{"head":{"counts":{"debateCount":3,"resultCount":3}},"results":[{"debateRecord":{"house":{"showAs":"34th D\u00e1il","committeeCode":"","houseCode":"dail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/house\/dail\/34","chamberType":"house","houseNo":"34"},"chamber":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/def\/house\/dail","showAs":"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann"},"lastUpdated":"2026-10-01T17:20:11+00:00","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/main","formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/main.xml"},"pdf":null},"date":"2026-10-01","counts":{"contributorCount":59,"divisionCount":0,"debateSectionCount":35,"questionCount":26,"billCount":2},"debateType":"debate","debateSections":[{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_2","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_3","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Diaspora Issues","counts":{"speechCount":7,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_2","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_3.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  I ask the Minister about the implementation of Ireland's Diaspora Strategy 2026-2030. What actions have come out of it and previous strategies to make life better for the diaspora, especially in relation to reciprocal driving licences? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Helen McEntee)  I thank the Deputy for raising this question. The Government launched its new diaspora strategy at the global Irish civic forum on 30 April. It was launched by the Minister of State, Deputy Neale Richmond. He has led the largest ever consultation with the Irish abroad, with over 27 in-person meetings around the world. This included Oireachtas Members. We also hosted the first ever online consultation, the global Irish survey, which received some 10,000 responses.  Since then, the Minister of State has promoted the strategy in Britain, the US and Canada. When any of us travel abroad, we are promoting the strategy and indeed our diaspora. November will see the Asian launch in Hong Kong during the Asian Gaelic Games. The response to the strategy has been overwhelmingly positive, with the communities recognising that the 23 commitments the strategy is built around highlight the challenges but also the opportunities they have highlighted through their engagement prior to its launch. The strategy reflects our commitment to a new and unprecedented relationship with the Irish abroad. No matter where you go, depending on who you speak to, people would say there are anywhere between 30 million and 70 million Irish diaspora. We have a huge number of people to engage with. We will shortly publish an action plan setting out how we will deliver on the commitments up to 2030. The work is already under way.  In advance of the opening of the 2027 immigrant support programme, which will be in December, engagement with key stakeholders and service providers is ongoing to ensure the emigrant support programme remains to existing and emerging needs for the most vulnerable. We are working to support capacity development in some of the organisations. This specific request was made during the consultations, recognising the role of the GAA and how important it is for our overseas communities. Discussions are under way with the GAA on refreshing the global games development fund. I was in New York last week, where I engaged with many of our diaspora and saw the appetite among them for supporting our trade and economic priorities. It is welcome to see a set-up for engagement from diaspora business sectors more broadly. I will touch on more points later. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  I thank the Minister. What actions came out of the previous strategies? There is a commitment to conclude the reciprocal driving licence exchange with the US states. I commend Safe Home Ireland and the Irish-US driver's licence exchange campaign on their work in this area. It is important that such arrangements are based on equivalent standards. The Minister will appreciate that aspects of our often nonsensical bureaucracy are a point of frustration for many members of the diaspora, for example those who drove for years in Ireland, have now driven for years in the United States and are expected to jump through all sorts of hoops when they return to Ireland. Will the Minister inform the House of formal arrangements that have begun with any US state beyond New York? When does she expect the first agreements to conclude? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I spoke to some of our diaspora directly when I was in New York. I see the frustration. This is something we all want to get over the line. We have committed to it previously and are working on it. We have driving licence exchange agreements with 21 jurisdictions, from Australia to Canada and everywhere in between. We are now working on concluding agreements with the US. One of the challenges is that every exchange has to be concluded at a state level, meaning we cannot do just one agreement and it has to be on an individual basis. While there has been widespread political agreement on both sides, it has taken longer than anybody would have liked.  There are three areas in particular where engagement is taking place, namely, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey. I am assured by my colleagues based in the US that they are in consistent and regular engagement on this. Whatever needs to be done on this side, there is a commitment from our Minister and our Government to move it as quickly as possible. However, I do appreciate there is frustration. When we want people to come home, we want to make sure it is as easy as possible for them, but this work is under way and we hope to have it over the line for many of these states as soon as possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  Earlier this year such an agreement did conclude, but it related to the commercial sector rather than the diaspora. I assume that if we can do it for the commercial sector, we should be able to do it for the diaspora too. I ask the Minister to push forward with this and try to get a means to an end with this. So many peoplewhot live in America really need to get their licences. I have people who have moved home from the States coming to my office all the time. They previously had a licence and just want to get it back, and they are being put through hoops. I cannot understand why it is not an easier process and why it cannot happen faster. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  Technical engagements have to happen with the Road Safety Authority. Again, we want to get this done as quickly as possible. The RSA is engaging with its counterparts in New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and our teams. I have asked our teams after last week's engagement to make sure we can move this along as quickly as possible.  There is so much more happening with the diaspora strategy. It is about making sure we revitalise the global Irish hub and respond to community needs, promote well-being and look at advocacy on behalf of our diaspora, as well as the excellent consular assistance our teams provide. It is about preserving the Irish language and the history of our diaspora. It is about the role of sport. This year I launched our new sports diaspora strategy in Boston and here, and we want to make sure we are using sport in the most positive way possible. We see that happening in Ireland with the US, the games that have taken place and the connections that can create. We also want to show collaboration between the different organisations. When I was in New York last week, I launched the green book, a directory of our diaspora organisations in New York all in the one place and directory for people to be able to access them.  A huge amount of work is happening, but I appreciate that in the case of practical matters like this we want to get them over the line. We are pushing to make that happen because when people come home, they want to be able to move on as quickly as possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh)  Bogfaidh muid ar aghaidh chuig an gc\u00e9ad cheist eile in ainm an Teachta Richard Boyd Barrett. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Diaspora Issues"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_4","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Irish Prisoners Abroad","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_2","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_4","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_4.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  Daniel Tatlow-Devally has been locked up for 23 hours a day in a German prison for 13 months, having taken part in a protest, in which no human being was hurt, against an arms manufacturer providing weapons to Israel to commit its crimes. His family, myself and a cross-party delegation who went over in July to witness the trial believe he is not getting a fair trial and we have repeatedly asked the Minister to send observers to that trial. Despite conveying the impression she is doing that, in actuality she has not done it. Will she send observers to the trial to give some sort of oversight to ensure this show trial is at least observed? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for raising this matter. I know he travelled recently with a number of colleagues from my own party and others to Germany specifically to engage with Daniel and his family. I am aware my officials have facilitated that and provided support and we will continue to provide that support to the Deputy and, most important, to his family.  I am following developments very closely and will continue to do so because at the heart of this an Irish citizen is going through a very difficult time, as are his family. Our focus as a Department has to be the welfare of our Irish citizens, whether they are in prison or on trial. Whatever the circumstances, it is about making sure we have compassionate, non-judgmental consular assistance to ensure the well-being of our Irish citizens. That has been my focus and my priority and, indeed, that of our team.  We have a consulate general in Munich, supported by our embassy in Berlin. Our consular assistance unit in Dublin has been providing assistance since September 2025. We have a dedicated consular officer in Munich assigned to the case. Consulate staff, including the consul general, have visited Daniel in prison on seven occasions, most recently on 1 September. Generally when someone is in this situation, there are about two visits a year. There have been seven visits over the last year because of the issues that have been raised and because I am very keen that we engage directly with Daniel and his family. A further visit is scheduled for this week, which reflects a higher level of engagement than we would generally have. These visits allow us to assess the conditions of detention and Daniel's welfare. They are also an opportunity for him to raise with us any concerns about his treatment. We have been very clear in asking him to raise any issues where they emerge.  Germany shares our foundational commitment to the rule of law as a member state of the European Union. While we recognise that laws and practices can differ greatly across the world, we do expect that for a member of the European Union with which we have shared values and commitments, those practices will be upheld. Naturally, though, there are aspects of the legal process in Germany that may operate differently from a legal process here in Ireland. Deputy Boyd Barrett mentioned the formal transcription of court hearings being a common practice in Ireland. It is, absolutely. My understanding, and what has been relayed to me, is that it is not uncommon for a presiding judge in that jurisdiction to dictate a formal summary of the proceedings into the official record. I have other examples of cases that have been brought to me where the jurisdiction has done things differently, but it is not specific to the Irish individual. I have to stress that we are monitoring and keeping a very close eye on this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  In recent correspondence about this case, the Minister wrote that her Department was satisfied that Daniel was being treated equally before the law compared with any German citizen in his situation. I went to the court in Stammheim. It is reserved for terrorists and organised criminals. Daniel is neither and nobody is suggesting he is, so why is he in that court? No other German citizen in that situation would be in that court for what he is accused of. In the court next door, there were people from a far-right group who had been engaged in an armed coup against the German state and who had discharged weapons, and some of them were out on bail. Daniel has been refused bail. These are people who threatened the German state being treated better than Daniel is. The Minister, in response to us, has said that she is monitoring the case and keeping a close eye on it, and will have direct and fair oversight and full sight of the trial. The Taoiseach even said we had sent observers on Tuesday. The Minister has not sent anybody to the trial. We were there as a cross-party group including, as she said, members of her own party. It is a show trial. It is not a fair trial. Daniel's legal team say they have never seen anything like it. Will the Minister send observers? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  Based on what Deputy Boyd Barrett has just said about the comparison, I am happy to engage further with Daniel's family to see what more we can do. Germany is a country of the EU and we expect the rules to apply, and their court systems and structures to uphold the values we share. I am conscious of what the Deputy has said and what has been relayed to me by colleagues as well. We are keeping oversight of what is happening. We are engaging extensively with Daniel. We are speaking directly to him and his family because, first and foremost, our role is to make sure the welfare of Irish citizens is protected. I appreciate he is in prison, so it is difficult to square those two aspects. At the same time, we have an obligation to make sure Irish citizens are treated fairly. I will follow up with the Deputy on this and see if there is something further we can do. I do stress that among the many different teams engaged on this within Germany, our consular teams are engaging and have full oversight of what is happening in the court. I will follow up directly with Deputies Boyd Barrett and Barry Ward after this to see if there is more we can do. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  For a start, the Minister should just send observers. Frankly, I would like her to go further. The defendants are kept in glass cages. When we were there, security people were blocking us from just seeing through the glass. They cannot communicate properly with their legal team during the trial. They have to depend on interpretation, which means they cannot hear the actual proceedings. They are being treated as if they are terrorists when they are clearly not. The Oireachtas Members and MEPs had pens and paper physically taken off us, so we could not take notes in the court.  It is unbelievable. Not a single motion put forward by the defence is given by the judge. She just ignores everything the defence says. It is a complete show trial. Something needs to be done. What is being done to them is politically motivated. I am asking the Minister to stop conveying the impression that we are observing when we are not and to send observers to watch the trial. The Minister is signed up to European guidelines on human rights defenders, as is Germany, which recommends sending trial observers, yet we will not do it. I do not understand why we are not doing it. I fear it is something to do with not wanting to embarrass the German Government and that has to stop. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I completely refute that. I have raised this directly with my German colleague. I have no issue in raising this case or highlighting where there are issues of concern. I have consistently stated that the role of our consulate and our teams, first and foremost, is to protect and support our Irish citizens. It is not to provide legal advice, nor to contradict or take on the role of the legal advisers. Daniel and his family have a legal team that is supporting them. I have said clearly today that I am happy to engage further based on what the Deputy has just outlined. Another case has been highlighted to me of an Irish citizen who is abroad, where the criminal justice system is different and where the rules being applied are similar to rules applied to other citizens, not just our own. We have to take that into consideration. The Deputy has just outlined another case that I was not aware of, which sounds completely different and contradictory. I am happy to engage further with the Deputy on this and see if there is more we can do. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Irish Prisoners Abroad"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_5","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Middle East","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_2","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_5","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_5.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  I would like to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade her position regarding the continued illegal settlement construction by Israel on Palestinian territory; and the dialogue she has with EU counterparts regarding same. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Irrespective of what we might disagree on, this is an issue that we all actually agree on. We all fully agree that the only viable solution for both Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side and to have peace and security, is the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, with Israelis and Palestinians living side by side in peace and security, and with Jerusalem serving as the future capital of both states.  It has been clear for some time now that the unilateral actions by the Israeli Government are aimed not just at undermining the two-state solution but at making it absolutely impossible to ever have a two-state solution. These actions have been escalating in a very established pattern. In particular, the E1 settlement project that was agreed and moved forward by the Israeli Government very clearly attempts to cut the West Bank in half, preventing a contiguous Palestinian State and ultimately the two-state solution. I have urged the Israeli Government to immediately rescind this tender and reiterated our calls for an end to illegal settlement activity.  However, we all know that Ireland alone calling for this is not going to change the actions of the Israeli Government. At every European meeting I have attended, which we are now hosting, and have hosted here in Ireland, but also at the UN last week, I have consistently raised the need for Ireland, the EU and the international community to do more. I can see a shift and a change. I am not saying that has brought about the changes that we want yet. When I attended the UN last week, the very first meeting I went to on the Sunday evening was a focus on the two-state solution. I attended with colleagues from Europe, but also from Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and from the European Council, including our high representative. The very clear view was that if we do not act in a much stronger way, we will be back again next year at the UN talking about how things have gotten worse, not in any way better, which is not an acceptable position for anybody. The humanitarian situation on the ground is appalling. The situation continues to deteriorate. I will continue to advocate for every possible action to be taken at an EU level, but I believe this needs to be on an international scale as well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  The vicious, criminal, heinous crimes of Israeli settlers in recent days is no new departure. The Nakba is now a near eight-decade-long catastrophe of Israeli settlers stealing Palestinian homes and land with impunity. I welcome that the Government has prohibited the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. I am glad to see that the Minister is advocating and calling this out. It is shameful and a stain upon Ireland that the Government has sought to insulate criminal terrorists, Israeli settlers, from the most significant impact of sanctions proposed in the occupied territories Bill, through choosing not to include services.  Recent actions by the Israeli Government increasingly point to the de facto annexation of the entire West Bank, including East Jerusalem. What is the Government doing to bring about the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  On that last point, there is a proposal from the Commission to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement. That was brought about because of the advocacy of Ireland and a number of countries last year. At that time, proposals were also made to impose sanctions on violent settlers and those responsible for the October attacks a number of years ago. What is very clear, unfortunately, and I say \"unfortunately\" because we fully support the suspension of the association agreement, is that there is not support for that. There is not an ability to progress that particular proposal. I have been advocating, as have a number of member states, for further proposals to be put on the table by the Commission, specifically for the illegal settlements. I have sat around a table with every single member state and we all agree they are illegal settlements. What is happening is illegal. What is happening with violent settlers is appalling. If we are to uphold what we all agree, and what is very clearly set out in international law, then we need to move forward specifically, even if it is only just this and not the whole association agreement, to ban trade with the illegal settlements. I will continue to advocate.  Ireland and Spain are the first countries to introduce legislation. Ours came into effect on 15 September. Through our engagement, we are now seeing Canada, the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg and other countries saying that they are going to do this, which is a shift and a change. I really hope that if we continue to pressure and push this, we will see a greater response from Europe as a whole. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  I also hope that there is a shift. When Ireland fails to comply with our obligations under the EU treaties, infringement proceedings are launched against us. What is the appropriate course of action for an EU member state to take when the European Union itself is in breach of its obligations? The Minister's position would suggest that the EU treaties compel Ireland to continue to provide preferential trading arrangements to a state the Government believes to be involved in genocide and the annexation of different territories of its neighbours. Let us say that somehow this situation was unforeseen. Is it now Irish Government policy to refrain from facilitating EU trade deals that could in the future necessitate such a position, however unforeseen? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I am not sure the Irish Government can be any clearer in our position. The Taoiseach and all of us have said we are appalled by the actions of the Israeli Government. We consider this to be an attempt to completely eliminate an entire population and remove them from their land. Trade is an EU competence. We have moved unilaterally, which is not something that the Commission or others want to see happen, but more and more countries are now starting to move unilaterally because the Commission is not moving. As I said last week, we are failing people by not moving. We cannot unilaterally pull back from the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It is an EU-wide agreement. That is why we have advocated for the EU as a whole to focus on this matter.  I do not believe there is a consensus, no matter how much I push this at the moment, to suspend the entire Israel association agreement, or even the trade element of it at this stage. However, we have seen a consistent shift when it comes specifically to the illegal settlements. I refer to Italy and other countries where perhaps there had not been that clarity. Giorgia Meloni in her own statement at the UN last week was clear in saying that she would welcome further proposals specifically related to the illegal settlements in the West Bank. I will continue to advocate and engage with colleagues. I want to stress again, as was highlighted last week, that the immediate need is for more aid to get to people in Gaza and for us to be able to do more in that regard. The situation, particularly coming into the winter, is only going to get worse. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Middle East"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_6","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Northern Ireland","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_2","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_6","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_6.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  We are all familiar with the scars left on people across this island from the Troubles. We know the hard work done by the people of Garvaghy Road in Portadown to build peace, reconciliation and understanding in their own community. The developments of the last two weeks threaten to derail that peace.  What engagement has the Minister had, alongside her Government colleagues, in the past few days with her British counterparts and counterparts in the North? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I thank the Deputy. As she said, I do not think any of us expected to be here talking about the Garvaghy Road and the potential for a parade or march to be taking place, given the history and the fact that 28 years have passed without this parade. I do not want to get into the decision last week, but the Government's views are well-known in that regard. The focus and priority now have to be on how we move things forward and make sure there is a peaceful solution for the residents, in particular. I can see that for many residents they are quite literally back in 1997, such was the trauma that was inflicted at the time. We need to work together now to see how we find our way out of this.  I have engaged with a range of political parties, my team in the North and residents of the Garvaghy Road. I have engaged extensively with the Secretary of State, Chris Bryant, who has been in Northern Ireland for most of this week. Importantly, there has been significant dialogue and engagement by the Secretary of State with both parties - the residents of the Garvaghy Road and the Orange Order. The most important thing now is to allow time and space for those engagements to continue. While an agreement had not been reached yesterday evening, we saw the pronouncements from both sides. I hope that today those talks will resume and we are able to find a way forward. For all of us, it is about not skipping past what is happening now because we have to resolve this.  We still have to look at the wider picture. We have to look at what we can do. People are talking about having a referendum soon. What this highlights is that so much work still needs to be done in certain areas and communities to try to bring people together, whether through the reconciliation fund, the shared Ireland fund or the Northern Ireland Executive. We need to make sure that come the next election, we have an agreement in place that allows the parties to continue to work together and to look to the future. That has to be our focus and our priority from a Government perspective as well as everything else.  I am engaging continuously. The Taoiseach has engaged with the Prime Minister. Our teams are working to support in any manner we can. Now is a really important moment to allow those engagements to continue. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  I thank the Minister for outlining her position. I was on the Garvaghy Road on Sunday. I also met the residents last week. I was living and studying in the North during the last eruption of violence on the Garvaghy Road in the late nineties. The residents' message is clear and they are a genuinely dignified and clear group of people. We need to be careful about some of the messaging around the two sides in this debate because for me there is a clear act of provocation happening from one side, unfortunately, and on the other side what we have seen is compromise and work at peace and reconciliation over decades for their community, all of which is being undermined and torn apart right now. I urge the Government to engage with residents of the Garvaghy Road.  I do not know from the comments of the Minister if that has happened yet or if she simply described the engagement she has had with the Secretary of State. I have concerns around the time and space she mentioned in respect of finding a solution. I appreciate that has to be the case but, nonetheless, every day, minute and hour that this stand-off continues erodes peace in Northern Ireland. It erodes trust in the institutions from both communities, but I would particularly focus on those living on the Garvaghy Road right now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I thank the Deputy and appreciate the comments she has made. It is important, given where we are now and the engagement that has happened and is happening in quite a short space of time, that we allow communities the time and space to try to find a way forward. A legal case is coming up. Given what happened last weekend with the courts, nobody wants another weekend where we have something similar happening. A huge amount of work has been done this week to bring people together and try and find a way forward.  I have been very clear, as have the Taoiseach and others, about our views as to what has happened. That being said, we have to make sure we can find a way forward that does not allow for a return to the past or what we know were very traumatic and horrific events in 1997 and before. That is my focus and priority. Our team has engaged with the residents. Legally, the situation is that the Government has no remit or role in parading. I am very conscious of that. At the same time, I have engaged consistently not just with the Secretary of State but others as well, with a view to bringing forward a resolution.  Beyond the actual issue of the parade, we need to make sure that we are in lockstep in what we are doing next and how we are working together to make sure the communities and residents on the road are supported. Beyond that, we can look at the political side of this with the Executive. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  I agree the Government has made its position on the decision of the Parades Commission clear, although that was quite a number of days ago. I am not clear on what is happening from the Government in terms of the diplomatic efforts the Minister referenced. It would be helpful for us to know more about what exactly the Minister is urging people to do. I appreciate the jurisdictional issues, in that the Government does not have jurisdiction, but it has a huge diplomatic role to play in Dublin in respect of what is happening right now.  We know that the Parades Commission decision was wrong. We appreciate that there is complexity around that. More information is needed on that and on what happened with the PSNI's advice, which seems to be a complete misread of the situation. I heard the Taoiseach speak about it this week during Leaders' Question. He suggested that people were demonising the chief constable. That is not the case. We can call out an act that is wrong done by somebody who has also done good work. It is important that the Government asserts that view and makes sure those elements and levers that are available to the Government are being pushed. We cannot go back. This is a lifetime of trauma. There are generations of trauma for this community that needs to be handled delicately before we dial things back, as is the risk. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I agree with the comments of the Taoiseach this week. The PSNI has dealt with a very difficult situation this week and has been doing a very good job. I met the chief constable and others not long ago. We spoke about the challenges that remain in Northern Ireland with the PSNI and different communities, how we can bring people together and how the PSNI can be more representative of both communities. There are many different challenges. This week Jon Boutcher and the community in the PSNI have done a very good job in what has been a very difficult circumstance.  I am in constant engagement with the Secretary of State and parties in the North. I travelled to the North. I am also conscious of the role that we as a Government have specifically in regard to parades, and the wider commitment and role we play in peace, security and power-sharing in Northern Ireland. We are working with all sides to try to make sure this issue can be resolved. Beyond that, we need to determine how we support the communities because support will be needed irrespective of what the agreement is or what process is put in place to move forward. I am already engaging with my colleagues and my colleagues in the North on that. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Northern Ireland"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_7","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"International Relations","counts":{"speechCount":7,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_2","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_7","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_7.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  Ireland and France are neighbours, not simply through geography but also centuries of shared history. I have raised this matter in parliamentary questions previously. On 31 August, I had the honour of attending the ceremony beneath the Arc de Triomphe, attended by Deputy Ward last year. A wreath was laid to honour the Irish who fought with French armies. La France se souvient de l\u2019Irlande et l\u2019Irlande doit aussi se souvenir de la France. France remembers Ireland and Ireland should also remember France. During our EU Presidency, what can we do to give permanent expression in Ireland to that extraordinary friendship? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I fully agree with him. The relationship and partnership Ireland and France has is shaped by a number of things, including our proximity. With the UK having left the EU, it is our closest EU neighbour. We have deep historical connections and increasingly integrated economic ties. We also have many shared values. For that reason, earlier this year I launched the new France-Ireland joint strategic framework for 2026 to 2030, with my French counterpart Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot. The framework builds on and focuses on the achievements of the first joint action plan from 2021 to 2025, which saw a period of significant expansion in our economic and trading relationship and business links as France unintentionally became our nearest EU neighbour.  The new joint strategic framework focuses on a number of things, including co-operation in three broad areas. This is underpinned by an action plan to make sure that we are not just talking about how we can strengthen our relationship, but how we can put that into action and set ourselves targets to move forward. The first is how we work together as partners for a more competitive Europe.  During our Presidency, one of our three priorities is competitiveness. How do we ensure that Europe is competitive? How do we ensure that Ireland, as well as member states and our partners, remain open and competitive? This includes investment in our resources in France. I am pleased to say that, currently, our three new defence attach\u00e9s to London, Paris and Washington are going through their training. I hope our French attach\u00e9 will be able to take up that position in the coming weeks. We also have a talent and innovation attach\u00e9 to our embassy in Paris. Recently, a consulate general was opened in Lyon. In November, the annual France-Ireland Economic Forum will bring together policymakers, industry and business representatives to focus on enhancing our trade and business ties.  Second, we are working bilaterally and in European and multilateral forums, such as the International Organisation of the Francophonie, to promote a fair, safe and sustainable global environment. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  I have spoken to the Minister about this before but one person who brings much of the shared history together is General Charles de Gaulle. His ancestry comes through the McCartan family from County Down. His ancestors served in the Berwick's Regiment as part of the great Wild Geese tradition. Ireland fascinated the de Gaulle family intellectually. His grandmother, Josephine Marie Anne Maillot, wrote a biography of Daniel O'Connell, which de Gaulle read as a young man. When he came to Ireland, he met \u00c9amon de Valera at \u00c1ras an Uachtar\u00e1in in Phoenix Park. This is, therefore, a tangible connection. We also will have a physical connection with the Celtic interconnector. Will the Minister engage with the OPW and French authorities to investigate a permanent commemoration? Potentially, that could take the form of the naming or co-naming of an appropriate section of Chesterfield Avenue in honour of Charles de Gaulle and the enduring Franco-Irish friendship. It would cost relatively little but its symbolism would endure for generations. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Ward  I support that call for the change on Chesterfield Avenue. As convener of the Ireland-France Parliamentary Friendship Group, I support any move we can make to solidify that historic and cordial relationship we have with France. I acknowledge the increase in our diplomatic footprint in France that the Minister outlined. We have a great team on the ground, and that is yielding results in its own way.  It is a stated aim of the European affairs committee to advance negotiations to make Ireland part of L'Assembl\u00e9e Parlementaire de la Francophonie. As the Minister knows \u2013 she represented Ireland at it - Ireland has observer status at L'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. While we are a part of that organisation, we are not a part of the associated parliamentary organisation. I ask the Minister to commit to support an application by the Oireachtas to become part of the L'Assembl\u00e9e Parlementaire de la Francophonie. It is not specifically a French thing but, rather, a French language thing. The French language is spoken and studied by more people in Ireland than any other language, so it is an important move to solidify that relationship. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I thank both Deputies. The naming of this road was raised before by Deputies Heneghan and Ward, as well as by other Deputies. My understanding is that the OPW engaged on this but I am happy to engage with it further to see whether there are different options available. The point is how we commemorate and acknowledge that relationship and connection. I know there are familial connections, such as with the O'Connell family and others. We have launched our new strategic framework, and it is about finding a way within those actions to commemorate that individual.  Beyond that, however, there is a huge amount of work in this document. It is important to progress it from an economic, energy, cultural and international perspective. I am happy to engage with Deputy Ward on his proposal. As he said, it is the only time I have ever given a full speech in French, which I am very proud of. At the same time, we do not have full status or engage as regularly or in the same way as other countries. I am happy to explore that with the Deputy further. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  I welcome that. As the Minister said, we have already joined that framework. We should not allow the Presidency to pass without leaving something permanent. I welcome the Minister's commitment to chase this up with the OPW. There is much connection between Ireland and France, about which I am learning more and more. For example, after the Second World War, the Irish Red Cross established hospitals in shattered Normandy towns. The 92nd Infantry Regiment of the French Army continues to carry the heritage of Irish soldiers who served in France centuries ago. Under the Arc de Triomphe, Irish names of Irish descendants can be seen engraved into the rocks. This Presidency gives us an opportunity to ensure that friendship is not only remembered but permanently recognised. Our histories are intertwined and our friendship will endure. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I am happy to engage further on this matter. The Deputy mentioned the security and defence space. I met my French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, on 3 June 2026. We discussed our Presidency priorities and how we advance co-operation on competitiveness and other areas, with particular regard to bilateral co-operation on European security and defence. In the Middle East, specifically Lebanon, we have a proud history of working together on the ground. Our troops work to protect the Lebanese people and support the Lebanese armed forces. We also have an increasing bilateral relationship when it comes to our defence co-operation more broadly, and I would like to see that expand and grow, given our history and proud tradition of peacekeeping.  This document is a developed blueprint from the previous document. It details opportunities where we can try to strengthen that relationship. I am happy to follow up on the issues both Deputies specifically raised with me. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"International Relations"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_8","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_9","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"EU Budgets","counts":{"speechCount":9,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_8","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_9","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ryan O'Meara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_9.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ryan O'Meara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ryan O'Meara  I ask the Minister of State for an update on negotiations around the EU's multi-annual financial framework, MFF, with particular regard to Ireland's priorities for these negotiations. The EU budget has to reflect the realities facing Europe today, including competitiveness, energy security, defence and, importantly, food security. For Ireland, one of the most important elements of that budget is the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP. Will the Minister outline the Government's priorities for protecting the CAP at the next EU budget? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Thomas Byrne)  I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 40 together.  Pursuing agreement on the next EU long-term budget, that is, the multi-annual financial framework, is a key priority for the Irish Presidency. It overarches all our priorities. The Government is advancing negotiations at a critical juncture. We, as the Presidency, are bringing member states closer to agreement on key issues, such as the overall size of the long-term budget, where the EU should focus its resources and where funding should come from.  The General Affairs Council, which I chair, held its most recent meeting in Brussels on 22 September in which the MFF was discussed in public session. This included substantive engagement among member states on the expenditure, volume and revenue aspects of the future long-term budget of the EU. This discussion was the final one in a series of important debates held between European affairs ministers. It comes in advance of the Irish Presidency publishing our compromise proposal in October. Member States used this discussion as an opportunity to note their views on the overall volume of the future MFF and to highlight where they consider expenditure should be focused. Some member states called for significant reductions on the Commission\u2019s proposals, while others called for the volume to be retained. Priorities varied, but member states highlighted the importance of agricultural, cohesion, defence and security, research, innovation and competitiveness for the next EU budget.  Debate has also continued on sources of revenue under the next MFF, which are known as own resources. Discussion focused primarily on five European Commission proposals, namely, the carbon border adjustment mechanism, the emissions trading system, a tobacco excise duty, a corporate own resource for Europe and a so called e-waste-based own resource. While the general consensus is that a significant package of new own resources is needed for the MFF, member states have a range of different opinion as to which should be implemented.  The variety of views, as set out at the General Affairs Council, emphasises the challenge and need for the Irish Presidency to carefully consider all opinions and deliver a compromise that brings member states closer to agreement. In order to do so, we will deliver a compromise proposal - a so-called revised negotiating box - to member states in the coming period. Our intention and role when holding the Presidency is to find the balance between member states and put forward workable solutions to areas of disagreement that are capable of addressing the Union\u2019s current and emerging needs for the next decade. We are doing all we can to balance the views of member states, and we are counting on all around the negotiating table to approach discussions following the publication of our negotiating box flexibly and with a commitment to compromise.  At the end of the day, our objective is to ensure that the MFF will continue to support our farmers, fishers and rural communities, enhance European competitiveness through investment in energy, digital and connectivity, support Irish students to go on Erasmus and Irish researchers to have access to grants, invest in peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland and continue the significant EU humanitarian and development assistance outside the borders.  The next meeting of the leaders of the European Union is on 15 and 16 October. We will publish our negotiating box in advance of that. This will be a key milestone in the agreement and will move the Council, which is the member states, closer to agreement on the overall package to ensure a timely agreement is met. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ryan O'Meara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ryan O'Meara  I thank the Minister of State. I will focus specifically on the Common Agricultural Policy and rural Ireland. The CAP is not simply a payment for farmers. It is an investment in the viability of family farms and the communities that depend on them. When a farm is viable it supports agricultural contractors, machinery businesses, vets, hauliers, merchants, local shops and services. The money circulates through the rural community and economy and remains within it. When farming is going well rural Ireland goes well, and that is certainly true in Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny. However, we also have to recognise the pressures farmers are facing from input costs, market volatility, weather events and the need to invest in the future of our farms. As the Minister of State mentioned, negotiations are continuing. As they continue, will the Government make sure the next CAP provides the certainty our farmers need, supports generational renewal and protects the viability of the family farm in rural Ireland? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aindrias Moynihan  Irish whiskey is one of Ireland's most successful indigenous export products, supporting jobs in distilleries, farming, tourism and rural communities. The recent announcement that US tariffs on Irish whiskey were to be removed was very welcome. However, producers, especially smaller and independent distilleries, need certainty. Will the Minister indicate whether the Government has received a clear timeframe from the US Administration for the removal of these tariffs? What assurances can be given to producers that Irish whiskey----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh)  A Theachta, you are referring to Question No. 11. We are discussing Questions Nos. 6 and 40. Question No. 40, which is in your name, relates to the EU budget talks at the General Affairs Council. We will get to Question No. 11. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  Deputy Moynihan will also want to hear about the Common Agricultural Policy but I will leave it to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to talk about whiskey.  The EU budget negotiations are exactly that; a negotiation. It is not like countries are negotiating with the EU. What is the EU? It is the member states of the EU, so it is a negotiation between the member states as to what the priorities are and how much we will spend. It is our role in the Presidency to chair those talks effectively. We have to act as an honest broker on behalf of the member states, and the Government is committed to doing that. We want to bring member states closer together on key issues, including the Common Agricultural Policy. We published our priorities for the multi-annual financial framework in the summer of last year well in advance of our Presidency so that everybody would know what our priorities were and that we could perform the honest broker role with our priorities well known at the same time. The Common Agricultural Policy has been a top priority for the Irish Government. When we go into Presidency mode we have to become an honest broker. However, it is the case that the Common Agricultural Policy is also a top priority for many other member states, although not for all. Our commitment now as honest broker is not only to listen to the domestic point of view and to put forward our domestic position. We also have to listen to the variety of opinions around the negotiating table and we have to drive the compromise among the member states that everybody can agree on. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ryan O'Meara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ryan O'Meara  Following up on my last point, it brings up the broader argument of food security. With Ireland being one of the world's greatest food producing nations, we have a globally recognised reputation for quality, safety and traceability of the food we produce. Our agriculture and agrifood sectors are fundamental to the Irish economy and rural Ireland. Recent events have shown that we cannot take food security for granted. We would never suggest that Europe should compromise on energy security or defence, because they are strategically important. Food security deserves the exact same recognition. Will the Minister of State give a commitment that Ireland will argue strongly and for a properly funded CAP in the next EU budget, as he has outlined Ireland did over 12 months ago? Will he commit to ensuring that protecting our farmers and our capacity to produce food will remain a strategic priority for Ireland in these negotiations, particularly working with like-minded countries that hold the same views on the importance of the CAP and food security? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aindrias Moynihan  In the interests of Irish farming and rural communities, getting agreement on the CAP is hugely important and giving clarity to farmers and rural communities on the shape and size of funding going forward. It is almost as if there are two separate questions on the multi-annual financial framework - deciding how much will be available and, separately, how CAP funding will be available to support rural communities. The LEADER programme is being funded through the second pillar and groups availing of it are very concerned. Will the Minister of State give an outline as to how that funding could be channelled to rural communities? In the interests of farmers, can the CAP aspect be agreed separately from the multi-annual financial framework? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  Food security is one of the foundational reasons for the European Union's existence. The Common Agricultural Policy is a treaty-based policy which the European Union has long been committed to. However, some member states tell us that we need to look at other priorities, particularly competitiveness, as I mentioned. We are trying to get agreement on that. It is also fair to say that in my discussions with Ministers around the European table, many of them have prioritised the Common Agricultural Policy and particularly those policies in heading 1 of the multi-annual financial framework proposal.  Regarding the Common Agricultural Policy in general and the questions raised by Deputy Moynihan, there are two questions. One question is the overall size of the budget. We have heard some of the contributor countries say that they want the budget proposal to be reduced by several hundred billion euro. It is not just the size of the budget, though. It is also about where the priorities within the size of the budget are as well. Again, some member states emphasise what they call more modern priorities. The Government's position has been made very clearly. Last year, we thought it was important to get our spoke out to say what our priorities were, so that we could play the honest broker role, which I have been doing. I have chaired the meetings of the General Affairs Council. I have met each minister for Europe or foreign minister on the MFF in the past month, in a confidential format to find out where they are. We will propose our negotiating document in the coming period. That is not the end of the line. That would be a pointer towards the leaders getting this agreement over the line. It is hoped that our negotiating box will allow the leaders to come to an agreement. What they agree could be different and could be better or worse, from different people's point of view. It could also be different at the end of the day. In the next few weeks, our negotiating box is not the end of the story. The end of the story is when the leaders agree at the European Council. All of them have to agree and the European Parliament has to consent to the final outcome on the amount. There is a lot of work to do even after we put forward our negotiating box. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Question No. 7 taken with Written Answers. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"EU Budgets"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_10","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Diplomatic Representation","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_8","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_10","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_10.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Ward  I support the increase of Ireland's diplomatic footprint generally. In the European Union it is hugely important that we invest in those relationships. There is no EU country that does not have an embassy here and there is no EU country in which we do not have an embassy. In relation to accession states to the European Union, an issue that, as part of our Presidency, is hugely important, there are at least three that will come into the accession process, hopefully quite soon, or are completing it, where we do not have embassies. Has thought been given to establishing a permanent diplomatic presence in those countries? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 85 together.  Ireland strongly supports EU enlargement as the European Union's most effective policy for ensuring the security, stability and prosperity of our Union. Ireland strongly benefited from EU membership and we believe that other European countries deserve the same opportunities that European Union membership has brought to us, provided that the necessary reforms are implemented.  EU enlargement is also a key priority of our EU Presidency and takes up a lot of my time as Minister of State with responsibility for EU affairs. During our Presidency, we have already secured significant progress on enlargement over recent months. In July, during the first month of our Presidency, I chaired the highest number of accession conferences, which are the formalities of moving along the process, in a single day since 2002. We advanced the candidacies of Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova.  Over recent years, as a demonstration of our commitment to EU enlargement, we have significantly strengthened our diplomatic ties with candidate countries, including through the opening of new embassies in Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia in September last year. Ireland also maintains embassies in Ukraine and T\u00fcrkiye, while our embassies in Athens, Ankara, Belgrade, Bucharest and Budapest are accredited to Albania, Georgia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo, respectively.  Decisions on new missions will be taken in the framework of Global Ireland 2040 and the subsequent whole-of-government regional plans committed to in the programme for Government. All decisions on new openings are based on a robust analysis of how they will support our citizens, contribute to the promotion of our political and economic interests and promote our culture internationally. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Ward  I entirely agree with what the Minister of State has said about the importance and I also recognise the number of new embassies that have been opened. I was in Moldova last September during the parliamentary elections and I met the ambassador who was setting up the embassy there. Just this week, I attended an EU enlargement conference in Tirana in Albania and I met our Greek ambassador, Ciara O'Floinn, who was not just there and present for the conference in Tirana but was clearly very well connected with Albanian parliamentarians and is clearly very present on the ground in Tirana as well.  I recognise the hard work that has been done by our diplomats who cover, on a non-resident basis, countries such as North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania. Should we now be taking the next step of opening embassies in these countries? Certainly in relation to Montenegro the received wisdom is that it is very far along the track. The Minister of State mentioned that it is one of four countries which are progressing their accession status. In fairness to Montenegro, it has done a huge amount of work. I met the delegation in Tirana this week and I have also met them here. Surely if we are to maintain the principle of having a presence in every EU country, we should also have a presence in those countries close that are to accession.  The Minister of State mentioned other countries such as Kosovo, Georgia and T\u00fcrkiye. We have an embassy in T\u00fcrkiye but Georgia and Kosovo are covered by the embassies in T\u00fcrkiye and Hungary, respectively. They are a little bit further away, realistically. Montenegro seems likely to become a member of the European Union in the coming years and we do not have an embassy on the ground. I am not saying we do not cover it because I know the embassy in Belgrade does a super job there and I pay tribute to it for the work it does. The principle of having a presence in countries is very important. Enlargement is close to our hearts. We were part of the first wave of accession to the European Union and we have been a very important part of many of the accessions since then. Part of this involves establishing a diplomatic presence in these countries. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  I thank Deputy Ward. I am sure the Minister and the Government will take this matter very much into account.  The very fact we opened up new missions in the region in the past year in particular means we are now less thinly spread. Before our embassy was opened in Serbia, which was relatively recently, Montenegro was covered from Budapest, along with other countries, including Serbia. Now the staff of the embassy in Budapest have more time and can also focus on Kosovo, where they are still accredited, while the embassy in Belgrade can focus on Serbia and Montenegro. We are less thinly spread and have more resources in the region. This has been noticed. It gives us a chance to have a deep connection. Deputy Ward mentioned our ambassador in Greece with regard to Albania. It is easier to do this if there is only one country attached to another. It is relatively common that we have countries attached to particular embassies. We do not have a diplomat in every mission.  Without prejudging any Government decision on this, it is the case that we have an embassy in every EU member state. Our diplomats do extraordinary work. They provide extraordinary value for money. They do diplomatic work, consular work, political work and trade work. They help to promote Irish business and trade and, therefore, help to create jobs here. They do incredible work. We have one in every EU member state and if we go with this logic, I would have said that it is likely the Government will make a decision, certainly at the very latest when some of these applicant countries become member states of the European Union. All of this is, of course, under constant review by the Government and we certainly appreciate the need for it and the advantages that it brings. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Ward  I thank the Minister of State and I agree with what he said about our missions on the ground. They provide consistent, excellent service to Irish citizens there and here because of the work they do. The Minister of State mentioned trade and there is also cultural engagement, the presence on the ground and increasing the profile of Ireland in these countries.  I also recognise what the Minister of State said about the excellent work done by ambassadors who have responsibility, on a non-resident basis, for countries such as Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania. I recognise how much work they do. I also take on board what the Minister of State said about this being under review and the principle that if and when these countries become members of the European Union, it will, hopefully, be a priority to open embassies there.  There is no lack of contact with those countries, and when their delegations come here to meet the European affairs committee or to meet me, as Chair of the committee, they constantly say there is contact with the Irish Government, but we must consider maintaining our connection to accession. When we think of it, we were not only part of the first accession but also key to the negotiations on German unity in the first half of 1990. In 2004 we were key to the day of welcomes when the largest accession ever, of ten new member states, happened during our Presidency. We were key in the negotiations to the most recent accession of Croatia in 2013. This is something that works for us because we understand the value of being part of the European Union and we know how much Ireland has benefited from it.  As the Minister of State has said, we want to make sure the countries that want to share in the success and prosperity should be given the opportunity to do so wherever they can. Part and parcel of this is to send a very clear signal to countries such as Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia that we are so invested in this that we are going to open on the ground resident diplomatic representation in their countries. This would be a very welcome move. I say this conscious of the fact that we are serving these communities and countries extremely well as it is. I think we could do it better. I recognise the commitment the Minister of State has made in terms of the quality of service we are providing at a diplomatic level in these countries as well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  Deputy Ward has made all of his points very well. Again, it is important to remember that the focus of our missions abroad is primarily to support our citizens, to contribute to the promotion of our political and economic interests and to promote our culture internationally. I am familiar with a number of cases in the region that we will never see in the media or on social media where diplomats are really going out of their way to help Irish citizens who have got into difficulties of various kinds. We all know about these situations. They do incredible work. I said earlier that our embassy in Budapest looked after Serbia but it was actually our embassy in Bucharest. It was our embassy in Romania that looked after Serbia. However, the point is valid that having more embassies frees up resources, and it has freed up significant resources. There is now a significant focus on Serbia and Montenegro and, as I said, our embassies in Budapest and Bucharest can focus more on the work they do there. Embassies in places such as Bucharest are very busy because there is a huge connection between Ireland and Romania in terms of the movement of people. Again, if we look at Moldova, we have opened an embassy there. This is important from the point of view of it being an accession country but there are also a lot of people coming from Moldova to Ireland. This generates work for an embassy also.  There is a range of different factors that the Government has to take into account when opening embassies, primarily resources. I am hopeful in the context of the accession, without wishing to prejudge the situation, that the Government will be inclined to continue its position of having an embassy in every member state of the European Union. I can tell Deputy Ward that during the Brexit process it was very useful to have somebody in every capital. It was very useful to get our position across and explain the difficulties we were facing. When other countries are in difficulties we hear it directly if we have embassies there. I thank Deputy Ward for raising this point. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Diplomatic Representation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_11","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Passport Services","counts":{"speechCount":8,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_8","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_11","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_11.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Colm Burke  Will the Minister outline what action is being taken by the Department to reduce the current timeline for reprocessing a passport application query when a query is raised, in view of the fact that when an additional information request is made the application is paused until such time as the new documentation is received and processed, which can add an additional 15 working days, which is three full weeks, to the application? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. If we look at the timelines and the work done this year, the passport service has issued over 740,000 passports to date, and it will continue to issue a significant number between now and the end of the year. All application types are currently being processed well within the advertised turnaround times. In fact, I would say that if people ordered a renewed passport this morning, it would be received in the post tomorrow, such are the turnaround times.  In the case of first-time and child renewal applications, supporting documents are required to be submitted. I appreciate, as we all do, that there is a process there that takes longer but it is, essentially, a confirmation of our citizenship, so it is an extremely important process that the office has to go through. The turnaround time for these applications begins on the date the required documents are received. We tend to see those paper applications being submitted, in particular, for the first-time child applications.  In cases where an application is incomplete or incorrect, and that is when we hear from people and they come to us, the passport service will contact the applicant to advise them of what is required to ensure their application is complete. The passport service then operates a document management system whereby incomplete applications are prioritised once the additional documents are received by the passport service. It had been the case previously where those applications may have gone to the back of the queue or might not have progressed as quickly. That has now changed, thankfully. It is now the situation that until the documents are received, those applications are paused, and then they are taken up and immediately prioritised once they come in. A number of steps still have to be taken once the documents are received, including registration, scanning, document verification and a review by an entitlement officer.  While it is said that this can take up to 15 working days, my experience is that when people engage with the Passport Office and send in those documents, and they are correct, the process moves much more quickly. However, there can sometimes be cases where there are challenges, and cases where the documents that have been resent have to then be sent again. These are the instances where we see applications taking a little bit longer. What we have tried to do to prevent that from happening, and I remember this from putting in the applications for my own two little boys, is put in place a form with a tick box at the front detailing exactly what applicants need to have sent in along with their applications. There are also video tutorials and a helpline for people to be able to ring up to make sure they have everything right. Additionally, when documents are sent in, they go directly to the team, so they know those documents are there on a desk and need to be scanned in. I will comment later on the office more broadly and how it has been expanded over the last number of years. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Colm Burke  I thank the Minister very much. It is important that I first acknowledge that huge improvements have been made by the Passport Office. In fairness to the staff, they are extremely helpful when we do contact the office. My concern is that in a lot of cases where we run into problems, it relates to young children. If parents have two or three children who they are trying to sort out passports for, it is very stressful. When the notice comes and they are advised that it is 15 working days, people get even more stressed out. This is something we need to look at.  Equally, we need to look at the whole issue of advising people about getting applications in on time. I think the requirement should be that people should try, if at all possible, to get applications in four months before the time of a flight, because issues can arise. If two issues arise, for example, then there could be two periods of 15 working days. That is where the real stress comes from. This is something we might try to look at to see how we can help address the situation. The other question that comes up quite a bit is in relation to photographs for young children. It is a real difficulty, and something we need to look at as well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  We have campaigns but what I always try to do, and I encourage colleagues to do as well, is to highlight, insofar as possible and as often as possible, on our own social media and our own channels, just how important it is for people to apply on time. The ones that we hear about, and the ones that come to our offices, are naturally those instances where a mistake has been made, people have forgotten or people do not realise their passport is out of date. In particular, people might decide at the last minute to take a holiday and their infant child does not have their first passport. It is always advisable, therefore, to apply for a child\u2019s passport as early as possible because a much longer process has to be gone through. Citizenship does have to be confirmed and a process also has to be gone through with the Garda and others in terms of checking, so the earlier a person can make those applications, the better. I will continue to make sure that our campaigns roll out throughout the year, and not just throughout the summer months. Actually, it is when it is not the holiday season that people should be thinking about making sure that their house is in order.  In terms of the photos, a lot of what was happening was to do with photos, with faces not being positioned correctly and issues in terms of lighting and backgrounds. There are video tutorials for families to be able to look at how to make sure their photo is correct and what they are sending in is correct. Where there are issues continuously emerging, however, as the Deputy highlighted, we need to do more to specifically home in on those issues and highlight them in our online system to ensure that when people go to the Department\u2019s website, they can see those issues very clearly and they are brought to their attention before they make their application. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Colm Burke  One of the problems we find is that people going on holiday, for example, in July, apply for passports in May, when, in fact, they could have easily applied in February or March. The Department might consider bringing forward the awareness campaign to early January or February. It is something that needs to be looked at to encourage people to apply well in advance of the time they intend to travel.  In relation to photographs, one of the common issues that comes up, especially with very young children, is the difficulty a parent has in trying to get a child to stay still for a photograph. It is one of the concerns that comes up quite a bit, and it can delay an application quite substantially. Can we look at that issue as well, as regards how we can expedite that whole area?  I again thank the Department and the Passport Office for the work they are doing and for dealing with situations where there are serious issues, especially when someone wants to travel for health reasons or to support a family member who is unwell in another country. I very much appreciate the help that is given to them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh)  With the agreement of the House, I call an Teachta Bennett. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  I welcome the work the Passport Office does. I believe it is very efficient. I see many people getting their passports within a week of applying. I believe it is a fantastic service and does operate very well. I encourage people to apply online because it is the fastest process, whereas the paper process can be much slower.  What I would like to say today concerns the checks. I brought this issue up when I met the Passport Office in the audiovisual room one day. The Passport Office seems to have a system where it checks the photographs and the birth certificates as the application proceeds through the process, instead of checking everything in one instance. I have had complaints come into my office where people have had to wait six months because, on the first check of a passport, the pictures were not correct and they had to resend the pictures. The application then went back to the checker again but then the next issue arose, instead of all the issues arising during the first check by the Passport Office. I have requested before, and I request it again, that checkers request everything in the first instance instead of people posting documents back and forth and incurring postage costs as well. I thank the Minister. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I will be very honest. I have not heard of anybody waiting six months which is a long, long time because we now have 840 members of staff working around the clock to respond and to make sure the passports are posted out and everything is turned around as quickly as possible. Some 97% of passport applications are now online, so everything is uploaded and we do not have that issue with postage time, although that method is obviously quick as well.  For anybody whose application has an issue, it does not go back to the end of the queue. That does not happen. It is paused. The Passport Office cannot progress an application, particularly a first-time application, if it does not have all the details. I know from my own office and from dealing with the passport service, that if you pick up the phone and say there was an issue with an application but that the new documents are now in and ask the staff there to make sure it is progressing as quickly as possible, they generally do so. I have yet to see for myself where people are waiting up to 15 days.  At the same time, it is about making sure that we are all highlighting the need for people to apply on time, make sure their documents are correct and make sure things are signed appropriately so that, when the team receives them, applications can move through the process as quickly as possible. It is very much linear. I have been in the office a number of times, and it is not that an application goes from one part of the process and then takes weeks to get to another. They are all working in tandem with each other and moving at a really efficient rate, so much so that we have won awards in terms of our new online system. We now have a new passport as well, which is cutting-edge in terms of our security mechanisms.  All of the points made just highlight how well the Passport Office is doing but also the need to constantly highlight to people that they need to get their passport applications in on time and to appeal to them to please make sure their documents are correct. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Passport Services"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_12","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"European Union","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_8","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_12","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Feargha\u00edl","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-\u00d3-Feargha\u00edl.S.2000-06-09","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-\u00d3-Feargha\u00edl.S.2000-06-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_12.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Feargha\u00edl","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-\u00d3-Feargha\u00edl.S.2000-06-09","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-\u00d3-Feargha\u00edl.S.2000-06-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Feargha\u00edl  I am taking this question on behalf of Deputy Dempsey. The pledge of the Government for this EU Presidency was that we would seek to repeat the successes of the past in substantially advancing the case of EU accession countries.  Given that many of the countries that lie along the eastern boundary of the EU have a binary choice facing them, between the EU and the dreaded Putin, I ask the Minister of State to give us a mid-term report on progress. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  I thank the Deputy. I also thank him for mentioning that it is mid-term because today we are basically three months gone with three calendar months to go. We strongly support EU enlargement. It is a key priority. We have already secured significant progress on the enlargement files and we want to maintain that progress. The entire Government, including the Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and I are working every day to make this a reality.  In July, during the first month of our Presidency, I chaired the highest number of accession conferences in a single day since 2002 - we called it Super Tuesday - advancing the candidacies of Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova. On that day, Montenegro closed two extra chapters, with more than half of its negotiating chapters now closed. Albania entered the next phase of its accession process with the closure of its first three negotiating chapters. We also facilitated the opening of the second negotiating cluster, cluster 6, with both Ukraine and Moldova.  As holders of the Presidency, we are advancing crucial discussions on enlargement. We had the informal meeting of European affairs ministers in Dublin in September and I facilitated a discussion on new safeguards for future accession treaties. We are already getting into that phase of asking the existing member states what we need in terms of safeguards. This is a clear indication the process is moving forward and member states are starting to react to that.  Over the coming months, we stand ready to advance the candidacies of every candidate country, provided, of course, that reforms are implemented and they fulfil the conditions. That is challenging in some countries. We need, and will look for, EU 27 agreement, with every single member state agreeing to the closure of all remaining negotiating chapters with Montenegro by the end of the year. This will depend, of course, on the implementation by Montenegro of its reforms and the agreement of every member state.  We will also continue to advance the work of the ad hoc working party on the drafting of Montenegro's accession treaty. We want to close more chapters with Albania and we are working now to open more clusters, all clusters, with Ukraine and Moldova. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Feargha\u00edl","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-\u00d3-Feargha\u00edl.S.2000-06-09","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-\u00d3-Feargha\u00edl.S.2000-06-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Feargha\u00edl  I would like to refer to three countries specifically. I acknowledge the foresight of Montenegro in adopting the euro many years ago and its commitment to becoming a member. Moldova has a new Government and is passionate about being a member of the EU. We know the work the ambassador, Larisa Micule\u021b, is doing here. I understand the Minister of State hosted the Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova here yesterday.  When it comes to Ukraine, while we are changing some of the circumstances of the huge number of Ukrainians residing in this country, the most significant thing we can do today for Ukraine is substantially advance its case for membership. There is nothing that would do more for Ukraine than membership of the EU. What is happening in respect of those three countries? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  All I can say is that those three countries are on the list for major progress this year. As I said, however, it requires every single member state of the EU to agree.  Even this week, I have had quite a number of discussions, including with the Moldovans yesterday and the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister the day before. I am in constant contact with the Montenegrin Government. I have also had discussions with existing member states about how we can move the process forward. We are working very hard to bring more negotiating chapters forward for closure for Montenegro and Albania next month and to open a number of the clusters of negotiating chapters for Ukraine and Moldova next month as well. It is going to be very tight to get some of that across the line, but we, our Department, all the officials and our embassy teams are working very hard on it.  It is important to remember that all of those countries are extremely vulnerable in their own way. The Deputy is right that membership of the EU is the single best guarantee of safety, security and democracy for them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Feargha\u00edl","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-\u00d3-Feargha\u00edl.S.2000-06-09","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-\u00d3-Feargha\u00edl.S.2000-06-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Se\u00e1n \u00d3 Feargha\u00edl  Deputy Barry Ward asked earlier about diplomatic missions. The Minister of State referred to Serbia and the fact that we have a new mission there. I want to echo what has been said about our diplomats. The finest people we have in our Irish public service are to be found in the diplomatic corps, serving this country as great patriots throughout the world. I have never failed to be impressed by them. I want to ask, however, about the situation in Serbia because the death of Ratko Mladi\u0107 raised certain issues from the past. There appeared to be a willingness in Serbia, a candidate country, to make a fuss and commemorate the man's death. He was a war criminal. Former President Vu\u010di\u0107 did not attend his funeral but a number of ministers did. Did the behaviour of people in the Serbian Government raise questions about whether Serbia is, in fact, today embracing the spirit and values of the EU? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  As a matter of fact, ministers from a number of member states raised that issue at a number of the meetings we have had recently. What happened in terms of that funeral was simply not appropriate for somebody who had been jailed for genocide. It was totally and utterly inappropriate. We know, though, that in Serbia there is a part of the population that very much wants to have strong ties with the EU. The current Acting President, Ms Ana Brnabi\u0107, was Prime Minister when I was previously Minister of State for European affairs and she seemed to be a very pro-European person. She led Serbia's negotiating teams at some of the intergovernmental conferences we had. We did attempt, as holders of the Presidency, to bring some progress to Serbia's candidacy before that. It was very challenging. Many member states had issues, so that is off the agenda for now, I would say. Serbia is a candidate country, however, and the most important part of being a candidate country is that it has a pro-European direction and implements the reforms it needs to implement. That includes a commitment to democracy and the rule of law if it ever wants to become a member state of the EU or if it has that European vision we all cherish. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"European Union"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_13","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Trade Agreements","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_8","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_13","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_13.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aindrias Moynihan  Irish whiskey is one of our more successful indigenous exports, supporting jobs in distilleries, farming, rural communities and tourism. The recent announcement on the removal of US tariffs on Irish whiskey is very positive. People in the industry, however, need to see things move from an announcement to something concrete. Will the Minister give an update on the current position regarding implementation and any engagement the Government is having with the EU and the US on it? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Like all colleagues, I very much welcome the announcement by President Trump during his recent visit to Ireland regarding the elimination of US tariffs on Irish whiskey. As the Deputy said, this is a hugely important market for us. The US market, in particular, is a very strategic market for Irish whiskey.  Irish whiskey exports to the US in 2025 were worth \u20ac362 million, according to Eurostat data. This represents approximately 39% of overall whiskey exports, which is a huge amount when looked at on that scale. The elimination of the 10% tariff on whiskey will also amount to a saving of approximately \u20ac36 million for US importers of Irish whiskey. Again, that highlights the fact that tariffs do not benefit anybody. On the US side, there will be a saving of approximately \u20ac36 million. Given that it is such an important market for us, we want to keep those numbers high.  My officials continue to actively follow up on the technical implementation. Our team and embassy in Washington are in close contact with the Office of the United States Trade Representative on this. It usually takes time before adjustments can be made, but we are hopeful that we will see these brought in as soon as possible. While I cannot give a specific date, we are actively working and engaging on the matter.  The exemption from tariffs on whiskey shows a welcome for European spirits exported to the US. We want to continue to call for zero tariffs for all whiskey exports, not just for those of Ireland. This is in both of our interests. It remains a priority for the Irish Presidency, the European Commission and EU member states. We also want to see the full implementation of the EU\u2013US joint statement and the extension of exemptions to other areas.  The last couple of months, in particular, have allowed us to get to a point where the relationship has stabilised. Last year was particularly turbulent but, with the Turnberry agreement and the recent ratification by the European Parliament, we are now in a position where the relationship is stabilising in a way that assists in getting us back to where we need to be, even though we might not like the legal direction or the positions that have been taken by the US.  Importantly, through the EU Presidency, my ambition as Minister for trade is to see what more we can do and what other industries we can support. Specifically for the whiskey industry, it was important that we achieved this given the all-island nature of it. Many people contributed to it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aindrias Moynihan  While securing tariff-free access to the US is hugely important, there is also a significant opportunity for the future development of the Irish whiskey sector, as the Minister mentioned, through the whiskey technical file and the protection of Irish whiskey's geographical indicator. Many producers, farmers and other stakeholders believe the technical file can help to ensure that consumers, when they buy Irish whiskey, are buying a genuinely Irish product from Ireland, with stronger links to Ireland, including greater use of Irish-grown grain. That would only strengthen the premium reputation and the authenticity of Irish whiskey in the international market. It would also create additional opportunities for Irish tillage farmers and rural communities. Does the Minister agree that, alongside securing tariff-free access to the US, the Government could maximise export growth in Ireland by encouraging a stronger connection between the whiskey sector and Irish grain growers? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  Any way in which we can highlight our produce that is home grown and directly connected to our food producers is a win-win for everyone here. I am not just talking about whiskey. I am also talking about food and other types of spirits we produce. There is a connectedness and when it comes to source to product, our country is seen as green, sustainable and one that applies the highest standards across the board. Therefore, we should take every opportunity we have to highlight our produce, farmers and excellent agrifood industry.  We want to expand and grow, so with 39% of our whiskey going to the US, there is an opportunity with zero tariffs to do even more, but we also want to make sure at the same time that we are advocating for produce at a European level because tariffs do not benefit anyone. They do not benefit the producers, individual countries or consumers or buyers of the products. We need to focus on how we can advocate for our industries at home and at a European level and that is exactly what I will be doing in the upcoming informal trade meeting, to which I will welcome colleagues from across the EU and from other parts of the world, and where the focus on the US and other countries will be a particular emphasis. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aindrias Moynihan  While the whiskey technical file might often been seen as led by the Department of agriculture, and we have shown it is hugely important for Irish whiskey exports, can co-ordinated efforts be made across government, whether in the Department of enterprise, foreign affairs or agriculture, to enhance the position of Irish whiskey and grain growers and to press it forward?  Second, to return to the question on tariffs, the Minister might not have a timeline for it today. What will be the next steps in bringing about that tariff-free access? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Helen McEntee","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","memberCode":"Helen-McEntee.D.2013-03-27","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Helen McEntee  The co-ordination is already happening. The fact this was achieved, that there is an agreement with the US for Irish whiskey, came about not just because of political engagement from my side. I engaged directly with Mr. Jamieson Greer and the ambassador. The industry and agricultural sector engaged directly, as did the Taoiseach with President Trump. There has been a significant level of engagement from agriculture and trade and from the economic side of things by the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, as well the representative organisations on the ground. That is the approach we are trying to take more generally.  I was in the US last week. In the new Ireland House, Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia, F\u00e1ilte Ireland, the consulate and the diplomatic teams are all working together in the same building. Where we can promote and work together on different issues, that is exactly what we are doing. That is to assure the Deputy that the co-ordination and co-operation, not only on whiskey but in every sector we are trying to promote and expand, is happening already. Our officials, in particular in Washington, are working around the clock to make sure this can come into effect as quickly as possible. While I cannot give a timeline, I hope to see it happen in the coming weeks. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Trade Agreements"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_14","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"EU Budgets","counts":{"speechCount":8,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_8","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_14","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_14.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  Much of the daily lives of our citizens, from farmers to researchers, small businesses and community organisations, is shaped by what is in the EU budget. We have seen calls across Europe, including from the likes of Chancellor Merz, for a slashing of social cohesion funding and a focus on a wartime economy. What are the Department's priorities for this multi-annual financial framework, MFF, and how is the Government advocating for Irish interests in negotiations? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  First, if the Deputy has read the letter from Chancellor Merz, she will know that he did not say the cohesion budget should be slashed or that a wartime economy should be funded.  Pursuing agreement on the next MFF is a top priority for the Irish Presidency. The Irish Presidency has advanced work ambitiously and at pace over recent months in an effort to bring member states closer to a consensus and with a view to concluding overarching negotiations on the MFF by the end of 2026. In an effort to do so, the Presidency will deliver a compromise proposal on key issues related to volume, expenditure and revenue to member states in October. It will then be for leaders at the European Council to decide the direction of negotiations, but what is clear is the need for compromise and flexibility among all member states. Each and every member state has to agree to this proposal.  As the holders of the Presidency, we are committed to our role in being an honest broker in negotiations as we continue to seek workable compromises in some of the key outstanding questions under discussion. This includes the overall size of the MFF, the sources of revenue and the balance between expenditure priorities. There have been varying views among member states throughout the negotiations on these key questions, and they remain today. Ireland\u2019s compromise will seek to move everyone closer to agreement.  We recognise that it will be challenging for Ireland to bridge the gaps between member states, but we have made every effort to do so. This has included four substantive discussions among permanent representatives in Brussels and three debates among European affairs ministers at the General Affairs Council, which I chair, as well as bilateral meetings with all member states by our permanent representative in Brussels in July, and by me in September. This has been complemented by engagement with the Taoiseach, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and other Ministers with their EU counterparts in bilateral exchanges. In all these engagements, we have listened carefully to all member states and now, in our honest broker role, we are carefully considering compromises based on sound and robust evidence, which we believe will be capable of moving member states closer to a consensus. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  Voices in that letter did call for a cut in funding. That is just the reality of the reporting. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  The Deputy referred to a slashing of cohesion funding "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  The letter states, \"The funding should be focused on common investment in security and defence, competitiveness, innovation and the fight against irregular migration\". While I appreciate the Minister of State's description of the process he is engaged in, I would like to understand how he is representing the interests of Irish people.  I am extremely concerned with the development of the next MFF based on the direction of travel at EU level. The EU cohesion funding, horizon funding, the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, and other key supports that are vital to many people across Irish society are under serious threat. These are also things that protect our democracies and societies from outside interference and ensure we have just and open societies and that children do not grow up in poverty and into adulthood in a world of fires and food shortages. This is the opportunity cost when the sole priorities of the EU are competitiveness and spending on the defence industry. Nothing the Minister of State has said has assured me he is pushing back against that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  I am glad I pushed back against the Deputy's initial question because she went on to quote from the letter. The letter also says there should be cuts across all the headings and that the member states that signed it accept an increase in the EU budget. During our Presidency, I have to represent not just this country but all the member states and what they want is a cut to the increases proposed by the European Commission. They have accepted that there will be an increase in the EU budget.  We have to balance that. We have to get agreement from every member state given that each member state has a veto on this process, not just Germany or any other country that might be mentioned. Every member state has a veto, but everyone feels the need to compromise in order to get agreement. The Deputy is right that it is in our interests to have agreement on all these things. There are people who will be waiting for funding from the MFF. The Deputy named them. They include farmers and universities. The competitiveness fund will be important for Ireland as well, and businesses will be waiting for it. Humanitarian aid organisations abroad will also be waiting for funding under heading 3. The negotiation that is happening is important and it is a negotiation among the member states, not with any faceless institution. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  When I look to small Irish businesses, to our domestic productivity and to our communities on the ground, I do not see the benefits of the competitiveness agenda. No matter what the Minister of State says, his Government absolutely supports and champions that competitiveness agenda. I see redundancies from multinational tech companies and indigenous businesses struggling to survive. I also see a Government working in lockstep with whatever is the prevailing wind at EU level instead of standing up for what is most important to people on the ground here in Ireland. In this MFF, we need to see a focus on the peace project that the EU is supposed to be and can be. We need voices at EU level who will push for that focus on cohesion, democracy and delivering a better quality of life for citizens in the here and now. While we hear lip service and acknowledgement of these things, I do not see or hear anything about this being made a priority. It must be a priority. Those I represent want to know why our taxpayers' money should go towards subsidising arms factories rather than towards improving our society. I want to know what the Minister of State's Department is doing to demand that civil society, civilian life, agricultural life and civil businesses be the focus of the next MFF. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Thomas-Byrne.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Byrne  Farmers are a very significant focus of the MFF. They are hugely significant focus. Before our Presidency, we put forward our priorities and briefed Members of the D\u00e1il and of the European Parliament on them. Those priorities we set out included agriculture and a real commitment to European engagement abroad. They also included competitiveness. What is competitiveness about? It is about making sure that we keep good-paying jobs in the European Union. That includes farming and small and medium enterprises. It also includes big businesses that employ people and provide essential manufacturing for the European Union. On cohesion, one of the priorities we negotiated into the negotiating document before we took on the Presidency was the PEACEPLUS programme, a unique fund that is jointly funded by the British Government, the Irish Government and the European Union. We succeeded in getting that into the negotiating document. That is cohesion funding in action. It shows where the Irish Government's priorities were before we got the Presidency, taking on this honest broker role. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar fionra\u00ed ar 10.33 a.m. agus cuireadh t\u00fas leis ar\u00eds ar 10.37 a.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Sitting suspended at 10.33 a.m. and resumed at 10.37 a.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"EU Budgets"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_15","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_16","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Housing Policy","counts":{"speechCount":14,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_15","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_16","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_16.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  As the Minister will know, last Friday, his Department published the August homelessness report, which saw a very significant increase in the number of adults and children in emergency accommodation funded by the Department. Some 17,885 people, including 5,830 children, are in bed and breakfast accommodation, hotels or family hubs. Will the Minister outline to the House what he is going to do differently in the weeks and months ahead to stop this relentless rise in homelessness? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy James Browne)  I assure the Deputy that the Government is taking a comprehensive approach to tackling homelessness, focusing on increasing housing supply, strengthening protection for renters and, crucially, preventing homelessness in the first instance.  Increased supply is key to addressing homelessness, meeting need and addressing the challenges in the housing markets. We have therefore been building more than ever in recent times. A record level of investment is being provided for the delivery of housing in 2026, with \u20ac5.2 billion in Exchequer capital funding complemented by investment through the Land Development Agency and lending from the Housing Finance Agency, bringing the total capital funding for housing in 2026 to over \u20ac9 billion. Our housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, aims to deliver 300,000 new homes in the period to 2030. This includes 72,000 social homes and 90,000 starter home supports. This means an average of 12,000 new social homes will be delivered every year to the end of 2030.  Supply alone is not enough. We also need to protect people in their existing homes. The Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026, which came into effect on 1 March 2026, provides the strongest tenancy protections in the history of the State. The new Act introduced a new national rent control for all tenancies. This limits rent increases to inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, up to a maximum of 2%. For new-build apartments and student-specific accommodation, rent increases are capped at the level of inflation only. These changes were introduced to promote greater investment in the rental market and to increase the supply of rental properties while strengthening the protection of tenants.  The Act also provides significant improvements in security of tenure for renters. The latest data published by the RTB in September 2026 shows that the number of registered landlords and tenancies has increased on a quarterly and yearly basis.  Alongside this, we are strengthening our focus on early intervention and prevention through the new homelessness prevention framework and forthcoming child and family homelessness action plan. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  It seems to be that the Minister lives in a parallel universe. In the 22 months he has been Minister, homelessness has increased by a staggering 17%, child homelessness is up by 27% and family homelessness is up 29%. The number of people over the age of 65 in emergency accommodation is up 14%. That has not happened by accident. It has happened because of the Government's policies. The targets for social housing are too low and the Government is missing them. It has slashed funding for vital homelessness prevention schemes, such as tenant in situ. The Minister has fumbled his way through the tendering process for Housing First. He has delayed the child and homelessness strategy and has no proposals that are different from what he has been doing for the past two years to address this crisis. If the Minister keeps doing the same thing over and over again, we will get the same results; more adults, more children, more families, more single people and more pensioners trapped in unsuitable and inappropriate emergency accommodation. Will the Minister do anything different in the time ahead from the failing policies he has implemented since becoming the Minister for housing? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  We are taking a number of very significant measures, including significantly increasing the number of social houses delivered. Last year, new builds were at the highest number delivered in the history of the State. I expect it will be higher again this year. They are crucial to bringing people into social housing and giving them a secure, safe home for the rest of their lives. That is reflected in the significant decrease in the number of people in HAP properties moving from rental properties into permanent State social homes that are owned by local authorities or approved housing bodies.  We also have our new plans coming out, such as the child and family homelessness action plan. There is also the homelessness prevention framework as well. One person in homelessness is one too many. Like everybody, I am deeply concerned about the increase in homelessness. We are making significant strides in providing social homes for people and providing housing solutions but we are dealing with a rapidly increasing population. It is proving challenging to be able to provide sufficient homes, even with the significant increase in housing delivery. Housing delivery will increase again this year. We will get ahead of this but we are in very challenging times. There is no question about that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  There is nothing in what the Minister has said that suggests he will get ahead of it. In fact, what he is telling us and all of those people out there at risk of homelessness is that the numbers will rise. HAP numbers have reduced but council waiting lists have increased. The Government delivered more new-build social homes last year than the 1970s but since then, the population of the country has doubled and we have far greater social housing need. The Minister talked about protection for renters but he has trashed the key protection for renters in terms of rents, which will see rents rise and the risk of homelessness rise in response. This is not a comprehensive response to a homelessness crisis that the Minister and his colleagues in Government have created. We do not have the homeless prevention protocol as yet because it has not been published. We do not have the child and family homelessness plan as it has yet to be published. The youth homelessness strategy has expired and we do not know what the future of it is. Unless the Minister is willing to bring something new to the table, we will be here in November, December, January and February with rising numbers. I again ask the Minister if he can confirm there will be no new policy initiatives from this Government to address the ever escalating level of homelessness. In the absence of any new policy initiative, when will he accept this crisis will only get worse? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I have already outlined a number of new policies. The key is to prevent people going into homelessness in the first place so we can keep them in the home they have, which is the best home they can be kept in. We are doing everything we can to prevent homelessness in the first place. The reality is we have a supply challenge in this country. The comprehensive support is driving supply and we are seeing that increase already, with a 20% increase in supply last year. We will see an increase again this year. There are record numbers of new-build social houses being delivered as well.  The Deputy mentioned tenant in situ. Buying up existing homes is not the solution to solving the housing crisis in this country. Sinn F\u00e9in's own housing plan proposed slashing tenant in situ, as the Deputy knows full well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  Absolutely not. That is just not true. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  It did. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  We would have funded 2,000 of those this year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  The Deputy wanted to cut it down to 800. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  The Minister halved the funding to 750. The Minister is misleading the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  It is in the Deputy's party's own plan. I know it hurts when these things are called out to Deputy \u00d3 Broin but it is actually true. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  It does not. I am correcting the record so people have factual information. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  Sinn F\u00e9in's proposal is to slash tenant in situ down to 800 homes. The nature of homelessness is changing as well so we have to evolve to meet the challenge and ensure people who are becoming homeless exit it as quickly as possible, wherever that homelessness may be coming from. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Housing Policy"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_17","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Homeless Persons Supports","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_15","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_17.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  Last week, we saw record levels of homelessness in this country with 5,830 children in emergency accommodation. What emergency action is the Minister taking to immediately stem the flow of families and children into homelessness and the length of time people are spending in homelessness? I have not seen an emergency response from the Minister to this homelessness disaster. What will he do about it? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I will be absolutely clear; I do not want find any person in homelessness and one is one too many. In particular, it is not acceptable that young children and young people are ending up in emergency accommodation. We want them to exit as quickly as possible when it does happen. We are determined that this situation is not normalised. I do not want it to be considered acceptable by any member of this State or any State agency and we do not. We are challenging this situation. We have record preventions in terms of preventing people from entering homelessness. We also have a very high record of people exiting homelessness. We can get them back out of homelessness when it does happen as quickly as possible. When people are homeless, we provide emergency accommodation. It is important to understand these people are not sleeping on the streets. We have people sleeping on the streets and there is outreach. There is no need for anybody to be on the streets. People living on the streets are in very complex situations but we provide accommodation for everybody who needs it by way of emergency accommodation.  We are working relentlessly to address this situation and to tackle homelessness through prevention but also speeding up exits as quickly as possible. Driving on with the delivery of public housing is absolutely critical. That is why last year, we provided the highest number of social houses in the history of the State so we can exit people from emergency accommodation into social housing and to remove people from HAP, where the State is paying rent to private landlords, and into State-provided housing. That is why we have seen the number of HAP properties fall very significantly because of people exiting into permanent social housing solutions. There is no doubt in my mind about this. We want people to be able to grow up and grow old in secure and safe accommodation. Supporting people while they are in homelessness is a priority so they get as many supports as possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  The Minister knows the main cause of families and children being made homeless is eviction from the private rental sector. He says he has brought in measures that give the strongest tenancy protections we have seen but he knows also that those tenancy protections do not apply to all existing tenants. There are hundreds of thousands of tenants, including tens of thousands of families and children, who are as vulnerable to eviction as they were before the Minister brought in the new measures. We can look at the scale of evictions. There were 20,000 households evicted last year and over 11,000 evicted this year. In the past two and half years, 48,000 households have been issued with eviction notices. That is why we are seeing a massive rise in homelessness. What really frustrates me is the Minister has the power right now to implement an emergency ban on evictions that would at least stem the flow and stop the trauma of families and children being evicted. He showed what he can do when he wants to when he made the changes for vulture funds but when it comes to stopping families being made homeless, he should put in place a ban on evictions. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  The Deputy knows full well he is giving people false hope. If you implement a ban on evictions, you kill supply straight away. The population is increasing. Where will you house everybody else who needs somewhere to live? We have now brought in the strongest tenancy protection measures in the history of this State. The Deputy left out that the notices to quit for people to leave their homes have fallen dramatically every month since April in the last period of time.  We want to see them fall even further. We also have to get the private investment to build those homes. Something the Deputy conveniently ignores is where that funding will come from to deliver the homes that we need.  Freezing the crisis into a permanent crisis is not the solution to solving the housing crisis. It gives some people short-term support but when you end it, you do not have any solutions. We are where we are, only even worse when a temporary eviction ban comes to an end. We have seen that. That was tried. We have seen exactly what happens in that - kill supply and the crisis is only worse when you come out the other side of it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  This week, I met three different people who are in homelessness in emergency accommodation, in particular, parents of children. Any length of time spent in emergency accommodation is deeply damaging. It is a trauma to a child. The trauma started even before they entered emergency accommodation, with the stress and trauma of being evicted from their home. It is having to take a child, having to take their teddy bears and their few little toys, put them into a bag, bring them and go into a place they do not know, a strange place with others in emergency accommodation. They hear their parents going to sleep at night crying because they are in the same room. They go to sleep at night crying. The Minister can talk about supply and the things that this will do but an eviction ban would at least stop those children in families from being made homeless in the coming months.  The Minister said it reduced, but it reduced to 4,000 households per quarter. We will see another 4,000 now. We are seeing hundreds of families and children being evicted every week. The Minister cannot turn away from that. That is a human catastrophe. Whatever about the supply, the Minister needs to put in place an emergency ban that will stop this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I am deeply concerned about those young children who find themselves in that situation. That is why we provided record numbers of social housing last year and we will increase that delivery again this year. The State is putting in an extraordinary amount of funding directly to try to address all of the housing crisis so that we do not have that situation arising. What we are doing is making difficult decisions to ensure that we provide the supply, not only for people who are currently in accommodation but for those people who need accommodation who are living at home and need somewhere to live, and also those who are coming along in the next few years. Freezing the crisis into a permanent crisis, which is the Deputy's proposal, will not solve this. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Homeless Persons Supports"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_18","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Legislative Programme","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_15","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_18","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_18.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  It is almost three years since Cabinet, in December 2023, gave approval to the Minister's predecessor, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to draft legislation to underpin a redress scheme for homeowners and tenants living in Celtic tiger era defective homes. That Minister missed the timelines for the publication and passing of the legislation. Deputy Browne indicated to us earlier this year that he hoped to have the legislation published before the summer and passed in the autumn, with applications open before the end of the year. Will the Minister provide us with an update as to where that legislation is and when that much-needed scheme will open to homeowners? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I thank Deputy \u00d3 Broin for his question in relation to this legislation for a redress scheme. The safety of people, when it comes to both the quality and standard of the homes they are living in, whether rented or bought, has to be a top priority for all of us. I want to be crystal clear on that. As a Government, we previously approved the development of supports for the remediation of fire safety, structural safety and water ingress defects in apartment buildings, including duplexes, constructed between 1991 and 2013.  An interim remediation scheme has been in place since December 2023. This was put together as a scheme with the aim of providing an acceptable level of fire safety in buildings pending introduction of the statutory scheme and completion of the full remedial works. The interim scheme is for the funding of emergency fire safety defect works and the scheme is administered by the Housing Agency. Applications can be made via the Housing Agency's website. I urge anyone who believes they are impacted to make contact with the Housing Agency. As of the end of August 2026, 293 applications to the interim scheme have been validated, having met the required eligibility criteria. These applications represent 25,947 residential units, with circa 75% of these in the Dublin region.  In February 2026, the Government announced a number of significant amendments to the interim scheme. This was in order to simplify procurement and cut through administrative hurdles. I wanted to make sure that we were allowing works relating to fire detection and alarm systems to be completed far more quickly, while ensuring residents can remain safely in their homes until full building remediation is finished. For many residents we have engaged with, this has been a critical and timely measure.  Alongside this ongoing work, my Department has been engaged in drafting legislation to underpin a statutory scheme with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel. Drafting is at an advanced stage and I expect the apartment and duplex defects remediation scheme Bill to be published in the coming months. I look forward to bringing the legislation through the D\u00e1il and, once passed, I expect that the statutory scheme will be operational shortly thereafter. What is expected and being planned carefully for is that applicants to the current interim scheme will transfer seamlessly over to the new statutory scheme. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  Tonight, tens of thousands of families will be forced to sleep in defective, and in many cases unsafe, homes. All they want to know is when the legislation will be published and when the scheme will be open for applications. On the basis of the answer the Minister provided to us, given that there are only ten sitting weeks left in this D\u00e1il term, it is unlikely, if not nigh impossible, for the legislation to complete passage through the Oireachtas, which means at the earliest the scheme will be open next year. Can the Minister confirm that is realistically the timeline in front of us? Will he tell us if it is his hope or intention to at least have the legislation published and to commence the legislative process over the next ten weeks? Will he give any indication to those families who will be waiting for the comprehensive scheme when it will be open for applications? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  It is very much my intention to have this legislation published within the next ten weeks and to move on and get it passed as quickly as possible. As the Deputy will know, we have a number of pathfinder projects that are redressing 600 residential units with the interim remediation scheme.  While I want this done as quickly as possible, what is also critical for me is that it is simple and straightforward for residents to be able to use this scheme and that we do not have an overly complex scheme. That is what I have been driving within the Department in drafting this legislation to ensure that it is not something that theoretically works well but is something that is manageable. As the Deputy knows and has highlighted previously, it is ordinary people who are managing these residential units who have to manage this scheme. I want to make sure that it is navigable by ordinary people who will have to deal with this legislation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  Given people's experience of the defective concrete blocks scheme and the interim fire safety scheme, the difficulty is there is nothing simple or straightforward about either. In fact, the Government also took the decision in December 2023 to open the interim scheme. The Minister is correct that 25,000 homes have now been approved but three years on, only 600 homes have been approved and are able to access funding. That means 24,000 homes - these are emergency fire safety works that are to be funded - are still left in limbo. The Government also approved, in 2023, a retrospective payment for homeowners who had already paid those costs. Pathfinders were meant to be funded. Not a single one has been done.  Now that the Minister has initiated the review of the defective concrete blocks scheme, people in Donegal, Mayo, Clare and elsewhere will ask whether they will now get retrospective payments, a full 100% redress and the kinds of supports we are hoping the Minister will include in the new scheme provided by the Housing Agency that were denied to homeowners on the western seaboard. We want it to be simple and straightforward, but three years of delay for these families is unacceptable, like a decade of delay for families impacted by defective concrete blocks. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I certainly hear the Deputy and I have real concern for the people in these properties. I have met their representatives on a number of occasions and we are working closely with them. As I say, I want this done as quickly as possible. I had hoped and aimed to have it more quickly than this but I do not want a scheme, as I said, that is overly complex. I want one that is workable and deliverable. We will get this right. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Legislative Programme"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_19","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Homeless Persons Supports","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_15","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_19.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  Since the Minister came to office in January 2025, we have had a 17% overall increase in homelessness, including a 26.66% increase in the number of children homeless. I will ask the Minister specifically about the measures he will take this winter to reverse rising homelessness. When will the promised and repeatedly delayed child and family homelessness action plan be published? What are the accelerated emergency measures he will take to increase and accelerate exits from emergency accommodation this winter? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I thank the Deputy for raising the very important issue of homelessness, which has to be the most important issue any of us deal with.  