Liveline" yesterday and i…

I have to say I found the previous speaker's contribution strange, to put it mildly. For the Sinn Féin speaker to be trying to circumvent speeding on our roads when we see the dangers that are on our roads is incredibly bizarre, to put it mildly. In any event, I welcome the publication of the National Safety Camera Strategy and congratulate the Minister of State on his continued efforts to use mo…

10. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet Committee on the economy, trade and competitiveness will next meet. [28756/26]

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023 to require that public bodies provide members of Garda personnel access to publicly operated CCTV systems, without a full new authorisation being required, for the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences; to allow members of Garda personnel to…

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

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter, which relates to the Martello tower in Sandymount. The Minister of State will be familiar with Martello towers located across Dublin Bay. I understand that 28 were originally built. Every few of them are in as good nick as the one on Sandymount Strand. As a local Deputy and a former councillor, I am aware that people have been raising this iss…

I thank the Minister of State. I am very encouraged by the reply. I may be too much of an optimist. However, to be fair to the OPW, particularly in the context of the reply the Minister of State read out its behalf, it has highlighted a very successful model that has worked when working with a local authority in the preservation of Martello tower in Dún Laoghaire, which is not very far away from t…

Over the past week, there has understandably been a lot of focus on the blockades of the refinery in the Taoiseach's own county, the blockades of the port and the blockade of O'Connell Street that lasted for days. Does the Taoiseach agree with me that when it comes to the policing of blockades, there must now be a zero-tolerance approach. It cannot be the case that O'Connell Street, the main thoro…

On Friday, I met Denise from Tiernans Nursery in Rathmines. She has been operating it for over 35 years. Unfortunately, she has had to take the decision to exit core funding to make ends meet. She has had to notify parents of that. This is not a person who is looking to make loads of money; she is just trying to continue to provide the service she was already providing. Since I was elected as a TD…

I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach and the Minister of State. I too acknowledge our Chair, Deputy Malcolm Byrne, and other colleagues on the joint Oireachtas AI committee. Before I continue, I will address some of the remarks made by Deputy Gibney because, while I believe they are sincerely held, I do not think they are a true, fair or accurate characterisation of the views of the members of the…

I am sure the Taoiseach shares my condemnation of the violent assault that took place in Temple Bar, which I know is before the courts so I will not comment on it any further. What we do know is that safety continues to be an ongoing issue in Dublin city, particularly as it relates to retail workers. Obviously, it is not just an issue in Dublin but is nationwide. Over 300,000 people work in retail…

15. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Taoiseach when the Cabinet committee on health will next meet. [12503/26]

I acknowledge the HSE capital plan that was announced today by the Minister, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, and the Government, particularly the investment across all of our tertiary hospitals, but also in primary care. One particular primary care centre in my constituency, which I campaigned on as a councillor, is the Rathmines primary care centre. It is being co-located on a site where Dublin…

I welcome the decision by the Minister for Education and Youth to pause the review and the support of the Government for that decision. A school in my constituency, Scoil Bhríde, had applied for an additional SNA and was told that not only would it not get an additional SNA, it would lose an SNA that had been with the school. That is a good example of where a school has clearly identified an addit…

I thank the Minister of State for attending to reply on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. I raise this Topical Issue in relation to a local school in my constituency. It is a very famous secondary school that a lot of people might be familiar with, namely, CBS, Westland Row in Dublin 2. It is a DEIS school that has a very diverse student base. There are children who are living in eme…

I thank the Minister of State for his response on behalf of the Minister and the Department. I also thank the Minister, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. In the context of any appeal the school may bring, I take note of the link between the significant amount of funds provided for the electrical works scheme and the challenge that, for whatever reason under the Department's system, a downpipe does not m…

The Taoiseach will be aware that during the Davos summit remarks were noted by the co-chair of the World Economic Forum that Dublin could be a potential future location for a World Economic Forum event. I raised this as a Topical Issue and the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, gave the reply of behalf of the Government and made clear that if the World Economic Forum contacted the Government that s…

I acknowledge the work that has gone into this Bill. There are two issues I want to raise in respect of it, both of which the Minister is very familiar with. When Simon Harris was elected Taoiseach in April 2024, one of the first pressing concerns he faced was what was effectively a humanitarian crisis taking place on Mount Street because of the proliferation of international protection applicants…

At a pivotal time of instability in the world, Ireland has a unique opportunity. Ireland is in a strong position internationally as a committed member of the European Union and with our diplomatic and trading relationships with the United States, the UK and China. We occupy a space that few small countries can match. We are a country that can bring people together and create the conditions for con…

It is really important that we demonstrate ambition and hold up our hand. Our holding of the EU Presidency this year could well be a very good dress rehearsal that enables us to present Ireland in the light in which many of the millions of people working every day of the week in this country see it and who are so proud of what Ireland is, what it represents and of our culture and values. For perha…

There were over 99 people arrested and over 82 have been prosecuted in relation to the Dublin riots, a dark day that was the pretext for the creation of the Dublin city task force. It has resulted in a more visible police presence in our city to deliver a safer city. The way in which waste is presented by commercial operators in parts of our city has changed to deliver a clean city. We are trying …