Addressing family homelessness is a key priority for Government. Our housing plan commits to the development of a child and family homelessness action plan. This has brought together key stakeholders to drive the continued focus on preventing children and families entering emergency accommodation and providing enhanced supports for children experiencing homelessness, as well as measures to accelerate exits and reduce the time spent by children and their families in homeless emergency accommodation. The plan will provide a strengthened focus on the particular needs of children and families and bring together actions across Government to improve outcomes for families experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. This plan is at an advanced stage of drafting and is intended to be published shortly. Following publication, a delivery steering group will be established under the auspices of the National Homeless Action Committee, NHAC, to drive progress on all actions and maintain a strong cross-Government focus on implementation.  More broadly, our focus is on ensuring homelessness is prevented where possible and, where families do enter emergency accommodation, that they are supported to move to a secure and sustainable home as quickly as possible. Local authorities will continue to work with households to identify appropriate pathways out of emergency accommodation, including through social housing, HAP and Homeless HAP. Significant resources are being provided to support this response. Budget 2026 provided a total allocation of \u20ac563.5 million to address homelessness. This included \u20ac513.5 million in current funding to ensure local authorities can provide sufficient emergency accommodation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  There is nothing in the briefing the Minister's Department gave him and which he read out - it is essentially the same as the one read out to my colleagues who asked similar questions earlier - that addresses the crux of my question because the child and family homelessness plan has been delayed repeatedly. It was supposed to come in quarter 2, then in June and then in September. The budget is next week. When exactly will the plan be published? Is there going to be ringfenced, dedicated funding in the budget specifically to reduce the duration people, and families in particular, are spending in emergency accommodation?  Threshold made a very good pre-budget submission. Some \u20ac84 million is the figure it put forward. I would like to know the Minister's thoughts on that. I want to hear from him specifically on how we are going to get more people out of emergency accommodation this winter. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  It is important we not just have a plan - in this case the child and family homelessness action plan - but that it is funded and we can ensure it is delivered quickly so that we prevent as many children as possible from becoming homeless or exit them as quickly as possible. We are providing a record number of exits from homelessness but it is challenging because of the number we have coming into homelessness in the first place. All of this is driven by the lack and shortage of housing in this country. Everything I do is to prevent people from becoming homeless, to exit them as quickly as possible and ensure that while they are in homelessness, the best supports are provided to them. It is traumatic for children to be in homelessness, and we do not want a single child spending a single day in it. That is why we have a number of measures and are providing record funding to tackle the homelessness situation but, ultimately, we have to drive supply in this country otherwise we are not going to end any of the challenges we face within homelessness. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  The issue I have is that we are functionally out of capacity. We are running out of emergency accommodation coming into this winter and there is a real concern that the incoming demand will exhaust all the remaining beds. There is nothing in what the Minister said, albeit his acknowledgement that the plan does need to be funded but it needs to be funded properly and it is going to need a significant envelope. Something around 20% of all section 10 funding needs to go into a homelessness prevention framework. The staggering amount of money we are spending on emergency accommodation is an indictment of how Government has failed.  Everything that has been floated in the budget has related to essentially putting up house prices for first-time buyers. When exactly will the plan be published and will the funding envelope allocated to the plan be adequate enough to stop more children and families ending up in homelessness this winter? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  We will be publishing that plan very soon. We want to ensure it is funded and can be delivered, that it is not simply a plan to sit on the shelf because we are acutely aware of the increase in homelessness but, in particular, the number of children who are going into homelessness. Where this happens, we want to exit them as quickly as possible into permanent, safe and secure homes. That is why last year we delivered record numbers of social housing and I have no doubt we will deliver even more this year.  I am conscious that while people, particularly children, are in emergency accommodation, the best supports that can be provided are provided to them. As I said, it is about getting them out there as quickly as possible because it is traumatic for any child to spend even a single day in homelessness. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Homeless Persons Supports"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_20","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Defective Building Materials","counts":{"speechCount":5,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_15","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_20","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_20.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 2022, as amended by the Act of 2025, underpins the grant scheme which provides grant funding to people whose homes have been affected by defective concrete blocks. As the Deputy is aware, the Act also provides for the making of a defective concrete blocks social homes scheme.  The draft defective concrete blocks social homes scheme 2026 is a scheme for the purpose of enabling a designated local authority or an approved housing body with dwellings located in a designated local authority area to remediate damage caused to dwellings owned by the local authority or approved housing body by the use of defective concrete blocks in their construction. Prior to the drafting of the draft scheme, my Department engaged in consultation with designated local authorities, the Irish Council for Social Housing and a small number of approved housing bodies, with feedback from this process informing the draft scheme. The final version of the scheme, as presented in the D\u00e1il last week and the Seanad this week, does not contain such provisions as suggested by the Deputy and there is no role for the Housing Agency in the scheme.  On 22 July 2026, I received Government approval for the draft defective concrete blocks social homes scheme 2026. I subsequently arranged for the moving of a motion for a resolution in each House of the Oireachtas. On 23 September 2026, this resolution passed through D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, and subject to approval in Seanad \u00c9ireann, I will shortly seek a Government order to give effect to the scheme. This process is expected to conclude in October 2026. I am keen that local authorities will be enabled as soon as possible to begin remediating social homes which are affected in their local areas, thereby ensuring the appropriate management and maintenance of social housing stock is promoted and there is maximum use of social housing stock to meet local need. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Charles Ward  It concerns me that option 1 recommendations appear to be subject to an additional layer of scrutiny that does not seem to apply where engineers' recommendations are options 2, 3, 4 or 5. Can the Minister explain the rationale and outline the safeguards in place to ensure constant evidential engineering standards across the remediation options? Furthermore, where an independent I.S. 465 chartered engineer has assessed the property, determined the damaged threshold has been met and has recommended option 1, why is a further ministerial or Housing Agency review required before the work can proceed? What powers does this review have, is it limited to varying evidence submitted or can it ultimately alter an engineer's recommendation on the option? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  We are satisfied the scheme that has gone through this House and through the Seanad, which has been approved by Government, is an effective scheme that will work. The Deputy obviously has a lot of technical questions and I am very happy to get him a note on it from the Department of housing, which will hopefully address some of his concerns or at least clarify a number of his questions which he can then affirm or disagree with, if necessary. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Charles Ward  I am aware they are technical but it is very important we get this right.  Recommendations for option 1 can be subject to additional scrutiny by the Housing Agency. Where it is not equivalent relates to engineering and safeguarding for options 2, 3, 4 or 5, where homeowners and tenants must have confidence that remediation recommendations are subject to the same evidence and engineering standards regardless of outcome. Does the Minister accept that the current approach risks creating a perception that option 1 recommendations are treated differently in the social housing scheme? Furthermore, will he commit to publishing the review protocol in full, including criteria applied, circumstances in which the Housing Agency may challenge or seek reconsideration of an engineer's recommendation, and whether such a review can ultimately influence remediation option approval? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  We are satisfied that these proposals are fair and balanced. While I would like to have seen them done before now, at least now we have a proposal that can start to affect the necessary supports and remediation in social housing schemes. As I say, I will take note of the Deputy's questions and get him a response. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Defective Building Materials"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_21","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Housing Schemes","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_15","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_21","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gillian Toole","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_21.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gillian Toole","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gillian Toole  It is estimated that there are approximately 100,000 people with varying disabilities in need of planned living arrangements, yet only 2% are on social housing lists, which is a prerequisite for the provision of State-supported accommodation. There are older parents with prior Government-encouraged properties that could be shared by groups of adults with intellectual disabilities with appropriate wraparound services. Will the housing assistance payment scheme be extended to include the housing asset-owning parents of people with disabilities? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I thank Deputy Toole for her important question about housing supports for persons with additional needs and disabilities. The housing assistance payment scheme is a social housing support, so an assessment of housing needs must be completed in order to qualify for HAP. Any household with an identified housing need is eligible for HAP. For housing assistance to be provided, the housing authority must be satisfied that the tenancy is or would be a tenancy in good faith. Where there is a family relationship between the tenant and the landlord, the housing authority may seek evidence of a previous landlord and tenant relationship in respect of the property. This evidence may include proof of rent and payments, a lease or tenancy agreement for the property and RTB tenancy registration. In order for a housing authority to be satisfied that a tenancy is or would be in good faith, the onus is on the applicant and the landlord to prove what is being proposed is a bona fide tenancy. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the housing authority to make a decision in each individual case.  HAP payments cannot be made on homes acquired by family members solely to provide a housing solution to a particular HAP applicant or member of their household. Disabled people can access social housing support through all the available routes, namely, standard local authority housing rental assistance schemes, approved housing bodies and HAP. Applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority and the allocation of dwellings is a matter for the local authority concerned in accordance with its allocation scheme.  The National Housing Strategy for Disabled Persons 2022-2027 implementation plan set out the vision for the co-operation and collaboration of Government Departments, State agencies and others in delivering housing and related supports for disabled people. Our work is also advancing on the mid-term review of the implementation plan for the national strategy, with the intention of publishing a revised plan later this year. I work closely with the Minister, Deputy Norma Foley, on these matters. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gillian Toole","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gillian Toole  I understand the rules of the HAP scheme and I understand the efforts that are being made and the reporting that local authorities will need to provide. The core problem here is that the majority of families are not aware that they should place their loved one on the social housing list. We have six different methods and metrics for recording, according to HSE officials speaking at a committee yesterday. It will be five years before we have one health identifier scheme. We have a massive black hole caused by an absence of data. In the interim, we have 2,000 parents over the age of 75 who are caring for a loved one with varying abilities. In the interim, an amendment to the HAP scheme would provide an interim arrangement until appropriate stock becomes available. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I met Before We Die and I met local groups and individuals in my own county, Wexford. I am very much aware of the very understandable worry and concern of older parents for their children with disabilities as those parents age and maybe get to the later end of their own lives. That is why I have had multiple meetings with the Minister, Deputy Foley, devising a proposal and a plan to be implemented in my Department on delivering housing for people with disabilities, whether they require residential support or to be able to live independently with a disability. The Department is moving to directly deliver those properties because my sense of it before now and my experience as a TD is that there can be an awful lot of back and forth between a local authority and the HSE about who is on a list, who is not on a list, and whether a property is needed or not. We know we need the properties and homes. We are determined to deliver those at a national level. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gillian Toole","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Gillian-Toole.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gillian Toole  I will press the Minister on this. I appreciate the great efforts that he, the Minister, Deputy Foley, and their support teams are making in this regard but we have a serious time lag here. We are talking about probably 30 or 40 years in which there has been a complete lack of forward planning. Given the five-year lead-in time for the amalgamation of six different data sets into one health identifier, which will then link in with the local authority process, I suggest the Minister consider having a pilot of what I am suggesting for HAP during that five-year period. Stock simply is not going to come on stream. We do not have a statutory requirement or a breakdown of what percentage of the Part V requirement will go to older people and people with disabilities, or what the balance will be for those who have other medical needs. Would the Minister consider a five-year pilot? That would dovetail with the gathering of data and the necessary building of universal design plus or plus plus homes in consultation with developers. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I thank Deputy Toole again for raising this important matter. In some ways, what we are doing in the Department of housing is intending to lead with the drive to deliver the necessary homes, both for independent adapted living and also for community residential living. While it certainly will not take five years, it will take a lead-in time to start getting those homes delivered. I certainly have heard the Deputy and will take her concerns and proposal into consideration. I will come back to her on the issue. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Housing Schemes"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_22","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_22","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_23","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Departmental Policies","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_22","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_22","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_23","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_23.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  I will always support housing and building it, but in my constituency, the communities need to be built at the same time. Belmayne and Clongriffin have been developing for 20 years, yet residents are still waiting for basic infrastructure and services to catch up, and building is continuing at pace. Will the Minister commit to ensuring that major housing delivery is matched and funded with timely delivery of community facilities, healthcare, childcare, transport and other essential services? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I thank Deputy Heneghan for his important question about community supports for housing delivery. Planning for the provision of infrastructure and amenities is a core element of the statutory plan-making process. National policy objective 105 of the revised national planning framework sets out that the planning authorities and infrastructure delivery agencies should focus on the timely delivery of enabling infrastructure to priority zoned lands. At local level, the local authority development plan set out relevant objectives, policy support and development management standards for specific forms of development. All existing development plans are required to include objectives for the provision of infrastructure and the integration of the planning for sustainable development of the area with the social community and cultural requirements of the area and its population. The development plan's guidelines for planning authorities further specify that every development plan should include an objective to prepare a community, social and cultural infrastructure audit for areas likely to experience significant development.  Under the Planning and Development Act 2024, when preparing a new development plan, planning authorities will be required to prepare a strategy relating to creation, improvement and preservation of sustainable places and communities. This strategy must include objectives for the provision, improvement, extension and preservation of amenities, facilities and services to meet the social, community, recreational and cultural requirements of the area.  Planning authorities are required to consult with infrastructure and service providers as part of the plan-making process to help ensure that future infrastructure and service requirements are identified at an early stage. Furthermore, a planning authority may attach a condition to a grant of planning permission requiring the payment of a contribution in respect of public infrastructure and facilities that it is intended will be provided by or on behalf of a local authority. The provision of funding to support the delivery of community facilities and infrastructure falls within the remit of a number of Government Departments.  My Department has also established a housing activation office to accelerate the delivery of infrastructure required to support housing development. The office supports infrastructure development through initiatives such as the housing infrastructure investment fund. I also launched a towns and cities regeneration investment fund, which replaced the urban regeneration and development fund, to support such proposals. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire. Is \u00e9 an fhadhb n\u00e1 go mb\u00edonn daoine ag bogadh chuig na h\u00e1iteanna seo, ach n\u00edl an t-infreastrucht\u00far iontu. People are moving into these houses now, but those things are not there. They are told the infrastructure will come five or ten years down the road, but they are in their homes right now. In Clongriffin alone, hundreds of additional apartments are coming, which is brilliant because we need apartments, but the Land Development Agency also has 408 homes under construction in phase 1, with a further 711 proposed for phase 2. I and, I imagine, other local representatives have people contacting our offices who cannot get buses because they are full. The DART service is already under pressure and childcare provision is not keeping pace. I welcome the news, following engagement with the Minister for Transport, that changes are being made to the DART service. What mechanisms are in place to ensure that, when homes for thousands of people's are delivered, which I look forward to, services for the residents will be delivered at the same pace? The people who have contacted my office are not opposed to housing. They are asking that we build sustainable communities. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I hear Deputy Heneghan's concerns in relation to supports for communities where significant housing is being delivered. The provision of funding to support the delivery of community facilities and infrastructure falls within the remit of a number of different Departments. My Department established the housing activation office to ensure we accelerate housing delivery and also the necessary infrastructure required to support housing development. To that end, we are also providing significant funding for urban regeneration within communities to support regeneration infrastructure, public realm projects that facilitate housing delivery, and sustainable community development. A number of the issues touched on by the Deputy Heneghan, for example, in the area of transport, fall under other Departments and Ministers. I will relay the Deputy's concerns to the relevant Ministers. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  We need to build healthcare centres and community facilities, but that will mean very little if we cannot adequately staff the services they provide. The Land Development Agency says Clongriffin, Belmayne and the neighbouring Stapolin lands have the potential for thousands more homes. Will the Minister work across government to ensure that the planned population growth is linked directly to funding for the workforce and planning for healthcare, garda\u00ed, childcare, libraries and community services? My ask is very straightforward. The people of Belmayne and Clongriffin in the area I represent, after more than 20 years of development, are entitled to know where the other half of the bargain is. That means transport with enough capacity, childcare that is actually available, healthcare, community facilities and policing. I welcome that we are pushing housing. One of the biggest things we need to do is build more homes, but I ask that we plan the services needed in order that people can live sustainably and the services the residents have been waiting for are provided. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I hear the Deputy's concerns. It is very important that, where we are delivering housing, infrastructure and regeneration to support housing, community supports are also put in place, along with the additional supports that are required from other Departments. I will ensure we have a cross-government approach to this. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Departmental Policies"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_24","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Housing Schemes","counts":{"speechCount":9,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_22","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_22","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brendan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","memberCode":"Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_24.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brendan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","memberCode":"Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brendan Smith  I welcome the Minister's comments in response to Deputy Gillian Toole's very important question on ensuring we have adequate provision for persons with additional needs and disabilities. We had a detailed discussion on this at our parliamentary party meeting on Tuesday night. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, was with me in Cavan on Monday when this particular issue was discussed and he heard at first hand the determination of HSE officials at local level and Cavan County Council to make progress in the matter.  With regard to the income eligibility limits, it is time they were revised upwards. They are extremely low in Cavan and Monaghan. We need a radical amendment to ensure that people who cannot buy their own home can qualify for social housing. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  This is a matter the Minister and I have discussed on a number of occasions. When does he hope to bring forward the promised increase in thresholds? As part of that, will he also consider abolishing band 3, which leaves a number of counties, particularly rural and western seaboard counties, in an exceptionally disadvantaged position, even with an increase? Can he also give the House an update on his Department's consideration of index-linking social housing eligibility thresholds to some sensible index in the future to ensure that, as he has said, it will not be left to a Minister of the day to make an arbitrary decision on what the limits should be and that, instead, decisions will be based on some rational and credible publicly available criteria? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 128 together.  I thank the Deputies for their questions in relation to social housing limits. Deputy Brendan Smith raised the issue of social housing limits in Cavan and Monaghan and asked when those limits will be increased. As the Deputies will know, applications for social housing supports are assessed by the relevant local authorities in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated social housing assessment regulations of 2011. The 2011 regulations prescribed maximum net income limits for each local authority in different bands according to the area concerned, with income being defined and assessed according to a standard household means policy. The policy provides for a range of income disregards. Local authorities also have discretion to disregard income that is once-off, temporary or short-term in nature, and which is outside the regular pattern of a person's annual income. The income bands are expressed in terms of a maximum net income threshold for a single-person household, with an allowance of 5% for each additional adult household member, subject to a maximum allowance under this category of 10% and, separately, a 2.5% allowance for each child.  The baseline social housing income thresholds are \u20ac40,000, \u20ac35,000 and \u20ac30,000 for bands 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Cavan and Monaghan are in band 3, with \u20ac30,000. These thresholds are net income, for example, gross household income less income tax, PRSI, universal social charge and additional superannuation contribution. Income is defined and assessed according to a standard household means policy. The policy provides for a range of income disregards and local authorities also have discretion to disregard income that is once-off, temporary or short-term in nature and which is outside the regular pattern of a person's annual income.  My Department has been examining the existing income limits in the context of current market and household income conditions, including the suitability or otherwise of the current framework, having regard to the significantly changed landscape since the standardised income limits were introduced. This includes examining the findings of research commissioned by my Department, and this work is ongoing. I expect the analysis will be concluded shortly to facilitate a final determination on the next steps. I am also keen to put in place a more structured and frequent process for the review of these limits going forward. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brendan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","memberCode":"Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brendan Smith  I thank the Minister for his reply. He will have heard me raise this particular issue on many occasions, both in written correspondence to him in parliamentary questions and within our parliamentary party. I welcome the very substantial funding provided to Cavan and Monaghan county councils since January 2025 to continue a very impressive and comprehensive house-building programme throughout both counties. Houses are being delivered, and that is very welcome.  The Minister visited County Cavan a few months ago at my request. He met with senior councillors and council officials from the housing division. One common theme in all of those contributions was the urgent need to improve the income eligibility limits. As the Minister knows, we all meet constituents at weekends. Every weekend, I have people with me who are working hard in low-paid jobs and whose income is still above the limit for social housing. These people have no chance of getting a mortgage or home loan. We cannot condemn them to renting for life. I know the Minister wants to make progress on this matter. We need that to be achieved as soon as possible. Since the 1930s, when Se\u00e1n T. \u00d3 Ceallaigh began the major house-building programme, there has been a very successful social housing programme in this country.  We want to continue it, with a mix of people in housing estates. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  For every week or month that passes before a decision is made on this matter, a significant number of people will lose their position on local authority housing waiting lists. I have constituents who became homeless from their HAP tenancy, went into emergency accommodation and are marginally above the thresholds of my own local authority. Because income is now reassessed for eligibility as part of the annual review, they were removed for the social housing waiting list. They lost nine years on the list. They have no possible exit from emergency accommodation because they cannot afford private rental, if they could find it, and do not have family to stay with. As the Minister's party colleague has rightly said, there are also thousands of people who have no hope of renting or buying privately. In many counties, particularly the ten counties that are in band 3, there is no cost rental. They would not be able to afford that, and they are excluded from the list. I am asking the Minister to inject some urgency into this. The increase needs to be significant. I would make the very strong case that those ten counties in band 3 should all be in band 2 at a minimum. I urge the Minister to proceed with his suggestion of index-linking the increases, so that annually they keep track of the economy, wages and the cost of housing in the private market. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I thank the Deputies for their questions on the social housing limits. There is very much a recognition that those limits need to increase. We are working on that proposal. In my view, they absolutely do have to increase. They should be reviewed on a more frequent basis rather than when certain pressures have built or a certain amount of time has passed. I am conscious that social protection payments have increased since the last limit was set. Incomes have increased as well. I do not want to have people waiting to get homes on housing lists. If increasing the limits means the numbers go higher, that in itself is not a concern for me. My concern is getting those people housed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin \u00d3 Broin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Eoin-\u00d3-Broin.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoin \u00d3 Broin  Absolutely. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brendan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","memberCode":"Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brendan Smith  I very strongly welcome the Minister's concluding remarks. As he has heard from me on numerous occasions, and as I have heard from our councillors in Cavan and from all the officials at all ranks in the housing division in Cavan County Council, it is a big issue that we deal with on a daily basis. Good, genuine, hard-working people are coming to us who are above the income limit. They are not in well-paid jobs. They are working hard, rearing families. We have to ensure that they are given the opportunity to get their own home. We cannot emphasise strongly enough how successful social housing policy has been for decades in this country. We want to continue that. We need a good mix of people in every community and every estate, whether private or public. I sincerely hope the Minister will be able to put additional momentum into this to ensure that the limits are adequately increased at the earliest possible date. I thank him for his work in this area. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I thank the Deputies again for raising this matter. I assure them it is being given very serious consideration. There will be announcements on this in the near future. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Housing Schemes"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_25","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Housing Provision","counts":{"speechCount":8,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_22","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_22","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_25.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  The question I have for the Minister is about increasing the number of affordable housing units that can be bought and provided by local authorities. We need that affordable housing scheme. Deputies have referred to people who are working hard. I have them coming to me; I suppose all TDs and councillors have people coming to them. We need to get housing solutions for these people who cannot get on a local authority housing waiting list because of the income threshold, and who cannot obtain a loan from a private lending institution. We need to fix this problem. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 102 together.  I thank Deputy Stanley for his questions on the increase in the number of affordable-to-buy housing units provided by local authorities, and plans to increase the number of cost-rental units that will be provided in schemes by local authorities as well.  Providing affordable and high-quality homes for purchase and long-term rental is at the centre of the Government's housing policy and our housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities. The housing plan reinforces and expands the range of existing affordable housing measures being implemented by the Government. In particular, a new starter homes programme, which is a central component of the plan, aims to deliver an average of 15,000 affordable housing supports annually to 2030, including starter purchase homes and cost-rental homes. To underpin the delivery of the starter homes programme, the Government is investing an unprecedented level of funding by way of a package of direct Exchequer-funded affordability measures, additional investment through the Land Development Agency and lending by the Housing Finance Agency.  In terms of delivery, starter purchase homes and cost-rental homes are being delivered at scale across the country, in partnership with the local authorities and the Land Development Agency and the approved housing bodies. It is through this ambitious network of partnership that the Government was able to deliver almost 9,300 starter purchase and cost-rental homes in 2025, and is on target to exceed this in 2026. Total Exchequer capital investment in starter homes in 2025 was just over \u20ac1 billion, with a further \u20ac1.2 billion available this year. This is a huge level of investment.  To support the delivery of starter homes by local authorities specifically, the affordable housing fund is open to applications and available to support all local authorities to deliver starter purchase and cost-rental homes in their local area. The affordable housing fund subsidy is also available as a direct subvention on local authority housing development costs, at rates of \u20ac50,000, \u20ac75,000 and \u20ac100,000 per starter purchase home, depending on the density of housing units per hectare on the development and its location. In addition, a higher rate of affordable housing fund subsidy of \u20ac150,000 per home is available to support the delivery of cost-rental homes in the five cities. Some 95% of the approved subsidy is met from Exchequer funds via the affordable housing fund scheme, and the remaining 5% subsidy is paid by the local authority concerned from its own funds.  To date, funding of over \u20ac766 million has been approved from the affordable housing fund and its precursor, the serviced sites fund, for 27 local authorities to support the delivery of over 8,400 affordable purchase and cost-rental homes. This includes the approval of 30 starter purchase homes in the Deputy's own county of Laois, with all of these homes to be delivered by the end of 2026. Overall, from 2022 until the end of quarter 1 of 2026, over 3,100 local authority starter purchase and cost-rental homes had been delivered. The local authority starter home delivery programme continues to expand as new opportunities for affordable housing delivery are identified and developed. To further support the expansion of starter home delivery nationwide, since the beginning of 2026, Roscommon, Cavan, Donegal and Tipperary have received approvals to deliver their first local authority starter purchase home schemes. The approvals support the commitment under the programme for Government, and action 7.5 in Delivering Homes, Building Communities, to work with local authorities to bring forward affordable housing fund proposals in areas that do not currently have projects in place.  In addition to Delivering Homes, Building Communities 2025-2030, local authorities have commenced the updating of their housing delivery action plans for review by my Department, setting out how the starter homes programme will be implemented within their area. Each housing delivery action plan will be informed by identifiable affordable housing needs within the local authority area and will include the collaboration with its delivery partners, including the Land Development Agency and the approved housing bodies, as applicable. These plans will be completed and published by local authorities later in the year. They will help determine what is needed and help drive delivery out to the end of the decade. Furthermore, measures such as the first home scheme, the help to buy scheme, vacant property refurbishment grants and ready-to-build schemes are also available. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  I submitted two separate questions. There are significant differences between the affordable-to-buy homes and the cost-rental homes. I ask that we take them separately. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  We have grouped the questions together but we are dealing with the content of both questions. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  The median price of a house in Laois has gone up. According to the property price register, it has gone up 16.8% in one year. The Minister gave out a lot of figures, but the reality is that the target given by his Department, which I have here, is 38 affordable-to-buy and cost-rental homes to be done in Laois over a five-year period. It is minuscule and would not even make a dent in the numbers that we need. The demand is massive. Laois County Council directly delivered over 90 homes. The Minister was down at the launch of some of them. There are 62 more in the pipeline. The Minister was at the launch of Dargan Woods, which are good houses.  I want to raise a point about that. The scheme needs to be expanded to meet the demands of households whose incomes are over the threshold for social housing but do not qualify for or cannot get a mortgage. These workers and households are the real squeezed middle, typically trapped in private rented accommodation and paying sky-high rents. I gave the Minister the median price. There was an increase of 16.8%. In Laois, one-, two- and three-bedroom homes now cost \u20ac348,000. The scheme needs to be expanded.  This is not about being parochial. The Minister attended the launch of Dargan Woods. Due to the way the scheme was advertised, people could apply from anywhere. People moved from Dublin to cost-rental accommodation in Dargan Woods. They are now commuting to Dublin. Some local workers who work in County Laois applied but did not get in first and missed out. They are unable to get a house in the locality. We need to reduce commuting times and get people to live where they are working. Not to be parochial, but we need to open the schemes to people in the county in the first instance. I ask that the Minister's Department consider that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I again thank the Deputy for his important questions on affordable homes to buy and cost-rental units. As he knows, Laois has an excellent record of delivering homes. It is one of the stronger counties. It is benefiting from taking the lead in delivering homes. It will benefit in the medium and long term economically as well as enjoy the key benefit of providing roofs over people's heads. I wish every local authority would deliver homes at the rate of Laois. Nonetheless, we know we have an awful lot more to do. We need to work harder in collaboration with Laois because people in the county continue to be under pressure to get a housing solution for their needs.  I very much hear the concerns, proposals and ideas of the Deputy. We want to ensure that everybody can access a home they can afford, be that social, affordable or private delivery. It is important that people are able to stay in their local communities. The Deputy referred to people commuting. I want people to be able to stay in their local communities. That is why, for example, we are changing the rules for rural one-off housing. The Deputy provided examples of people living in towns because they cannot live in the rural areas where they grew up and where their families are, and drive to work on farms or to look after their family. I acknowledge that we have more work to do, but we are making significant changes and differences and will continue to work on that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  The Minister saw the good-quality houses in Dargan Woods. The council exceeded the Government's target by nearly 250%. The Government needs to increase its targets for both affordable and cost-rental housing. There have been a huge number of inquiries. Cost rental is the only option for a lot of workers and households. People aged in their 40s, 50s and 60s may have broken relationships or be separated. They cannot get a loan due to their age and do not qualify for a council house because of their income. Low-paid workers in their 20s, 30s and 40s who are above the limit but are unable to get a mortgage to buy a home need to be helped with cost rental. We cannot condemn them to a full lifetime, including their pension years, in private rental accommodation. That is not fair in a balanced society.  Some of us advocated for the cost-rental scheme ten years ago when it was not on the radar. Others have come to it now, which I welcome. It removes the profit element and is a sustainable model. The finance is repaid and there is no long-term hit for the State. It is a good scheme and provides good-quality housing. People will say many such units are apartments or small houses. I lived in a 56 sq. m house. It was fine. It did the job for the 12 years I lived in it. People refer to small houses in Drimnagh, Cabra or wherever else. We do not want to go backwards. Modern houses can be compact and still meet people's needs.  We need to provide affordable and cost-rental housing at scale. That is the message I am trying to convey. The Government needs to increase its targets. It also needs to reduce prices. The Government needs to dust down the Kelly report, or produce another report, and implement it in order to reduce land costs and bring down the price of housing. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I hear the Deputy's concerns for his constituents in being able to have a housing solution they can afford. He is correct; we need multiple housing solutions for people. People of a certain age will not be able to get or will find it extremely difficult to get a mortgage, even with the mortgage supports available because repayment times are squeezed as people get older, repayments go up and it becomes harder and harder to get a mortgage. I very much hear the concerns of the Deputy for his constituents. We will continue to work to ensure those solutions are put in place in every constituency. People need to be able to stay in their local communities. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Question No. 103 taken with Written Answers. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Housing Provision"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_26","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Grant Payments","counts":{"speechCount":5,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_22","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_22","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_26","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eamon Scanlon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eamon-Scanlon.S.2002-09-12","memberCode":"Eamon-Scanlon.S.2002-09-12","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_26.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Kieran O'Donnell)  My Department provides funding under the suite of housing adaptation grant for older people and disabled people to assist those in private houses to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs. The suite of grants, which include the housing adaptation grant for disabled people, the mobility aids grant and the housing aid for older people grant, is funded by my Department with a contribution from the local authority. The detailed administration of the scheme, including assessment, approval, prioritisation and apportionment, is the responsibility of local authorities.  The Exchequer funding available for these grants in 2026 increased substantially by \u20ac30 million to \u20ac129.5 million, or over \u20ac152 million when accounting for the local authority contribution of 15%, continuing the year-on-year increases since 2014. During 2025, my Department approved two requests for additional funding, totalling \u20ac453,670, from Sligo County Council and over \u20ac2.14 million was drawn down by the council in 2025. Sligo County Council received an allocation of over \u20ac2.3 million in Exchequer funding for 2026, an increase of 30% on the original allocation in 2025. The county council submitted a request for additional funding of \u20ac500,000 earlier this year and this was approved in full. No further requests have been submitted. The council has confirmed to my Department that no further funding will be sought for the remainder of the year.  We want to encourage local authorities to seek additional funding. It is something the Deputy might take up with Sligo County Council. If it wishes, it can apply for additional funding. That is the update I have from the officials in my Department. I have met all of the officials in the local authorities who deal with housing adaptation grants to encourage them to seek additional funding if they require it.  My Department works closely with local authorities to monitor spend and to achieve a full drawdown of available funding. This means that any underspends that arise on the part of any local authority can be redistributed to other authorities that have high levels of grant activity. My Department makes every effort to redistribute such funding throughout the year. It is actively engaging with local authorities to facilitate the redistribution of any such savings identified as early as possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eamon Scanlon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eamon-Scanlon.S.2002-09-12","memberCode":"Eamon-Scanlon.S.2002-09-12","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eamon Scanlon  I thank the Minister of State. I have raised this issue a number of times. The position in Sligo is critical. Sligo County Council received \u20ac2.3 million in Exchequer funding for 2026, an increase of 30%, and I want to recognise that. In fairness, it was very much needed. Priority 2 housing adaptation grant applications, however, remain paused and new applications are being returned. The council has, I am told, sought additional funding, but the Minister of State said it has not. I fully accept that the most urgent, priority 1 cases must come first. However, we cannot have a situation whereby funding is sufficient only to deal with priority 1 cases when many of those in the priority 2 category also have substantial needs and are unable to apply.  Earlier this year, a total of 89 priority 2 applicants had been on hold since 2025, representing an estimated cost of \u20ac859,000. These grants make an enormous difference. They enable older people and those with a disability to remain safely in their homes, maintain their independence and, in many cases, avoid the need for more costly hospital or long-term residential care. I ask the Department to urgently approve Sligo County Council\u2019s request, which it has not put in, for an increased Exchequer capital allocation, including additional funding to reopen the scheme to priority 2 applicants. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  It must be acknowledged that Sligo County Council did apply for additional funding of \u20ac500,000, which it received. Obviously, the Deputy will be making contact with Sligo County Council, and I encourage the council to make an application for additional funding, if it is required. I will also ask my officials in the Department to reach out to Sligo County Council to find out what the position is. Where local authorities wish to provide additional funding and where there is a need, we want to ensure we can redistribute funding to them. We will address this issue on both fronts - Deputy Scanlon will be in contact with Sligo County Council and I will also ask my officials to reach out to Sligo County Council in this regard. As of now, my understanding from officials is that no additional application has been received from Sligo County Council on top the \u20ac500,000 it applied for and received earlier this year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eamon Scanlon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eamon-Scanlon.S.2002-09-12","memberCode":"Eamon-Scanlon.S.2002-09-12","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eamon Scanlon  It is important that we help these people before their circumstances deteriorate to the point where they become a priority 1 case. The whole purpose of the housing adaptation grant is to intervene before someone reaches crisis point, not afterwards. Priority 1 cases must always come first, but being a priority 2 case cannot mean having no priority at all. There is a human cost to delaying these adaptations, as well as a cost to the State, because people lose their independence and require greater levels of health or residential care. That defeats the whole purpose of the scheme. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  I know the Deputy has raised this issue and advocated for it before. On practical measures, as he mentioned, initial funding to Sligo County Council increased by 30% this year to \u20ac2.3 million. It received a further \u20ac500,000 in additional funding that it requested earlier in the year, bringing total funding to \u20ac2.8 million. I ask the Deputy to inform Sligo County Council that if it has an additional request, it should be made to the Department. In a practical way, I will ask my officials to reach out to Sligo County Council in this regard to determine the exact position. The money is available. Housing adaptation grants, as the Deputy stated, make a huge difference, particularly to the daily lives of older people. The Government, the Minister, the Department and I are keen to promote them. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Grant Payments"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_27","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"National Monuments","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_22","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_22","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_27","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_27.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  Has there been a response to, or a decision made on, the letter sent to the Minister\u2019s Department by An Taisce about a proposed housing development? People may have read about this development, particularly online. It is the housing development located close to what is known as C\u00fa Chulainn\u2019s Castle in Dundalk. An Taisce laid out its fears about ensuring that this national monument is looked after. It spoke about particular legislation that could be employed in this regard. I am interested to hear what the Minister has to say. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  I thank the Deputy for asking this important question. A response was issued from my Department to the correspondence received from An Taisce on this matter. As outlined in that reply, D\u00fan Dealgan, which is also known as C\u00fa Chulainn\u2019s Castle, is a national monument - national monument No. 388 - in ministerial guardianship and, therefore, already has a high level of protection under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014. Such statutory protection will continue to carry over to the Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 when the relevant aspects of that Act are commenced.  In recognition of its national importance and by reason of the historical, archaeological and architectural interest attached thereto, D\u00fan Dealgan Motte, in accordance with the provisions of the National Monuments Act 1930, as amended, was brought into the guardianship of the Minister for heritage in 1940. As such, the national monument is afforded the most robust statutory protections under the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014.  On the basis of its legal status as a national monument, any works to D\u00fan Dealgan Motte can only be lawfully carried out with the written consent of the Minister, which is granted following consultation with the National Museum of Ireland under section 14 of the National Monuments Act 1930, as amended. The requirement for such consent also extends to any ground disturbance around or in proximity to any such national monument.  The presence of recorded monuments, such as a standing stone, LH007-118006, and a souterrain, LH007-118008, in proximity to D\u00fan Dealgan further underpins the significance of the site. I confirm that these recorded monuments are also afforded statutory protections in accordance with section 12(3) of the National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  I thank the Minister for his answer. One of the requests from An Taisce suggested that an archaeological investigation and test would be carried out before the application was granted permission. The application has since been granted permission, albeit with some changes by Louth County Council. I understand that it is now with An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la and that a number of observations have been submitted. There will be people who fall in a number of places on this issue. We know the importance of this site. We are talking about a Norman motte and bailey castle. We know it goes right back and is connected to the mythology of C\u00fa Chulainn. It is known as C\u00fa Chulainn\u2019s Castle or Byrne\u2019s Folly. Over many years, however, there has been a failure to consider this entire area a proper heritage site. Work needs to be done in that regard.  An Taisce stated that the buffer zone of 5.2 ha of open space around the castle cited by Louth County Council is totally inadequate to maintain the ambience of the complex of monuments. It spoke about the special powers the Minister has under legislation in this regard. While I understand that An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la is going to go through this process, there is a need to look at this from the point of view of ensuring that we do what is best, which has not been done previously by Louth County Council and others, to protect this site so that it can be enjoyed in a far better way than has been the case to date. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  The Deputy touched on an important aspect of what our heritage section does, ensuring our heritage sites are both protected and accessible and not put away or wrapped in bubble wrap. Rather, they will be accessible for this generation and future generations to appreciate, understand and enjoy.  Notwithstanding the statutory protections afforded to D\u00fan Dealgan under the National Monuments Act, the Department, in its submission to the respective local authority, recommended a suite of archaeological conditions for the proposed development. The recommended archaeological conditions were informed by a further archaeological assessment provided in May 2026, which was reviewed by Department officials and included results of test excavations carried out in 2020 and 2026. Additional archaeological assessment provided in May 2026 was requested by Department officials in January 2026 following a review of the initial archaeological assessment, which summarised the results of the archaeological test excavations and a geophysical survey. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  I am not taking away from the work that has been carried out from an archaeological due diligence point of view. A number of people are worried about this. I have already made the argument that there has been a failure to look after C\u00fa Chulainn\u2019s Castle in general. Work needs to be done in that regard, whatever the outworkings of this case.  I understand that the zone of 5.2 ha is slightly greater now following the changes Louth County Council introduced, but people are still worried. They talk of both the area and the views that will be impacted. I have also heard a number of people say that they do not want to see houses go by in the midst of a housing crisis. Will the Minister promise that his Department will look at aspects of this development, such as the 50 m buffer, to determine whether they are sufficient? Many say that buffer needs to be extended.  I accept there is an issue with the building of houses. There will be people who will be utterly opposed to building houses that impact them personally, but that is not where I or many of the people who have contacted me are coming from. It is about protecting the structure, doing what we can and ensuring that all the necessary sight lines are maintained. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Browne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"James-Browne.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Browne  The Deputy is correct. A buffer area of 50 m should be implemented. That was a recommendation and condition of the local authority to ensure the continued protection of the archaeological setting. It was also recommended that no groundworks, including boundary works, landscaping or ground reduction are to be carried out within the buffer area, and the area should be fenced off and protected during construction and should not be used for storage or vehicular access, for example. In addition to the buffer zone of 50 m, additional archaeological conditions to ensure the continued preservation of other objects of archaeological interest within the proposed development were also outlined. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Is f\u00e9idir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scr\u00edofa ar www.oireachtas.ie. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"National Monuments"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_28","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions","counts":{"speechCount":37,"speakerCount":8},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":" A Deputy","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  There have been encouraging reports since yesterday from the talks aimed at resolving the very serious situation on the Garvaghy Road. I would imagine that everybody in this House, and indeed outside it, hopes that these discussions lead to a breakthrough. The people of the Garvaghy Road and this community have shown extraordinary integrity, dignity and resilience throughout this period. They have stood together as a community, calmly but firmly, in defence of their right to live in peace and without an unwanted march being imposed upon them. Their strength and dignity have resonated far beyond Portadown. They have received solidarity and support from across this island, while events on the Garvaghy Road have attracted attention far beyond Ireland. This community has carried the scars of Drumcree for decades but which has nevertheless built and protected nearly 30 years of peace. Their strength and dignity throughout these difficult days deserve acknowledgement in this House. What is needed now is sustained engagement at the most senior level in this State to ensure that a positive way forward is secured.  This cannot be treated simply as a dispute over an Orange march through the Garvaghy Road community because what has happened over recent days has reopened one of the most sensitive and dangerous wounds in our modern history. A co-ordinated campaign has been pursued to push an unwanted sectarian and triumphalist march through a nationalist community which has lived without that confrontation for almost three decades, and the consequences extend far beyond the Garvaghy Road. It risks deepening division, destabilising politics across the North, and damaging confidence in the agreements and political relationships which have sustained peace for almost 30 years. It could also place at risk the accommodations that have developed around Orange Order marches across the North, where nationalist communities have shown enormous generosity and restraint in accommodating marches with which they profoundly disagree.  This is why both Governments must be fully and directly engaged. The British and the Irish Governments are co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement. Indeed, the people of the Garvaghy Road look to the Irish Government for leadership, and at moments of serious political difficulty in the past, progress was made because Governments engaged intensively and at the highest political level. While progress in talks is welcome - and we are all watching what is happening - there can be no ambiguity about what a sustainable solution must achieve. It cannot leave the community under the continuing threat of an unwanted Orange march being forced down the Garvaghy Road because for almost three decades this community has lived without an Orange march being imposed upon it, and this peace has to be maintained.  What direct political engagement has the Irish Government had with the British Government over the course of this crisis? Have the T\u00e1naiste and the Taoiseach spoken with the British Prime Minister or with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland? Has the Government made clear to its British counterparts that any durable, sustainable resolution must mean that no Orange march is forced down the Garvaghy Road? Will the T\u00e1naiste give a commitment in the House that the Irish Government will remain actively and intensively engaged at the highest political level until a peaceful and a lasting resolution is secured? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I will start with the Deputy's final point and say, yes, the Irish Government will be involved at all levels and at the highest level in relation to this ongoing, tense and concerning issue. I think everybody in the House would agree that we have come much too far to ever go back, when it comes to the North. We all agree on that. In many ways this is not simply a Green versus Orange issue. It is actually an issue of whether people want to go forward or backwards, and we all want to move forward. I believe there are significant majorities across communities in the North, across the island of Ireland and across these islands that want us to move forward together and never return to the past, despite the fact there is enduring hurt from the past, which I want to acknowledge. I met residents from the Garvaghy Road in Leinster House last Thursday. I was struck by two things when I met them. First, I was struck by the really good work that has gone on in that community over a sustained period. I was particularly struck by the commentary around youth work. Later in the week I heard residents from the Garvaghy Road on radio talking about how communities now mix and how children play and move around in their lives regardless of political tradition or religious background. Real progress has been made.  I was struck by something else, though. When I met the residents last Thursday, it was before the Parades Commission's decision, and there was still a hope at that time that the decision would not go the way it went. The residents told me in no uncertain terms that there had been a level of trauma and re-traumatisation caused over the course of those days, even if the Parades Commission had ruled that the parade could not go ahead. That is real too and we will have to return to that as a government, as a country and as a people.  Now is the time for all of us to be very calm and for people like me to be careful in what we say. There is that history of hurt around Drumcree. It is an extraordinarily sensitive and painful situation. We all want to protect the gains that have been made through the peace process for people across the island and there is a responsibility on everyone to contribute positively to finding a way through this situation.  I welcome the exploratory discussions that are taking place with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Like the Deputy, I have read and heard some positive feedback in relation to that in recent hours. My colleague, the Minister for foreign affairs, Deputy McEntee, has been in daily contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland as well as meeting him in the North in recent days. The Taoiseach has been in regular contact with the British Prime Minister. Both of them and both Governments share the commitment to upholding the Good Friday Agreement and the immeasurable gains that have been made through that agreement over the past almost three decades.  At an official level as well, as the Deputy and his party will know, there is ongoing contact with a number of stakeholders, including residents from the Garvaghy Road residents' coalition. I have had a number of discussions with the Deputy's party leader. The Taoiseach and I met the Deputy's party leader as well as vice president earlier this week. We should all continue to keep in contact.  I am conscious that a further appeal against the Parades Commission decision is listed to be heard in the Court of Appeal tomorrow, I believe. This is a submission by the Garvaghy Road residents' coalition. I will not comment on any matters before the courts other than to say I think we all share the view that it would be desirable if the talks got us to a point where we could find a way forward. Huge progress has been made over many years. Northern Ireland is in such a different and better place and a return to the divisions of the past is unthinkable. There is a responsibility on all of us in positions of leadership to make sure we find a way through this together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  The Orange sectarian state of the past is gone, and is not coming back, not today, not tomorrow or not ever. The peace obviously must be maintained. The nationalist community is strong, confident and resilient, as are the people who live on the Garvaghy Road, and they simply want to live in peace. A generation has lived without confrontation and without sectarian marches being imposed on them. Obviously, it was the wrong decision in the first place to allow that parade to go ahead. Many people from across nationalist Ireland, and I would say some within unionism, are looking on and saying, \"Who are these people who are trying to bring us back to the past?\" They have to be faced down and it cannot be allowed to happen.  As I said, there are talks ongoing. I want those talks to succeed but we also have to send very strong signals of solidarity with the residents of that community that the dark days of the past, and those images and the murders and all that happened, are never ever going to happen again. What will the Irish Government be doing over the next number of days in relation to its engagement with the British Government and the Secretary of State? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  In all fairness, I think I have very clearly answered that question. We will be continuing to stay involved at the highest levels, and at all levels political and official, with counterparts and interlocutors in the British Government and the Secretary of State, with the community and residents, and with political parties and political leaders in the North, including Deputy Cullinane's party leadership as well.  I have been very clear, as has the Taoiseach, in our view regarding the decision of the Parades Commission. We have a very clear view on that. I do not want to say anything at this moment in time when people are endeavouring to try to find a resolution in good faith in the talks, and those talks need to continue.  It is important in any shared future and any shared island that we all respect each other's cultures. Of that there is no doubt and Deputy Cullinane has said that too. Every single year, thousands of parades take place across the North and most of them pass off, thankfully and rightfully, without incident. We must all respect each other's cultures. We all know, though, that when it comes to Drumcree there is a very particular sensitivity, hurt and trauma and we cannot allow the retraumatisation of the community. That is the context. It is not about parades being good or bad or who can celebrate or commemorate their tradition or culture. There has to be a place for all cultures. We all know, and Deputy Cullinane knows it well, there is a particular history attached to Drumcree that everyone is aware of in the North across traditions. That is what cannot be lost in the conversations in the hours and days ahead. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  It is now four days since the CHI scoping inquiry was published and the serious concerns of the families have not been addressed. Worse, they have been ignored. I want to reiterate why the families have these concerns. Their children, who have scoliosis and spina bifida, were repeatedly failed by the health service and the Government. Critical surgeries were delayed, sometimes for years. In some cases the delays were so long that the children became inoperable. Children were left in excruciating pain as the curvature of their spines reached dangerous levels. For some, their tiny bodies were twisted so much that their internal organs were crushed and damaged. They had difficulty breathing, were unable to sleep and spent nearly every waking moment either uncomfortable or in pain. Children missed out on school and time with friends, and their parents had to watch them suffer, helpless and unable to do anything to alleviate their trauma. Some families suffered the biggest loss imaginable with the death of a child.  The word \"scandal\" can sometimes be overused in Irish politics but the word feels inadequate to describe what these children and their families have endured. It involved repeated failures that lasted for years and potentially thousands of children. This is why the T\u00e1naiste must get the public inquiry right. After everything these children and their parents have gone through, surely it is the least they deserve. What has been proposed this week simply does not cut it. Surely the T\u00e1naiste can see that. The proposal is for an inquiry primarily to be held behind closed doors, which uses 2019 as the starting point when we all know this goes much further back. In 2014, for example, a report found serious failures in special services including neurology. Three years later, in 2017, the T\u00e1naiste made the infamous promise to these families and their children that no one would wait longer than four months for surgery. The events leading up to this and the T\u00e1naiste's broken promise will now be erased from the record of the inquiry. This is wrong and the T\u00e1naiste knows it.  The Government has one chance to get this inquiry right. These children and what they have suffered cannot be airbrushed out of the record, which is what the families fear most. They have no trust in the Government, in CHI or in the proposed inquiry. Will the T\u00e1naiste ensure their concerns are addressed? Will he ensure this inquiry is not primarily held behind closed doors? Will he expand the terms of reference so it begins before 2019 and, crucially, covers the time when he was the Minister for Health? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  If we are to have an honest debate around this it would be helpful if we listened to each other. It would be very helpful if Deputy Rice had listened to what the Taoiseach said in the House yesterday when this issue was raised. It is not helpful to the many parents who engaged with Mr. Farrell's scoping inquiry. He is a very eminent senior counsel, which I am sure Deputy Rice would accept, who has done a very comprehensive piece of work. He has listened to so many people and read so many documents. It is he, not me and not Deputy Rice, who has come to the view in his independent scoping inquiry. Deputy Rice would probably be asking a lot more serious questions if we decided to ignore the independent scoping inquiry and what the independent senior counsel has said.  It is utterly wrong, and legally wrong, to suggest that a commission of inquiry is all or mainly held in private. The Taoiseach as the head of the Government was very clear yesterday on this issue and let me make it very clear again. The Leader of the Opposition yesterday rightly, accurately and fairly acknowledged that there may well be parents and others who wish to co-operate with a statutory inquiry in private, as is their right. There may well be, and will be, others who will want to give their evidence in public as, in my view, is their right. The mechanism of a commission of inquiry allows for this latitude. It allows for parts of an inquiry to be held in public and for parts of an inquiry to be held in private. We have to respect both because there are families who have gone through hell and back and the most unimaginable agony. Some of the families are known to people in the Oireachtas because they have felt the need to speak out and speak up, as is their right. There are other families whose names none of us know and they have as much right to be heard.  We have got to get this structure right. What we have said very clearly is the lengthy scoping inquiry report, which is about 134 pages or thereabouts, from Mr. Farrell has been published. There will now be engagement on the terms of reference through the Minister for Health with the advocacy groups. This should happen. The terms of reference will then have to be put before this House. This House has to ratify them so everyone here will have a role. We have to be very clear in giving effect in this process to what the Taoiseach said yesterday, and I am now paraphrasing him, on the latitude the chairperson will have in terms of the timeframe. There should be no rigidity around 2019 or anything like that. This is about getting it right. We know, and those of us who have been in the House for quite a period of time know too, that getting the terms of reference right matters and getting the chairperson right matters, as does making sure there is ongoing engagement. The trust of the advocacy groups in the chairperson will be absolutely key.  The Government has agreed, and has been crystal clear, on the need for a statutory inquiry. We put in place Mr. Farrell who, I am sure Deputy Rice will accept, is completely independent. He is a very robust and competent senior counsel. We have published his report for all to see and we will now see that there is engagement. The Department of Health will work closely in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General, and there will be a call for input from advocacy groups on the terms of reference. I really do want to say that. The final terms of reference will come back to the Government for approval. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  I read Mr. Farrell's report from start to finish----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  Me too. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  -----and I spent the past couple of days talking to parents and families who are furious. They say this is worse than they feared. They feel unheard. They said this has the potential to be a farce. The T\u00e1naiste has to listen to them. I also listened to the Taoiseach yesterday, who said there would be more consultation. Meanwhile, the Minister for Health said she accepts the recommendations in full. Which is it? Will there be more consultation and change to what is proposed or is the Government accepting it in full? The Government has to get this straight because we are hearing different things from the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health. Yesterday the Taoiseach said there will be discretion around the timeline. Will this be locked into the terms of reference? Is it guaranteed? Are we going to look at the period when the T\u00e1naiste was Minister for Health back in 2017 when he made the commitment?  Families feel like an afterthought and they want more transparency. The T\u00e1naiste knows that the vast majority of the families pulled out of the scoping inquiry because they were not given the information they wanted. The report mentions eight reports. Three of them remain unpublished and have not been provided to the families. They have said they need to see them. Will the T\u00e1naiste change tack? We need to go back further than 2019 and this primarily needs to be held in public as the families demand. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  When we talk about families we have to accept there is a diversity of views. There are absolutely some families and advocacy groups----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  The majority. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  Allow me to speak. They have a view that this should be held fully in public.  There are also some who do not believe that. No matter what the number is, everybody has a right to be heard. When we are talking about the medical information of a person or their child, they have a right to be heard in a way that works for them. We do not need to be adversarial on these issues. People can choose to be if they want to, or we can try to get a flexible structure in place based on the expert legal opinion of a very eminent senior counsel.  We are very clear. We have published the Remy Farrell report in full. It is important to do that from the perspective of transparency because he was asked to do a job and we should not impugn his reputation and the job he did. We will then have engagement with the Attorney General's office and, as we said very clearly, there will also be engagement with the Department of Health and the advocacy groups on the terms of reference. The terms of reference will have to come back.  The Deputy is making fair points that I think merit consideration as to how we ensure that latitude is reflected because I agree about the rigidity around 2019. There is also the idea of making sure that those who wish to give evidence in public can do so too. I agree with that as well, but we have got to have those conversations about how to do this right. I do not believe it is beyond the ingenuity of this House to get this right. I share the Deputy's view that it is very important to get the structure of this right. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ged Nash  We are days away from the announcement of budget 2027 and it looks like everything will be leaked in advance, or will the T\u00e1naiste be able to keep a few morsels in his back pocket for budget day? Later today, the Labour Party will publish its alternative budget. We will set out our plans for a future we can all afford. To take on the cost-of-living crisis, our plan is unapologetically and relentlessly focused on three key issues: energy, incomes and child poverty. By taxing wealth sensibly and putting windfall taxes on soaring energy and bank profits, it shows how we can widen and deepen the tax base, and that we can build better public services and support the PAYE workers and households that Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il left behind last year. It also shows that Ireland can afford to provide targeted energy credits worth \u20ac400 to over 1.2 million homes that need them, that as a country that remembers what it was to be poor, we can afford a second targeted rate of child benefit and, as a wealthy and highly unequal economy, we can afford to increase social welfare payments by \u20ac15 a week, increase public sector pay and index income tax to help workers.  I do not need to tell the T\u00e1naiste that people across the country are worried sick about how they will pay the bills this winter as grocery and energy prices rise higher and higher, and as the Government puts up the cost of public transport. When people read the news today, however, they will also be angry. They will be angry about the waste of public money outlined in the report from the Comptroller and Auditor General covering 2025. We can take our pick of the issues uncovered across Departments and agencies by the Comptroller and Auditor General.  We need to know what the Government is doing about irresponsible spending and how it will budget effectively and responsibly for next year and beyond. Last year, a \u20ac600 million hole was left in the budget of the Department of education, but there is also a growing overspend in the Department of Health of close to \u20ac1 billion. Can we expect there to be cuts of that magnitude next year to the budgets of other Departments to protect essential healthcare, or will the Government, like we do, present honest, fully funded budgets?  The publication of existing level of service, ELS, estimates from the Parliamentary Budget Office yesterday shines a light on the dilemma and realities faced by the Government. It reckons that when all the known demands on the available pot of money are factored in for new spending, just \u20ac1 billion would be left next year for new measures, new public services and new innovations. That money will be to cover the promises that the T\u00e1naiste and his colleagues have already made on childcare, the cost of disability, carers, education and so on. That \u20ac1 billion is also about the same size as the predicted health overspend. How is the Government going to fund it all? Will there be up to \u20ac1 billion of cuts in other Departments next year to fund overspends in health, or will the Government be responsible and increase taxes on wealth to fund the scale of public services and income supports our country needs? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" A Deputy","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" A Deputy  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy very much. There is certainly no fear of Labour's alternative budget being leaked anyway. I look forward to it being published later this afternoon and having a chance to read it and engage constructively on it in the time ahead. At the outset, let me say that while we will all come at this from different perspectives and points of view, I do not doubt that every party in this House, Government and Opposition will be endeavouring to explore ways in which we can all assist people with the cost-of-living challenges. I share the view that one of the largest challenges families, businesses, farmers, households and the country in general face is the energy situation.  There is a balance that we have got to get right here between helping people in the here and now and helping to accelerate the transition. In fairness to the Deputy's party, I know it is taking this seriously, and we have to take it seriously. We need to help people in the here and now, but we also need to see how we can assist people who are genuinely full of common sense and trying to do the right thing by their own families, businesses and farms, but need us, as the Government, to make sure that grants and other means can help to bridge the gap and make that a viable proposition for them. We saw some measures in that space this week from the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. I think 11 more measures were announced around sustainable energy grants, such as a boiler scrappage scheme. We need to build on this in the time ahead.  In relation to the issue of the health service, I know well that there is a demand. It is a demand-led service and there are legitimate pressure points that occur throughout the year. Demands can also come from the Government and the Opposition sometimes to purchase new drugs or buy new things, and these are legitimate things that can happen outside the budgetary cycle. The Minister for Health and the Minister for public expenditure and reform are working very closely on making sure we have an adequately funded budget, as well as a realisation across the health service that budgets matter too. Good work is going on in relation to that.  I will look at Labour's proposals in relation to what it means by taxing wealth. I do not mean that glibly. We do not have enough conversations in this House about how we grow the wealth of our country so we can take in more revenue and then divide it up across our people. I would never wish to do anything and neither, I believe, would the Deputy, that would have any sort of chilling effect on enterprise or investment in our country.  Turning to the broader point the Deputy made, making sure we get value for money for taxpayers is an important one. We are in a rare position as a country of being able to deliver a budget next week that will see us being able to reduce some taxes, including taxes on work, and that is serious about sitting down with our public service unions and negotiating a new public sector pay deal because work must always pay, including work in the public service. We also aim to increase public expenditure. When governments across the European Union are not in a position to be able to do those things, there is an even greater responsibility on us to make sure there is delivery, outputs and outcomes from that additional level of investment. The budget, in all its parts, will be delivered to the Oireachtas next Tuesday. I look forward to debating its contents with the Deputy then. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ged Nash  We will have overspends in health this year. We have had overspends in education this year, and we will have overspends in other Departments as well. The principal reason for the overspends in health and some other key spending Departments is that this Government and its immediate predecessor decided to engage in fictional, fraudulent budgeting.  I will give an example. Last year, the Minister for education made it very clear to the Department of public expenditure that she was at least \u20ac600 million short in respect of the special education services and transport services that her Department needed to provide. There was an understanding this time last year with the Department of public expenditure that it would be back knocking on the door this year and, lo and behold, \u20ac600 million plus was delivered this year. That is no way to manage an economy, no way to run a country and no way to run public services.  It is beyond time that we had an honest debate in this House about tax and spending and the real challenges we face as a country. We have not had that and we will not have it next week. What we will have next week is another effort at a budget that will involve a little bit here and there for everyone. That is not sufficient for an economy of this scale and a society that has the ambitions we have. We need that honest debate and we need honest budgeting. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I love honest debate and I welcome it. I look forward to honest, robust debate on our proposals and Labour's proposals in a constructive spirit to try to get the best outcome for the people that we are all elected to serve. I will make the point that just because the Department says it needs more, does not mean that a Government should say \"Grand, here is another cheque\". "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ged Nash  It does, though. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  We have got to a level of public spending now, and I do not mean this smartly, that was almost unimaginable when the Deputy's party was in government. We are at a level of public spending now that does merit the question. It is one thing to ask people to do more with less, but it is quite another thing to ask State agencies and Departments to try to do more with more. I do not buy into the idea, and I am not saying that the Deputy does either, that every challenge in the public service can be addressed with another cheque and more funding. We do have to ask how we can reform things.  If we look at what the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is doing, to take the example of the health service, that is exactly what we should be seeing from Ministers. It is that we are willing to negotiate new contracts but there will be a need to reform the way people work and hospitals will have to function as busily on a Saturday as they do on a Thursday. That is the sort of ambition we need for the health service. We will have a chance to debate the detail of all of this at great length and appropriately so from next Tuesday. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  It has emerged that a whistleblower made a very serious protected disclosure to the Minister for justice in September 2023. It alleged that the gun holsters being used by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na were faulty and dangerous. The whistleblower said that the warnings about the unregulated gun holsters had been ignored. The faulty gun holsters are alleged to have contributed to the murder of one garda because it was so easy for the killer to slip the garda's gun from the holster, and the serious injury of another because the holster effectively triggered the trigger when it was being pulled.  The disclosure alleges that Drew Harris stopped an independent safety review into the holster from taking place. As this disclosure directly implicated the Garda Commissioner, it was legally routed to the Department of justice. The Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner ruled that the Department of justice was the appropriate body to investigate the disclosure. However, the then Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee, directly intervened and told her officials to send the matter back to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to investigate. We have documentary evidence to show she blocked the Department from investigating.  When this was returned to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, the whistleblower himself was named. The Minister for justice broke the law in relation to this. The whistleblower's identity should have been protected. Instead, the whistleblower was exposed to the same employer against which he was making the allegations and, consequently, his life became hell. When the matter was referred back to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, the two people responsible for looking into it were so outraged that they themselves blew the whistle and subsequently submitted protected disclosures. The Garda Commissioner responded by effectively shutting down the protected disclosures unit, leaving the new whistleblowers without a job.  This is a massive scandal and, in many ways, it is even worse than the Maurice McCabe scandal a number of years ago. Does the T\u00e1naiste accept that the Minister for justice broke the law in her handling of the situation? When the T\u00e1naiste was Minister for justice, a protected disclosure landed on his desk in relation to faulty ammunition. What role did he play in the decision to refer that disclosure back to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  As the Leas-Cheann Comhairle knows, the Oireachtas must always uphold the laws within which we all operate. The legislation passed by this House in 2014 was very clear. It was to remove politicians from the investigation of complaints surrounding wrongdoing in the workplace of State agencies. This resulted in the passage and signing into law of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014. The Act puts in place measures to support and protect people with concerns about actions or omissions in their workplace who wish to speak up and to do so confidentially and safely. It is very important that robust legislation is in place in relation to that because whistleblowing plays an important role in our democracy and in democracy more broadly.  A review of the operation of the Protected Disclosures Act is due to take place in the coming year. This will begin with a public consultation in which I would encourage all stakeholders and wider society to participate. When we passed the law in 2014, it specifically committed to a review of the legislation. That is timely and important.  As the Deputy alluded to, a number of concerns expressed in the RT\u00c9 programme are subject to the legislation and have been subject to actions under it. This restricts what can be said, despite the ability of complainants to openly outline their concerns. We have legislation that seems to openly allow complainants to speak, which is absolutely appropriate, but there are restrictions on what officeholders can say in response. In light of the comments made in that programme, and some of the comments the Deputy has reiterated here today, as is his right, the current Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, has sought legal advice in relation to the restrictions imposed under section 16 of the Protected Disclosures Act. This is helpful. The Minister will consider the advice on receipt of it. It is important that anything that can be said and shared should be said and shared.  There are robust structures, policies and procedures in place across the criminal justice system to ensure the effective management of protected disclosures and to provide support to people who make disclosures under the Act. I am very confident that all Ministers in the Government, and all Ministers in governments, follow advice from officials and legal advice in relation to these matters.  In relation to due process and fairness, where critical processes are ongoing in response to a protected disclosure, they must be allowed to progress and conclude. This includes matters currently before criminal courts, civil courts or the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, or which are the subject of current investigations by Fiosr\u00fa, the Office of the Police Ombudsman. I understand that this applies to many or all of the matters raised either in the RT\u00c9 programme or here today. The people concerned may choose to comment on a range of matters, as is their right, but it is very important that nobody else says anything that puts at risk the integrity of those essential processes. If there are matters before the courts, the WRC or Fiosr\u00fa, we as an Oireachtas should be conscious of that in our commentary. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  I am very disappointed with that response. I have met the whistleblowers and noted the moral courage they have demonstrated in raising really important issues, such as defective ammunition and holsters that have possibly contributed to the murder of one member of the force.  I am asking a very simple question. It is very clear from the evidence I have seen that the Minister for justice referred this issue back to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and did not follow proper protocols. As a result, the individuals were jeopardised and their lives were effectively made hell. The identities of the individuals concerned were not even concealed. That is unacceptable. The question is very simple. Did the Minister, in the T\u00e1naiste's view, break the law in relation to it? The identities of the individuals were revealed and the matter was sent back to the very force, the very same employer, that the individuals were making the allegations against. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  It nearly seems as if the Deputy is endeavouring to be the investigative body himself on the floor of D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann. The House \u2013 it is not my decision \u2013 took a decision in 2014 that this should not be how this works. There are robust structures in place. People can and should highlight information in relation to wrongdoing in a workplace. That then has to be investigated robustly. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  It has not been. That is the point. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Please, Deputy Lawless. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  That is the Deputy's view and opinion----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  No. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  -----which he is perfectly entitled to have. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  Is it not yours? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  What he is not entitled to do, in my humble opinion, is be judge, jury and executioner, deciding everything according to what he believes to be the case. You either accept that in this country we have criminal courts, civil courts, the WRC, the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner and Fiosr\u00fa, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, and that they are carrying out investigations----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  They are not, though. That is the problem. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  -----into a number of these matters, or you do not. If the Deputy wants to introduce amendments to the legislation----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  This is not happening. That is the point. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy Lawless is out of order. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  That is the point. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  The T\u00e1naiste must be allowed to conclude. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I would be delighted to conclude. If the Deputy wants to introduce amendments to change the laws in this country in relation to the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, he should please do so. In the absence of that, the Government is committed to reviewing the full legislation and making sure it is working robustly. If there are areas where it needs to be improved, let us address them. I have full confidence that not just the Minister in question but also all other Ministers in the Government comply fully with the law and advice of officials. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_29","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 na Comhalta\u00ed Eile - Other Members\u2019 Questions","counts":{"speechCount":11,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_29","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  I have to rise again to ask about assistance for the construction and civil engineering sector and the cost of green diesel. I raised this two weeks ago with the Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. He said the scheme was being worked on but that he was not responsible for it, and that the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, was not responsible for it either. In all the signals the T\u00e1naiste has been giving lately about the budget, he seems to have been talking about everyone and every sector except the construction sector. Surely it will not be left out again.  All the construction and civil engineering companies, and even small sole traders, are struggling owing to the savage increase in the cost of green diesel. These contractors and operators are involved in building houses and roads, sewerage and water schemes, industrial units and factories, and in energy projects involving wind, solar, the provision of electricity and connectivity. They work in the maintenance of our roads, water systems and all the services.  With all the housebuilding and everything else that is to be done, we do not have enough construction and civil engineering contractors. We must mind what we have. The T\u00e1naiste said he did not want housing provision slowed down. That was back in May. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Every kind of mechanical vehicle used in construction guzzles green diesel. JCBs, large track machines, dumpers, concrete mixers, cranes, teleporters, rollers and graders all use green diesel. The average price was 94 cent per litre in 2025 and it is \u20ac1.78 per litre today."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The T\u00e1naiste also mentioned last May that quarries would be included in the financial package. They provide material for construction and the different grades of stone for road building. He did not include them, but he must now be fair and honour what he said last May. The Taoiseach promised construction would be included, when he was sitting in the benches opposite last May. The T\u00e1naiste mentioned to the media that it would be included and even the Minister, Deputy Heydon, said that, while it was not in his remit, the Government was considering it and would have a scheme for it as well."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"In recent times, the T\u00e1naiste promised to do something on the cost of home heating oil. I welcome that. It is needed and it was left out. It only got 2 cent last May. The Government promised the agri-contractors - they were in the audiovisual room yesterday evening - and agriculture-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  I am disappointed that there is no word about the construction sector or civil engineering and I ask the T\u00e1naiste to ensure it is included now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy for raising this. I am conscious that he knows a lot about this industry and machines. It is an area the Government is committed to endeavouring to assist people with because I am conscious that the energy costs are real, for everyone. They have an inflationary effect on the economy and therefore affect everyone more broadly.  However, I am also conscious that, beyond that, particular sectors of the economy are particularly badly effected and they are crucial sectors, not just for the jobs they create, although that is important, but also from a supply chain point of view. As the Deputy correctly said, they do the construction of our homes and critical buildings and the production of our food. That is why we are working across the Government in the here and now to see what we can do further to assist in the budget next Tuesday. The Minister, Deputy Heydon, is working intensively on issues related to agriculture. I met farmers at the ploughing championships who are looking to make improvements to their buildings with solar panels and the like. They need a bit of help. There is a view that we need to ensure the farm support scheme that was in place is extended because the crisis certainly has not abated. I met hauliers recently as well as the Irish Farmers' Association, IFA and the Irish Creamery Milk Supplier Association, ICMSA. The diesel rebate scheme is in place to the end of the year and, as the Deputy said, we are giving consideration to the issues of home heating oil and gas. There are limits to what any government can do. There are fiscal limits and limits in terms of having to work within EU directives.  The Deputy specifically asked about construction workers. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, and I had a good meeting with the Construction Industry Federation recently. The Taoiseach and I have discussed this too and the Government will bottom out how best to bring forward support to the construction sector. The Deputy referenced previous comments of the Taoiseach on the matter. We will do that shortly.  More broadly, while cost pressures on people are real and many of them are materialised through energy costs - there is no doubt about that - there are a number of ways the Government can try to help. One is by doing direct things we can do to help with energy. We are looking at all of them. However, there are other levers we can also pull because for farmers, hauliers, construction workers or workers in any part of the economy, if we can reduce tax on their take-home pay and improve what their payslips look like at the end of the week or month, that is a way of helping. If people are dependent on childcare services and we can drive down the cost of childcare, that is a way of helping. If people are at particular risk of fuel poverty - almost 500,000 homes receive support - and we can do more to help them, that is a way of helping. For older people who live alone trying to heat the house, there are other ways through the social welfare system that are also ways of helping.  I am not saying the Deputy is saying this, but I just make the point. We cannot look at how to help with the cost of energy only through energy policy. We have to look at all the levers available to the Government to try to reduce costs in general for people, because they do not look at it through Departments or silos; they look at their bottom line and we will endeavour to do as much as we can to help next week. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  I welcome the packages the Government has given, but it must remember a lot of the money being given back is only being given back to the people the Government took it from in the first place. When the base goes up, extra tax is taken in carbon tax and so on. The Government must remember that and at least give back what it has taken. It has taken from the construction sector as well. The T\u00e1naiste must remember that a lot of the construction industry had entered into commitments, tenders and contracts from the start of the year, before things got bad, in other words before the war started. People have to honour those commitments and they are losing their shirts on them. The types of vehicles I mentioned for construction are guzzling green diesel and the price has gone up. The construction and all those things will not carry on. Last year, the average was 94 cent and it is \u20ac1.78 today and the Government only gave 3 cent in whatever package it gave last May. That is not fair. I ask him to look at it seriously and it must be given retrospectively, back to January when it was given to the rest of the sectors, to be fair about it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  In the interest of fairness - and I appreciate the Deputy's elevation of my powers of influence - the reason energy prices have risen rapidly in this country and around the world is that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. That is not my fault. What I can do is look at the policy levers the Government can pursue and not just comment on what is going on in other parts of the world. Any objective analysis of the situation will show the Government has put in place - the Deputy can argue about the composition of the package, but not the quantum - one of the largest packages of support, if not the largest, in the European Union.  The package we put in place in Ireland, adjusted for head of population, is around eight times larger than the one of our nearest EU neighbours in France. Our friends in the UK have had to put in place a much smaller package and does the Deputy know what they had to do? They had to borrow for it and got charged nearly 5% on the market. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  I am not interested in them at all. I am interested in Ireland----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  No, but I am----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  -----and Kerry. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy Healy-Rae. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I am interested because people in Kerry need to know that, despite the way the Deputy presents things, the Government is doing a lot to help and will continue to help. It is not fair to say the packages only had an impact of this, that and the other. The package we put in place has suppressed inflation by 0.6% across the economy. That means, when people do their shopping in Kerry today, the cost of their grocery basket is 0.6% lower than it would have been if it were not for Government action. I want people to know that further help is on the way in the budget next week. I heard what the Deputy said about particular sectors of the economy and we are examining all of them. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 na Comhalta\u00ed Eile - Other Members\u2019 Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_30","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Pholasa\u00ed n\u00f3 ar Reachta\u00edocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation","counts":{"speechCount":47,"speakerCount":21},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_30","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Brennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Brian-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Heydon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Heydon.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Martin-Heydon.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joanna Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maurice Quinlivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maurice-Quinlivan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Maurice-Quinlivan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ryan O'Meara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Clendennen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Connolly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Connolly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Connolly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  It has been almost ten years since the T\u00e1naiste made a promise to children with scoliosis and spina bifida that they would not have to wait longer than four months for treatment. As he will be aware, many parents see that as a broken promise and they do not want any more broken promises, which is why they are concerned about the Remy Farrell report, which was published a few days ago, and its recommendations.  The starting point for everyone in the House is that we need to get this right, that we need to have an inquiry that is fit for purpose and has the confidence of advocacy groups and parents. I think the T\u00e1naiste said today on the floor of the D\u00e1il that the start date of 1 January 2019 is too rigid. I have been saying that. It has to go beyond that. I understand that the Scoliosis Advocacy Network and Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland have written to the T\u00e1naiste seeking a meeting. My understanding is that they have not received a response. I urge him to meet them and others to ensure he hears their concerns. Let us ensure we have an inquiry that is fit for purpose, that can answer the questions, that there is no hiding place----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  You should conclude, Deputy Cullinane. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  -----and that we establish the truth and accountability for all involved. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy for the constructive way in which he is engaging on this. I do not doubt the bona fides of anyone in this House and I ask that no one doubt the bona fides of people on this side of the House in terms of wanting to get this right. There are diverse views and what Deputy Rice said earlier may be right, there may be a significant view that it should all be in public, but some people will want to give information in private. We all understand that. The Sinn F\u00e9in leader said that yesterday.  Getting the structure right matters. Getting the terms of reference right matters. In my experience, and I am sure in that of the Deputy, getting the chairperson right matters, so the chairperson has an understanding of the terms of reference, not just what they mean in black and white, but what they mean in effect and the spirit to be given to them.  There will be engagement with the advocacy groups. The Taoiseach was clear about that yesterday in the House and I am clear on that too. It is appropriate for that engagement to take place through the Department of Health and the Minister for Health. The Government will consider all that. There will be engagement and the terms of reference will have to come back to the House for the statutory inquiry to be established. Let us all work to get this right.  People have different views, but I think the Remy Farrell report is an important piece of work and should be considered in that context. However, there is always room to engage and consult. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jen Cummins  Last week, I asked the T\u00e1naiste about special education in this country in advance of Virgin Media's documentary airing on Monday. On Tuesday, Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach about the documentary and the stark things outlined within it. The Taoiseach said that he had not seen it and that it would only give one side of the story. Those words really hurt people. It is one side of the story where we are seeing children being educated in cupboards and undertaking regulation in bathrooms. That is one side of the story. One of the most heart-breaking moments was when we saw that one side of the story where a mother said, \"Why is it always the children who have the least time who have to wait the longest?\" When the T\u00e1naiste answers me, I ask him to please not tell me how much money the Government has spent on special education. I know all of those numbers very well. What is most important is not how much you have but what you spend it on and how effective it is. I also want to know whether the Government can do an audit of all special schools and special classes to ensure they are fully resourced and staffed and have everything they need to support the children they educate. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy very much. I know of her interest in this area and her work on it. I have seen the programme. I told the Deputy last week that I would watch it. It is an important programme because it gives a visual insight into the real lived experience of parents and schools. I know the Taoiseach is also very committed to this issue. I will ask the Minister for education to reflect on the point the Deputy has made regarding an audit. To add another point, what we mean by \"inclusive education\" is a debate we should get right in this House too. If some good is to come from the very large investments being made, which I will not go through, we will need to look at the model of inclusive education. One of the exciting structures the Minister, Deputy Naughton, has put in place is the new forum on inclusive education. There needs to be a way for everyone in this House to have input if we are to get that right. If we are spending a vast sum of money and still seeing many kids not getting the education they are entitled to and need, we have to look at bringing those two things together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ciar\u00e1n Ahern  Will the T\u00e1naiste provide us with an update on the work under way to change regulations here to allow for plug-in solar panels? We were previously told that this work would be complete by September. There are over 1 million plug-in solar panels already in use in Germany. Regulations in the UK have recently been updated to allow for the sale and installation of such panels. This is a simple and cheap solution to help households bring down their energy bills, particularly for people living in apartments. They are absolutely brilliant. You just pick them up in a supermarket, bring them home, put them on your balcony, plug them in and away you go. It is an easy win. I hope Deputy Nash will not mind me leaking that we have a costed proposal in our alternative budget to provide up to 1 million free plug-in solar panels to households that would also qualify for targeted energy credits. It just gives lower-income households access to solar power without the upfront cost of rooftop installation. It helps to permanently lower their energy bills. Will the T\u00e1naiste do something similar? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I have a professional affection for Deputy Nash and I reassure Deputy Ahern that, in my experience, he is pretty good at media management, so I would not worry about him. The issue of plug-in solar that the Deputy has raised is a serious one. It is a much more practical option for people in a whole variety of household settings, including apartments and the like. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is giving the matter serious consideration. Work is under way on it. I will have to get the Deputy a detailed update from the Minister. I welcome the part the Labour Party's alternative budget will play in feeding into the debate on next week's budget. There will be a lot of focus on what we can do to reduce fuel costs. We should absolutely do our best on that but there are big savings to be had if we can help households to sustainably reduce their own bills. I accept that plug-in solar could play a very important role in that. I need to get an update as to where the Minister is on that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Charles Ward  As the T\u00e1naiste will know, over 100,000 public sector workers, including teachers, SNAs, healthcare workers, council workers, civil servants and people who work in this building, are now on a work-to-rule because the Government has refused to offer them a pay rise that would allow them to keep up with the current cost-of-living crisis. I fully support them. Over the past few days, I have talked to many public sector workers in Donegal, including members of the Inishowen and Letterkenny branches of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation. I was struck by how downhearted they are at the fact that they feel the Government is not willing to engage. They feel it demonstrates a lack of respect. They are under severe stress in this crisis and are struggling to pay bills. They deserve respect. Will the T\u00e1naiste intervene and ensure the Government comes to the table with a decent offer that keeps up with the pace of inflation so that public sector workers can get through the current cost-of-living crisis? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I have nothing but respect for public sector workers. The political and economic philosophy of this Government is that work should always pay. That includes those working in our public services. Let me be absolutely clear, crystal clear, and beyond any doubt. Please let every public sector worker hear this. The Government wants to sit down with their representatives without precondition to engage on a new public sector pay deal. I know there is hurt and pain out there and that people are under pressure. I get that. However, the way to get to a new public sector pay deal is to go into a room and get around a table with no preconditions on either side in order to make progress. We will make an allocation in next week's budget that shows we are very serious about getting a good, sustainable and affordable public sector pay deal that makes sure work, including work in the public sector, always pays. We need to get in that room, however. We on the Government side are willing to turn up without precondition. I respectfully ask the unions to consider that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  Yesterday, I met with a group of women who have benefited from the three-day wait. These women attended their first abortion appointment but subsequently changed their minds and, as a result, had their babies. Indeed, their babies were with them in the room yesterday. The legislation to abolish the three-day wait is currently before the Committee on Health but that committee is strategically blocking the voices of these women. These women are the one section of society to have had their voices ignored by the HSE, by the O'Shea report and now by the Committee on Health. These women have benefited and have children today as a result. Does the T\u00e1naiste agree that the really important voices of these women should be heard before the committee concludes its deliberations? Will he meet these women? It is a wonderful and powerful story. I want to ensure their voices are heard as we discuss this really important legislation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I acknowledge and accept that there are very sincerely held views on all sides of the issue in this House. There are a variety of views within my own party and within the other Government party. The Government approaches these matters with a free vote. They are treated as a matter of conscience and people can vote in accordance with their own views. That happened in this House, and the legislation is now with the committee, as the Deputy rightly says. I do not want to interfere in the committee's work. I would take that approach on any issue. It is not for me to tell a committee who to hear from but, in general, the more inclusive discussions can be and the more voices that can be heard, the better. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Brennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Brian-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Brennan  I recently had a very interesting meeting with the chairperson of Wexford Macra na Feirme, Cl\u00edona O'Leary, and Sean O'Brien. We had a lengthy discussion on a wide range of subjects but high on their agenda was the issue of succession. Will the Minister update us on the status of a clear succession scheme to encourage and support the transition of the managerial role to the younger farmer? What are our plans to deliver a comprehensive national generational renewal strategy and to act on the commission on generational renewal's report to deal with ageing within farming? There is currently a three-year requirement for succession farm partnerships. This is seen to be acting as a barrier to farm transfers rather than as an incentive. I have no doubt that the concerns of the Wexford Macra representatives are replicated throughout farms across Ireland. Young people are the future of Irish farming. It is essential that there are clear succession plans in place. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Heydon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Heydon.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Martin-Heydon.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Martin Heydon)  I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this point and for his engagement with Macra in Wexford. We deal with Macra and with all of the farm organisations across the board. Generational renewal is one of those key issues that are at the forefront of my mind in every decision I make as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. It is not just about one scheme at the end, although it is my ambition to include generational renewal schemes as part of the new CAP, should we be able to design it in that way. Right now, I am implementing the 31 recommendations of the commission on generational renewal. In developing last year's budget, I had asks in respect of supports for elements of generational renewal. On the tax side, the T\u00e1naiste and I have discussed existing schemes that can be improved and how we can work together to address issues in this area. Generational renewal was foremost in my mind when I was negotiating an extension to the nitrates derogation last year, when I was implementing a new bovine TB action plan and when I was looking at additional supports in the area of TAMS. I want to continue to put record amounts of money into TAMS because that capital investment supports farmers taking over farms. Generational renewal is a key priority for me and for the Government. Working with colleagues across Government, I hope to be able to continue to make progress and deliver in this area. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy M\u00e1ire Devine  Dublin South-Central is experiencing huge levels of antisocial behaviour around the inner city. Shootings and petrol bombings have become more common in the past fortnight. I have been working on this, particularly in the Fatima Mansions area but also in other areas, for the past six years.  The last straw was when little ones were told to feck off back to their apartment and they were not to come out when they hear the sound of the ice cream man in the van. It is unsupportable. I ask the T\u00e1naiste to meet the local representatives. An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na is asking for extra resources in this area. We had a fantastic meeting last week that I arranged and all stakeholders came to it. We are really serious about tackling this. We need support, encouragement and the T\u00e1naiste's say-so. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and highlighting in the D\u00e1il the concerns of the community around the Fatima Mansions area and other parts of her constituency, along with the need for resourcing. On foot of the Deputy raising it, I will raise the issue with the Minister for justice. I am sure the Deputy has done this but she can share that stakeholder engagement piece with the Minister. We need to continue to invest more in communities along with supporting the Garda in terms of its numbers. We will endeavour to do both in the budget next week. If the Deputy wants to send that information on to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, I will also contact him on foot of this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joanna Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joanna-Byrne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Joanna Byrne  Several times this year, I have raised the hot school meals programme for St. John's and St Paul's schools in Drogheda, including with the Taoiseach back in March. These schools have an in-house canteen providing affordable daily hot food options for children. The Department of education saw its value and importance. It has been lauded as a best practice model for school meals and it has been cited in various publications as a good guide for school food initiatives. Despite providing the first breakfast club of its kind in the State, meeting all of the recommendations and ticking every box for what the Government says it is trying to achieve with school meals, the schools now apparently do not fit the Government model for hot school meals. I ask the T\u00e1naiste to make this make sense to me.  Both these schools are at the heart of a proud community in Drogheda that has felt the brunt of organised crime feuds. The breakfast clubs, school meals and canteen are a lifeline for the whole community. The schools need clarity from the Minister and the Department. I ask the T\u00e1naiste to ask the Minister to now visit the schools, provide the funding, ensure they do not lose their staff and endorse the model so that they do not lose the ability to run their breakfast clubs and continue to provide hot, nutritious meals to their students. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue about St. John's and St. Paul's schools in Drogheda. I will ask the Minister to visit next time she is in Louth and certainly to engage with the Deputy on that. As the Deputy will know, a review of the hot school meals programme came to Cabinet a couple of weeks ago. The Minister, Deputy Calleary, will now consider how we give effect to that. I will ask that he also take a look at the fact that there is another model in place in Drogheda as part of that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Muir\u00ed.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed  Since I have been elected to this House, I have heard little or nothing from the other side of the House on job creation. It never seems to feature. It is all about eating the size of the pie, eating the pie that we have and how we are going to cut up the pie. It is never about how we will make more pie. I went to college in 1990 when unemployment was 18%, just coming out of the 1980s. I remember 2012, when we were at 16% unemployment after the crash. Commissioner Hoekstra visited this week and he highlighted the made in Europe narrative and intentions within the European Commission. That provides a real opportunity for Ireland to further develop our domestic economy and build high-value jobs. However, we have to square up and keep job creation at the top of our agenda. What is the Government doing to maintain and develop job creation as a top priority? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy for the question. In my time taking Leaders' Questions in this House, and let somebody fact check me if I am wrong, I do not ever recall being asked a question about job creation by an Opposition Member during the Leaders' Questions slot, which is interesting. At the moment, the political and often the media discourse just takes full employment for granted. It is a case of \"We are at full employment, and sure is that not all grand.\" Of course, there are people who went to bed last night and lay awake looking at the ceiling wondering how they are going to pay the wage bill at the end of the week or the end of the month. Many of us in this House can say they have done it in past lives and many of us have never had to do that. The first thing we need to do in here is stop coming up with good ideas without working out how small businesses are going to pay for it. That is the first thing.  The second thing is that the Government can help in two ways. It can help in practical ways, whether that is through improved grants, through improving the research and development tax credit or improving the tax system itself by reducing income tax to have some positive effect on both purchasing power but also on wage growth pressure. Sometimes, the Government can also help by getting the hell out of the way if there is too much red tape and too much bureaucracy. The cost of doing business advisory forum has provided well over 60 recommendations that can really help and support.  The first thing we have to do in the budget next week is protect what we have as a country. The conversation about how to divide up the national pie is really important and speaks to our values. How much do you give to education? What about health? All of that is important but what if one day the pie is smaller? That conversation then becomes much harder. We remember those days and we can never forget them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maurice Quinlivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maurice-Quinlivan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Maurice-Quinlivan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Maurice Quinlivan  Yesterday, the staff at the CCTV operation centre in Moyross were issued with a protective notice because no funding commitment has been provided from the Department of justice, the Department that should be funding this project. Let us be clear: this is a vital service established in the aftermath of the Limerick feud in the early 2000s, a dark period of Limerick's history that none of us ever want to see repeated. These 300-plus cameras cover not just our regeneration areas but the whole of Limerick. Comments made to my colleague, Councillor Sharon Benson, by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na indicated that 100 additional garda\u00ed would be needed should these cameras cease operating. Garda\u00ed also said these cameras play a critical role in crime prevention and detection and making our communities feel safe. Closing this vital project would be completely counterproductive. I call on the Government to immediately commit to multi-annual funding to keep these cameras operational and protect the jobs of the staff who are now on a protective notice. Allowing 300-plus cameras to go dark on this Government's watch would be a serious failure of public safety for the people in Limerick by the Government. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. My thoughts, and I am sure the thoughts of everyone in the House, are with the workers and families affected by the protective notice. I am sure this is a very stressful and worrying time for people. We also want to see an expansion of CCTV in general in terms of public safety. I am not across the detail of it in the way Deputy Quinlivan is but, on foot of him raising the issue today, I will make contact with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and ask that he and An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na look at this and come back to the Deputy directly. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ryan O'Meara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ryan-O'Meara.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ryan O'Meara  I met with a number of equestrian centres in north Tipperary this week. They raised serious concerns with me about the commercial rates financial burden they are facing. Equestrian centres require large areas for stables, indoor and outdoor arenas, yards and car parks but the size of those premises does not mean that all of those spaces gather commercial activity. The valuation of these premises can therefore create a significant rates burden. I have also been told of inconsistencies in how car parks and outdoor areas are treated.  These centres provide sport and physical activity for children and young people, opportunities for people with disabilities and important facilities for rural communities, as well as access to the sector and sports for children of all backgrounds who otherwise might not get a chance to do so. I ask the Government to examine the relevant legislation and consider whether genuine riding schools and equestrian centres should have a specific agricultural or equivalent rates classification. If we want our children to be more active and spend less time on screens, why are we putting commercial rates barriers in the way of them accessing these very facilities? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue with riding schools and equestrian centres and how the commercial rates legislation interacts with them. I agree from a policy and public health perspective on the benefit of these centres at a time when we are trying to encourage our young people to be more active and have less screen time. I know this issue was also raised with the Minister, Deputy Heydon, in his engagement with equestrian centres. The Minister, Deputy Browne, has responsibility for our valuations legislation. I will talk with him and ask that he liaise with the Deputy on this matter. I know from memory that at the moment, if you reduce rates in one area - once again, we go back to our pie analogy - the pie stays the same for the county. Obviously, no one wants to move that burden to another place. Let me ask the Minister to take a look at that and engage with the Deputy to see if there are creative ways we can make progress. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Burke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"Colm-Burke.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Colm Burke  As the T\u00e1naiste is aware, the Defence Forces have confirmed that they intend to dispose of armoured personnel carriers. These are vehicles they no longer require. Has a decision been made in respect of inviting tenders to be submitted to facilitate the sale? Would consideration be given for a charitable organisation to acquire same, to be used for humanitarian purposes? One of the groups interested has already sent over 200 all-terrain vehicles to Ukraine, providing support to people who are injured and getting them out of the war zone. What is the process in relation to the tender and will serious consideration be given to making those vehicles available for use for humanitarian purposes? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" T\u00e1naiste (Deputy Simon Harris)  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Obviously, we want to do all we can to support Ukraine and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. In that context, we have what is called a light tactical armoured vehicle fleet. It was procured through a competitive process and provided an important operational capacity to our Defence Forces from 2010 until its withdrawal from service in 2023 at the end of its planned service life. There was a detailed technical assessment on its withdrawal from the service and the Defence Forces concluded that the fleet could be made available for donation for potential restoration and operational use by the armed forces of Ukraine for the humanitarian purpose the Deputy highlighted. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine expressed its sincere gratitude and thanked Ireland for its continued support but ultimately on that occasion, it did not accept the vehicles. That was an operational decision for the Ukrainian authorities.  However, the future of the fleet will now be considered by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces. A board of survey will be convened by the Defence Forces in accordance with the Defence Forces regulation and it will make a recommendation on the future disposal of the vehicle.  Preparatory work for the board of survey is currently under way. We need that to do its work first, and that will come up with various options. I can confirm that any proposals received regarding it will, of course, factor in our Department's assessment of the options that are available. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aidan Farrelly  I recently completed my doctoral studies in youth work. I conducted research with youth workers around the country, having been a youth worker myself for 15 or 16 years. Simply put, being a youth worker is the best job in the world. It is as simple as that. Youth work changes lives. Youth workers change lives.  However, there is a concern within the sector with regard to the implementation of opportunities for youth, which is the national youth work strategy. Will the T\u00e1naiste liaise with the Minister for education to publish not only the very important workforce data that was collated by the Department, but also the next series of actions that will come from that strategy to inform the workforce with regard to future planning and the precarity of contracts but also the dissatisfaction levels within the sector? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I congratulate Deputy Dr. Farrelly on the completion of his doctorate in youth studies and for being able to share that insight that he has professionally with the House. I join with him in acknowledging the important role that youth workers play in all communities and maybe the even more vital role that they play in communities at times of particular challenge, trauma or societal difficulty as well. On foot of the Deputy raising this, I will talk with the Minister, Deputy Naughton, in relation to that national youth work strategy and those concerns and issues he raised here today. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  I wish to raise the ongoing industrial action or work to rule by the public service unions and the impact it is having on many aspects of our economy, especially in Cashel town, where two wonderful special schools, Scoil Aonghusa and Scoil Chormaic, provide outstanding support to children and young people with additional and complex needs. The staff in these schools are dedicated and hard working and they do their utmost.  I fully support the right to industrial action and to try to be recognised, but I want the T\u00e1naiste today to give a commitment that the Government will meaningfully engage with the unions and try to avert this because, as I said, these young people need a routine. It is so vital to them, and I think the T\u00e1naiste himself knows that. Even the change of a bus route or bus time affects them. This would have an enormous effect on the daily lives of these young special children and their families. In the interest of humanity, I ask - there are many other sectors but in this area, in these wonderful schools in Cashel and around the country - that we try to avert any prolonged action. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank Deputy McGrath for raising the issue in relation to Cashel. I do not doubt the importance of that service provided and the people who very much depend on it. Let me reiterate, and I say this to be helpful, that the Government wants the public sector unions to engage with our representatives in talks without precondition. We could not be clearer about that. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, has confirmed that view to the public sector unions. Every dispute, every discussion, gets resolved in sitting around a table. There is no advantage, tactical or otherwise, for either side to delaying that engagement.  We need a new public sector pay agreement. The unions in this country have always been responsible, constructive partners in standing up for those they represent. We have a job to do as well. We will make an allocation for a new public sector pay deal, or an indicative one, in our budgetary figures next week. The sooner the talks can begin, the better.  It is important that both sides, including the Government, approach those talks with no preconditions. We are willing to engage without precondition. I would ask in the interest of everybody, including public sector workers, that unions would do the same. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Clendennen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Clendennen  Today I would like to raise the provision of diabetes care and services for the people and families of Offaly and the midlands. The HSE acknowledges the importance of timely access to appropriate diabetes care, yet waiting times for this service at the Regional Hospital Mullingar, RHM, are over two years. I have had a number of constituents in touch with me. One individual, diagnosed at childhood, cannot apply for a mortgage or get on the property ladder because he is awaiting an insulin pump. Another constituent has been a patient of Mullingar for ten years. Following half a dozen appointments, he is still awaiting an insulin pump. It is simply not good enough.  I acknowledge the work the Minister in her efforts to reform the way the HSE works, but the HSE is now issuing letters to patients advising that diabetes day care services in Mullingar are suspended due to staff shortages. We spoke about small businesses here a minute ago. There is no small business in this country that would close its doors because of staff shortages, regardless of the expert levels required, and we have to see the same level of resilience and imagination in the HSE. I would ask that the Government look at reversing this decision and give peace of mind to patients because there is a level of dismay and concern out there in regard to the circular from the HSE. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank Deputy Clendennen for raising this issue and for the real, practical examples he has given of the adverse impact when this service is not in place on people in their daily lives. I am informed that the diabetes day service in Mullingar is delivered by four whole-time equivalent nursing staff and one dietician, but I am also informed that currently there is only one staff nurse available for the team. Clearly, we have a recruitment issue here that needs to be addressed. I am reliably informed by the Minister and the HSE that every effort is being made to fill the vacancies as soon as possible. Existing patients will continue to be managed through the consultant diabetes outpatient clinics.  However, the Deputy is correct that the diabetes day service has been temporarily suspended from 1 October. I understand why this is not satisfactory to the Deputy's constituents. This must be temporary. It must be kept as brief as possible. I am told that they are making every effort to fill the vacancies but they also are looking at other solutions, as the Deputy suggested they need to do. Redeploying staff to reduce pressure on the service could, indeed, be one. Patients currently attending the diabetes day service are advised to continue following their existing care plans but also to attend consultant outpatient appointments as arranged. The impact of this needs to be minimised. Recruitment needs to be progressed quickly. I will ask the Minister for Health to keep Deputy Clendennen informed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  I commend the community of Garvaghy Road on their courage and resilience against what we hope is one of the last pangs of Orange supremacism and triumphalism. Political unionism really needs to take a look at itself. Is this the road it wants to go down? None of the rest of us want to see that. I would include in that many within the unionist community and even probably many within the Orange Order.  We think of the realities of this march. We have seen and heard from the families of Michael McGoldrick, Robert Hamill and Rosemary Nelson and that makes it very real. I also think about the likes of Sean Brown, Philip Allen and Damien Trainor at Poyntzpass, and Elizabeth O'Neill. I do not think any of us can forget the Quinn children, and that is what it took to stop the march in 1998.  There are questions for the Parades Commission on its disgraceful action. The PSNI has questions to answer in relation to its security assessment, which was found to be----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Conclude, Deputy \u00d3 Murch\u00fa. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  It was found to be farcical. I ask that the T\u00e1naiste would continue his engagement with the British Government. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  I am always afraid about a new Administration. At times, I am not always sure that they understand the entire history. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy, you are past the time. The Tan\u00e1iste to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  I have commended the T\u00e1naiste before on his roadmap for Irish unity. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy \u00d3 Murch\u00fa, you have gone way over your time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Ruair\u00ed-\u00d3-Murch\u00fa.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa  I believe we need to keep that work going. I would ask about that and also about how the T\u00e1naiste can put that into action in government because that is necessary and I do not think enough has been done. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  It is rare the Deputy commends me.  I thank Deputy \u00d3 Murch\u00fa for raising, obviously, a very serious issue. The issue in relation to Garvaghy is receiving, as it rightly should, attention at all levels of government, right up to the most senior levels, and at all levels across officialdom as well, including the engagement of Irish officials on the ground, including engagement with the Deputy's party and others.  I would just repeat the call for everybody to work towards calm and a resolution. Nobody wants to see the progress that has been hard won go backwards or be lost in any manner or means, and the Deputy has highlighted and reminded the House of the very serious trauma and loss of life that has been experienced in the past. The North is at a very different place, a much better place. We never want to go back and I hope the talks that will recommence today can make progress. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan  I too want to raise the issue of the fuel income support scheme with the T\u00e1naiste this afternoon, specifically the issues of plant hire operators and quarrymen who were excluded from the initial scheme earlier this year. At that time, many people in leadership indicated that these sectors would be included in the original scheme. Obviously, that did not transpire.  These operators have the same costs. They face the same increases in the price of green diesel that people in the agricultural sector have, and many of them are small one- or two-machine-operated businesses. With the upcoming budget, and particularly since the initial scheme was not fully drawn down, will the Government consider them for inclusion in any updated scheme? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this issue in relation to how we support plant hire operators, quarry workers and others in that kind of construction sector space with fuel costs. We have been clear as a Government that we want to do this. There is work going on across a few Departments to work out the best modality, but both I and the Taoiseach have been clear that we want to get this done and have a proposal to the Government shortly. We are discussing it, obviously, in the context, as the Deputy says, of the budget next week too, and we will keep him updated.  The Minister, Deputy Chambers, and I met the Construction Industry Federation recently and I know this is an issue of concern.  It is also very important for the vital work these sectors are carrying out in construction across our country that we need to keep going, so I hope we can bring this matter to a resolution quickly. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Connolly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Connolly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Connolly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Connolly  I raise an issue that has been touched on already here today and was raised by my colleague, Deputy McGrath, yesterday as it relates to Cork.  A number of newly qualified nurses and midwives have contacted me in recent weeks because they are unable to secure employment, despite having completed their training, registration and clinical placements. Reports suggest recruitment restrictions are preventing appointments from being made where staffing pressures continue to exist. We are all aware Ireland continues to rely heavily on international recruitment of nurses. I think one in every four nurses is now recruited internationally. Their contributions are invaluable and deeply appreciated and I am not sure what we would do without them. However, if newly qualified Irish nurses and midwives cannot secure employment here, they will obviously seek opportunities abroad. It makes little sense to me that we would be exporting nurses on the one hand while on the other, recruiting internationally to fill the positions these nurses cannot get.  At the same time, a 2026 ESRI report projected substantial growth in healthcare workforce requirements across every region to 2040 and that there would be a focus on front-line deployment. What actions are being taken to ensure newly qualified nurses and midwives can enter the workforce without delay? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy M\u00e1ire Devine  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The T\u00e1naiste  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The word \"front-line\" is very important here. As the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, in working closely with Minister, Deputy Chambers, prepares for the health budget 2027, we need to make sure we grow our front-line health professionals. The Deputy makes a valid point about the people going through our own universities and colleges who want to be able to work here and are actively looking to do so. They need to be met with an open door; we need them. Therefore, we need to make sure the HSE is prioritising the recruitment of front-line staff. Having seen some very large increases in staffing in the HSE recently, I am not sure it is fair to say most of them have been in the front-line. There is a real need to focus on that.  We have a growing and ageing population, so we need to make sure we have jobs for these young graduates. I know the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is conscious of this and is preparing as part of the health budget for the months and year ahead. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy when she has clarity on that. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna ar Pholasa\u00ed n\u00f3 ar Reachta\u00edocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_31","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Local Government (Control of Horse-Drawn Carriages) Bill 2026: First Stage","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_31","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Heydon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Heydon.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Martin-Heydon.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy M\u00e1ire Devine  I move:  That leave be given to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the law relating to the control of horse-drawn carriages and other horse-drawn vehicles within the former Dublin Metropolitan Police District, as provided for by the Dublin Carriage Act 1853, the Dublin Amended Carriage Act 1854 and the Dublin Amended Carriage Act 1855, that equates to most of the administrative area of Dublin City Council and parts of the administrative areas of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and South Dublin County Council and, for that purpose, to repeal those Acts so as to enable the making by any of those Councils of bye-laws under the Local Government Act 2001 in respect of horse-drawn carriages or other horse drawn vehicles, to amend section 199 of that Act; and to provide for related matters.  Horse carriages in Dublin city are presently governed by three Victorian-era Acts, while the rest of the country is not. These Acts effectively prevent Dublin City Council from making and enforcing modern by-laws to regulate carriage operators, licensing, safety and insurance, placing passengers, pedestrians and motorists in peril. Carriages to let or hire operate mainly around heavily trafficked tourist areas like St. Stephen's Green up the road and my area in the Liberties. The Department of Transport has been aware of this legal lacuna for at least seven years but nothing has been done. Stakeholders, including the reputable carriage operators, animal safety advocates, local residents and An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na want this sorted.  Sinn F\u00e9in's Bill will appeal the Dublin Carriages Act with a 90-day period for Dublin City Council, DCC, to enact new by-laws, enabling DCC to ensure carriage operators are reputable, and most importantly, safe. Additionally, this legislation will allow local government to introduce by-laws to deal with the disposal of dung. The constituents in Dublin South-Central and the at least 1.5 million visitors to the Liberties area are dealing with streets full of dung, as DCC stopped accepting it last year for disposal. These simple changes are long overdue. It is dangerous. Residents are not just frustrated by the dung but also by the antisocial behaviour and mistreatment of horses by unlicensed operators.  The Department has been aware for years that the rules and enforcement around Dublin's horse carriage industry are conflicting, outdated, inconsistent and inadequate. Dublin's inner city needs this legal gap to be closed, which our Bill will achieve. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Ward  Dublin has a long-standing cultural tradition of proper urban horsemanship. Horse-drawn carriage rides are a well-known part of the south inner city and in and around the Liberties. It goes back centuries. In fact, I was going through the 1911 census and I was very surprised but delighted to see I had relations back then who were horse-drawn carriage drivers in and around Dublin. It is disappointing to see this tradition being undermined by gaps in regulations and archaic Victorian legislation.  Right now, we have licensed carriage drivers who meet Dublin City Council's standards and requirements under the old by-laws working alongside unlicensed carriage drivers. This has led to a Wild West situation, where unregulated, irresponsible carriage drivers are operating in our city. We have all seen the terrifying video of a terrified horse going down O'Connell Street during rush hour. We have also seen tourists being ripped off by unscrupulous carriage drivers overcharging them. It is not uncommon now to go into Temple Bar at 2 a.m. - not that I would be in Temple Bar at 2 a.m. but I have seen the videos of it - and see a horse bringing drunken tourists from one part to another. This does not sit right with me on many levels. There have also been reports of illegal activity, including drug dealing on these horse-drawn carriages.  Right now, if you want to drive a horse in Dublin city and pick up passengers for a fare, all you need is a horse and carriage. You do not need a licence, there are no regulations around horse welfare and nobody checks on the condition of the carriages. We need regulations now to put manners on these cowboys. Without proper oversight, both animal welfare and the upkeep of our city will suffer. I and Deputy Devine have met with responsible horse-drawn carriage drivers who want to be regulated. They care for their horses and are supported by animal welfare groups. I meet with them regularly and they tell me they fear a pedestrian, passenger or horse will be killed on our streets if action is not taken.  Dublin City Council also has a lot to answer for. It has allowed a lacuna to develop. Instead of supporting the responsible horse-drawn carriage drivers, DCC has made things more difficult. It has placed planters on the road where carriage drivers park on St. Stephen's Green. Next time you walk around St. Stephen's Green, you will see where the horse-drawn carriage drivers are and the planters put there to make things more difficult for those drivers. Our councillor on DCC, Kourtney Kenny, is working hard to resolve this.  Government committed to regulating this industry back in 2019. It is now 2026, and nothing has happened. That is why Sinn F\u00e9in has introduced this legislation today and seeks Government's support. We want to see proper governance of horse welfare, Dublin city streets and safeguarding of Dublin's culture. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Is the Bill opposed? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Heydon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Heydon.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Martin-Heydon.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Deputy Martin Heydon)  No. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Since this is a Private Members' Bill, Second Stage must, under Standing Orders, be taken in Private Members' time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Ward  I move: \"That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time.\" "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar fionra\u00ed ar 1.28 p.m. agus cuireadh t\u00fas leis ar\u00eds ar 2.08 p.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Sitting suspended at 1.28 p.m. and resumed at 2.08 p.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Local Government (Control of Horse-Drawn Carriages) Bill 2026: First Stage"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_32","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/82","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/82\/dail\/2","houseCode":"dail","stage":"2","isBillStage":true,"showAs":"Railway Safety Bill 2026: Second Stage (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Railway Safety Bill 2026: Second Stage","counts":{"speechCount":14,"speakerCount":14},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_32","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darragh O'Brien","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Keira Keogh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Keira-Keogh.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Keira-Keogh.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Emer Currie","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paula Butterly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darragh O'Brien","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Transport (Deputy Darragh O'Brien)  I move: \"That the Bill be now read a Second Time.\"  I am pleased to introduce this Bill for the consideration of the House. It addresses two separate areas. First, the Bill contains proposals to enshrine the organisation and main functions of the Railway Accident Investigation Unit, RAIU, in primary legislation. Second, the remainder of the Bill contains amendments to update and modernise the Railway Safety Act 2005 and consequential matters. I will address each of these briefly.  The background to the proposals in Part 2 of the Bill for the RAIU is as follows. The RAIU is an independent statutory body that carries out railway accident investigations in the State. The objective is to identify the causes of these accidents. They are also a means to improve railway safety and prevent future accidents from happening. I am sure the Deputies will agree that in the operation of the State's railways, safety is paramount. To enable this, it is essential that the RAIU has a strong statutory basis to underpin its role in regard to reporting and investigation of accidents and incidents on our railways. A railway incident unit had originally been set up under the Railway Safety Act 2005 as a unit within the then Railway Safety Commission, which has since been renamed the Commission for Railway Regulation. Subsequently, it became mandatory under the EU railway safety directive of 2004 for each member state to establish an independent national investigation body. To that end, the present RAIU was established under national secondary legislation in 2014. The RAIU was conferred with powers and functions under the regulations of 2014 in respect of all railways. This includes heavy rail, that is, the railway operations on the Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann network and light rail, which includes the Luas tramway in Dublin. Those powers and functions also covered metros and other railways, such as heritage railways, of which there are a number throughout the country.  There was a change in the law at EU level when a replacement recast EU railway safety directive came into operation here on 31 October 2020. That recast railway directive has a reduced scope and it expressly excludes light railways, metro and other local railway systems. In the context of the railway systems in Ireland, it is only heavy rail, basically the Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann network, including DART, that now comes within its scope. The European Union (Railway Safety) (Reporting and Investigation of Serious Accidents, Accidents and Incidents) Regulations 2020 transposed the recast railway safety directive from 31 October 2020 and provided the RAIU with investigation powers and functions in respect of the heavy rail system. These regulations are referred to in the Bill as the regulations of 2020. The Railway Safety (Reporting and Investigation of Serious Accidents, Accidents and Incidents Involving Certain Railways) Act 2020 was enacted and came into force on 31 October of that year as a solution to prevent a gap in arising in the legislation that would leave the RAIU without a statutory basis to investigate accidents involving any of Ireland's other railways, including Luas and Heritage Railways.  It is important to note that there is no legislative gap for the RAIU to be covered in this Bill. Since October 2020, the RAIU, with the combination of the regulations of 2020 and the provisions of the Act of 2020, has a complete statutory basis. It will carry out investigations in respect of accidents and incidents involving heavy rail, the Luas light railway in Dublin and other heritage railways. It was also the intention that the legislative solution provided through the operation of the Act would be an interim measure. The objective for the longer term now being delivered in this Bill was that a stand-alone statutory basis would be provided for the organisation of the RAIU in primary legislation and to cover the investigation of accidents and incidents on railways that were outside the scope of the EU railway safety directive.  I turn to the content of the Bill. It consists of six Parts and 71 sections. Section 1, as the Short Title, section 2, as the interpretation of the Act, and section 4, laying of regulations, are all standard provisions. Section 3 sets out the definition of Part 2. Twenty-three definitions in all, except one, are in use at present under the regulations of 2020, and indeed the Act of 2020. The only new term that is being introduced is specified railway. This applies to the types of railways to be prescribed in regulations under section 6. Part 2 sets out provisions for the investigation of accidents and incidents by the RAIU and spans sections 3 to 28, inclusive. The purpose of Part 2 is set out in the main statutory framework for the organisation and operation of the RAIU in primary legislation. The provisions that cover this and underpin the operation of the RAIU are contained at present in the regulations of 2020.  The policy being pursued in the Bill is that all common functions of the RAIU are set out in the Bill. I will refer to these as overarching, and these are the powers and functions that are common to any accident investigation, whether carried out under the regulations of 2020 for the Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann network or under Part 2 of the Bill for specified railway, which includes light railway, Luas, metro and heritage railways. The goal of this policy approach is to streamline the legislative framework for the RAIU in primary legislation. The overarching investigation powers and functions for the operation of the RAIU are set out in Part 2 to apply to all railways in conjunction with regulations that will be made by the Minister for Transport under section 6 of the Bill and regulation of the EU-based measures for the Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann network, which continue under the regulations of 2020. The overarching provisions of the RAIU in Part 2 that apply to railways include section 5, which is the core provision of the organisation of the RAIU, including the appointment of a chief investigator and of investigators.  Section 7 includes core provisions for investigation. Section 8 covers notification and reporting of accidents and incidents. Sections 11 through to section 13 are the status of the RAIU investigators and comprehensive statutory powers in carrying out investigations and to have access to the scene of an accident and to records. Section 14 covers powers of entry and search warrants. Section 15 covers provisions of records and other information to the RAIU. Section 16 is about provision of an offence for obstructing or impeding an investigator from performing a statutory function. Section 17 states that a member of an Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na may arrest without warrant a person who obstructs or impedes an investigator under Part 2. Section 18 covers provisions for prosecution and offences. Section 19 covers provision for offence by a body corporate. Section 20 covers the standard immunity from claims or damages for investigators in carrying out investigations. Section 25 covers the conditions of copyright in RAIU reports. Section 26 covers saver provisions and continuity safeguards to provide for a seamless continuity of work of the RAIU under the regulations of 2020 and under the Act of the same year as regards investigations that are under way at present or reports in preparation or existing reports and safety recommendations. Section 27 contains provisions for the repeal of the Act of 2020 and the transitional provisions for saver and continuity of functions performed by the RAIU. These overarching provisions mirror the content that is in the regulations of 2020 for the Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann network and applied through the Act of 2020 to other railways.  Part 2 also contains some provisions that only apply to the RAIU and its investigations functions in relation to specified railways. Section 6 covers powers for the Minister for Transport to make regulations to prescribe specified railway and for matters for carrying out the investigation of accidents and incidents. Section 9 contains requirements for railway entities to provide information to the RAIU on the commencement of an investigation. Section 10 means that it may investigate relevant decisions of the Commission for Railway Regulation. Section 21 contains provisions in relation to the RAIU investigation reports for specified railways. Section 22 contains provisions to confer functions on the Commission for Railway Regulation in relation to safety recommendations that are issued by the RAIU. If Part 2 is enacted and the overarching provisions come into operation, it will be necessary to amend the 2020 regulations to revoke the duplicate provisions therein that are being restated in this Bill and on the same date to commence the repeal of the Act of 2020 that is provided for in section 27 of the Bill. The net effect of Part 2 provisions of section 6 regulations and the amendment of the regulations of 2020 will be that the status quo will be maintained in relation to the statutory powers of the agency for investigating and reporting of railway accidents.  As I stated at the outset, the second purpose of the Bill is to introduce amendments to update and modernise the Railway Safety Act 2005. The most significant amendments for updating the Act of 2005 are in Parts 4 and 5 of the Bill and relate to railway safety, critical workers and intoxicants. In the Act of 2005 are certain provisions in Part 9 operated by railway organisations for sampling of safety critical workers in the workplace for intoxicants in line with the code of conduct. The Bill contains some amendments in Part 4 to facilitate the implementation of those measures. The Act of 2005 contains provisions in Part 10 in relation to intoxicants and sets out functions for an Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety for testing for alcohol and presence of drugs. The policy in 2005 was to align the provisions enacted in the Act of 2005 regarding the statutory limits for alcohol, blood breath and urine for a safety-critical worker with those provided for a driver under the then Road Traffic Act. Likewise, the statutory functions and procedures of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety mirrored the provisions that were in the Road Traffic Act back in 2005.  The provisions in relation to alcohol and drugs and associated procedures for An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the bureau have been significantly amended and updated in road traffic legislation since 2005. The policy being pursued in this Bill is to update and align Part 10 with the current provisions in the Road Traffic Acts. The amendments proposed will align the statutory limits for safety-critical workers for alcohol and blood, breath and urine with the limits that apply to a specified person. This covers professional drivers, including drivers of a bus, heavy goods vehicles or a taxi. The relevant alcohol limits in section 49 of the Bill are significantly lower than the present values in the 2005 Act.  I will now go through some of the details of the amendments proposed to the 2005 Act. Section 25 amends section 2 to update definitions and terminology. For example, the use of the word \"doctor\" replaces \"medical practitioner\".  Sections 30 to 32 contain amendments to streamline some of the administrative processes and functions of the Commission for Railway Regulation.  Section 33 updates terminology throughout the Bill to have the text refer to \"railway organisation\" instead of \"railway undertaking\".  Section 34 provides for the repeal of section 41, an obsolete provision.  Sections 35 and 36 provide timeframes for the Commission for Railway Regulation to carry out a two-stage process for safety assessment of new works under section 42 and safety assessments of new rolling stock under section 43.  Sections 37 to 40 are all technical amendments to update terminology.  The purpose of Part 4 of the bill is to amend and update Part 9 of the 2005 Act on intoxicants and railway safety critical workers in the workplace.  Part 9 requires railway organisations to have codes of conduct in the workplace in relation to alcohol and drugs, and the roles of authorised persons and analysis of samples. Part 9 has effectively operated since 2006. Section 41 updates definitions that were used in Part 9. Section 42 expands the application of Part 9 to include heritage railways which operate train services on railway infrastructure of another railway organisation. This would apply to heritage or passenger tourist trains that occasionally run on the Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann network. There is no change for any other heritage railway.  Section 43 contains some minor amendments to update administrative functions of the Commission for Railway Regulation.  Section 44 amends section 89, which relates to sampling procedures in the workplace for intoxicants. The amendment to subsection (1) will provide that an authorised person may require a safety-critical worker to provide a sample of \"breath, oral fluid, blood or urine\" in accordance with sampling procedures. The expansion to include breath and oral fluid gives railway organisations more options to include in Part 9 on conduct. The broader term \"intoxicants\" also includes alcohol as substituted for \"drug\". The amendment of subsection (2) provides that only a doctor or a nurse who has been designated by an authorised officer can take a specimen of blood from a worker.  Part 5 of the Bill contains proposals to amend and update Part 10 of the Railway Safety Act of 2005. Section 45 updates the definitions that are used in Part 10.  Section 46, which inserts a new section, 93A, is a key provision. It provides an enabling power for the Minister for Transport to make regulations to provide for a matter referred to in Part 10 as prescribed or to be prescribed. When the Bill is enacted, secondary legislation must be made to support the implementation of Part 10 to enable An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the medical bureau of railway safety to carry out their statutory functions.  Section 47 expands the application of Part 10 to include a heritage railway.  Section 48 amends section 96 to set out the functions to be performed by the medical bureau for road safety to carry out analysis in respect of blood or urine samples that are forwarded to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. The equipment or apparatus provided, supplied, approved or tested by the bureau under Part 2 of the Road Traffic Act 2010 shall be deemed to have been provided, supplied, approved or tested by the bureau for the purposes of enforcement by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na.  Section 49 reduces the statutory limits for concentration of alcohol, blood and urine in the breath for a rail safety critical worker in respect of criminal offences. The changes are: that the existing limits for alcohol in the blood of a concentration of 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood are reduced to 20 mg; the existing limit for alcohol in urine of a concentration of 107 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of urine are being reduced to 27 mg; and the existing limit for alcohol in the breath of a concentration of 35 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of breath will be reduced to 9 mg. The proposed new limits align with the maximum levels that apply at present under the Road Traffic Act for specified persons. These persons include professional drivers, such as holders of licences to drive small public service vehicles or taxis and holders of licences to drive categories of heavy goods vehicles, buses and coaches.  Section 49 amends section 97 to provide for the insertion of four new subsections for five specified drugs, including cocaine, heroin and cannabis. These provisions mirror the corresponding provisions in the Road Traffic Act 2010.  The purpose of sections 50 to 57 is to update the Act of 2005. The provisions mirror the powers and procedures for An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na in the roles of designated doctor or designated nurse that are set out in the Road Traffic Act 2010.  Section 50 amends section 98, which is the obligation to give a specimen of breath to test for the presence of alcohol and expands it to provide that a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na may make a requirement of a railway safety critical worker to provide a specimen of oral fluid to test for the presence of a drug.  Section 51 updates section 99 in relation to the powers of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na for arrest without warrant and the power of entry for that purpose.  Section 52 is an amendment of section 100 of the Act of 2005 and substitutes section 100 on obligation to provide a specimen of blood or urine following arrest.  Section 53 substitutes a new section for section 101 on obligation to provide a blood or urine specimen while in hospital.  Section 54 inserts a new section 101A to introduce a new measure to provide an oral fluid specimen following arrest.  Section 55 inserts a new section 101B to introduce a new measure for obligation to provide a blood specimen where suspects of an offence involve a specified drug.  Section 56 inserts a new section 101C to introduce a measure for requirements to undergo a medical examination at a Garda station or hospital.  Section 57 updates references in section 102 to the cross-reference to the Road Traffic Acts for detention of intoxicated persons where a danger to themselves or others.  Section 58 updates section 103 on procedure following provision of a breath specimen under section 100.  Section 59 inserts a new section 103A to provide procedures that apply where a specimen of blood was taken from a person by direction of a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na under section 101(5) and that is to be done in a hospital.  Section 60 amends section 104 on the procedure to be followed relating to specimens taken or provided and for forwarding specimens to the medical bureau of road safety.  Section 61 amends section 105 on procedures regarding specimens to expand the existing procedures to provide that the medical bureau of road safety may determine the concentration of a specified drug or drugs in a specimen of blood forwarded to it.  Sections 62 and 63 update the Act of 2005 in relation to prosecution of offences and evidential requirements in prosecutions.  Section 64 inserts four new sections, which are sections 107A to 107D, into the Act to provide for evidential requirements in prosecutions. These mirror provisions in place in the corresponding circumstances from the Road Traffic Act of 2010.  Section 65 amends section 108 on defences for a defendant and expands the provision in line with the measures available under the Road Traffic Act and includes offences in relation to oral fluid.  Sections 66 and 68 update provisions in relation to penalties and prosecution of summary offences.  Section 69 inserts a new Schedule into the Act of 2005 of specified drugs. This is the same as the Schedule in the Road Traffic Act 2010.  Section 70 updates section 126 to provide consequential amendments to reference provisions that are proposed in Part 2 of the Bill.  Section 71 in Part 6 of the Bill provides for amendment of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act to insert a reference to the Railway Safety Act 2005 at paragraph (u). The effect will be that certain records of the Medical Bureau for Road Safety arising under the Act of 2005 would have the same partial exemption status that applies at present to those corresponding certain records that may arise under the Road Traffic Acts of 1961 to 2024.  The Bill will ensure that the Railway Accident Investigation Unit and the Railway Safety Act 2005 are underpinned by a robust and appropriate legislative framework. I commend the Bill to the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  I thank the Minister and his staff, who provided such a comprehensive and clear background and analysis of the Bill. As we are speaking about road safety, I remember Eoin Doyle, who died in the tragic incident near Kiltybo in County Mayo. There is an investigation going on, so I am not going to comment too much but I know people from the area. The reports I read about the funeral were really heartbreaking. I offer my sympathies to his parents, Declan and Elaine.  While Sinn F\u00e9in will support this Bill to the next Stage, we must be clear that nothing the Government will do here today will address the real issue in relation to railway around this country, which is that our rail network is one of the weakest and least developed in western Europe. While Europe was building high-speed rail, electrifying lines and connecting regions, successive Irish Governments were closing railway lines and managing decline. Not surprisingly, rail accounts for only approximately 3% of passenger transport in Ireland. That reflects the lack of investment over many years and the lack of attractive rail alternatives outside of the Dublin area.  Communities in Kerry, Donegal, Mayo and across the west are paying the price for decades of transport policies that prioritised roads and took people off the railways. In my county alone we had the Dingle line, the Reenard line to the ferry for Valentia Island and other railways, particularly the line from Listowel through Abbeydorney and Lixnaw and up to Limerick, which, of course, was ripped up as well. Roads were prioritised and the railways were closed.  If countries across Europe can deliver, Irish people are entitled to ask why we were left behind. The real scandal is not that we lack high-speed rail, it is that many communities today have less rail connectivity than previous generations. This Bill does not do anything to address the issue. This legislation is not about investment or expansion. It is not a Bill that will deliver any modern rail network that communities across the island have been promised for years. As was comprehensively outlined, it is technical and regulatory. It updates safety procedures and accident investigation arrangements. These measures are important and necessary, but the bigger issue in rail is the failure to deliver the infrastructure fit for the 21st century. Safe railways matter, but also people need railways that actually exist and provide services. Communities cannot board a safety regulation or commute on a statutory instrument or a Government press release. We need trains, tracks, stations and services. That is where this Government and previous Governments have consistently fallen short. No new services were provided this year due to lack of investment.  The Bill places the Railway Accident Investigation Unit on a statutory footing. It strengthens investigation proceedings and modernises provisions relating to intoxicants and railway workers. These provisions are all sensible. I do not think anybody in the House will argue against maintaining railway safety standards to the highest level possible. Public transport must be safe and reliable and it must be trusted. However, people across Ireland are asking a different question. Where is the delivery? Where are the rail projects that have been promised for years? Where is the ambition that successive Governments continually tell us is just around the corner? When we look at this legislation, we see one of the weakest railway systems in western Europe. We have had more reviews than new railway lines.  The Government constantly points to the all-island strategic rail review as evidence of a commitment to rail. Minister after Minister has referenced it. We have seen the launches and the announcements, but communities are entitled to ask what has actually changed. The review sets out a vision for transformational investment in rail. It is recognised that Ireland needs a major expansion of its rail network, additional lines, electrification and stronger regional connectivity. It acknowledges that the network must grow significantly if we are serious about balanced regional development and meeting our climate targets. However, a plan on paper means little if there is no ambition for delivery.  The gap between what the Government is saying and what it is doing is impossible to ignore. The clearest example of this is the western rail corridor. For decades, communities in Mayo and Galway and throughout the western region have been hearing promises, hoping for a line that will continue from Limerick through Ennis, all the way up to Sligo and maybe beyond. For decades, they have been listening to studies. They have been told to wait. The latest is they have been told that construction on the Athenry to Claremorris section is targeted for 2028. After all these years, communities are still being asked for more patience. We do not need any more plans, strategies or consultation exercises. We need shovels in the ground and a railway line which will deliver all the way. The reality is that a project recognised as strategically important is moving painfully slowly. Every year lost means more families are forced into car dependency, more congestion, higher transport costs, greater emissions and fewer opportunities for regional growth. The clear message sent to the west is that people there must wait for the next review or the next announcement. It is welcome that a new railway line has proceeded from Limerick out towards Foynes in the past few years, but it is incredible that there is no provision to have passengers. The line is solely for freight, for whatever developments are going to take place in Foynes, an Amazon building or whatever. That the foresight is not there to build on the increased appetite for passenger transport on the railways is almost unbelievable. That millions are being spent on a new, temporary platform at Adare for the Ryder Cup says it all.  We will have to wait for the next programme for Government for any more developments there. In the meantime, project after project is jumping the queue. The west must not wait to be treated as an afterthought. People outside the M50 contribute to the economy too and deserve access to modern public transport. A network designed on the basis that all roads lead to Dublin is destined for failure. In Kerry, we know too well what happens when regional transport is treated as an afterthought. We are not asking for luxury, but we are asking for basics and reliable rail services, better connectivity and investment that recognises the south west is no less deserving than any other area of the country. For example, the Tralee to Dublin transport artery is the longest rail journey in the country, connecting families, students, workers, business and tourists to the rest of the island. Passengers cannot buy a cup of tea on a four-hour journey. Many of the people who are travelling on this journey, and I see it myself, are attending medical appointments in Dublin and may be older or frailer. They do not want to have to transfer trains; they want a direct journey. However, on the direct journey, they do not have any access whatsoever to a trolley or a shop. This might seem like a small thing, but with the surplus and with all the investment that is going on, it surely is not too much to ask. People travelling from Tralee to Dublin, sometimes with children also, and students heading to college are paying fares which were reasonable until the latest hikes. They should not be expected to undertake such a long journey without basic refreshments. The attitude that some routes warrant investment and others will have to make do is going to have to change.  We hear frequently about climate action. This is one of the most effective climate measures available to any Government. We cannot persuade people out of their cars if there is no train available, or achieve modal shift if communities have no realistic public transport alternatives. We cannot lecture people about reducing emissions if we fail to provide the infrastructure that will allow them to do so.  Railway investment is not simply a transport issue. It is about housing, climate, economy and balanced regional development. It helps people access employment, education, healthcare, tourism and investment and enables balanced growth rather than endless concentration around Dublin. Areas of the west and north west are rail deserts. They have weak rail connectivity or no service at all. We have to push on and get a rail line up through the west, through Navan and on towards Tyrone and Donegal. The network is heavily Dublin-centric, making travel between the regional cities very slow, and that deficit is not inevitable. It is caused by a shortage of demand, acknowledged by the Government's own reports.  The Government can move quickly when it chooses to, but when the communities ask for actual rail infrastructure, investment and construction, they are left waiting indefinitely. We need action now. We need the Government to be clear that public transport policy cannot begin and end with reports that are gathering dust. We support measures contained in this legislation providing for railway safety and independent accident investigation. Public confidence in rail travel depends on this robust safety regime, but that alone will not build a modern rail network. The true test will be whether the projects like the western rail corridor will be finally delivered, whether the ambition contained in the all-island strategic rail review is translated into construction on the ground, and whether rural and regional Ireland finally receives the infrastructure that has been promised for decades. Communities deserve more than announcements and reports. It is time for the Government to get on and deliver. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Gould  The National Bus and Rail Union has described the Cork to Dublin train as a hotspot of antisocial behaviour in recent years. There have been 120 complaints of antisocial behaviour on trains to and from Cork in the last 12 months. I thank The Echo newspaper in Cork and Amy Campbell for her work in highlighting this. These incidents include times where people feel unsafe, intimidated and scared. There is no way to exit a train once it is moving. Volatile behaviour can be particularly scary for people travelling by train when they are next to a person who is behaving like this.  There need to be clear rules and legislation to protect people on trains. The trains are packed. They are full of families and younger and older people who need to feel safe on trains. I appreciate there are some positive aspects to the Bill, but in reality we need real funding to introduce transport police and keep people on trains safe.  Having said that, I want to take a moment to commend those working on the railways. I get the train every week from Cork to Dublin and back again. The staff are excellent, especially in Kent Station. I know a lot of the staff personally and they take the job very seriously. They are very understanding and accommodating to people. In Cork, we have taken particular care in recognising the importance of the railway station, named Kent Station after Volunteer Thomas Kent who was executed for his role in the 1916 Rising. The staff have done huge work to commemorate and remember Thomas Kent. His bust is maintained immaculately. It is a great reminder for those in Cork and those visiting of our history. I would like the Minister to engage with Kent Station and other railway stations to see what more could be done to remember Thomas Kent and educate people. We have a proud history. The workers would engage with the Minister because they are very proud to have the station named after Thomas Kent.  While Kent Station will always be the main railway station in Cork, there are now planning applications for two new stations in my constituency. They are welcome, but we need them to be delivered quickly. They will open up travel to huge parts of the population in Cork, but they should be delivered alongside park-and-ride facilities in Blackpool and Glanmire, which are needed so that people can use the new stations. I would love to see the stations continue in the proud tradition of Kent Station and be named after Cork's patriot dead. Delaney station should be considered as a name for the Kilbarry station. It would be a fitting reminder of the Delaney brothers, who were executed in their beds the night of the burning of Cork. The Dunkettle station is another substation. The First Cork Brigade, many of whom are railway workers, used the railway lines in Glanmire to transport messages and ammunition during the War of Independence. Commemorating and preserving our history should go hand in hand with progress. The new railway stations are welcome and it is progress.  More and more people want to use the train. They want to be able to access trains, but the reality for many people in my constituency is that there are no trains or the train service is infrequent. We need a significant increase in the frequency of the trains to Mallow. More and more people are using the train to commute to and from work in Cork city, and that should be encouraged. We want to get people out of their cars, hit our climate targets and reduce emissions. They should be able to socialise in the city and get a train home. That is why we would like more trains running at later hours.  The last train to Cork out of Dublin is at 9 p.m., which means many people use their cars to travel to Dublin, which causes emissions. I ask the Minister to consider extending the train service to Cork, especially at the weekend. Expanding train services to Cork would connect every other station on the line to a better and more frequent service and increase access. I engage with Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann when there are big events in Dublin and Cork teams are playing. They tell me every carriage is being used and every bus is being used by Bus \u00c9ireann. We need to increase capacity so that people can get to those events. The best way to do that is by train. I ask the Minister to consider whether it is possible to add additional train services at night.  The purpose of the Bill is ensuring trains are safe. Services do not exist at the moment. Until 1973 there was a daily Cork to Youghal service. In the 1970s, the service was reduced to the summer months and weekends. There is now a train service to Midleton, halfway to Youghal. That should go all the way to Youghal. Many people think Youghal is a destination for people who are going to the beach and tourism, and it is, but a significant number of people live in east Cork and work in Cork city, Ringaskiddy and Little Island. That is why we need the train service to be reinstated. There is no greenway on the tracks at the moment, but I think it is possible to have both.  Workers in east Cork and people travelling need a train service. During the summer months, there are a large number of cars travelling the roads to east Cork and a railway line that has not been used for years. It is shocking to see the lack of foresight on the part of Governments who ripped up railway lines right across the country. I want more people to travel by rail.  The Minister mentioned light rail. There is a light rail plan for Cork, from east to west, but nothing from north to south. This is a fundamental flaw. The Minister might say the Government does not have the money to deliver that now, but it needs to be planned. If it cannot be delivered right now, the Government at least needs to plan for it. There is no planning to connect light rail to the airport. Where is the connectivity when we are trying to get people from the northside to the southside? There are many areas such as Mahon Point, Carrigaline and Douglas and Ballyvolane and Blarney on the northside of Cork city, which are not served by public transport. People cannot depend on buses, which means they then get into cars. We want more people to use public transport.  We support many aspects of the Bill, but there is nothing in it about investment and delivering better public transport. That is what we would like to see from this Government. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Keira Keogh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Keira-Keogh.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Keira-Keogh.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Keira Keogh  I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak on the Railway Safety Bill 2026, which is important legislation aimed at modernising our railway safety framework, strengthening accident and investigation procedures and ensuring that the highest standards of safety continue to apply across Ireland's rail network. At its core, the Bill provides a primary legislative basis to ensure the Railway Accident Investigation Unit can continue to perform its important function of investigating railway accidents and incidents. Changes at a European level mean that it is necessary to ensure that the unit continues to have the appropriate statutory basis and powers to carry out that work effectively.  The Bill comes at a time when more and more people are choosing rail. It is great to see that Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann had its strongest ever year last year, carrying more than 55 million passengers across Intercity, DART and commuter services, which I believe was a 9% increase on the previous year. The Westport line in my county experienced significant growth, with passenger numbers reaching approximately 773,000 in 2025, an increase of more than 8% on the previous year. They are great numbers. The Luas also celebrated a record-breaking year, with more than 55 million passenger journeys across the red and green lines.  Those figures are positive, but as passenger numbers grow, so too does the responsibility on all of us to ensure that our rail network is safe, reliable and properly resourced. As a Deputy from Mayo, I approach the Bill with a particular appreciation of the importance of rail services to regional communities. The rail services that connect towns like Westport, Castlebar, Claremorris, Ballyhaunis and Ballina with the rest of the county are a vital link for our county. Workers, students, tourists and families avail of rail transport and for them it is not a luxury; it is an essential part of our transport infrastructure.  As we encourage greater use of public transport and seek to reduce our emissions, we must maintain confidence in the safety of our railways. I cannot speak about railway safety without acknowledging the recent tragedy in Kiltybo near Ballyhaunis in my county where a collision between a train and a car claimed the life of 12-year-old Eoin Doyle who was on his way home from GAA training. The loss of such a young life has devastated Ballyhaunis and all the people right across Mayo. Before I continue, I wish to say that my thoughts remain with Eoin's parents, sister and wider family, as well as with the whole community in Ballyhaunis, as they continue to come to terms with such a profound loss. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a anam d\u00edlis.  Tragedies bring into sharp the focus the critical importance of robust safety procedures, appropriate protections at level crossings and the continuous reviewing of safety practices across our rail network. It is a stark reminder of why the highest standards of railway safety must always be maintained. I particularly welcome the provisions in this Bill that reinforce the principle that safety investigations are about establishing what happened, learning from an incident and preventing similar incidents from occurring again. Public confidence depends on knowing that when a serious incident occurs, it will be examined thoroughly and independently and that lessons will be learned. This is fundamental for passengers and railway workers and operators alike.  While I support the objectives of the Bill, legislation alone cannot guarantee railway safety. We must ensure that continued investment in railway infrastructure, signalling systems, track maintenance, technology, staff training and recruitment remain essential. Safety standards are strongest when good legislation is matched with adequate resources and investment on the ground.  From a Mayo perspective, investment in rail remains critically important. We must continue to strengthen regional connectivity and ensure that communities in the west receive the same level of ambition for public transport as communities anywhere else in the country. Safe, reliable and efficient rail services are essential for balanced regional development. They support tourism and local economies, provide sustainable transport choices and help our towns and communities remain connected. The Government has rightly emphasised increased public transport usage as part of its climate, economic and regional development objectives, but achieving that requires public confidence. Every passenger boarding a train in Westport, Ballina, Castlebar or at any train station or stop across the country must be confident that safety comes first and that we have a system capable of investigating incidents, learning from them and continuously improving our standards.  Another significant element of this Bill is the modernisation of Parts 9 and 10 of the Railway Safety Act 2005, which relate to intoxicants and safety-critical railway workers. We can all agree that this is an area where, frankly, reform is overdue. When the Railway Safety Act was enacted in 2005, the statutory alcohol limits applying to train drivers reflected the limits applied in road traffic legislation at that time. Road traffic law has subsequently changed and the limits for professional road drivers were reduced. A category of \"specified persons\" was introduced covering professional drivers, such as bus drivers, taxi and HGV drivers. The railway legislation, however, simply did not keep pace, and the consequences are quite extraordinary. Under the existing legislation, train and tram drivers can have an alcohol concentration of up to 80 mg per 100 ml of blood. This is compared with only 20 mg for specified professional road drivers and 50 mg for an ordinary motorist. In other words, the statutory limit applying to a safety-critical railway worker can currently be four times that of an equivalent professional road driver. That discrepancy was identified years ago. Indeed, when these proposals were brought forward in 2018, the then Minister for Transport, former Deputy Shane Ross, said the changes would bring consistency between the safety standards applying to train drivers and equivalent professional drivers on our roads. That was in 2018. Obviously, we have had a pandemic since then, but it is reasonable to wonder why it has taken us this long to get this legislation before us. If we identified a gap in safety so long ago, particularly one concerning intoxicants and people entrusted with the safety of hundreds of passengers, we should not need this long to close that gap. The thousands of citizens and visitors who board our trains and Luas services every day need to know that the standards applying to the people carrying out safety critical work are rigorous, modern and consistent. They should simply be able to assume that the person responsible for operating a train carrying hundreds of people is subject to at least the same rigorous safety standards as other professional drivers. This Bill addresses that anomaly and modernises the provisions around testing, sampling, analysis and enforcement. That is welcome. It supports the wider objective of ensuring our transport safety legislation remains coherent and fit for purpose as Ireland's transport network continues to evolve. It is my hope that this now moves and becomes law as quickly as possible.  I cannot speak about rail in Mayo without also taking a sidestep to talk about its future. This week, I met the CEO of Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann and I was delighted to hear that the trolley service trial on the Galway to Dublin line is progressing well. I always talk about the fact that passengers on the Mayo-Dublin line are often on the train for three and a half hours without access to water, tea or food. Genuinely, that is more than an inconvenience, especially for people with disabilities who might not be able to go to the shop and bring a hot cup of tea with them as easily as other people. We also must think about the number of tourists who use that line. If they are on the train for three and a half hours, they expect to have access to catering. My message to the passengers on the Galway-Dublin route is to please drink as much tea and coffee and eat as many bags of crisps as they possibly can in order to help build a business case for extending this service to Mayo and other intercity routes.  We also need to be much more ambitious about our rail freight. It is particularly important when we look at major employers in regional Ireland. Recently, I visited Vantive, which is a fantastic employer in Castlebar. It is competing in global markets and must demonstrate that its operations are as sustainable as possible. Currently, we have a good freight service and hub out of Ballina, but there is a good business case to have one in Castlebar as well so we do not have trucks driving an hour from Castlebar to Ballina to get onto the rail line. I want to see us build on that freight service in Ballina and examine the potential for additional rail freight infrastructure to serve Castlebar and the wider county. If we are serious about balanced regional development, decarbonisation and supporting major employers outside Dublin, rail cannot simply be about moving passengers; freight must form part of that ambition too.  I will finish by talking about the western rail corridor. I do not know if Members saw the TikTok video this week, created by AI, that made very handsome Irish-looking men in nice coats. If we could get the train to Knock Airport as quickly as AI could, it would be wonderful. That video has rallied concerns about the potential 35 km greenway coming into Sligo. We must ensure that we are competing with AI videos that can be produced at the drop of a hat to ensure people there that if the greenway goes ahead, the railway will be preserved as promised to reinstate rail on that line in the future. The Athenry to Claremorris route is, hopefully, due to start in 2028 and open in 2031. That would be a good business case to get all the way to Sligo. We want to see rail all the way from Limerick to Mayo, onto Sligo and into Donegal to ensure the west of Ireland is connected.  This Bill is fundamentally about maintaining confidence in our railway system, confidence that passengers and workers will be protected, accidents and incidents will be properly investigated, outdated anomalies in our law will be corrected and confidence that, as our rail network grows, safety will remain at the centre of that growth. I support the objectives of this Bill and I look forward to its progression. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ciar\u00e1n Ahern  I welcome the Bill, which the Labour Party will be supporting. While it is largely technical in nature, it is important. It is kind of crazy that it has taken this long to get around to aligning the statutory limits for drugs and alcohol for rail workers and train drivers with those in road traffic legislation. Deputy Wall will be raising some serious health and safety concerns about overcrowding on commuter lines between Kildare and Dublin.  The current system of self-regulation when it comes to safety on our railways is not fit for a modern rail line or system. Therefore, we welcome these changes. As the Minister knows well, we talk about road safety frequently in this House, and rightly so given the near decade-high figures for deaths on our roads. There are tragedies every day on our roads. Thankfully, rail safety is not something we have to talk about too often in this House.  Thankfully, rail safety is not something we have to talk about too often in this House. Like Deputies Keogh and Pa Daly, I want to say that we are thinking about Eoin Doyle, the 12-year old boy who tragically lost his life, in early September, in a rail collision near Ballyhaunis in County Mayo. As I said, collisions involving trains and other vehicles are thankfully pretty rare, which makes Eoin's death all the more tragic. My understanding is that visibility at the crossing where the incident occurred is poor. I am aware that the CCR is investigating the circumstances around the accident. I hope that some measures are taken at that crossing, and elsewhere across the country where there are issues, to improve visibility and safety at these crossings. On behalf of the Labour Party, I extend our sincere condolences to Eoin's family and friends.  As I said, the Labour Party will be supporting this Bill. I will not dwell on the Bill itself because it is pretty straightforward. I do want to touch on our rail infrastructure more broadly. In this House we all know the importance of investing in rail. Projects like DART and Luas have been game changers for Dublin. Back in the day they had their detractors. Some of them still darken in the door of this building but I think we would be hard pressed to find anyone nowadays who would say we should not have built them. They have been enormously successful. I have every faith that future rail projects will be equally successful for Dublin and other cities and towns across the country. They will help to tackle congestion, reduce emissions, improve health, support housing development, connect cities and regions, give people in rural Ireland, in particular, a much-needed alternative to the private car, and help with the cost of living along the way. We all get that. It is in that context that we find it bewildering that Government has been so slow to move on some projects that are literally ready to go. In some cases, they have been actually pushed back and delayed. DART+ South West received planning permission almost two years ago, in November 2024, but funding still has not been released. This is a service that could bring 20,000 people in each direction every hour. Imagine the difference it would make to the likes of Clondalkin, Lucan, Adamstown and Celbridge. At a time of huge construction in Clonburris and other areas, it would be enormous. Yet, the Government's NDP review has pushed construction beyond 2030, which is six years after it got planning permission. This is not just a transport issue. If we are serious about building homes and new communities, which we have to and want to, then we have to have the infrastructure to support them.  The same issue applies to the Luas extension out to Finglas. Planning permission has been granted. Judicial reviews were withdrawn earlier this year. Yet, we have been given a date of 2029 before construction will get under way. TII has said that if the Government moves quickly on a funding decision, construction could be brought forward to 2028. I urge the Minister to do everything he can to accelerate that. I know it is on his desk. The Finglas Luas is a great example of an interconnected transport service, with links to heavy rail and bus at Broombridge and the park-and-ride facility at St. Margaret's Road. We must encourage the use of more park-and-ride facilities across the country. We need more of them, and we want to incentivise people to use them. My Labour Party colleagues, Deputy Robert O'Donoghue and Councillor Mark Boland, have proposed that tax-saver tickets could be extended to park-and-ride parking costs, to put a little more money back into the pockets of hard-pressed commuters who are trying to do the right thing and avail our rail services rather than driving. It is exactly the sort of public transport infrastructure that we want to see more of, one where these sort of links to other services exist. It is the type of project that deserves to be expedited insofar as is possible. The Government cannot tell us on the one hand that infrastructure delivery is an urgent national priority, and on the other hand, allow major public transport projects to move repeatedly between dates and phases and funding envelopes and so on. Public transport infrastructure is tied up with how we address so many of the other major issues we face as a country, whether it is housing, congestion, climate change, and so on. There are economic, environmental, and social costs associated with failing to urgently deliver on public transport projects.  I will finish on a positive note. I commend the Minister on his progress so far in getting MetroLink over the line after all these years. It is a big cost but we know the benefits of MetroLink will far outweigh the price of building it. As has been said on numerous occasions, the cheapest time to build it was 20 years ago and the next cheapest time is now. It will be transformative for Dublin, particularly those in north County Dublin. As I always do when discussing MetroLink, I would appeal to the Minister to begin planning an extension south of the Grand Canal through Dublin South-West, out to Tallaght. The Minister has told me before that the greater Dublin transport strategy review will commence next year, and a new feasibility study will be carried out as part of that. Any feasibility study is welcome but I would ask that it be carried out independently so that mistakes we feel were made in a previous study are not repeated. My understanding is that the previous feasibility study will form part of the evidence base for the next one, so that is a little bit concerning. I would like the Minister to watch out for that. Obviously, we have not seen the terms of reference yet but I would hope that a more holistic approach could be taken to this feasibility study. The business case for deciding on an extension of the line to Dublin South-West should not necessarily be considered only in terms of current passenger numbers. It should also look at the opportunities that this would open up in terms of housing and development as a city-building project for that part of the city. Overall, of course, we welcome that the MetroLink line extension will be a priority focus of the transport strategy review that is long overdue but I strongly urge the Minister to have it carried out by an independent body. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Wall  I welcome the Minister to the House. I want to take the opportunity to discuss the Railway Safety Bill 2026. Rail safety is becoming a massive issue for commuter counties like Kildare. In particular, it is impacting commuter towns like Athy, Newbridge, Kildare town and Monasterevin. Hundreds of people have contacted me this week alone outlining their concerns regarding Irish Rail. The majority of these concerns were primarily due to overcrowding on a number of Irish Rail services on a number of lines, including the Waterford, Limerick and Portlaoise lines. This also extends to the Luas services, which Kildare South commuters are using as a means of onward travel into Dublin city centre. Overcrowding on Irish Rail services is presenting a very serious health and safety issue for these commuters. People are standing in aisles, by entrances and near bike racks just to get on the train. They are packed in like sardines. I have had a number of constituents share what can only be described as horror stories of overcrowding on Irish Rail services. Only last week I highlighted one case of an elderly couple who were extremely unsteady on their feet, standing in between carriages because there were no seats left.  I want to highlight to the House more examples from my constituents. Katie said:  I'm currently writing this email to you standing in the middle of a coach on the 5.25 Limerick to Heuston train that I boarded in Kildare town. The train serves enough towns including Portlaoise, Portarlington and Monasterevin. Upon boarding the train, there was already a significant number of people standing. The next train leaving Kildare town is 7.23, serving Newbridge and Naas also. It is very likely that the same scenario as the one I find myself in will be presenting itself on that train.  Jamie, a student commuting from Kildare town to DCU said:  Every morning I get the 6.44 train to Newbridge, then the 6.56 train to Drumcondra. This morning, like every morning, I witnessed something extremely dangerous. By the time the train got to Hazelhatch and Celbridge the train was rammed. No one could get on or off. No one could move. By the time I got to Drumcondra, it took me ages to get off the train, going past multiple people.  Shane, another commuter travelling from Newbridge to Pearse Street, said:  The train is 70% full leaving Newbridge. By the time it leaves Sallins, it's standing room only and then it has to stop at Hazelhatch, Adamstown, Clondalkin and Cherry Orchard, all of which are busy, as they also have exceptional population growth. The trains are unsafe. Most of the time with people standing down the aisles. Even people trying to get off at times can be problematic, as there's often 20 people between them and the door, and nobody wants to step off for fear of losing their little spot on the carpet.  Like me, the Minister is young enough that standing for half an hour to Heuston is okay but many of the trains coming through Newbridge start much earlier and much farther afield and have frail and vulnerable people who are forced to travel into Dublin for hospital appointments. It is not uncommon to see these people precariously make their way along the overcrowded walkways and have to step over people sitting on the floor, etc., while the train is moving, just to get to the toilet. Often, the toilets are in such a state they have to go farther along the train. It is also not uncommon to see frail and vulnerable people trying to get on a train at Newbridge and then not managing to get a seat, because people do not offer or because they simply cannot make it to seats to ask somebody to move. It is only a matter of time before someone gets seriously hurt because of all this overcrowding.  As other colleagues have done, I raised these concerns with Irish Rail recently and was extremely disappointed with its response to addressing this issue. I was informed that health and safety on Irish Rail services is done by self regulation, according to the organisation. That is not an acceptable answer to addressing the serious health and safety concerns on rail services and is simply not good enough.  What does self-regulation mean? I was told that we only had a train driver on these trains and that nobody was operating from the stations. Is it up to the person getting onto a train to self-regulate when they see a crowd on it? Somebody might explain what exactly is meant by that comment. The Bill should address this immediate concern as it is unlikely that commuters are going to see any expansion of frequency or capacity on the Waterford line until 2027, and hopefully no later, which means the only other solution is to continue with overcrowding.  The Commission for Railway Regulation is the national safety authority charged with overseeing safety on Ireland's rail services. It is mentioned throughout the Bill before us. Do many in the House know exactly what this commission is? I will, as my party colleague and spokesperson has said, work with the Minister to bring real measures that will address the poor and inadequate health and safety provision on our rail services to ensure that commuters get the proper public service they are praying for and which so many of them need.  The Bill is about rail safety. It is about addressing crashes and injuries after they happen. I am putting it to the Minister that we have to deal with these situations before accidents happen, and I ask that the Bill in its entirety set out to address this and the overcrowding for commuters along the three lines I mentioned because it could come too late and nobody in this House wants such a thing to happen. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  The Bill is very technical and I welcome the Minister's clarification that Parts 9 and 10 do not apply to private heritage railways. That is very important. There are a few of them around the country. It is important that onerous regulation is not placed on them. In many cases they are privately run and located on private ground. They are mainly volunteer driven and do an awful lot of fundraising to keep themselves going, and I am glad the Minister has clarified that they will be exempted from this.  I also welcome the fact the RAIU is going to be put on a statutory footing. That is very important. We are very lucky in this country that we have, in general, an extremely safe railway system. It is safer than the European average. Nevertheless, we have to be cognisant of the potential for extreme weather and extreme heat. We have seen a number of frightening incidents across the water in the UK, with continuous welded rail bending during the heat. Our temperatures were not that far behind those in the UK this summer and we are going to have more extreme heat. The RAIU, and for Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann as the operator, should make sure they have a proper national plan in case speed restrictions are required.  When we are speaking about safety on the railways, it is important to talk about the continual need for investment, particularly in fleet renewal. Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann's fleet is completely maxed out. It will get some carriages back in the short to medium term when the new DART fleet is rolled out but, unfortunately, that has been slightly delayed. After that, there really is nothing else coming. My party colleague Deputy Wall made an important point on this issue. One of the scariest experiences I have had on an overcrowded train was in his area. I got on the train to Newbridge at Grand Canal Dock. This train goes through the Phoenix Park tunnel and is dangerously overcrowded at peak times in the morning and evening. To be honest, certain trains down my way, particularly the Limerick to Galway line between Athenry and Galway and between Limerick and Ennis, are overcrowded. That is really limited by the fact that Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann does not have additional fleet capacity.  It is important to note and reflect that when the western rail corridor was reopened, there were pessimists among us who said the line would be a white elephant. It has been extremely successful and it proves the mantra that if you build it, they will come. My city of Limerick really needs the Minister to commit to a feasibility study on the Shannon Airport railway link. I know it is not an immediate, short-term concern but we need a feasibility study because it needs to remain on the table. It is part of the longer term strategy for rail in Limerick and the wider mid-west.  We are so lucky in Limerick that none of the railway lines were ripped out. Limerick has the best potential for rail outside of Dublin and that needs to be noted. I am somebody who spends the best part of his time on the Kerry border. A piece of railway infrastructure called the Kerry curve, which runs under Carey's Road in Limerick, links the Foynes line to Limerick Colbert Station and would cost \u20ac35 million to reopen. That proposal was submitted to the Department of housing under the housing activation fund. It is a pity the Minister has had to leave because, unfortunately, the project was unsuccessful. It needs to be submitted again and it needs to be funded.  We will have the Ryder Cup next year, which I welcome. We will have a temporary railway station in Adare for the Ryder Cup, which will take people from Adare to Limerick Junction but they will not be able to go from Adare to Limerick city. That is very short-sighted. It would cost \u20ac35 million to open up the line from the Adare and Foynes direction to Limerick city. The N20 is one of the most congested roads in the country outside of the greater Dublin area. An active, working commuter railway service between Adare and the hinterlands of Limerick would be transformative for the potential for rail in Limerick and the wider mid-west.  In tandem with that, we need to make damn sure that when the LDA puts in an application to develop housing around Colbert Station, it will not build over or disturb this alignment. I want to state on the record that this would be detrimental because that alignment needs to be preserved, as do the capacity and the space. We need to see funding forthcoming from the Government for sectoral investment in transport and commuter rail in Limerick and elsewhere in the mid-west. With the benefit of figures such as the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the Taoiseach, Cork is getting significantly more than Limerick for commuter rail. Cork is effectively getting a DART station. Limerick is getting a double track to Limerick Junction at some stage but nothing is forthcoming in terms of investment in commuter rail. We have a blueprint and plan. We just need the Government to support it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Grace Boland  I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Railway Safety Bill, which seeks to strengthen our railway safety framework, place the railway accident investigation unit on a clear statutory footing and modernise aspects of railway safety legislation, particularly in relation to safety-critical workers and accident investigations. These are sensible, practical and necessary measures and I am very pleased to see them included in the Bill. I particularly welcome the provisions relating to safety-critical workers, including the updated framework governing alcohol and intoxicant testing in railway workplaces. The travelling public must have confidence that those responsible for operating and maintaining our railways are held to the highest safety standards. Equally, rail workers themselves deserve the protection that comes from clear rules, robust procedures and a strong safety culture.  Safety on the railway depends on people as much as infrastructure and it is right that this legislation reflects that reality. Railway safety is one of those areas where we can never stand still. Public confidence in our railway network depends on knowing that the systems, procedures, infrastructure and oversight mechanisms in place are robust, independent and continuously improving.  Recent events have reminded us why that matters. Only weeks ago, the country was shocked by the tragic collision at the level crossing near Ballyhaunis in County Mayo, which resulted in the tragic death of 12-year-old Eoin Doyle. First and foremost, my thoughts remain with his family, friends, classmates and the wider community as they continue to deal with the unimaginable loss. That tragedy serves as a stark reminder that railway safety is ultimately about protecting lives. It is not simply a regulatory framework or a legislative exercise. Behind every accident statistic is a person, a family and a community.  The lesson for all of us is that safety must remain at the centre of every decision we make regarding our rail network. Whether we are talking about level crossings, signalling systems, infrastructure maintenance, operational procedures or workforce safety, there can be no room for complacency. Every train passenger should have confidence that the network they use is safe, and every railway worker should be able to carry out their duties knowing that robust safeguards are in place. Equally, every motorist, cyclist and pedestrian who encounters railway infrastructure should be confident that the crossings, signalling systems and operational procedures meet the highest possible standards. That is why I welcome the strengthening of the independent accident investigation arrangements contained in this Bill.  One of the hallmarks of a mature safety culture is the willingness to investigate incidents thoroughly, learn lessons and implement improvements before problems recur. Independent investigation is critical to maintaining public confidence and ensuring that safety improvements are driven by evidence and experience. However, if we are serious about railway safety, we must also urgently improve our railway infrastructure. Safety is not just about examining what happens after an incident occurs. It is also about preventing incidents from occurring in the first place.  As a TD representing Fingal, I regularly hear from many commuters who rely on the northern commuter line. Many, including myself, have experienced repeated disruption arising from signalling failures and infrastructure issues. For people travelling from Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk, reliability is not simply a matter of convenience. It determines whether people get to work on time, whether students get to school and college, whether parents make collection time and whether families can depend on public transport as part of their daily lives.  Too often, commuters find themselves standing on platforms waiting for services delayed by signalling faults. While any individual incident may seem minor, the frequency with which these problems are occurring points to a broader challenge. Parts of our rail control infrastructure are ageing and increasingly strained by growing passenger demand. I very much welcome that Ireland\u2019s rail network is carrying more passengers than ever before. We are rightly investing in new train carriages and new services, expanding our capacity and planning for growth in rail usage over the coming decades.  We talk regularly in this House about housing growth, population growth, climate action and sustainable transport, but every one of those ambitions depends upon a railway network that is capable of carrying significantly more passengers safely, efficiently and reliably. While this legislation strengthens the regulatory and investigative side of railway safety, we must ensure that Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann is supported by the Minister, the Department and the NTA, as well as being funded to urgently modernise the operational side of railway safety.  In particular, we need to accelerate the delivery of modern train control and signalling systems in the greater Dublin area and across the wider national rail network. Commuters on the northern line have experienced frequent disruption because of signalling and infrastructure failures. The long delays in delivering the national train control centre project have raised serious concerns about the pace at which critical rail modernisation is being delivered. An expanding railway cannot continue to rely on infrastructure that is obsolete and at the end of its life.  We need urgency, accountability and delivery. Modern train control systems are not simply a convenience. They form an essential part of our safety infrastructure, improving oversight, reducing operational risk, increasing network capacity and helping to prevent incidents before they occur. This is especially important in places like Fingal, which is one of the fastest-growing parts of Ireland. Communities like Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk continue to expand and thousands of people rely on rail every day.  Government policy is to encourage greater use of public transport and that means passengers must have confidence that the service is safe, reliable, efficient and resilient, but public confidence in rail is hard-won and easily lost. We have seen in places such as Balbriggan that passenger numbers can decline, even though it is a growing community. When service reliability came under pressure and fares increased in 2025, we saw a 5% decrease in passenger numbers at Balbriggan train station. This makes absolutely no sense. Balbriggan is the youngest town in the country and one of the fastest growing. We really need to consider the decisions we make and how they impact public transport usage. If we are serious about modal shift, we need a railway that people want to use. That means not only safe infrastructure and modern signalling systems but also reliable services, competitive fares and a passenger experience that encourages more people to leave the car at home, not the opposite. Every investment we make in safety and capacity should ultimately be about growing rail usage and strengthening confidence in public transport.  I very much welcome the investment that we will see in the coming months and years, in particular in new train carriages on the northern commuter line and transformational projects such as DART+, which will significantly improve railway services for communities across Fingal and the wider Dublin area. Looking further ahead, the planned four-tracking on the northern line has the potential to be absolutely transformative, unlocking additional capacity, improving reliability and supporting the continued growth of communities such as Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Lusk.  From the perspective of commuters on the northern line, however, delivery is what matters. Passengers need to see improvements on the ground and they need confidence that long-standing signalling issues and capacity constraints are being addressed with urgency. The objective should be clear: a railway network that is among the safest, most reliable and most modern in Europe. This Bill is an important contribution towards that goal. It strengthens oversight and investigations and updates important elements of our railway safety framework.  It also needs to be viewed as part of a broader railway strategy that combines strong regulation with sustained investment, modern infrastructure and expanded capacity. The recent tragedy in Ballyhaunis reminds us why safety can never be taken for granted. At the same time, the experience of commuters on the northern line reminds us of the importance of continuing to invest in and modernise our rail network. I am confident that through projects such as DART+, the provision of new rolling stock and signalling upgrades, once delivered, as well as the delivery of a modern train control centre and future capacity enhancements, we can build a railway that is safer, more reliable and better equipped to meet the needs of our growing population.  For those reasons, I welcome the Bill and look forward to supporting its passage through the House. Go raibh maith agat. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  The Green Party welcomes this legislation and we will support its progression through the Oireachtas. We know that rail is one of the safest, most sustainable and most climate-friendly forms of public transport. As this country continues to invest in public transport, expand our rail services and plan major new projects, such as MetroLink and DART+ in Dublin and metropolitan rail in other cities, it is essential that the safety apparatus we have in place keeps pace with those developments. At its core, this Bill is about ensuring that Ireland has that modern, robust and independent system for the investigation of railway accidents and any other incidents that occur. Putting the railway accident investigation unit on a statutory basis is an important step. Independent investigations are crucial, not only for determining what happened after an accident, but also for identifying the lessons that can prevent a recurrence in future and increasing public confidence in the wider rail network.  The Green Party particularly welcomes the extension of the investigation regime across the wider rail sector and ensuring that all rail systems in the country are subject to appropriate oversight and safety scrutiny. We also support the strengthening of powers relating to accident reporting and investigations.  A safety culture really depends on transparency, accountability and a commitment to learning from incidents, and it is good to see that reflected in the shape of this legislation.  The provisions relating to alcohol and drug testing, particularly for safety-critical rail staff, are safe, sensible and proportionate. Passengers and workers alike are entitled to expect the highest safety standards across the rail network, and aligning railway safety legislation with modern road traffic standards provides greater consistency. It also reflects best practice that we see in transport safety regulation internationally.  The Green Party, as a party committed to encouraging greater use of public transport, recognises that increasing passenger numbers and expanding services must go hand in hand with maintaining the highest levels of safety. Public confidence in rail depends not only on reliable services but also on strong regulatory oversight.  While supporting the Bill, we will examine its provisions carefully on Committee Stage to ensure the new arrangements provide sufficient independence for accident investigations, that safety recommendations will be acted on effectively and that the implementation of these changes will be adequately resourced.  We would welcome clarification from the Minister of State on how recommendations arising from investigations will be monitored and reported on and whether there are sufficient resources available to support an expanded remit for the Railway Accident Investigation Unit.  Overall, however, this legislation represents a necessary modernisation of Ireland's railway safety framework and is a constructive measure that supports both public safety and the continued development of a modern rail network.  I wish to make a couple of other points on the topic of rail while I have the Minister of State\u2019s attention. He is probably familiar with this map of the Irish rail network from 1906. As we know, we once had a network of 5,000 km of railway across the country, with over 1,000 stations. Every corner of the island was connected to rail. Nowadays that the network is just a fraction of that. When we talk to people, particularly commuters, we note there is a real demand, passion and desire to reopen rail lines and stations around the country. We have that opportunity now with the All-Island Strategic Rail Review, published in 2024. What is proposed in it is still a far cry from 5,000 km but it would provide a dramatically enhanced level of service and, importantly, would link in with services across Northern Ireland, recognising that we are one island and that there is a desire in large parts of the Republic for rail connectivity. Some of that can be delivered through Northern Ireland as well.  The all-island strategic rail review is a realistic plan. It is costed and meets the clamour and desire for greater rail services. My concern is that we are not seeing the implementation of the plan take place with the necessary speed if it is to be delivered by 2050, which is the end of its lifetime. We are seeing a couple of the smaller aspects, such as passing loops being installed in various parts of the country. That is all good stuff but it really is at the most basic level.  I would cite the decision taken a year and a half ago not to go ahead with the reopening of the Waterford-Wexford-Rosslare line and to push that back. Steps like that are highly retrograde. I am sure a few others in the Chamber might agree with me on that as well.  Yesterday, I had a very useful meeting with representatives of Irish Rail. They were holding a briefing in Buswells and discussing some of the key projects Irish Rail is looking to advance at the moment. As a Dublin West TD, DART+ West was number one on my agenda. The project is advancing well. My colleague, Eamon Ryan, when he was Minister for Transport, prioritised its advancement. It has planning permission and we expect it to move through the next decision gates shortly. It is going to be vital for the area. We have seen huge growth in Dublin 7 and Dublin 15, and into Kildare, and that growth need to be supported by new public transport. It is important that some of the steps concerning how it will be rolled out be taken now as well. I was chatting to the Irish Rail representatives yesterday about having community engagement officers who will deal with the small issues. Issues will crop up in a project of this scale but we would like to see those community engagement officers put in place as soon as possible.  There is another big decision coming for the Government now, and that is on DART+ South West. The funding is not in place for DART+ South West. It has planning permission. It is pretty much on track with DART+ West but it does not have the funding right now. A decision is coming up for the Government soon, and I appeal to it not to drop the ball on this. DART+ South West is ready to go. The two DART developments working in tandem would enhance the efficiency of delivering both. This would enhance the overall financial viability of delivering both. It would be a huge missed opportunity for public transport, particularly for the thousands of people who have bought, or have been sold, homes along the south-west line in Adamstown and Clonburris on the basis that they would have enhanced public transport and who have been left waiting up to this point.  I genuinely believe that, when we consider how many homes are needed in this country to solve our housing crisis, we must realise that building them in tandem with new and enhanced public transport is crucial. That is the argument I am making in relation to the proposal Fingal County Council has recently brought forward for development at Dunsink, beside the old landfill. It is a very ambitious proposal for 16,000 or 17,000 homes. That could work but it will not work unless new public transport is put in place.  There is a proposal to extend the support an green line from Broombridge through the Dunsink lands to the sports campus and then on into Tyrrelstown and Kilmartin Grove. This part of Dublin is another huge growth area. Thousands of additional houses have been added in the past five years and the area could really benefit from public transport. The Dunsink plan cannot work without a new public transport link.  Right now, the Luas green line extension to Tyrrelstown has been put back beyond 2042. That cannot work. There is a review of the greater Dublin area transport strategy next year. I will be campaigning to make sure the Luas extension to Tyrrelstown is prioritised. It will benefit constituents of mine in Tyrrelstown and Kilmartin Grove but it will also allow the successful development of Dunsink in the years to come.  Deputies from Limerick raised the issue of the extension of the line there to support the Ryder Cup. I was at Adare station two or three weeks ago. It is great to see it there. It will facilitate the short-term movement of people for a major sporting event. It is absolutely right, however, to call out the missed opportunity if we do not see the investment linking Limerick city to Adare and then Foynes. There is significant growth within the outer suburbs of Limerick. Putting railway infrastructure in place, much of which is not new but involves using and refurbishing existing rail infrastructure, will deliver high-quality public transport that will support the development of new homes.  I have a final point. In the context of the major capital works we are talking about, it might seem small but it is very important for any commuter who uses Connolly Station. It concerns the intercom in Connolly. There are not very many calls but there is no way to hear the intercom. Connolly is our major station for the north and west and, if there is a delay or change in times, people cannot hear what is being announced for love nor money. I have spent many hours sitting there waiting to get proper information about what is happening.  This is a small thing but it speaks to the public transport experience. We know that 1 million journeys are taken every day on public transport in this country. Hundreds of thousands of commuters are trying to get to and from work, and the State should make that journey as easy as possible.  I have been very vocal in my critique of the increase in fares that is coming in January. I will not go into that today. Basic things, such as people being able to hear what is happening with their train, why it is delayed, when it is coming and what platform they need to move to, are important. If we cannot get those basics right, it becomes harder to encourage more people to make the change, leave the car behind and use the services we are investing in, albeit not quickly enough. We have to make that journey a palatable one for commuters. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Emer Currie","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Emer Currie  I welcome the Railway Safety Bill 2026, which strengthens and modernises Ireland's railway safety laws to protect passengers, workers and everyone who relies on the rail network. It gives the Railway Accident Investigation Unit a clear statutory basis in primary legislation and updates the rules for reporting and investigating railway accidents and incidents. It provides for investigations, including into incidents on Luas, future metro lines and heritage railways, ensuring safety legislation keeps pace with Ireland's developing transport network. It modernises alcohol and drug testing for railway staff carrying out safety critical duties, including procedures for taking and analysing samples, gathering evidence and enforcement. It brings railway testing enforcement rules into closer alignment with road safety legislation, supporting a consistent approach across the transport sector, which is positive. All these changes are important because effective investigations help to identify risks and prevent similar accidents while robust testing helps to protect lives.  While I have the Minister of State's attention, I will talk about DART+ West. As I am sure he is aware, the people of Dublin West are hugely supportive of DART+ West. It is a hugely important project for our community and it is long awaited. It represents transformative investment in the electrification of our rail network, doubling capacity at peak hours and extending DART services across Dublin 15 and Dublin 7, to Maynooth, the M3 parkway and Kilcock. My understanding is that procurement is advancing with pre-qualification questionnaire notices for the design and build works having been issued in May 2025 and the tender documentation now in its final drafting stage. The compulsory purchase order, CPO, process has commenced with notices having been issued to more than 200 affected landowners on the route. As long as there are no complications, I think I am right in saying the tender documentation for DART+ West is expected to be issued before the end of the year, which is positive, with the objective of early works on the line commencing by the end of 2027 and main works commencing in 2030. Overall, it is a positive project of which I am fully supportive.  Now, we have to consider how the project will be delivered on the ground. DART+ West will open doors for commuters, but we must ensure closing level crossings permanently does not close off communities. The Government is doing a great job of putting a faster main transport artery through the area. How can we ensure the local connections keep working? This will be a major construction project. When it is finished, it will transform people's access to local train services, which will change their communities, but the closure of level crossings and therefore of local roads will also change communities and those communities want information. They want information about it sooner rather than later. They are supportive of DART+ West, but they want to be communicated with about the plans for it.  In responses to my parliamentary questions, Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann has stated it  will continue to engage with local communities as the project progresses towards construction. This engagement will focus on the timing, phasing and potential impacts of the level crossing replacement works and will include advance notification of planned works, regular project updates, consultation with local authorities and elected representatives and targeted engagement with directly affected residents, businesses and community organisations.  I ask the Minister of State to encourage Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann to start that engagement now and not to wait until it reaches construction. I will explain why. Clonsilla level crossing is due to close permanently with a new active travel bridge to be implemented. Coolmine level crossing is due to be closed permanently with a new active travel bridge. Ashtown level crossing is due to close permanently, with a new bridge underpass and an active travel bridge. In Clonsilla, a detour is to be implemented with a new bridge at Barberstown, which is a few kilometres away. In Coolmine, local road junctions are to be upgraded to deal with the closure of Coolmine Road and I believe that is happening at Porterstown along the Diswellstown Road to Blanchardstown and Laurel Lodge. I said \"I believe\" because I had to look for that information from Irish Rail recently and a lot of residents are still in the dark about the plans.  In responses I have received, Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann stated that it engaged in extensive public consultation prior to and as part of the railway order. The railway order was submitted in 2022. The consultations happened before that and some of them took place during the Covid-19 pandemic, so the community requires more information at this point to let it know DART+ West is coming, the benefits of DART+ West and about the overall transport management plan and transport strategy for the community.  This Bill is about safety. The permanent closure of level crossings is part of the railway order and therefore part of the planning approval for the project. The reason given for the permanent closure of the level crossings was safety. That still needs to be explained to people. I challenged the closure of the level crossings during the public consultations and at the oral hearing on DART+ West. I did so on the basis that two of them are currently operated by attendants who manually close the gates. I asked whether the crossings could instead be upgraded to the highest modern safety standards and retained, at least during peak hours, to maintain the connectivity between communities. The answer was \"No\". It was \"No\" even though the capacity is due to double at peak times and I do not know what the capacity or frequency will be at off-peak times. These are the questions people have and Irish Rail, the NTA, Fingal County Council and stakeholders should be available to the community at this point so they can explain to people the benefits - and I think we all support it - but also the plans for its introduction, not in 2027 or 2028, but now. I am not suggesting anything that would delay DART+ West. I actually support measures that would expedite it, but can we please ensure we create the time and space for communities to move with us as we move this project along? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paula Butterly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paula Butterly  Before I begin, I too offer my sympathies to the Doyle family. The loss of a child is always devastating.  I welcome the Bill. Safety on our tracks and level crossings is always paramount. I will focus my contribution on two points, which concern the safety on our trains and platforms. The first is about overcrowding. We are fortunate in County Louth as we have seen an increase in services between Dublin and Belfast. We will see the introduction of new carriages that will transport more than 400 people per service. We have seen more frequency, with services running 15 times per day between Dublin and Belfast. All of that is to be welcomed. As is said, \"when you build it, they will come\" and the trains are now overcrowded. People are huddled together at every point in the day and, at some stages, particularly in the summer when it was hot, people with conditions like asthma were struggling to breathe. It is not just on the carriages, but also on the platforms.  Drogheda station is full to capacity. There is nowhere to park and when people are rushing for a train at 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. and desperately trying to find a car parking space, they start to get het up and stressed and that can lead to incidents. There are incidents on the platform because people are huddled together trying to get onto and off a crowded train. That safety issue has to be addressed and I have the solution. It is a solution I have spoken about again and again. It is the introduction of a new station in north Drogheda. The population is there and the housing is there and we will have an increased population, with more than 7,000 houses being built in the coming years. A train station in north Drogheda is absolutely vital. It needs to take people away from the platforms and car parks in Drogheda and get them onto a new platform and into a new car park in north Drogheda.  In Dundalk, it is the same situation. The car park is absolutely jammed. We need more space for more cars. These services have been of huge benefit to County Louth.  These services are getting people out of their cars and onto trains but, as a result, we once again have crowded platforms and crowded trains. As has been said, we are introducing new carriages and will have new seats but we need people to be able to get on that platform safely.  I have another solution for the Minister of State, the introduction of a train station in the mid-Louth area. This would serve not just the people of County Louth but also a lot of people in counties Meath, Monaghan and Cavan who do not have the facility or luxury of being able to get a train. In a recent parliamentary question, I asked the Minister to fund and carry out a feasibility study. Everybody on the ground knows that this is feasible and that the demand is there but we need to prove it with hard facts and evidence. I once again ask the Minister to provide funding for a feasibility study.  On my second point regarding safety on our trains and platforms, one of the key commitments in the programme for Government is to introduce a transport security force. While the numbers seem quite low, there were 50 incidents of sexual offences on trains in 2025. That number seems quite low but these are the people - teenagers, children and primarily women - who have actually made a report to Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann. Who knows how many have been in similar circumstances and have disembarked from a train without saying anything, despite going home shaken and traumatised by the event? It is a key priority in the programme for Government. When are we going to introduce the primary legislation to make this happen?  People going to work need to be able to travel safely. We continue to advocate for stronger measures to be brought in for anyone who commits any sort of sexual offence against a child, teenager, woman or man. Only yesterday, we walked out for women. Men and women of the Oireachtas stood together and walked out to say that violence and abuse towards women has to stop. We have that commitment. I would like to know when it is going to be fulfilled. There is no place for any woman, child or teenager to be abused on a train, on a bus, at a station, on a platform or in a car park. I would like the Minister of State to respond to that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  T\u00e1im an-bhu\u00edoch as go leor ruda\u00ed sa Bhille seo ach t\u00e1 a fhios ag gach duine sa Teach nach bhfuil s\u00e9 maith go leor. T\u00e1 go leor ruda\u00ed ag tarl\u00fa ar na traenacha agus ar na busanna faoi l\u00e1thair. T\u00e1im s\u00e1sta go bhfuilimid tar \u00e9is an Bille seo a dh\u00e9anamh ach t\u00e1 go leor ruda\u00ed eile gur f\u00e9idir linn a dh\u00e9anamh.  There are definitely sensible and necessary provisions here. One of the best, particularly for north Dublin, is the putting of the railway accident investigation unit on a clear statutory footing. It is very important and I have constituents who will very much welcome it. Strengthening the rules around alcohol and drugs for people working in safety-critical railway roles is something I fully support.  I will use this debate to talk about safety issues my constituents have raised with me and some of the stories they have told me. We need a quicker system to tell those with disabilities when a lift is not available at stations in north Dublin. It is not acceptable for a local representative, whether myself, another TD or a councillor, to get a phone call from a constituent who has a disability who has got off a DART only to see that they cannot get to the other side of the platform. Think of the embarrassment of that constituent when they must ask to be carried up the stairs. I welcome other parts of the Bill but this needs to be looked at.  I went over to the London recently, where there are contactless systems. You can just tap your phone. I know there have been developments on that but, if we are serious about getting people onto public transport, we need to speed up the procurement of that contactless system. We should not have to get a Leap card. You should be able to use your phone to tap on quickly when getting on a bus or rail service. Accessibility and ease will increase people's use of public transport and will allow us to have a just transition.  When we speak about safety, people with disabilities need to be at the forefront. Public transport is for everyone. If we build a system that works for those minority groups, it will also cover the majority. For most of us, when a lift is broken, it is just an inconvenience but it is not acceptable for someone to have to be carried up stairs.  I welcome the Minister of State's engagement with me regarding disabilities. I welcome the work his office has done for the schools in my area. I just wanted to say that when I see him on the front bench.  This Bill will be particularly helpful for stations in north Dublin, such as Clongriffin and Howth Junction, where people are feeling intimidated and are contacting my office. Staff should be able to go to work without being abused. I heard other Deputies mentioning that issue. The requirement for co-operation between An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann is brilliant. CCTV will also be critical in the transition. Reporting is important but statistics always show that, when a camera is pointed at someone's face, there is a decrease in crime.  There is constant crowding on the northern line and there have been incidents of antisocial behaviour such as fires being lit at stations and people being robbed while waiting for the DART. People who experience that will be deterred from using public transport. If they are deterred from using public transport, they will get into a car, increasing congestion and creating a new habit they should be encouraged not to take up.  I would really welcome working lifts, CCTV, lighting, staffing and emergency response. I also welcome the parts of the Bill I have addressed. If it is done correctly, this could be a real game-changer. Last year, I raised with the Minister for Transport the issue of greater investment in next generation ticketing. Passengers see contactless payment working in other European cities. It is reasonable to ask why it is taking Ireland so long. It should be simple. The same principle applies to the information.  On updating people, when a lift is not working or a train is cancelled, people should be told. If a train is going to be late, people should be told more quickly.  I welcome what this Bill does. I welcome the stronger framework for accident investigation but I would ask the Minister of State to look beyond the Bill itself and to address the issue of safety for those with disabilities. I welcome the work he has done since taking up his office. This is something that would really help. People with disabilities need to be able to depend on public transport systems rather than having to hope that a lift is working when they arrive.  I welcome the investment in the DART+ and MetroLink developments. It is the right thing to do but we should measure how that money is being spent to ensure it does not become another children's hospital. That is a standard I would like to see at the heart of this Bill. I welcome that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  Before I call on the Minister of State, I welcome the students from University College Dublin. They are guests of Deputy Barry Ward and are undertaking a module on understanding government. All I can say is that I wish them luck with that.  After the Minister of State's speech, we will have Topical Issues. There are four Topical Issues: one for the Minister for education, two for the Minister for children and one for the Minister for Transport. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (Deputy Michael Moynihan)  I welcome the students. I look forward to their analysis of how we understand government. It might be important for every citizen.  I thank the Deputies who spoke on the Railway Safety Bill. They gave informative insights not just into railway safety but into other issues. I offer my sincere sympathies to the family of Eoin Doyle on their tragic loss. Many Deputies across the House have raised genuine concerns in relation to railway safety and, indeed, the entire railway network. That just goes to show the importance of the railway system and the esteem in which it is held by Members of D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, both Opposition and Government. It is really refreshing to see that. Long may it continue.  I confirm to the House that the Government is committed to maintaining a modern and robust railway services statutory framework that supports the continuing safe operation and development of our railway sector. It covers not just the Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann network, light railways and heritage railways but also the planned metro network. This is a key Bill to ensure the railway safety investigation unit will be underpinned in primary legislation. This Bill will deliver on this objective by establishing a clear legislative basis for the unit.  It is also important to restructure the existing framework governing the reporting and investigation of railway accidents and incidents for all railways. We cannot deny the reality that railway accidents occur and will continue to do so but what we can and must do is learn from these accidents. In so doing, we continuously strive to reduce the risks involved. Despite recent high profile railway accidents, railway remains a very safe mode of transport. The second significant objective of the Bill is to update the Railway Safety Act 2005. In Part 3 of the Bill, it is proposed to streamline some of the functions of the commission for railway regulation, including the timeframes for the administration of the assessment systems for new works and new rolling stock so they are used by the Commission for Railway Regulation when independently overseeing the safety of our railways.  It is important legislation is kept up to date and fit for purpose in the modern day. Part 10 of the Act of 2005 has not been updated. Parts 4 and 5 and of the Bill modernised the Act of 2005 relating to intoxicants and safety critical railway workers, including testing, sampling, analysis and enforcement provisions. The measures in Part 5 will align with railway safety legislation with the modernisation road safety provisions in the road safety Acts for the roles of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the Medical Bureau of Road Safety ensuring a consistent approach to alcohol and drug testing, evidence gathering and enforcement across the sector.  A number of issues were raised in relation to young people using the railway network and encouraging everybody to feel safe on the railway network. This legislation is a crucially important tool for the Government to encourage more and more people to use the railways, which have been a huge benefit not just to urban Ireland but rural Ireland as well.  In many of the contributions from Members, they were looking at particular advances in terms of bringing the railway to different parts of cities and counties. It is a hugely important piece. We have to be very careful to look at where the railway map was a number of years ago and whether we want to expand the railways, not just in urban Ireland but in rural Ireland as well, to make sure we have balanced regional development. I am glad to see Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann and the Government are advancing an awful lot of car parking in regional towns that have railway stations to encourage people to get on the train and use the train safely. This legislation is very welcome and I commend the Bill to the House. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Railway Safety Bill 2026: Second Stage"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_33","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/82","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/82\/dail\/motion\/referral","houseCode":"dail","stage":"motion","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Railway Safety Bill 2026: Referral to Select Committee (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Railway Safety Bill 2026: Referral to Select Committee","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (Deputy Michael Moynihan)  I move:  That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Transport pursuant to Standing Orders 103(2)(b) and 188(1). "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Railway Safety Bill 2026: Referral to Select Committee"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_34","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters","counts":{"speechCount":2,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_34","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case:  Deputy Erin McGreehan - To discuss the NCCP's proposed national radioligand therapy plan.  Deputy Paul McAuliffe - To discuss wait times for operations at the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh.  Deputy Duncan Smith - To discuss the need for an investigation into the loss of the remains or partial remains of unidentified bodies.  Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss making the shingles vaccination free of charge for immunocompromised patients and those over 65.  Deputy Eoghan Kenny - To discuss the delay in response to parliamentary questions regarding assessment of need waiting lists.  Deputies Cian O'Callaghan, Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed and Barry Heneghan - To discuss the need to support Moatview Early Education Centre.  Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss bringing the Ring of Kerry road up to an acceptable and safe standard.  Deputy Pa Daly - To discuss physio services in Castleisland.  Deputies Louise O'Reilly and Grace Boland - To discuss the loss of a teaching post in Skerries.  Deputies John Lahart and Paul Murphy - To discuss the imminent closure of the childcare facility at the technological university site in Tallaght. To discuss the sudden closure of the TUD creche in Tallaght.  The matters raised by Deputies Louise O'Reilly and Grace Boland; John Lahart and Paul Murphy; Eoghan Kenny; Cian O'Callaghan, Naoise \u00d3 Muir\u00ed and Barry Heneghan; and Michael Cahill have been Selected for discussion. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  With the agreement of the Deputies in the House, I propose to take Deputy Michael Cahill first as he needs to make an appointment after five o'clock. Is that agreed? Agreed. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_35","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_36","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Tourism Industry","counts":{"speechCount":2,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-10-01\/debate\/dbsect_35","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_36","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Cahill  I wish to again raise the Ring of Kerry road. I acknowledge the \u20ac10 million provided by the Minister for Transport. That funding was obviously very welcome. This is Ireland's premier tourist route. It is in a shocking and dangerous condition. It has lags, humps and hollows. It is 70% substandard. It has been underfunded for decades. In Cahersiveen town, the road and footpath are in a disgraceful condition. It is completely lopsided and there have been numerous accidents. This is a national secondary route.  Residents in Killorglin are also looking for the road there to be upgraded. From Laune Bridge to Dunmaniheen and on to Anglont, where the RDI Hub is, the residents have been campaigning for over 50 years for a new realignment and footpath. I would like to see that progressed. Kerry County Council has informed me if it received \u20ac150,000 from TII, it would cover the planning process. I ask the Minister of State to refer that to the Minister and TII officials.  My own village of Glenbeigh urgently needs to be resurfaced with new footpaths, public lighting and a pedestrian crossing. There are many other sections that require urgent attention along the Ring of Kerry, including Waterville, Caherdaniel, Castlecove and Sneem, among a number of others.  Traffic congestion and long delays are an everyday occurrence in both Killarney and Killorglin. The bypass is progressing for Killarney. There is a bypass required in both towns. I ask that TII senior officials look at both towns to see if we could come up with some short-term measures that would help alleviate this congestion.  I also wish to raise hedge cutting on the Ring of Kerry. The Ring of Kerry is Ireland's premier tourist route. It is on the Wild Atlantic Way. We have magnificent scenery and yet most people who use it cannot see the ocean even though it is right beside them because it is all covered in with trees. What is required here is funding from TII to provide a long reach hedge cutter and specialist climbers who would climb down as a lot of the trees are growing from under the cliff edge. It is a huge issue and everybody is on about it all the time. The road is dangerous as a result.  I ask the Minister of State relay my concerns to the Minister. I raised the same issues yesterday with the Taoiseach. That is how important it is to the people of Kerry and to all visitors to our county. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"Michael-Moynihan.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth (Deputy Michael Moynihan)  I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I will go through the format first and then come to the points he raised. The matter of infrastructure investment to support road safety as well as the quality of life for people who rely on the N70 is an important one. The Minister for Transport has responsibility for overall policy and Exchequer funding but TII, the national roads authority, and the local authorities are intertwined in relation to these projects.  Deputy Cahill mentioned a number of issues along the Wild Atlantic Way and, more importantly, the N70, and a number of concerns he has about it. I concur with the Deputy's concerns. I travelled the road this summer and it is a premier tourist attraction. From the Cork side, we do not like giving that to Kerry but we accept the Ring of Kerry and all of its beauty. It is hugely important that we understand and I will certainly be taking the issues the Deputy raised back to the Minister for Transport and TII as well. He has outlined a number of issues on which locals have been campaigning for decades in terms of road improvement. That shows the level of commitment he has in supporting them. He mentioned his own community of Glenbeigh as well. It is right on the Wild Atlantic Way and the Ring of Kerry.  It is important and very much incumbent on Government, at a political level, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, in conjunction with the local authority, to make sure we are preserving and enhancing the primary tourist routes across the country, that is, the Wild Atlantic Way but also the Ring of Kerry, which is famous in terms of tourism going back centuries. I will be taking those issues back.  As the Deputy mentioned, there is a huge amount of money being invested in County Kerry, which I know he has been advocating for, not just while he has been in this House but for a long number of years, working hard with the local authority and TII. They are progressing but the issues he raised today, including the issue with hedge cutting, is not lost. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Tourism Industry"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-10-01"},{"debateRecord":{"house":{"showAs":"34th D\u00e1il","committeeCode":"","houseCode":"dail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/house\/dail\/34","chamberType":"house","houseNo":"34"},"chamber":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/def\/house\/dail","showAs":"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann"},"lastUpdated":"2026-10-01T09:08:20+00:00","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/main","formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/mul@\/main.xml"},"pdf":null},"date":"2026-09-30","counts":{"contributorCount":155,"divisionCount":8,"debateSectionCount":18,"questionCount":0,"billCount":4},"debateType":"debate","debateSections":[{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_2","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case:  Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the need to bring the Ring of Kerry road up to an acceptable and safe standard.  Deputy Barry Ward - To discuss incentivising the use of HVO fuel to support achieving climate emission targets.  Deputy Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in - To discuss ongoing issues surrounding the Bus \u00c9ireann school bus transport system.  Deputy Robert O'Donoghue - To discuss the opening of the new special school in Balbriggan.  Deputy Duncan Smith - To discuss the need for an investigation into the loss of the remains or partial remains of unidentified bodies.  Deputy Joe Neville - To discuss progress of the three-school campus project in Celbridge.  Deputies Mattie McGrath and Michael Murphy - To discuss the ongoing crisis in ophthalmology services in south Tipperary.  Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss the closure of Sarsfield Court dementia unit.  Deputy Gary Gannon - To discuss the development of intergenerational community hubs.  Deputy Louis O'Hara - To discuss the ongoing recruitment freeze of newly qualified healthcare workers in County Galway.  Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss counselling and mental health supports in primary schools.  Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss making the shingles vaccination free of charge for immunocompromised patients and those over 65.  Deputy Eoghan Kenny - To discuss the delay in response to parliamentary questions regarding assessment of need waiting lists.  Deputy Donna McGettigan - To discuss the need for a 24-7 sexual assault treatment unit in the HSE midwest region.  The matters raised by Deputies Barry Ward, Thomas Gould, Robert O'Donoghue, Mattie McGrath and Michael Murphy, and Michael Cahill have been selected for discussion. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_3","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_4","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Motor Fuels","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_4","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Ward  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire St\u00e1it as ucht teacht isteach chun an cheist seo a fhreagairt. HVO is hydrotreated vegetable oil. Essentially, it is a substitute for diesel. The interesting thing about HVO is that it does not require engine modifications or new infrastructure. People who wish to use it as a substitute for diesel do not need to spend money on changing their engines or modifying systems in order to use it. What is even more interesting is that it can achieve a 90% reduction in carbon emissions when it is utilised and it emits far less carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and soot generally compared to diesel. As a fuel it is incredibly advantageous to us at a time when we are trying to cut emissions. We know that transport is particularly targeted for emissions cuts. Although it has decreased emissions in the past year by 1.8%, the sector is about 8% behind where it is supposed to be.  As we talk about climate emissions and climate targets, and we talk about trying to put in place systems to help us meet these targets, this is a key tool. It will not do it on its own but it is a key way in which we can do it. The difficulty is that we have no incentive for people to use HVO instead of diesel. There is not nearly enough information out there for people using diesel cars to allow them to understand that HVO is there as an alternative. I know Government policy relates to EVs and the infrastructure that goes with them, and I support the proliferation of electric vehicles as they are a hugely important part of our climate solution, this will take time. We have seen a ramp up in the purchase of electric vehicles and this is very welcome but this is the here and now.  This issue goes across a number of Departments, including transport, energy and finance. In the week that is in it, next week there will be a real opportunity for us to incentivise HVO as a fuel for all cars. What can be done? HVO is subject to VAT and the same mineral oil tax as diesel and other fuels. VAT is obviously something that cannot be modified or changed in relation to one product or another subject to the VAT directive of the European Union, so I understand it is not something the Government can tinker with. However, the mineral oil tax is something that can be changed. We can change the liability in relation to HVO in mineral oil tax and the extent to which it is liable. This is something we are permitted to do under European law and it is not restricted by the VAT directive.  There is a key tool at the Government's disposal now. We can incentivise the use of HVO. We can incentivise for people a fuel that does not require them to change their engines or require new infrastructure, and which would reduce carbon emissions by 19% and reduce harmful emissions from carbon monoxide and the soot that comes out of diesel engines. To my mind this is an obvious thing to do and I do not understand why we have never done it. This is not the first time I have raised it here. There is an incentive to do it from the point of view of the State because we want to reduce emissions. There is also a situation whereby very few people are using HVO. There would not be a massive revenue impact from it if we were to incentivise it.  We are now in the context of a fuel crisis. We are aware we cannot control the wholesale price of fuel in this country because of wars in Iran, in the Middle East and in Ukraine. We understand the crisis is there. We came back at the end of August to vote to ensure the reduction in the excise on fuel continued because we know we have to safeguard it. We are talking about doing this and reducing the carbon tax but here is an intensively positive carbon measure that we can incentivise through the budget next week to reduce the liability for people using HVO, and to do so in tandem with a campaign to show people who are driving diesel cars. We recognise the reality that diesel cars are necessary but that there is an alternative there for them that is better for all of us. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Catherine Ardagh)  I thank Deputy Ward for raising this matter in the House today. The Government recognises the environmental benefits of incentivising the uptake of transition fuels such as HVO in place of heavier pollutants such as auto diesel. While HVO has a part to play in the here and now, Ireland must, nevertheless, move to more sustainable methods of transport in the medium to long term.  In relation to private transport the Government remains committed to incentivising the uptake of more electric vehicles, something which Deputy Ward also welcomed, on the road in place of internal combustion engines. This must remain the ambition. In the first half of this year electric vehicles were the leading individual fuel type for new car registrations. That being said, the Government understands the transition to decarbonise Ireland's existing vehicle fleet will take some time.  As Deputy Ward may know, the mineral oil tax treatment of biofuels, including HVO, already financially incentivises biofuels over fossil fuels such as diesel. Biofuels produced from biomass qualify for a full relief from the carbon tax, thus incentivising the uptake of more sustainable and renewable fuels. In the case of blended fuels the biofuel relief applies to the biofuel portion. The rate of the carbon tax relief for biofuels such as HVO used in place of auto diesel is around 23 cent per litre on a VAT inclusive basis. This, it must be acknowledged, is already a significant relief. As biofuels are relieved of the carbon component of mineral oil tax, they are not impacted by annual carbon tax increases. As a result, the mineral oil tax rate differential between biofuels and fossil fuels will continue to widen as the ten-year carbon tax trajectory up to 2030 is implemented, thus incentivising further uptake of biofuels.  Furthermore, the renewable transport fuels obligation scheme under the remit of the Minister for Transport obliges suppliers of mineral oil to ensure that a percentage of the motor fuel they place on the market in Ireland is produced from renewable resources. The target by 2030 is to deliver a 20% biodiesel mix, which will help to significantly reduce emissions.  The programme for Government also committed to examining the taxation of HVO used for commercial freight to support sustainable transport solutions and decarbonisation of road freight and commercial coaches with fuels such as HVO, hydrogen and biomethane. Work on these commitments is ongoing, including the examination in this year's and last year's tax strategy papers published by the Department of Finance.  However, it must be pointed out that the availability of renewable transport fuels, including HVO, will remain constrained given the current global product production capacity, the need for sustainable feedstock and increasing demand from various sectors to use renewable fuels in the decarbonisation journey. While tax levers can support policy measures, it is important to acknowledge that there is a limit to the role they can play in terms of price leverage.  The price of HVO is dependent on many factors. However, I assure the Deputy that the Government is conscious of the programme for Government commitment and it will continue to examine the potential to increase existing supports for HVO in recognition of the positive role it can play in our decarbonisation journey, as he set out. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Ward  I thank the Minister of State. I acknowledge what she has said. I note what she said about the commitment in the programme for Government to examine taxation in relation to HVO. I agree with her in relation to EVs, and I welcome that EVs were the more sold vehicles in 2025. I presume, and hope, that this will be even more the case in 2026.  In relation to carbon tax, I acknowledge what the Minister of State said regarding it not applying to biofuels, as is appropriate. The notion that this is the only incentive that we are really willing to countenance to encourage people to use HVO is, I think, shortsighted. This is particularly the case if we are going to be talking in the budget next week about reducing carbon tax generally to alleviate the burden on individuals and households. If that is the case, then we will be eradicating the incentive that is there to use HVO. When we have HVO as a fuel that emits less carbon, 90% less carbon, and reduces harmful gases like nitrous oxides and carbon monoxide, as well as soot, there is so much behind the idea that we should incentivise the use of HVO.  I do not think it is enough to say, then, that the incentive will be the widening gap over time, as the carbon tax increases, between ordinary, standard auto diesel and biofuels or mixes with HVO. We can take positive action now. We can reduce the mineral oil taxation when it comes to biofuels, particularly in the case of HVO. We know that is something that will directly impact our attempt to meet our climate objectives in terms of reducing emissions and to encourage people to use HVO, which is a much better and sustainable fuel and one we can somewhat control in a way we cannot control the imported petrochemical products that come from the Gulf and other parts of the world.  An obvious track is available to us next week. If we actually take the step of saying that HVO is something that people should be using, it will benefit everyone. It will benefit the State, the environment and the individual citizen. We have an opportunity next week to do that. It will be a real missed opportunity if we do not, and it does not make sense if we do not do so. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Catherine Ardagh  I thank the Deputy for his further comments. As mentioned, the tax treatment of 100% HVO used in place of diesel is already incentivised through the tax system. On a VAT-inclusive basis, 23% less excise duty is charged on 100% HVO fuel when compared with auto diesel. The renewable transport fuel policy also sets out a pathway for the achievement of the climate action plan biofuel targets and EU renewable energy directive targets for an increased share of renewable energy in transport. This is achieved through the renewable transport fuel obligation, RTFO, which obliges mineral oil suppliers to ensure that a percentage of the motor fuel they place on the market in Ireland is produced from renewable sources.  Sustainable renewable transport fuels, such as HVO, provide immediate climate mitigation benefits, as the Deputy outlined, utilising the existing vehicle fleet. They will, therefore, continue to play an important transitional role in the decarbonisation of transport in the coming years as the shifts to electrification and further increases in public transport and active travel are fully realised.  I note that a study on the hierarchy of the use of HVO across transport and other sectors has recently been finalised by the Minister for Transport. The report addresses the most efficient use of HVO relative to available renewable energy and zero-emission alternatives across all transport modes, as well as HVO use in non-transport sectors. The report produced a hierarchy of use of HVO, which aligns with several existing policies and measures, including the sustainable aviation fuel task force report, the road haulage strategy, the renewable transport fuel policy, the ports policy and the design of the renewable heating obligation. This will also inform ongoing policy for renewable energy in transport.  Ultimately, HVO is a commodity traded on the open market, the price of which is susceptible to global market supply-and-demand factors like crude oil, and there is only so much the tax system can do to incentivise its use. The Government, though, has acted to ease the burden of recent increases in fuel prices, as we saw last April. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Motor Fuels"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_5","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Health Services","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_5","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Gould  Can the Minister of State imagine a person's husband or partner being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in their late 50s, then having to search for a nursing home with an Alzheimer's-specific dementia unit when they are 65, and just when they have settled into their new home, they are being evicted? Can the Minister of State imagine that? Can he imagine a person whose mother had passed away over the summer then being told their father has to find a new home after eight years of living in the Sarsfield Court dementia-specific unit? This is a unit where the patients are loved and cared for by the staff and their families do not want to see them moved from it.  A man in his 80s contacted me. His wife is in the Sarsfield Court dementia unit. He lives not far from it, and he walks to it or gets a spin from his neighbours, brilliant neighbours, who bring him there. He goes there four or five times a week now. If his wife is evicted from Sarsfield Court on 10 or 12 October, he might not be able to visit her that often. He might only be able to go once or two times a week. This is the love of his life. Margaret is her name. She worked in Sarsfield Court for 20 years, and when she went in there as a patient, the nurses and staff brought her in with the love of friends. It was like a family. Her husband, Eddie, tells a beautiful story about when they were together. They are 50 years married this year and 54 years together, and now Margaret is facing eviction. This is the love of Eddie's life and at a time when she needs him, he is trying to stand up for her because he believes that to move her and the other seven or eight patients out of Sarsfield Court is wrong.  Can the Minister of State explain to me why the Government is closing the Sarsfield Court dementia unit? The reality for people who have family members there is that not one of them wants to see their family members moved. Sarsfield Court has about 99 acres of green fields and trees. This is a beautiful setting. I know the Minister of State is going to tell me the mental health unit is being moved down from the second floor because those patients do not have access to the outside area but that is the HSE's fault. There is another unit very close to it in Sarsfield Court. You could puck a sliotar to it. It is unit five. If a small bit of investment was put into it, the mental health patients could go in there and the dementia patients could stay in their home.  This is their home. Moving these patients is an insult to their families. It is an insult to people who have worked all their lives and now they are suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia, which is an absolutely horrible disease. The State, the Minister of State and his Government are evicting people from their homes. How can the Minister of State stand over it? I plead with him today to stop the closure of Sarsfield Court dementia unit in Glanmire. I could fill that unit today.  The Minister of State will know that I have also raised the issue of Heather House, where a new unit is to be opened with 17 beds. What is the point of closing 16 beds in Glanmire to open 17 in St. Mary's? We need more beds for people with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Since 1954, Sarsfield Court has been a hospital. That is as long as I have been alive.  Slowly but surely, the Government and the HSE have taken the decision to wind it down. I am looking for answers as to why. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Kieran O'Donnell)  I thank Deputy Gould for raising this important matter. As he is aware, unit 1 in St. Stephen's Hospital in Glanmire, County Cork, is a designated centre for older people registered by HIQA. Eight residents are residing in the dementia-specific unit. Unit 1 is the only older persons' residential facility on the grounds of St. Stephen's campus because all other operational units on the site are being utilised to deliver a range of services under the registration of the Mental Health Commission.  HSE south has advised me it has taken a decision to deregister unit 1 as an older persons' residential facility with HIQA, with a view to re-registering the unit with the Mental Health Commission to better co-ordinate the mental health services on site because they will now come under the registration of the Mental Health Commission. The Deputy spoke about his constituents. I fully appreciate this is a difficult time for residents of unit 1 and their families. The HSE has advised me that all eight residents in unit 1 will be transferred to residential care facilities deemed to meet their particular care needs, preferences and choices. Furthermore, all residents will also transfer to the new accommodation in a phased and planned manner.  This will be done very much in consultation with the residents and their families. Nothing will happen until they are satisfied with the move. The HSE has advised me that it is engaged in a comprehensive process of engagement, consultation and planning with residents, family and staff, which commenced on 28 July. Once all residents and their families have had an opportunity to look at alternative accommodation options and a full assessment of each resident's individual care needs has taken place, the HSE will commence transferring residents to their new homes in a safe and respectful manner.  The HSE expects that the eight residents will transfer to older persons' residential facilities in the Cork city and east Cork area. Significant works have taken place in recent years to provide additional places for older people in the south west, allowing HSE South West to provide the best possible care for older people in high-quality environments. These include the new state-of-the-art 50-bed Midleton community nursing unit, which opened recently, and the 105 beds in St. Finbarr's community nursing unit in Cork city, which is expected to open in quarter 4 and will include 30 new dementia-specific beds. This is in addition to what the Deputy has already referenced.  A new 17-bed dementia-specific unit in Heather House in Gurranabraher in Cork city has recently been registered with HIQA and is expected to open in quarter 4 of 2026. It is something I have taken a personal interest in. I want to see it opened. I agree with the Deputy that we need additional dementia-specific beds. Seventeen will come on stream in Heather House and another 30 will be available in the new unit in St. Finbarr's in Cork city, which is scheduled to open in quarter 4.  The opening of new community nursing units is an absolute priority for me, the Department of Health and the HSE. I am absolutely committed, along with the Department and the HSE, to ensure that the care needs, preferences and choices of the constituents the Deputy represents are fully respected. I hope their transfer to new state-of-the-art residential facilities happens in a phased, safe and considered manner with the full consent of all residents and in line with the wishes of their families. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Gould  I want to be clear about what the Minister of State said. He said that nothing will happen until the families are satisfied and the situation has been worked through. I have met the families privately and there has been a public meeting. The families do not want their loved ones to be moved out of the unit. They fear for the health of their loved ones if they are moved. They were given a list of places in Cork and Kerry where they were advised to take their loved ones. Why would someone leave a place where they are safe, looked after and minded? It is not just a bed. The dementia unit is specifically for dementia patients and is their home.  The Minister of State and HSE have not answered my questions. Why are dementia beds being closed when there is a dementia bed crisis across the State, but especially in Cork? Will the Minister of State give me one reason that is happening? Families are looking for answers from him, but no one will give them answers. They do not want their loved ones to be moved. There is talk about being moved and transferred and care needs. We know their care needs are being met in Sarsfield Court. Why would patients be moved when they are being looked after?  There are eight empty beds in Sarsfield Cork right now where eight people with dementia could be cared for by staff. People love the staff there. The Minister of State said nothing is going to happen until the families are happy. They are not patients; they are residents. This is their home. I ask for a commitment from the Minister of State to keep the unit open. Will he explain why he and his Government are closing dementia beds? The families cannot explain it. Will he explain how this affects the rights of these citizens as human beings? They are being evicted. It is completely wrong. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  Once again, I thank Deputy Gould for raising this important matter. I appreciate it is a difficult time for the residents and their families. As already stated, HSE South West has advised me it has taken the decision to deregister the dementia-specific unit for older persons in St. Stephen's campus hospital, with a view to re-registering the unit with the Mental Health Commission. I reiterate that the HSE is engaged in a comprehensive process of engagement, consultation and planning with residents, family and staff to arrange alternative accommodation for all eight residents residing in unit 1.  Residents and their families continue to engage with the general manager with responsibility for unit 1. The general manager remains available to meet any resident or family member to address any queries they may have. As I said, I assure the Deputy, the residents and their families that the HSE will only commence the transfer of residents to their new homes in a safe and respectful manner once all residents and families have had an opportunity to look at alternative accommodation and a full assessment of each resident's individual care needs has taken place.  The transfer of residents will depend on the assessed care needs of each resident and their choice and preferences. I welcome the assurance from the HSE that it expects the current residents in the south-west area to be transferred to older persons' residential facilities in east Cork and Cork city. A new 50-bed unit has opened in the community nursing unit in Midleton. There will be 30 dementia-specific beds and a new community nursing unit is expected to open in St. Finbarr's. Moreover, a new 17-bed dementia-specific unit, Heather House, in Gurranabraher in Cork city has recently been registered and is expected to open in quarter 4. Once again, I reiterate that the HSE, the Department and I are absolutely committed to ensuring that all eight residents can be moved to a new home of their choosing in a safe and timely manner. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Health Services"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_6","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Special Educational Needs","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_6","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert O'Donoghue  I want to raise an urgent and deeply concerning issue regarding the opening of a new special school in Balbriggan and the 18 children who have been allocated places there. Parents were given the news to a fanfare of local government and Oireachtas Members tripping over themselves back in April to be the first ones to announce on social media that the school would open in the 2026-27 academic year. Because applications had been made, places were allocated and families made decisions based on the information they were given at the time.  The parents I have spoken to have said securing special school places for children with additional needs has been hugely important to them. Families have waited and hoped for these places and when their child was finally offered a place, parents understandably believed that the arrangements were in place for their child to attend. In this case, however, that confidence has been completely undermined by a serious failure in communication. Throughout the summer, parents repeatedly sought updates. They were told that a meeting would take place in early August and that information about the opening arrangements would be provided, but no clarification came.  Towards the end of August, families were told to keep their children in their existing education placements. At that stage, however, it was too late. Instead, families were left believing the children were about to transition into their new school, only to discover at the last minute that this would not happen as expected.  If families had been clearly advised at the beginning of the summer that they needed to retain their child's existing school place as a contingency, they would have made those arrangements. They have also been offered home tuition, which my office has done its best to try to find but, unfortunately, that is also completely full. We are now talking about 18 children with additional needs who have already faced weeks without appropriate education provision and now could be facing into months of this. That is not a minor administrative inconvenience.  For a child with additional needs, school provides more than just a classroom education. It provides structure, routine, communication opportunities, social interaction, special support and a sense of security. When that is suddenly removed, there can be serious consequences. One family described their child as crying themselves to sleep, has asked through his communication device for his old school friends and has watched his siblings go off to school in the morning while he stays at home. His mother told me she feels completely lost in trying to advocate for her son. Since being out of school, that child has experienced increased distress, severe meltdowns, difficulties with sleep and regression in toileting skills that had taken huge time and effort to establish. That is the real-life impact of this situation.  It is important to recognise parents cannot simply recreate a special needs school environment in their home. Many of these parents are already providing huge levels of care. They are being asked to manage children whose routines and supports have been disrupted while trying to care for other children and maintain their own family responsibilities. I promised my constituents I would ask the Minister of State to confirm an opening date for the school.  When will these children be able to take up the places they have been allocated? Parents should not be left in limbo and expected to simply manage the consequences themselves. If a child were absent from education for weeks without proper explanation or arrangement, questions would be rightly asked. It is then equally reasonable for parents to ask who is accountable when their child is left without appropriate education provision because of a failure in planning or communication.  Will the Minister of State urgently provide a clear response to these families and a firm timeline for the opening of the school? These 18 children have waited long enough. They deserve their education, their routine, their friendships and the specialist support they need. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Catherine Ardagh  I thank the Deputy for bringing forward this very important Topical Issue today on behalf of the parents and children involved.  This Government is committed to the provision of additional special places for children with special educational needs. Budget 2026 has already provided funding for over 400 new special classes and at least 400 new special school places for the 2026-27 school year. It was intended this would create almost 3,000 new special education placements for 2026. This would be in addition to placements created due to the natural movement of students, such as those transitioning from primary to post-primary or those completing school.  In April 2026, the Government agreed to additional funding for the provision of special education services for children across the country. This money will fund special education teachers, SETs, additional SNAs, increased capitation, access to school transport for children in special education settings and start-up grants for schools opening new special classes and inclusive special classes. The year 2026 represents the largest ever expansion of specialist education in the history of the State. Through the combined efforts of the Department and the NCSE, 587 new special classes have been sanctioned for the 2026-27 school year, including 70 inclusive special classes. This represents an increase of over 40% in the number of special classes being provided in 2026.  The earlier sanctioning of new classes provides clarity for parents and allows schools more time for the planning and establishment of new special classes. The vast majority of new special classes being announced are being provided in available school accommodation which is being reconfigured as a special class. In total, over 4,300 special classes will be operating in mainstream schools next year, an increase of 130% since 2020. In County Dublin, 845 special classes are now in operation providing capacity for 5,070 students. This includes 140 new special classes for the 2026-27 school year. In April 2026, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, announced the establishment of four new special schools, including the Deputy\u2019s school in Balbriggan.  Dedicated working groups including the Department, the NCSE and relevant patron bodies continue to meet to support the establishment of the new special schools, which include a dedicated group for the school in Balbriggan. Offers of places have been made, as the Deputy pointed out, and new principals, teachers and SNAs are being recruited. It is intended that these new schools will open later in term 1 of this school year. The NCSE continues to advise parents at local level on developments. These bring to 20 the number of new special schools established in recent years.  As the Deputy is aware, an earlier notification deadline was introduced this year to support forward planning and to earlier equip the NCSE with local information as to what students would be leaving school, transitioning to post-primary specialist places or those seeking specialist placement or entering the education system for the first time. This information is critical when examining where provision needs to be placed to meet demand. The attentions of the NCSE and the Department have now turned to the 2027-28 school year and forward planning is already under way. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, continues to meet the NCSE and senior Department officials each week to monitor the progress being made in providing planning for the 2027-28 school year.  I want to speak to the parents now. We have seen a 130% increase in school places since 2020, but that does not sit well for a parent or child who does not have a school place. I want to let them know the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is doing everything he can to work with the Department and the NCSE to ensure no child is left without a school place. I acknowledge the angst those parents and children are going through in having their education disrupted like this, but I will make sure I speak directly to the Minister of State on this matter. I again thank the Deputy for raising it today. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert O'Donoghue  I thank the Minister of State. Unlike some others here, I acknowledge more funding has been put into special schools and education this year. Budget 2026 has expanded service provision within the sector. However, I also know we are coming from such a low baseline that we have a lot to make up for. I know Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is doing his best - I have no argument there - but we saw the documentary this week with Alison Field having to go through 19 different special schools to find a place for her son. Some funding has been used to educate students in cupboards so funding must be used for quality education, which I am sure the Minister of State is doing his best to do, rather than piecemeal to give ourselves a pat on the back.  I previously suggested to the Minister of State that we could use the AIM model for children with additional needs transferring from early years into primary school, so we know the numbers we are dealing with. That should be seriously looked at, with this school in particular. I know from having been a councillor that expectations need to be managed so that scenarios that have played out with the announcement of this school and the miscommunications do not repeat themselves. The old adage, \"If you cannot be best, be first\", cannot be used, particularly when dealing with vulnerable students. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Catherine Ardagh  I thank the Deputy again. I outlined all the work the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is doing. It is important to remember the vast majority of students with a special educational need are supported to attend a school, most of them in mainstream with a cohort attending special schools.  I once again acknowledge the parents. It is very important we bring issues like this to the House. I will make sure the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is aware of this school and that the NCSE reaches out to those parents again. I think the Deputy's main message today was the miscommunication from the Department and that has to be addressed. I will make sure I bring that back to the Minister of State. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Special Educational Needs"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_7","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Health Services","counts":{"speechCount":13,"speakerCount":5},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_7","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Is the Minister of State taking the next item? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Catherine Ardagh  I am taking the fifth Topical Issue proposed by Deputy Cahill. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  The next one is to the Minister for Health. We will wait for the Minister of State. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Murphy  I am sharing this Topical Issue with Deputy McGrath about the crisis in community ophthalmology in south Tipperary. I have raised this repeatedly in the Chamber in other Topical Issue Matter debates and numerous parliamentary questions. This follows the planned retirement of Dr. Hillary, the community ophthalmologist working out of south Tipperary in August 2024. For reasons unknown to me, three recruitment campaigns have failed to recruit a new community ophthalmologist consultant. In the meantime, there are more than 2,300, I think, on the waiting list in south Tipperary. It may surprise the Minister of State to hear that 1,500 of those are children under the age of four, some waiting as far back as 2021. He can appreciate it is very difficult for me as a Teachta D\u00e1la representing south Tipperary when parents contact my constituency office - what do I tell them? I am sure as a parent himself the Minister of State will agree that when it comes to ophthalmology, early intervention is crucial. We were promised blitz clinics and a collaboration with the eye and ear hospital in Dublin. There is no evidence any of those initiatives have commenced. I am looking for an update on recruitment as well. We need that multidisciplinary team at the earliest opportunity so that the 2,300 on the waiting list can be dealt with as soon as possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  I thank the Ceann Comhairle for choosing this Topical Issue. It is an important issue. Deputy Murphy put the figures on the record. I will do it again. Some 2,300 people are waiting, 1,500 of whom are children. It is an appalling vista two years on from Dr. Hillary's retirement, who was an exceptionally wonderful practitioner. She gave a year's notice she was leaving so this has been going on for three years. Why is the HSE so incapable of filling this position? We are told Waterford is now holding extra clinics to accommodate south Tipperary patients but this is not happening. Delays in identifying and treating eye conditions can and will lead to long-term eye problems. That is scientifically and medically proven. They have to be treated before the age of seven, which is a vital cut-off.  Why can we not have private fully qualified eye specialists do these tests on young children, to be reimbursed by the HSE? Clinics call to schools. A school in my area was called to recently. An initial screening is done and they are referred on but then they cannot get a test so they have to go private, which costs \u20ac50 minimum and then \u20ac300 to \u20ac500 for glasses. Will the Minister of State commit to ensuring children who require glasses, following private assessment, can still access HSE funding? It is a simple solution. I think it suits the HSE not have this position filled. It is appalling. The system works in other parts of the country. Surely it is in the interests of our children - mol an \u00f3ige agus tiocfaidh s\u00ed. It is very basic that our children have a right to have their eyesight checked and treated if necessary. There is a roadmap by which it could be paid for until we get a permanent position or even a temporary one. Something is very wrong if after three recruitment campaigns the Government cannot seem to recruit a person, or does it want to? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  I thank Deputies McGrath and Murphy for the opportunity to address the House today on an issue that I know has had an ongoing impact on many patients in south Tipperary. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who I know is committed to reducing waiting lists for both adults and children across all our services be they provided in acute hospitals or in the community.  It is important to highlight that the HSE provides free optical services to preschool and national school children referred through child health and school health examinations as having sight problems. These services continue until a child reaches 16 years of age. The community ophthalmic services scheme allows medical card holders and their dependent children aged 12 and over to access eye care from contracted ophthalmologists, optometrists or dispensing opticians.  In relation to the Deputies\u2019 specific question, the HSE has confirmed that the community ophthalmic physician post in south Tipperary became vacant in October 2024 following a retirement which they both referenced. In 2025, this post was regraded to a consultant in medical ophthalmology to align with the HSE\u2019s national clinical programme for ophthalmology. This clinical programme for ophthalmology developed a model of care to realign eye care services from hospital settings to the community. The HSE has been developing multidisciplinary integrated eye care teams in accordance with this model of care. These teams facilitate assessment, diagnoses and treatment, enabling most patients to be seen in their own locality. The service provided by the previous community ophthalmic physician for south Tipperary operated across HSE south east community services with clinics in both Clonmel Community Care Centre and Cashel Medical Centre.  Since the vacancy arose in October 2024, the HSE has maintained a sustained focus on securing a permanent consultant ophthalmologist for south Tipperary. The post has been advertised on three occasions to date and recruitment efforts remain active. The position is currently being advertised nationally and internationally including through specialist Irish and UK ophthalmology publications. The HSE continues to pursue all available recruitment opportunities to attract suitably qualified candidates and restore permanent service provision to the south east.  Recognising the importance of maintaining access to care while permanent recruitment efforts continue, the HSE south east community service has worked closely with University Hospital Waterford to put interim service arrangements in place. All parents of children were notified of the temporary pause to the service and were offered appointments in University Hospital Waterford. The HSE has also explored other options to ensure service continuity, such as the use of external providers to increase capacity, overtime of existing HSE staff and the possibility of weekend blitz clinics at University Hospital Waterford. Funding has been secured to support delivery of the clinic and engagement with additional staff from another integrated health area is under way to support delivery of the clinic. The HSE has also sought to progress the multidisciplinary model of care, seeking to recruit optometrists and orthoptists to support the delivery of ophthalmology services. Furthermore, the HSE has undertaken a comprehensive validation exercise of all ophthalmology waiting lists in south Tipperary to support the prioritisation of patients and the planning of additional clinical activity.  The HSE remains fully committed to restoring a sustainable ophthalmology service in south Tipperary and will continue to pursue all available recruitment and service delivery options to achieve this objective as a matter of priority. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Murphy  I thank the Minister of State for his reply. We now entering the third year of this crisis. These figures were made available to me back in December. There are 1,449 children under the age of four, 334 children between the ages of five and 17 and almost 600 adults on the waiting list, yet into the third year of this crisis we are still exploring other options. I was told in January or February of this year about the idea of a blitz clinic but that is still not in place. My appeal to the Minister of State is to engage with the Minister for Health to explore something I previously asked for, which is private provision, the temporary contract, and using the capacity in the private sector to outsource in particular for the children long on the waiting list until the blitz clinic in Waterford is up and running. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  To read out that statement is totally out of touch with the situation. The figures are stark. Many of us are directing elderly people to Belfast to get cataracts done - the Belfast or Blind bus. I have eye issues. I understand how difficult it is. We are not even talking about the 500 adults waiting. It is pathetic that three years on, with Dr. Hillary giving a year's notice and with plenty of time that this position is still not filled. Something else is going on.  I demand that we use the private resources that are out there, as Deputy Michael Murphy said, to deal with our youngest and brightest people and give them a fair chance in life. We have Children First legislation and everything else here. These are basic needs that are being deprived to children in south Tipperary. It is not acceptable. The reply the Minister of State read out here today is totally unacceptable into the third year of this crisis. He talks about exploring options. There must be an emergency blitz. It is not correct to say that they are being dealt with in Waterford. They are not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta. I call an tAire St\u00e1it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  They do not even take them out of the hatch. They have too many there themselves. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  The Deputy's time has expired. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Kieran O'Donnell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Kieran-O'Donnell.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Kieran O'Donnell  Once again, I thank Deputies Michael Murphy and Mattie McGrath for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, on the need for strengthened ophthalmology services in south Tipperary. I will make sure to let her and the officials in the Department know the specific views that were made here today in the House on behalf of their constituents in south Tipperary.  While recruitment of a permanent consultant has been challenging, I wish to assure the Deputies that sustained and proactive efforts are ongoing. A further recruitment campaign is now progressing and, informed by previous experience, it is focused on securing a successful appointment. In parallel, there has been progress on service delivery. The expansion of multidisciplinary teams, including additional optometry and orthoptic resources will help improve access and patient flow.  Collaboration with University Hospital Waterford is also delivering practical benefits through the evaluation of waiting lists and the provision of additional clinics. Taken together, these actions demonstrate a co-ordinated focused response. Urgent cases continue to be managed to ensure that patients with the greatest needs are protected while long-term solutions are advanced. The HSE remains fully committed to restoring a sustainable ophthalmology service in south Tipperary and will continue to pursue all available recruitment and service delivery options to achieve this objective as a matter of priority.  Like Deputies Murphy and McGrath, the Minister for Health's clear objective remains the appointment of a permanent consultant and the full restoration of ophthalmology services for south Tipperary. Work continues, including interim arrangements, to achieve this. I will personally bring the points made by both Deputies here today back to the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, and departmental officials. The Minister for Health and I respect the mandate of the Deputies to come in here and represent their constituents in this particular matter. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Beidh an ch\u00e9ad ghn\u00f3 eile ag tos\u00fa ag a 10 a chlog. We will suspend until 10 o'clock. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar fionra\u00ed ar 9.52 a.m. agus cuireadh t\u00fas leis ar\u00eds ar 10 a.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Sitting suspended at 9.52 a.m. and resumed at 10 a.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Health Services"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_8","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Windfall Tax on the Excess Profits of Energy Companies: Motion [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":36,"speakerCount":34},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Liam Quaide","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Liam-Quaide.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Liam-Quaide.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Mac Lochlainn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Seamus Healy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","memberCode":"Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Albert Dolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Christopher O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Christopher-O'Sullivan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Christopher-O'Sullivan.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann:  notes that:  \u2014 Irish households continue to face severe financial strain in the face of high and rising electricity prices;  \u2014 the average monthly wholesale electricity prices in Ireland have increased by 9.6 per cent in August, 2026 alone, and are up by 77 per cent year-on-year;  \u2014 retail electricity prices in Ireland were already the highest in Europe, with households paying an average of \u20ac480 per year more than the European Union (EU) average;  \u2014 retail electricity prices continue to rise rapidly, with a succession of eight providers having announced price increases in recent weeks, some of these increases in the double digits;  \u2014 a 1,000-litre fill of home heating oil now costs approximately \u20ac1,600, up more than 60 per cent in just the past year alone;  \u2014 according to the Central Statistics Office, the cost of household energy in Ireland has risen by a whopping 70 per cent in the past five years; and  \u2014 323,559 Irish households were in electricity arrears in June according to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, amounting to around one in seven households;  further notes that:  \u2014 the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) recorded a pre-tax profit of \u20ac445.6 million for the first half of 2026, up from \u20ac351.6 million in the same period last year;  \u2014 it has recently been confirmed that the ESB Chief Executive Officer could see his salary hiked by a total of \u20ac161,000 by 2028, with a \u20ac90,000 increase to \u20ac410,000 per year having already been sanctioned;  \u2014 Energia recorded a pre-tax profit of \u20ac70 million for the second quarter of 2026, up 25 per cent year-on-year;  \u2014 Bord G\u00e1is Energy recorded pre-tax profits of \u20ac50 million for the first six months of this year; and  \u2014 these kinds of bumper profits, and gold-plated salaries, are indicative of surging profits in the sector;  recognises that wholesale electricity prices are dictated largely by the cost of gas, meaning that energy companies that produce electricity from other sources, including renewables, can experience significant windfall gains when gas prices are high, as they are at present;  furthermore, notes that:  \u2014 the Government legislated in 2023, to introduce a temporary solidarity contribution and a cap on market revenues to clamp down on windfall gains in the energy sector;  \u2014 those measures, despite being in place for a relatively short period of time, raised a combined \u20ac456 million; and  \u2014 the Minister for Finance, has suggested that the State should wait for a joint EU approach to windfall taxes on the excess profits of energy companies, but Portugal has already moved ahead and introduced its own windfall tax; and  calls on the Government to:  \u2014 legislate to reintroduce both a market revenue cap and a temporary solidarity contribution, putting them on an independent statutory footing under Irish law that extends their operation for the period from 1st March, 2026 to 31st December, 2027; and  \u2014 use funds raised from taxing the windfall gains on energy companies to provide emergency relief to struggling individuals and families by immediately introducing a \u20ac400 energy credit, targeted at households earning up to \u20ac70,000.  For years, we have been told that the cost-of-living crisis, high energy bills and spiralling households costs are events beyond our control. First, it was the invasion of Ukraine and now it is the war with Iran. Every time there is an international crisis, Irish households are expected to absorb the shock. While we all know the Government did not cause those crises, neither did families all across this country. They did not cause the war in Ukraine or the war with Iran. Yet, time and again, they are asked to pay the price. Meanwhile, however, energy companies have continued to record substantial profits.  This motion is about more than energy and taxation policy; it is about protecting households that have been exposed to global shock after global shock while the Government has failed to insulate them. This motion is also about fairness because if there is anything Irish people know, it is how to be fair. They know when things are wrong. If households are expected to shoulder the cost of every international crisis, then energy companies cannot be allowed to pocket windfall gains while families fall further behind. We have the power to act to stop this happening, and we need to use that power. The Social Democrats are proposing that the Government protect households by introducing a windfall tax on energy companies' profits. This was done before at an EU level in 2022 following the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the energy price shocks that followed. It is crucial that we act again \u2013 this time at a national level - to protect families against the current energy price crisis.  It is clear the Minister has failed to protect families so far. Ireland has the highest household electricity prices in Europe. They are a massive \u20ac480 more per year than the EU average. According to the Central Statistics Office, the cost of household energy in Ireland has risen by 70% since 2021 and roughly one in seven households is in arrears on its electricity bills. Meanwhile, energy companies continue to record substantial profits. ESB Networks recorded a pre-tax profit of \u20ac445 million for the first half of this year, which is \u20ac100 million more compared with this time last year. The CEO of ESB Networks could see his salary increase by a total of \u20ac161,000 by 2028. Energia recorded a pre-tax profit of \u20ac70 million for the second quarter of 2026 alone, while Bord G\u00e1is Energy recorded a pre-tax of profit of \u20ac50 million for the first six months of this year. All the while, customers are facing even more electricity price hikes ahead of this winter. That is the stark contrast at the heart of this debate.  I know the position of the Government is to wait for a whole-of-EU approach to this where all EU states work in tandem, but that is not going to happen. The Government wants us to wait while electricity prices go up, more families fall into arrears, energy companies continue to record enormous profits and executives receive salary increases worth more than what many workers earn in an entire year. However, the Government can no longer hide behind the skirts of the EU. Only yesterday, the EU Commissioner for energy, Dan J\u00f8rgensen, made it clear that there would be no EU-wide windfall tax and that countries need to do this on a national basis. This is possible and the EU will support countries to do it. In fact, Portugal has already gone ahead and done it. We need to follow suit urgently.  The Government can no longer use the EU as an excuse. Families are facing bills today, this month and this winter. That is why the Social Democrats are calling for action now, rather than at some undefined point in the future. We are proposing that excess windfall profits be taxed and that the proceeds be returned directly to households through a targeted \u20ac400 energy credit for low- and middle-income families. The previous solidarity clause contribution and market revenue cap that was put in place raised approximately \u20ac450 million, so the legislative mechanism and precedent exist, as does the need. The only thing missing is political will. When one in seven households is already in electricity arrears, the question is not whether we can afford to act but, rather, how much longer families can afford to wait. When families are struggling to keep the lights on while energy companies are recording bumper profits from circumstances entirely outside of their control, the Government cannot simply shrug its shoulders and say, \"That is the market\". It has a responsibility to intervene and protect households, and that is exactly what this motion seeks to do. If it was right to bring in an energy windfall tax in 2022, it is right to do so again now. We ask the Government to move on it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  I thank my colleague, Deputy Whitmore, for all her work on this to date. We are about to face into another winter where families will once again have to make incredibly difficult decisions about what they can afford. They will have to decide whether to heat their homes, put enough food on the table, cover school costs or pay electricity bills. For far too many people, it will come down to a stark choice between whether to heat or eat. All the while, energy companies are seeing profits soar and CEOs are seeing enormous pay increases. In the first half of this year alone, as Deputy Whitmore mentioned, ESB Networks made \u20ac445 million in pre-tax profits. That is incredible. That is why we are proposing the windfall tax on excess energy profits, with the money raised used to fund a \u20ac400 energy credit for low-to-middle income households. These are households that are being squeezed the hardest by the cost-of-living crisis that we are all experiencing. They are hit with price increase after price increase right across the board, while energy companies continue to record these massive profits. We know the scale of the pressure people are under. One in every eight households is in arrears on its electricity bills, and we know this burden is particularly acute in low- and middle-income communities, such as those in my constituency of Dublin Central.  There is something fundamentally unfair about families struggling to keep on top of their bills while energy companies make enormous profits and CEOs see increases in their pay. Emergency supports alone are not enough, however. We also need to focus on bringing energy costs down permanently, which the Government has not focused on. For far too long, the Government has moved from one crisis to another without addressing the underlying problems. A failure to plan for energy price shocks means those with the least ability to absorb higher costs end up paying the higher price.  The Government has already recognised the principle behind what we are proposing. In 2023, it legislated for a windfall tax due to the war in Ukraine. If the principle was right then, why is it wrong now? Why should families facing another difficult winter be asked to shoulder the cost while extraordinary profits in the energy sector are left untouched? While it is true that the Government cannot control every international event that causes energy prices to rise, it absolutely can decide who carries the burden when those prices rise. Allowing households to absorb those higher bills while extraordinary profits go untouched is not inevitable; it is a political choice made by the Government.  The energy crisis and the wider cost-of-living crisis are squeezing families from every direction. I see that in my constituency where some of the most deprived areas in the whole country are located. I deal with awful cases every single day, including those involving elderly people staring into another winter having to decide whether to heat or eat.  The \u20ac400 energy credit targeted at low-to-middle income households would make a real and immediate difference to people who are struggling. Our proposal is straightforward: take a portion of the extraordinary profits generated during this energy crisis and put money back in the pockets of the people and households that have been hit the hardest. More fundamentally, a windfall tax is about fairness. It ensures the burden of an energy crisis does not continuously fall on ordinary households while exceptional profits are made elsewhere. Families should not have to choose between heating their homes, feeding their children or paying their bills. They should not be asked to do this while energy companies are recording extraordinary profits. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Liam Quaide","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Liam-Quaide.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Liam-Quaide.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Liam Quaide  I commend my colleague, Deputy Whitmore, on this motion, as well as on her broader work on the cost of living and a just transition. One statistic in this motion should stop us in our tracks, namely, that 323,559 households were in electricity arrears at the end of June, which is one in every seven households. Prices are now climbing again. Wholesale electricity prices rose almost 77% in the year to August, including a 9.6% jump in August alone. People have been absorbing these increases for years. There comes a point where there simply is not another \u20ac20 or \u20ac30 to find. This pressure is also not evenly shared. The latest CSO figures show that people severely limited in their daily activities by a health problem were more than three times more likely to be unable to afford to keep their home adequately warm.  More than 17% of those households reported greater difficulty making ends meet. For many disabled people, higher energy use is far from discretionary. Extra heating and lighting can be part of the cost of disability. You cannot tell somebody who needs a warmer home because of disability or ill health simply to turn down the thermostat. There is also a clear climate and energy security argument, which is tied in with affordability in this motion. Ireland imported 78% of all the energy we used last year. Almost 93% of those imports were fossil fuels, including over 82% of our gas. When international gas markets go haywire, Irish households get hit. We saw it after Russia invaded Ukraine and we are seeing huge volatility again now. Reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels is climate action but it is also a protection against the next energy price shock. We need far more indigenous renewable energy alongside the grid storage and interconnection needed to use it properly.  I am not suggesting that every euro of profit made by an energy company is illegitimate. ESB has an enormous programme of infrastructure investment ahead of it, which is essential to the transition. Windfall profits are different. The Government already accepted that principle. In 2023, it introduced a solidarity contribution on exceptional fossil fuel profits and a cap on the market revenues of certain electricity generators because soaring gas prices were creating gains completely out of line with normal market conditions. Those mechanisms are effective so it is difficult to explain to a family falling behind on their electricity bill why, when exceptional market conditions are again producing exceptional gains, Government should simply stand back and wait, particularly when the ESB reported \u20ac445.6 million in pre-tax profit for the first six months of this year, with its chief executive salary being increased to \u20ac410,000. This motion proposes using revenue from renewed windfall measures to provide a targeted \u20ac400 credit to households earning up to \u20ac70,000. That is immediate relief.  The longer-term answer has to be bigger than another credit every time international fossil fuel markets explode. We need an energy system that produces more of our own clean power, wastes less energy through poorly-insulated homes and leaves families far less exposed to the price of imported gas. That is climate policy, it is energy security and increasingly it is basic cost-of-living policy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jen Cummins  I thank my colleague, Deputy Jennifer Whitmore, for bringing forward this important and timely motion. Deputy Whitmore and the Social Democrats have consistently raised the enormous pressure that energy costs are placing on households. This motion puts forward a practical solution that the Government always says we do not do but we are putting forward a solution that is simple. When energy companies are making extraordinary profits, some of the people who are struggling the most need to know where those profits are going and it needs to come back to the people who are sitting at their tables and cannot afford to pay these bills. More than 323,000 electricity accounts are in arrears. Wholesale electricity prices increased by 9.6% in August alone and are 77% higher than they were a year ago. Irish households are paying some of the highest electricity bills in Europe.  At the same time, we are seeing extraordinary profits. The ESB recorded pre-tax profits of \u20ac445.6 million in just the first six months of this year. Energia recorded pre-tax profits of \u20ac70 million in the second quarter, while Bord G\u00e1is Energy recorded \u20ac50 million in pre-tax profits for the first half of this year. There is something fundamentally wrong when families are sitting around their kitchen tables trying to work out which bill they are going to pay because they cannot pay all of them and when the electricity bill comes in, that sometimes is the one that has to wait. We know that a windfall tax can work because we have done it already. The previous temporary solidarity contribution and the market revenue cap raised a combined \u20ac456 million. Our proposal would reintroduce those measures and ring-fence the proceeds to provide a targeted \u20ac400 energy credit to households with incomes below \u20ac70,000.  It is really important to say that it is targeted. Targeted supports are what are needed in this country, not universal for every single person and for those who can already afford to pay their electricity bills. As education spokesperson, I want to put this in the context of what families are already facing. Barnardos found that more than half of parents are worried about meeting the back-to-school costs this year. Some secondary school families are spending over \u20ac1,100 getting a child ready for school, and 57% of secondary school parents are facing a bill for digital devices with an average cost of \u20ac447. When a child finishes school and might go to third level, those costs do not disappear. Research highlighted earlier this year that the estimated spending for a young person in third level who is living out of the family home is \u20ac16,000 a year. If the young person is staying at home, it is \u20ac8,000. That is a lot of money.  Families do not experience any of these costs in isolation. A family could have one child in primary school, one in secondary and one in college. They are paying for uniforms, devices, transport, food and accommodation for those students. They are also in their own home paying for rent or mortgage. They are doing the weekly shop, the cost of which has also gone up. They are trying to fill their car with petrol or diesel, which has gone up too. The electricity bill comes through the door, if they do not get it online, of course, since I appreciate it is not the 1980s. All of these bills are not luxuries. Education is not a luxury. Heating your home is not a luxury. Turning on the lights is not a luxury.  People are working, they are budgeting, and they are cutting back. They are doing everything that has been asked of them and yet for far too many families in this country, the numbers simply do not add up anymore. I hear that in my clinics in Dublin South-Central. The Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, and I share the constituency, and I am sure she hears it as well when she is canvassing. Parents are exhausted from constantly trying to make choices about what they can afford this week and what will have to wait until next week. I raised this in the House before. In April, I told the Government that affordability was the single biggest issue being raised with me in Dublin South-Central. People are telling me that they cannot afford their groceries, their rent, and their energy costs. We are now heading into winter, and those pressures have not disappeared. The Government needs to get a grip on the cost of living. It cannot continue to stand back while household bills rise. The energy companies simultaneously record enormous profits. It should not fall on the families. We should not have to wait and tell families they have to wait until everything is sorted out and place the blame elsewhere. We have an opportunity to help families in need now. I urge the Government to support this motion. Introduce a windfall tax on excess energy profits and ensure that the money raised goes directly towards households which need it most. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Catherine Ardagh)  I move amendment No. 1:  To delete all words after \"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann\" and substitute the following:\"  notes that the Government:  \u2014 remains deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and its impact on energy prices;  \u2014 is acutely aware of the impact on households and businesses of the recent increases in the cost of energy, and is actively monitoring the current geopolitical situation and its impact on costs;  \u2014 has taken significant action to help households and businesses with the cost of fuel and energy by introducing one of the most comprehensive support packages in the European Union (EU); and  \u2014 affirms that energy affordability is a priority, with the Energy Affordability Action Plan to be submitted to Government in the coming weeks and consideration ongoing of supports for household; and  further notes that:  \u2014 the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has caused international wholesale gas prices to increase which has a significant knock-on impact on retail electricity prices;  \u2014 supplier hedging strategies have and are continuing to help cushion households from the full volatility in international wholesale energy markets;  \u2014 price setting by electricity suppliers, including standing charges is a commercial and operational matter for the companies concerned and each such company has its own different approach to pricing decisions over time, in accordance with factors such as, their overall company strategic direction and costs such as, staffing, tax, and infrastructure;  \u2014 the Government understands that any price increase can be a challenge for households and businesses;  \u2014 for that reason, the Government has taken action to help households and businesses with the cost of fuel and energy;  \u2014 extensions to the package of temporary fuel supports have brought the total cost of these measures to over \u20ac1.4 billion and are helping to reduce the cost burden at the petrol pump;  \u2014 successive budgets have provided targeted support to help households with energy costs;  \u2014 in Budget 2026, key measures included an extension until 2030 of the 9 per cent Value-Added-Tax rate currently applied to gas and electricity bills, enhanced social protection payments, including an increase to the Fuel Allowance weekly rate and an expansion in the eligibility rules, and a record allocation of \u20ac640 million for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) retrofit schemes;  \u2014 at the same time, additional retrofitting supports have been rolled out to further help households, capital expenditure of over \u20ac2 billion has delivered over 287,000 home energy upgrades from 2019 to the end of August 2026, including over 39,500 fully funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme;  \u2014 in January this year, we expanded and reformed retrofitting schemes to ensure more homeowners can receive grants, the new measures include, increased attic and wall insulation supports, an increased grant of \u20ac12,500 for heat pump installation, and new grants for windows and doors;  \u2014 almost 89,000 applications have been processed to the end of August 2026, an increase of 116 per cent on the same period last year;  \u2014 this year to the end of August, 2026, almost 42,000 homes have been upgraded through SEAI schemes, including over 6,800 homes at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme;  \u2014 the latest Eurostat report, (comparing electricity prices across the EU), outlines that Ireland had the fifth highest for household electricity prices in the second half of 2025, when adjusted to take account of the 'Purchasing Power Standard' (i.e. practical affordability \u2013 taking account of household income);  \u2014 the four biggest energy retailers have confirmed that hardship funds and focused measures are in place for any customers in difficulty;  \u2014 switching energy supplier or plan could save the average electricity and gas customers up to \u20ac700 and \u20ac400 (respectively) annually;  \u2014 protections are in place for customers experiencing difficulties in paying their bills and households struggling with their bill, are strongly encouraged to engage with their supplier;  \u2014 the Department of Social Protection can also provide support through the Additional Needs Payment to help households meet expenses, including difficulties with fuel bills;  \u2014 the Government has also established the National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT) to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses, while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability;  \u2014 the NEAT has noted a wide array of interventions, including those such as a market's revenue cap and\/or solidarity contribution, which in a previous form were based on EU-wide regulations and decisions and will continue to consider all potential interventions and developments in this regard;  \u2014 the Government will continue to monitor and assess the situation in relation to energy costs;  \u2014 the NEAT continues to work intensively on an Energy Affordability Action Plan to be submitted to Government in the coming weeks; and  \u2014 the Government will also make a range of relevant decisions as part of Budget 2027.\".  I speak on behalf of the Government on the Social Democrats' motion calling for the introduction of a market revenue cap and a temporary solidarity contribution on the excess profits of energy companies. The Government proposes to reject this motion and amend it. The conflict in the Middle East and in Ukraine have caused significant disruption to the global energy markets that we all know. The Government recognises the pressure that resulting high energy prices are placing on Irish consumers and businesses. We are actively monitoring the current geopolitical situation and its impact on costs to households and businesses. The Government understands that any price increase can be a challenge for households and businesses. As a result, we have been proactive and introduced a series of measures to reduce fuel prices. Further measures are under consideration by the national energy affordability task force and as part of the budgetary process. Specifically on fuel, the package of Government support measures, which now totals over \u20ac1.4 billion, is helping to reduce the cost burden at the petrol pump and assist key sectors such as agriculture and haulage that are critical to keeping our economy moving.  A range of measures in budget 2026 also supported households with energy costs, including an extension until 2030 of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to gas and electricity bills and enhanced social protection payments, including an increase to the fuel allowance rate and an expansion in the eligibility, as well as a \u20ac400 income tax disregard for households involved in micro-generation, which was extended for a further three years until the end of 2028.  The best way of insulating our economy and society from fuel price shocks is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. That is why we are investing record amounts in retrofitting, both through part- and fully-funded schemes. Budget 2026 provided a record allocation of \u20ac640 million for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's residential and community grant schemes, allowing us to target 73,000 home energy upgrades this year alone. In January this year, we expanded and reformed retrofitting schemes to ensure more homeowners can receive grants. The new measures included increased attic and wall insulation supports, an increased grant of \u20ac12,500 for heat pump installation and new grants for windows and doors. Simple upgrades like attic insulation, cavity wall or external wall insulation can reduce heating bills by up to \u20ac230 annually. A full home retrofit can lead to savings of \u20ac750 to \u20ac1,120 per year on energy costs.  Almost 89,000 applications have been processed to the end of August 2026.  As of yesterday, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and the Government have also approved an expanded range of grants for people, including a new \u20ac2,000 boiler scrappage grant, a new grant for battery storage and expanded access to certain measures for warmer home eligibility applicants and those in rental accommodation scheme, RAS, tenancies. These measures are aimed at making it easier and more accessible for people to reduce their energy bills. This compares with 41,100 applications received by the end of August last year. This is a 111% increase year on year and follows changes to the schemes the Minister introduced earlier this year. Capital expenditure of more than \u20ac2 billion delivered more than 287,000 home energy upgrades between 2019 and August 2026, including more than 39,500 fully funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the warmer homes scheme. As of the end of August 2026, the domestic solar PV scheme has supported more than 21,000 homes to install solar PV panels this year and more than 35,000 applications have been received. This is a 72% increase in applications year on year and indicates that the scheme is working extremely well and that householders are recognising the benefit of investing in solar PV.  A number of protections are in place for customers experiencing difficulties paying their bills. Anyone who is struggling with their bill is strongly encouraged to engage with their supplier. Suppliers have hardship funds and focused measures in place for any customers who find themselves in difficulty and will not disconnect customers who engage with them. In addition, the Department of Social Protection can also provide support through the additional needs payment to help households meet expenses, including those who face difficulty with fuel bills.  The national energy affordability task force, which the Minister chairs, will have a key role in identifying measures to enhance energy affordability. This cross-government task force was established to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability. The task force is working extensively on the energy affordability action plan to be submitted to the Government in the coming weeks. This action plan will be focused on short, medium and longer term measures to support households and businesses to meet their energy costs.  The energy affordability action plan includes the identification of measures, such as a market revenues cap, which, in a previous form, were based on the 2022 EU Council Regulation (EU) 2022\/185. Ireland would engage constructively on the development of proposals from the European Commission on a potential EU-wide windfall tax or levy if such proposals are brought forward, as outlined by Deputy Whitmore. It continues to be the Government's view that tackling the energy crisis in a co-ordinated way among EU member states is preferable, given the interconnectedness of the EU energy markets. Governments across Europe are rightly attentive to developments in energy markets and their impact on households, businesses and the wider economy. The T\u00e1naiste and Minister for Finance, in the context of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the EU, received a joint letter from six EU member state finance Ministers regarding a windfall levy on exceptional profits made by oil companies as a result of heightened prices due to the conflict in the Middle East. This item was put on the agenda by the T\u00e1naiste and discussed as part of the recent informal ECOFIN meeting in Dublin. As a result, the T\u00e1naiste requested the European Commission to reflect on this discussion and report back on the issue in the upcoming ECOFIN meeting in October.  The Government introduced substantial supports during the volatile period in April. They are timely and necessary, and we will continue to monitor the situation closely. Supporting those most vulnerable in society must remain a priority and the Government will continue to do that. The best long-term approach for Ireland to insulate consumers from volatility on international wholesale energy markets is to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Cutting our dependence on fossil fuels and generating power from our own renewable sources will ensure cleaner and cheaper energy in the long term. I reiterate that the Government rejects this motion. I propose the Government countermotion, which more accurately reflects the reality of the situation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  It is disappointing to see again how little the Government has engaged with our reasoned, evidence-based and solidly worked motion, which Deputy Whitmore and the Social Democrats have put a lot of work into. Once again, it proposes to \"delete all words after D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann\". It is important that people at home know that this is how the Government approaches most Private Members' motions tabled by the Opposition. It proposes to delete all words after \"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann\", completely ignore the reasoned and evidence-based solutions we have put forward and reiterate how great the Government is in what it is doing.  I will speak to three issues, namely, the urgency of this issue, the fact that the electricity companies can afford this, and the fact that ordinary people are now choosing between heating and eating. People do not have a choice on how to fix this, but the Government does. On the first issue, urgency, winter is closing in and there is a complete lack of Government action on how to properly address this, both immediately and in the medium and long term. The figure indicating that 323,559 households are now in arrears should be haunting all the dreams of the Government. It is clocking up further day by day, just as the electricity meters are, as people who are under pressure from the cost-of-living crisis watch them at home.  The Minister of State spoke immediately about this being affected by external markets and geopolitical forces. We are all aware of that but it is up to the Government to use the tools available to it to fix this. My party is coming forward with solutions that the Government is choosing to completely reject. The Minister of State referred to the ECOFIN meeting of last week. My colleague, Deputy Cian O'Callaghan, spoke about a windfall tax and the Department of Finance was quick to come in and say the issue was on the agenda. It was on the lunchtime agenda of the ECOFIN meeting following pressure from other Ministers. I am sorry, but the Government was dragged kicking and screaming to even discuss a windfall tax at that appropriate forum.  One of the other things I picked up from the language in the Minister of State's statement was the term \"energy affordability\". Energy affordability is crucial, but what seems to have completely evaporated from the lexicon of Government Ministers is energy poverty. That is what people are experiencing, and that is the urgency the Government is failing to deal with. Electricity companies can take the hit. We are seeing record profits. ESB pre-tax profits were \u20ac445.6 million for the first half of 2026. There are huge price rises, with energy costs per household up 70% in the past five years and the price of home heating oil up 60% since last year. We are not saying that this motion would fix everything. We are not arrogant enough to suggest that, but the urgency is due to Government inaction on energy costs and its supports for people.  The Government has the tools at its disposal to do this. Ordinary people do not. They need to meet their basic needs for survival through the winter. We have the option, as a Parliament, to help them. The Government has an option to help them. For the older people worried about turning on their heat, the young families who do not know how they are going to pay their bills and everyone who is suffering from the soaring cost-of-living crisis, the Government is not offering any decent solutions. We have put forward an actual solution here but the Government in its countermotion and the Minister of State in her speech have chosen to completely ignore the substance of our motion. Does the Minister of State know how insulting it is for us, as a party and as parliamentarians, and for our supporters, voters and members, that the Government does not even bother to countenance it? I understand there is a meeting of energy Ministers but not even the junior Ministers in the Department bothered to turn up today. I urge the Minister of State to withdraw the countermotion and support the introduction of windfall taxes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  I thank Deputy Whitmore for all the work she does in this area. The Minister of State ended her contribution saying the Government countermotion \"more accurately reflects the reality\". I begin with a simple premise. There are 323,000 households in arrears on their electricity bills in Ireland today. There are people struggling to pay their rent and their bills. There are people who are terrified about those bills coming through the door. At the same time, we have energy companies recording eye-watering profits. I know they will be mentioned in the contributions to this debate, but some of those figures are astounding. The ESB recorded pre-tax profits of \u20ac445 million in the first six months of the year. Energia recorded \u20ac70 million in pre-tax profits in a single quarter. Bord G\u00e1is recorded a profit of \u20ac50 million in the first six months of the year. It is blindingly obvious to all of us that the Government should act and that the countermotion does not better reflect the reality. It does not reflect the reality on the ground for many of my constituents and, I am sure, many of the Minister of State's constituents, who are genuinely terrified.  We are simply saying that we are in a time of great need. There are people in substantial energy arrears, with average arrears standing at close to \u20ac500.  They cannot go any further. At the same time, energy companies are profiting from the very same crisis that is creating fear in the households of constituents of mine and the Minister of State and across the length and breadth of Ireland. This is a binary choice. Who does the Government believe should suffer more in a time of crisis: energy companies, which are profiteering from this crisis, or householders who have told the Government they are struggling?  Over the last couple of weeks, it has been common for Ministers to go on air and say they will not be able to solve every crisis. Maybe they could just pick one or two and say they will solve them. In the great crisis of our time, people are genuinely fearful of how they will heat their homes or, in the absence of that, what they will sacrifice to be able to be warm in the evenings. The Government can actually solve that. We are not coming in here and asking for something that cannot be done. It is not a pie-in-the-sky policy. It is something the Government has done before and has legislated for before. This is within its gift. We do not have to wait to be told we are the good little boys of Europe. We can acknowledge that households are struggling, make the requisite decision to alleviate some of that and have it paid for through the profits of energy companies. It is that simple.  The Minister of State can think of whatever constituent she likes. I am thinking of some of the ones I met when I was out canvassing the other night, who told me they are fearful of the winter. I want to prioritise addressing their fears over the profits of energy companies. I hope the Government will reflect on that reality. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  The Minister of State set out that Ireland would engage constructively with the development of proposals for a potential EU-wide windfall tax levy. She also talked about what the T\u00e1naiste had done on this. The European Commissioner for energy, however, has said very clearly that the EU is not planning any EU-wide tax on windfall profits and actually said yesterday that the Commission will help countries to develop schemes themselves. What is the Government doing here? Who is it kidding? If the Government actually wanted to introduce a windfall tax, the European Commission is saying very clearly that it would help us. There is nothing stopping us and there is no EU-wide windfall tax coming. Therefore, it is down to the Government to do this and it can do it. This is all just excuses and nonsense. For some reason, Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael seem absolutely unwilling or scared, or lack the courage, to put in place a windfall tax on energy companies. The Government needs to say why that is because there is no excuse.  I am not sure if the Minister of State has read the shocking cost-of-living report by Barnardos. Has she read it? Families were asked if the cost-of-living crisis has negatively affected their children. One in five said that the cost of living has negatively impacted their children. That is up from 12% in 2022. It asked how often people worry about being able to provide their children with daily essentials. Some 29% of parents worry every day about providing their children with essentials. Half of those with incomes under \u20ac30,000 are worried about being able to provide their children with daily essentials.  The figures on food are truly scandalous. Some 44% of parents are skipping meals or reducing portion sizes so that their children will have enough to eat. Some 30% felt at some point that they did not have enough food to feed their children. For Christ's sake, 30% of parents in this country are saying they have not had enough food to feed their children. These are not Famine times. This is the point at which we are the wealthiest we have ever been. What is going on? The economy is fundamentally not working for people. On healthcare and additional needs, I am dealing with people in my constituency who cannot afford to get the services their children need because they do not have the money to pay for them.  In the Barnardos report, one parent said, \"For me, my mental health is a current issue due to not eating well enough or taking supplements while breastfeeding as I cannot afford them so my hormones are imbalanced.\" Another parent referred to \"Putting off dentist visits when they are long overdue because of the expense.\" This is not good enough. We need this windfall tax and we need serious measures because this is an absolute scandal. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  I thank the Social Democrats for bringing this very important procedure before the House. At a time when Ireland has the highest energy bills in Europe and over 1 million households can expect high bills from tomorrow, and when energy arrears are at record highs and continue to rise month after month, it is indefensible that energy giants are making extraordinary profits while ordinary people are left behind. That is why we are supporting calls for the immediate introduction of a robust windfall tax. This debate comes down to one simple question: who should benefit from a crisis?  Families across the State have been hammered by soaring electricity and gas costs. People are cutting back on essentials and falling into debt. Meanwhile, energy companies continue to rake in profits on a scale that many ordinary people cannot even comprehend. These are windfall profits driven by war, international instability and global energy shocks. Profits are generated because families have no choice but to pay to heat their homes and do whatever it costs to keep their lights on.  Just two months after increasing prices for over 1 million households, the ESB announced profits of \u20ac636 million. What message is that sending to struggling families? When people are being told to tighten their belts, cut their spending and absorb even higher costs, they see these types of profits and executives receiving enormous pay increases while profits continue to soar. The most recent analysis of major oil companies found that the world's eight largest oil firms amassed $93 billion in profits during just three months of the recent conflict involving Iran. While families worry about paying their next bill, somebody else is counting record profits and that cannot be defended. A windfall tax is simply about fairness and justice. Companies making crisis profits should make a fair contribution back to society and that is just common sense.  Let us be very clear about another excuse the Government can no longer hide behind. We heard the T\u00e1naiste suggest that any action on windfall taxes is better taken at European level, implying that Ireland should wait for Brussels before acting. However, even the European Commission has directly contradicted that position. Yesterday the climate Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, said - I think was in response to one of Deputy Whitmore's questions - that taxation in this area remains a matter for individual member states and that member states can act if they so choose. He even when so far as to suggest that pursuing a common EU approach was not the best way forward due to legal complications and the need for consensus among member states. He made it clear that national governments already have the powers to introduce those matters themselves. In other words, Ireland does not need any permission from Brussels, we do not have to wait for any European-wide agreement and we do not need another excuse for delay.  He said that taxation is the prerogative of member states. The power exists, the legal authority exists, the precedent exists and countries across Europe have already demonstrated that these measures can be implemented. When the Government claims its hands are tied, that simply does not add up. The obstacle is the lack of political will. The truth is that Fianna F\u00e1il, Fine Gael and the supporting Independents can introduce a windfall tax if they so choose. They have the power to do so but the question is whether they are going to act. Why do they refuse to act while families are facing the highest electricity prices in the European Union, record energy arrears and another winter of rising bills? It is a Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael choice, and ordinary workers and families are paying the price for that choice every single day.  Sinn F\u00e9in would make a different choice. We would introduce a 75% windfall tax on excess profits and reintroduce energy credits to provide immediate support in the short term to households. We would reform the energy market to hold companies accountable and end the energy rip-off that consumers face. Every euro raised through that tax would be used to reduce bills, tackle arrears, support retrofitting programmes and help those trapped in energy poverty. It is an essential public good. As we approach another winter, families need action not excuses. The Government is asking households to absorb rising costs while allowing the corporations to keep extraordinary profits. It is not fairness, it is not leadership and it certainly is not inevitable. It is a choice that Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael have made. They should stop protecting the excess profits of the corporations, stop defending an energy system that is failing ordinary people and introduce a windfall tax without delay. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Ar an gc\u00e9ad dul s\u00edos, gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis na Daonlathaithe S\u00f3isialta as an r\u00fan a thabhairt os comhair na D\u00e1la. Gan dabht, is iad costais fuinnimh an br\u00fa is m\u00f3 at\u00e1 ar theaghlaigh sa l\u00e1 at\u00e1 inniu ann. An choic\u00eds seo amh\u00e1in, ag tos\u00fa D\u00e9 Luain, beidh breis agus milli\u00fan teaghlach i ndiaidh a gcuid bill\u00ed fuinnimh a fheice\u00e1il ag dul in airde. Seachtain i ndiaidh na c\u00e1inaisn\u00e9ise, beidh an faoiseamh beag a gheobhaidh siad slogtha ag costais fuinnimh at\u00e1 ag dul i m\u00e9id. Anois, agus muid ag d\u00edri\u00fa isteach ar an gheimhreadh, ch\u00edmid an l\u00edon tithe nach bhfuil \u00e1balta a gcuid bill\u00ed fuinnimh a \u00edoc ag dul in airde agus in airde. Ch\u00edmid fosta an l\u00edon daoine at\u00e1 ag streachailt chun solas agus teas a choinne\u00e1il ar si\u00fal ina gcuid tithe ag dul in airde.  On Monday, in less than a week, more than a million households will begin to see yet another energy bill hike. A week after the budget, whatever little relief people are to get will be swallowed up by rising energy costs. We are heading into winter with record numbers of households unable to pay their electricity and gas bills. Record numbers are struggling to keep the lights on and the heat running. More than 300,000 households across the State are in arrears with their electricity bills. One in four gas customers cannot pay their bills. Those figures are only the tip of the iceberg. They do not include the families that are cutting back on groceries and other basics to cover these bills. They do not include the households on prepaid meters that are going without heat or running the credit until it runs out. Those people, who are sitting in cold homes, never show up in the official arrears data. Neither do families who cannot afford to fill their oil tanks before winter sets in. This crisis is everywhere. Every town, every village and every county is feeling it. If the Government refuses to restore energy credits in this budget, then things are only going to get worse. Fianna F\u00e1il, Fine Gael and the Independents who support the Government were warned before last year's budget. The energy regulator told them that ending energy credits would push more households into arrears. They ignored those warnings and that is exactly what has happened since. Now, record numbers of people cannot pay their bills, exactly as predicted.  Trump's reckless war in Iran did not create this crisis but it has made it far more severe. Rising global energy prices make the Government's refusal to restore energy credits even more indefensible but that does not mean Ministers can get away with shrugging their shoulders and blaming events overseas. This is not just about geopolitics. It is about choices that are made right here in Ireland by this Government. It is about a system that leaves households exposed to soaring bills while energy companies rake in massive profits. Energy credits must be reinstated. They can be partly funded through a windfall tax on these excess profits. However, when I was debating this matter with the Minister for Finance, Deputy Simon Harris, last night, he once again turned his back on this common-sense solution.  This Government seems determined to let energy companies away with it and to let them cash in while workers, families and pensioners pay the price. The cost of extracting gas from the Corrib gas field has not increased overnight and yet we are still being charged more and more when that gas reaches the market. What is worse still is that we maintain a pricing system where the price of electricity generated from wind and solar is driven up by the price of gas. When gas prices rise, consumers pay more for all electricity. Energy companies are making a killing while households are getting absolutely hammered. Even yesterday, the EU Commissioner called the Government out on this when he said very clearly that, if this is to happen, it is to happen at the level of individual countries. The nonsense from the Government in hiding behind Europe on this issue needs to end. The Government can, should and must act.  This Government has choices. What it lacks is the power to intervene. The political will to put families and workers first is simply not there at Cabinet level. That is why this debate is important. That is what this debate comes down to. Whose side is the Government on? When families are choosing between heating their homes and putting food on the table, the answer cannot be to do nothing. When pensioners are afraid to switch on the heat and parents are worrying about the next bill to come through the door, the State has a responsibility to act, to restore the energy credits, to tax the excess profits, to cut the bills and to take a side. It must stop being on the side of the energy companies that are raking it in when ordinary decent Irish people are being hammered by these Bills. The Government must give households the support they desperately need. It must bring back the energy credits and tax the excess profits of these companies. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Thomas Gould","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Thomas-Gould.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Thomas Gould  Just two months after the State-owned ESB raised its prices for over 1 million customers, it posted profits of \u20ac636 million and gave its chief executive a 29% increase, raising his salary from \u20ac318,000 to \u20ac410,000. That is \u20ac92,000 of an increase. The Sinn F\u00e9in MEP Lynn Boylan has published research that shows that ordinary households are paying the price for data centre connections. We have seen a surge in connections to the grid that are the equivalent of 160,000 homes. Record numbers of people are in arrears with over 322,000 families in arrears. Where is the help? Where is the support? This Government is stripping them of the one thing that gave them help, the energy credits. I have to believe that Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael do not give a damn about our ordinary workers and families. People will be back on the streets. They do not want to be on the streets but they will have to be. Does the Minister of State know why? It is because, if they do not, this Government will not help them. People are angry. They are hurting.  On Monday, a 74-year-old lady contacted me. She cannot turn on the heating. She asked me to come up to the D\u00e1il to tell the Government that older people, families and workers need help. Will the Minister of State do something for them or is this going to be another budget for the rich and for the speculators? It is about time that this Government stood up for ordinary working people. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  T\u00e1 an geimhreadh ag teacht. The winter is coming. I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this important motion. Behind every statistic we discuss here today are real people and real families. Week in, week out, across Mayo, I meet older people, people with disabilities, people with chronic illnesses and families who are genuinely afraid to use electricity or to put the heating on. People who have worked hard all their lives, paid their taxes and contributed to their communities are now watching the meter and worrying about every unit of electricity they use. This Government says that this budget will be a budget for workers. What about the workers who come home in the evening and cannot afford to use energy in their homes or to turn on their heating? Some of these people will sit cold in their own homes because they are terrified of the bill coming through the door. This is taking place on the Minister of State and the Government's watch. In one of the richest economies in the world, with a budget surplus of \u20ac10 billion, this is utterly shameful.  Ireland has some of the highest household electricity prices in the EU. Record numbers of households are in arrears with their electricity bills while private energy companies make millions and billions in profits. That includes the Corrib gas project in my own area. The ESB, which we must remember is majority State-owned, recently reported \u20ac377 million in profits after tax for the first half of this year. That is up more than 20% on last year. Its CEO is being handed a pay increase of \u20ac90,000 for a job well done. Think about the contrast and how we treat the profits being made not because of extra work being done but because of the geopolitical situation. On the one side, there is hundreds of millions in profits and on the other side are pensioners who are afraid to turn on the heating.  The Government tells us that the international markets are to blame and that its hands are tied but it can act. It has a duty and a responsibility to act. This is about political choices. It is about putting ordinary hard-working people first. The Government should introduce a windfall tax on excess profits, reintroduce the energy credits and reform the energy market. It is very simple. The money raised should all go directly to these struggling households and to reducing bills, tackling arrears, supporting retrofitting and protecting people who are experiencing poverty, including energy poverty and food poverty. Nobody in Mayo or anywhere else should be freezing in their homes while extraordinary profits are being made from an energy crisis. When the Minister of State pushes through the amendment to this motion, I want her to think about the pensioners and the families she is turning her back on. It is not right. The solution is there. The Government needs to act now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Mac Lochlainn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-MacLochlainn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Mac Lochlainn  Ireland has the most expensive electricity in Europe today. That did not happen by accident. We had a proud history in this State. We built Ardnacrusha, made possible by the visionaries who built that when this was a poor State with few resources. That led to the electrification of the entire State. We had the cheapest electricity because we controlled our own resources but then, when Europe talked about privatisation, we did it with gusto. We did it even more firmly than Margaret Thatcher's Government across the water. We handed over this precious resource to the private sector, which has profited from it ever since. That is how we got from the point where we had the cheapest electricity, publicly owned, to the most expensive electricity in Europe.  The Minister for energy, Darragh O'Brien, has met only one energy company this year - one - back in January. No effort is being made to hold them to account. The last time people got energy credits was when people were voting at the last election almost two years ago. It was so cynical. The Government is making no attempts to get those costs down by engaging with the energy companies. Is it any wonder the Government will not even consider a windfall tax? A windfall tax would give the Government the resources to bring back the energy credits. The Government has them anyway but it would have additional resources. It could look at a retrofit programme across the State. It could take more pressure off people in terms of diesel, petrol and home heating oil. I have no doubt the measures the Government will take in the budget will be half measures again. Why? Because the Government will not stand up to the energy companies that have profited off the backs of our people.  It was the fault of Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael when they were in government. It was their policies that handed over this precious resource, built on the backs of visionaries and the Irish people. It was handed over for profit. The parties did not need to go as far as they did. We are asking them to listen to this motion from the Social Democrats, fully supported by Sinn F\u00e9in and, I have no doubt, by the vast majority of the Opposition because it is common sense. It gives the Government the resources to do what is right. This is not a tax on innovation or resourcefulness. It is a tax on profits that came on the back of wars in other countries. It makes sense and the Government should do it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  As the Minister of State knows, energy bills are putting huge pressure on workers and families. One in seven households in this State is in arrears on their electricity bills. At the same time, energy companies have been making extraordinary profit from the energy crisis. That is why we in Sinn F\u00e9in support a 75% windfall tax on those exceptional profits. Those companies should contribute to dealing with the consequences of the prices. Instead of filling the pockets of their shareholders and executives, the money should go towards reducing bills, tackling energy arrears, retrofitting homes and helping people living in energy poverty, older people, households with young children and families with people who have disabilities. We also need to reform that energy market so that workers and families are not paying the price while companies make huge profits.  In Kilmeaden, County Waterford, the community is facing a massive proposed data centre and, effectively, an associated power plant. I have submitted an objection to that development and people locally are asking very reasonable questions about what this means for the community, the electricity grid and the wider energy system. If it goes ahead, not only will the scale of electricity demand swallow up a huge amount of additional generation in the south east for many years, including any additional energy from renewable means, but it will push up energy prices for ordinary families. That is something this Government needs to contend with as well.  Around Dungarvan, we are also seeing multiple wind energy developments proposed in the hills and countryside. The applications are coming in one after the other, while our national wind energy guidelines are now 20 years old. For years, the Government has promised to update them but repeatedly kicked the issue down the road. Local authorities are asked to deal with modern developments using a framework designed for a very different era and for different technology. That is how we end up with a wild west approach to energy generation and the regulation of energy companies, which leaves workers and families behind.  Communities deserve clear national rules and proper planning and workers and families need a break. Today, there is an initiative taking place across the State, Walk Out for Women, in solidarity with women and girls to take a stand against gender-based and sexual violence. I will be walking out of Leinster House with many of my colleagues to show support for that campaign. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ged Nash  I will be sharing some time with my party colleague Deputy Conor Sheehan. Here we go again. We are in the same situation we were in just a couple of short years ago after Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. We are here again dealing with the same set of circumstances as a consequence of Donald Trump's misadventure in and on Iran. Anyone who has been awake for the last five years will know that an energy crisis is only really a crisis for the end user, the consumer, the regular citizen and the small business already struggling to make ends meet.  We know that for the energy companies, however, every crisis is an opportunity. As the motion from the Social Democrats sets out, the energy companies across this land, Europe and the globe are raking in supernormal profits. That is not because of the genius of their business managers and engineers but because they are profiting from the consequences of war, plain and simple. Irish people are paying record prices in the context of the European Union, as has already been put on the record, for the energy we all should really be taking for granted. A few short years ago, many of us in the Opposition fought tooth and nail to make the case to the Government for the introduction of windfall taxes on the supernormal profits of energy companies.  Finally, the Government moved, at a glacial pace, to the Opposition's position. The net result of that was the generation of close to \u20ac500 million over two years, which assisted the previous Government in its response to the energy crisis experienced by households and businesses at that time. In other words, the template is there. Last week at Leaders' Questions, I raised with the Minister for Finance the idea a windfall tax should be placed on the excess profits of power companies. We got the usual kind of response we expect from Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il. They said that they were looking at this, yes, and that they were having a conversation at European Union level. They said that Economic and Financial Affairs Council, ECOFIN, was looking at it and that they might have a response in a couple of weeks. It is the kind of incrementalism that Irish families who are put to the pin of their collar cannot tolerate any longer.  They need help. The T\u00e1naiste, of course, said help is on the way. What that help looks like we do not know. We will know a little more after next week's budget but I predict it will be nowhere near enough to help struggling families meet the demands of a cost-of-living crisis that has now become a permacrisis for far too many across this country. We are, as I say repeatedly, a rich country that unfortunately feels so poor for far too many. The price of energy is at the heart of that.  Leaving aside the delayed development of offshore wind, our so-called moonshot moment, where has that gone? We were supposed to be generating much more offshore wind than we have at the moment. In fact, the targets have remained unmet on at least two or three occasions and the goalposts are shifting all of the time. The answers are there in terms of a renewable and retrofitting revolution but this Government does not have the vision to do that, to wean people off carbon and ensure we have a secure energy supply. In the meantime, we need a windfall tax on the profits of energy companies. The discourse on this is extremely slow. Looking at the Government, you would not think this is a crisis. The Government should know it is a crisis. Its Deputies are meeting the same people we meet and they represent the same people we meet but the Government response is far too slow.  Yesterday, we heard from the energy Commissioner, Dan J\u00f8rgensen, that the view at European Commission level seems to be that states should go it alone. The T\u00e1naiste and Minister for Finance, and the Government more generally, should not be using the incrementalism at European level in terms of ECOFIN and so on to delay its response. We need a response in next week's budget. The signal was sent from J\u00f8rgensen yesterday that it is up to individual member states to do what they wish on this matter. Indeed, the motion from the Social Democrats makes it very clear that the socialist Government in Portugal has done just that.  It has introduced a windfall tax on the excess profits of energy companies, which I have no doubt is finding its way into the pockets of low and middle income families in Portugal to assist them through what will be a very difficult winter.  I will say also that it is the case, as usual with the Government and it is a very on brand approach, that it is taking a piecemeal approach and attitude to the difficulties facing households in the country. In recent days, ahead of the budget, we have seen another plethora of mini-announcements from the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, on boiler replacement schemes and support in terms of battery storage for solar. In recent months, we have also seen improvements in the supports for window and door schemes. These are all piecemeal approaches that fail to understand we need a comprehensive approach to this massive challenge facing citizens across the country.  We expected a comprehensive approach would be articulated in the report from the energy affordability task force but we have not seen it. This report is being suppressed and concealed. Last Thursday I said to the T\u00e1naiste on Leaders' Questions that it would be good to see the report published. It was due to be published in the third quarter of this year, which would have allowed the Government to take a holistic approach to the supports that are needed and to the overall issue of energy generation and energy security in the country. It would also have had the effect of keeping the Opposition honest in terms of what we can feasibly do in our alternative costed proposals to assist families who are in difficulties. The Government decided not to do this and this is outrageous. We need an evidence-based approach to how we tackle this fundamental issue for Irish society and the Irish economy, from the point of view of a real just transition to give some comfort and assurance to families throughout the country. When will this report be published? We need this information. Irish households need it now. We cannot have another piecemeal approach to this issue in the budget. We need a holistic response that will matter in a meaningful way to people who need the support most. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  The ESB made \u20ac377 million in the first half of 2026 while the Irish households that we all represent had to choose between heating and eating. This is a 20% increase in the past year. To be honest, it is completely abnormal and unacceptable. If the European Commission is not going to act on this then we, as a body politic, need to act here in Ireland. We need to tax these profits and redirect them to struggling households through targeted energy credits, a fund to help people who are in arrears and expanding retrofitting and solar. The Commissioner was very clear yesterday when he said member states have the power to act. Many EU member states have done so, as my colleague Deputy Nash, has outlined. The Commissioner said that a common EU approach is more complicated. This is why there must be no more excuses for the Government for its failure to act on this.  Last Thursday the T\u00e1naiste said the Government has a plan on energy affordability. He also said that it has the energy task force report but he could not say when it will be published. I presume it will not be published because it will slap the Government on the wrist for what it has not done on energy affordability. If this feels like Groundhog Day it is because it is Groundhog Day. We are effectively in the same position as we were when Putin first invaded Ukraine in 2022.  If we imposed a windfall tax on the grotesque profits of these energy companies, we could pay for the retrofitting revolution we need. There is no point in having a boiler scrappage scheme if people cannot afford to turn on the boiler. The CEO of ESB got \u20ac161,000 of a pay increase. This is grotesque when we look at the profits it is making and the price increases it is passing on to Irish consumers, and when we look at the fact that ordinary PAYE workers, particularly public sector workers, are going out on strike. The profits these energy companies are making off the misery and hardship of the people we all represent is completely unacceptable and it is high time the Government reined them in. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Seamus Healy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","memberCode":"Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Seamus Healy  Families throughout the country are experiencing a severe cost-of-living crisis. In the teeth of this crisis, the Government withdrew all cost-of-living supports this year, leaving families as much as \u20ac1,400 worse off. The Government must now introduce a windfall profits tax on energy companies and price caps on petrol, diesel, home heating oil, electricity and gas to support families with the cost of energy. We already have the highest retail electricity prices in Europe at \u20ac480 a year more than our European neighbours. Now, eight companies have told us they will further increase prices in the coming period. The cost of 1,000 litres of home heating oil is now \u20ac1,600, which is up \u20ac600 on last year, and 500,000 households are in arrears on their electricity and gas bills. In 2023 the Government introduced a windfall profits tax on energy companies and a cap on market revenue which brought in \u20ac456 million. The same should happen now.  Energy companies are making huge profits. The eight largest oil companies, for instance, made $93 billion profit in three months. ESB made \u20ac445 million in the first six months of this year, Energia made \u20ac70 million in the second quarter of this year and Bord Gais recorded profits of \u20ac50 million in the first half of 2026. Energy companies are making bumper profits with gold-plated salaries for executives. We must follow the lead of Portugal, which has already introduced a windfall profits tax. Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and Austria are also moving in the same direction. Hard-pressed families need a break and the Government should use the proceeds of the windfall profits tax to give them a break and introduce an energy credit of \u20ac500. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion and we are happy to support it. I have to be honest and say we would go a little bit further with our windfall tax. We think 50% of the profits of these companies should be taxed and this could raise \u20ac1.1 billion, which would go a hell of a long way, along with a levy on the data centres to make them pay the same electricity prices ordinary householders. In total this could raise about \u20ac2.5 billion and could go a hell of a long way to stopping the energy poverty, hardship and suffering of so many people this winter as a result, let us not forget, of Trump and Israel's warmongering, the profiteering of energy companies and the indifference of our Government and other governments to the hardship and suffering that ordinary people go through.  It is not just that 500,000 people are in arrears and cannot afford to pay their bills, or that older people and the students who will be marching tomorrow will be shivering with cold and afraid to turn on the heat. This leads to excess deaths. It is estimated that between 1,500 and 2,800 people, mostly elderly people and vulnerable people, will die because of energy poverty this winter and because of being afraid to turn on the heating or not being able to afford to do so. There are very real and terrible consequences of the prioritisation of the profits of energy companies and the obscene salaries of their CEOs over providing protection for people who are struggling, including elderly people, students and working people, who cannot afford to pay their bills. It is outrageous and insulting.  The global profits of SSE Airtricity last year were \u20ac1.8 billion. The profits of Energia Group this year are up 25% on last year. ESB's profits are up to \u20ac445 million for the half year and will be close to a little under \u20ac1 billion for the year. The ESB chief executive is going to see a hike in his salary of \u20ac90,000, taking it up to \u20ac400,000, while people will shiver with cold and some will die because the Government will not prioritise their need for heat over the profits and salaries of those running energy companies. It is disgusting.  I ask the Government to change its priorities, tax these profiteering companies and provide help for ordinary people by controlling the cost of the electricity and energy they use to stop the suffering. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Charles Ward  I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion. It is very important. We are now dealing with a cost-of-living crisis that has gone on for years. While it has been going on, we have had electricity companies profiteering and the country has been awash with money, but the people on the ground are suffering in a way that has never been seen before while the companies profit off their misery. One in seven households is now in electricity arrears. That figure is not going to come down. If anything, it is going to go up. It is very reflective of the homelessness crisis we have in this country, where it has become acceptable and is becoming more acceptable the deeper we come into this. Right now, families in this country are living in misery, afraid to switch on their electricity.  Dealing with this, I have seen first hand households impacted by defective concrete that are significantly worse off because they are trying to heat a house that costs 30% more because it is basically cracked. People cannot keep heat in them. They are in direct poverty as a result of failed Government policy. This continues.  In County Donegal alone, the cost of heating oil is 50% dearer than it was last year. Equally, the cost of electricity in one year in this country has gone up by nearly 76.9% compared with what it was last year. Energy companies are being allowed to profit from the misery of the public. Everybody goes into their constituencies and hears the stories and hears about the poverty. It is vital now that the Government starts to do something decent for once and addresses this issue because it is not going to get better but worse. People are suffering. The Government has a responsibility to look after these people. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  I thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion. What does it tell us about the sort of society and economy we live in that while most people are really suffering, with over 300,000 people in arrears and almost half of parents saying they are struggling to put adequate food on the table for their children, the electricity companies are making record profits? It tells us that the cost-of-living crisis is not a crisis for everyone. In fact, it is an opportunity for those at the top. The cost-of-living crisis, like the housing crisis and the health crisis, is really a robbery of ordinary working-class people and a transfer of wealth from the many to the few. That is what the cost-of-living crisis is about. How can we have record profits in electricity company after electricity company when people are struggling to afford electricity unless something is fundamentally wrong in how the whole society and economy is based? What is being prioritised are these companies' profits and not the needs of people to light and heat their homes and so on.  In 2023, under pressure from us and others, the Government did introduce a windfall tax. It was an inadequate tax and did not go far enough, but it raised nearly \u20ac500 million. It was then abolished. The record profits, however, have continued and have now accelerated in the context of Trump's imperialist wars in the Middle East. We have gone from having the cheapest electricity in Europe to having the most expensive electricity. The motion makes the point that on average Irish households pay almost \u20ac500 more than their counterparts across the EU. How on earth did that happen? The answer is simple. It is liberalisation. The privatisation and marketisation of our electricity system is the reason we are paying so much for electricity.  In the meeting of the artificial intelligence committee yesterday, I asked the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, if it thinks it is fair that ordinary householders pay twice as much per unit of electricity as data centres pay. The people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis are paying twice as much as those making massive profits, including some of the biggest corporations in the world. The answer was that this is liberalisation. It is yet another reason to oppose liberalisation, which has meant that prices have been going up for people and a slow and not a rapid energy transition. It means that the ESB, for example, which made almost \u20ac400 million in profits in the first half of this year, cannot legally use that money to reduce prices for ordinary people because it is set up on a for-profit, commercial mandate where it has to pretend it is just another private company operating in the market on a for-profit basis.  We need windfall taxes and price controls, but what we fundamentally need to do is to reverse the process of liberalisation and privatisation. We need to reconstitute the ESB on a not-for-profit basis and renationalise the energy system so we can prioritise a rapid transition to renewable energy and provide affordable electricity for ordinary householders. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  There is no doubt that families are under serious pressure from energy costs. Electricity and gas bills remain far too high and hundreds of thousands of households are now in arrears. According to the CRU, over 500,000 energy accounts are in arrears. We now have around 200,000 children in this country living below the poverty line, with this figure rising to some 260,000 children when housing costs are taken into account. Barnardos is seeing families cutting back on food, heat and electricity. In a wealthy country like Ireland, that is simply unacceptable. Barnardos' own 2026 cost-of-living research found that one in five parents said that they or their children had to cut back on or had gone without food, while 36% of families surveyed had fallen into energy bill arrears at some point during the previous year.  We can talk all day about windfall profits, but there are disabled people in Ireland going without heat because they cannot afford the bill. According to the Disability Federation of Ireland, almost one in five disabled people went without heating at some point last year. Any money raised from the energy sector should prioritise those households that simply cannot reduce their energy use without damaging their health and quality of life. We in Independent Ireland have consistently argued that when energy companies make exceptional windfall profits during a crisis, those gains should be returned to the people struggling to pay their bills. Ireland has used a windfall contribution and a market revenue cap before, so there is merit in examining their reintroduction and directing the proceeds towards households.  We also cannot ignore the taxes imposed by the State itself. If the Government is serious about reducing energy costs, it must look at the carbon tax and fuel taxes as well. We are talking here about solar energy and that should be the way to go. A family relying on solar energy, however, would need to invest huge sums of money and the grants are scandalous. Paltry amounts are given here in solar grants compared with other European countries. The Government will have to concentrate on this aspect in the budget next week. It will be very interesting if that is the road the Government is going to take.  I was at the meeting last Sunday in Moate with thousands of others. We have to drop the carbon tax in relation to production and delivery. The question is where we will find the money. It is very easy for me to be over here saying drop everything. We should, though, put the tax on aviation. Most people do not need to fly, but they most certainly do have to go to school or work in the morning. One other issue to mention is the Barryroe oilfield. We should be out there drilling, supplying our own fuel and achieving our own energy security, and we are failing to do so. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  The reason we are in this situation in this country is that the last Government, of Fianna F\u00e1il, Fine Gael and the Green Party, signed up to a climate target in Europe that was unachievable. Where are the Greens today? They are not here. One Deputy is what is left. Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael, however, signed up to that unrealistic climate target which is putting everybody in this country now in the predicament that we are in.  The T\u00e1naiste was on the television yesterday saying that people are saying that the carbon tax cannot be abolished. Under the European ruling they agreed to, he is right. It cannot be abolished, but a fixed tax price can be achieved when we see what has been done in other countries. Let us look at Malta and Poland. All the European countries have a tax base doing different things from what we are doing. In Europe, it is said that it is necessary to charge the minimum amount of tax when it comes to energy. The Government is charging the maximum amount of tax because it is using a percentage model. Every time we get a shock in fuel costs, 50% of the price increase is tax. That is the Government's fault for putting that on the people of Ireland. If it applied a fixed price tax, running from budget to budget, it would have the same tax revenue from fuel that it had last year and the year before on a fixed tax price. If there were any increase, the person would have to pay that increased price, but it would be 50% less than what the Government is charging above \u20ac1.70.  I have been explaining this to the Government. I have talked to economists about this. I have talked to people in Europe about this. I was in Dublin Castle last week co-chairing an event as part of the European Presidency.  I spoke to other delegates who said it was common sense. Why can our Government not see that it could help everyone in this country by imposing a fixed tax price on petrol and diesel and a second measure for the agriculture industry which is producing food? There should be a no tax policy on that sector at a time of crisis. That is all I am asking. The Government cannot see that. It is putting everyone here at risk and into poverty. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion. The principle is very simple. If a company is making supernatural profits as a result of war and the design of the market, those profits should return to consumers. The profits are certainly there. Let us consider the ESB, which achieved some \u20ac440 million in pre-tax profits this year alone, an increase of \u20ac100 million. In the same breath, we learn that the salary of the chief executive of the ESB could rise by \u20ac161,000 - \u20ac90,000 of the pay rise has already been signed off on by the Government. The salary for one individual in the ESB could rise to \u20ac410,000. That is extraordinary. It is not just the ESB. Energia made profits of \u20ac70 million in a single quarter, an increase of 25%. Bord G\u00e1is made \u20ac50 million in six months. The profits are rolling across the sector. The salaries are rolling, in particular in the ESB.  We have an extraordinary situation whereby we have record profits at the top and record arrears at the bottom. Ordinary families at the bottom are suffering. One in seven households across this State are struggling with electricity bills. That tells us everything we need to know. It is absolutely scandalous that at the top of the chain we see supernatural profits. That is, in part, due to market design. The price of electricity is not set by the cost of making electricity. Rather, it is set by the most expensive plant in terms of the auction system and that is generally always gas. When the price of gas goes through the roof, wind farms and solar operators are paid the same sky-high price, even though the cost of wind and sun did not change and has not changed. That is the windfall we speak of. That is why we need to move to address it. It is no longer good enough to blame the European Union. We need to take measures ourselves. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  We know that some of the energy price rises are due to international factors beyond our control. It is a bit like a broken record at this stage. As my predecessor said, we know that because the electricity market operates on a system of marginal pricing and the most expensive form of power needed to meet demand at a given moment sets the price for 100% of the market. Right now, we know that is gas. I mentioned that our reliance on data centres and encouragement of them at a time when they are pushing up to almost maximum grid capacity means that will feed more gas into the system and everyone will pay a higher price as a result.  While data centres give a lot in local rates to county councils, they are still not paying their fair share. That is why I support the motion. There needs to be a dividend for hard-pressed consumers from companies making excessive super profits and the energy and electricity companies which, as others have mentioned, are making way too much at a time when everyone else is stuck to the pin of their collar. In that context, we need to be real.  I disagree with my Independent Ireland colleague who said the carbon targets are way above what we can actually meet. We should go even further and be a leader in Europe. We have that potential in terms of mass battery storage and conversion to green hydrogen and private wires, which I have been banging on about for years. We have the potential to be a net exporter of energy and gain huge revenue. We would then be able to get revenue from data companies because we would have spare capacity. We need massive investment, and borrow if we need to, in order to do that. Unfortunately, we do not have the vision. We are dealing with crisis management at a time when international factors are at play. We need to look at the bigger picture more quickly. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Cahill  There is no doubt that households and businesses are under enormous pressure from rising energy costs. Wholesale electricity prices increased by almost 10% in August alone, significantly higher than they were a year ago. The international situation, in particular the conflict in the Middle East, is having a direct impact on global energy markets and, ultimately, consumers in Ireland.  The Government has already put significant supports in place. The 9% VAT rate on gas and electricity has been extended. The fuel allowance has increased to \u20ac38 per week. Eligibility for the working family payment has been expanded. The fuel allowance season was extended by four weeks this year. There has also been substantial investment in energy efficiency. Budget 2026 provided a record \u20ac660 million for retrofitting, while more than 287,000 houses have received energy upgrades since 2019.  We cannot be complacent. The issue raised by the Social Democrats is a legitimate one. When energy companies are benefiting from extraordinary market conditions, we need to examine whether the State is capturing an appropriate share of these gains and whether they can be used to protect consumers. Ireland has already demonstrated that such mechanisms can raise significant revenue. The previous temporary solidarity contribution and market revenue cap raised a combined \u20ac456 million.  At the same time, we have to be careful about the design of any new measure. Ireland operates in the interconnected European electricity market and the position of the Government is that a co-ordinated EU approach would provide a more effective and level playing field than individual member states acting separately. As a Government backbench TD, I believe it is important that we continue to keep every available option under review, including mechanisms to address extraordinary profits where they arise. The national energy affordability task force is currently working on an energy affordability action plan and the Government has indicated that further decisions will also form part of the Government 2027 process. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  I too support the motion. Families across Ireland are at breaking point with the cost of fuel and all of the taxes. Households struggle to pay bills. There are higher energy costs and a carbon tax. It is an injustice. At a time when exceptional profits arise from extraordinary market conditions rather than increasing productivity or investment, it is reasonable that the State provides some kind of fair contribution to the ordinary people.  I live in the lush land of south Tipperary where we make Bulmers cider. My late father and many other farmers planted apples in the sixties. In October, or a day or two before, there would be a large windfall of apples. We picked the windfalls the day after as young boys and girls and brought a trailer of apples to Clonmel to make lovely cider. A windfall tax is only logical to put some money back in people's pockets and be reasonable.  Large data centres are using energy. Someone said they pay a lot of rates, and they do, but there is no fairness and balance. We need a windfall tax to bring back some fairness at a time when people make money from extraordinary events, rather than due to their own business acumen, productivity or anything else. The Government is raking it in with taxes. It is time to play fair with the Irish people, who are fair and fine people and want a modicum of support and respect. This is an ideal opportunity and is something the Government could do to put some money back in people's pockets. What is in their pockets is already spent. People will use their money wisely in the economy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta Whitmore agus leis na Daonlathaithe S\u00f3isialta as an r\u00fan seo a chur chun tosaigh. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 an-t\u00e1bhachtach go mb\u00edonn go leor cainte faoi ch\u00farsa\u00ed fuinnimh sa Teach seo. T\u00e1 a fhios ag an Aire St\u00e1it go bhfuil m\u00e9 an-ghn\u00f3thach sa r\u00e9imse seo.  I understand the intention and I thank Deputy Whitmore and the Social Democrats. Bringing this to the House is what we should be doing. We need to speak about everything to do with energy and what we can be doing. I know from listening to Deputy Whitmore at the committee that she is solution focused.  I welcome my engagement with the Minister and what the Independents are pushing for. We want lower bills and, of course, we also need to introduce an emergency measure that copies what we did in 2022, which is the right way to achieve that. From the negotiations, the legal basis on which the Minister of State is arguing needs to be examined.  We had the EU Commissioner in yesterday. I understand we must avoid unintended consequences for investment but we also need to look at other things we can do with taxation. I welcome my engagement with the Department and internally regarding energy in battery storage, plug-in solar and my Bill on private wires. I look forward to working with the Government in alleviating and allowing large energy users, LEUs, to supply their own energy more easily.  We need to look at energy sharing in communities and establishing more DSOs across the network and focus on how other countries have solved the problem. At present, we have an issue where we have one sheriff in town when we could have hundreds like Germany where there is a single person responsible who can say, \"This town needs more gas. This town needs more storage.\" We should have a single officer in those areas who can establish and lower the costs. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  I thank the Social Democrats for giving us the time to discuss this very important matter here this morning. The cost of electricity and fuel continues to increase and families are struggling to manage. Indeed, one in seven households is in arrears. Every day people are being encouraged by this Government, and indeed the previous one, to go electric but there is no regulation and no sign of the regulator at all and it has been mentioned here several times. Where has the regulator gone? Is it hiding? What is the matter?  These electricity companies are making massive profits on the backs of customers and the Government is directly responsible for ensuring that does not happen. Yes, the idea or notion of a windfall tax is grand and is going in the right way but companies should not be making this windfall because it is hurting many people. Government is advising people to go electric and is tempting them now to get rid of their boiler with a \u20ac2,000 grant but it is not telling them how much it will cost to put in the heat pump. How much will they get towards that?  Every day since Bord na M\u00f3na closed down, the cost of electricity has gone up, and the Government must recognise that. These so-called energy grants from the SEAI, such as the warmer homes scheme and the grant for those on fuel allowance, are taking a year and half to materialise. Then, the SEAI invariably comes back to tell people they will not qualify. That is very wrong, and the Minister of State is not addressing that, even though it has been raised here before.  The cost of electricity is exorbitant and the Government is letting the electricity companies get away with it. Where is the regulator? I am asking the Minister of State to find it and get it to do its job because people are being paralysed by the cost of electricity. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Albert Dolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Albert Dolan  I read in the Business Post that Europe has spent over \u20ac100 billion extra on energy this year since the start of the Iran War, and that is just in a European context. That is the amount of money that has been spent on energy, with no extra energy really delivered. That figure is just the increase in what Europeans have had to pay across the board. Somebody is definitely profiting, so there has to be consideration given to windfall taxes. Maybe that consideration has to be given at a European level, although I am not sure if that is the best way to implement it.  I want to briefly have a conversation this morning about what I am seeing on the ground in east Galway with solar developments. Solar has huge potential, and we have massive amounts of marginal land in the west of Ireland that could be used for solar. However, the problem is that the way in which these developers are engaging with communities is absolutely shocking. They are disrupting rural communities and are not having a fair engagement process.  I will give one example. In Lackagh, County Galway, a leaflet was recently dropped which proposed a 240-acre solar farm. There was subsequently a community engagement evening on the Wednesday night, where everyone met with the company and were told it would be going for planning in November and December but on the Friday, the company put up the planning notices, submitted the application and now that community has no idea what is going on. It had no consultation and no engagement. We need clear, solar planning guidelines for rural communities so that people know what it means, what is happening and that there is no unfair planning process imposed upon them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Christopher O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Christopher-O'Sullivan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Christopher-O'Sullivan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan)  I thank Deputies for raising these important matters and I welcome the opportunity to discuss the pressures households are facing as a result of high energy costs.  As has been clearly articulated by the International Energy Agency, this is a global problem which is causing significant price increases and disruption across the world. The Government is taking action to help households and businesses with the cost of fuel and energy, and it has been proactive in introducing support measures on fossil fuel costs and supports for the transport, farming and fisheries sectors. This is in addition to the range of measures in budget 2026 aimed at helping households with energy costs, which included extending the reduced VAT rate on gas and electricity; enhanced social protection payments; and record funding for SEAI retrofit schemes.  As outlined, there has been significant funding made available for retrofit schemes, and there has been an increased number of applications. The benefit of even simple upgrades like attic insulation and cavity wall or external wall insulation cannot be dismissed. They can improve the warmth and comfort of the home, while reducing energy costs at the same time. Yesterday, Government approval was granted to expand the range of supports we offer to households. These are new storage grants, which are now available, as well as easier pathways for warmer homes and households in RAS tenancies to access retrofitting supports. Every single one of these changes is designed to make it easier for more households to access retrofitting measures.  The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has engaged with energy suppliers and the energy regulator to ensure consumers, particularly vulnerable customers, are protected. The CRU has a wide range of protections in place for customers experiencing difficulties in paying their bills. Each year, the CRU carries out the a on effectiveness of customer protection measures over the past winter as well as deciding the measures to be retained for the forthcoming winter. Some of the key measures that remained in place in recent years included a disconnection moratorium, reduced debt repayments and discounted tariffs for customers on financial hardship meters. The CRU will publish measures in the coming weeks ahead of this winter. Anyone who is struggling with their bill is strongly encouraged to engage with their supplier. Suppliers will not disconnect customers who engage with them. It is also important to note that switching supplier or plan could save the average electricity customer hundreds of euro on annual electricity bills, and I strongly encourage consumers to seek out the best prices available.  With regard to high energy prices, there are structural factors that are relevant. Ireland is import-dependent for energy, making it particularly vulnerable for price volatility in the wholesale gas market. Ireland's isolated island location, low levels of interconnection, widely dispersed low density population and reliance on fossil fuels are also important price determinants.  Energy is central to every social and economic activity in Ireland but we remain too dependent on imported fossil fuels. The energy crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East highlights that we must reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels and develop our own energy security and strength. As an island nation with limited fossil fuel reserves, this means developing our own abundant renewable energy resources and deepening our interconnection with trusted European peers. The national energy affordability task force has been established by Government to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses, while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability.  The first report of the task force published last November set out measures for consideration in the budget 2026 process. The task force is working intensively on an energy affordability action plan which will be submitted to Government in the coming weeks. The energy affordability action plan includes the identification of measures such as a market revenue cap, which in a previous form was based on the 2022 EU Council Regulation 2022\/1854, while recognising we have not experienced the extreme price escalation that followed the Russian invasion of Ukraine and our EU partners have not introduced either a market revenue cap or a temporary solidarity contribution.  Ireland will engage constructively on the development of proposals from the Commission on a potential EU-wide windfall tax or levy if such proposals are brought forward.  Governments across Europe are rightly attentive to developments in energy markets and their impact on households, businesses and the wider economy. The topic of windfall taxes was discussed by ministers at the recent informal ECOFIN meeting in Dublin. The Commission took note of the discussions and was asked to report back to ministers at the October meeting. The Government will continue to actively monitor the current geopolitical situation and the impact on energy markets and remains ready to respond as circumstances evolve. The best long-term approach for Ireland to insulate consumers from volatility on international wholesale energy markets is to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Cutting our dependence on fossil fuels and generating power from our renewable energy sources will ensure a cleaner, cheaper energy future in the longer term.  There has been a lot of constructive debate around solar in particular. I know the Social Democrats, and Deputy Whitmore in particular, are quite passionate about it. Solar is a key aspect of how we can reduce emissions, reduce costs for households and help business to survive. I will touch on the challenge the farming sector in particular has experienced in relation to access to the TAMS grant. Thousands of farmers across Ireland are more than willing to put rooftop solar on their farm buildings with the intention of reducing their emissions, but just as important for them is reducing the costs of farming and doing business. This was a clear feature over the summer and many farmer lobby groups want greater access to solar for farmers. I would of course love to see it in budget 2027. Apparently, around 90% of farmers who sought TAMS support to install solar on their rooftops were turned down. That needs to be investigated for our farming sector, which plays such a key role in food security, rural business and keeping rural economies going. Clearly, they want to play their part. I wanted to make that comment because solar featured prominently in a lot of the contributions.  I thank Deputies from across the House for their contributions. However, I do not accept the motion and I push the Government's countermotion in its place. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  I thank my colleague, Deputy Whitmore, for leading on this Private Members' business and for all the work she does in this area. I also thank everyone who contributed to the debate.  I find the Minister of State's contribution and the position of the Government extraordinary. The Government keeps saying this is up to the European Union and if something comes from the Commission, the Irish Government will look at it and so forth. That is despite, as has been pointed out, the Commissioner saying the Commission will not do this but countries can do it themselves and bring forward proposals in accordance with EU law. The Government has been putting the ball into the EU's court, the EU has kicked it back and the Government is left with no response at all. The responsibility is clearly on the Irish Government to do something. This happens on a lot of issues, in that the Government does not act and says instead that the European Union might do something or the European Union is stopping us from doing it. That is irresponsible because, ultimately, that kind of narrative can lead to growing Euroscepticism, which we should all push strongly back against.  On what the Minister of State said about solar, if one goes to farms in other countries, on every single farm building one will see solar. What is it other European countries have that we do not have which enables them to do this? Perhaps strong political leadership is the missing thing. I do not think it is the farmers. Irish farmers are as supportive of renewables and pushing solar as any other area, as the Minister of State acknowledged.  We are talking here about super-profits and extra profits - profits that were never anticipated or expected. A windfall tax on profits that were never expected or anticipated is an entirely just proposition. We would claw back those profits for measures such rolling out more solar and helping people on lower incomes and farmers in rural areas transition to more renewables, which are really good objectives. This would create more funding for that. It would also have the effect of creating an incentive for energy companies to push down their prices because if they know their excess profits will be clawed back by the State, they will not have an incentive for higher profits. There is no justification at all for the Government's inaction on this. It is a constructive proposal. It has been done before. It can and should be done. We urge the Government at this late stage to adopt our proposal for this windfall tax. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aidan Farrelly  I thank my colleague Deputy Whitmore for her excellent work on this. As an overall summary, having sat here for the entire debate, the contempt and disrespect shown by the Government benches with regard to a fully costed and evidenced proposal is quite baffling. The Minister of State just said he encourages people to talk to their suppliers as if that will achieve something, while the CEOs are sitting there laughing at us with the profits they are making. It is just baffling.  There is a perception that this Government continues to pick the wrong side, namely, the side of big business, profits and greed, all at the expense of the taxpayer. The merits of the motion are clear and simple and would do untold good for the hundreds of thousands of people in energy arrears and the people now facing into another winter of choosing whether to eat or heat while providers sit back and laugh at us. The Government has to pick a different side now. The Minister of State can list off the record levels of investment in social protection, the fivers here and tenners there that leave no legacy or the free school this and free school that. That is simply giving people back their money while, simultaneously, the Government chooses to muddy the waters with referrals to the EU just to keep telling itself it is on the side of people. In parallel, the Government gives the sly nod to CEOs of energy and grocery companies, pension funds, data centres and developers. It is a case of \"Do not worry lads; we will sort you out\". The social contract I was raised with promised me that if I worked hard, put my head down and contributed positively to my community, I would be able to provide the basics for me and my family - to heat and eat. The Government has rewritten that social contract without telling anybody because all of that does not matter any more.  I have visions of the Government telling itself in Cabinet that it should put the squeeze on now so it can give it back ahead of the next election, that is should pull the plaster now and ignore the reality at a time of record budgetary surplus because it thinks it will pay off in the long run as it drip-feeds announcements of minimal increases in years four and five of this cycle. This will then appear to show the people that the Government is listening to them on the problems it itself has created. It is clear the Government has already picked its side. It will knock on the doors, go on the radio and television and say all the rights things, only to do the opposite the minute it has a portfolio to protect or a CEO to impress. \"We cannot do it all in one budget\", it will say. If it picked the side of the people who are scared to turn on the heating, plug in the heater, light a fire or get a fill of oil, who cannot afford to install solar and who go around the shop with a calculator in their hands, desperately concerned about going over budget while international supermarket chains lap up windfall profits. If the Government picked the side of those people and chose to do good instead of waiting, this proposal would be considered. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  We are entering into a winter of discontent. Life has never been so expensive, whether it is electricity, gas, home heating oil, fuel or groceries. People are struggling to keep their heads above water.  I am particularly supportive of the solar measures that are being brought in but they are clearly not enough. More has to be done.  This is not just about energy. I think this is what the Minister of State is missing. It is not just about costs. This is about fairness. The Irish people have an innate appreciation of fairness. If they believe something is not fair, it really goes against the grain. What we are seeing here is that the Government's approach is not fair. People are struggling. An elderly man in my constituency has been threatened with disconnection. I raised his issue in the D\u00e1il yesterday. It is not fair that he is going through that and at the same time we have large energy corporations the Government is refusing to tax properly. It is not just the normal taxation, they are making super profits, extraordinary profits that they could never have envisaged, and the Government is refusing to ask them to play their part, to do their bit, yet it expects individuals to do it.  When we have fuel protests and people are lined up on the roads again, the Minister of State must understand that is actually at the core of what is happening. People know that this Government is prioritising large corporates - large energy companies and data centres - and that they are the ones who are making money and the people who are suffering, who are being disadvantaged, and who are bearing the brunt of the energy crises that they have no part in are individuals, lone parents, retirees and pensioners. They are people who are really struggling and they need to know that this Government has their back; that it will support them and it will bring a level of fairness into this debate.  Instead of saying the EU has ruled out an EU-wide energy windfall tax, which is what has happened, or saying the Government agrees with this motion, it will support it and it will bring in a national windfall tax so that no one - no corporation, no large entity, no large business - is essentially making money off the backs of people who cannot afford it, it is closing its eyes to it. From a social solidarity and cohesiveness perspective, it is making a huge mistake. People need support. They need the Government to have their back and it does not have it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Is the amendment agreed to? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputies  It is not agreed. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time this evening. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar fionra\u00ed ar 11.54 a.m. agus cuireadh t\u00fas leis ar\u00eds ar 12 me\u00e1n lae. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Sitting suspended at 11.54 a.m. and resumed at 12 noon. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Windfall Tax on the Excess Profits of Energy Companies: Motion [Private Members]"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_9","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions","counts":{"speechCount":29,"speakerCount":6},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_9","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  T\u00e1 tuismitheoir\u00ed tr\u00edna ch\u00e9ile mar gheall ar an gcur chuige at\u00e1 beartaithe don fhiosr\u00fa ar Shl\u00e1inte Leana\u00ed \u00c9ireann. N\u00ed m\u00f3r don Rialtas gn\u00edomh\u00fa chun dul i ngleic lena gcuid imn\u00ed agus chun a chinnti\u00fa go bhfaigheann an fiosr\u00fach\u00e1n na freagra\u00ed at\u00e1 de dh\u00edth.  For years, we have heard the harrowing stories of children with scoliosis and spina bifida; children who were failed catastrophically by Children's Health Ireland, CHI, and by the health system prior to the establishment of that organisation, left waiting for operations that could change their lives, living with the fear of becoming inoperable; children who had their hips operated on unnecessarily. They were profoundly failed by the State and successive Governments.  Parents have fought a long and hard battle for answers. They fought for accountability, and yet they were stonewalled at every turn. It took the death of nine-year-old Harvey Morrison Sherratt for the Government to move on an inquiry. Following meetings with Harvey's parents, Gillian and Stephen, the T\u00e1naiste, Simon Harris, and the health Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, promised an inquiry that would be child centred to provide parents with answers and to deliver accountability.  On Monday, Remy Farrell published his report on CHI and the recommendations for that proposed inquiry and parents feel that they still have not been heard. They are back to square one. They are angry because the period to be covered by the inquiry will have a starting point of 1 January 2019, but the failures of children did not begin on that date. Indeed, they long predated the establishment of CHI.  In fact, Simon Harris made his now infamous promise back in 2017 because at that stage we already had a crisis. He said at that time that no child would wait longer than four months for spinal surgery. Of course, that promise came to nothing and meant nothing as children continued to suffer, so it is not acceptable that an examination of those early years would be excluded from the inquiry because it means that people who are now adults and suffered greatly as children while waiting for treatment before 2019 will be deliberately cut out of that inquiry. That is just wrong.  Parents are also upset that there will not be a detailed investigation into individual circumstances and the treatment of affected children. Instead, the focus will be exclusively on systemic problems. So, the question is: how will this inquiry provide parents with the truth about how their child was failed? For this inquiry to have the confidence of parents, it has to be a process that identifies all failures, including individual failures.  There is also real concern that the majority of the proposed commission of investigation will be held behind closed doors. Of course, some parents will want to give their testimony in private and that has to be respected and accommodated, but remember, many parents are done with closed doors. They were forced to share their children's suffering very publicly, so they want to give their testimony in public, and they want the accountability to be public too.  Does the Taoiseach understand why parents feel so badly let down? Does he recognise and accept that the starting point of 1 January 2019 is totally wrong? Can he tell parents today what he will now do to ensure that this inquiry provides them with the answers they need? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First, I would like to offer my deep condolences and those of the Government and the entire team here at the Oireachtas on last night's very sad passing of our colleague and friend Seamus Carroll, husband of another colleague, Treasa Carroll. Seamus was a very respected member of the usher team and there will be a strong sense of shock and upset among the team throughout the House today. We think of him and pray for him, Treasa and his entire family at this very sad time. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a anam d\u00edlis.  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta as an gceist seo a ard\u00fa os comhair na D\u00e1la inniu. Aonta\u00edm l\u00e9i go bhfuil g\u00e9argh\u00e1 ann fiosr\u00fa cuimsitheach a chur i bhfeidhm agus a thos\u00fa maidir leis an m\u00e9id a tharla laistigh de CHI chun soil\u00e9iri\u00fa a fh\u00e1il ar an gceist ioml\u00e1n. First, I agree that we need a statutory inquiry in relation to the pediatric services at CHI and particularly following the scoping report, Report on Children\u2019s Health Ireland Inquiry into Spina Bifida and Complex Scoliosis Scoping Exercise, that the Government and the Minister, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, published on 29 September.  The issues are very serious, and the parents and many others have strongly advocated for an inquiry. My view is that Remy Farrell SC did a comprehensive piece of work in respect of the scoping inquiry. Officials in the Department of Health will now work closely with the Office of the Attorney General on drafting the terms of reference. There will be a call for input from advocacy groups to the terms of reference, and the final terms of reference will then be submitted to the Government for approval.  In respect of a number of issues the Deputy has raised, as she knows, Mr. Farrell recommends a commission of investigation, which is statutory and mandatory and has compellability and all of the core requirements of a statutory public inquiry as per the Act. He has defined four modules: waiting lists, spinal surgery, hip dysplasia and the cohort of children who were not transferred to Temple Street post 2008. There are then two submodules recommended for the module on waiting lists: a personal family statement module and a module on the response of CHI management to waiting list issues.  Mr. Farrell also recommends that the commission inquire into whether the management of CHI was aware of the use or intended use of the non-CE marked springs and surgeries undertaken at Temple Street by consultant A between 2020 and 2022. There is further work in terms of the hip dysplasia and, as I said, children who were not transferred to Temple Street.  One important point is that a commission model can deliver the same core statutory powers as a tribunal and is arguably better suited to the specific subject matter of the inquiry, namely the medical treatment of children. The commission can compel witnesses and the production of documents and will obviously publish a final report.  Mr. Farrell came to his conclusions based on the personal and medical information of children. He feels that this model is the optimum model to handle sensitively the personal and medical information of children. He is concerned, as I would be, about the significant risk that children may be identifiable.  Of course, within a commission of inquiry, there is the capacity for public modules, and that is an area where the chairperson clearly has significant discretion. The chairperson could also have discretion in respect of any issues that arise during the course of the discussion that would have a more historical context, pre-2019. That discretion can be provided expressly to the chairperson to utilise his or her discretion to go back. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  I too send our best wishes and solidarity to Treasa and all of Seamus's family on his sad loss. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a anam d\u00edlis.  I spoke to Harvey Morrison Sherratt's mother, Gillian, this morning. This is what she said as regards what is proposed: \"It's so far removed from what we were promised and expected that we feel like we're back at day one.\" That is really worrying and it reflects the reaction of many parents. We need to get to grips with this. I am not questioning the essential model that is proposed. I have questioned the Taoiseach specifically on its point of departure. I have put it to him that 1 January 2019 is not the correct date because these problems, issues and really negative experiences, as well as the promises that were made to parents and children, predate 2019. Why in the name of goodness would the Government take that as its point of departure? In the terms of reference, that needs to be corrected. Second, we need explicit recognition that this will be a public process except where parents choose or wish to give testimony in private. Those are just two core issues, among others, that parents are advocating for. Above all else, this inquiry has to, I am sure the Taoiseach will agree, enjoy the full confidence of those parents and families. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Mr. Farrell has said, and I would agree with this from experience, that inquiries work best when they have a defined scope and time. Any inquiry that is absolutely open-ended or has very broad terms of reference can go on for a very long time and I do not believe that is in the interests of the parents, families or children involved. That is why he suggested 2019 to 2025, inclusive, with 2019 marking the establishment of CHI. It is a six-year period. As I said earlier, discretion will be there for the chairperson if issues arise that predate 2019. The chairperson will have discretion to go back and look at those issues. Again, as I said, there will be a call for public input into this and the Minister will continue to engage. There is an issue here. If it is a statutory public inquiry as per the 1921 Act, there is a danger that some may not participate. Quite a number of parents may not want their children to be publicly identified. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  You should conclude, Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  I have acknowledged that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I just----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  That has been acknowledged. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  That is why we opted for a commission----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  The year 2019 is the wrong date. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  On 2019, what I am saying is that the chairperson will be given sole discretion to go beyond or back from that date as issues arise. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  At the outset, on behalf of the Social Democrats, I want to extend our very sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Seamus Carroll and his wife, Treasa. Seamus was someone who, when you met him, you were always left with a smile on your face afterwards. He was a very kind, lovely man and he will be very much missed by all of us.  N\u00ed ceart go mbeadh pinsin\u00e9ir\u00ed na t\u00edre seo i ngreim ag an eagla mar gheall go bhfuil costas r\u00f3-ard ar an teas ina dtithe. N\u00ed c\u00f3ir go mbeadh c\u00fais imn\u00ed ag pinsin\u00e9ir\u00ed na t\u00edre seo agus iad ag t\u00e9amh a dtithe n\u00f3 ag cur bia ar an mbord, go h\u00e1irithe tar \u00e9is an uaf\u00e1is at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta acu don t\u00edr seo. We are all beginning to wonder what the point of budget day is given that most of the details have been liberally and very publicly leaked in the media. Throughout this torrent of leaks, one detail has remained notably consistent, that pensioners can only expect to see a \u20ac7.50 weekly increase in their pensions. That would be a paltry increase which does not even keep pace with inflation. It would tip a huge number of older people, many of whom are already barely scraping by, into poverty. A \u20ac7.50 increase would be a clear betrayal of pensioners by both Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael. During the last election, Fianna F\u00e1il and its coalition partners made a firm commitment to increase the State pension to \u20ac350 per week over the lifetime of the Government. Fianna F\u00e1il went even further and said that it would increase core social welfare payments by at least \u20ac12 per week every year. Does the Taoiseach not realise that pensioners are relying on him to keep his word? The Government broke its promise at the first available opportunity when pensions last year were only increased by \u20ac10, and now it looks like it will be betraying pensioners again.  I have been contacted by a huge number of pensioners who are very anxious and upset at what has been reported. They are already finding things very hard. The price of their food shop is going up every other week and their energy bills are through the roof. Many are living in fear of the coming winter because they have no idea how they are going to keep themselves warm. Their budgets are already stretched to the limit and now the Government is preparing to deal them another hammer blow. Pensioners who have worked hard all their lives should be enjoying their retirement. They should not be lying awake at night worrying about how to pay their grocery bills. An increase of \u20ac7.50 would be a betrayal and an insult. This Government has announced nearly every other measure in the budget. Can the Taoiseach now confirm that the Government will not short-change pensioners and will it increase pensions by at least \u20ac15 a week? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta. Is l\u00e9ir \u00f3n m\u00e9id at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta againn go dt\u00ed seo an bhliain seo caite agus na blianta roimhe sin go bhfuilimid s\u00e1sta mar Rialtas an-chuid taca\u00edocht agus cabhair a thabhairt do phinsin\u00e9ir\u00ed na t\u00edre seo i ngach aon tsl\u00ed is f\u00e9idir linn. T\u00e1imid chun \u00e9 sin a dh\u00e9anamh ar\u00eds sa bhuis\u00e9ad at\u00e1 le teacht. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 suimi\u00fail go bhfuil an Teachta ag l\u00e9amh na bp\u00e1ip\u00e9ar nuacht\u00e1in l\u00e1 i ndiaidh lae. Caithfidh s\u00e9 a bheith amhrasach chomh maith. The Deputy should not believe everything he reads in the newspapers or hang his hat on every report. The reports in respect of the old-age pension, I suggest, may not be accurate at all. I worry about the Deputy's decrying of commentary on the budget or briefings and leakage because he was once a person who advocated very strongly for full transparency from the Government in relation to all measures under consideration. I jest.  There will be a lot of briefing, as there always is before budgets, and speculation and so on but the bottom line is that we are conscious of the cost of living. We are conscious of the impact on a whole range of people. If you look at the social protection budget over the last number of years, it has grown exponentially. We are close to a budget of \u20ac2 billion. Last year we concentrated on the carer's disregard and the \u20ac10 increase in the old-age pension was well above inflation. We also did significant work on child support payments to deal with child poverty. We saw the largest increases on record there, and in the back-to-school clothing allowances. We also extended the free fuel. The Minister is looking at other ways, in addition to the pension, of helping pensioners in the forthcoming budget. He will be bringing forward proposals in that regard on budget day.  What I would say to the Deputy is, do not believe the reports in the newspapers in respect of pensions because they may not turn out to be accurate. Outside of the pensions, other supports that we introduce through social protection, and through taxation for some pensioners, will be very beneficial to them. We believe strongly in a strong social safety network. We believe strongly in supporting pensioners and over the last six years we have demonstrated that in successive budgets the last Government and this Government have introduced. If you compare our social protection budget with those of comparable member states across the European Union, you will find that we are up there in the top tier of social welfare distribution, the GNI co-efficient and so on. We have a good story to tell in respect of that as a country. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  The leaks on the budget are not coming from the Opposition. They are coming from the Government. Where does the Taoiseach think they are coming from? Where does he think those headlines came from? They have pensioners worried sick. Is this just some sort of cynical ploy to manage expectations so that if it the increase is more than \u20ac7.50, people are meant to be grateful, even though the Government is breaking its promise of \u20ac12? Specifically on the promise that Fianna F\u00e1il gave in the last election, I have the election manifesto here. Does the Taoiseach remember it? It gave, in black and white, a commitment to pensioners of at least a \u20ac12 increase in their pension every year that Fianna F\u00e1il is in government.  That is the commitment the Taoiseach gave. He broke it last year. Does he understand that pensioners are relying on him to keep his word? It is not a laughing matter. People are worried sick about how they will make ends meet. Is the Taoiseach going to stick to his word and give a \u20ac12 increase, or will he do better by doing what the Social Democrats are proposing, which is to give a \u20ac15 increase to pensioners, as provided for in our alternative budget? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First, we recognise the enormous pressure on families and pensioners because of the cost-of-living crisis, which was fundamentally brought about by two major wars, namely, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the 2026 Middle East conflict between the United States and Iran, which really has caused ripples across the entire world in terms of energy prices and knock-on effects on the cost of living.  Last year, we took very significant measures in the budget to protect the most vulnerable, including pensioners, and we will do similarly in the forthcoming budget next week. That is across the board in terms of interventions we have made on energy, which benefit pensioners, by the way, just as they do other sectors of the economy, in terms of the core pension itself and in the form of other measures that affect pensioners. We fully understand that they are under pressure, but the entirety of society, particularly low-income groups, is also under a lot of pressure because of the crisis. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  Are you going to stick to your word and give a \u20ac12 increase? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We will fulfil the programme for Government over the lifetime of this Government. Of that there is no doubt. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  Will you stick to your word? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I did not interrupt the Deputy and he should not be interrupting me. There is a very set protocol in here.  The bottom line is this: the Deputy should not be depending on speculation. Budget day will reveal the full intent of the Government's contribution. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  Yesterday, the Taoiseach said he was not going to intervene in the Garvaghy Road-Drumcree stand-off, which is potentially set to escalate again this weekend. He dismissed suggestions that he should call on the British Government, the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and, indeed, the PSNI to stop a triumphalist sectarian Orange Order march going down the Garvaghy Road. I ask him to reconsider that non-interventionist position. I want him to ask himself what kind of mentality or ideology would lead Orangemen to want to march through a mostly Catholic area, where they are not wanted and where that march is going to evoke the trauma and memories of more than 21 people being killed, including the Quinn children, Robert Hamill, Rosemary Nelson and many more. The answer is that it is an ideology and mentality of supremacism and the dehumanisation of one section of the population based on their religion.  I put it to the Taoiseach that it is a mentality and ideology very similar to the one on display from, and being led by, Yoseph Haddad, the mouthpiece for the Israeli regime, in the football stadium in Hungary, where he encouraged chants for the IDF, the people who are carrying out a genocide against the Palestinians, and taunting Irish players with racist abuse. It is a similar supremacist and dehumanising ideology and it leads to death and destruction. It is no coincidence that when I went up to Drumcree eight or nine days ago, before all this started, the community centre there was covered in banners in solidarity with Palestine. That is because the people of the Garvaghy Road understand the connection between the dehumanisation they suffer and how colonialism was based on dividing people on religious grounds, setting Catholic against Protestant just like the Zionist movement set Muslim against Christian and Jew, with all the horrific violence that has flowed from that.  It seems to me that as the leader of a country that has suffered colonialism, oppression and all of the divide-and-rule tactics that led to terrible things here, including the Penal Laws, the so-called Famine - in actuality, mass starvation of the population - and all of that, the Taoiseach has a responsibility to stand up against supremacism and the dehumanisation of a section of the population and to call for this march to be stopped because it is a sectarian, supremacist march. He might also intervene to stop Ireland's next match against Israel because we should not be playing against a regime guilty of genocide. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First, the Deputy's presentation of what I articulated here yesterday is wrong. I did not say I was not going to intervene in anything. Describing my position as a non-interventionist approach is wrong; it is false. Of course, he has to present his argument in that way to justify his subsequent comments. All political leaders - all of us - have an obligation in terms of this issue to be careful of what we say and how we say it if we want a resolution of it.  I do not accept the Deputy's comparison of what is happening in Gaza to the Northern Ireland of today. The situations are incomparable. The deprivation, the attacks, the killing of 75,000 people in Gaza, the continued stymying of aid going into Gaza - how can he compare that to what is happening in Northern Ireland today? There is no comparison. It is just ridiculous to make that comparison.  Northern Ireland has come a long way since the Good Friday Agreement, in which my party and others were centrally involved. Parity of esteem and respect for different traditions were the hallmark of that agreement. Many parades are held across Northern Ireland without any issues through local agreements and mediation between people who work and live together. The shared island initiative is breaking new ground in terms of connectivity between North and South, joint projects and programmes between different communities in music, biodiversity, climate and prevention of violence against women - the whole range of programmes we are now funding, with buy-in from all communities and all traditions.  What I said yesterday was that one single intervention cannot resolve this issue. We have to resolve it through a broader lens if we are serious about a future where different traditions can live together on this island and share the island in a reconciled way. Deputy Boyd Barrett has never publicly condemned Hamas for what happened on 7 October 2023. That is his view of life. Equally, he has referenced the PSNI in a negative way today. I want to pay tribute to the PSNI and to the Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher, for the manner in which he is managing this and trying to navigate it. The PSNI has been placed in a very difficult position. Part of the reform under the Good Friday Agreement was to have greater cross-community participation in the PSNI. There is a growing sense of \"let's attack the PSNI and undermine the Patten reforms\". We have to work to enhance the Patten reforms and ensure the PSNI continues on its journey of being truly cross-community in membership and so on. Progress has been made, but what I have witnessed and listened to in the past four or five days from quite a number of interlocutors is an attempt to undermine that process. We need to be very careful about that because it will end up in a very negative spiral into the future.  The Minister for foreign affairs met with the Secretary of State last evening. There was a series of exploratory talks between various groups and so on. Those talks will continue today. We have made very clear our view on the position of the Parades Commission. We do not agree with that decision, which is incomprehensible. However, we must now focus on a resolution, and talks are ongoing in that respect. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  The scale of horror visited on the Palestinians certainly is of a different order. I do not have time to go into the history but saying there is no connection means the Taoiseach needs to look back at the history. After subjugating people in Ireland, the leaders of the Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries were sent straight to Palestine. In 1936, the Governor General of Jerusalem, when asked why he was backing Zionism, said it was because he wanted to create \"a little loyal Jewish Ulster\" in the Middle East. The British exported the model they had used to subjugate and divide Catholic and Protestant in Ireland to do the same in Palestine, with horrific consequences. By the way, it is no coincidence that DUP MP Carla Lockhart was standing out with masked men protesting against a Gaza peace march.  As for Jon Boutcher and the PSNI, how come he had already recruited 200 Scottish police officers last Monday or Tuesday week to come to the Garvaghy Road when, at the same time, he was telling the Parades Commission there would not be a public order consequence if the Orange Order march went down the Garvaghy Road? That suggests that Jon Boutcher misled the Parades Commission, with the consequences we are now facing of a stand-off. The Taoiseach needs to stand up against supremacism and an ideology that is about trying to drag the North back to violent conflict and he should speak up against the genocidal horror of the Israeli regime as well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I agree with the Deputy that we cannot go into history but the Black and Tan model did not work in Ireland. Coming from the county of Cork I know that too well from my history.  In respect of Jon Boutcher and the PSNI, his primary objective, which he articulated with great clarity, was that no person would be injured as a result of what transpired over the last number of days from the decisions made by the Parades Commission onwards. That should be acknowledged. The Deputy talks about supremacy. If you speak to the victims of 30 years of violence, what happened in 30 years on this island was horrific. The activities of the Provisional IRA, the Ulster Volunteer Force and paramilitaries from the loyalist side were horrific. He led an inquiry called Kenova. The victims of all of that violence spoke about his integrity, his inclusiveness and the degree to which he responded to the victims and the families of the victims. The Deputy can try to demonise the individual if he likes but I am not going to do that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  I am just asking a question. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We need a bit of honesty here if we are going to make any way forward and stop retreating always on all sides, including the Deputy's contribution just now. That will not achieve anything into the future. It fits an ideological frame, but it does not deal with the realities of the here and now and how we move forward. If we want a united Ireland in the future, we have to begin to articulate what that looks like and how we include people. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  I also extend my sincere condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of the late Seamus Carroll and especially his wife, Treasa.  Last Sunday, a dignified protest was held across all Twenty-six Counties by women and men seeking a transparent, trauma-informed and trustworthy family court system. Those involved walked a mile in solidarity with people affected by ongoing failures in this deeply flawed system to highlight the damage that has been and is currently being done to children in particular. In some cases, children's shoes were left outside courthouses as a symbol of who is affected most. This is not a legacy issue of abuse. It is one that is ongoing and still hurting children and parents, especially but not exclusively women.  The Taoiseach may be aware of this grassroots campaign. It is called Walk in Our Shoes, and today a group is walking peacefully from the Four Courts to outside these Houses of the Oireachtas. They are walking right now, as far as I understand. They are doing it because the system is not fit for purpose, whether it is the in-camera rule, which allows bad decision-making to be brushed aside, or the over-reliance on so-called experts, some of whom appear to act as paid shills or devotees of a cult rather than focusing on putting the voice of the child first. We then have historical failures by Tusla, which are still going on all over the place. Most recently, we had appalling abuses over 12 years where a proper investigation did not take place because of an over-reliance on cultural sensitivities, among other things.  We had a very good debate last April on my Private Members' motion which called on the Government to replace this outdated, blanket in-camera rule with a controlled transparency framework, while implementing strict regulations on court-appointed experts and strengthening statutory oversight of Tusla. I mentioned that the current in-camera rule forces child custody access and childcare proceedings to happen behind closed doors. It creates a culture of silence that disempowers vulnerable parents and also masks the systemic under-resourcing, groupthink and poor decision-making that go on. This lack of scrutiny has led to so many children being exposed to emotional harm. Some who are now over the age of 18 are telling their stories but some are still in the system. While Ireland delays its own 2025 review recommendations, we now have jurisdictions like England and Wales, and the pilot in Northern Ireland, where they have transitioned to controlled transparency. Where the in-camera rule has gone, the assumption is that bloggers and journalists can report while also protecting the anonymity of children. We have had meetings with the Minister for justice. Guidelines have been promised on these so-called experts in the court that judges hugely rely on. However, I am worried that we are not going fast enough and that children are still going to be systemically abused because a light is not being shone on poor decisions and in some cases corrupt ones. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. There is no simple answer or response to this. I would have concerns about removing the in-camera rule in the children's court, which the Deputy has advocated for. We always have to protect children and it has to be our first priority in situations like this. That said, we should also be responsive to concerns parents and families may have about how the court system and the children's court work. We are open to engaging with advocates in that respect. There is a need for regulation around court-appointed experts who make submissions. I am aware of some cases that were very negatively impacted as a result of the inputs of some so-called experts, particularly in child custody cases. There have to be sufficient and effective safeguards for that.  We are improving resourcing of our children's court and will continue to do that. I will bring the issues the Deputy has raised to the attention again of the Minister. I know there was a Private Members' debate earlier this year. It is somewhat complex. The Deputy spoke about what he described as the historical failures of Tusla. I tend to take a different perspective on Tusla. It does not do everything perfectly in some respects but without question, if we take State agencies generally, it has probably one of the most complex, sensitive and difficult breadth of issues on its desk. These are not easily resolved and that should be acknowledged. That does not excuse any bad behaviour or poor performance but we have to look at it overall and we have to recruit more people into Tusla. We have to make sure that people in Tusla can reach their objectives of wanting to contribute to society effectively as professionals. I think the desire of the vast majority of people working in Tusla is to provide a good service to children and young people. It is not an easy area to come down on hard and fast. I am not saying the Deputy is suggesting that sort of methodology or approach to dealing with issues. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  The Taoiseach mentioned Tusla. I would be the first to say there are many great people working in Tusla who deserve commendation. Tusla needs to be resourced better and it also needs greater scrutiny, as has been mentioned by other Members of these Houses in various contexts.  I am concerned that the Taoiseach is concerned about the abolition of the in-camera rule because we have to look at best practice. A number of pilot studies were done in the UK. After these, when the abolition was rolled out, it was found that no harm was caused to children and there were no breaches of anonymity. By being able to report, it shines a light on the decision-making process and puts more scrutiny. In any situation where a light is shone on something, it makes people think twice, even in terms of the media reporting on the Houses of the Oireachtas and this debate being televised. Scrutiny is needed at all stages. Groups like the Alliance of Birth Mothers Campaigning for Justice, the Right to Transparency and the Walk in Our Shoes campaign are consistently advocating for this reform because they see every single day in the courts where children are being hurt. We need to review this and look seriously at how the English and Welsh court systems have moved forward. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I will refer the Deputy's comments to the Minister. My instincts are to protect the child at all costs. We should never underestimate the impacts of trauma on a child at an early age in terms of the child's subsequent life journey and that would be my concern. I will be honest with the Deputy and say that I am not aware of the evaluation of the systems in the UK. I am open to looking at that but we need to remember that trauma can have a longer term impact on children. I will discuss this with the Minister for justice and ask him to come back to the Deputy on it. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_10","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 na Comhalta\u00ed Eile - Other Members\u2019 Questions","counts":{"speechCount":31,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_10","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  I want to express my condolences on the sad passing of a wonderful friend, Seamus Carroll. He was a true gentleman and there is a sense of gloom around the House this morning. I wish his wife and family all the very best.  I also want to mention iarchomhairleoir Seamus O'Donnell from Contae Phort L\u00e1irge.  The Chief Whip would have known him and worked with him for many years. He was a special, dedicated, hard-working county councillor for the ten years he spent on Waterford City and County Council. He was a community activist. Gaeilge was a big love as well as many other issues. Serving people and his community was his motto. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a anam d\u00edlis for both men.  As we approach another budget, families, workers, farmers, hauliers and a lot of small business people \u2013 nearly everyone \u2013 are really frustrated with the Government\u2019s approach to helping people in this crisis. Following the fuel protests and growing public anger, the Government introduced limited temporary measures. They were welcomed by the people but now when we see the price of diesel again at \u20ac2.20, and even \u20ac2.30 in places, they are like snow off a ditch. They are gone and there is no impact at all from them. The reality is fuel is not a luxury. It is a necessity. Workers need to get to work. Farmers need machinery to plough and till their lands and provide food, which is really important, and have vehicles to operate. Carers need to visit vulnerable people. Small businesses are squeezed to the limit. The cost of transport is just crippling everybody. Above all, there is the home heating oil. Pensioners and ordinary families are trying to fill their tanks at double the price of last year and worse. It is really unthinkable.  The Government continues to pile costs onto motorists through carbon taxes while taking an enormous share of the profit paid at the pump. We must look at that figure. Where a litre of fuel costs \u20ac2.15, the Taoiseach\u2019s Government is taking approximately 91 cent from every litre through excise duty, carbon tax levies and VAT. He has his hand in the people\u2019s pockets every day of the week - himself and the T\u00e1naiste, Simon Harris. It is time he took it out of it and gave fair play to the people. Fair play is fine play with me. They need fair play. They do not want fine play but they need fair play. They need to be respected here in the crisis they are in, especially in rural Ireland when we do not have public transport. Cars and vans are a necessity, not a luxury. They have to have them. The Taoiseach\u2019s obsession, when he was in government with the Green Party, with the carbon tax and everything else has to be rethought, re-examined and totally stopped for the present time to have further evaluation because the money, or an awful lot of it, is not going back into retrofitting, as I have pointed out here before.  Does the Taoiseach accept that the carbon tax must be halted rather than increased and that we must give meaningful supports? Talk in the media of \u20ac7.50 for pensioners is not acceptable. They need a decent modicum of a respectable increase to allow them to have a modicum of living that should be available to them and is not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. As I said earlier, we are in the midst of a very significant cost-of-living issue because of two major wars, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the war in Iran, which have caused very significant increases in oil prices. Oil prices have risen from about $69 a barrel in February last to about $104 in May, while gas prices increased from \u20ac32 to \u20ac47 per megawatt hour. These are very significant increases.  In the last budget we brought in a series of measures under social protection to protect the lowest incomes. The Deputy said what we introduced earlier this year were limited temporary measures in respect of reducing the excise by 27 cent a litre on petrol and 32 cent per litre on diesel, 7.4% in terms of marked oil, and other measures we took in terms of hauliers, contractors and so on. The cost of that was \u20ac1.3 billion and they are still in place so they are not limited and they have not been too temporary either. The Government is examining all of that in the context of the budget.  The carbon tax is much lower than any of that. It is about 2 cent \u2013 that is the increase that will come - and we are looking at the home heating component of the carbon tax in terms of kerosene and gas because we realise that home heating is critical for pensioners and so forth. We examined that in the context of the forthcoming budget. However, there is a limit. If we go below a certain threshold of carbon tax we then have to pay carbon tax to Europe, essentially, under the ETS2. That makes no sense because the carbon tax is used for farmers, retrofitting and the energy-saving, cost-saving measures that Darragh O\u2019Brien has been very effective on. He announced a further \u20ac115 million yesterday that will significantly benefit a lot of households to go solar or for other insulation, such as attic and cavity wall insulation, and batteries. All of that will bring down the cost of energy for individual households by close to \u20ac800 or \u20ac900 a year, which would meet some of the increases that have occurred over the last while since the wars broke out.  About 287,000 houses have availed of retrofitting grants and various measures that will help them permanently reduce their energy costs. We have to double down on that. We have to increase the availability of TAMS for farmers in respect of solar, for example, and we should make sure that happens comprehensively because that will make a difference. Where we provide a lot of resources across the board, farmers have shown they will respond by adopting measures and mechanisms such as solar to save and reduce costs. That is something we are very focused on doing. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  No farmers, no food. Irish forestry contractors will be in the audiovisual room this evening.  People are at their wits' end. The Taoiseach does not seem to realise it. I mentioned the Taoiseach\u2019s hand in the people\u2019s pockets. The data centres and all these other companies have very deep pockets and the Taoiseach is saying to me he is very afraid to even go near their pockets or even ask them to take out their handkerchief. He will not touch them at all. Fair play is what is needed here. We need to finally get rid of this excessive carbon tax. It was slipped in in a shoddy way seven or eight years ago in the convention centre for ten years without ever a vote in this House again. Many parties here now who are opposing it and shouting about it were party to it so it is codology to think that.  People out there cannot afford to retrofit their houses. They have not the first \u20ac25,000 to put up in the first place. They are barely about to put food on the table. They are barely able to send their kids to school. That is the reality of it. I do not know how the Taoiseach is so adrift from it and Fianna F\u00e1il has removed itself so much from the ordinary people, na daoine na h\u00c9ireann. They are out there and struggling. They are willing to put their shoulder to the wheel \u2013 they always do \u2013 but they need supports and they need meaningful support from this budget----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy McGrath. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  -----and we need carbon tax not paused but ended. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  My understanding is that it was in budget 2010 that the carbon tax was introduced so it was not introduced five or six years ago. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  It was passed in the convention centre. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  It was 2010 it was brought in. The carbon tax is much bigger than what the Deputy is suggesting happened. Five or six years ago there were defined increases legislated for in respect of the carbon tax. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  By this House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The actual carbon tax itself goes back to 2010. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  I know that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  In any event, it supports a lot of farmers. It supports the retrofitting programme which, as I said, about 280,000 people have now benefited from and also in relation to fuel poverty as well.  The bigger issue is the wars have increased fuel prices enormously. That is the bigger issue. Yes, there is huge pressure on people and that is why we helped haulage, farmers and contractors with the measures we introduced earlier in the year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  You are taking part in the war in Ukraine. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy McGrath. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Also, the budget----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  You are giving money out of tax people are paying. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  ----- through income tax reductions----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  You are part of the war machine. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----through strong social protection----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  You are a part of the war machine. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy McGrath. Allow the Taoiseach to answer. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We are part of no war machine. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  You are of course. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  We will conclude on that, Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  Any time they come over here he gets pocket money going home----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy McGrath. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  -----like snuff at a wake. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy McGrath, resume your seat. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  Sure, that is the facts of it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Before we move to Questions on Policy or Legislation, on behalf of the Ceann Comhairle and myself I want to join with the other Members who have expressed condolences to the Carroll family on the untimely death of Seamus Carroll. I offer sincere condolences to Seamus\u2019s wife, Treasa, who also works in the service, their family and all the staff of the superintendents section, everyone who knew Seamus and who enjoyed his friendly chat with him over the last 11 years of his service here. He was a gentleman and a very fine parliamentary usher. He will be sadly missed. May he rest in peace. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputies  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 na Comhalta\u00ed Eile - Other Members\u2019 Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_11","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Pholasa\u00ed n\u00f3 ar Reachta\u00edocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation","counts":{"speechCount":64,"speakerCount":20},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_11","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"S\u00e9amus McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathal Crowe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathal-Crowe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cathal-Crowe.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donna McGettigan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n Kyne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-Kyne.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-Kyne.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  I would also like to be associated with those comments.  The Taoiseach does not need me to remind him of the damage that was done to children in Kerry during the CAMHS overdosing of children. For example, children with social anxieties were given anti-psychotic medication.  Even the most vulnerable of children with intellectual disabilities and autism were given polypharmacy, leading to long-term physical and mental damage.  For years, we, in Sinn F\u00e9in, and many other people have been saying that anybody who has received an apology, where liability is therefore not an issue, should be allowed into the scheme for compensation. If they are not in the scheme, they are doubly punished - apart from all of the dosing - by not being able to access money to pay for medical reports and private therapies.  Today, we see the news that a lawyer representing some people has applied to the High Court to take a case where siblings are included while other brothers and sisters are not and where neighbours are included while other neighbours are not. Where there is an apology, everybody should be included in the scheme so they are not doubly punished----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy Daly should conclude. The Taoiseach to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  -----and the time limits should be abolished. This case should be looked at rather than spending more money that is not there in defending it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I do not believe there is any need for the High Court case. It will only ramp up costs on all sides. No affected young person is being excluded from the scheme. A small number of cases have not been excluded but are being progressed through the further file review. These would have been patients who had previously received open disclosure letters through previous ad hoc independent reviews. It has always been the intention that they would be included in the compensation scheme and they have been prioritised in the current review process so they can be among the first invited to apply when formal notifications issue.  To be fair to the Minister - and I was involved as Taoiseach at the time this first arose - we moved very quickly to ease trauma on families in terms of the redress side of it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  I disagree with that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We did not wait for cases or anything. We just brought in a non-adversarial compensatory framework which, I think, has been the better way to do things. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  It was brought in after many lot of years. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  Some 100,000 public sector workers begin work to rule today. Next week, they will be joined by their colleagues in the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, ASTI, and the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO. On 14 October, we are facing a public sector strike. The Social Democrats and I stand in solidarity with all of those workers. Those commencing work to rule are nurses, hospital workers, local authority workers - people who are on the front line of public services. They help us when we are sick. They keep our communities clean and safe. They step up and do the vital work for each and every one of us every single day and they do so in services that are frequently underfunded and overstretched. The industrial action taking place today and in the coming weeks is because of this Government's failure to engage in meaningful public sector pay talks and, sadly, this could have been avoided.  It has been a frustrating summer, where unions have been clear that they will not accept talks without the basis that there would be a meaningful offer on pay. When will the Government come to the table to avoid further disruption and strike action, engage in good faith with the unions for a new public sector pay deal and deliver for our public sector workers and all of us who rely on those crucial public services? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Deep down the unions and their leadership know there will be a meaningful discussion on pay. They know that. There is no need for this strike action. It is causing unnecessary disruption. There is no need for it, in my view. After a long interval in opposition, I came back into government in 2020 and we have had pay agreements. We entered into pay agreements in good faith and we had good negotiations. I participate in the Labour Employer Economic Forum, LEEF, on an ongoing basis. The unions know my attitude and that of the Government towards continuing social dialogue and public service pay negotiations. We have expanded the public service exponentially in the past five or six years. The membership has grown, and all the unions as well, because of that expansion in the public service.  We understand the pressures on everybody. We will have a budget that will help workers, so there is no need for this industrial action. Yesterday, the Minister issued a formal letter of invitation to the unions. He already publicly articulated his openness and that the door is open for negotiations. Of course we want to negotiate a pay agreement; that is clear to everybody. I do not believe there is a need for strike action. A letter has issued from the Minister for public expenditure. I think the unions should call off the industrial action and enter into negotiations with the Government. You will find that in next week's budget, there will be a significant provision. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Duncan Smith  First, I wish to pass on the condolences of the Labour Party on the passing of Seamus Carroll, a genuinely warm presence in these corridors for many years. He will be sorely missed and out thoughts are with Treasa and his wider family.  There is a need for this industrial action. The 100,000 front-line workers across health, education and local authorities do not want to be on a work to rule. They do not want strike action on 14 and 21 October and they feel they are being gaslit by the Government because it does not want to engage on pay. That is the key thing. The Government has let the current pay agreement lapse. The unions, as the Taoiseach knows, will negotiate but they want to negotiate on pay. The best method to tackle a cost-of-living crisis is more pay for hard-pressed workers. This Government is not engaging on this. It can gaslight and say all it wants, and the Department can put out its statements but the fact is that this Government is not willing to negotiate on pay. Until it is willing to negotiate on pay, the unions will escalate their strikes and will have our support to do so. Will the Government please come to the table and negotiate a public sector pay deal? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I am not one for games or all sorts of industrial relations, IR, mechanisms and processes. I will be straight with the Deputy: that is a nonsense statement. There will be a substantial provision in the budget and the Estimates next week for public service pay. How can anybody credibly say we are not prepared to discuss pay? Come on. Everybody knows that is not true. Let us have a bit of common sense here. There will be a public service pay offer. It is well known. We are open to negotiations.  In any pay agreement, by the way, we discuss a whole range of issues pertaining to public service reforms and local pay bargaining. A whole range of issues get discussed in the context of a pay agreement. We have invited the unions in; there should not be this industrial action, in my view. The previous two agreements were beneficial, particularly to lower-paid workers, and were above inflation. If you look at the increase in public service pay, it has been quite dramatic. I think it has gone from about \u20ac21 billion in 2018 to \u20ac36 billion in the present day. There has been a very substantial increase in public service pay but, of course, pressures have grown as well because of all the crises we have experienced. We were very responsive during the Covid-19 pandemic to workers generally. We responded with agility and so on. It is not fair for the Deputy to say what he just said. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  The budget is coming next week and the family resource centres provide very essential services at 136 locations. The family resource centres in Portlaoise and Mountmellick are doing excellent work that is making a real difference in local communities with services such as childcare, counselling, health and well-being programmes, adult learning, social inclusion and much more. They are right where it matters and I can see the evidence on the ground in towns like Portlaoise and Mountmellick.  The budget is next week and I appeal to the Taoiseach and the T\u00e1naiste and Minister for Finance to ensure they are funded to continue doing that important work. Their core funding at the moment is \u20ac180,000 per year. They have three employees; some of them have four. That core funding needs a substantial uplift. Second, they need dedicated funding for the huge amount of counselling they are providing. Last year, they provided 64,700 counselling sessions for people. Some family resource centres, FRCs, are in need of capital funding. I know the Taoiseach has a lot of asks but I ask him to ensure these family resource centres have the funding to continue that important work into 2026 and 2027. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy. He is on a very good topic. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  It is a good day to do it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Minister, Deputy Foley, in particular, is a very strong supporter of family resource centres and last year, she secured funding for the establishment of ten new family resource centres. I agree with the Deputy that family resource centres play a very significant role in communities across the country. I am a strong advocate for them and I know the Minister is as well. I hope she will be successful in securing some funding for them in the budget. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to Treasa and family on the passing of Seamus Carroll. He was a great friend, with great banter, and his friendship will be dearly missed in this House.  After co-chairing a conference in Dublin Castle during our EU Presidency and after speaking to many colleagues across Europe, I have a question for the Taoiseach. I need him to be very clear in his answer. Is it possible to cap the taxation on fuel from budget to budget in this country? We could cap it from budget to budget and if there was an increase in the cost, the cost was would be the cost and it would not be an increase in tax. It would not take away from any taxation that preceded the capping. We could tax it at \u20ac1.70, which is 10% more than the taxation of last year's average, and after that we would pay the increased cost.  In that way it would have no implications for the public finances. In the shocks that are coming forward, people would only pay the increased cost, without a tax. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Is the Deputy talking about VAT? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  I am talking about a cap on the complete taxes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The bottom line is we have given back about \u20ac1.3 billion. Not given back, I am sorry, that is----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  The Government took it back in increased costs. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We did not. That is the point. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  You did. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  No, that is a false comparison. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  It is not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We did not, in any shape or form, have anything equivalent to \u20ac1.3 billion. The figure for increased VAT returns and so on is much lower. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  When it is taken over a whole year, you did. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  No. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Order, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  No, you are wrong. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I will try to arrange, through the Minister for Finance, a meeting between the Deputy and others and finance officials to get the full, transparent presentation of that. I make the point, however, that revenue across government is also required to sustain schools, as the Deputy advocates, and to support farmers and so on. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  And also to put food on the table for the people who go to those schools----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I agree 100%, which is why----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  -----and to let people go to work and pay their taxes for those schools to open. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Order, please. I call Deputy S\u00e9amus McGrath. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  That is why we have free hot school meals in every single school at primary level. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Taoiseach, resume your seat. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  Will you go away? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Butler  That scheme costs \u20ac300 million. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"S\u00e9amus McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"S\u00e9amus-McGrath.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy S\u00e9amus McGrath  I highlight the concerns being raised about the curtailment of the domino midwifery service at Cork University Maternity Hospital, CUMH. As the Taoiseach knows, the domino service provides midwife-led, community-based maternity care, with continuity of care from pregnancy through to birth and postnatal, providing care in the community and in the home. It has emerged in recent days that due to staff shortages at CUMH, there is likely to be redeployment of nurses and midwives from the domino services to the labour ward. The INMO has said that up to 80 nursing and midwifery posts are vacant at CUMH due to a recruitment pause imposed during the summer. The domino maternity care service provides care for up to 400 women annually, providing critical options for them in their maternity care. I strongly urge that any potential curtailment of this service be reversed and that normal levels of service be protected and provided in future. I ask the Taoiseach to take up this issue with the Minister for Health and the Department. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  My understanding is that the domino scheme at Cork University Maternity Hospital remains operational and available both to women currently using the service and new patients who meet the eligibility criteria. Care is delivered through three pathways, namely, the supported care pathway, the assisted care pathway and the specialised care pathway for high-risk pregnancies led by a named consultant obstetrician. To cut to the chase, the HSE has advised that from 12 October, changes to staffing arrangements within the service will come into effect. However, the service will continue to operate. Women will continue to be able to access the scheme and patient safety will remain the overriding priority in the implementation of these arrangements. Antenatal care will continue to be delivered through the domino pathway, supported by midwives in the outpatient department. Antenatal education and support will be available through the parentcraft education programme. The HSE has confirmed that where operationally feasible domino services will continue to support women who present in labour at the birthing suite in CUMH. There is a lot more information here, which I can give to the Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Murphy  In January of this year, the faculty of pathology at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland published a report on autopsy provision in Ireland, which it described as a crisis emerging. We already see this in Waterford. HSE pathologists have withdrawn from Department of justice contracts to provide coronial post-mortems in Waterford. This will have a devastating impact for families waiting to bury their loved ones in a timely manner. I have two questions. First, the report calls for an interdepartmental working group in which the Departments of Health and justice would come up with a sustainable national solution. Second, I asked the Department of justice to make available the costs associated with bringing in three locum pathologists weekly since January to provide that service in Waterford in the interim. The Department has refused to give that information. It has cited commercial sensitivities. I see none here and I ask the Taoiseach to commit to making that information available to the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Securing the provision of a post-mortem examination service for the coronial death investigation function has proved challenging. The Ministers for justice and Health have engaged on the issue. The short-term solution in operation at University Hospital Waterford is one in which locum pathologists provide coroner services three days per week. This is obviously necessary to minimise any impact on bereaved family members who would otherwise experience lengthy wait times for the release of remains. Officials from the Department of justice are working on drafting the heads of a Bill to significantly reform the coroner service. A more sustainable solution is required than a locum service. I will talk to both Ministers in respect of this issue, as I already have. There are also issues within the pathology profession, including with training and recruitment, as well as competing demands on pathologists in areas of diagnostic and research work. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Murphy.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Murphy  It is just the costs for Waterford. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I do not have those here. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  I implore the Taoiseach again to ensure an emergency funding package is provided to Monaghan and Cavan county councils in respect of local road restoration. In many areas, our local roads are in the most deplorable state I have ever seen. Over the past number of years, in real terms there has been a substantial reduction in the funding provided to those local authorities for these works. This year, bizarrely and amazingly, there has been a decrease at a time when inflation in road restoration costs is rising constantly. Many people in rural communities are now in a situation where they cannot drive on their local roads without fear of bursting a tire or damaging the suspension of their cars. They pay their taxes, motor tax, local property tax, carbon tax and huge insurance costs. They are paying and paying but they are not getting the level of service with respect to the condition of their roads that they deserve. Will the Government provide emergency funding packages to local authorities this year to address this crisis? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Deputy will be glad to know that at the Fianna F\u00e1il Parliamentary Party meeting last evening, Deputy Brendan Smith, Senator Gallagher and the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, articulated similar concerns to those the Deputy raised about Monaghan, Cavan and some other areas of the country. We are very conscious of the pressure on roads, especially from storms and inclement weather, which have compounded the problem. Enormous sums of money are going into the national road network. About \u20ac1.5 billion was announced on 17 February this year for national, regional and local roads in total. It is a 13% increase on 2025, or \u20ac163 million more than last year's allocation. Inflation is eating into that and, as I said, the weather is compounding the problem. As a result, in July we added a further \u20ac40 million to address damage to local and regional roads caused by Storm Chandra. We accept there is an issue and we will, in the context of the Estimates, see if we can do more for roads. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Wall  I raise with the Taoiseach again the planned new school for St. Anne's Special School on the Curragh in County Kildare. I raised this issue with him four months ago and he got the Minister for education to respond to me on that occasion. Unfortunately, there has been no progress since. Instead, two planned meetings with school management to progress the project have been postponed with no alternative dates offered by the Department of education. The Taoiseach and I spoke that day about school management dealing with continuous leaks, inadequate heating and children who are wheelchair users not having access to inclusive equipment at lunchtimes. Given the Taoiseach's commitment to special education I ask him once again to contact the Minister for education and get this much-needed project at St. Anne's Special School moving, with either an interim solution or the long-term solution of a new school build. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy, who has raised this with me before. I am glad he had contact with the Department. I will talk to the Ministers again in respect of it. We are focusing strongly on special education and capital provision to get as many places secured as we possibly physically can. Obviously, this would be a significant advance on that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  As the debate on the three-day wait continues at the health committee, women still face barriers to accessing abortion care. The HSE clinical director said there was no medical evidence behind retaining this provision and the Government must act urgently to remove the three-day wait. More significantly, it has been a number of years since the then Government commissioned the independent O'Shea review into how our abortion legislation works. That review contains several recommendations, including decriminalisation of medical practitioners, reforming fatal foetal abnormality restrictions that are still forcing women to travel and addressing geographic gaps in service provision. Will the Government outline a legislative roadmap for implementing these recommendations beyond the three-day wait? I know this issue is difficult and contentious but we cannot continue to ignore the recommendations of the review. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  It is a very sensitive issue, with many different perspectives across the House and the country in respect of it.  We had a referendum a number of years ago that essentially created the legislative framework that now governs termination of pregnancy services. Significant progress has been made in that respect over the past number of years, which sometimes does not get acknowledged in the commentary.  As the Deputy knows, a Private Members' Bill relating to the three-day waiting period for termination in early pregnancy passed Second Stage in June and is currently undergoing detailed scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health. Officials from the Department of Health and the HSE appeared before the joint committee as part of the process. The Minister and her team will continue to engage constructively with the joint committee and Deputy Cullinane regarding the progress of this Bill. We are aware there is a varied and broad range of sincerely held opinion on the abolition of the three-day waiting period, so we have allowed a conscience vote on this issue and support respectful debate on it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Catherine Callaghan  As committed to in the programme for Government, Ireland is to establish a statutory national security authority that can provide, and is capable of providing, the full range of personnel and facility clearances. Given the current security environment in which we are all operating, this is not just a security issue but also, potentially, an economic one. Certain EU research programmes require those clearances. Can the Taoiseach indicate when the national security authority will be fully operational and whether the current gap is limiting opportunities for research institutes like South East Technological University, SETU, and businesses I represent across Carlow and Kilkenny that are seeking to compete for these European opportunities? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I am obviously very well aware of this issue. It is challenging legislation and work is under way in the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in respect of it. Interim arrangements have been put in place as well to accelerate security clearances for personnel where this is required, particularly in research and industry. It is a very important issue. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathal Crowe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathal-Crowe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cathal-Crowe.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathal Crowe  I raise the situation affecting newly qualified nurses from the University of Galway, a number of whom come from County Clare, who have been in touch with me about an issue in the past few days. In January, the graduating class of about 80 nurses was told they would get permanent positions after graduation. They followed the usual pre-recruitment steps over the next few months and were expecting to get their job offers during the summer. Interviews were done and a panel was formed but that seems to have been totally undone now, with recruitment almost completely stalled. Orientation for these nurses was due to start in the past week but so far, I am told, only nine of the 80 nurses have actually received jobs. The remaining 71 are in a total state of limbo. I understand there is a huge number of staff nurse vacancies in University Hospital Galway that could be filled with these posts. At a time when we need nurses more than ever, these nurses are wondering what can be done, given the promise that was made to them when they graduated. Can the Government give any commitment to these nurses that they will be offered jobs in our front-line hospitals soon? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  During the summer, there was an acceleration of recruitment within the HSE. That was even above approved staffing levels, so it has created a challenge for the HSE. That said, the HSE is looking at the nursing issue, specifically what can be done to accommodate those who have graduated. There are pressures on the HSE budget. There is no point in saying otherwise. We would like to prioritise front-line workers and particularly the recruitment of nurses. Over the past number of years, we have been in a position to provide vacancies for the full complement of graduates coming out of nursing colleges. That has been good because it creates good opportunities and prospects for graduates and is also good for the health service. I will continue to engage with the Minister on this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donna McGettigan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Donna McGettigan  I should not have to stand in this Chamber and ask for services for survivors of rape or sexual assault, but here I am because there is no 24-7 sexual assault treatment unit in the mid-west. This means that survivors have no immediate access to forensic medical examination, leaving some survivors travelling significant distances - some on buses - to access specialist, time-sensitive care that is not available locally. The forensic medical examination service in University Hospital Limerick, UHL, is only available at certain times, meaning someone could be waiting hours in order to be forensically examined. The person needs to report this to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. This means that if the person has just been raped or sexually assaulted, they have to make an on-the-call at the moment to report this in order to be seen in their locality. We know the report levels are extremely low, meaning many in the mid-west will not be able to seek the help they need. When will survivors of rape or sexual assault in the mid-west be given the same standard of care as those in other areas? When will a 24-7 sexual assault treatment unit be placed in the mid-west? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue. I support the provision of services for those who have been sexually assaulted and the establishment of centres to do that. I do not have the specifics in respect of the progression of this in the mid-west but I will talk to the Minister about it. I would be fully supportive of it, subject to resource availability. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n Kyne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-Kyne.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-Kyne.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Se\u00e1n Kyne  Residents of Carragh Hill and Carragh Drive estates in Knocknacarra in Galway city have raised significant concerns regarding the construction of an 18 m telecommunications mast by Vantage Towers under a section 254 licence by Galway City Council. Construction commenced despite ongoing efforts by the community to challenge the licence and seek further information regarding the approval process. Residents state that many households became aware of the development only after contractors arrived on site and there was no engagement, notification or site notice, despite the fact that the tower would be 15 m from some residents. As I said, it is 18 m high. There appears to be a loophole under section 254 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, which is advertised by Government as a requirement for a licence for such items as vending machines, advertisement structures, cables, wires, pipelines, telephone poles, cabinets and kiosks. I do not believe an 18 m telecommunication structure or mast was ever envisaged under a section 254 licence. My colleague, Councillor Clodagh Higgins, has arranged a meeting with the CEO of Galway City Council on Friday morning. I ask the Taoiseach to engage with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to see that this loophole is closed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, the Minister with responsibility for planning is specifically precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular planning-related matter with which a planning authority or the board is or may be concerned. There is a legislative prohibition on a Minister intervening in any specific planning application or issue. In terms of the legislation more broadly and what the Deputy has identified as a potential loophole, I will refer this to the Minister, get the background to it and get the up-to-date position to validate what has been said in terms of the Deputy's presentation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  I also express my sincere sympathy to Treasa and the Carroll family on the death of Seamus. He was a thorough gentleman who helped each and every one of us here with a smile on his face every day that he was here. I have been asked by several farmers in County Kerry, and indeed around the country, to ensure that ample ferries are made available to transport live cattle to mainland Europe. We are an island country surrounded by water. Brittany Ferries gave up in the past few weeks. Irish Ferries continues to do its level best at all times for animal exports. However, from 1 January next, the seasonal increase will occur. I ask the Taoiseach to ensure we have adequate ferries to take our calves and cattle to mainland Europe. It is vital and imperative for farmers. It is a real concern of theirs to ensure we have adequate ferries to transport our cattle to mainland Europe to the Single Market. I ask the Taoiseach to make sure of that from 1 January. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Obviously, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is very aware of the situation with regard to ferries and the capacity to transport live cattle. Other companies are also examining this and we hope that a solution to it will be in place by 1 January. I know the Minister is very concerned and is acting on it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  I offer my condolences and those of the Green Party on the death of our colleague, Seamus Carroll. Yesterday, the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence heard from EirGrid, ESB Networks and the CRU. They raised some of the clearest concerns yet about the impact of data centres on our grid. These are not NGOs that the Government can brush off. They are State bodies and they were warning in no uncertain terms that there are trade-offs to the level of data centre growth the Government wants to pursue. Jim Gannon from the CRU stated that large AI-focused facilities can exceed 100 MW in demand, with annual electricity consumption comparable to that of around 100,000 households.  The CRU stated that data centres could account for 35% of Ireland\u2019s electricity demand by 2035.  The Green Party believes there should be a moratorium on new data centre connections until our grid's capacity has been expanded. Is it not time that the Government, at a minimum, set restrictions on the amount of grid capacity that data centres can use? Without safeguards, these data centres will continue to push up household energy bills, which will be a disaster for energy affordability and for our private targets. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Essentially, over the last five years, there was almost a de facto moratorium on data centres, and the exponential increase in data centres predated the last four to five years. Under the large energy user action plan, LEAP, which was published in January of this year, we are moving to a plan-led system that will provide greater certainty for industry and ensure that the cost of developing necessary additional infrastructure is borne in a manner that is fair and balanced. This has been reinforced by unprecedented grid investment. Up to \u20ac18 billion can be spent on the grid, which supports all areas that are beneficial to the economy. The 2025 CRU large energy user connection policy sets out the criteria that must be met by new data centres seeking connection to the electricity system. That policy is being implemented by EirGrid and ESBN system operators.  We need a more measured debate. There is no doubt that data centres are using significant amounts of energy, and AI is going to compound that. Are we saying that we are going to decouple ourselves from AI investment into the future? The ICT industry is a critical industry, and by that I mean ICT generally. The world we live in today depends on data centres. The issue is where they are located, but there will have to be data centres located somewhere. The issue for us is that we have to do it in a balanced way. I accept that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Cahill  I acknowledge the \u20ac10 million allocation for the Ring of Kerry road by the Minister for Transport this year. However, this national secondary road has been neglected for decades, with many sections in a dangerous and shocking condition and with many humps and hollows. It is up to 70% substandard. Thankfully, at long last, \u20ac1.5 million has been announced for Cahersiveen town, with works to commence in the coming weeks. Significant additional funding is required for Cahersiveen, Glenbeigh, Killorglin, Sneem, Caherdaniel and many other areas along the route. This is Ireland's premier tourist route where people drive along the Wild Atlantic Way beside the sea, yet they cannot see the ocean. This beggars belief, and given the Ring of Kerry\u2019s magnificent views, it is a disgrace.  There is an urgent need for TII to allocate funding for a long-reach hedge cutter and for trained personnel to climb down underneath the cliff edge, where they can cut the trees that are growing up from under the cliff edge. This should be a priority for locals, tourists and all road users. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First, I want to thank Deputy Cahill. He has been a strong advocate for that road on the Ring of Kerry. I know that he is welcoming the \u20ac10 million, but he is looking for more. It is a nice phrase - humps and hollows. It is poetic, but while it may be poetic, it is not good enough for the driver traversing that road. The \u20ac5 million for Cahersiveen, which the Deputy lobbied strongly for, is very welcome. The Ring of Kerry is a famous and beautiful route, with some great views and so forth. We will talk to the Minister. We know that roads are an issue. We will see if we can secure additional funding next year again, although there is a fair degree of investment going down in that direction. I hear Deputy Cahill loud and clear. I am not familiar with the technical details of long-range cutters but, again, I will see what can be done. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar fionra\u00ed ar 1.24 p.m. agus cuireadh t\u00fas leis ar\u00eds ar 2.24 p.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Sitting suspended at 1.24 p.m. and resumed at 2.24 p.m. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna ar Pholasa\u00ed n\u00f3 ar Reachta\u00edocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_12","debateType":"statement","bill":null,"showAs":"Migration and Citizenship: Statements","counts":{"speechCount":51,"speakerCount":36},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_12","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Brophy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cormac Devlin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Clendennen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Donnelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paula Butterly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Seamus Healy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","memberCode":"Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathal Crowe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathal-Crowe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cathal-Crowe.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Geoghegan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Geoghegan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"James-Geoghegan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Edward Timmins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Edward-Timmins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Edward-Timmins.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul McAuliffe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Carol Nolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Brophy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Colm Brophy)  I welcome the opportunity to address the House today on migration and the continued development of Ireland's migration system, a subject of significant importance, not only for the Government but for Irish society as a whole.  Migration has always been part of Ireland's story. For generations, Irish people left these shores in search of opportunity, security and a better future, building lives and careers across the globe while maintaining deep and lasting connections to the country they had left behind. Many of those who emigrated made enormous contributions to the countries that welcomed them, and their experiences shaped not only our national history but also our collective understanding of what it means to seek opportunity, safety and the chance to create a better life for oneself and one's family.  Over recent decades, Ireland has evolved from a country largely defined by emigration to one that is increasingly characterised by immigration, with people from every corner of the world choosing Ireland as a place to live, work, study, invest, innovate and raise their families. Those who come here make important contributions across every sector of our economy and society. They work in our hospitals, schools, universities, businesses and public services, helping to drive economic growth while also supporting communities across the country and contributing to the success of our nation.  There can be no doubt that migration has strengthened Ireland and enriched our society in countless ways. It is important for me to say clearly that this Government recognises the value of those contributions. The people who have chosen to make their lives here have helped to shape the modern Ireland we know today and they will continue to play an important role in our future development and prosperity.  At the same time, migration is not a temporary phenomenon or a passing trend. Rather, it is one of the defining features of the modern world. Economic development, technological change, demographic pressures, labour market demands, humanitarian crises and international conflict all contribute to movements of people across borders on a scale not seen in previous generations. These are developments that are affecting countries throughout Europe and beyond, and Ireland is not insulated from those wider global trends.  As a small, open and outward-looking country, deeply connected to Europe and the wider world, migration will continue to play an important role in our future. Our economic success, demographic needs and international obligations all mean that migration will remain an important feature of Irish society for many years to come. The questions facing policymakers, therefore, are not whether migration occurs, but how it is managed and how we ensure that our migration system can respond to changing circumstances in a manner that is effective, fair and sustainable.  That requires a migration framework capable of achieving a number of important objectives simultaneously. It must support economic growth and competitiveness by enabling Ireland to attract the skills and talent that our economy requires. It must allow us to meet our humanitarian and international obligations to those fleeing persecution, conflict and instability. It must maintain secure borders and robust immigration procedures while ensuring that applications are dealt with fairly and efficiently. Above all, it must command and retain the confidence of the public.  These objectives are not contradictory. Indeed, they are mutually reinforcing. A migration system that is not managed effectively risks losing public confidence, while a migration system that lacks public confidence ultimately becomes more difficult to sustain over the longer term. Equally, a migration framework that is fair, transparent and rules-based, that provides certainty for applicants and consistency in decision-making, is one that is capable of maintaining the trust and support of the wider public. That is why this Government has been clear that Ireland must have a migration system that is welcoming to those who come here legally and contribute positively to Irish society, while also being firm, fair and effective in its operation.  We must continue to support economic migration, uphold our humanitarian commitments and promote successful integration, but we must do so within a framework that is orderly, sustainable and capable of responding to the challenges of a rapidly changing world. Ultimately, the principle of a rules-based migration system underpins every aspect of the Government's approach. It informs the reforms we are pursuing, the investments we are making and the long-term strategy we are developing to ensure that Ireland's migration system continues to serve the interests of the country, the communities that welcome new arrivals and those who come here seeking to build a future.  It is for precisely this reason that the Government is approaching migration not merely as a series of operational challenges to be addressed in isolation, but as a long-term strategic issue requiring co-ordinated planning across government. The development of a national migration and integration strategy reflects that broader approach and recognises that migration will remain an important feature of Irish society for many years to come.  As Members will appreciate, migration is not a stand-alone policy issue. It is a matter that touches virtually every area of public policy and has implications across government. Migration impacts economic development, labour market planning, housing, education, healthcare, integration, social protection, foreign affairs and national security. For this reason, migration cannot be viewed solely through the lens of any single Department or agency. It requires a whole-of government approach, long-term planning and a willingness to balance a range of important and, at times, competing considerations.  The reality is that migration presents both opportunities and challenges. Ireland's continued economic success depends on our ability to attract skills and talent from around the world, while our international obligations require us to provide protection to those who are genuinely fleeing persecution and conflict.  At the same time, we must ensure that our immigration systems remain robust, secure and capable of responding to changing circumstances while also supporting communities across the country that are experiencing the practical impacts of a growing population and increasing demand for public services.  Against that backdrop, the Government is developing Ireland's first national migration and integration strategy. The purpose of that work is to provide a coherent long-term framework that will enable Ireland to respond effectively to migration challenges while also preparing for an ageing population and future economic and societal changes. Migration policy requires a strategic framework that considers how migration intersects with broader national objectives including economic competitiveness, social cohesion and public service delivery.  Work on the development of the national migration and integration strategy is progressing across government, with engagement taking place across Departments and with relevant stakeholders. The objective is to develop a framework that sets out a long-term vision for how Ireland approaches migration while also ensuring that policy development in areas such as housing, employment, education, integration and public services is informed by a clear understanding of future migration trends and needs. The strategy will establish a framework through which the Government can better anticipate migration trends, assess their implications for public services, support workforce and infrastructure planning and incorporate migration considerations into long-term policy development.  The strategy will not seek to address migration solely through the lens of immigration policy. Rather, it recognises that migration intersects with a wide range of economic and social objectives and that successful outcomes require joined-up planning across a number of policy areas. In that regard, the development of the strategy represents an opportunity to establish a more coherent and sustainable framework for managing migration while ensuring the Government is better positioned to respond to future challenges and opportunities. The development of the strategy reflects an understanding that migration will remain an important feature of Irish society for decades to come. It is therefore necessary and appropriate that the Government adopts a longer term perspective, identifying the opportunities that migration presents while ensuring that the necessary systems, infrastructure and policies are in place to address the challenges that can arise.  Central to this work is a rules-based migration system. That principle informs every aspect of the Government's approach. People should be able to understand the legal pathways available to them to come to Ireland. Applications should be considered efficiently and fairly, and decisions should be made in accordance with the law. Rights, procedures and safeguards must be protected. Equally, once decisions are made, they must be implemented in a consistent and effective manner. A rules-based system benefits everyone. It provides clarity and certainty for applicants, supports confidence among employers and communities and enables the State to manage migration in an orderly, fair and sustainable way. It is through such a system that we can ensure Ireland remains welcoming and open while also maintaining the integrity of our immigration framework and the confidence of the wider public.  However, migration policy does not begin and end at the point of arrival. Successful migration policy must also focus on what happens afterwards. It must support people to participate fully in Irish society and to become active members of the communities in which they live. That is why integration remains a central pillar of the Government's approach. Integration is a two-way process that benefits both new arrivals and the communities that welcome them. It is also about ensuring that people have opportunities to work, access education, learn languages, engage with public services and participate fully in civic and community life, and fostering social cohesion, encouraging mutual understanding and ensuring the benefits of migration are shared more broadly across society.  The Government remains committed to supporting positive integration outcomes because strong integration is essential to maintaining public confidence in the migration system and ensuring that people who come to Ireland can contribute to their full potential. When individuals are supported to participate in the workforce, engage with their communities and build lasting connections, the benefits extend far beyond the individuals concerned. They strengthen communities, support economic growth and contribute to a more cohesive and resilient society. As migration continues to shape Ireland\u2019s future, it is important that we approach these issues in a strategic and balanced way. The development of a national migration and integration strategy is therefore an important step in ensuring that Ireland has a clear, co-ordinated and sustainable framework for managing migration in the years ahead. It also provides the broader context for many of the reforms being implemented across the migration system.  Perhaps nowhere is the importance of long-term planning and effective administration and policy development more evident than in the significant reforms now under way within our international protection system. While migration has affected many years of public policy, it is fair to say there were visible pressures on the migration system in recent years in the areas of international protection, accommodation provision and the State's response to the war in Ukraine. In recent years, Ireland has experienced significant pressures across its migration system. Between 2022 and 2025, the State received more than 45,000 international protection applications, almost matching the total number received during the previous 16 years. At the same time, Ireland responded to the humanitarian consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine by welcoming more than 120,000 people fleeing conflict and seeking safety. These developments placed unprecedented pressure on the accommodation system, public services and administrative capacity. Throughout that period, public servants across multiple Departments, State agencies and local authorities worked intensively to ensure vulnerable individuals, families and children were provided with accommodation and support in accordance with the State\u2019s legal obligations. Their efforts ensured that Ireland was able to respond to an exceptionally challenging period while continuing to uphold its humanitarian commitments.  The reality, however, is that our asylum system was not originally designed to accommodate demand on the scale experienced in recent years. International protection applications rose significantly over a relatively short period, reaching 18,500 in 2024 alone. While important modernisation work had already been undertaken within the Department, it was increasingly clear that the challenges facing Ireland were not unique. Similar pressures were being experienced across the European Union, highlighting the need for a more co-ordinated and sustainable approach at European level.  It is in that context that the EU migration and asylum pact represents such an important milestone. As Deputies will be aware, the new International Protection Act 2026 came into effect on 12 June and constitutes the most comprehensive reform of immigration law in the history of the State. Through this legislation, Ireland has implemented the EU pact on migration and asylum, the overall objective of which is to provide a fair, sustainable and efficient asylum procedure through greater convergence in asylum practices across Europe, including standardised procedures and significantly shorter processing times. Faster decision-making is fairer for applicants, fairer for communities and strengthens confidence in the system. We are now just over 100 days into its implementation and while it remains early in the process, the experience to date demonstrates that the new framework is already delivering positive results. More than 800 first-instance decisions have been issued, while the median processing time for a first decision has reduced to just 33 days. By comparison, under the previous system, median processing times stood at approximately 12 months for standard procedures and four months for accelerated procedures.  The reforms introduced under the pact are not solely about speed but also about improving the overall quality and integrity of decision-making. Enhanced screening measures, strengthened document verification capabilities and more effective use of electronic evidence are improving our ability to establish identity and identify vulnerabilities at an earlier stage, supporting more robust and better informed decisions. Just as important, procedural safeguards remain central to the system.  High levels of engagement with legal counselling and legal representation demonstrate that applicants are accessing and exercising their rights throughout the process while ensuring that decisions continue to be made within a framework that is fair and transparent. Of course, implementation does not end with the initial decision-making stage. The focus now is on maintaining momentum across the entire protection process, including appeals, transfers, returns and final case resolution. The objective is to ensure that improvements achieved at the front end of the system are carried through to final outcomes. Ultimately, the pact is about building an asylum system that is fairer, more predictable and more sustainable, both for applicants and for member states.  The reforms being delivered under the pact are also closely linked to the Government's wider work on accommodation. Since May 2025, my Department has been responsible for all aspects of the international protection process, including the provision of accommodation for people seeking international protection in Ireland. Under both Irish and European law, applicants are entitled to have their basic needs met while their applications are being considered, and accommodation provided through the international protection accommodation services, IPAS. It remains a central component of that responsibility.  The rapid growth in international protection applications over recent years required a corresponding expansion of accommodation capacity, much of which was delivered under emergency conditions. While those arrangements were necessary at the time, the Government's objective has always been to move towards a more sustainable and better planned model of accommodation provision. For that reason, significant investment has been made in expanding State-owned capacity through the acquisition of Citywest, the refurbishment of State-owned properties and the development of modular accommodation projects.  Alongside this, stronger oversight of revised rate card models are helping to improve consistency across the accommodation system while delivering significant savings for the Exchequer. Our long-term objective is clear: to reduce reliance on emergency responses and increase the proportion of accommodation provided directly by the State, thereby creating a more sustainable system and providing greater certainty for local communities and individuals seeking protection.  Alongside reforms within the international protection system, the Government is advancing a managed and responsible transition from temporary protection for those displaced by the war in Ukraine. The House will be aware of the extraordinary generosity demonstrated by communities throughout the country since the outbreak of that conflict. Ireland responded quickly and compassionately. On 15 July of this year, EU member states agreed to extend temporary protection for persons displaced from Ukraine until 4 March 2028. The decision provides important clarity for beneficiaries and member states while the European Union continues to support Ukraine and prepare for the eventual conclusion of the temporary protection regime. It also recognises the importance of supporting Ukraine's future recovery and reconstruction.  While that decision provides stability in the short term, the focus at European level has increasingly shifted towards planning for the future. In that regard, Ireland continues to implement the measures approved by the Government on 26 May, which are aligned with the Council recommendation of a co-ordinated approach to moving beyond temporary protection. These measures include the phased withdrawal of commercial accommodation, the development of alternative residence pathways, enhanced supports for integration and self-sufficiency, improved information provision and preparations for voluntary return and reintegration, where appropriate. That approach is already delivering tangible results. In May of this year, almost 16,000 people were residing in State-contracted commercial accommodation; today, that figure has been reduced to approximately 12,500. As contracts with certain accommodation providers conclude on a phased basis over the coming months, that transition will continue.  At the same time, appropriate arrangements have been put in place for individuals who face genuine barriers to independent living, with applications for continued support assessed on a case-by-case basis. The accommodation recognition payment continues to play an important role in supporting this response. Since its introduction in 2022, the scheme has enabled thousands of households across Ireland to provide accommodation on a humanitarian basis. Approximately 39,500 people are living in around 22,000 host properties supported through the scheme, demonstrating the remarkable generosity shown by communities throughout the country.  Looking beyond temporary protection, the Government recognises that many people who came to Ireland from Ukraine have established lives here, entered employment and contributed to their communities, and they wish to continue doing so. In recognition of that contribution, my Department has developed the temporary protection transition scheme, which opens for applications today. The scheme provides an alternative residence permission for eligible individuals who wish to establish a longer term basis for living and working in Ireland. Successful applicants will receive permission for up to two years, with provision for renewal, and time spent under that permission will count as reckonable residence for the purposes of applying for naturalisation. The scheme forms part of a broader suite of measures intended to support an orderly and sustainable transition from temporary protection while providing greater certainty for those who have already made a significant contribution to Irish society. It is important to emphasise, however, that this permission is not intended to replace temporary protection. That remains in place until March 2028, and those who do not qualify for the transition scheme will continue to benefit from temporary protection for as long as the directive remains in effect. Rather, the scheme provides an additional pathway for those who meet the eligibility criteria.  Taken together, the reforms being delivered under the EU pact on migration and asylum, the ongoing transformation of our accommodation system and the transition measures being implemented for beneficiaries of temporary protection reflect a broader objective. The Government is working to build a migration system that is fair, orderly and sustainable, one that meets our humanitarian obligations, supports integration, maintains public confidence and ensures Ireland is equipped to manage migration effectively into the future.  Successful migration policy is not simply about arrival, accommodation or legal status. It is also about integration. Integration remains a central objective of that approach and for many people citizenship represents the culmination of a successful integration journey. Irish citizenship is a significant status that reflects a lasting commitment between an individual and the State. It is one of the most important legal relationships that can exist between an individual and the State. It brings with it important rights, opportunities and protections, but it also carries responsibilities. It represents far more than residence in Ireland. It reflects a lasting and enduring bond with this country, its people and our shared future. As citizenship represents the fullest expression of membership of Irish society, it is important that the legislative framework governing access to citizenship remain robust, fair and sustainable.  As I noted earlier, the programme for Government contains a commitment to continue implementing a firmer migration system that protects the integrity of our immigration framework. Last year, the Government approved a broad package of policy and legislative reforms of Ireland's migration system so that it remains efficient, sustainable and aligned with international best practice. As part of that wider programme of reform, we are reviewing aspects of citizenship. As legislators, it is entirely appropriate that we periodically review the legal framework governing citizenship. Our laws must continue to meet current needs, reflect international developments and support effective modern migration systems. Indeed, the Government has a responsibility to review citizenship policy and adapt its frameworks in light of changing migration patterns, demographic developments and evolving public policy objectives.  The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and I recently secured Government approval for the priority drafting of legislation to strengthen Ireland's naturalisation framework. The reforms being considered are intended to ensure that the pathway to citizenship by naturalisation reflects a genuine, sustained and meaningful connection to Ireland.  The general scheme of the Bill approved by the Government contains several key proposals. I would like to outline some of them. First, the scheme proposes increasing the standard residence requirement for naturalisation applicants from five years to eight years. Under the proposed model, an applicant would generally be required to demonstrate two years of continuous residence immediately before applying, together with six additional years of residence accumulated over the previous ten years. The rationale is straightforward. The rights and responsibilities associated with citizenship are significant. It is therefore reasonable that applicants demonstrate a sustained record of lawful residence.  Second, the scheme proposes that applicants demonstrate language proficiency, which is common across the European Union. That proficiency can be in English, Irish or Irish Sign Language. The objective is not to create barriers; rather, it is to support integration and ensure that citizens can participate. Importantly, the legislation would provide flexibility regarding the standard required, the method of assessment and the circumstances in which exemptions or waivers may be appropriate.  Third, the scheme proposes the introduction of a civics, society and politics requirement. This reflects the principle that citizenship involves active participation in life in the State. Understanding how our institutions operate, the rights we enjoy and the responsibilities we share helps to strengthen social cohesion and encourage active citizenship. We will ensure that any testing regime is proportionate, fair, accessible and transparent, and supports meaningful participation in Irish civic life without creating unnecessary barriers to naturalisation. The objective is not to reward educational achievement but to ensure individuals can navigate daily life, communicate effectively with their communities, participate fully in the workplace and perform the important duties of citizens, including voting and, where called upon, jury service.  The scheme also proposes measures relating to self-sufficiency. The objective is to promote independence and support positive integration outcomes. It is important to note that the detailed operation of these provisions would be determined through regulations following consultation with relevant Departments and stakeholders. These changes would provide greater clarity regarding the categories of residence that may be counted towards naturalisation and would provide that certain temporary permissions and schemes, including residence under the temporary protection directive, would not be reckonable for citizenship purposes.  These proposals should be considered in the broader European context. Some commentary has suggested that Ireland would become an outlier if the reforms were enacted. That is simply not the case. Citizenship policy is ultimately a matter for each sovereign state. Across Europe, countries have adopted different pathways to naturalisation, but almost all require applicants to demonstrate a substantial period of lawful residence and, in many cases, some degree of language competence and civic understanding. Fourteen EU member states require eight years or more of residence before naturalisation. Ireland is currently the only EU member state that does not require language competence. Civic integration requirements are also common across Europe. Taken together, these proposals would bring Ireland more closely into line with established European practice.  While we are discussing changes to citizenship policy, it is important to acknowledge the significant work undertaken in recent years to improve the operation of the naturalisation system. The number of citizenship applications received in recent years has increased substantially. Improvements in digital processes, enhanced operational capacity and ongoing reforms have enabled the Department to process applications more efficiently.  Citizenship ceremonies play an important role and I have been pleased to attend a number of them. The pride, commitment and sense of belonging demonstrated by those taking the declaration of fidelity to the nation at a citizenship ceremony is valued by people at home and around the world.  In conclusion, I recognise we are undertaking a series of major changes but at the heart of it the objective of the proposals is to have a firm, fair and balanced system of migration. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  Cuirim f\u00e1ilte roimh an d\u00edosp\u00f3ireacht seo faoi imirce agus saor\u00e1nacht. Migration is a critical area of public policy that must be got right. Setting the terms of Irish citizenship is a matter of fundamental importance. Citizenship should reward integration and contribution to our communities and our country. Citizenship laws should be connected to a wider immigration framework but remain distinct. A migration strategy must be underpinned by the needs of the country, recognising capacity challenges in housing and public services, our capacity to integrate those who come here and the need for a humanitarian response to those fleeing war and persecution. Citizenship laws are about ensuring that people who have legally been here on a long-term basis, made Ireland their home and integrated into their communities are provided with a clear pathway to belong. Our citizenship laws should never be the reason to come to Ireland. They should be the route for those legally and permanently resident here to become part of the Irish nation.  The truth is that there has been a failure to plan and develop a coherent migration strategy. Rather than deciding what is in our best interests and planning accordingly, policy has been driven by short-term decisions. Student permission numbers have been driven by the needs of language schools and cash-strapped colleges. Employment permits have been driven by the needs of sectors whose skills shortages Governments have failed to adequately plan for, with no account of pressures on housing and public services. Then there is the dysfunction that has marked the international protection system. These failures have created chaos, increased tensions and undermined social cohesion in a way that was entirely avoidable.  Sinn F\u00e9in wants a fair, strong and efficient migration system. Migration management, including work permits and student permissions, must take account of capacity for integration and of housing and public services. It is time to move towards migration management on an all-Ireland basis. This makes sense for Ireland - more sense than signing up to an EU pact that failed to recognise the unique challenges arising from the common travel area with a state outside of the EU. Sinn F\u00e9in has called for faster international protection processing, effective and tracked deportations, an end to profiteering and stronger supports for integration. The record backlog that is now within the IPAS appeals system and the continued poor enforcement of decisions where a person has no right to remain raise huge concerns. IPAS centres should not be located in areas that are already lacking services, facilities and investment. There has to be a meaningful engagement with communities. The temporary protection directive was introduced as an emergency response when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. It was envisaged as a short-term emergency measure lasting a maximum of three years. The expectation was that conditions would allow people either to safely return or to move into other legal statuses within a relatively short period. Instead, the Government has agreed to one extension after another, creating unnecessary uncertainty for Ukrainians and pressures on our services and resources.  Confidence in the migration system depends on key principles. First, there must be a fair system with clear rules that are consistently enforced and clear consequences when those rules are breached. The system should not be categorised by delays of permit renewals or asylum applications. Second, migration policy must be guided by robust data, transparency and proper planning. Decisions should take account of the capacity in housing and public services, integration and community resources while also addressing the skills and workforce needs. Finally, deportation orders must be enforced once due process has been exhausted and particularly for those involved in serious criminality. Failure on all these fronts undermines the integrity of the system, erodes public confidence and unfairly damages the perception of the overwhelming majority of migrants, who have made a positive contribution to our society.  Caithfimid luach a chur ar shaor\u00e1nacht na h\u00c9ireann. Sinn F\u00e9in believes that Irish citizenship is something to be valued. It signifies membership of our nation. It carries rights and responsibilities and should reflect the genuine and lasting commitment to Ireland. International experience shows that successful integration is best achieved through a clear, transparent and fair pathway to citizenship, one that encourages civic participation, community involvement and a genuine connection to the country. Changes to citizenship rules can create uncertainty for those seeking to become Irish citizens, while delays in renewing residence permissions also contribute to unnecessary anxiety for many people.  As citizenship applications grow, it is right that we examine whether the current system is fit for purpose and properly reflects the significance of Irish citizenship. The current system relies heavily on time spent in the State, broad ministerial discretion and very unclear rules. Time spent in Ireland matters, but in and of itself, it is not a measure of integration contribution or commitment to Irish society. Citizenship should be acquired through a structured and transparent process that reflects both the privileges and responsibilities that come with it. Sinn F\u00e9in supports stronger, clearer and more consistent citizenship rules. Citizenship should not just be reduced to a passport acquired simply through the passage of time or a privilege reserved for the wealthy. Emphasis has to be put on integration, civic participation, community involvement and an understanding of Irish society, including an ability in Irish, English or Irish Sign Language. Sinn F\u00e9in also wants a clear pathway to Irish citizenship for people who are legally resident in the North where they meet the same conditions applied elsewhere on this island, recognising that this nation goes beyond the Twenty-six Counties of this State. People who have lawfully built their lives in Ireland but who may not want or qualify for citizenship should also be able to access secure, long-term residence. This is something that we will be engaging with the Minister on. The transitional arrangements also need to be considered for those who have established their lives here under the existing rules and had legitimate expectations about when they would qualify for citizenship based on their reckonable residence.  I wish to make it clear that Sinn F\u00e9in wants to see a managed migration system, one that ensures that we do not see existing communities isolated or removed from decisions that affect the area where they live, one where permit and visa numbers take account of the capacity to integrate and the pressures on housing and public services. We have to recognise that many communities have seen huge population increases in a fairly short timeframe and in a completely unplanned way. This has impacted on cohesion, community relations, housing demand and public services capacity. It has led to resentment and anger. The dysfunctional IPAS system, marred by delays and inefficiency, has resulted in huge profits for a small number of private operators but completely failed local communities and those fleeing war and persecution. The handling of the Ukrainian temporary protection system pitted people against each other, providing supports to one cohort that were denied to everyone else, including struggling Irish families. These failures taken together mean that many within the public have lost trust in the migration system. Our communities have been let down, as have those who have moved here legally wanting nothing more than what is best for their families, who have often been subject to unacceptable racism and intolerance.  Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael must take responsibility for this. Sinn F\u00e9in wants to address this through the delivery of an all-Ireland migration management system. We have brought forward policies to improve the current system and we will be bringing forward others. I say all of this because every day I am shown an online post that misrepresents my party's position, with self-declared patriots and nationalists with their self-promoting videos decrying Sinn F\u00e9in's non-existent open borders policy. These actors are not representative of ordinary people, who in many cases have genuine issues with how migration is managed and have every right to be heard on these issues. Those people I described lock arm in arm with the worst extremes of British colonial racists. They take advantage of Government failings. They take advantage of the chaos, profiteering and lack of engagement with communities, not to attack Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael, which are responsible, but instead to try to create a wedge between working-class people and Sinn F\u00e9in. Of course, this week, when an actual Irish nationalist working-class community on the Garvaghy Road is under siege, these carpet baggers are nowhere to be found. They are more likely, in fact, to be seen drinking with the UDA in a loyalist bar than standing all night in the rain with the nationalist community of the Garvaghy Road, who are trying to defend their right to live free from sectarian intimidation. They are the real Irish patriots.  The days of misrepresenting Sinn F\u00e9in are over. The people can see who has the backs of the Irish working class. We will always proudly and unashamedly stand with our communities, North and South. We are for Irish unity. We are for the working people of Ireland. We are for a managed and fair migration system that treats everyone with dignity and respect but does not dismiss the concerns or pressures on existing communities, that sees Irish citizenship as something to be valued and that rewards integration and contribution. We are for a country that does not force our young people to travel in the opposite direction as the only hope for a home. We are for giving people a break from the cost-of-living crisis. We are for the Irish Republic, and we will not allow any west Brit self-declared patriots to misrepresent us ever again. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  I start by acknowledging the hugely positive contribution that many people who have come from outside of Ireland to live here have played. I say that as Sinn F\u00e9in's health spokesperson, obviously deeply conscious of all of those who work in our hospitals and in primary and community care settings. Our healthcare system simply would not function if it was not for many people who have come from outside of the country on work permits. They were welcomed into Ireland and are necessary to help us deal with the challenges we have in the healthcare system but also to make sure people get the healthcare and treatment they need. I thank each and every one of them and everybody who works in our health services.  The Minister of State made the point that the question is not about whether immigration happens. It does happen. It happens in every country. It is a fact of life. The question is how it is managed. This is a point of departure from where my party stands and, I would argue, the track record of the Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael Government. I do not believe it has properly managed the migration system. The impact of that has been that many people have lost confidence. They do not see the system as working. They see the profiteering. They see the inequalities in it at times. People who work or live in working-class communities can see that they are the ones who are always asked to do the heavy lifting when the resources are often not there. In fact, these communities are very welcoming. Lots of promises are made in relation to additional resources and capacity but it never follows though. That creates resentment and anger and it creates opportunities for some of those so-called false patriots Deputy Carthy talked about who pedal mistruths about Sinn F\u00e9in's position every single day. However, they are not representative of the vast majority of decent working-class people who are welcoming of those who are genuinely coming into Ireland seeking to work and fleeing oppression and war and so on. They want to be welcoming.  The issue is whether we are properly managing our migration system. For those of us who believe in a rules-based system, which I do although I do not know the position of every political party in this House, the rules have to be applied. As difficult at times as that may be for some people, the rules have to be applied. You cannot say you want a managed migration system and a rules-based system but then turn a blind eye to the rules not being implemented. That is also what creates resentment among communities. They want the system to be fair, as I do. They want a system which is efficient, as I do, but they also want a system which is enforced.  When I talk about a fair system, I mean a fair system for those who are seeking to come to Ireland as well. Any migration system has to be underpinned by human rights, equality and all of the international obligations we have signed up to, but also has to be fair to communities. It has to be fair in not having a two-tier system of immigration - which we have seen as well and that has also caused problems - where some who come into Ireland are treated differently from others. That position is unsustainable and also creates difficulties and tensions. I want a fair system but when I talk about an efficient system, that means we do not have people coming here and then waiting years and years for an application to be processed. Despite the fact that this has been said over and over again in this House, and promises have been made about speeding up the system and more resources and staff, the reality is it still takes far too long. That undermines the very rules-based system and the \"managed migration system\" the Minister of State said he wants to see. It should not take years for an application to be examined, yet it does. The enforced part of it is that if somebody applies for international protection and is refused they should be returned home safely. It should not be controversial to say that. It is not right wing. I have to challenge and push back against those who make those arguments. As I said, we cannot have it both ways. We cannot say we want a managed system but then do not want to see it enforced.  I also believe we need to have a bilateral agreement with Britain and a returns policy. We have to make sure we are protecting the island of Ireland and ensure we are doing greater checks when it comes to people who are coming into and onto the island of Ireland and moving between different parts of the island. That will also require stronger arrangements with Britain.  I will finish where I started. I welcome and acknowledge the hugely positive contribution that so many immigrants have played, and will continue to play, in Ireland, but I also acknowledge that people want that managed system to be in place, to be working effectively and fairly and they do not see that at this point. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  I normally do not contribute to these debates on justice and migration but I have come to speak on this issue because I am deeply concerned about the direction of the policies the Minister of State and the Government are taking. They have lost their way and it is deeply concerning. I am also deeply concerned about the anti-migrant rhetoric we hear on different sides of the House from national leaders. Migrants who come to Ireland make an extraordinary contribution to our society in so many ways.  It is important for us to remember that the story of Ireland is in many ways a story of migration. For thousands of years people have come and moved to this island in different waves of migration. In century after century, people have come and have lived here to make a better life. All of us, if we look at our ancestors and trace it back, have migrated from somewhere to be here. In many ways, the story of Ireland is a story of migration and of leaving this island to live elsewhere. I grew up in the west of Ireland and like many other families from there, generation after generation, people left and migrated to make better lives elsewhere. My great-grandparents went to New York back in the 1920s; I have grand-uncles and grand-aunts all around the world; my uncle lives in Canada; I have an aunty in London; my siblings went to Australia during the financial crash; and I lived in the UK. Many other families across Ireland have that experience of migration, of moving from here, seeking a better life and establishing themselves in other countries. We cannot forget that and how crucial that story is to our national identity and to who we are. I urge the Government to rethink its strategy and its approach to migration.  I was talking to two men in my constituency who moved here from Orb\u00e1n's Hungary. They moved here to make a better life in Ireland and did all of the things they were told to do. They got really good jobs and paid lots of taxes. They bought a house. They pay their property tax and their TV licence. They contribute to the local society. They got involved in clubs and societies. They made friends and they learned the language. They came here with good English but they learned even more. They feel like they have done everything right. They have done everything they were told to do, but suddenly the Government is pulling the rug from under them. They came here four and a half years ago. They were looking forward to applying for citizenship in January. Now, they feel like they are not welcome because of the policies that are pursued by the Minister of State and the Government.  I urge the Minister of State to rethink the strategy. He should rethink the message we are sending to the people who have come to this country and who have made an extraordinary contribution to Irish life. What message is being sent to them? What they are hearing from the Minister of State and his pronouncements is that they are not welcome here, and that is wrong. It is particularly wrong, given our history of migration and given that we have left this island in our millions. We need to rethink this plan and this strategy because the Minister of State has got it wrong. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jen Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Jen-Cummins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jen Cummins  The role of migrants in this country, as my colleague has said, is so important. We go, people come - that is how it is. Our hospitals would not exist without people coming from all over the world. How would our restaurants manage? I would like to mention teachers who are coming here, people who want to set up life here because it is a great place to live. They want to work as teachers but it is incredibly difficult because the pathway through the Teaching Council is incredibly difficult. That is something we need to consider. We need to mature as a country, when we have people coming from elsewhere, as to how they can become teachers within our country. We want to broaden out that career for everybody. We want to make sure that those young people and their parents who are coming from migrant backgrounds can see teachers from other countries, not just from our own.  The categorisation of human beings is quite difficult. My own husband is a migrant. He came here because he loved Ireland. He thinks it is fantastic. However, there is a categorisation of who comes here and who is allowed to stay based on colour, where they come from, social class and lots of different things. We need to get a grip on that because as climate change happens there will be more and more people who come here. There will be more and more people who will have to come here. We only saw that from the heat in Europe this summer. People were dying because of that heat. We have a lovely temperature here, although it was also very hot. We are going to see that necessarily happening.  I will end on a positive note. The Minister of State was there at my husband's naturalisation ceremony in Killarney this year and it was an absolutely amazing day.  Over the course of that day, over 4,500 people became Irish citizens. As Deputy Rice said, since the new announcement has been made, a lot of people have come to my clinics to plead that they are here. They want to make a life here. They want to be citizens of this amazing country. We need to have a fair, humane and evidence-based approach to how we do naturalisation and immigration. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  I welcome today's opportunity to discuss migration and citizenship because although this is an issue that dominated public discourse in 2024 when we were all engaged in the election, it has receded somewhat given the geopolitical tensions that are abounding and the energy and cost-of-living crises. I just do not think we are simply talking about it enough, particularly in light of the actions of this Government since it came in. I feel very strongly that we have seen a series of cruel, performative measures which are set out to a create a picture of this Government being tough on immigration without reasoned evidence. That to me is the hallmark of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan's ministership so far. When we try to dig for an understanding as to why these measures are being introduced, there is no evidence for them and that to me is part of what we talk about when we talk about these cruel and performative measures.  I am proud to be part of a pro-immigration party. It is not easy because the other thing we have to call out right now is the rise of fascism and anti-immigrant sentiment, not just in Ireland but the world over. Before I became a politician, I was heavily involved in the work around human rights and equality, particularly on the topic of international protection. I can tell the Minister of State that groups such as Doras and the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland, MRCI, that are fighting for migrant rights and people in the international protection system, and defending the right to claim asylum, come under huge attack, but it all pales into insignificance compared to the overt racism and discrimination experienced by migrants in this country. That is the context in which the Government has chosen to take this direction in its term of office in terms of migration and citizenship.  I talk about cruel decisions. The one we are dealing with in the Government's current strategy around moving from five to eight years is just ridiculous. It is five years already, plus another two years by the time it is processed, so that is seven years. Moving it to eight years is essentially moving it to ten. These are people who are contributing to our society. They are paying taxes. They are working. They are integrating and the Government is simply moving the goalposts on them. People who had expectations around when they were going to have citizenship have had their lives upturned by this decision. I urge the Minister of State to rethink it. Believe me, I want the Government to reverse the decision, but at the very least offer those people who are already in the system the clarity and consistency that they expect on their naturalisation path towards citizenship in this country.  It is a cruel decision, but it builds on multiple cruel decisions the Government has overseen in terms of harder rules around family reunification and the asylum and migration process, which the Social Democrats believes pose major threats to people's ability to claim asylum in this country and the international protection process itself. The Minister of State talks about the system being \"firm\" and \"sustainable\", and all of those words always go before \"fair\", but our system was never fair. We never even reached the conditions we were supposed to meet under the reception and integration directive of the European Union before we moved towards this more \"firm\" and \"sustainable\" model.  However, the worst part of all of this is that it is such a waste and suck of energy. I worked in the international protection space. Part of the changes that the Government is looking at now is around the threshold for earnings, for example. I know it is a separate system but it is related to the same area. When the right to work in the international protection system was introduced by a preceding government that included the Minister of State's party, it was chaos because the thresholds did not make any sense. All of these NGOs that I mentioned had to fight to get a proper realisation of the right for people in the international protection system to work. Even then, most people could not realise that right because they did not have access to a driver's licence or bank accounts. All of the energy in the organisation that I worked in, which is a State organisation, plus the entire migrant rights sector, is being placed into pushing back against the Government's regressive measures, instead of where it should be going, which is the actual integration of these people who are holding up our hospitals and our health system. They are people who we are neighbours, friends and family with.  The Government's cruel measures are making life more difficult for them every single day that it chooses to take this tough on immigration stance that is \"firm\" and \"sustainable\" while failing to implement anything of the fair and rights-based system that it should be looking over. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cormac Devlin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cormac Devlin  I welcome these statements and thank the Minister of State for his work to date. Irish citizenship is one of the most important things this State can confer. It is a legal status, a bond with the country and a commitment to its future. I welcome the general scheme of the Irish nationality and citizenship (amendment) Bill. Eight years' residence instead of five, language and civics tests and, importantly, a requirement to be self-sufficient are not unusual. Austria, Italy, Spain and Slovenia require ten years, and most member states test language and civic knowledge. That matters because an Irish passport is also a European passport. It carries the right to live, work, study and vote in the local and European elections across the Union, so our standards should be in line with our partners.  However, reform must also be fair. Many people came here on work permits. They are nurses in our hospitals, carers in our nursing homes and staff in our businesses. They played by the rules as they were and I welcome the assurance that they will be fair. I ask the Minister of State to give consideration to those who are already here though.  More generally, I welcome the continued progress on the asylum backlog. Since the International Protection Act commenced in June, new applications are being decided within six months or three months under the border procedure. Daily applications are down almost 40%. Last year, 4,700 deportation orders were signed, almost double that of the year before. More than 2,100 people left the State through deportation or voluntary means. Where someone has an unsuccessful application, they must be returned to their country of origin. That gives the asylum system credibility and protects it for those who genuinely need our protection. We must keep speeding up processing times, clear the cases already in the system and strengthen our borders.  At European level, I welcome this summer's agreement on the new return regulation. I hope to see progress on the return hubs and I welcome the Minister of State's position on them. We also share a common travel area with the UK and I welcome the Minister's engagement with the home secretary on protecting it. It is only by working together with our EU partners and the UK that we can deal with the challenges this presents.  I have two asks for the Minister of State. First, that clear transitional arrangements for those already living and working here are set out early, so they can plan with certainty. Second, that the Department publish quarterly figures on processing times and returns under the new Act, so this House can track progress. The system should be fair to those who play by the rules, firm with those who do not and in step with our European partners "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Clendennen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Clendennen.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy John Clendennen  I start by sending my sympathies to the families and loved ones of father and daughter, Mihai Chinez and Denisa Mihaela Chinez, who tragically lost their lives in a workplace accident in Banagher on Monday. It has left an entire community sad and in shock at a very difficult time. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a n-anamacha d\u00edlse.  Migration and citizenship are issues that we all need to be able to have an open, mature and honest conversation about, and not name calling across the Chamber. We can recognise and welcome contributions that many people who come to Ireland make to our economy and communities. At the same time, we can acknowledge that migration needs to be properly managed with appropriate rules governing our immigration system that are actively enforced. Those two things are not contradictory. Ireland must always remain an open and welcoming country, and a place of compassion, fairness and opportunity. Openness must go hand in hand with order, accountability and public confidence.  People have come here from across the world and are working in hospitals, nursing homes, transport, technology and agriculture. We also have industries that need more resources, such as the shortage of heavy goods vehicle, HGV, and bus mechanics. We have an obligation to identify where genuine skill shortages need to be addressed and allow our economy to recruit those needed, while at the same time protecting our employment standards and the opportunities for those already living here.  Public confidence cannot be taken for granted. Our confidence in legal migration is inevitably linked to public confidence in our wider immigration and international protection systems.  Rules should mean something, be adhered to and enforced. The recent reform of our migration system now means that enhanced identity and security screening, biometric registration as well as clearer timelines on applications are implemented. It is fair but firm and this is the right approach. A person who genuinely needs international protection should not have to spend years waiting for an answer. Equally, where it is found that a person does not have a right to stay in Ireland, that decision must lead to action.  I have raised in the past the issue of foreign nationals who commit serious criminal offences in this country. My position is clear on that. They should face justice, just like any Irish national who commits a crime. People who come to Ireland must obey the laws, work, raise families and contribute meaningfully to our society and should be treated with respect and fairness but we must be capable of responding robustly to those who commit serious crime.  I return to the word \"confidence\". The public must have confidence in our immigration system. Confidence comes from and is facilitated by strong communication. This Government must communicate clearly and regularly, with identified metrics that can give us timelines and trends in relation to how these initiatives are unfolding for the benefit of our society. In my own county of Offaly recently, there were rumours of an IPAS centre being opened in a very rural area. I engaged with the Minister of State and it was firmly put to bed very quickly that there were no such plans but information suggesting otherwise had travelled quickly and caused concern. We see this today in relation to housing allocations, voting rights, and economic benefits and we really need to get a handle on this so that the facts are out there. My priority throughout this process has been simple. Communities are entitled to accurate information and legitimate concerns deserve answers. We must strive to never let speculation replace facts. We cannot allow myths, misinformation or disinformation to become a substitute for the facts.  Irish citizenship is of enormous value. For generations, Irish people have travelled to countries all across the globe. We know what migration means for both sides and today people come here to build their lives in our communities. I understand the eight-year rule that the Minister is introducing but I would ask him to give consideration to some individuals who have been in the system, who have made Ireland their home and who are now finding that they will have to extend their time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shane Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shane-Moynihan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Shane Moynihan  I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate on migration and citizenship. One of my biggest regrets of the past few years is that in the social media age there is a tendency to run immediately to the black or white. Immigration policy has fallen into a trap whereby there is little nuance afforded to it in public debate and everything gets into lumped into one bucket or the other. A lot of the discussion that happened during 2024 and 2025 characterises that problem in particular. It is incumbent on us, as public representatives, to strive to ensure that there is nuance in our discussions on the various aspects of immigration policy.  I represent Dublin Mid-West, possibly one of the most multicultural constituencies in the State. I attend events hosted by new communities in my constituency as an honoured guest and am privileged to do so. I am very proud to be able to represent many of those people, many of whom have acquired citizenship. One of the most touching things a public representative can get is an email from one of those new citizens saying that they had their citizenship ceremony last week and thanking us for being part of their journey. That reminds us of the importance of citizenship in and of itself. Some aspects of the reforms that are being put forward are welcome, including the opportunity for people to articulate what they have learned and integrated in terms of our values and our civic system. Honouring both of our national languages is something that we should be celebrating as well. However, like other speakers, I would say there are people in our State at the moment who came here and who started on the citizenship journey. They are very far along that journey and their circumstances need to be taken into account. I would welcome discussion around the extension from five to eight years to see what is the basis for it, without prejudice, necessarily, but to understand the reasoning behind it.  There is one aspect of this that I want to draw attention to, which is the importance of integration and of funding streams like the new communities fund that allow for the integration of new communities. I want to pay tribute, in particular, to our sports clubs which are at the forefront of integrating new communities into our society. In my own son's soccer club, a number of the coaches coaching teams are people who were not born in Ireland but came here to make their home. This is a classic example of the integration that we need to promote. However, it is important that we in this House remember that integration does not just happen; it is something that needs to be fostered and led by the State and incentivised through support for community groups.  Finally, on our immigration system, delays in the processing of visas and the paperwork and bureaucracy associated with that needs to be addressed. The system needs to be resourced adequately. I know of one bus company in this country that has had to go abroad to hire bus drivers but because of the delays in getting visas for those drivers, it is not able to provide the level of service required.  Again, I emphasise the point that there are many nuances to the discussion around immigration, citizenship and migration. It is important that in our debates on it, we do not try to other the other side but try to engage with those particular aspects of nuance. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Donnelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Donnelly  Sinn F\u00e9in wants a strong, fair and efficient migration system that serves the interests of the people of this State as well as those fleeing war and persecution. I have lived in Dublin West for the past 30 years and I have seen it grow into one of the most diverse communities in this State and it is our strength. However, we must move towards the management of our migration system on an all-Ireland basis. This makes absolute common sense and would have huge benefits in the long term. Migration is another incredibly important reason for having a Border poll as soon as possible. The British State should not have control of any part of our borders.  We want the management of migration and the issuing of work permits and student permissions to take into account issues such as the ability to house and integrate those who come here and the availability of public services. How can we be encouraging people to come here to work and study if housing is not available to them or it costs up to 60% or 70% of their wages? For some who are here, working and contributing, there are serious issues with the system. How can people be expected to support themselves when the State allows them to remain in Ireland but administrative delays prevent them from working? We have people who have followed every single rule. They have applied to renew their IRP and change their immigration permission before the existing permission expired but they have to wait for months for the underlying application to be processed while being left without the ability to earn an income. This is not merely an administrative inconvenience; it means lost wages, suspended employment, lost jobs and sometimes even the loss of a place to live. It is particularly concerning for international graduates who are trying to remain in the country lawfully and find employment in their field of study. These are people who we need in this country to keep our health services going.  The Minister previously indicated in reply to a parliamentary question that extensions of student conditions were granted only on compassionate grounds. However, a recent FOI response appears to indicate that extensions may also be available to graduates who are still seeking employment in their field. I ask the Minister to clarify this apparent discrepancy and publish clear and consistent guidance. We also cannot continue to rely on temporary bridging arrangements around Christmas and summertime. This is an issue of fairness. The State proposes an income threshold for citizenship but how can people demonstrate financial independence when the State's own processing delays prevent them from working? People who applied lawfully and on time should not be financially punished because their application is sitting in a queue. I call on the Minister to establish a permanent bridging mechanism that protects eligible applicants' employment rights while their applications are being processed. Administrative delays should never be a barrier to people's ability to work, pay their rent, support their families and, more importantly, contribute to Ireland. We need these people. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  What the Minister is proposing in relation to these citizenship changes is nothing more than performative cruelty. There is no evidence for this because if the evidence existed, then the Minister would publish it. He has not done so and he will not do so. The people we are talking about are, in the main, highly skilled. Many of them are doctors, other healthcare workers, engineers and so on and the Government is going to leave many of them in a grey area, in immigration uncertainty, for longer than they need to be. That is not acceptable and, in my opinion, it is shameful. I suspect that these changes might have more to do with the Minister for justice's protracted Fianna F\u00e1il shadow-leadership election than they do with actually dealing with immigration and migration properly.  The Government is destroying another pathway to social integration instead of supporting it. I have been contacted by so many people in my constituency, including doctors, software engineers and tech workers, who told me they are really worried. Many of them are quite far along the pathway under the existing rules. At the bare minimum, they need a transitional arrangement. This is a cruel thing to do to people. Also cruel is the way the Minister just said this is changing, like it or lump it, while the Taoiseach is saying, \"Sure we might do something at some stage\". We need clarity from the Government on this issue. It is not just a simple technical change. It affects people who live, work and have built their lives here, who are here legally and lawfully and who contribute so much to our economy and society. They should not be held in immigration uncertainty for a longer period.  To speak in language the Government might actually listen to, this is something that could damage our economy and our competitiveness. It is very depressing, when the Overton window in this country has moved so much in terms of immigration and migration, to see the Government, in effect, chasing something it will not catch and trying to satiate people it will not be able to satiate. Many of those the changes will affect people who came here as critical skills workers through the stamp 4 process. They have spent their lives here. If they were to up sticks and leave, our health service could potentially collapse. Citizenship should not depend on income, because the income threshold will disproportionately affect people in lower paid but valuable employment - such as care workers; people whose jobs we could not fill if they did not do them - and also people with disabilities.  Extending the pathway should not involve an arbitrary cliff-edge deadline. At the bare minimum, we need a transitional arrangement. I ask the Government to put in place a transitional provision to protect people who are here lawfully, including people on stamp 4 permits or employment permits. The goalposts should not be moved on them midway through the process. It is not fair. They should be assessed according to the rules under which they came to Ireland. This is about fairness and ensuring people who came here and followed the rules as they were laid out when they came are not simply told, when they are some bit of the way along, that the requirement is going up to eight or ten years. That is not fair. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  I welcome the opportunity to speak on this topic. I have been receiving a significant amount of correspondence in recent weeks, as, I am sure, have all TDs, on the proposed citizenship changes. I am totally against the changes to the residency period requirement to apply for citizenship. They are totally unnecessary. This is an attempt by the Government to appease a vocal minority.  On a personal level, my best friend, Amir, who came to Ireland from Tunisia three years ago, despite opportunities to study in France, Germany and the Netherlands, is currently doing a PhD in chemical engineering and air quality at UCC. Over the past three years, Amir has represented Ireland on several occasions in Europe, speaking about the work UCC and Ireland are doing on air quality and climate change. This demonstrates that immigrants to Ireland provide invaluable contributions - in this case, in scientific research. Immigrants like him, who provide a vital resource to Ireland, are in the situation when they complete their studies of having built up no residency requirement credit. That is a disgrace. Ukrainians are in the same scenario, with their time here not counting towards citizenship. How on earth does four years of scientific research on behalf of the State count for nothing? How does five years working in our health service count for nothing? We are going to lose these people to other European countries. When the realisation of what that means comes, it will be too late.  People who have come to Ireland for refuge from war or famine and immigrants who come here to work and have a better life should never be scapegoated for the failures of the State. Immigrants did not cause the housing crisis. Greed, landlordism and the failures of successive governments caused it. Immigrants did not cause a stagnation in wages while the cost of living soared. The free market and government neglect caused that. Immigrants did not cause young Irish people to emigrate. That was brought about by the economy successive governments created. I absolutely acknowledge my party's involvement, while in government, in failing to stem emigration from Ireland.  For the Government to use citizenship in this way, to appease the anti-emigrant sentiment that is present in Ireland, is utterly disgraceful. The Minister of State and his colleagues should be absolutely ashamed of what they are doing. I hope he hears me when I say that they cannot out-far-right the far right. That never works and they will not win because the far right is not reasonable. Of course, it would not be the first time that the other party in government, Fianna F\u00e1il, did not stand with immigrants and instead chose to scapegoat them to appease racist sentiment. The 2004 referendum, with its associated fearmongering and dog-whistling campaign, stripped Irish-born children of foreign-born parents of birthright citizenship. An inscription inside the Irish passport states: \"It is the entitlement and birthright of every person born on the island of Ireland, which includes its islands and seas, to be part of the Irish nation.\" That is what it says on our passports but it is a lie. I am proud that the Labour Party stood against the 2004 referendum. We likewise stand against the changes being discussed today. We are proudly an anti-racist party and we will defend the rights of all workers in Ireland and all the people of Ireland, no matter the circumstances of their birth.  It is worth noting some of the facts. Some 80% of the population usually resident in Ireland is Irish born. Approximately 87% of the population is white. Non-Irish citizens make up only 15% of the population. Ireland has between 70,000 and 163,000 empty homes. We are at full employment, with approximately 30,000 job vacancies. Ireland is in no way overrun, as some would suggest. My staff and I deal with multiple immigration cases every single week. It is not easy to come to Ireland to work and it is not easy to stay here. It takes a significant civic engagement.  We need immigrants. We should welcome those who have made a life here for themselves, contributed to our society and worked in our State services. They should be given c\u00e9ad m\u00edle f\u00e1ilte, not be faced with a stern Department of justice trying to appease bigots. I remind the House of a statement by the founder of the Labour Party, James Connolly: \"Let no Irishman cast a stone at the foreigner; he may hit his own clansman.\" "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Malcolm Byrne  I am strongly in support of any individual who wants to come to Ireland, make a home here, work and contribute to our society. I count many such among my friends in my community. People who have come from Europe and beyond have found a home in my home town of Gorey, which is a wonderful place to live. They have made a life here. When they want to become a citizen, they are quite keen to contribute. They want to make sure they can go out and vote. They get involved in local community organisations. We need to recognise that.  Colleagues talked about different sectors of the economy. International workers now make up more than 15% of the HSE workforce and 23% of our nurses and midwives, with 42% of our doctors having been trained internationally. In the hospitality sector, 45% of workers come from overseas.  With me being from Wexford, it will not surprise the House that my first summer job was picking strawberries. It is really difficult now to get any Irish person to work in the horticulture sector. If we look at the proportions from the most recent Teagasc study, which is nearly ten years old, it found that 77% of those in horticulture came from overseas. For those at the baseline, in other words, picking the fruit and vegetables, it was 87%. In all sectors of the economy, from high-value workers to making sure that we have fruit and vegetables on our tables, we are seeing people coming to this country to contribute.  Citizenship should not be given away easily, of that I have no doubt. There have to be standards expected of anyone who comes here. We have to have what is called a firm but fair immigration policy. However, fairness is needed to recognise those who want to come to Ireland and who have contributed towards this country.  I have a particular concern about the proposal to extend the residency period from five to eight years. I have constituents and friends who may already have started in the system or have not yet applied for citizenship and often have Irish partners. They are very concerned about these proposals. I welcomed the step forward when the Taoiseach said that for those who are already here, the extension to eight years will not be implemented. I ask the Minister of State to clarify that. It would send out an important message to those already in Ireland if the five-year requirement were to continue. Our student population, particularly the research population, can benefit enormously from bringing in international strength from around the world.  I happen to be very proud of my party's tradition of being a welcoming and inclusive party. There are people who are not Irish who have taken a very active role in my party. It was founded by people with surnames like De Valera, Lemass, and Markievicz. This is a very clear recognition of the contribution of people from various backgrounds to the foundation of the State. While we need to have a proper immigration policy, it needs to be fair and to recognise the contribution of migrants to our shores. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paula Butterly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paula Butterly  I welcome the opportunity to speak on this topic. Listening to some of the debate, there seems to be a muddying of the waters as to what we are proposing in relation to citizenship and then the discussion in regards to migration. Ireland has always been a welcoming nation. However, over the last couple of years, we have realised that we need to have a firm and fair system to deal with the challenges coming down the line. Through the work of the Government and its Ministers, reforms have been implemented and we are now seeing the benefits. We have always recognised that those who have come to Ireland and joined our communities and workforce have been welcomed and they are necessary. Never more than now, with an ageing population, we need more people like that coming into our country, being part of our community and participating in our political parties. Fine Gael also has a very large representation of diversity within the party, and we are very proud of that. We would welcome more people to join the party. That is the political broadcast finished for now.  At the same time, it has to be recognised that citizenship is not a right, but a privilege. People need to strive for it and work at it and ultimately be proud of it. It should never be taken for granted. This is what is being proposed in the Bill. We are acknowledging that people are working here and would like to establish a life here. Like their children, they would like to be citizens. There is no problem in my mind with extending the timeframe. What is the issue, whether it is five years or eight years, when the goal we are talking about is a lifetime?  Like Deputy Byrne Malcolm Byrne, I too had summer jobs. Unfortunately, I was not from Wexford. I am from County Louth, so my summers were spent picking wild oats and potatoes. Nowadays we do not have in the countryside people coming in looking for summer jobs. We do not have the migrants and local young people are not coming to do this.  Deputy Eoghan Kenny made a valid point, though I perhaps would not have used the same terminology. We have graduates coming in now, and while I would not extend it to all undergraduates, I think there is a valid argument to be made - and I hope it would be considered - that if postgraduates are here doing research in any subject through an approved institution, after that, if it is three, four or five years, those two years or three years of study be taken into consideration and be part of the residency rule. It seems a little unfair, if they have chosen to stay here to study and then contribute to society, that we would not recognise those years. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Barry-Ward.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Ward  This country does not function without foreign workers. If the people who come here to give us the benefit of their expertise, hard work and experience were to leave, we would not have a healthcare sector, hospitality sector or tech sector. Let us put that to bed straight away. We need people to come here, and we are incredibly lucky that we have a coterie of hard-working people who are willing to come and make their lives here by contributing to our communities, society and economy. This is why I think the use of words like \"racist\" is incredibly unhelpful. If we are to have a civil and reasonable dialogue about the issues in these statements, bandying around words like \"racist\" is really unhelpful. The reality is that it is not racist to ask that we reconsider our migration policy and change it in a way that reflects reality. We are changing it in a way that we need to change it. That is not a racist policy. That is a reasonable policy evaluation that should happen in any country and we should have a discussion that is not based on name-calling and accusations.  That said, I fundamentally disagree with the proposal to change the basis on which citizenship by naturalisation would come about. In my opinion, we do not need to increase it to eight years. It does not bring us in line with Europe. Thirteen of the 27 EU countries have a requirement of five years or fewer for citizenship. I think only six require eight years, for example. That does not matter, to my mind. When we look at the requirements in different countries, there are all kinds of more complicated criteria involved. For example, if a person has a family history of connection to a country, it might reduce the period of time. If a person has a good knowledge of the language of a country, it might reduce the period of time. I do not see the benefit for Ireland to increasing the period for naturalisation from five to eight years. I also do not think that anybody comes to this country on the basis of how long it takes before they apply for citizenship by naturalisation. I do not know how much difference it will make either way.  I agree with the provisions for a citizenship test. I called for this in the Seanad in May 2024. It is entirely reasonable that people should acquaint themselves with the history and culture of the country. The language also plays an important part. I made reference to other countries in Europe, Hungary and Spain for example, where having a knowledge of the language speeds a person up on the track to citizenship. More often than not, when we talk about language and people coming here we are referring to the English language. However, if a person came here and developed an interest and expertise in Irish, that should put them in a different position when applying for citizenship. I pay tribute to the Minister of State, because he has taken on an invidious task in being the person responsible for migration and he has transformed the way we approach many aspects of migration in a positive way. I disagree with him on this particular policy. We have, however, made huge progress, and that huge progress should be recognised when possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Martin Kenny  Ireland has changed hugely in the past 40 years or more. As a country, we were a net exporter of labour until 40 years ago. Things have changed. Very large families were the norm and people died younger. We also had an economy which struggled. Now, much of that has changed and as society becomes more affluent, families get smaller and people live longer. Those two things mean that we are going to need an awful lot of labour to come from somewhere else, and that is similar across every country in Europe. We particularly need skilled labour for the manufacturing sector and other sectors in Ireland and it has to come here from elsewhere. That is a reality we have to get used to.  The problem we see in my office more than anything else is employers who have people here working when they try to get their visas renewed.  The whole system has changed. Whereas this issue was dealt with by a local garda in the local Garda station, which dealt with the immigration office, it has now moved to a portal. It might as well be in Mars because nobody can get through to anyone or talk to anybody. They send in their information, wait for months and then hear their information has been lost and they should resubmit their application. There have been cases in my constituency where Americans, Canadians and Australians - I am dealing with two Australian people who are working here - cannot get their visa renewed because the system is broken. The Minister of State is talking about making changes. If he gets the blinking thing that is there now right, we might have a chance of working it. I have spoken to senior people in the Department of justice to try to resolve this and they keep telling me they are putting more resources into it and doing this, that and the other to help. It is not working. That is the reality. The system needs to be got right and I ask the Minister of State to get it right.  As regards the other changes, particularly with regard to citizenship, no one is coming to me saying there is a big problem with citizenship. The problem is trying to apply for it and the difficulties applicants are having with doing so.  The entire debate on migration in this country and most other countries is being poisoned by fascism. All kinds of lies and nonsense are being spread the length and breadth of the country. It is feeding people's egos to make them believe that we Irish are better than everyone else. That is part of the problem we have here and I want the Minister of State to recognise that. Many of the people who are spreading these lies are connected to international fascists, parties such as Alternative for Germany and the National Front in Britain. These are the people who are poisoning the atmosphere and we need to spell that out and recognise it.  I am not saying changes do not need to be made - they absolutely do - but whatever changes are to be made, the first one has to be to get a system that actually works for people who are here and want to stay and contribute to society. They need to have a human being to talk to at the end of the phone because nobody can get one now. My office is inundated with people who cannot get their visa sorted out. The Minister of State needs to make the effort to change the system for the right reasons. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  Let us be honest about what is happening here with the new proposed citizenship Bill. This is the latest episode of Jim O'Callaghan trying to clamber his way to the top of Fianna F\u00e1il on the backs of vulnerable people. In this case, it is the people who make our health services work, who are part of our communities and who contribute to our society. Jim O\u2019Callaghan is making himself out to be the hard man on immigration so that he can become leader of Fianna F\u00e1il. It is a solution to a problem that simply does not exist and one that will make real problems worse for people. It will make the health crisis worse and potentially make the housing crisis worse. It certainly will not address the cost-of-living crisis. It is another one of these episodes of performative cruelty that will not make life better for anybody in this country. Instead, it will just make life harder for people who are working and living here, doing essential work, paying taxes and contributing to our society. It is a policy that the far right could have written. It is pandering to racism, the far right and fascism and Government members should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for it.  Many of the arguments put out there are simply falsehoods through and through. It is not true that this would bring us into line with other EU countries. No other EU country has all three of the bars to citizenship in this proposed Bill, namely, the salary bar, the benefits bar and the debt bar. Twenty-one of 27 EU countries do not have any salary bar for citizenship, recognising that many migrants do low-paid but essential work such as caring for older people, children and people with disabilities. Extending the residency requirement to eight years before people can even apply for citizenship is out of line with other countries. France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands allow people to apply after five years. In Canada, Australia and the US, where thousands of Irish people go every year, people can apply after three to five years. This highlights the hypocrisy. It is why it is correct to say that what is proposed is racist. The Government is happy to see people emigrate and happy to see the back of as many young people as possible, but when it comes to people coming here a different standard is applied. That is racism and xenophobia, pure and simple. It is also not what people want. If we look at opinion polls, nobody is asking for this. People want to see integration and support for people. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  Citizenship is not merely a legal status; it is a statement of belonging. It is how people who have built their lives here, work here, raise their families here and contribute to our society become full and equal members of that society. Each country has the right to determine the rules around how it grants citizenship to others - no one disputes that. However, the proposals being advanced by the Government, specifically the increase in the time period from five to eight years, moves us in the wrong direction. These changes will make the pathway to citizenship longer, more complicated and more uncertain for people who are already living legally in Ireland and making a valuable contribution in our country.  Last week, some of the people who will be impacted by these changes protested outside Leinster House. I was struck by what they chanted, \"We work, we pay tax\". Their frustration was tangible. These changes are impacting people who have played by the rules and who undertake crucial work. Some are in high-end jobs, some are in university research, while others are in core, caring roles that are essential to our health and social services. What is most striking is that the Government has failed to explain what problems these measures are actually intended to solve. At a time when anti-immigrant rhetoric is becoming louder across Europe, including here in Ireland, there is a real risk that these proposals are more about political signalling than they are about good public policy. To me it seems the Government is being performatively tough on migration of any kind to match what it perceives to be a shift in sentiment. That is the opposite of the leadership we need right now.  I am particularly concerned about people who already have applications in process. Those who have submitted applications did so based on the rules that existed at the time. Existing applications should be submitted under the current system and the new requirements should not be applied retrospectively.  I raise again the delay in issuing visas to students from Gaza who have been accepted to study in Irish institutions. Sixty students are facing unacceptable delays and unfair procedural requirements, particularly considering that they live in a war zone. The Department of justice needs to rapidly process these visas. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Seamus Healy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","memberCode":"Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Seamus Healy  The proposals to impose more severe regulations governing Irish citizenship are pandering to a tiny minority of far-right, anti-immigrant voices. It is shameful. As the Irish Council for Civil Liberties has said, no rationale, research or evidence has been presented by the Department for these proposed changes and no issues have been identified in the current system.  Claims that changes bring us into line with Europe do not ring true as several European countries retain the five-year rule, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and many others. At a minimum, any new rules must not apply to those who are already in this country. These workers were actively recruited by State agencies to address critical staff shortages. The HSE, for example, targeted recruitment across the globe to fill medical, nursing, paramedical and healthcare assistant posts. Many were specifically recruited for IT and engineering sectors under Ireland's critical skills programme. These workers keep our hospitals, nursing homes, hospitality and agricultural sectors afloat. These workers are here legally on work visas and employment permits and under Ireland's critical skills programme. They work and pay their taxes, they are law-abiding and they have brought their families here with them. They are embedded in local communities, on parents' councils in the schools their children attend, and they are members of our sports clubs, with many playing our national games. These families have made a permanent commitment to this country and it would be deeply unfair to move the goalposts for these individuals now. It must not happen. The five-year rule must stay for anyone who is currently in this country.  I commend Clonmel Together, an organisation that does tremendous work in the area of welcoming and integrating new communities. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  We have heard a lot about this Bill but we have not seen it. We have heard what has been planned. We need to say that it is unnecessary, divisive and damaging. There has never been any demand in this D\u00e1il or anywhere else for a discussion about citizenship. In fact, all I have heard about is IPAS centres and \"illegals\".  Suddenly, we have a problem with citizenship. The Government is failing on housing and the cost of living and suddenly, this is brought into the equation as the D\u00e1il starts its term. It is taking the focus of the data centres eating our electricity or the fact that seven out of ten young people feel they are going to have to leave this country. It is performative cruelty.  Naturalisation should not have to be a massive burden. If people have been living and working in this country for five years and want to settle down here, they should have security and they deserve that, especially non-EU citizens who have to go through visas and difficulties every single time they need to go home if a family member is sick. This is racist and it follows the far-right approach taken elsewhere. As others have said, it is not in line with other countries.  I want to mention the income test as well. A rake of parties and Independents went to briefings about how terribly migrant healthcare assistants were being treated in this country. If those Members dare stand up and support this Bill when it does come through, they are hypocrites because these people are doing essential work in our nursing homes and so many aspects of our lives.  The language test is a similar matter. I do not speak Irish. Are we going to make migrants perform to a higher level than is the case for other people? This is not needed and all the Government is doing here is making life miserable and creating guest workers in this country rather than people who have a stake in society. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathal Crowe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathal-Crowe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cathal-Crowe.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathal Crowe  I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this debate. There are three essential points I want to make. First, as others have said, we have not yet seen the bones of this legislation but we are hearing what is coming down the line in respect of citizenship criteria. I am generally supportive of it. I think we need to have bookended policy that defines what citizenship is. That is quite standard for most countries. However, accommodation needs to be made for people who have been here long term or people who are married or in long-term relationships here and who are already queuing in the system. There needs to be some honouring of that. They have already bought into the system and applied. They are in a long queue to have their citizenship and naturalisation determined. Some accommodation needs to be made for that.  It has been said there will have to be a proficiency in speaking the English language. There are not many migrants who have become fluent in Irish since they came here but there is a minority of examples. One is Misha Yerhidz\u00e9 - I have probably made a disaster of pronouncing his name - who was in the Public Gallery 12 months ago. He came down and met people of all parties and none. He is a young boy who is living in Ballyferriter and he has a fabulous blas for the Irish language. He plays the concertina. Irish is our State language and it needs to be in those criteria. It cannot just be proficiency in English. The Irish community demands that that be inserted as a criterion.  Communities like Lisdoonvarna in County Clare bent over backwards when the war in Ukraine began. Their population increased fourfold. I have heard people stand up and speak about what their communities have done. There are none in the country that has taken on as much as Lisdoonvarna and it did so proudly. However, I made the point this morning at the Oireachtas education committee that the local school there went from 70-something pupils to 140-something pupils within the space of a month. This was a massive change for it. The point I made at the committee is that just as this ramped up very quickly, at some stage, please God, there will be peace in Ukraine and their status as beneficiaries of temporary protection will expire. At that point, the Department and the Government need to show the same flexibility to schools and communities like that as they wind back from this escalated scenario, as the communities themselves showed that flexibility in the first instance. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James Geoghegan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-Geoghegan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"James-Geoghegan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy James Geoghegan  I thank the Minister of State for the opportunity to discuss migration and, of course, the Bill that is being proposed. In the first instance, I acknowledge his opening remarks and the value that he put on migration, which is a hallmark of his tenure as Minister of State in this Department. It is so important that people in power use every opportunity they get to talk up the value of migration.  In fairness to the universal theme that has been evident in this Chamber, so far at least - and I have listened to the entire debate - every person who has stood up has spoken about the value and importance of migration, in all parties and none. That is a measure of the strength of integration in this country. I do not think that should be divorced from our ability or capacity to make changes to our system in a firm way. We have made very significant changes to our international protection system. That has worked and, quite frankly, has proved to be fair. There is a recognition of the changes that have been made and that has not done any damage to the issues of integration.  Similarly, I have no objection to the issue of citizenship being examined or to changes being made 20 years after the last iteration, but as it relates to people who are playing by the rules - I am talking about people here on stamp 4 visas, many of them constituents of everybody in this Chamber - they want to play by the rules and they have played by the rules. As the Taoiseach indicated, at least in interviews with the media earlier, it needs to be examined in the context of the Bill that people who came here and have been granted visas knowing what the rules would be on their pathway to citizenship should be exempt from any final iteration of this Bill and should be covered by the existing regime. That would be proportionate and fair. These people recognise that you can change the rules. They are working hard and trying to get ahead. They recognise that countries can change rules, but they have played by the rules and support work.  It is ironic that within this Chamber, for the first time in a very long time, we have heard discussion about full employment and the economy from the Opposition, which never talks about those things. One of the big challenges we have in this country is that we do have full employment and we want to ensure we have the right skills here. I urge the Minister of State and the senior Minister in the Department to examine this issue of being proportionate and fair to people who have played by the rules. They should be covered by the existing regime and not by any new regime that will be introduced. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Martin Daly  I thank the Minister of State for the opportunity to speak here today. I am the son of an immigrant. My mother was Indian. She came here in 1954 to study medicine in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She loved this country. She did not hold citizenship for almost 40 years after having seven children and working in a rural practice. She took out an Irish passport in her later years because it facilitated travel to and from Europe. The point I am making is that you can have residency here, and we should not conflate that and scare people who are long-term residents here and have not applied for citizenship heretofore. While we look at reform of our citizenship requirements, we should make that clear to people.  It is important that we have a review of the citizenship requirements. I am quite happy with the idea that there are certain civic requirements such as language tests, a history of contribution to the economy and other such tests. I do not have a problem with that. The extension of five to eight years can be debated but I have had no representations of real fear around that. Where there is concern is the fact the application for citizenship takes so long at the moment. I have been dealing with a medical consultant and his wife, who is a nurse. They have been here for a number of years. They have two children in India being brought up by frail, elderly grandparents and they are finding it very difficult to effect family unification. IWe need to have more flexibility around individual cases where people have demonstrated their commitment to this country.  Let us not forget that migration to this country has been a good thing, in spite of the efforts by organised right-wing groups to conflate illegal and legal immigration. The vast majority of migration here involves people we have invited into this country and who have added to our economy in all sorts of spheres, such as healthcare, the hospitality industry, construction, pharmaceuticals and information technology, IT. They have added to this economy, and they need to feel that their work and their presence here are valued.  Unfortunately, we have had a rise in racism. Fourteen or 15 months ago, we had a spate of attacks against Indian nationals around this country. I visited the then Indian ambassador, Mr. Akhilesh Mishra, and expressed my sadness at those attacks where people were being targeted because of the colour of their skin. It was driven by social media and people like Elon Musk and his hundreds of millions of followers.  There is a crucial point about people whose application for citizenship is already in the system, such as that couple I referred to who have been in the system for two years. Another doctor who has approached me has been here for 15 years. His wife is a teacher and now works as a special needs assistant, SNA. She has applied for citizenship. She has been in the system for two years and they are fearful that they will be set back.  We really need flexibility and fairness for the group of people who already have their application in process. It is important that while the Government has pursued a focus on immigration, part of the reasoning for that has been, in my estimation, that we must have a fair, firm system the public believes in. There is a narrative against our immigration system that suggests we have an open-door policy and that creates problems, so we have to have a system the public has full confidence in to avoid creating political vacuums where fascists and right-wing agitators can prosper. I agree with the tightening of our immigration rules on that basis. We have to demonstrate to the public that the system is fair and equitable.  On the issue of migrants generally, the State is not recognising adequately their contribution to the State and to our economy and we must have a much more forceful narrative coming from the State, Government and public representatives on the value of migration to our country. Our birth rate is falling. Our elderly demographic is growing larger. There will be one million people over 65 by 2030 and 1.6 million by 2045. We need migration to keep this country and this economy stable. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Ward  Irish citizenship is something to be valued. It represents membership of our nation, carries rights and responsibilities and should reflect a genuine and lasting commitment to Ireland. When I first heard the Government was looking to change citizenship rules I thought it was just a smokescreen to hide its failures on migration in general, and nothing I have heard since has led me to change my mind. The Government is just looking to go after low-hanging fruit. It is going after people who have migrated to our island, who have already contributed positively to our country, who work hard, who are part of our communities and who want to become citizens. All the Government has done is create uncertainty for these people, and to me this is wrong. I recognise any changes to citizenship rules can create uncertainty for those seeking to acquire Irish citizenship, and this needs to be considered.  For too long successive governments of Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael have failed to develop a coherent citizenship policy. The current system relies heavily on length of residence and rules that are often unclear to applicants. Time spent in Ireland does and should matter but it should not be the only determining factor. Those seeking citizenship must demonstrate integration, contribution, good character and a commitment to Irish society. If you believe in a rules-based system for migration, those rules must be enforced, not next week, next year or in five years\u2019 time. Those rules must be enforced quickly and efficiently. If you are someone who enters our country seeking refuge and you have a right to be here, you should be afforded every single opportunity by the State to make a positive contribution to our society. If you have not got the right to be here, as outlined in the rules, then you should be returned to your country of origin as quickly and as safely as possible. Most decent people on this island would agree with that. People I talk to when I am canvassing day to day and speaking to them face to face would agree that is a fair system.  On international protection, I have raised before many times, especially in relation to Saggart, IPAS centres should not be located in communities that already lack services and facilities and which are already experiencing deprivation. There needs to be a process of engagement with communities. In previous debates we put forward amendments that would ensure communities are consulted and that there is a conversation about new IPAS centres going into their areas and that their genuine concerns are listened to, but the Government and other parties voted against this. When communities are not listened to it creates a vacuum for bad actors to fill, often with false information. This can lead to division and unrest in our communities and this is the last thing we need. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  I will make it very simple, as I always have, and say that if people of any nationality are migrating to this country are here to work, support their families, integrate, support society and respect Ireland - as we do - then we will respect them and they are welcome. If people are here for the wrong reasons, they should turn on their heels and get out. It is as simple as that.  People in Ireland are the most welcoming in the world. They integrate and they work with everyone and all different nationalities. They respect everyone's religion and everyone respects ours. That is what I support. However, there have been people who are here for years who have done exactly what I said in that they have worked hard here, applied for citizenship, integrated and supported their families and communities. The rules on that should be based on the rules on the day they came here, and if new rules are being implemented, they should not be part of that. They should be recognised from the time they applied. It is the same as any rule that changes in that it should change from here on out. It is true we need to tighten up our citizenship and that we have an open-door policy that we need to tighten up, but the good people who came here for the right reasons should be accommodated here. As for the ones who came here for the wrong reasons, we need everyone's help to get rid of them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  The Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach might indulge me as I would like to pass on my condolences to Treasa, Cillian and Aisling and their family on the loss of Seamus Carroll. Seamus was a lovely usher here in the D\u00e1il. He was friendly, charming and full of fun and was always so very helpful to us all, especially me and my office staff. We will miss him here in D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann. May he rest in peace. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  Ireland has always been a welcoming country and raising legitimate concerns about immigration does not make somebody anti-immigrant. Independent Ireland supports legal immigration and we recognise the enormous contribution people who come here legally make to our economy, our health services and our communities. However, we also have to be honest about capacity. We have a housing crisis, enormous pressure on our health services and communities being asked to accommodate significant change without proper consultation. We need faster decisions and proper enforcement when applications are unsuccessful as well as effective border controls and genuine engagement with communities.  At the same time, a firm immigration system must also be a fair one. I recently made representations on behalf of a South African national living in Ballydehob who is facing deportation. He has specialist skills in solar PV, inverter and battery storage technology. He works with a west Cork company and is passing those skills on to Irish electricians. His employer wants to retain him and is prepared to regularise his employment. Surely circumstances like these deserve proportionate consideration.  I also welcome the Taoiseach\u2019s indication that the proposed new criteria may not apply retrospectively to people already resident here. That protection should be written clearly into the Bill. People who came here, planned their lives around the five-year rule, and are working here, especially those nearing eligibility, deserve certainty and fairness. We should also examine the situation of PhD researchers, many of whom teach, publish, pay tax and contribute enormously to Ireland, yet time spent here on a student permission does not count as reckonable residence. At least part of full-time doctoral research should be recognised towards residence. I sent the Minister of State\u2019s office a case on Monday concerning a young man who was born and raised in Ireland and lived here for approximately 20 years, but because he was apparently born just days after a change in the law, he is now struggling to obtain citizenship. Will the Minister of State personally examine that case? It should be straightforward but once again it is not. We need an immigration system that is controlled and accountable but also fair, proportionate and capable of applying common sense to individual circumstances. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  This summer a man was convicted of the murder of three young children in Parnell Square. He lived in Ireland for 20 years. He needed an interpreter because he could not speak the language in court and he never worked a day in his life. Despite this, that person had Irish citizenship. How does that happen? Irish citizenship should be valued. It should be something to be worked for and something to be earned. Generations of Irish men and women have fought and bled for this nation, and this Government has thrown out citizenship far too easily. I asked the Minister for Social Protection how many people are on social welfare benefits who are new arrivals to the country and have a similar history of not working in this State.  The Minister was unable to tell me because he does not count the figures. How do we make a policy on this if we are not even going to collect the data?  Countries like Denmark and Germany have a language test, a civics test and financial requirements as well. Many years ago, we raised this and called for citizenship reform. Indeed many Irish citizens right across the country did so as well and anyone who raised this topic was shouted down and called many names under the sun. What an immature democracy. What a poor reflection on this Parliament and this D\u00e1il that so many politicians who actually stood up today and welcomed the proposal were the same politicians from the same parties who shouted down Aont\u00fa and called us many names. I welcome the fact the Government is moving in the right direction. It is only right and proper that we would treat citizenship with value and introduce a language test, a civics test and, crucially, requirements around social welfare and financial independence. These things are normal and right and it is absurd the Government is only waking up to it now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  It is good to have the opportunity to talk about this. I know Senators did a couple of days ago. When the legislation comes forward, I hope we have ample debating time. I told the T\u00e1naiste that we need a citizens' convention on citizenship, immigration and asylum issues. We need to have a proper debate, get rid of the myths and the conspiracy theories and look at facts and figures. Sometimes the facts and figures will suit those perceived to be right wing and sometimes they will suit those perceived to be left wing but to be clear, morally, anyone who has made a contribution to this country should have a pathway to citizenship. It does not mean it should be an easy pathway because Irish citizenship is a privilege and not a right but so many people have contacted me who have been here and applied for citizenship on the basis of five years and now they fear it is going to go to eight years. For anyone who has applied, it would be totally unfair for that to change during his or her application.  I think five years is enough if the application process is tough enough in the first place. That means stringent language requirements not just in one language, such as Irish or English, but the ability to demonstrate some proficiency in the other language along with a knowledge of cultural norms, how the electoral system operates in this country, how the various State agencies operate and what is expected in terms of being a law-abiding citizen. In that context, there are many here who are already making a good contribution to our country who should be rewarded through that pathway.  Then we have people who are fleeing persecution. We know that at least 30% of those who go through the system are found on appeal to be genuinely fleeing war and persecution. They need to be protected and they also need a pathway but, equally, they have to follow the same cultural norms and have to have the same learning requirements to become citizens rather than protected residents. There are others in this country who have committed crimes, have been told they have to leave and have not left. That has to stop. That is what a balanced process is. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Catherine Callaghan  We need to be able to speak about migration and citizenship calmly, openly and honestly because if we do not talk about these issues in this House, people will talk about them elsewhere and very often without the facts. I represent Carlow-Kilkenny and I listen to people on the ground. People talk to me about migration and about the pressure on housing, schools, GP services and other public services and those concerns should be heard. People should be able to raise reasonable questions about migration without being labelled or dismissed but equally we have a responsibility to deal in facts. There is a perception among some people that the number of non-Irish people living in Ireland is far greater than it actually is. The most recent census showed that around 12% of the population were non-Irish citizens. We should acknowledge the contribution people who have come to Ireland make every day in our hospitals, nursing homes, construction, agriculture, hospitality, business and communities right across the country so this cannot be a debate of one extreme or the other.  Ireland is entitled to manage migration. We should have a system where the rules are clear, where decisions are made efficiently and where those decisions are then followed through. People seeking international protection deserve a fair decision and they deserve it quickly and where someone is found not to have a right to remain, that decision also has to mean something.  However, there is another side to this discussion and that is citizenship. I acknowledge that there is a real concern among many newcomers to Ireland about the proposed changes to our citizenship rules and what those changes mean for them and their families. Some people have come here, worked, paid their taxes, raised children and built their lives around an understanding of the pathway to citizenship that existed when they arrived. They now need clarity and certainty. They need to know where they stand. Of course, it is entirely reasonable that we have a serious discussion about the rules governing Irish citizenship because Irish citizenship is significant. It brings rights and responsibility. Becoming an Irish citizen should mean something. It is also about belonging. At citizenship ceremonies across the country, we see people who have chosen Ireland as their home. They have built lives here, become our neighbours and our colleagues and are raising the next generation here. That is something we should value so as we consider any proposed changes, we need to get this balance right - protecting the integrity and value of Irish citizenship while also being fair to people who have come here legally, who have contributed to this country and who genuinely want to make Ireland their permanent home. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Edward Timmins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Edward-Timmins.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Edward-Timmins.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Edward Timmins  It is so important that in all discussions here, we choose our language carefully. We must not say anything that might inflame situations or give encouragement to any extreme positions. We must stick at all times to the facts because we remember that we are talking about fellow human beings. The most important thing is that we have open and frank discussions. This will lessen the possibility of false information and extreme positions taking hold.  Three years ago, I stated publicly that we should have an open discussion on immigration. To date, we have failed to have open discussions. We have nothing to hide. What are we afraid of? Do we not trust the Irish people with open discussions and all the facts? In Ireland, over 23% of the population were born outside the country. The US and the UK, which are countries we consider melting pots, have never had this level of foreign-born residents. Their highest figures were 17% to 18%. Why are we not discussing this? What implications does it have for social cohesion, education and other issues in society? The rapid rise in numbers over the past decade has implications for housing. It means we are playing catch up in every part of the economy and our public services.  A common thread in most of the issues we discussed here in the D\u00e1il and at committee is that as a State, we are poor at long-term planning. We need to be doing detailed planning and budgeting ten, 20 and 30 years ahead. Do we need to review our work permit situation or how we can encourage Irish-trained people, for example, nurses to remain? By not discussing these matters, we are leaving it open to the extremes on both sides to dictate the narrative. Many of the people I meet and those who call into my clinics regularly raise these issues with me. These are ordinary, decent, generous, community people.  I commend the Minister of State on the steps he has taken to deal with international protection. The European migration pact was a significant move that will contribute to regularising migration and lead to quicker decisions. I have always said that we need to align our country with all other EU states as the only way to manage migration. In relation to cost, I expect to see large reductions in the cost of IPAS centres as we go forward. The new citizenship rules regarding residency again align us with other member states. One of the cornerstones of any system is that all citizens of the State are treated equally. In the case of IPAS residents who are working and earning a wage, there must be a contribution to all accommodation costs. Can we also have an open discussion regarding housing? Do people exiting IPAS centres obtain social housing locally quickly, do those centres then take in new IPAS residents and does this lead to some small communities having very large IPAS populations? In my own county of Wicklow, the majority of IPAS centres are located in one municipal district - west Wicklow.  This district is also the most poorly served by public transport and services.  I will repeat what I said at the beginning. I hope this forms part of a move to a more open and frank discussion. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul McAuliffe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-McAuliffe.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul McAuliffe  I welcome the proposals brought forward by the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and Minister of State, Deputy Brophy. I encourage the Opposition to consider them at face value rather than ascribing a motivation to them. I believe they are in many ways common-sense proposals. Citizenship is among the most important rights a state can confer on an individual. It is not just a paper document. It is a reflection of a connection to Ireland and a commitment by the citizen to actively participate in the life of our nation, in our communities and in our democracy. Citizenship offers an individual the opportunity to actively participate together with others who call this island home and those around the world who are summoned to our flag.  In my community, I see those families. I see those who came here to work, study and build a life. They are involved in our sports clubs, staff our hospitals and run our local businesses. They are our neighbours and friends. It is a proud day for both them and Ireland when they cross that threshold and become citizens of a republic. You can see it on their faces in the photographs and the video footage. It is because that moment matters so much that we should protect it.  The proposals in the Irish nationality and citizenship (amendment) Bill 2026 include increasing the qualifying period of reckonable residence from five to eight years and introducing language testing in English, Irish and, importantly, Irish Sign Language, alongside a test on Irish civics, society and politics. Importantly, none of this is unusual. Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland all set residency periods in a similar way. Most EU countries require language proficiency. Civics tests are common across the Union. Economic self-sufficiency is a standard pillar of citizenship policy from Germany to Denmark to Poland. These changes bring Ireland into line with our European partners.  Of course, we retain sovereignty in this area, but this comparison with other EU countries is important because in granting Irish citizenship, we are effectively granting EU citizenship and granting people access to the four freedoms that we cherish so dearly in the European Union. The Bill will also give the Minister a distinct power to revoke citizenship on public order and national security grounds, with a streamlined process to do so, surely a reasonable safeguard for any state.  The Bill will now go to the Oireachtas joint committee on justice for pre-legislative scrutiny. I look forward to a detailed debate there because there are questions with regard to addressing the transitionary arrangements. However, in the same way that these are common-sense proposals, I expect that those transition arrangements will also be dealt with in a common-sense way. I commend the Bill to the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  I welcome the opportunity to speak on these statements on migration and citizenship. Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s position is clear. We want a strong, fair and efficient migration system that supports the ambition and interests of the people of this State, while reflecting the inherent decency of the Irish people and upholding our obligations to those fleeing war and persecution. Managing migration requires concerted action and long-term planning. For a start, migration should be managed on an all-island basis. That makes absolute sense. With work permits and student visas, we should take into account our capacity to house and integrate people, as well as the availability of public services. That is an argument for basic planning, something that was clearly missing in recent years.  I am looking at the most recent push notification in the news on my phone and the headline is: \u201cSubstantial sums paid to asylum seeker accommodation providers represented \u2018no value\u2019\u201d. That is the news today from the Comptroller and Auditor General. It will not come as a surprise to people. We need to do better. Our international protection system must be fair, efficient and enforced. People need to have confidence in it. Sinn F\u00e9in calls for faster processing, an end to profiteering, as just mentioned, enforcement of deportations and genuine support for integration. Each of those elements is important.  Sinn F\u00e9in opposed the majority of the EU asylum and migration pact and the International Protection Bill 2026 due to sovereignty concerns and the fact the pact did not adequately account for Ireland\u2019s unique status as an EU state sharing a common travel area with a non-EU state. We need better data collection on entry and exit and the urgent pursuit of a legally binding, bilateral agreement with Britain.  Irish citizenship is deeply valuable. It represents membership of our nation, carries rights and responsibilities and reflects a genuine commitment to Ireland. We recognise the immense contribution that migrants make across our public services, economy and communities in every single corner of Ireland. Citizenship should never be reduced to a passport acquired simply through the passage of time or a privilege reserved only for the wealthy or well-connected. Successive Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael governments have failed to build a coherent policy, relying instead on broad discretion and unclear rules. Measuring time spent in Ireland, for example, in and of itself does not necessarily demonstrate integration. Sinn F\u00e9in supports a structured, transparent pathway to citizenship, with clear rules focusing on civic participation, community involvement, tax compliance and language proficiency.  Elsewhere, the Government must urgently address residence permit renewal delays. It must provide access to secure long-term residence options, create a pathway for people in the North who have legally moved here, and examine fair transitional arrangements. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  I welcome the debate. It is great that we can debate this in a reasonable and calm manner. I was in the Chair for a lot of it and I have listened to all of the debate. It is three years ago that we should have had this debate, but we could not raise it here in the House. Any of us who raised serious issues were decried and bemoaned as far right and God knows what else.  I welcome the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, to this job. They have made an effort to deal with elected politicians. What happened under the previous Goverment, Deputy Roderic O'Gorman and his Department, and what happened with the senior officials in justice and integration, was nothing short of scandalous, given the way they treated the people and communities of Tipperary and beyond. What they did in Roscrea, Dundrum and many other places showed the deceit and contempt they had for the ordinary people. The people of Dundrum and Roscrea came out and stood solidly, calmly and honestly. They did not want any far-right people. They hunted bad actors because of their contempt for the communities. The demographic is not supposed to be changed by more than 5%, but it was changed by 200% in Dundrum, with a good community destroyed. They sat at the gates. They were peaceful and good-humoured, and they did it for as long as they could, but no, the Government would not talk to them. Now it has taken the decision to close Dundrum House Hotel. What happened in this situation is that there were greedy actors that had no interest in anyone else, Irish, English or from Timbuktu, but an interest in fat, deep pockets. This allowed people to get rich. Filthy people, I call them, who were exploiting these people coming in, with bad conditions, getting millions in contracts from the State - taxpayers' money - and getting away with it. Now we have created a mess. Thank God, Dundrum is sorted, but many other areas are not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  My uncles and aunts had to go to America to work. There was nothing here for them in the late fifties and sixties, and they gave all their lives there. I appreciate people who come here to work and are working in healthcare, hospitality and the construction industries. The country needs workers with proper visas.  The main issue that I am hearing every day in my office, and again today, is from people who want to work here but who are having difficulties renewing or getting work permits or visas. There used to be an immigration officer whom a person could meet to discuss a visa or permit application, but that has all gone online and it is nearly impossible to get an update. There is a slowing down of everything for those who want to stay here to work. The Government needs to address that issue and not confuse it with anything else.  I am constantly being contacted by employers in the construction and hospitality industries who are trying to retain staff and have issues with their work visas. The system needs to be simplified. We should not be making people jump through hoops to get their work visas.  A lot of people were brought to Killarney and packed into asylum centres against the wishes of local people. It hurt local people very badly. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Time is up, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  My companion speaker has not arrived so I am using her time, as would be normal. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  I was not made aware of that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  I am sorry.  The Government would not listen at that time. It hurt and angered so many people and brought their wrath down because the Government was not listening to them. I was told I was a lone dog whistling when I mentioned there were more than 70 male asylum seekers put into a house on the Muckross Road. I was called every kind of name and it was like as if I was the red divil altogether when I mentioned such a thing. There was no thought given and no discussion with anyone. We need to get away from that. I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, for some of the measures he is bringing forward.  I go back to the fact that there are people who want to work and we need to ensure they are allowed in here to work and are given work permits. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  The Deputy's time has concluded. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Carol Nolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Carol Nolan  Can I speak for a second? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  For one second, as Deputy Nolan's time has gone now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  Stand up and say something anyway. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Carol Nolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Carol Nolan  Thanks, and I apologise. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  With the permission of the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Carol Nolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Carol Nolan  Is that okay? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mattie McGrath","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Mattie-McGrath.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mattie McGrath  Agreed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  I will give Deputy Nolan a minute. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Carol Nolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Carol Nolan  I will be as brief as I can. A very small minority of us in this House have been saying for years now that the levels of inward migration and explosion in the number of people being granted citizenship would lead to major challenges for the State and for Irish society. We have been thoroughly vindicated in those concerns. That is why I welcome moves to introduce a more rigorous set of requirements but to my mind, they do not go far enough. I accept this will have an impact on a very small number of people but the time when the State can simply coast along handing out citizenship and immigration permissions like confetti is well past. I will end on that note. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Brophy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Colm Brophy)  While I do not agree with what the Deputy said, per se , I do admire that she got here. I heard the breathlessness in her voice and it is important she got to make her contribution.  I will begin my reply by saying that we had a debate today that covered migration and citizenship. The difficulty in doing that in one joint debate is that I felt there was quite a lot of conflating of various issues which, unfortunately, did not give any real clarity to people who would listen to this debate.  I will not use my prepared remarks but will take a few minutes to reply to what Deputies said. I will start by re-emphasising that I believe the commitment of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and I has always been to look at reform around the area of how we handle migration in our country - inward migration, emigration and the whole process of migration - and ensuring we have a system that is fit for purpose. That is a system, particularly in the migration area, which is firm, fair and effective, a system that is rules based, a system that makes sure the public can have confidence in it and that people going through it can be dealt with in a fair manner. Through the implementation of the migration pact and the transposing of that into Irish law we have actually done that.  I noted some of Sinn F\u00e9in's contributions today, which were pretty much the usual tropes thrown out and did not even acknowledge the fact that the migration pact has brought some of the singularly biggest changes. We have seen a drastic reduction in numbers, which was not acknowledged. We have seen times change from years to months to weeks. We have seen a process that is now working and is deemed by people going through it to enable them to have a very fair and effective system, and is one that is actually delivering for the State.  It is really important that in looking at the argument, be it migration or be it citizenship, that we try to have a discussion. To be honest, I frankly find it insulting that when certain Deputies stand up, their contribution could be distilled down to, \"Let me see how many times I can say performative cruelty\", and they think that is a thought-out contribution. I do not feel that what anybody is doing in this House is trying to introduce a system that is based on performative cruelty. You may disagree with individual aspects of how the system works but throwing out insults, whether it is at the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, at the Government or at me, does not contribute to the debate. What is important to recognise is that there are real changes we can look at to ensure the system works, be it in migration or citizenship.  I want to clearly move to citizenship as part of this discussion. What we are trying to do is propose a series or package of measures that would change how we look at how someone acquires citizenship. We have been clear from the start that it is a package of measures. We believe that package reflects a modern society. It reflects a lot of European norms. It reflects how people feel about the importance and the privilege that attaining Irish citizenship is. I look forward to the fact, and have done from day one, that package of measures will be looked at, analysed, gone through and debated during the pre-legislative scrutiny process and by the process of legislation going through the Oireachtas. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and I have always made it quite clear we want that process because we want to have an effective package at the end of it that not only enables people, which I am absolutely committed to, to achieve Irish citizenship because they have come here and made their lives here, but also ensures that citizenship is a very genuine, deep citizenship that somebody has an opportunity to feel they have achieved through a whole range of experiences. That includes their life experience, their work experience, their knowledge of our country, their proficiency in our language and their ability to contribute. It is never just any simple matrix such as \"How many years have I been here? I must have citizenship\".  I am someone who has presided over citizenship ceremonies as a Minister of State. As someone who has such a deep belief in Irish citizenship, I am afraid I do not subscribe to the notion that just because you come here, and we want you to come here and work and make a life here if that is what you want to do in whatever area, whether contributing to our public services or working at the heart of our tech, that is somehow or other selling an Irish citizenship or passport. It is not. It is the first stage of a process of someone coming to make his or her life in Ireland and as a result of that, having an opportunity, as that evolves, to have the privilege of citizenship, which is very important.  The debate is important. It is important we try to listen to each other. It is important we try to take out the language that is just designed to vilify or knock someone whose viewpoint you do not agree with. I heard people whose political party I agree with virtually nothing on what it stands for, say things I totally agreed with. I heard people who I would be much closer to in a political party context say things I did not agree with. That is the thing about this debate. You must be willing to take the debate in the round and believe contributions can be made by everybody to this debate that will contribute to us having the thing we want. The thing I would like and believe we should all want at the end of this is a system of migration that works for people coming in, be it coming in to claim international protection or, crucially, coming in to contribute in so many ways to work for our country. We also want a system that works when it comes to citizenship and ensures that when somebody gets the privilege of Irish citizenship that it is a deep privilege, which we - them and the State - have collectively worked together to ensure the benefits they derive from that citizenship are the maximum for them and for the State. That is what we are hoping to achieve in the legislation we are bringing forward. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Migration and Citizenship: Statements"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_13","debateType":"billReport","bill":null,"showAs":"Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026: Report Stage","counts":{"speechCount":12,"speakerCount":5},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_13","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Dillon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, are related and may be discussed together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  Do I need to move all of the amendments? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  No, just amendment No.1. The Deputy should not rush it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  I move amendment No.1:  In page 5, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:  \u201c(3) A consultancy grant shall not be made for the engagement of consultants to provide advice or studies in respect of any activity of military relevance.\u201d  There are a series of amendments from myself and Deputy Gibney in this area. On the Second Stage debate, the Minister said that this Bill has no implications for our neutrality, but it has serious implications for our neutrality. My understanding of our neutrality is that we do not support or promote the arms industry. My understanding, and the view of most people in this country, is that our neutrality comes from opposition to war, militarism and empire.  The Irish Neutrality League, set up by Connolly, Pearse and Markievicz, was set up in 1914 at the outset of the First World War because the people who went on to fight for the liberation of this country, in some cases laying down their lives to do so, opposed the slaughter of the First World War and militarism. They did not want to be involved with imperial blocks that sent young working-class people in their millions out to be slaughtered. That is what our neutrality is about.  In an apparently innocuous Bill about industrial development, and who could be against that, the Government is actually trying to integrate us more and promote more Irish involvement in the arms industry. We will get on to section 8, the part that deletes the requirement for the Government to be notified if the IDA or Enterprise Ireland promote or support companies engaged in the area of military and defence. It removes oversight of that area, which was not even discussed when pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill was done. That was sneaked in at the last minute and is going to remove oversight of involvement of Irish companies and State agencies in the promotion of the arms industry. We should not be involved in promoting that.  It was very clear when we rang the alarm bells about this - quite honestly this all could have been missed because the Government was engaged in a sleight of hand but luckily it was rumbled - that the Minister gave away the truth when he talked about small and medium enterprise in this country, whatever small indicates in this context, essentially getting in on the benefits of European defence expenditure. This is the European arms industry, which is being ratcheted up in a very big way and, crucially, is implicated in the horrors we have seen visited on the Palestinian people during the genocide. He referenced things like drone technology as an area we want to get into. In case the Minister does not know, but of course he does, drone and digital technology and all that kind of stuff are absolutely central to the genocide in Gaza. It is absolutely central to what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people, to the modern warfare in what is happening between Ukraine and Russia, and the war in the Middle East started by Trump and so on. This is about us trying to cash in on a deadly industry that is about killing and murdering people using the most modern technology: AI, digital technology, drones and so on. We should not be promoting that. We should be promoting industries that are good for humanity and move us in the opposite direction from militarism, war, arms spending and so on, rather than further integrating into it.  I do not know if the article from The Currency has been mentioned but I quote it extensively. It was published earlier in the year and showed that in 2023 and 2024, millions of dual-use exports were sent to Israel and to the Israeli military from this country in the midst of a genocide. More recently, The Currency produced a new article showing that in the same two years, \u20ac28 million worth of dual-use technology - in other words technology that can be used by the military - was sent to Israeli defence and security companies. In other words, these are armed companies which produce the hardware and digital software and so on and so forth that the Israeli military uses, as we speak, to commit the genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. I do not know if that more recent article has even been discussed in here yet. The dual-use exports were not just going to the Israeli military, they were also going to Israeli security and defence companies. Fair play to The Currency . What is excellent in the article is that it states that officials in the Department were warning the Government that end users were going to use them for military means in Israel. For example, from the FOI stuff I got back, officials were advising the Minister and the Department that the end user had direct ties to the Israeli defence industry, and there risk-register profile entry stated that it was believed the end user is at risk of diverting these dual-use goods to potential military-end uses. That was ignored.  The officials could see where this stuff was going and that it could be implicated in the horrific crimes of genocide. It would appear the Government decided it did not want to know because we can benefit and that we want to move into and profit from this expanding area that involves killing people. I accept that after 2024, because of the uproar over the genocide and the pressure exercised on the Government, things began to change, but I do not trust the disposition of this Government. Look at its failure to impose economic sanctions. We are still doing \u20ac3 billion or \u20ac4 billion worth of trade with the Israeli regime, which is engaged in genocide. Do I trust the Government when it will now not even be notified about this stuff? No, I do not. That is why I moved these amendments and I am sure others will say they are doing it for similar reasons. We should not be engaging in and expanding our involvement in the deadly arms industry. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  I have to echo some of Deputy Boyd Barrett's sentiments, particularly around the disguising of a massive policy shift in our neutrality under the guise of industrial development legislation. In recent discussions with the Minister, Deputy McEntee, around this, I quoted the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, who spoke about the changing face of warfare. We know it is not just about building bullets that kill people now. It is much more complex and huge technological innovation is playing into the arms industry. It is not just bombs and bullets that kill people but everything behind that, around the technology and infrastructure of warfare. That is what we are dealing with and what we are pushing back on today.  I will speak to amendments Nos. 2 and 5, both of which introduce guardrails around that. Amendment No. 2 adds the following text: \"No grant under this section will be made for consultancy services which relate to military or defence activities.\" Amendment No. 5 adds:  (8) No loans, investments or disposals of land shall be made by the IDA under this section to any company which engages in activities of military relevance, including defence manufacturing or providing military goods or services.  (9) Enterprise Ireland and the IDA shall not cause a company to be formed and registered under this section if the purpose of that company is to engage in activities of military relevance, including defence manufacturing or providing military goods or services.  The purpose of amendment No. 2 is to ensure grants for consultancy services for business are not for military-related purposes. The allowed purposes are technological innovation and digitalisation; environmental protection and sustainability; and business transformation, development and strategy. Our key concern in the Social Democrats is we are seeing militarisation creep into all of these aspects of businesses, particularly following the lead of the European Commission, which is actively seeking to integrate our tech innovation and industrial development as a European Union with the military and arms industries. That is not conspiracy or pie in the sky. That is overt and explicit policy direction coming from Brussels.  The amendment seeks to ensure Irish taxpayer money is not directed to arms companies or to helping companies become arms companies. What is too often lost in this discussion is that there is an opportunity cost. Every cent directed from business support funds, EU Cohesion Funds or research funds to military businesses is money that the Government does not have to support family-run companies which are trying to navigate rising business costs, help local SMEs expand or help medical start-ups conduct important research. It means people who would otherwise focus their talents and efforts on a business that benefits the environment, makes a medical good or creates and innovates to support society are instead encouraged to follow the money and use that talent and effort to create a war economy.  Amendment No. 5 further pushes that any material support provided by the IDA and Enterprise Ireland is not aimed at companies engaging in activities of military relevance, particularly that they do not take part in the formation of companies which do this. There is an inherent risk involved when Irish State agencies provide funding, lands or material supports, or become shareholders or create companies which engage in activities of military relevance.  The principles underpinning this are simple. We do not want to pivot our economy towards war and arms, and that is what this does by stealth and in disguise. It is turning our backs on neutrality. The Government is already doing that with the Defence Act by removing the triple lock but this is brazenly saying we want to abandon our neutrality, even though, of course, the Government is not admitting the removal of the triple lock is jettisoning our neutrality. On top of that, as a European member state, we have a choice right now when there is a clear direction of travel away from the peace project origins of the founding of the European Union towards a project which has at its centre militarism, war, the arms industry and economies propped up by those. That is the direction of travel. There is no hiding that. Nobody is even trying to hide that in Brussels. We have a role as a European member state, and one of the few which are neutral, not to just go along with it and say, \"Oh, that's where the money's going, we'd best follow that\", but instead to say \"No\", push back against it and say that we do not stand for this and we will not stand for it. We must remind our European colleagues that we are a peace project. I hear from those in Cabinet time and again that the EU is the greatest peace project - well, they should act like it is and tell our European colleagues we will not do this. Do not just try to buy in because that is where the money is.  We are against the use of public funds to subsidise the arms industry and we understand the Government's approach seeks to cash in, essentially, on European funds for companies engaging in military activities. The arms industry has always been profitable and the level of profitability has never been the measure by which Government should approve State supports to companies engaging in military activities and creating goods for military use. The reason we require Government approval is based on the understanding that the creation, with public funds, of weapons that may be used in a manner over which we have no control is wrong. We also believe shaping our industrial development around the arms and military sector risks creating sector lock-in and reliance on arms for economic and industrial development, which can have serious consequences for our economies, for policies across Europe, for diplomacy and for defence.  Being one of 27 member states and one of the few neutral ones means being a constant reminder that this is a peace project, a Union founded in peace, not one which supports war and arms as a key economic indicator. We see this policy shift happening across the EU. What is not being spoken about when we talk about the billions for the defence sector is the cost. When we use Cohesion Funds, research funds and business support funds for military purposes, there is less money for the genuine social cohesion that the European project was born for. For important research and indigenous businesses which are not in the military sector, we must resist it and resist using it as a foundation for this gargantuan policy change. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  Our neutrality matters. I support amendments Nos. 1 to 5. We need to be conscious of the ramifications for our neutrality of what the Government is trying to push through. Currently, any engagement by Enterprise Ireland or the IDA with companies which engage in activities of military relevance must be done with the prior approval of the Government. This is not an argument that defence companies should be prohibited in Ireland, nor is it an argument for investing in our Defence Forces; it is an argument about public money and State assets. Therefore, ministerial oversight is critical.  I was not convinced by the Committee Stage debate that necessary safeguards were in place, and I do not think anybody across all parties in the committee was convinced. Why should the State finance or facilitate supports through its enterprise agencies for activity of this nature? There is already billions in funding available from the EU, for example, so why are we subsidising them? God knows there are many things in this country that need to be subsidised and supported. We talk to businesses every day of the week about competitiveness and about how they are struggling. Why then are we suggesting we open the doors to give the support that could be given to them to this when it threatens our neutrality? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Dillon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (Deputy Alan Dillon)  I thank the Deputies for tabling these amendments but I am unable to accept them. First, I will focus on the objectives of section 4 and 5.  Section 4 deals with the capacity of the enterprise development agencies, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, to provide environmental grants and consultancy grants. The objectives of these incentives for businesses are to invest in actions that drive decarbonisation and our national objectives with respect to green and digital transition. They also align with the Government's goals, as set out in the programme for Government, to support high-quality jobs, mitigate climate change and drive competitiveness. The proposals set out in section 4 are in no way related to military matters. Likewise, the ultimate objective of section 5 is to support jobs, economic growth and strong regional development.  Having listened to the Deputies, it is disingenuous to say that the proposal in this Bill is aligned to war, military matters or subsidies for the arms industry. That could not be further from the facts. Every substantial safeguard to protect Ireland's national security, reputation and international obligations remains fully in force. The Bill does not in any instance affect the Government's policy on military neutrality. If we look at the availability of suitable property solutions, we are looking at how we can centrally attract mobile FDI, particularly in the current highly, competitive international markets, and for companies to see Ireland as an attractive place in which to do business. In that context, the joint property ventures provided for in section 5 can play an important role in supporting job creation. Again, section 5 of this proposal is in no way related to military matters.  As a Government, we will continue to support Irish-owned companies to grow and scale, along with providing direct investment towards each step of their decarbonisation. At the same time, as global competition for FDI intensifies, Ireland needs to remain agile and ambitious to win investment. The purpose of the Bill is to support these objectives. Through its different sections, it amends different Acts to specify defined purposes. Applying exceptional conditions to unrelated supports, as proposed in these amendments, is piecemeal and is not coherent from a policy perspective. The amendments conflate unrelated issues. Deputy Boyd Barrett spoke about issues around export licences. These were substantially discussed on Committee Stage when the Minister was very clear on the export of dual-use items. The Department explicitly and carefully assesses export licence applications, having regard to their relevance, the regulations and criteria. Their authorisations are decided on that basis.  For the reasons I outlined, I will not be accepting these amendments. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  The Minister of State will have a more difficult time explaining the deletion of section 8. Let us take him at face value and say that these things are not connected. What, then, is the problem with our amendments? If the Government is talking about giving the IDA powers, for example, to set up DACs for purely benign purposes that have nothing to do with the arms industry or the military sector, why would it have a problem with our amendments? The Minister of State said there is no connection, so why does he not just accept them and we would all be happy? Nobody has a problem with the IDA or Enterprise Ireland providing grants - I do have problems with DACs on another level but we will set that aside for today - or in supporting the development of companies that are engaged in environmental research or other areas of research that are non-military and not related to the defence sector and the areas that we are concerned about that might impinge on our neutrality. The reason the Government does not want to accept the amendments is that there is another agenda. It is to do with ReArm Europe. We will talk more about that. It was alluded to there by Deputy Gibney.  The \u20ac800 billion is a big pot on money that Ireland wants to move in on and seize potential benefits from, but it means contributing to an industry that visits death and destruction on people, and has done very recently. The Government was caught out in its involvement in that when arms companies in Ireland and the Israeli military itself got dual-use technology from this country, which was almost certainly used to kill Palestinian people during a genocidal massacre. I do not see why the Government would have a problem with our amendments if what the Minister of State said is true. When we look at the rest of the Bill, in particular what we will be discussing in a minute, the Government is engaged in a stealth manoeuvre here. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  The Minister of State accused us of being disingenuous and conflating issues. I would push back and say that it is the Government that is being disingenuous in putting this forward. Deputy Boyd Barrett makes a perfectly valid point. If the Government does not have an issue and this is not about military spending, then it should accept our amendments. Everything in the public eye tells us that we are seeing a shift in spending in Europe. This measure seems to me to be clearly jumping on that bandwagon and taking advantage of that move towards militarisation. We are seeing a multi-annual financial framework reorientated towards military spending. We are seeing the knock-on effects of that in smaller countries not getting access to the funding they should get access to because, of course, it is the largest countries that have the arms industries that will benefit most from this. The Government's response is not to say, \"That is not fair and we should not be doing it.\" Its response is to say, \"We want to get in on that cash as well; we want to jump in there.\" That is what is happening.  There is nothing coming from the Government around the fact that this means there is less money for social cohesion in Europe. Our best defence against the propaganda of war and the disinformation coming at us from Russia and elsewhere is to double down on investing in our communities, small businesses and the people who need this money to survive and thrive in life. It is not to direct this money towards bombs, bullets and all the associated industry related to war and arms. Whether the Minister of State admits it or not, that is what this legislation is trying to do. If he does not admit it, why will he simply not accept these amendments? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  The Government is going in the wrong direction here. It is very pertinent. We are looking at this on the enterprise committee. Until 2024, at the height of genocide and ethnic cleansing, we were exporting weapons to Israel. That is the fact of the matter. Now, it is against the advice of the Government officials. There has to be an explanation provided as to why that has happened. That is the reason we are examining this in the enterprise committee.  The Minister of State is saying we should trust the Government, with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, to do this. This does not make sense, and it will not make sense to the constituents of the Minister and State and me, and other people throughout this country. Money is needed for CAP and so many other things. The Government has decided that this is the direction it wants to go down. It wants to go down the route of providing subsidies, land and whatever is needed and providing for consultancy services which relate to military or defence activities. Even if we were to pick out just one of those amendments, we are going to be paying consultancy services that relate to military and defence activities. The Government is on the wrong road. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Dillon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Dillon  For the purpose of this Bill, a lot of the matters being raised are unrelated to the specific amendments that have been tabled. We should be making it easier for our agencies, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland, to meet their objectives. If that means providing for consultancy grants or environmental grants, that is very much a core objective of this Government in terms of our green and digital transition. The agencies are working closely with client companies as they continue to navigate these strategic challenges.  This proposed grant would be an important addition to their toolbox. International challenges are very much on the horizon due to geopolitical uncertainty. That, from everyone's understanding, is impacting supply chains and the speed of technology change. It is really important that our agencies are adapting, with the growing technology and the introduction of AI as a key consideration for many enterprises. It is really important as a State that we, ultimately, continue to support companies which are making that green transition or increasing their digital maturity. This is the essence of what we are trying to do within this Bill. For that reason, we will not be accepting these amendments. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  Okay. The arguments have been made. I repeat that while the relevant sections we are trying to amend here, sections 4 and 5, do not explicitly refer to the arms industry and refer to relatively benign uses, we are asking for an assurance - the next section is the reason it throws doubt on these sections, and the Minister of State's decision to move out section 8 - as it does refer to, for example, consultancy grants around technological innovation, digitalisation and so on. What we are saying is in areas like that, they should be absolutely explicitly not for the military and defence sector. If grants, which could be up to \u20ac7.5 million for consultancies, \u20ac15 million in total, or land and property and so on, are not in any circumstances going to go to the security or defence industry, what is the problem with saying they will not? Why is the Minister of State refusing to accept the amendments? We are just asking for a safeguard against the use of this money by companies that would be engaged in those areas. Of course, I think he knows, and we will get on to the next section, that for many of these companies there is a grey area between digital technology, innovation in that area, and even so-called environmental stuff, and the military sector. There is a grey area that is exploited by those companies in order to produce dual-use technology, which is then used to kill people. That is where the relevance of The Currency articles and so on comes in, and the dual-use technology where officials were warning the Department that they think this will be used by the end user for military means even though the end user was saying \"Of course not.\" The end use, of course, was an arms company deeply implicated in Israel's crimes. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Debate adjourned."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026: Report Stage"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_18","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Visit of Moldovan Delegation","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_18","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  I welcome the Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova, Cristina Gherasimov. She is here with the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, and colleagues. She is very welcome and I hope she enjoys the proceedings here in Leinster House. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Visit of Moldovan Delegation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_19","debateType":"billReport","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/42","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/42\/dail\/4_sub","houseCode":"dail","stage":"4_sub","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage","counts":{"speechCount":18,"speakerCount":7},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"George Lawlor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Dillon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  I move amendment No. 2:  In page 5, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:  \u201c(3) No grant under this section will be made for consultancy services which relate to military or defence activities.\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  I move amendment No. 3:  In page 6, between lines 26 and 27, to insert the following:  \u201c(c) not make loans to, invest monies in and sell, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of land at its disposal to, a relevant company which engages in or promotes any activity of military relevance.\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  I move amendment No. 4:  In page 6, between lines 36 and 37, to insert the following:  \u201c(c) not make loans to, invest monies in and sell, transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of land at its disposal to, a relevant company which engages in or promotes any activity of military relevance.\u201d. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  I move amendment No. 5:  In page 7, between lines 28 and 29, to insert the following:  \u201c(8) No loans, investments or disposals of land shall be made by the IDA under this section to any company which engages in activities of military relevance, including defence manufacturing or providing military goods or services.  (9) Enterprise Ireland and the IDA shall not cause a company to be formed and registered under this section if the purpose of that company is to engage in activities of military relevance, including defence manufacturing or providing military goods or services.\u201d "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Amendment No. 6 is out of order as it does not arise out of committee proceedings. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment not moved."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Amendments Nos. 7 and 8 are related and may be discussed together, by agreement. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  I move amendment No. 7:  In page 9, to delete lines 9 to 11.  This is really the key amendment and is from myself and Deputies Gibney and Lawlor. We all submitted the same amendment and it relates to our belief that the Government has not been honest with this House or with the public about the real purpose of this Bill. I want to repeat that in the pre-legislative scrutiny process there was no mention of this at all. It was brought it in on Committee Stage, after the fact, and quite honestly, it could easily have been missed. The potential significance of it was not really advertised properly. Let us be clear, the Bill's explanatory memorandum states, \"The Science and Technology Act 1987 will be amended to clarify the agencies\u2019 capacity to support dual-use, security and defence projects\". It also refers to the removal of section 8 of that Act, which required that enterprise and development agencies secure \"formal Government approval before they engage in, or promote, any activity of a primarily military relevance\". That section would be deleted so that the agencies can promote, support and give money to companies engaged primarily in the military sector and they do not have to tell the Government. This last-minute amendment comes in at the same time as the Government is exposed in a freedom of information request from The Currency magazine which shows that more than \u20ac20 million worth of dual-use technology exports went out of this country to the Israeli military. Getting this information took quite a considerable period of time and credit is due to Niall Sargent from The Currency magazine for chasing this up and writing up the story. He exposes that officials in the Department were warning about the possible end use of this dual-use technology going to the Israeli military. At that point, just to remind people, in the middle of 2024, when this stuff was exposed, 35,000 people had been slaughtered. This was in the midst of a genocidal horror beyond imagination. At that time a decision was made to approve it anyway, despite the warnings from officials that this technology was going to the Israeli military which was engaged in slaughtering men, women and children in Gaza.  More recently, in the last couple of weeks, The Currency exposed that it was not only to the Israeli military but also to companies that provided weapons, arms and so on, to Israel. As I said already, an official warned the Department that the end user has \"direct ties to the Israeli defence industry\" and said that there was a risk of diverting these dual-use goods to potential military end uses. The article says that there were multiple denials from the end user but the end user was a \"defence company with deep ties to the Israeli State and military\". We can take it that it was probably Elbit Systems but that does not matter; it was clearly spelt out by an official that in the midst of a genocide, this was going to a company with deep ties to the state carrying out that genocide.  How are we supposed to trust a Government that made the decision to approve, despite the warnings about the possible end use of the technology? In other words, we were saying that if we can profit from it, we will go ahead. It really tells a story, quite honestly, about the Government's shift in position. How long have we been out on the streets, demanding that the Government take action against Israel and impose actual sanctions instead of just making rhetorical, tokenistic statements about support for the Palestinians? In actuality, the Government did not want to, and even now it does not want to do so. We are one of the biggest trading partners with the Israeli regime, involving billions of euro every year. We are one of the biggest partners in Europe. We do not want to stop trading with a state that is committing genocide, so that decision was made. Subsequently, because of the massive pressure on the streets and the public outrage, somebody decided that we had better just hold off on this a little bit but, simultaneously, we will make sure that the IDA and Enterprise Ireland can support companies and not have to let the Government know about it. Now the Government will not know. It will put its head in the sand, deliberately. Hear no evil, see no evil and the supply of dual-use technology to end users who may be committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and even genocide can just continue because there is money to be made out of it.  I hate to say it but it is very difficult to put any other spin on what we are looking at here and the rationale behind it. The Minister described it as removing red tape but we need red tape when it comes to dual-use technology going to the State of Israel when it is engaged in genocide. In fact, we need it for technology going to the State of Israel at all, given its decades of crimes. We also need it for other states that have engaged in wars in the Middle East, against Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, and in actions to take out leaders in Venezuela and so on. Do we want to be sending dual-use technology to people involved in war mongering and war crimes, with all of the horror that involves and the economic costs it is now even imposing on ordinary people here? I say \"No\" and I think most people in this country say \"No\" to that.  We have heard much about the health service and its computers being hacked by the Russians. Why not develop digital technology in the health service to protect against cyberattacks instead of supporting the arms industry to send exports to companies committing war crimes? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  I want to speak first to some of the comments that have been made. It is so crazy to think that this legislation has nothing to do with dual-use goods, which is essentially the premise that has been put forward so far by the Minister of State. This is literally money for dual-use and it goes even further and allows Ireland to invest money in single-use. That is what the Government is doing. He also spoke about how it is easier for these institutions and State agencies to meet their objectives but if we are allowing them to engage with military purpose industry, they cannot be doing a very good job. If what we need is to pivot towards military use then we genuinely need to look at what the IDA and Enterprise Ireland are doing.  Amendment No. 7 proposes to retain subsection (5) of section 8 of the Science and Technology Act 1987, which requires Government approval for engaging in activities of military relevance. The subsection states:  The Agency shall not engage in or promote any activity of a primarily military relevance without the prior approval of the Government.  The Minister of State could not accept our earlier amendments, which provided for guardrails to prevent the State investing in the military industry. The provision in the Bill to delete this subsection of the 1987 Act knocks down any facade in that regard. Deleting this line facilitates exactly such investment. The Minister of State cannot continue to spin a story that this is not about investment in the military industry, a move towards militarisation or pivoting our economy towards military investment.  Ultimately, we do not know the consequences of the goods or technologies that could be produced under this legislation. The Bill as it stands ensures that such decisions will have no Government oversight and that IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland will be fully free to use supports that could be used to help a local agricultural business or a new retail shop or service company to support companies engaging in military activities, a sector that is already extremely profitable and the recipient of millions of euro of additional funding, particularly in recent years. We know that military goods are designed to be used in war and conflict. They are designed for violence and, often, to maim and kill. In an effort to widen what is an acceptable use of taxpayer money, we risk victims of violence and conflict coming back to us to ask why the weapons, technology, goods and services used to hurt them were stamped with \"Made in Ireland\".  Additional evidence of this is found in an article in The Journal a couple of weeks ago detailing the comments by the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, at an event in Strasbourg. Asked by the journalist whether there was a risk of Ireland having to contribute billions of euro to European defence spending, the Minister of State declined to endorse a specific figure, stating \"I'm not going to go into figures like that because some of these figures can be bandied about.\" The article goes on to state:  However, Byrne acknowledged the broader concern.  He said Irish businesses have traditionally benefited when European countries increase spending on infrastructure and other major projects.  \"That\u2019s not the case with defence spending, because we don\u2019t have a defence industry of any significance,\" Byrne said.  He said there are Irish companies operating in the sector and that the government is trying to increase their involvement so that \"there\u2019s an economic benefit back\" to Ireland.  Byrne said the government is changing legislation to allow Enterprise Ireland to advise companies in the defence sphere, while a new security clearance system will allow Irish companies to participate in European consortiums competing for defence contracts.  Nobody in the Government is trying to hide what it is doing, yet the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, comes in here and suggests to us that we are conflating issues and being disingenuous. This is exactly why the Irish public grappled with the Nice and Lisbon treaties. It is exactly why we need to be active members of the European Union, consistently and constantly pushing for the upholding of the founding values of the Union of social justice and peace. That is what the Government is absolutely happy to leave in the dust while it trots forward on the path to militarisation, down which the EU is hell-bent on going. I have been mocked by the Minister of State's colleagues for using words like that and describing the situation as such but every piece of evidence makes clear to me that this is exactly what is happening and that the Government is not only not resisting it but happily embracing it.  I questioned two Commissioners at a meeting of the European affairs committee in January. They further confirmed all of this. The multi-annual financial framework is being redesigned to support defence spending, and that means less money will go to communities and small businesses. The competitiveness and cohesion funding - all of the funding - is being adjusted in such a way that we, as 27 member states, will spend more on arms. The Government is not working to ensure that does not happen but, rather, to ensure it gets in on it and gets a slice of the pie. It is willing to leave behind our proud tradition of Irish neutrality and to hollow it out until there is nothing left of it. By way of the Defence (Amendment) Bill and all the other legislation it is trying to push through, the Government is, in effect, trying to get us to a point where Ireland might be compared with Switzerland, which is said to be neutral but has a massive arms industry.  We do not want that here. Neutrality for the Irish people means not just that we are militarily neutral but that we do not support military arms development. Our companies should be founded, and supported to be founded, in ways that are for good. Going back to my earlier point, even in the consultancy part of this, we are drawing our talent away from positive forces in Irish society and positive advancements in science and technology and towards war. This issue is so fundamental to us, but the Government is willing just to toss it out there because it wants a slice of the European money pie. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"George Lawlor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy George Lawlor  The deletion proposed in section 8 of the Bill is bizarre when one considers the Taoiseach's speech to the UN just a few days ago, where he stood up in front of the world and said the world will not forget the inaction on Gaza. A few days later, his Government is proposing to delete the following subsection in the 1987 Act:  The Agency shall not engage in or promote any activity of a primarily military relevance without the prior approval of the Government.  The proposal, in effect, is to take out the guardrails or safeguards that prevent our agencies for the promotion of enterprise and industry from dealing with companies that provide arms that will slaughter even more people in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine.  In his remarks when rejecting amendments Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, the Minister of State, in effect, threw himself under the bus in saying the provisions under discussion were in no way related to military matters. This particular subsection absolutely is related to military matters. It is as clear as day that it is related to military matters. We have been talking about the possibility of the Government not knowing about such a connection to military matters. In fact, the Government will not want to know about what is going on behind the scenes in the context of IDA Ireland or Enterprise Ireland potentially interacting and dealing with companies that are sending weapons to slaughter innocent men, women and children in Gaza.  In the current geopolitical climate, section 8 proposes a bizarre, callous and extraordinarily concerning deletion. It is an absolutely regressive step. It is removing a check on how taxpayers' money is spent and how that relates to our neutrality. The prohibition on State agencies engaging in or promoting activities of primarily military relevance without Government approval was enacted in 1987 as a statutory embodiment of our neutrality. It means the machinery of industrial policy, including grant aid, promotional activity and equity investment, which is hugely important to this country and to the agencies, cannot be turned towards military ends without an explicit political decision at Government level. Why is the Government now determined to unwind that principle? It is obvious that the reason is the \u20ac800 billion to which Deputy Gibney referred. It wants to get a piece of that filthy, poisonous pie that is going to kill so many people across the globe.  A separate Government approval is needed under the Control of Exports Act 2023. We cannot imagine the domestic market for military goods is terribly large, so most of what is produced off the back of the agencies' investment will absolutely be bound for the export market. Therefore, they will still need approval at that stage. However, we have learned that we cannot trust the Government on that count either. This is the Department that approved \u20ac20 million worth of dual-use exports to the IDF and the Israeli defence ministry at the height of the genocide in Gaza. It is clear that the export approval process is not much of a safeguard.  With that in mind, we certainly cannot support section 8 of the Bill. As I said, it is bizarre in the context of all the condemnation of the actions of the war criminal Netanyahu. Of course, we already saw similar when the Government delegates sat and listened to his diatribe at the United Nations in New York last week, when the representatives of every other decent Government across the globe, who did not salute the manner in which he went about his business, left the room and turned their back on Netanyahu, the war criminal who should be arrested if he ever arrives in this country.  This is a callous deletion. It gets rid of a safeguard we have long held as a country that is proud of its neutrality. The Minister of State simply must look again at this.  The Government's previous amendments have certainly said that anything connected to military activity will not be countenanced. However, the Bill's provision is totally open to that and I urge the Minister of State to reject any removal or deletion within section 8 of the Act. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  It is highly unlikely and unusual for a government to want to give away powers. The question has to be asked why does the Government want to delete the following: \"The Agency shall not engage in or promote any activity of primarily military relevance without the prior approval of the Government.\" The Government does not want to know what is happening in this space. It wants a free for all and it wants taxpayers' money to pay for it. This is completely wrong. I see that the two amendments have been grouped together. I have put in some wording in amendment No. 8 knowing that the Government would refuse to accept the other amendment. I have nothing left to say in this space other than to ask the Minister of State to please not delete the paragraph as stated. There is no rhyme nor reason to do that but the Government will have to answer to the Irish people. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Dillon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Alan-Dillon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (Deputy Alan Dillon)  I thank the Deputies for tabling these amendments, and as with the previous amendments, I cannot accept them. The Act's section 8(5) provision is ambiguous and creates ongoing practical difficulties for the agencies. It hinders the agency support by creating uncertainty about what engagement requires prior Government approval and what does not. This blanket provision is outdated, given the multilayered regulatory framework that now exists. Increasingly, the Defence Forces have procurement needs related to the defence and security technologies required to protect the infrastructure on which our economy and prosperity depend. In this debate, not one Deputy mentioned our requirements around investments in our Defence Forces. We are raising the level of ambition to where we can continue to protect our citizens, strengthen national security and deliver more capable and resilient Defence Forces. I think we all accept that the landscape is changing in terms of the operational needs of the Defence Forces and also the opportunities in domestic and European funding.  We have been very clear on the priorities, which are in relation to defence, security and resilience opportunity, and streamlining these procedures facilitates that. The agencies remain subject to ministerial directions under the Industrial Development Acts. We will also have robust mechanisms in place for rigorous project appraisals by the agencies, our export control regulation, ministerial powers and Government oversight, and defence procurement safeguards. It is important that the agencies remain subject to these requirements under the Industrial Development Acts. Governance and oversight remain robust for agency project approval. This will ensure that every project is assessed carefully, transparently and consistently.  Deletion of section 5 of the 1987 Act, as proposed, will streamline the work of the agencies in supporting innovative SMEs and enterprises, including cutting-edge technologies of strategic importance to Ireland, such as cybersecurity, sensors, data analytics and maritime surveillance. That has been raised many times regarding our national security vulnerabilities.  I am unable to accept Deputy Conway Walsh's proposed amendment No. 8 because it would reintroduce the central ambiguity that the Bill is designed to remove. We should not delete any ambiguous statutory requirement and replace it with something that recreates the ambiguity. The section 8(5) requirement no longer reflects the reality of how innovation, research and industrial ecosystems operate. Instead of providing clarity, it has the opposite effect. It has prolonged legal ambiguity and encouraged excessive caution in the system when considering engagement with projects that involve emerging technologies with defence, security and resilience potential, and these are areas of importance for our Defence Forces.  Equally, the scope of Deputy Conway Walsh's amendment is open to interpretation and potentially is so broad that it would make the requirement challenging for agencies to interpret and burdensome for any administrative purpose, while the Bill is designed to streamline operations. Given the nature of the modern economy and the range of activities across civilian and dual-use activity, there is a potential for the Deputy's amendment to add an extra layer of bureaucracy to all engagements with a host of companies beyond those presumably targeted by the amendment, as the enterprise agencies would need to assess what is within the scope of statutory requirement and what is not. As a result, the work and focus of the enterprise agencies may be significantly hindered.  Ireland's approach to support for the sector will continue to be governed by a combination of existing policy frameworks, legal duties, governance standards, and oversight mechanisms, including the regime supporting export controls. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  We intend to call a vote on this amendment so we will make sure we leave enough time to do so. Deputy Gibney prompted this thought. When I was in occupied Palestine in late 1987, during the first intifada, some young Palestinians the same age as me brought me to their home in a refugee camp near Hebron. There was no Hamas then. It did not appear until more than a decade later. In fact, there was no armed resistance from Palestinians at all. They were just young people being beaten and shot down by a regime that treated them as third-class citizens and dehumanised them in the most horrific way. They brought me to their home, through the barricades, with the Israeli military firing tear gas canisters. In the house, they showed me a tear gas canister and one of them told me to look at where it was made. It said, \"Made in the USA.\" I was not involved in politics then, but in that moment my political education began. I started to see the relationship between what was being done to the Palestinians and the arms producers in the United States and western world providing the means to oppress people, which has led to all the horror we are seeing today.  These days, that horror is summed up by another person I met, a poet, Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian writer and literature teacher who taught Shakespeare. It was his anniversary recently because he was killed by the Israelis. How did they kill him? They phoned him beforehand and said they were going to murder him. As he did not want his friends and family to be killed, he left where he was and walked outside. Now, using digital technology, that is what they do. They phone people and tell them they are going to kill them and then they do so by firing missiles. He had to leave where he was so that the missile did not hit everybody else. Do we want the technology implicated in doing that to people to say, \"Made in Ireland\"? I say we do not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sin\u00e9ad Gibney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sin\u00e9ad-Gibney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sin\u00e9ad Gibney  I will also keep my comments short. I will cut through what I would describe as a word salad in the Minister of State's answer. I call it for what it is, namely, deregulation. It is across Government policy but in this case, it is deregulation to open up Irish investment and Irish companies to manufacturing arms and dual-use goods. That is what the Government is doing. The Minister of State talks about the ambiguity, which is just insane to me. There is no evidence behind it. The Minister of State is not telling us. He is talking about it hindering things but he is not telling us how Enterprise Ireland and the IDA have been disadvantaged all these years by this one clause. Now, very conveniently and coincidentally at the same time there is increased defence spending available, the Government wants to get rid of it.  To suggest that none of us has spoken about the Defence Forces in our contributions is incorrect. As my party's defence spokesperson, I consistently speak about the underinvestment of the Government in \u00d3glaigh na h\u00c9ireann. This Government and previous ones have led \u00d3glaigh na h\u00c9ireann to the point where it is underfunded, with a crisis in recruitment and retention and without the capacity to even have ships in the sea at the moment.  The Minister of State should not talk nonsense about us ignoring our Defence Forces. We support level of ambition 2 funding in order that our Defence Forces can actually operate. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"George Lawlor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy George Lawlor  Our country has built its reputation on providing humanitarian aid and engaging in peacekeeping. What is proposed will undermine and hugely damage Ireland's reputation. The Minister of State spoke about ambiguity. There is no ambiguity. The 1987 Act states, \"The Agency shall not engage in or promote any activity of a primarily military relevance\". Where is the ambiguity? By removing that, you remove every safeguard and the reputation we have built up over decades as a country that people can look to for humanitarian aid or the provision of peacekeepers. The Government is going to totally undermine that. The grenades and rockets that will land on the children of Gaza will have our name all over them because that is what the profits will dictate. I mean the profits in monetary terms. That is what this is all about, and we utterly reject it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Does Deputy Conway Walsh wish to say anything? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  Deputy Gibney said what I was going to say. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Verona Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Verona-Murphy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Ceann Comhairle  As the time for the debate on the Bill has expired, I am required to put the following question in accordance with the order of the D\u00e1il of 29 September 2026: \"That Fourth Stage is hereby completed and the Bill is hereby passed.\" Is that agreed? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  It is not agreed. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026: Report Stage (Resumed) and Final Stage"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_28","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Council of the European Union Decision: Motions","counts":{"speechCount":5,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Brophy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cormac Devlin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Brophy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Colm Brophy)  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure:  Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the return and readmission of persons who do not, or no longer, fulfil the conditions for entry, presence, or residence in the territory of either Party,  a copy of which was circulated to each member of D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 24th September, 2026.  This motion seeks D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann\u2019s approval for Ireland to opt in to the European Council decision on the signing of the agreement between the European Union and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the return and readmission of persons who do not, or no longer, fulfil the conditions for entry, presence, or residence in the territory of either party and European Council decision on the conclusion of the agreement between the European Union and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the return and readmission of persons who do not, or no longer, fulfil the conditions for entry, presence, or residence in the territory of either Party.  I am bringing this motion on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, who spoke on this matter in the Seanad yesterday. These proposals have a Title V legal basis in the area of freedom, security and justice under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. As Deputies will be aware, this means that unlike other EU member states, Ireland is not automatically bound by measures in this area. Rather, Ireland can decide whether to opt in to such measures under Protocol No. 21 or by the three-month deadline of 8 October 2026 and that is the subject of the motion before the House.  Ireland is committed to establishing a system of migration that is fair, effective and efficient. Central to this system is a robust and credible policy on return, including readmission. Readmission is a central element of the returns process at both national and EU level. It forms a key element of the migration and asylum pact and its aim is to enhance communication and co-operation with third countries. Readmission agreements are fundamental to this objective and form an important aspect of the external dimension of migration policy. They play a valuable role in the fight against irregular migration by facilitating the admission of persons residing without authorisation in a member state to their own country of origin. They facilitate and expedite the enforcement of return decisions in respect of irregular migrants and may also function as an incentive for countries of origin or transit to enhance their migration control.  At present, Ireland is party to 12 EU-level readmission agreements including with Hong Kong, the Macao Special Administrative region of the People\u2019s Republic of China, the Republic of Albania, Sri Lanka, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Montenegro, the Republic of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Moldova, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Georgia, and in 2025, Ireland adopted a decision for the EU to enter into negotiations for a readmission with Kazakhstan, which I understand is progressing well.  To date, Nigeria is in the top five countries whose nationals applied for asylum in Ireland. Ireland and the Federal Republic of Nigeria have a strong history of good co-operation on returns and readmission. In 2001, we signed a bilateral agreement that sought establish a formal framework for readmissions and related immigration matters. While this was never officially ratified by Nigeria, the Nigerian authorities have demonstrated good co-operation on readmission of their citizens. Nigeria remains a priority country for Ireland in relation to migration co-operation and this readmission agreement would support Ireland's efforts in driving increased, improved and sustained co-operation.  As outlined by the Minister in the Seanad yesterday, the aim of this readmission agreement is to establish rapid and effective procedures for the return and readmission of Nigerian nationals from EU member states and EU nationals from Nigeria when they no longer have the legal right to enter, stay, or reside in the other party's territory. The agreement, which will be valid for a period of five years and renewable by mutual agreement of the parties, seeks to strengthen co-operation on migration management, combat irregular migration, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, facilitate the safe, orderly, and efficient return of persons without legal residence rights and to promote voluntary return and sustainable reintegration. It seeks to put clear obligations on the parties to accept the return of their own nationals, as well as timelines for the issuance of travel documents or biometric temporary passports, or both, as well as how nationality is to be determined. These are elements of the return and readmission process that are critical to its success.  Importantly, the agreement contains safeguards in relation to human rights, data protection, governance and monitoring. Central to the agreement is that it will be applied in such a way as to ensure respect for both human rights and for the obligations and responsibilities of the EU, its member states and Nigeria under international law. Ireland has and always and will continue to advocate for the protection of fundamental human rights and I am satisfied this agreement adequately does so.  Furthermore, the agreement does not preclude any memorandum of understanding, arrangement or agreement between Nigeria and individual member states on matters falling outside its scope. In order to facilitate the implementation of the agreement, there is also the possibility for Nigeria and individual member states to conclude bilateral implementing protocols. Deputies should be aware that this readmission agreement has not been formally adopted at EU level - it is likely at some time in November. Only after this formal adoption, will the agreement come into effect.  Opting in to these proposals is in line with our declared commitment to participating in Title V measures wherever possible and is a demonstration of our pledge to protect and promote EU values in the area of freedom, security and justice. It also demonstrates our strong solidarity with our EU partners, our firm commitment to EU values and Ireland's greater alignment with the EU in relation to migration management. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Matt Carthy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Matt-Carthy.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Matt Carthy  My party is on record as saying that we believe in a managed migration system. We believe in the first instance that this should be guided by Irish priorities, by the needs and wishes of the Irish people and by an Irish government rather than the European Union. The Minister of State's stated objective with which he concluded a speech in terms of having EU alignment in respect of migration management - is a mistake because it ignores the realities of our own situation and the fact that we are a divided island. Part of our country is under British administration and we are part of a common travel area that the EU framework takes no account of whatsoever. Sometimes that is misrepresented by the Minister for justice and others saying that we oppose collaboration at any level with the EU. The Minister knows that while why we oppose signing up to the EU migration and asylum pact in its entirety, we did support signing up to those areas where it made sense to do so, namely, in respect of returns policy and Eurodac, the sharing of information. We agree with individual measures such as the proposition that is before us to today. That does not diminish the primary point that migration should be dealt with a national level.  I fear that this move towards EU alignment will means that we will get readmission agreements only when they are agreed at EU level and we will not see the level of proactivity that should be driven at Irish Government level. The one state with which we absolutely do need a returns agreement is our nearest neighbour. The Ministers are on record as saying that between 80% and 90% of our international protection applicants actually come via that state. There has been no sense of urgency on the part of Government to deliver that.  We recognise that the integrity of the immigration system depends on decisions being implemented consistently and fairly. Where an individual has been through the international protection process, has had his or her application fully and fairly assessed and has been found not to have a case for protection, it is important that returns decisions are made and that those decisions are enforced through deportations. That principle must apply to all countries, including Nigeria. The problem is that this State has had a very poor record over recent years when it comes to actually enforcing deportations, even tracking visa overstays and Government not providing or being willing to provide at least any of the data that would be necessary. That undermines the migration and international protection system system. In many cases of which we are aware, the authorities cannot say whether people subject to deportation orders have even left the State or the country at all and there is a significant disparity between the number of deportation orders actually signed and the number for which we have confirmed deportations. For example, there were 4,700 orders last year. That is the figure that Ministers will put up in lights but they do not outline that there were only 434 deportations. As of 18 September of this year, 3,381 orders were signed but there just 356 actual deportations.  This proposed EU-Nigeria readmission agreement seeks to establish an agreed procedure for returns to and from Nigeria. Effective returns agreements are necessary for those who do not have a right to international protection and those who are otherwise unlawfully present in the State. To reiterate the point made by the Minister of State, these can be agreed at state level. It is not a necessity that they be done at EU level and I reiterate that we should be looking at those states that are most applicable to Ireland rather than those that might be applicable to other EU states and might become the priority of the Commission. We know that the majority of Nigerian applicants for international protection in recent years have been found not to qualify for national protection, albeit a minority has been granted protection for very obvious reasons. We have to recognise that conditions actually vary across Nigeria, which is a huge country, and that there is a necessity for each case to be assessed on its individual merits but it also remains essential that proper procedures exist to facilitate returns where an application for international protection has been returned. Supporting the returns that do not have a right to international protection does not deny the reality that in some parts of in Nigeria, there continue to be extreme levels of violence linked to Boko Haram and the jihadist militant group ISWAP and therefore it is important to remember that and give people the assurance that the policies and returns are put in place only when somebody has been through the international protection system or the cases have been assessed in the individual, where non-refoulement obligations are respected and where it has been determined that a person does not have a right to remain in the State. In this context, there is an obligation on us to ensure that there is full transparency around return decisions and proper monitoring of outcomes and accountability in terms of how these agreements are implemented.  We want to ensure that we have an immigration system that is fair, rules-based and human rights-compliant and that means ensuring that those who are genuinely in need of international protection receive it, and they are treated with dignity and respect and are encouraged and supported to integrate into our society but it also means ensuring that deportations and return decisions are tracked and enforced. The biggest problem at the moment in respect of the wider international protection system is the time it takes to process applications. As I mentioned in an earlier debate, there is now a record backlog in IPAT applications. We are told that there are in excess of 21,000 appeals. That alongside the failure to monitor and enforce deportations still needs to be addressed and I urge the Government to prioritise those two issues alongside the bilateral arrangements with Great Britain that we need to see formalised. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cormac Devlin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cormac Devlin  I welcome the motion and I thank the Minister of State for bringing it before us. Ireland's return arrangements with Nigeria date back to 2001. They were never ratified by Nigeria and it depends on goodwill. This agreement replaces goodwill with a legal obligation. Last year, Nigeria was the second largest source of protection applications here with 1,940, or almost one in seven, applications. Across the European Union, Ireland is one of the four main destinations for Nigerian applicants so this agreement matters more to Ireland than most member states. It commits Nigeria to readmit its own nationals who have no right to remain in Europe. It works both ways though and it includes safeguards on human rights, data protection and monitoring. It sits within a wider EU partnership with Nigeria on investment, trade and legal migration.  The motion is part of the Minister's wider reforms to make the asylum system faster and fairer and to restore public confidence. Protection must be there for those who genuinely need it but when someone who has had a full and fair hearing and has been refused, that decision has to mean something. The Irish people are generous and they want a system that is fair and that works. They lose faith when decisions are not enforced. Clearly no country can do this alone so the return depends on co-operation with countries of origin, with our EU partners and with the UK with whom we share the common travel area. In July, six men were returned from Dublin to Lagos through the Frontex operation from Rome. That is what working together looks like.  I ask that the Department reports annually to this House on returns to Nigeria under this agreement, including voluntary ones, and that the Minister of State continues to work with the EU and our UK partners to establish more return agreements.  We should also work closely with the Home Secretary to develop joint protocols so that people who are unsuccessful inside the common travel area can be safely returned. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Brophy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Colm Brophy)  To reiterate, and as I highlighted in my opening remarks, a firm, fair and effective immigration system is a central priority for the Government. Fundamental to the system is that our immigration laws are robust and enforced. People must be able to have faith in the integrity of our immigration system and how it addresses individuals who refuse to leave the State when they are ordered to do so. The European Council has consistently highlighted the need for a unified, comprehensive and effective policy on return and readmission, and Ireland remains committed to achieving the same. Readmission agreements play a very important role in the fight against irregular migration and are fundamental to the development of an effective policy on returns.  The readmission agreement contains clear and unambiguous, legally binding obligations that are necessary for two purposes. The first is to ensure rapid and effective procedures for the identification and return of persons, including not only nationals of EU member states and Nigeria, but also third-country nationals and stateless persons illegally entering or remaining on the parties\u2019 territories. The second is to facilitate the transit of persons to be returned to and from a third country in a spirit of co-operation.  Ireland has previously opted into 12 EU-wide readmission agreements. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, I believe that opting into this EU readmission agreement with Nigeria would further highlight Ireland\u2019s long-standing commitment to a common EU-wide approach to migration, and would support our aim to increase the level of returns of illegally staying third-country nationals to third countries.  In answer to Deputy Carthy\u2019s point, I believe there is strength in unity and in the EU working together. I know that the Deputy\u2019s party does not believe that, and that it was very selective in what it opted into supporting EU-wide. There is one thing that is always worth bearing in mind, as I have said to Deputy Carthy before in other contributions, and I was reminded of it when listening to Prime Minister Burnham talking in the last couple of days. The one country that tried to do this alone was the UK, and the one country that suffered most out of it was the UK. I agree with Deputy Devlin\u2019s remarks. It is vital for us to build our relationship by ensuring that we develop our existing good co-operation with the UK. However, in terms of the strength that we get through working together, that strength is there with our European partners. I believe an EU-wide approach to migration is what is essential.  Opting into these Council decisions reinforces Ireland\u2019s effort in ensuring ongoing co-operation with the Federal Republic of Nigeria and will continue to build upon the previous good co-operation on returns that we had with the Nigerian authorities. I consider it is important for Ireland to opt into these decisions in order to show solidarity with our EU partners and to ensure Ireland\u2019s own interest in enforcing our immigration law. It will also demonstrate Ireland\u2019s ongoing commitment to achieving a common EU-wide solution to migration, which is already evidenced by our opting into the EU asylum and migration pact. A well-functioning returns system, fully and seamlessly integrated with our new common European asylum system, is essential.  I again highlight that the agreement will be applied in such a way as to ensure respect for human rights and the obligations and responsibilities of the EU, its member states and Nigeria under the relevant international instruments applicable to the parties. The protection of the rights of persons after their readmission in compliance with the obligations under those international instruments is of particular importance and is central to the agreement. Therefore, I hope the House can support the exercise of Ireland\u2019s opt-in in respect of these measures. I thank the Deputies for their consideration of this matter. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Colm Brophy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Colm-Brophy.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Colm Brophy)  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann approves the exercise by the State of the option or discretion under Protocol No. 21 on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland in respect of the area of freedom, security and justice annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, to take part in the adoption and application of the following proposed measure:  Proposal for a Council Decision on the signing of the Agreement between the European Union and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the return and readmission of persons who do not, or no longer, fulfil the conditions for entry, presence, or residence in the territory of either Party,  a copy of which was circulated to each member of D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 24th September, 2026. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Council of the European Union Decision: Motions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_29","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Electricity Regulation (Climate Action and Connection to Distribution and Transmission Systems) Bill 2025: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_29","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  I must now deal with a postponed division relating to Second Stage of the Electricity Regulation (Climate Action and Connection to Distribution and Transmission Systems) Bill 2025, taken on 24 September 2026. On the question, \"That the Bill be now read a Second Time\", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Electricity Regulation (Climate Action and Connection to Distribution and Transmission Systems) Bill 2025: Second Stage (Resumed) [Private Members]"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_34","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Public Transport and Fare Increases: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_34","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The following motion was moved by Deputy Pa Daly on Tuesday, 29 September 2026:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"recognises that:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 public transport is an essential public service and should be affordable and accessible to all;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 investment in public transport is critical to fairness, social inclusion, balanced regional development and reducing emissions; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the best way to increase public transport use is to make services more affordable, reliable, accessible and more widely available;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"notes that:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 households, workers, students, pensioners and families continue to face significant cost of living pressures, with rising costs across housing, energy, childcare and everyday essentials;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Government has chosen to increase the cost of public transport for those who rely on it, and at a time when fuel costs are spiralling out of control;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the National Transport Authority (NTA) has acknowledged that increasing fares will result in fewer people using public transport;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 affordable public transport helps to reduce household costs, tackle transport poverty and help workers and families cope with the rising cost of living; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 commuters are being asked to pay higher fares while continuing to endure unreliable and overcrowded services, including so-called \"ghost buses\" that simply fail to turn up, leaving workers, students and families stranded and out of pocket;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"further notes that:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Government has prioritised pay rises for public transport chief executive officers in conjunction with fare increases for commuters;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 this Government have failed to provide adequate funding to the NTA to both expand services, and maintain affordable fares;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 despite repeated promises, the rollout of improved public transport services has slowed significantly, with concerns raised regarding delays to the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan and promised rural transport improvements;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 communities across rural Ireland continue to experience poor connectivity, inadequate services and a lack of viable alternatives to private car ownership;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 this failure comes amidst repeated examples of waste, mismanagement and spiralling costs within the transport system, including the write-off of approximately \u20ac50 million arising from a failed public transport Information Technology project;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 affordable, reliable and accessible public transport delivers significant social, economic and environmental benefits by reducing congestion, lowering emissions, supporting regional development and connecting people with employment, education, healthcare and social opportunities; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 free public transport for children and young people would ease financial pressures on families, increase mobility, improve access to opportunities and encourage lifelong use of public transport; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"calls on the Government to:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 immediately cancel all planned public transport fare increases;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 introduce free public transport for all children and young people under 18 years of age;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 provide adequate funding to the NTA to ensure affordable fares and expanded services are delivered together;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 deliver better, more reliable and more frequent bus and rail services;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 accelerate investment in rural public transport and fast-track the expansion of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 improve accessibility across the public transport network so that it works for disabled passengers, older people, families, rural communities and all users."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Debate resumed on amendment No. 2:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"To delete all words after \"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann\" and substitute the following:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\"affirms Government's efforts to:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 deliver a more frequent, reliable, accessible and sustainable public transport network;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 rollout contactless fare payments on all public transport, and keep fares low and affordable;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 place the Public Service Obligation (PSO) programme on a more sustainable footing;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 support households and businesses through addressing congestion; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 work to address Ireland's climate targets;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"notes that:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Government is committed to the delivery of major public transport projects, as evidence by last year's review of the National Development Plan (NDP) allocation of \u20ac24.3 billion to transport projects from 2026 to 2030;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 while the Government has allocated an unprecedented level of investment in transport, representing an almost 87 per cent increase as compared to the previous five-year period, investment decisions will always require a degree of sequencing and prioritisation of individual projects;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 for public transport infrastructure, there is over \u20ac12 billion in funding in the NDP from 2026 to 2030, this represents more than double the amount provided in the previous five years;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the funding in the NDP will provide for the progression of a number of major public transport projects over this period, including the commencement of construction of MetroLink, Luas Finglas, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART)+ Programme and the Western Rail Corridor from Athenry to Claremorris, as well as the continued implementation of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme and the BusConnects programmes across Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford cities;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 this funding will see the new DART+ Fleet rollout next year, as well as enabling early construction work to commence on DART+ West next year;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 on public transport services, PSO journeys have continued to grow steadily, reaching a record 363.5 million passenger journeys by the end of 2025, this represents an increase of 6 per cent or almost 20 million journeys over the 2024 total of 343.6 million, this sustained and significant growth in passenger numbers underlines the extent to which people are increasingly relying on public transport and demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining and investing in the network to meet this demand;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan is another strong example of progress, delivering exponential growth in rural transport since its launch in 2022, 185 new and enhanced services have been introduced, resulting in almost 8 million passenger journeys in 2024, where Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan services have been implemented, patronage rose by 38 per cent from 2023 to 2024, and is up by 165 per cent compared to early 2019;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 passenger fare revenue is a critical component of the funding base, and is essential to maintaining the financial sustainability of the network into the future;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 since 2022, passengers have benefited from a 20 per cent cost of living fare reduction, extension of the 90-minute fare, a 50 per cent discount for Young Adults and Students, free travel for children under nine years of age, and extensions to the eligibility of the Free Travel Scheme, which is run separately by the Department for Social Protection;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 even following the 2026 adjustment, fares remain approximately 8 per cent lower in real terms than they were eight years ago, and the additional revenue generated through this determination together with continued Exchequer investment, will help the National Transport Authority (NTA) manage rising operating costs, improve capacity and reliability on existing services, and continue the rollout of new services;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 in 2025 alone, 363.5 million passenger journeys were made on the Transport For Ireland network \u2013 this level of demand places significant pressure on the funding required to sustain and expand services, and underlines why fare revenue is an essential component of the overall funding model;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 public transport remains highly competitive and affordable, the fare changes support continued network expansion and climate objectives by funding future improvements;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Government recognises that an equitable and reliable public transport network plays a vital role in encouraging a shift away from private car use, it is essential that the public transport system remains well funded and responsive to passenger needs and adequate fare revenue is essential to support this; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the NTA continually works with operators to improve efficiency and maximise value for money from both fare revenue and public investment, however, public transport services have expanded significantly in recent years, and operating costs have increased substantially, a sustainable public transport network requires an appropriate balance between fare revenue and Government funding to support continued growth and investment.\"."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"- (Minister for Transport)"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding public transport and fare increases. On Tuesday, 29 September 2026, on the question, \"That the amendment to the motion be agreed to\", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Public Transport and Fare Increases: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-30\/debate\/dbsect_43","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Windfall Tax on the Excess Profits of Energy Companies: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_43","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The following motion was moved by Deputy Jennifer Whitmore on Wednesday, 20 September 2026:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"notes that:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 Irish households continue to face severe financial strain in the face of high and rising electricity prices;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the average monthly wholesale electricity prices in Ireland have increased by 9.6 per cent in August, 2026 alone, and are up by 77 per cent year-on-year;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 retail electricity prices in Ireland were already the highest in Europe, with households paying an average of \u20ac480 per year more than the European Union (EU) average;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 retail electricity prices continue to rise rapidly, with a succession of eight providers having announced price increases in recent weeks, some of these increases in the double digits;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 a 1,000-litre fill of home heating oil now costs approximately \u20ac1,600, up more than 60 per cent in just the past year alone;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 according to the Central Statistics Office, the cost of household energy in Ireland has risen by a whopping 70 per cent in the past five years; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 323,559 Irish households were in electricity arrears in June according to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, amounting to around one in seven households;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"further notes that:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) recorded a pre-tax profit of \u20ac445.6 million for the first half of 2026, up from \u20ac351.6 million in the same period last year;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 it has recently been confirmed that the ESB Chief Executive Officer could see his salary hiked by a total of \u20ac161,000 by 2028, with a \u20ac90,000 increase to \u20ac410,000 per year having already been sanctioned;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 Energia recorded a pre-tax profit of \u20ac70 million for the second quarter of 2026, up 25 per cent year-on-year;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 Bord G\u00e1is Energy recorded pre-tax profits of \u20ac50 million for the first six months of this year; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 these kinds of bumper profits, and gold-plated salaries, are indicative of surging profits in the sector;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"recognises that wholesale electricity prices are dictated largely by the cost of gas, meaning that energy companies that produce electricity from other sources, including renewables, can experience significant windfall gains when gas prices are high, as they are at present;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"furthermore, notes that:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Government legislated in 2023, to introduce a temporary solidarity contribution and a cap on market revenues to clamp down on windfall gains in the energy sector;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 those measures, despite being in place for a relatively short period of time, raised a combined \u20ac456 million; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Minister for Finance, has suggested that the State should wait for a joint EU approach to windfall taxes on the excess profits of energy companies, but Portugal has already moved ahead and introduced its own windfall tax; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"calls on the Government to:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 legislate to reintroduce both a market revenue cap and a temporary solidarity contribution, putting them on an independent statutory footing under Irish law that extends their operation for the period from 1st March, 2026 to 31st December, 2027; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 use funds raised from taxing the windfall gains on energy companies to provide emergency relief to struggling individuals and families by immediately introducing a \u20ac400 energy credit, targeted at households earning up to \u20ac70,000."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"To delete all words after \"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann\" and substitute the following:\""},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"notes that the Government:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 remains deeply concerned about the conflict in the Middle East and its impact on energy prices;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 is acutely aware of the impact on households and businesses of the recent increases in the cost of energy, and is actively monitoring the current geopolitical situation and its impact on costs;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 has taken significant action to help households and businesses with the cost of fuel and energy by introducing one of the most comprehensive support packages in the European Union (EU); and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 affirms that energy affordability is a priority, with the Energy Affordability Action Plan to be submitted to Government in the coming weeks and consideration ongoing of supports for household; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"further notes that:"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has caused international wholesale gas prices to increase which has a significant knock-on impact on retail electricity prices;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 supplier hedging strategies have and are continuing to help cushion households from the full volatility in international wholesale energy markets;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 price setting by electricity suppliers, including standing charges is a commercial and operational matter for the companies concerned and each such company has its own different approach to pricing decisions over time, in accordance with factors such as, their overall company strategic direction and costs such as, staffing, tax, and infrastructure;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Government understands that any price increase can be a challenge for households and businesses;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 for that reason, the Government has taken action to help households and businesses with the cost of fuel and energy;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 extensions to the package of temporary fuel supports have brought the total cost of these measures to over \u20ac1.4 billion and are helping to reduce the cost burden at the petrol pump;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 successive budgets have provided targeted support to help households with energy costs;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 in Budget 2026, key measures included an extension until 2030 of the 9 per cent Value-Added-Tax rate currently applied to gas and electricity bills, enhanced social protection payments, including an increase to the Fuel Allowance weekly rate and an expansion in the eligibility rules, and a record allocation of \u20ac640 million for the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) retrofit schemes;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 at the same time, additional retrofitting supports have been rolled out to further help households, capital expenditure of over \u20ac2 billion has delivered over 287,000 home energy upgrades from 2019 to the end of August 2026, including over 39,500 fully funded upgrades for households at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 in January this year, we expanded and reformed retrofitting schemes to ensure more homeowners can receive grants, the new measures include, increased attic and wall insulation supports, an increased grant of \u20ac12,500 for heat pump installation, and new grants for windows and doors;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 almost 89,000 applications have been processed to the end of August 2026, an increase of 116 per cent on the same period last year;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 this year to the end of August, 2026, almost 42,000 homes have been upgraded through SEAI schemes, including over 6,800 homes at risk of energy poverty under the Warmer Homes Scheme;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the latest Eurostat report, (comparing electricity prices across the EU), outlines that Ireland had the fifth highest for household electricity prices in the second half of 2025, when adjusted to take account of the 'Purchasing Power Standard' (i.e. practical affordability \u2013 taking account of household income);"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the four biggest energy retailers have confirmed that hardship funds and focused measures are in place for any customers in difficulty;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 switching energy supplier or plan could save the average electricity and gas customers up to \u20ac700 and \u20ac400 (respectively) annually;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 protections are in place for customers experiencing difficulties in paying their bills and households struggling with their bill, are strongly encouraged to engage with their supplier;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Department of Social Protection can also provide support through the Additional Needs Payment to help households meet expenses, including difficulties with fuel bills;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Government has also established the National Energy Affordability Taskforce (NEAT) to identify, assess and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households and businesses, while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the NEAT has noted a wide array of interventions, including those such as a market's revenue cap and\/or solidarity contribution, which in a previous form were based on EU-wide regulations and decisions and will continue to consider all potential interventions and developments in this regard;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Government will continue to monitor and assess the situation in relation to energy costs;"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the NEAT continues to work intensively on an Energy Affordability Action Plan to be submitted to Government in the coming weeks; and"},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"\u2014 the Government will also make a range of relevant decisions as part of Budget 2027.\"."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"-(Minister of State at the Department of Justice Home Affairs and Migration, Deputy Ardagh)"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding a windfall tax on the excess profits of energy companies. On Tuesday, 29 September 2026, on the question, \"That the amendment to the motion be agreed to\", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 85(2), that division must be taken now. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar athl\u00f3 ar 7.36 p.m. go dt\u00ed 8.47 a.m., D\u00e9ardaoin, an 1 Deireadh F\u00f3mhair 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The D\u00e1il adjourned at 7.36 p.m. until 8.47 a.m. on Thursday, 1 October 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Windfall Tax on the Excess Profits of Energy Companies: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-09-30"},{"debateRecord":{"house":{"showAs":"34th D\u00e1il","committeeCode":"","houseCode":"dail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/house\/dail\/34","chamberType":"house","houseNo":"34"},"chamber":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/def\/house\/dail","showAs":"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann"},"lastUpdated":"2026-10-01T14:42:39+00:00","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/main","formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/main.xml"},"pdf":null},"date":"2026-09-29","counts":{"contributorCount":169,"divisionCount":1,"debateSectionCount":33,"questionCount":38,"billCount":2},"debateType":"debate","debateSections":[{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_2","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions","counts":{"speechCount":41,"speakerCount":11},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_2","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"George Lawlor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Before we commence, I welcome to the Public Gallery the group Every Child Matters, from Meath and elsewhere around the country. They are guests of Deputy Johnny Guirke. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  Cuirim f\u00e1ilte roimh Every Child Matters. You are very welcome to the House.  T\u00e1 pobal Bh\u00f3thar Garbhachaidh go hioml\u00e1n i gcoinne an mh\u00f3rshi\u00fail de chuid an Ord Or\u00e1istigh at\u00e1 \u00e1 bhr\u00fa s\u00edos a mb\u00f3thar. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 de cheart acu maireacht\u00e1il faoi sh\u00edoch\u00e1in. Caithfidh R\u00fana\u00ed St\u00e1it na Breataine, Chris Bryant, gn\u00edomh\u00fa l\u00e1ithreach chun stop a chur le haon mh\u00f3rshi\u00fal at\u00e1 \u00e1 bhr\u00fa ar an bpobal seo.  Dignity, togetherness, resolve and strength: that is what the community of the Garvaghy Road has demonstrated over recent days. Mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, families, neighbours and friends have stood together day and night to defend the peace their community has enjoyed for 28 years. They stand firm because threat remains.  The fundamental question they ask is \"why?\" Why, after 28 years of peace, are the Orange Order and the Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, so determined to force this unwanted march down the Garvaghy Road? Why, when a generation has grown up without this intimidation and fear, is there such determination to reopen this dispute and override the clearly expressed wishes of the community? It defies belief that the Parades Commission could conclude that this march should return after 28 years.  The Taoiseach correctly described that decision as \"incomprehensible and wrong\". I agree, but how was such an incomprehensible and wrong decision arrived at? What changed? Remember what this dispute brought in the past: 21 sectarian murders. Among the dead were three little boys, Richard, Mark and Jason Quinn, murdered when their home was petrol-bombed by loyalists; Rosemary Nelson, the solicitor for the Garvaghy Road residents, killed by loyalists; and Robert Hamill, kicked to death by loyalists.  Over recent days I have stood with the Garvaghy Road community. I have spoken to those mothers and grandmothers who lived through the dark years, and to parents, children and teenagers who have lived their entire lives free from that intimidation and fear.  That is, in the end, the greatest gift that peace has given to an entire generation. Why, in God\u2019s name, would anyone seek to drag this community backwards? Whatever their motivations, they will fail because there is no going back. The days of unionist domination are over. The Irish and British Governments have a responsibility to ensure that this community continues to live in peace, free from sectarian intimidation. They have a responsibility to ensure that there is no Orange Order march down the Garvaghy Road. The British Secretary of State can stop this sectarian march being forced down that road and that is what he must do, because the way to restore peace and calm is this. That is the way to resolve this crisis.  Has the Taoiseach informed the British Prime Minister and the Secretary of State of their responsibility to end this nightmare, stop this march and allow the people of the Garvaghy Road and beyond to return to their peaceful lives? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I ask the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the House to indulge me for a moment as I acknowledge the presence and imminent retirement of our colleague Miriam Lord, who is in the Gallery today. I think we would all agree that Miriam\u2019s journalism, and in particular her oversight and accounts of our work in this House, has been a critical part of our national conversation, and indeed our nation\u2019s democracy, over quite a number of years. In her unsparing but razor-sharp perception and analysis, I sometimes felt that she was rather unfair about me, but she was always spot on about everyone else. More seriously, Miriam has been an outstanding journalist and never produced anything short of must-read reporting. Her many awards and accolades were all richly deserved, and I feel that her absence from the analysis of and argument about our daily cut and thrust in this Chamber will be sorely missed. I am grateful for the opportunity to pay tribute to Miriam and all that she has done.  I appreciate the Deputy raising the issue of what has transpired over the last number of days in Northern Ireland, particularly Drumcree, and the parade, or the decision by the Parades Commission in respect of a parade down the Garvaghy Road. We in the Government, along with everyone in the House, are deeply concerned with what has transpired. In many ways the events of last weekend were deeply depressing. There is a real risk now that the progress that has been made on community relations in Northern Ireland will be set back.  We continue to monitor the situation very closely. Our officials are on the ground, remaining in contact with all key interlocutors, including the Garvaghy Road residents. I have maintained personal contact with Prime Minister Burnham over the weekend, and I know he shares our commitment to upholding the Good Friday Agreement and the immeasurable gains that have been made over the last 30 years. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, also remains in contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who is meeting with the five main political parties and the representatives of the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition. The Minister has also been in touch with other political parties and groups.  I am keenly aware of the hurt around Drumcree. I have been through it before. I was in government when we had to deal with the catastrophe that unfolded in the late 1990s, as articulated by the Deputy. I too remember very clearly the fear, chaos, violence and tragedy the dispute generated. Drawing directly on that experience, I would urge extra sensitivity from everyone in positions of political or community leadership. I understand fully that feelings are very high, but this is the time for all of us to be calm and careful in what we say and do. I am relieved that those directly involved are open to mediation. I support and encourage that work.  I also support the idea that we might look at an independent international figure to play a role in supporting and encouraging mediation and negotiation. Overall, we need to acknowledge the bottom line is we have made significant progress over many years in furthering reconciliation under the Good Friday Agreement and that a return to the divisions of the past is simply unthinkable. My views on the original decision are well known. My focus now, working with all involved, is to see how we can create a pathway forward that mediates the community out of the grave risk that overshadows it right now. Beimid s\u00e1sta gach aon iarracht a dh\u00e9anamh agus cabhair agus taca\u00edocht a thabhairt chun an fhadhb seo a r\u00e9iteach agus treoir n\u00edos fearr a chur san \u00e1ireamh. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  Caithfimid go l\u00e9ir iarracht a dh\u00e9anamh chun stop a chur leis an m\u00e1irse\u00e1il seo. Everyone in the D\u00e1il knows that all of this is just wrong. All of us know that the 28 years of peace and progress have to be cherished and protected. All of us know the people of the Garvaghy Road have an absolute right to live free from sectarian intimidation, fear and thuggery and that that right must be defended. All of us know that the days of second-class citizenship are over and that we cannot and will not return to the past. We know also that for mediation to succeed, whatever form that may take, the community needs to have the threat of this sectarian march lifted. That is the reality. We know also the British Government and the British Secretary of State can and must intervene to make that a reality. That must happen urgently; that should happen today. The fact there has been a delay in all of this has meant the trauma and fear for the community have grown and grown. Matters have been very peaceful and very orderly. We need to do everything we can to defend that peace and order and the rights of the community of the Garvaghy Road. I appreciate the Taoiseach's efforts but I again ask him to impress upon the British Government and the Secretary of State that he can no longer sit on his hands. He has to intervene and stop this march. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputies  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I have been in touch with the British Prime Minister. We discussed it over the weekend. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has been in constant contact with the Secretary of State. If we are honest about this, I do not think it is as simple as that. I think that one intervention is not going to resolve it. People have to stand back and there has to be some collective pathway determined with some degree of mediation.  I was listening to former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern this morning. He made the point that the issue has never been resolved. Although people thought it had been resolved, in many respects this is one that has never been resolved. We all know that for 28 years, there was never a decision to allow a parade down the Garvaghy Road, and that is how many of us find it difficult to comprehend how a decision was taken on this occasion. We will continue to engage with the British Government and all the parties involved with a view to finding a way through this that takes away the significant pressure that hangs over the residents of Garvaghy Road once and for all, or at least to create a pathway. A number of complications to this transpired over the weekend that really call for creative thinking in terms of how we can create a pathway of reconciliation and trust, building on the platform of work that has been under way in this community for quite some time to create a long-lasting peaceful resolution of this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  I pay tribute to Miriam Lord and acknowledge the huge contribution she has made to Irish journalism. On behalf of the Social Democrats, I wish her all the best for the future.  T\u00e1 ceart rochtana ag gach p\u00e1iste ar an oideachas. N\u00ed f\u00e9idir leis an Rialtas dearmad a dh\u00e9anamh ar an gceart oideachais at\u00e1 ag p\u00e1ist\u00ed le riachtanais bhreise. Last night, Virgin Media broadcast a devastating documentary about special education in this country.  Anyone who watches it will be left asking serious questions. How can the Government stand over children with additional needs being educated in a storage cupboard? How can it stand over children in distress being sent to a converted toilet to regulate? How on earth could this be allowed to happen? The documentary showed how some children with additional needs, their families and schools are being comprehensively failed by this Government. It showed how they must spend their lives in a constant fight for services, equipment, resources and an education. Every waking moment is spent fighting with a State and Government that is supposed to be there to help them. The grim reality is that when they lose that fight, there are no consequences for anyone other than the children and the families themselves. There are no inquiries or investigations, just children and families who are left feeling alone, marginalised and isolated, trying to pick up the pieces.  One of the schools that featured last night was Stapolin Educate Together National School. I welcome its principal, Clodagh, and one of its special needs assistants, SNAs, Samantha, to the Public Gallery. I commend Clodagh, Samantha and everyone who is working in special education on their incredible dedication and commitment. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, himself visited Stapolin national school last year. He stood in the very storage cupboard where children with additional needs are being educated, so the remarks of a senior education Minister last night that this situation is not acceptable ring hollow.  Another school that featured in last night's documentary is in Ballintemple, in the Taoiseach's own constituency. The principal of the School of the Divine Child, Fiona Thomas, described how they are being starved of resources, and they are not being listened to by the Government. What we saw last night should shame the Taoiseach and everyone in his Government. That is why families were protesting outside the D\u00e1il today. They are at their wits' end. They are tired of this Government's broken promises. They are tired of watching their children suffer and feeling helpless. They are tired of being ignored. They want the Taoiseach and his Government to take action. What does the Taoiseach have to say to them? Why is this Government continuing to fail children with additional needs and their families? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First, I did not see the programme yesterday evening. One has to be objective and there has to be balance in the assessment of any story. The last five years has witnessed extraordinary expansion and investment in special education, which the Deputy has ignored completely in his comments. There is no excuse for, and I do not accept in any way, any child being in a cupboard, a stairwell or whatever. The fact is there has been an 87% increase in the number of special education places in five years. It is quite extraordinary expansion. In the 2026-27 year, we now have 34,000 students who will be enrolled in special classes and special schools. That is an increase of 86% since 2020. There are about 4,324 additional special classes, up 136% since 2020. Staff numbers are up 43% since then. We now have 26,000 SNAs compared with what we had five years ago - I went through it here before - at nearly half that. We have 22,500 special education teachers. Sixteen new special schools have opened, with four opening in Citywest, Balbriggan, Bray and Monasterevin.  The Deputy mentioned the School of the Divine Child. I pleaded with its previous principal and board to move out to the Enable Ireland site in Wilton. It was a brand-new site adjacent to a wonderfully modern new therapeutic centre. The school refused. It was the obvious move that should have happened. The Department was ready to fully fund it. The existing facilities in the school at Lavanagh are not satisfactory at all. I know it very well. I do not accept the criticism on that front. It was a terrible mistake made in not availing of the opportunity to go to a new site next to therapeutic facilities with the Department fully funding it and so on. That site is still there. In fact, I was trying to get two special schools out there, including St. Gabriel's, and Enable Ireland had agreed. There was a dispute between Enable Ireland and the school board on the question. That was a mistake. I did not see the programme last night, but the outcome of that mistake is the facilities the children now have in the School of the Divine Child. That is my view and I hold to it very strongly. It is easy to pick out individual cases. The fact is there has been a very strong, comprehensive provision.  Regarding the parents notify system, I acknowledge that too many parents have to fight too often to get places.  The onus should be on the system, the NCSE and schools to facilitate parents who apply. The parents notify system has now allowed us to have significantly better planning. Again, there were people against that last summer. People were giving out that we had opened it in July. Close to 7,860 children applied through that process seeking a special education place. That is more than double the number seeking places in 2025. Again, we opened about 587 new special classes at the beginning of this month alone to deal with that. There is significant expansion and investment. There is also increased demand, but we are getting there earlier for parents in terms of them notifying us much earlier on and then us working hard to try to get special classes in place. I will come back to the school in Stapolin later. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  It is welcome that the Taoiseach does not accept children getting taught in a storeroom, but that is happening. The reason it is happening is because his Department has told the schools to use every available space and the Department of education has failed to sanction additional classrooms that the schools are crying out for. This is not just one isolated school; it is happening in other places around the country. It is welcome that as Taoiseach he says it is not acceptable but what is he going to do to make sure it does not continue? When is he going to sanction the additional classrooms that the schools are crying out for? Can he give a commitment to this D\u00e1il, and to the people, the parents and the children? On what date will no child be taught in a storeroom any more? What date can he give for that? When is he going to put a stop to it? When is he going to provide the funding for the additional classrooms so that children can be taught in the proper facilities that they deserve? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Already this year we allocated a further \u20ac646 million on top of \u20ac3 billion to cater for the extra demand in special classes and places for special education. We took that decision earlier this year when the full scale of the demand revealed itself through the parents notify system and we were not found wanting in coming up with close to \u20ac700 million to deal with that. We will continue to do that. The Deputy made the point about Stapolin national school. That is a new school. I think it moved into a new school building in 2023. It includes purpose-built special education facilities, two special classes, a central activity room, a sensory room and two quiet rooms. It also benefits from additional accommodation, including special education teaching rooms, a library, a multi-purpose room and so on. The school has applied for two additional classrooms. My understanding is that this is currently being considered by the Department's building unit. The vast majority of children who were originally on the waiting list have since secured placements in special classes within the local area or neighbouring areas in Dublin's northside. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Thank you, Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and the Minister, Deputy Naughton, are doing everything they possibly can, given the extraordinary expansion in the last two years of numbers. In the last two years alone, the numbers seeking places in special classes or in special schools is quite significant. Yes, as a result of that expansion and the awarding of special schools, there had been issues with creating physical space in a very short space of time to accommodate everyone----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  You should conclude, Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----but every effort is being made and the funding has been put in place to underpin that effort. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  I welcome our visitors in the Gallery who are campaigning for children with additional needs. I want to pay tribute to Miriam Lord in the Press Gallery. She has contributed to the gaiety of the nation significantly and many of us will miss her column on Saturdays, even when we were sometimes the brunt of it. Her witty and sometimes barbed words were always a treat to read. I thank her for all she did.  Last Thursday in Dublin, I met with residents of the Garvaghy Road. From them, I heard directly of their distress at the prospect of the Portadown Orange Order marching down the road they call home. Now, their fears are being realised. The grant of permission last Friday by the Parades Commission has reopened seriously deep wounds. We can all be clear that none of this about infringing on anyone\u2019s traditions. More than 90% of marches in the North have proceeded without issue. The reason this march has been, rightly, curtailed for nearly 30 years is the enormous horror it causes for a community that has grappled for decades with a legacy of violence linked to so many killings. We think of Michael McGoldrick, the young Quinn brothers, Rosemary Nelson, Constable Frank O\u2019Reilly and more.  We cannot afford a return to that dark past and those grim days of the 1990s. Granting permission for the parade was reckless, irresponsible and wrong with no material change in the circumstances that had led to the march being refused on previous occasions.  The Taoiseach has said that he wants to see calm restored, and I think we all agree with that. It seems today that an international mediator may be appointed to intervene in the dispute. The Taoiseach said that the Government remains in contact with the Executive, the British Prime Minister and the Secretary of State, Chris Bryant. That is important. Indeed, I appealed to the British Government to remain closely engaged when I spoke at the British Labour Party conference in Liverpool yesterday. However, it is a failure of Northern Ireland\u2019s political system that the situation remains so tense and volatile today. Clearly, residents may well feel that the institutions set up to protect peace have abandoned them. We must not abandon them. As co-guarantors of the Good Friday Agreement, the Government has a role in restoring trust. We know that there are sinister actors who want to see mediation fail, and want to exploit the dysfunction in power-sharing and devolution to bring down the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. We cannot allow them to win. Proactive steps must be taken to restore trust and calm, as the SDLP has said.  Has the Taoiseach asked the PSNI why it told the Parades Commission that the Drumcree parade could safely take place, as it clearly could not? Will he use all diplomatic channels to ensure that the people of the Garvaghy Road are not subjected to further trauma and to ensure that the march does not take place? If mediation fails, will he call on the Secretary of State to exercise his powers to prohibit a parade under section 11 of the public processions Act 1998? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank the Deputy for raising this. I say to her, again, that I concur that nobody wants to go back to the terror and trauma of what transpired over 28 years ago during that particular period. As I said earlier, I found the events of the past weekend deeply depressing. I think we have to focus on the next steps on how we mediate our way through this.  I have given my views on the decision. I am not going to attempt to take the House through that or indeed through whatever rationale the Parades Commission itself has given. We need to be careful of placing responsibility on the PSNI, in terms of that decision. I think the PSNI will say there were caveats to that, but I want to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the PSNI. Jon Boutcher, the Chief Constable, had one singular clear objective. I think he used the phrase that he did not want one hair on one head hurt or injured. His overarching priority after the court's decision and so on was to try to protect human life and that is important. I think we should be clear about supporting the PSNI on that objective and avoiding any action that would precipitate injury or harm to people. I make that point.  The Parades Commission has made its decision. I am clear that I find it difficult to comprehend. I believe that it was the wrong decision. From our perspective, if you look at the 28 years, it is difficult to understand why this year it was allowed. Even if we go through the very manner in which it was allowed, it seems to suggest to me that there are clear issues, if only 35 are being allowed, etc. However, we need to focus on how we can bring all the different dimensions to this together or how we can have a conversation and develop a conversation between the communities involved to try to resolve this once and for all, or to get a pathway to a resolution of this.  I listened to Chris Nelson, the son of Rosemary Nelson, this morning. He articulated the immense trauma that he endured as a result of the murder of his mother. He also said this morning that we must think of the children of this community above and beyond everything else. We just must do everything collectively that we possibly can to avoid any harm or any enduring trauma for the younger generation of the community in Drumcree and particularly along the Garvaghy Road. That has to be our singular objective. We now need to concentrate on how we get a resolution to this, which will not be easy. We have to move beyond the fact that decisions have been taken.  The courts are independent, by the way. I want to be very clear about that. If we can engage with the parties involved, hopefully, we can find a way forward. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  What was particularly impressive about the calm dignity of the Garvaghy Road residents when we met them last Thursday was their concern for a younger generation and to ensure that the dark days of the past would not be repeated for a generation of people who had happily grown up under peace and the Good Friday Agreement. That is why this is now so grim. I agree with and welcome the Taoiseach's strongly worded views on the decision of the Parades Commission. We all share his view that it was an unacceptable and incomprehensible decision. Of course, the most important thing now is to ensure that nobody is injured, or worse, but the longer uncertainty prevails and the longer the standoff continues, the worse the risk for Garvaghy Road residents, the younger generation and all of those who we had hoped would never experience those horrors again in their lifetime.  What we would like to know, from the Opposition side, both the Labour Party and our sister party, the SDLP, is what that pathway the Taoiseach speaks of is. When will the mediator be appointed? Can we see a way to appoint a mediator as soon as possible? If not, then why are we not talking about section 11, which is part of the architecture of the Good Friday Agreement? The power of the Secretary of State to prohibit a parade without any veto from the PSNI or the commission is there in the 1998 legislation. There can be an enabling consultation but no right of veto. The Secretary of State must be prepared to utilise that power rather than run the risk of violence on the Garvaghy Road. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I just want to acknowledge the presence of Every Child Matters and the presence of children with additional needs. They are very welcome to the House. Hopefully, I will get a chance to say hello to them later.  The Minister for foreign affairs, Deputy McEntee, has been in constant contact all weekend with various parties and with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State. I have been in contact with the British Prime Minister. We are well aware of the legislative framework governing actions that the Northern Ireland Secretary of State can or could take but the context has to be one where whatever decisions are taken ensure a pathway towards trust and reconciliation between both communities on the ground. Otherwise, decisions can get subject to subsequent legal actions as well, as we saw. The contact will continue. It is fair to say that a consensus has not emerged, clearly, in terms of a pathway forward. People are mindful of the different perspectives and stances that people have on this current situation. We may regret - I certainly do - that because of the decision, we find ourselves in this position but our collective objective now has to be to find a way out of it that avoids the terrible trauma we witnessed in the past. It would be a singular failure of progress in Northern Ireland if we were to witness something similar to that now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  I wish Miriam Lord all the best in her retirement. She reaffirms that women are the wittiest and the best satirists. Fair play.  I want to raise with the Taoiseach the role of the Government and the FAI in the debacle that happened in relation to the Ireland versus Israel game, which continues on. The players are still not certain but it has been reported that they will play in the second part of that fixture. The players had to hold an emergency team meeting and vote the day before a match that had been discussed here and outside in society for months. Does the Taoiseach agree that the FAI's handling of this was shambolic, arrogant and incompetent and that the CEO and the board should resign for their handling of it? The FAI got State funding of \u20ac75 million between 2019 and 2024.  Yesterday, the FAI president was still not able to state what the financial penalties would have been. He said they were still undetermined, so the whole thing was over undetermined financial penalties. The FAI has ignored its own grassroots and doubled down on its bad decision by shifting the game, knowing that the local fans did not want it. It claimed that each player had been consulted but forgot that goalkeepers are also players as well. It all led to an eleventh-hour meeting and the exclusion of one of the players who had stated that he did not want to play. The FAI then deceptively reported the vote as being a \"significant majority\" when, in fact, it was 14 to nine, if you count the player who did not have a vote, the heroic and courageous Gavin Bazunu.  His welfare was not protected by the FAI either. He travelled home alone and so on. I salute him.  What pressure did agents put on young players? It was reported that the Unique Sports Group told players they would never be signed up by American-owned English clubs if they did not play in these matches. The team was sent into a cauldron of racial abuse, with monkey chants for one of the players, as well as IDF chants. A video was circulated showing Yoseph Haddad, who apparently was brought into Leinster House by the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, saying that Israel may lose the football but the IDF always wins.  My question to the Taoiseach is about the Government's role. He made a speech at the UN in which he said: \"the situation in Gaza remains an affront to all that is decent\" and \"Let it not be said that we did not act.\" Two days later, he facilitated a sportswash in the game against Israel. All through this, he, the Minister and the Minister of State with responsibility for sport have encouraged this game to go ahead. They could have supported the FAI at all times. As Fintan O'Toole said, the Taoiseach had an open goal but he kicked the ball into row Z by not backing a cancellation of the match. Will he join me in calling on the players not to play the second leg of the fixture? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First, the level of suffering inflicted on the civilian population in Gaza and, indeed, in the West Bank is horrific. It is an affront to human decency. In my view, the Government has been particularly strong in comparison with many other governments across the world in terms of the diplomatic, political and humanitarian response to this issue. I have noticed since the outset of the war that it has moved from one issue to another but the debate in Ireland seems to always focus on the Government not doing enough. We are almost dividing among ourselves on Ireland's stance and how strong it is vis-\u00e0-vis Palestine.  I was at the United Nations last week. There is no other place in the world, except in here, where people think the Government has not been strong enough. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  Out there as well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Sorry, at the United Nations or in any other country----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  What about in Palestine? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I did not interrupt. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  The Taoiseach should ask the Irish people what they think. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  In any other country, particularly those from Arab countries and the Palestinian Authority, people form queues after discussions to thank Ireland for its principled stand. That is what other countries say about Ireland. I include Jordan, Egypt - all of them. I am just saying that. It is only in here - maybe it is a good sign that people want us to be strong - we get the other kind of response.  We have been at the forefront of condemning what is going on in Gaza and the West Bank. I am seeking more effective ways than a football match, frankly, to try to change the Israeli direction and strategy. Israel's actions now through settlements in the West Bank threaten the two-state solution in a very serious way. We have availed of every opportunity within the EU and the international community to call for Israel to be held accountable. We have supported the International Criminal Court consistently. We have backed that up with very strong funding. During UN high-level week, I attended quite a number of sessions, including with the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and an event hosted by Emmanuel Macron, Mark Carney, Prime Minister Andy Burnham and the Saudi Arabian foreign minister to mark a year since the New York declaration of the comprehensive peace plan. We have repeatedly called for the European Commission to act. Our long-standing position is that the EU-Israel Association Agreement should be suspended or, at a minimum, that the trade elements be suspended. We will continue to work to maintain that particular focus.  We have provided very substantial funding to UNRWA and to Palestine more generally. We intervened, with Spain, in the South African International Court of Justice case against Israel under the Genocide Convention. We have made a submission to the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of Israel's actions in the occupied Palestinian territories. We have co-sponsored resolutions at the UN General Assembly to implement the court's advisory opinion. We recognised Palestine as a sovereign independent state long before other states did so at the time of the New York declaration.  Sorry, I did not realise my time was up. In terms of football, I genuinely believe it was a decision to be made by the football community. We have supported the FAI to the tune of, I think, about \u20ac192 million over many years since the last serious debacle it had in respect of governance and so on. I appeal to people not to focus on the players. Some of the campaigns the players have been subjected to have been appalling and unnecessary. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  That is down to you. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  I hope I get a little bit of extra time. We all agree the players should not have been in that position. That is a unanimous view. The Government and the FAI put them in that position. I want to think of another player today, Natalie Abudayyeh, a Palestinian footballer who is in an Israeli jail. She played here in Ireland in 2024. Any Palestinians I have spoken to really would have appreciated Ireland pulling out of the game. One of them spoke about rats eating the bodies of people in Gaza right now. The people in Gaza have lost the will to live. That is the reality of a live genocide. I call on the players to send a message worldwide. It is fair enough to wear black armbands and whatever, but pulling out of that game would prevent sportswashing, and image matters to Israel. Since the Taoiseach goes on about how great everyone internationally thinks he is, why did the Irish delegation sit fixed and not walk out when a wanted war criminal with a warrant out for his arrest stood up and gave a speech courtesy of the UN? Why did the Irish delegation take that decision when the Taoiseach was standing up telling the whole world to act? If Russia were playing, the Taoiseach would disagree. He should disagree with Israel playing, and he should come out and call for them not to play. He should support the FAI and the team if they are willing to pull out on Sunday. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  There are two things I would say. First, we never abstain at a UN General Assembly high-level week meeting. The whole essence of the United Nations is that every nation is there, irrespective of how badly it is behaving. We could walk out on quite a number of nations contributing at the United Nations, if the truth be told. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  Yes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The whole idea is to maintain some channels and dialogue. You listen, but you may not necessarily agree. We do not agree with Iran. I could name 101 countries that I might not agree with. Maybe it is not 100 but I could name quite a number of countries that I do not agree with. If everybody started walking out on everybody else in the UN, we would not have a UN. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  There is a warrant for his arrest. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  This is the classic, simplistic campaigning mode that some Members are constantly in. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"George Lawlor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"George-Lawlor.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy George Lawlor  He is a war criminal. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Once this passes, it will be something else. There is always another agenda and another issue. I understand fully that people are very angry. In Ireland, we are very angry, and I have made the point numerous times. We are angry because we understand. We want fair play, justice and self-determination for Palestinians, and we hate to see children being killed. That is natural and it is deep in the Irish psyche. We hate hunger and famine and we do everything we possibly can to end it. Let us be honest too. Deputy Coppinger said it matters to Israel. It does not matter to Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu could not give a toss whether Ireland plays a soccer match or not, so let us be a bit real. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  Why did they send Yoseph Haddad there then? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  They will listen to the US, though. They will listen if enough of a critical mass of countries can get together. That is the key. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Please conclude, Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Too many countries have been too slow in response to this, not at the football level but at the political level, the diplomatic level and the international level, and Europe has been divided. That is the problem. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Please conclude, Taoiseach. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We attended a meeting last week with four countries that were a year later than Ireland and Spain in recognising Palestine. The Deputy must admit deep down that that is where it lies, not with the football team. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_3","debateType":"orderofBusiness","bill":null,"showAs":"An tOrd Gn\u00f3 - Order of Business","counts":{"speechCount":81,"speakerCount":24},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aisling Dempsey","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aisling-Dempsey.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aisling-Dempsey.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Natasha Newsome Drennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  In accordance with Standing Order 35, I call on the Chief Whip, Deputy Butler, to move the arrangements for this week's business. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Butler  I move:  Tuesday's business shall be:  - Motion re Statement of Estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (without debate)  - Motion re Sittings and Business of the D\u00e1il (without debate)  - Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation Bill 2026 (Second Stage) (to conclude at the end of the first speaking round; not to exceed 3 hours and 34 minutes)  Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Public Transport and Fare Increases, selected by Sinn F\u00e9in.  Wednesday's business shall be:  - Statements on Migration and Citizenship (not to exceed 2 hours and 25 minutes)  - Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026 (Report and Final Stages) (to commence no earlier than 4.37 p.m. and to conclude within 90 minutes)  - Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on the conclusion of Readmission Agreements between European Union and Nigeria*  - Motion re Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on the signing of Readmission Agreements between European Union and Nigeria*  *Two separate motions to be debated together and brought to a conclusion within 60 minutes, with questions to be put on each motion separately; and any divisions claimed to be taken immediately  Wednesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Introduce a Windfall Tax on the Excess Profits of Energy Companies, selected by Social Democrats.  Thursday's business shall be:  - Railway Safety Bill 2026 (Second Stage) (to conclude at the end of the first speaking round; not to exceed 3 hours and 34 minutes) (Dept of Transport)  Thursday evening business shall be the Second Stage of the Forty-first Amendment of the Constitution (Right to Housing) Bill 2026, sponsored by Deputy Rory Hearne.  Proposed Arrangements for this week\u2019s business:  In relation to Tuesday\u2019s business, it is proposed that:  1. notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders:  (a) the time allocated to Government business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business and the D\u00e1il may sit later than 10.48 p.m.; and  (b) private members\u2019 business shall be taken following proceedings on the Second Stage of the Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation Bill 2026 with consequential effect on the commencement times for the items following in the ordinary routine of business;  2. the proceedings on the Motion re Statement of Estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission shall be taken without debate;  3. the proceedings on the Motion re Sittings and Business of the D\u00e1il shall be taken without debate; and  4. the proceedings on the Second Stage of the Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation Bill 2026 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at the end of the first speaking round and the following arrangements shall apply:  (a) the first-round speeches shall be in accordance with the table below (to be read across);  (b) on conclusion of the first speaking round or where speeches conclude before the 3 hours and 24 minutes have elapsed and no other member is offering, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and  (c) members may share time.         Gov    SF    SD    Gov    SF      Mins    20    20    20    12    4          Lab    Gov    SF    IPTG    Gov      Mins    20    12    4    20    12          SF    ITG    Gov    SF    OM      Mins    4    20    12    4    20     Total: 3 hours 24 minutes  In relation to Wednesday's business, it is proposed that:  1. notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders:  (a) the weekly division time may be taken earlier than 8.45 p.m. and shall, in any event, be taken on the conclusion of Government Business; and  (b) in the event the Statements on Migration and Citizenship conclude before 4.37 p.m., the siting shall stand suspended until 4.37 p.m. when the order of business shall resume with the Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026  2. the Statements on Migration and Citizenship shall not exceed 2 hours and 25 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply:  (a) the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the sequence contained in the table immediately below (to be read across);  (b) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and  (c) members may share time;         Gov    SF    SD    Gov    SF      Mins    25    15    10    10    3          Lab    Gov    SF    IPTG    Gov      Mins    10    10    3    9    10          SF    ITG    Gov    SF    OM      Mins    3    9    10    3    5     Total: 2 hours 15 minutes  3. the proceedings on Report and Final Stages of the Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026 shall commence no earlier than 4.37 p.m. and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes by one question, which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment; and  4. the proceedings on the Motions on Proposed approval by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on the conclusion of, and the signing of, Readmission Agreements between the European Union and Nigeria shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 minutes and the following arrangements shall apply thereto:  (a) the two motions shall be debated together, with separate questions put on all proceedings thereon;  (b) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be in accordance with the table below;  (c) members may share time; and  (d) any divisions claimed thereon shall be taken immediately.         Gov    SF    SD    Lab    IPTG    ITG    OM    Min Resp.      Mins    10    7.5    7.5    7.5    7.5    7.5    7.5    5     Total: 60 minutes  In relation to Thursday's business, it is proposed that:  1. notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, topical issues may be taken earlier than 7.24 p.m. with consequential effect on the commencement time for Second Stage of the Forty-first Amendment of the Constitution (Right to Housing) Bill 2026, and on the time for the adjournment of the D\u00e1il; and  2. the proceedings on the Second Stage of the Railway Safety Bill 2026 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at the end of the first speaking round and the following arrangements shall apply:  (a) the first-round speeches shall be in accordance with the table below (to be read across);  (b) on conclusion of the first speaking round or where speeches conclude before the 3 hours and 24 minutes have elapsed and no other member is offering, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and  (c) members may share time.         Gov    SF    SD    Gov    SF      Mins    20    20    20    12    4          Lab    Gov    SF    IPTG    Gov      Mins    20    12    4    20    12          SF    ITG    Gov    SF    OM      Mins    4    20    12    4    20     Total: 3 hours 24 minutes "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Is that agreed? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  Not agreed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  A report has been published into a coping exercise on an inquiry into failures in Children's Health Ireland. The House knows that in 2017, the then Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, made a promise to children with scoliosis and their parents that no child would wait longer than four months for treatment. Bizarrely, the recommendation in this report is that the look-back would start on 1 January 2019 and all of the failures before then will not be examined. Individual cases will also not be examined. Very real concerns have been identified by parents and advocate groups. I spoke to them over the course of the weekend.  We cannot have an inquiry that does not have the confidence of parents of children and advocacy groups. They have to be front and centre. There can be no hiding place when it comes to failures or accountability. First, I ask the Taoiseach that we have statements this week on that report. It is really important. Second, I ask that the Taoiseach and T\u00e1naiste engage with those groups and families because they are very concerned about what is in this report. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Duncan Smith  In light of the Virgin Meida investigation last night, there is an urgent need for a debate on special education and additional educational needs. We had this Government announcing places at the start of an academic and school year and weeks into it, those places are not filled by children and families we know personally are not getting those places. That is just the tip of this crisis. We need an urgent debate on it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  We need to discuss the proposed public inquiry into Children's Health Ireland, CHI. The families of children with scoliosis and spina bifida have expressed real concerns about what is proposed in Remy Farrell report. They will not accept a behind closed doors public inquiry. The Minister must sit down with these families and campaign groups immediately. The Government has one chance to get this right. We need truth, accountability and transparency. We need questions and answers with the Minister this week. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  This day last week I asked for an urgent debate before the situation on the Garvaghy Road escalated on behalf of the residents, who I had met the previous day on the Garvaghy Road about the situation that was looming in Drumcree. That request for an urgent debate was completely ignored. The residents particularly asked me to ask the Government about its responsibility under the Good Friday Agreement, and the British Government's responsibility, to make sure communities are free from sectarian intimidation. That was ignored, and we saw the escalation last week. That is still not resolved. The Irish and British Governments have a responsibility to make sure that community is not traumatised and dragged back to the days of sectarian violence and conflict. Can we have an urgent discussion to make sure this Government and this Oireachtas discharges its responsibility in that regard? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  I attended a meeting in Moate in County Westmeath last weekend with up to 2,000 people. Hauliers, farmers, families and fishermen told us they are in a crisis situation. We have a week before the budget. We need to firmly debate the issues they put before us and asked us to bring to the D\u00e1il to relay the concerns of the crisis they are in. We need to set aside time this week to debate that to make sure we get the budget right next week and make sure the families can survive and people can pay their electricity bills and mortgages. We urgently need that debate this week. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  I ask for time to be put aside to discuss the events of the weekend on the Garvaghy Road and the response of this House to it. The march was banned for 28 years. The only reason it was given the go-ahead and that the Orange Order wanted to go ahead with it was to demonstrate supremacy and dominance over the nationalist community there. The Government is the co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  The Parades Commission that shot this through has lost credibility. We need to discuss it here----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy Stanley should conclude. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  -----and our response to that to make sure this does not happen again. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  The Minister of State to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Butler  I thank the Opposition Members for their requests. In relation to the situation in Drumcree in the North, we all understand how sensitive a time this is. The Taoiseach addressed looking for a pathway forward under Leaders' Questions. It is important that everyone involved from the Minister for foreign affairs to the UK Secretary of State and, importantly, the communities are allowed to continue. Statements in relation to CHI will be scheduled in the next couple of weeks. I heard the other requests but we have significant business to get through this week as the budget is next week, so the Order of Business stands. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  There is loads of time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Is the Order of Business agreed to? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  Not agreed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Lou McDonald","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Mary-Lou-McDonald.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mary Lou McDonald  The Every Child Matters campaign, which started in Meath, has now expanded to nearly every county in Ireland. It is calling out Government failure, the constant battle for services and supports, and the long wait for assessments of need, vital therapies, behavioural and psychological supports, mental health services, school places and transport. Last night, the heartbreaking impact of all of this was in full view on Virgin Media, with SNAs working under intolerable pressure and children being taught in the most appalling conditions. Parents are done with their children being left behind, and they are at the D\u00e1il today to protest. Their message is that the Taoiseach and his Government are failing their children. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I fully appreciate the work that the Every Child Matters campaign is doing. I support advocacy for children with additional needs. I have made the point that the Government has allocated an additional \u20ac646 million on top of the \u20ac3 billion already provided for special education. That has resulted in 34,000 students enrolling in special classes and special schools this year, an increase of 86%. Right across education, the increases have been quite staggering in meeting the demands. We then have the new in-school therapy programme that is under way, 16 new special schools and significant capital investment. About 70% of all special schools have either had work carried out, or it is currently being carried out, or it is under way in terms of the planning and design of that. Therefore, I do not think anyone can objectively say that every single effort is not being made. It is being made in respect of special education and other services also. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  The Taoiseach will have seen, in the last 72 hours, how the FAI has handled the Ireland-Israel game, and how shambolic and shameful that was. We have no doubt that it will be a dark stain on Irish football and a dark stain on our country. They have talked about protecting their players, but they have done everything but. I think it is safe to say that we all know it was handled very poorly. We will discuss that tomorrow at the Oireachtas committee directly with the FAI. We saw the Taoiseach's UN General Assembly address. I must credit him there. His words were very strong, but that now has to be matched with action. I am asking the Taoiseach this, plain and simple. We have seen no statement from the Government throughout this shambolic mess the FAI has put us in. The overall responsibility has been on the players. Can the Taoiseach say to us, the FAI and the players that if they decide not to play the next game against Israel, he will support the FAI and the players? To date, there has been no comment from the Government on the shambolic nature of what we have seen. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  There has been comment from the Government. The Government has been very clear, and the Minister for sport has been very clear from day one, that it was a matter for the footballing community and for the FAI, who had to work within the UEFA rules and frameworks. The Government has always been of the position that the Irish soccer team should not be a casualty of this and should not suffer, rather than Israel. The outcome of Ireland not playing, by the way, was that Israel would gain and Ireland would not in the footballing sense. I made the point earlier that the Irish Government has provided about \u20ac192 million in total capital and current funding to the FAI, and we are constantly supporting the FAI, for example, with the new League of Ireland academies. That is no more than in other sports and other disciplines, by the way, and in the case of other countries that people have played against, the Government has taken that position.  The Government's overall view is that politically, diplomatically and humanitarianly, it has to take the lead on these issues to try to change Israel's outrageous positions, the assertion of their military supremacy----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  If they do not play, will the Taoiseach support them? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  The Taoiseach to conclude. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  -----the undermining of the West Bank and so on. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  If they do not play, will the Taoiseach support them? It is that simple. Yes or no. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Deputy, order please. Deputy Bacik is next. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ivana Bacik","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Ivana-Bacik.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ivana Bacik  I again welcome those from Every Child Matters who are in the Public Gallery. I commend presenter Eric Roberts for bringing the reality of Ireland's special education crisis home to us all with his television programme this week. He has put a human face on what families, teachers and SNAs experience every day in our special education crisis.  I pay tribute to those families and parents who participated in the programme, including Labour Councillor Alison Field, whose experience is featured. Ali has fought for years to secure a school place and appropriate supports for her son James. She had to apply to 19 schools before securing a place. This week is her son James's birthday, so I wish him a happy birthday. Ali and James's family should never have had to fight this battle, and no one else should either. Every child has a right to an education. Yet families like those in the Gallery, those on Eric Roberts's programme and those like Ali's family still face the same agonising uncertainty, despite years of assurances. What we have seen is provision for children with additional needs falling far behind what is needed.  Can we have an urgent debate on this and when will every child in Ireland who needs a special place and special supports get that? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I did not see the programme last evening but have made the point that the expansion in the number of teachers, SNAs, special classes and special schools has been exponential in the past five years. I do not know whether the programme acknowledged that or not but those are the realities. There has been a dramatic expansion in the past two years alone as well as in the past five years and that has created problems in terms of the physical capacities of individual schools. I did not know that a particular school was referenced earlier but that school had an opportunity five or six years ago to have a completely new building on a new site next to a therapeutic centre but it refused it. In some cases, there is a background as to why certain facilities are as they are.  Stapolin is a new school. Clearly it is doing great work in terms of accommodating and facilitating children with additional needs who are coming in. Again, significant investment went into that new school only three years ago. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  Students continue to be hugely impacted by the cost-of-living increases and the very specific accommodation crisis that leaves so many of them stuck in their childhood bedrooms. The Green Party believes budget 2027 needs to show this generation of young adults they still have some stake in our State. In our pre-budget submission, drafted by our higher education spokesperson, Councillor Eva Dowling, the Green Party is calling on the Government to raise the household income ceiling for free fees from its current rate of \u20ac64,000 to \u20ac120,000. This significant rise in the free fee eligibility would mean thousands of students in that squeezed middle would become exempt from the need to pay the \u20ac2,500 student contribution charge.  As the Taoiseach makes the final decisions about next week's budget, will he consider this proposal or others that will make a meaningful difference to students in 2027? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The Government has made a lot of progress in helping students. Undoubtedly, accommodation is probably the greatest difficulty many students face in terms of attending third level education. We have expanded places. We have created new special places for particular disciplines and so on and expanded them. We have substantially improved and enhanced the student support schemes and reduced the fees to \u20ac2,500 permanently. The Minister for higher education is in discussions with the Minister for public expenditure in respect of his Estimates and he is anxious, in particular, to try to help larger families who might have two or three students in third level education at the same time. He is endeavouring to try to see what he can do with the variety of support schemes that are there to help, particularly young people with disabilities and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  The decision to allow the Orange Order to march down Garvaghy Road was the most destabilising decision that has been made in the North of Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement. Twenty eight years of improved community relations are now in jeopardy. The people in the North are in real fear. It is hard maybe for people in the South to understand that and the stress that has been created. There were 21 Catholics murdered in crimes related to the Drumcree stand-off in the nineties. The most horrific of those was the burning to death of three Quinn children in their own home. Orange marches have been the fuse for violence for 300 years. The start of the Troubles can be traced back to Orange marches. The Taoiseach rightly said this decision is wrong and incomprehensible but the logic of that is that it should be reversed. The Government is a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. What influence is the Taoiseach bringing to bear on the British Prime Minister to reverse this decision? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  There are two things. As the Deputy knows, the Parades Commission is independent so the Irish Government does not have influence over it in that sense. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  The British do. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Neither does the British Government because it is meant to be independent of everybody. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  The Secretary of State can change it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I know but let me answer the question to give context to it. The courts are independent so they have reached various adjudications. I have made my comments on the original decision of the Parades Commission. The Minister for foreign affairs has been in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Not everybody sees it the way we see it. We need to put that on the table as well. Therefore, we have to try to work collectively to build on the platform of good community relations that developed over the years and seek a pathway forward through mediation so that we do not have a return to the trauma of the past and can avoid a situation like this ever unfolding again. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aisling Dempsey","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aisling-Dempsey.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aisling-Dempsey.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aisling Dempsey  As the Taoiseach heard, Every Child Matters is a group formed in Trim, County Meath. They were here with us today. They undertook a protest outside and we had a heartbreaking briefing in the audiovisual room this afternoon. That group quickly spread nationwide and the group represents a lot of parents who are fighting for services for their kids. They spoke to us about understaffed CDNTs, not being able to access therapies, the long waiting lists for the assessments of need and inadequate access to education. I acknowledge there has been a lot of work done here. There has been a lot done in reducing the AON list and increased budgets for special education. One of their questions on education was around the AON and medical report process. It is putting our young children in a box. It is predetermining the education the child will get, whether it be in a special class or in a special school. We should be taking a more rounded and flexible approach to avoid segregation, keeping them where possible with their peers. What is the Department of education doing? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We would agree with that, actually, and that is why we are amending the legislation pertaining to assessments of need and are also making sure an assessment of need is not a prerequisite for a school placement, either in a special class or in a different context in the school. That flexibility should be there. Our aim is to try to get the therapies and the therapists providing the services. At the moment, because of High Court decisions and so on in the past, the pendulum has swung to assessment and not enough to delivering the services for children who require them. Most parents want services as quickly as possible for their child.  There has been progress made on CDNTs but not enough, and that is a structure that was historically challenging. We have an in-school therapy service in place now. If I am correct, 61 schools will see that in-school therapy service initially. Recruitment is under way and that will build up over time, so that every special school will have a therapy service. Then we will expand that service to the mainstream. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Grace Boland  Ten women have now died violently in Ireland this year. That is ten women whose families, friends and communities have been left devastated. Under the Minister, Deputy McEntee, there was real momentum in tackling the scourge of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence with the zero tolerance strategy and the establishment of Cuan. We cannot allow that urgency to diminish. We need to accelerate delivery with more refuge spaces, stronger supports for victims, investment in prevention and education and a relentless focus across Government on tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. That is why tomorrow I will support the walkout for women led by Monica Murphy.  It is a national call for solidarity. Will the Taoiseach commit to renewed urgency across Government and ensure that every Minister treats this with the urgency it deserves? Will he and his Ministers join us for the walkout tomorrow at 11 a.m? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  First, one of the biggest issues facing modern Ireland and the island of Ireland is domestic violence and violence against women. The Deputy mentioned ten murders. This is a real stain on our society. There is no loss of momentum. The Government is absolutely committed to this agenda in terms of accelerating refuge places. In addition to the work of the previous Government we have enhanced supports for women fleeing domestic violence, in particular. We will be supporting the walkout tomorrow, organised by Ms Murphy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Natasha Newsome Drennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan  Skyclarys was approved for reimbursement on 25 August. It has been a very challenging period for our patients with Friedreich\u2019s ataxia, FA, and their families. If services in Tallaght University Hospital remain unchanged, some FA patients could have to wait until June 2028 to get the Skyclarys prescribed. This is simply unacceptable. Services have been underfunded for years. Patients should be seen yearly but some are waiting two and a half years. What work has been done since 25 August to ensure there is a timely rollout of the drug, Skyclarys? How many patients with FA will have the medication, Skyclarys, in their hands on Thursday, 1 October? There seems to be a lack of information forthcoming from the HSE and the Department of Health and this is simply a bit of a shitshow. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Health (Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)  What?  The drug was approved----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  That is not appropriate language, by the way. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Natasha Newsome Drennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan  I am sorry for that but we are a little bit frustrated. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I was in Tallaght on Friday and the CEO confirmed that services will begin on 2 October now that the drug is physically in the country. We will get more of it as time goes by. Services begin on 2 October, which is the earliest possible time we could do. I spoke with the CEO on Friday and this will impact on and disrupt other neurology services but they are moving heaven and earth to make sure patients can get it as quickly as possible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Natasha Newsome Drennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Natasha-Newsome-Drennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Natasha Newsome Drennan  How many patients will have it on 2 October? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  Teachers, nurses, council workers, workers who work in this building and public and civil servants have voted overwhelmingly - more than 90% in most cases - for industrial action. Some of the work to rules will begin this week because the Government has not offered them a pay increase that will actually make up for the loss of earnings as a result of the inflation and cost-of-living crisis or been willing to discuss pay upfront in negotiations as their union representatives have asked it to do. Is the Government going to sit down and make a proper, decent offer to the workers, including in this building, who keep our public service and Civil Service going to compensate them for the loss of earnings in real terms because of inflation in recent years and give them a decent pay increase to keep pace with inflation over the coming years? Is the Government going to do that to avoid them having to take this action? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  The last pay agreement not only kept up with but exceeded inflation, particularly for low-paid workers. Of course the Government is anxious to enter into public service pay negotiations. We have made it very clear we want to engage in public service pay negotiations with the unions. I do not believe there is any need for balloting or work to rule. Negotiations without preconditions should commence with the objective of achieving a public service pay agreement for all public service workers, just like on previous occasions. That is entirely doable and is what should happen. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  The Government will not talk pay upfront. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  What does the Deputy mean? The bottom line is we want to enter into a public service pay agreement. We are putting substantial funding aside in the budget towards a public service pay agreement. The unions know this deep down, or the leadership certainly knows it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  It is horrible to see people who are sick endure financial hardship. It is right that we have mechanisms such as the medical card, discretionary emergency medical card and GP visitor card. However, a callous oversight by the Government has been a failure to increase related income thresholds for those under the age of 69 for more than two decades. For two decades, almost one in three people was covered. Today, the same number of people have medical cards as did at that stage, despite a population increase of more than 26%. Can the Taoiseach tell me the reason for that? Despite inflation running at 28% since 2006, eligibility limits for medical cards have not increased. I ask that the Taoiseach consider this in next week\u2019s budget. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  Some 52% of people in Ireland have either a medical or GP access card. An extraordinary number of people have access to those services. Demand on the primary care reimbursement service, PCRS, which includes medical cards in the drugs budget, is increasing every year. Our budget is increasing every year and that is to provide services to the people who need them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  What about the threshold? That has not increased. People cannot qualify for medical cards. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  Some 52% of people qualify. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  Look at your stats. Go back and look. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  A GP practice in Westport is closing. The landlord is selling the building and the doctor has nowhere to go. The GP is effectively working her notice period for the HSE. The HSE has said there is no room in primary care. However, what the people of Westport need to know is what room will be found? The Government should be taking notice. The reality is that Government parties can find \u20ac2 million to furbish a meeting room to give councillors an extravagant chamber in Mayo County Council in which to discuss public services, yet the HSE cannot find a single room for a GP practice in Westport. The chamber in Mayo County Council gets a refurbishment and 600 public patients get a farewell letter in Westport. This is landing at the moment and I am very concerned that many of these patients may end up in the emergency department in Castlebar. What is the Minister going to do? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I take it the Deputy has already spoken to local HSE services and exhausted all of the local integrated healthcare areas, IHA, and regional options before raising this in the D\u00e1il with myself and the Taoiseach, who have no knowledge as to the circumstances of this and cannot possibly respond to him? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  I have. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Carroll MacNeill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Carroll-MacNeill.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill  I will follow up with the HSE but I assume he has taken it through those local channels before raising it here. I thank him. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  Tommy is an elderly gentleman in my constituency. He is in arrears on his electricity bills like 328,000 other people. He is currently really scared because despite being on the vulnerable customer register, and making lump sum payments to try to pay off the bill and get on top of it, he is still receiving letters from his supplier, Electric Ireland, telling him things like his account is now at a critical stage and it will consider his supply for disconnection. This is just not fair. When I rang Electric Ireland on his behalf, I was told to tell him it was fine and it would not disconnect him. He does not know that. The purpose of the letter is to scare him, and it is working. There is a problem with how these entities are engaging with vulnerable people.  On a broader point, there are so many people like Tommy who are not able to get their heads above water, and there needs to be a targeted energy support. These people will never recover from the bills we have seen over the past couple of years. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Is Tommy in receipt of a free fuel allowance? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jennifer Whitmore","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Jennifer-Whitmore.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Jennifer Whitmore  Yes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  He is. That could be organised. Surely if we take the totality of the fuel allowance and the increases, it is approximately \u20ac1,000. I have often thought social protection could connect the fuel allowance to arrears and to the companies to clear arrears, or to go through Money Advice and Budgeting Services, MABS, or some facility to help people like Tommy deal with arrears and get rid of them once and for all. If he is a vulnerable customer, as the Deputy has said, and I have no doubt he is, he will not be cut off. At the same time, we can see where Electric Ireland has to have some balance in terms of how it communicates. I can see what is happening here. At least the Deputy has made the call in relation to Tommy.  There is an issue there too. We are providing additional supports, particularly to lower income groups. Really, it is to deal in a targeted way with arrears and the high cost of fuel and energy for people in that situation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  I want to raise the case of Roman Slater, a six-year-old boy in my constituency who is still at home. He has no school place. I have spoken to his mother regularly over the past few weeks and she is broken. She has applied to numerous schools but he still has no school place. He has autism and a developmental delay. I spoke to her again today and asked if there was any update. She said it is so draining, that she thought she would have a place for Roman by now and that knowing a school is willing to take him but will not be given the resources is very frustrating. I raised it with the Minister last week and I wrote to the Minister three and a half weeks ago in relation to it. There is a local school that says it will take him but it needs to be guaranteed by the NCSE that it will be given the resources to do that. Will the Taoiseach guarantee Roman will not spend a sixth week out of school?  I watched the programme last night and it was shocking. Samantha, the SNA in it, made the point that children with additional needs are being left in situations that children without additional needs would not be left in. It would not be tolerated that a child would be at home for five weeks without a school place. Children with additional needs should not be left like that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I do not have the background to the case. I presume the NCSE is working with the school on this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  I think they could be working more. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  But you see you----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  They are clearly not doing it sufficiently if he is still at home. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Could we just have the response, please? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I do not have the full background. The Deputy has not said it or not, but it seems to me the NCSE is engaging with the school. Is it about teaching resources? How many times do I have to say it? We have expanded resources. We have put \u20ac746 million into this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  They are not willing to commit the resources. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We are willing to commit the resources. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  No, they are not - the NCSE are not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Address your remarks through the Chair, Deputy Hearne. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I do not think that is a fair assessment of it. I do not know the specifics of it. The NCSE is of course prepared to support the placement of a child in a school with whatever SNA or teaching supports are required, or what the physical capacity of the school needs. It could be the case the school would not get the physical thing straight away in terms of a new class or whatever, but at least if the provision was made in terms of teachers and SNAs----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  On 15 July I raised the public sector pay agreement with the Taoiseach in this House. He assured me talks would begin at pace in September. September is ending and there is no agreement. Tomorrow thousands of public servants commence industrial action with co-ordinated strikes planned for 14 and 21 October. Last week the Minister, Deputy Chambers, claimed his Department was ready to negotiate, yet unions say they have repeatedly sought meaningful engagement without success. I anticipate the Taoiseach will tell me negotiations cannot begin with preconditions but nobody is asking him to agree the outcome before negotiations begin; they are asking for a credible framework within which meaningful negotiations can take place. The expiry of the agreement was no surprise to anybody in this House, particularly the Government. Will the Taoiseach personally intervene today, establish that framework and prevent our schools, hospitals and public services from being brought to a standstill? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I regret there is a work-to-rule commencing tomorrow. I do not believe there is a need for a work-to-rule to agree on this. I have serious questions about the entire process in terms of the balloting and so on like that of members, if I am honest. The Government is very clear, as it has been in recent years since I became Taoiseach and before. Public service pay agreements have been agreed by successive governments, negotiations have always ensued and, rearticulating what I said earlier, the Government is open to concluding a public service pay agreement with the public service unions. We will be putting substantial funding aside to provide for that. The last agreement exceeded inflation, particularly for low-paid workers. We want to engage in negotiations. It is regrettable that in advance of the opening of negotiations, ballots are taking place. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  The Taoiseach will well know from his earlier stint that investment in early years education is hugely important and also has a net economic benefit. We have seen recent reports stating reading and mathematical results for Ireland have gone down. Maybe we are still higher than a lot of countries but it is no consolation that if everyone is getting dumber, we are getting less dumb. The reality is there is a whole load of impacts there. In many developing areas, class sizes are still increasing, and some more settled areas that are down one or two pupils suddenly lose a teacher. Have there been serious discussions in the context of the upcoming budget on investment in education and trying to bring class sizes down? It is hugely important, especially with that literacy and numeracy element. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  We are probably less brilliant than we were, as opposed to dumber and dumber. We are very high-up there. One wonders is that related to the advent of social media in terms of reading, literacy skills and numeracy. It is extremely important that AI and all of that, while very important, does not take away the capacity to reason, be creative and be original in one's thinking and analysing of the world and of issues and so on like that. There will be continued investment in education. The primacy of maths, English and so on is still very important at primary level in the overall curriculum. Class sizes have come way down but are variable, depending on location or on how the school allocates numbers and teachers.  I will not go into the age-old argument of whether the pupil-teacher ratio influences outcomes. A whole lot of other factors influence outcomes as well. The demographics are going down. The big issue we will have in the next decade is redeployment of existing resources to maximise outcomes of the kind the Deputy has identified. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"An tOrd Gn\u00f3 - Order of Business"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_8","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/93","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/93\/dail\/1","houseCode":"dail","stage":"1","isBillStage":true,"showAs":"Artificial Intelligence Companion Services (Protection of Children) Bill 2026: First Stage (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Artificial Intelligence Companion Services (Protection of Children) Bill 2026: First Stage","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Malcolm Byrne  I move:  That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to prohibit the making available of certain artificial intelligence companion services to children, to provide for age-assurance measures and to confer functions on Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n; to amend the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022; and to provide for related matters.  This should be the best and safest country in the world in which to grow up. That principle should apply to all we do. Colleagues here will know I am an evangelist for technology and artificial intelligence where it can be used responsibly to solve many of our challenges. We can use technology to help children in the area of education and, with parental safeguards, in the area of children's play. I have my doubts about the efficacy of a social media ban for those under the age of 16.  This legislation seeks to address the challenge of the growth of chatbots targeted at children, especially where there are no safeguards in place. We definitely need to be quite worried, and this relates to the last question raised, about the rise of the anthropomorphic chatbot that has human characteristics where the child will feel that he or she is interacting with a human. There are enormous challenges with chatbots being developed that are targeted at children. Children are being found to have developed attachments and emotional bonds. In many ways, it is found they can engage more readily with chatbots than with their human peers. From that, there is the danger that the skills we all take for granted in terms of empathy and human emotion will be compromised. There is also the danger of inaccurate advice from some chatbots leading children to have destructive thoughts and impacting on their mental health and on loneliness. People think the robots are coming and this is abstract but there are already quite a number of chatbots, particularly anthropomorphic chatbots, aimed at children.  When preparing this Bill, I did not anticipate the proposal at EU level under the EU KIDS Act, which will look to address some of these measures.  It is critical that when some of these products are rolled out the principle of safety by design is embedded within this and we look to a situation whereby we prevent an emotional dependency by children on these AI devices. If the EU KIDS Act does not proceed quickly enough, we should move here in this State to try to address it. I am very conscious that at present the US Federal Trade Commission is already investigating the interaction and monetisation of chatbots that mimic human conversation and emotion.  Regarding the EU KIDS Act and the principles that underpin this, the design of a chatbot cannot be used to simulate a human relationship with a child. We have got to build that into our own legislation. This Bill proposes establishing a prohibition on the making available of specific AI companion services and intimate AI friendship and companion services to children. It will empower Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n to supervise and enforce compliance and will amend the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act regarding the provision of these services. In particular, the online safety codes will apply to cover any of these chatbots that are aimed at children. I am very conscious about how quickly the technology is changing. It is very difficult for us as legislators to keep up. The Government is moving in a way as quickly as possible but in this specific area around the protection of children it is vital that we now take action.  There is always a challenge for backbenchers introducing Private Members' Bills in progressing them beyond the First Stage of debate. I ask the Chief Whip to consider at the Business Committee a provision that on, for instance, Thursdays a number of Private Members' Bills could be considered. We have statements on all sorts of issues during the week whereas there is limited enough time to allow for further debate on legislation, which on particularly important issues like this we should have. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Is the Bill being opposed? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Mary Butler)  Not opposed. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Malcolm Byrne  I move: \"That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time.\" "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Artificial Intelligence Companion Services (Protection of Children) Bill 2026: First Stage"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_9","debateType":"statement","bill":null,"showAs":"Statement of Estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_9","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann take note of the Statement of Estimates of moneys required in respect of ongoing expenditure for the period beginning on 1st January, 2027 and ending on 31st December, 2027, prepared and published by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in accordance with the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Acts 2003 to 2024, which was laid before D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann on 28th September, 2026. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Statement of Estimates for the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission: Motion"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_10","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Sittings and Business of the D\u00e1il: Motion","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_10","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mary Butler","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Mary-Butler.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Mary Butler)  I move:  That, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, or in the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders, and unless the D\u00e1il shall otherwise order, the following arrangements shall apply in relation to the sittings of the D\u00e1il on 6th, 7th and 8th October, 2026:  (1) ( a ) in relation to the times of sittings, the suspension of the sittings and the adjournment of the House\u2014  (i) the D\u00e1il shall meet at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, and at 10.23 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday,  (ii) on Tuesday, on the conclusion of the Budget Statements, the sitting shall be suspended until 8 p.m.,  (iii) on Wednesday, the sitting shall be suspended for an hour on the conclusion of Leaders' speeches,  (iv) on Thursday, the sitting shall be suspended for 40 minutes on the conclusion of Questions on Policy or Legislation, or immediately following the introduction of any Bill, as appropriate,  (v) on Tuesday, the D\u00e1il may sit later than 10.48 p.m. and shall adjourn on the conclusion of the weekly division time, or, where there are no deferred divisions, on the adjournment of the General Financial Resolution,  (vi) on Wednesday, the D\u00e1il shall adjourn either at 9.17 p.m., or 4 hours and 30 minutes after the conclusion of the SOS, whichever is the later, and  (vii) on Thursday, the D\u00e1il shall adjourn at 9.09 p.m.,  ( b ) in relation to the ordinary routine of business\u2014  (i) Leaders' Questions shall not be taken on Tuesday, and shall be taken on Wednesday and Thursday after Oral Questions,  (ii) Other Members' Questions shall be taken immediately following Leaders' Questions on Wednesday and Thursday,  (iii) there shall be no Order of Business on Tuesday,  (iv) Questions on Policy or Legislation shall not be taken on Tuesday or Wednesday, and shall be taken on Thursday immediately following Other Members' Questions,  (v) a member may move for leave to introduce a Bill on Thursday only,  (vi) Oral Questions to the Taoiseach shall not be taken, and a single session of Oral Questions to another member of the Government shall be taken on Wednesday and Thursday at 10.23 a.m.,  (vii) private members' business shall not be taken on Tuesday and Wednesday,  (viii) topical issues shall not be taken on Tuesday or Wednesday and shall be taken on Thursday immediately after the SOS,  (ix) the weekly division time shall be taken on Tuesday upon the adjournment of the General Financial Resolution, and  (x) no Thursday evening business pursuant to Standing Order 168(2) shall be taken,  ( c ) any divisions claimed on Tuesday shall be taken immediately;  ( d ) Questions for written answer are not affected by these arrangements;  ( e ) no questions on private notice pursuant to Standing Order 44 may be asked; and  ( f) leave may not be sought under Standing Order 42 to adjourn the D\u00e1il on a specific and important matter of public interest;  (2) in relation to the sitting of the D\u00e1il on Tuesday, the following arrangements shall apply:  ( a ) aside from the weekly division time, the business to be transacted shall be Budget Statements and Financial Motions;  ( b ) in relation to the Budget statements, the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:  \u2014 Minister for Finance \u2013 45 minutes;  \u2014 Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation \u2013 45 minutes;  \u2014 Sinn F\u00e9in \u2013 60 minutes;  \u2014 Social Democrats, the Labour Party, the Independent and Parties Technical Group, and the Independent Technical Group \u2013 45 minutes each; and  \u2014 Other Members \u2013 45 minutes; and  all members may share their time;  ( c ) on the resumption of the sitting after the SOS, a Minister or Minister of State shall move an allocation of time motion for the Financial Motions; and  ( d ) the motion for the General Financial Resolution shall be moved not later than 12 midnight and the debate thereon shall stand adjourned forthwith;  (3) in relation to the sittings of the D\u00e1il on Wednesday and Thursday, the following arrangements shall apply:  ( a ) on Wednesday, after Other Members' Questions, Leaders' speeches shall be taken, and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:  \u2014 Taoiseach and T\u00e1naiste \u2013 30 minutes each;  \u2014 Leader of the Independent Ministers \u2013 20 minutes;  \u2014 Sinn F\u00e9in \u2013 30 minutes;  \u2014 Social Democrats, the Labour Party, the Independent and Parties Technical Group, and the Independent Technical Group \u2013 15 minutes each; and  \u2014 Other Members \u2013 15 minutes; and  all members may share time;  ( b ) on Wednesday and Thursday, in relation to the resumed debate on the General Financial Resolution\u2014  (i) apart from the Leaders' speeches, the debate shall be conducted in 135-minute speaking rounds, in accordance with table 1 below (to be read across, not down), and  (ii) when there are no further members offering, the debate shall be adjourned, and in any event  (I) on Wednesday, the debate shall be adjourned either at 9.17 p.m., or four hours and 30 minutes after the conclusion of the SOS, whichever is the later, and  (II) on Thursday, the debate on the General Financial Resolution shall be adjourned either at 9.09 p.m., or two hours and 25 minutes after it commences, whichever is the later,  ( c ) on Thursday, Statements on World Mental Health Day shall be taken on the conclusion of topical issues and shall not exceed 2 hours and 25 minutes, and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:  (i) the arrangements for the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the arrangements contained in table 1 below (to be read across, not down);  (ii) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and  (iii) members may share time;  Table 1     -    Gov    SF    SD    Gov    SF      Mins    25    15    10    10    3          Lab    Gov    SF    IPTG    Gov      Mins    10    10    3    9    10          SF    ITG    Gov    SF    OM      Mins    3    9    10    3    5     ( d ) on Thursday, Statements on National Breastfeeding Week shall be taken immediately on the conclusion of Statements on World Mental Health Day and shall not exceed 1 hour and 37 minutes, and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:  (i) the arrangements for the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the arrangements contained in table 2 below (to be read across, not down);  (ii) following the statements, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes; and  (iii) members may share time.  Table 2         Gov    SF    SD    Gov    SF      Mins    10    10    6    8    3          Lab    Gov    SF    IPTG    Gov      Mins    6    7    3    6    7          SF    ITG    Gov    OM          Mins    3    6    7    5          "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Sittings and Business of the D\u00e1il: Motion"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_11","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna - Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_11","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna - Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_12","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Northern Ireland","counts":{"speechCount":16,"speakerCount":11},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_11","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_11","showAs":"Ceisteanna - Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_12","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cormac Devlin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Emer Currie","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brendan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","memberCode":"Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_12.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 12, inclusive, together.  The Cabinet committee on Northern Ireland oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments and ongoing developments in relation to Northern Ireland, Irish-British relations and the shared island initiative. Areas of discussion also include the annual United Kingdom-Ireland summits and their agreed UK-Ireland 2030 programme of work, and the continued roll-out and development of the investment, research and dialogue strands of the shared island initiative. It considers issues relevant to the Government's position as a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. Members of this House will have seen the situation that has arisen in Drumcree in recent days following a Parades Commission determination in relation to the routing of an Orange Order parade to include the Garvaghy Road. The Government is very concerned about the situation. Our primary concern remains to avoid a return to the divisions of the past, recalling the significant progress made over many years in furthering reconciliation under the Good Friday Agreement. There is an opportunity and a responsibility on all parties to make every effort to mediate a way through the current situation. The Government will continue to work towards that end.  On Irish-British relations, I met with the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, at No. 10 North in Manchester on 18 September. We spoke also more recently over the weekend regarding the challenging and concerning situation at Drumcree. We are of one mind that in all circumstances it is important that we work together to protect the gains of the peace process. When we met in Manchester, Prime Minister Burnham and I had a very positive and productive meeting and discussed a wide range of matters, including the strength of the relations between our two countries and our ongoing work under the UK-Ireland 2030 programme to deliver new benefits and opportunities for people and businesses across these islands. We also discussed Northern Ireland matters, including the importance of the principles, institutions and partnerships at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement. We discussed the role of our two Governments as co-guarantors in shaping how we approach all aspects of the agreement, including further progress on the achievement of peace, prosperity and reconciliation on this island and between both countries. The situation in Drumcree is a reminder of the importance of this work.  Last year's agreement between both Governments on a joint framework on legacy was a momentous step forward. Prime Minister Burnham and I reaffirmed our commitment to implementing the joint framework, and to do doing so as soon as possible. I welcome the fact that the United Kingdom's Northern Ireland Troubles Bill will be back before Parliament at Westminster next month. The Government here agreed and published the heads of Bill for our implementing legislation last June, and a new dedicated Troubles legacy liaison unit is now operational within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na as the central point of contact and co-ordination for victims and families in relation to Troubles-related investigations in this jurisdiction. We are preparing to ensure that we are in a position to enact our legislation to dovetail with the UK Northern Ireland Troubles Bill when it is enacted. I welcome that the British Government is now of the view that there is a need for some reforms to make the Stormont institutions work better. That has been my view for some time. I welcome that the UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Bryant, is engaging with the Northern Ireland parties on this, as well as on the critical issue of the Executive agreeing a budget.  As a co-guarantor of the agreement, the Government has an interest here. The institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are designed to be interlocking. Without a functioning Executive, the North-South Ministerial Council cannot function. Our meeting also addressed a number of important international issues, including the seriously concerning humanitarian situation in Gaza and sharply deteriorating situation in the West Bank, and our joint commitment to supporting a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and independence. More broadly, Government engagement in recent months, as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement, has included whole-of-government participation in the North-South Ministerial Council plenary in Armagh in May and my attendance, accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy McEntee, at the 45th summit meeting of the British-Irish Council in Guernsey in July, alongside representatives of the governments of all eight member administrations.  On the shared island initiative, our programme for Government sets out an ambitious agenda, backed by our \u20ac2 billion commitment to the Shared Island Fund out to 2035. We are forging ahead with this investment and co-operation agenda across all sectors. The Cabinet committee on Northern Ireland meets twice yearly. It last met on 15 June. It is intended that it will meet again before the end of the year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  In recent days, there have been attempts to smear the good people of the Garvaghy Road as a mob. It brings to mind what James Connolly wrote about the concept of the mob, as in ordinary people. He wrote that the period where the mob had no power \"was the blackest period in human history\". He described the mob as a humanising civilising force and finished with the call of \"All hail, then, to the mob, the incarnation of progress!\" I had the pleasure of standing with this so-called mob over the weekend. They were the most welcoming, disciplined, steadfast and determined community you can imagine. It was these people - the over 1,000 people - who stood throughout the night while the rain came down who held the line against sectarianism. It was them and not the institutions, not the Parades Commission, which incredibly said that this sectarian, triumphalist march connected with murder should be allowed to proceed, and not the courts that upheld that decision. It was the people who held the line and stopped this opening up of a nightmare scenario, not just for the people in Portadown but for communities right across the North.  Has the Taoiseach communicated clearly to Prime Minister Burnham that this Orange Order march simply cannot proceed? That is the solution. The march needs to be stopped. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  I just received a letter from a woman called S\u00edle Carson. She is the sister of Daniel Carson who was killed by loyalist paramilitaries in 1973 in Belfast. He was killed just for being a Catholic. She was writing to thank me and us for standing with the residents of Drumcree against the threat of an Orange sectarian march going through the Garvaghy Road, given the history of loyalist killings and violence that led to the death of 21 people.  She was scathing about the Taoiseach's Government - she said I should say this to him - and Andy Burnham's failure to recognise that what is motivating Orange marchers wanting to go through the Garvaghy Road and that led to the death of her brother is naked sectarianism. It is a belief in being triumphalist and treating Catholics in the North as second-class citizens that led to those deaths - the tragic death of her brother and 21 others and many others - and she wants the Taoiseach and Andy Burnham to stand up for communities who are the subject of that kind of supremacist ideology and sectarian intimidation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cormac Devlin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cormac Devlin  I thank the Taoiseach for that statement. Will he please comment further on his ongoing engagement and that of his Government with all political parties in the North outside of the NSMC structure and, following his meeting with the new Prime Minister Burnham on 18 September, on the joint priorities they have set out, given the fact there was the joint statement in Cork previously with the previous Prime Minister and on his conversations with the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Chris Bryant, in light of Drumcree, which the Taoiseach alluded to, the awful scenes we saw and in terms of the much-needed Stormont reforms? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Emer Currie","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Emer-Currie.S.2020-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Emer Currie  There are no winners in what has happened on the Garvaghy Road in recent days. No one ever wins in the North when the politics of fear and division is prioritised. The PSNI had no information suggesting the proposed march would cause public disorder or damage to property and that appears to have been significant in the decision to let it proceed. Is the absence of conflict the measure of a harmonious reconciled society? What weight was given to the fear and hurt felt by people living on the road? What role can the Irish Government play in restoring calm, repairing relations and rebuilding confidence in the institutions intrusted with making decisions like this? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  The Garvaghy Road residents have endured intimidation, violence and murder. They have shown extraordinary resilience and discipline but they should not be expected to endure that again. I was proud over the weekend to stand with residents of B\u00f3thar Gharbhachaidh. N\u00ed glacfaidh an pobal seo riamh ar\u00eds le bheith caite mar shaor\u00e1naigh den dara gr\u00e1d. The community was resolute and clear that they will never again be treated like second-class citizens. They are first-class citizens in a first-class community. They are Irish citizens and the Taoiseach has an absolute obligation to vindicate their rights to live in their community, to live free from fear of sectarian intimidation and harassment. He must protect this community and protect the peace. The Secretary of State has power to make a determination that this march will not be forced through the community. The Taoiseach is the Head of Government and a co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. Enough of the traditional fence-sitting. Statements are well and good but will he actually press the British Government now to take this march off the table? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  I send solidarity to the residents of the Garvaghy Road. We met a delegation here last week and I salute their organisation and their determination. This is a working-class community standing up against a threat to drag Portadown and the North back to the past. The Orange Order seeking to push this march through is sectarian bullying. The march was always offensive to the community. It is not wanted. It is a catalyst for sectarian division. Children and adults have died in the past over this. Twenty-eight years without these sort of marches have been very helpful for this community. The cynical opening up of these old sectarian divisions is disgraceful. This is being dredged up, it would seem, by politicians to whip up division in an attempt to boost them ahead of elections next year, to divert attention maybe from sexual assault trials and so on. It is very important that working class people, Catholic and Protestant, stand together against this attempt to drag the North back into sectarianism. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Thank you, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  I will finish on this. What is the Taoiseach going to do? I do not believe the establishment can sit back and just allow this to happen. The Taoiseach, the British Prime Minister and the Secretary of State can intervene to stop these marches being enforced. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  The Taoiseach has described the decision of the Parades Commission to permit an Orange Order parade along the Garvaghy Road as \"incomprehensible and wrong\", and he is right in that. For 28 years there has been no parade on that route and most right-thinking people anticipated that would remain the case. Peace must be protected. As co-guarantor, will the Taoiseach use the influence of this Government with the British Government to ensure the principles of the Good Friday Agreement, namely, equality, mutual respect and consent, are at the heart of finding a lasting resolution? There can be no unwanted Orange march on the Garvaghy Road. It is as simple as that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan  The scenes on the Garvaghy Road last Sunday shocked people right across this island. A parade that had been off the agenda for 28 years was suddenly back, and thousands of people stood on the road to stop it. Thankfully, the day passed without serious violence and I commend all those who worked for calm. However, let us be honest about how we got here. This did not come from nowhere. For nearly three decades, too many of us on all sides mistook the absence of trouble for reconciliation. They are not the same thing. Unionism, nationalism, republicanism and, yes, both Governments let the slow work of building trust, dealing with the past and repairing relationships drift. Now, young people who never lived through the Drumcree incidents are being handed its bitterness. Peace has to be maintained and nurtured by all of us. Will the Taoiseach outline what steps the Government is taking with the British Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to support a structured mediation process on the Drumcree dispute? Will he commit to prioritising a properly resourced community reconciliation programme? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brendan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","memberCode":"Brendan-Smith.D.1992-12-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brendan Smith  I welcome the fact that last Sunday the Taoiseach described the determination by the Parades Commission as \"incomprehensible\". I did not genuinely think we would be back watching scenes from Portadown, County Armagh on Sunday morning television which we, unfortunately, witnessed up to 1998. I am very glad the Taoiseach met Prime Minister Burnham and that he visited an Irish centre with him. I do not think we can ever pay enough tribute to the people and those volunteers in Irish centres throughout the world, particularly in Britain, and recognise the work they have done over the decades and that they continue to do today. It was clear from the communiqu\u00e9 after that meeting with the Prime Minister that there was a very thorough and relentless focus on legacy issues. They have to be dealt with because of reconciliation legacy. For far too long there are far too many families throughout this island waiting for the truth. They are waiting for the outcome of proper thorough investigations that have not been undertaken, whether it was on the bombings in Belturbet, other incidents across Cavan and Monaghan and the Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 1974. The legacy Bill, the new framework, has to be put in statute as soon as possible. For too many of the families with whom I have worked over the years say to me - as I have said so often in this House - that they are getting old and will be gone to their graves before they ever get the outcome in relation to the atrocity that took their loved family member away. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I thank all the Deputies who have spoken. Deputy Paul Murphy spoke first. Some people may have used that term \"mob\" but the vast majority of people have not. The vast majority of people realise the enormous generational trauma that people in Garvaghy and Drumcree have gone through over the past three decades in particular. That is the motivation to prevent us having to go back to that type of trauma ever again.  We have engaged with the British Government. We have let it know our view as to what has happened but also how we can perhaps move forward. If we look back over the past number of decades there has been significant advancements in a lot of community relations. The Department of foreign affairs - I have been there on a number of occasions - over 30 years, and before shared island funding, administered the reconciliation fund, which has been particularly effective at interface areas.  We have supported a lot of working class, sporting and cultural organisations, with a view to breaking down barriers in various communities that hitherto would have had significant issues and tensions. That work has been ongoing. In many ways, what the last number of days reveal is complacency but also the fragility of that and how things can reverse very quickly.  To everybody, yes, we, in this House, find it incomprehensible how the Parades Commission took the decision it took. I have made that clear. What I am focused on now is how we try to collectively mediate our way through this because ultimately the resolution of this has to involve all sides for it to be sustainable.  Deputy Boyd Barrett spoke about S\u00edle Carson and that she said that we had failed to recognised sectarianism. No, we have not. The Irish Government has never failed to recognise sectarianism. The Irish Government and, in fact, the party I lead and other parties, were central to the Good Friday Agreement, which was to create parity of esteem between all traditions, between British and Irish citizenship within Northern Ireland, as well as the North-South Ministerial Council and so forth. I do not accept that assertion by Deputy Boyd Barrett at all, or by anybody in that respect. I do not believe the phrase the Deputy used. Nationalists are no longer second-class citizens in Northern Ireland. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  The Orange Order wants to put them back there. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  They are not, however, and never will be. The Good Friday Agreement was an enormous leap forward in that respect.  Deputy Devlin made a point about engagement. I was at Comhaltas's Fleadh Cheoil in Belfast only in August. It was an extraordinary success. Comhaltas Ceolt\u00f3ir\u00ed \u00c9ireann managed it very sensitively and, in fact, embraced all traditions within the celebration of Irish traditional music, including Loyalist bands, the Ulster-Scots dancing tradition and so on. That shows positively what can happen with constant engagement. We need that spirit back to try to deal with this current situation, which is very serious.  Deputy Currie is correct. The absence of conflict does not mean there are no threats. The role the Irish Government can play is clearly laid out. Parades have been a function of the Northern Secretary of State and the legislation is there. As co-guarantors, we are speaking to the British Government, The Minister, Deputy McEntee, is speaking to the Secretary of State and I have been engaging with the Prime Minister in relation to all of this.  Deputy McGuinness should stop using phrases like \"traditional fence-sitting\". That kind of carry-on is not going to solve anything. Everyone is this House is sincere about wanting to bring this to resolution. Let us not be so judgmental. There is no one sitting on fences here. We have all experienced too much violence on this island. It is easy to use catchphrases and soundbites to demonise people on either side of the House. That is not good enough. We had too much violence in the past. My objective has always been to protect people, including current and younger generations, from ever again having to go back to what generations had to experience in Northern Ireland. That is what we want to do.  There is no need for a parade to go down the Garvaghy Road. That is my view. Others have different views. By the way, parades happen all over Northern Ireland. Every parade is not a demonstration of domination. Where communities have agreed, they have agreed. This one has always been a particular issue. As people have pointed out, the amount of murder, death, destruction and trauma associated with this parade makes it exceptional and, therefore, requiring special treatment as well.  In terms of Deputy O'Sullivan's point, which was in response to Deputy Coppinger, the reconciliation fund in the Department of foreign affairs has done a lot of good work, which has been commented upon, and we will continue with it. Again, we are there to support the Garvaghy Road residents. We are there to support the communities in that area with any particular programme that they bring forward in respect of trying to build up trust and reconciliation. Likewise, through the shared island initiative, we stand ready to be of assistance in that regard.  We agree with Deputy Smith in respect of the decision by the Parades Commission. Yes, the Irish centre in Manchester that the British Prime Minister and I visited was reflective of the historical connections between Ireland and that part of Great Britain. The Irish connections there go back generations, to the 19th century, and there were very proud people there who continue that tradition of providing service to people in the area. When I visited the centre in New York with Mayor Mamdani, again, every person had a life story of connection to Ireland and also of building up the country they now live in.  On the legacy issue, that featured significantly during my meeting with Prime Minister Burnham. Again, I believe that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get an agreement over the line on legacy, which has eluded us for 30 years, so that there is proper mechanism for families to get answers as best they can and to get closure in respect of their loved ones. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Northern Ireland"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_13","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Cabinet Committees","counts":{"speechCount":17,"speakerCount":10},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_11","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_11","showAs":"Ceisteanna - Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_13","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Cear\u00fail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_13.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 to 24, inclusive, together.  The Cabinet committee on the European Union and international affairs was established by the Government on 18 February 2025. It meets quarterly, in advance of regular European Council meetings, and as required. Its role is to oversee implementation of programme for Government commitments in relation to the European Union, including Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the EU, and international issues. The Cabinet committee on European Union and international affairs last met on 29 June 2026.  As the House will be aware, Ireland's rotating Presidency of the EU Council commenced on 1 July. It is our eighth Presidency, and we are tasked with advancing the common European interest and improving the lives of citizens across the Union. We are prioritising work to enhance the competitiveness of Europe's economy, safeguard the fundamental values of our Union at home and abroad and provide for the security of our citizens. These three core themes - competitiveness, values and security - are closely interlinked and mutually reinforcing.  One of the most serious and important tasks we face is securing agreement on the Union's next long-term budget, known as the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, as soon as possible. It is clear that the European Union's ambitious agenda for the coming years will also need a budget that is appropriate to this ambition. We will seek to secure a solid basis for the future work of the Union through the negotiation of its next multi-annual financial framework.  Ireland is engaging intensively with each member state to understand its perspectives and priorities. Europe needs a budget that supports traditional and successful policies, such as CAP and cohesion, while also investing in our future competitiveness and economic prosperity. The proposals on the table include a new European competitiveness fund to help support Europe's future economic prosperity. We remain committed to agreeing the overarching MFF package by the end of this year. We know this will not be easy. Difficult choices and compromises will need to be made by all member states. We will work as an honest broker to try to narrow gaps and bring people together.  We are also advancing work on the One Europe, One Market roadmap which was agreed in April. It sets out the key steps that we must take together towards simplifying regulation, deepening the Single Market, widening our trade links, bringing down energy costs and ensuring Europe is positioned to take advantage of the digital and climate transitions.  Ireland is also working to move forward on enlargement of our Union. We want to ensure that those countries looking to join the European Union can move forward as fast and as far as possible, consistent with the efforts they are making to undertake the necessary reforms.  We will continue to offer unwavering support to Ukraine, whose people have shown such courage and determination in defending their country. They deserve a just and lasting peace.  Last week in New York, I undertook a series of engagements for UN high-level week. These included an event to mark one year since the New York declaration, hosted by President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Burnham, and a high-level dialogue on Palestinian children in Israeli military detention. I also attended a UNICEF event on child nutrition where I was pleased to announce a new four-year programme to combat child malnutrition and hunger across Africa, with funding totalling \u20ac96 million.  I also attended the annual US host country reception, hosted by President Trump, and while at the UN, I held meetings with a number of other world leaders, including the Crown Prince of Jordan, the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Crown Prince of Kuwait and the Prime Minister of Moldova. The next meeting is on 1 October. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Murphy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","memberCode":"Paul-Murphy.D.2014-10-10","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Murphy  At the UN General Assembly, the Taoiseach said that \"we, the collected international community, have failed Palestine\". I could not agree more. The problem is that this applies to his Government as well. I know the Taoiseach finds this incredibly frustrating because he thinks he should just get applause for saying the right things, or some of the right things, about Palestine and should not be criticised for the lack of action. However, it is not unreasonable for us to say that the words have to be backed up by action. Earlier, in response to Deputy Coppinger, the Taoiseach said that he is focused on more important things than sport. That is fine, but then he is the one who gutted the occupied territories Bill, who opposes sanctions on Israel and who is part of a Government that is two years looking into the fact that flights illegally containing ammunition and weapons are going to Israel through our airspace. When it comes to the issue of sport and sportswashing, the Taoiseach cowardly hid behind the FAI. Deputy Barry Ward said on radio, when Gavin Bazunu came out clearly and it looked like others would do so too, that if the FAI had made a decision, it would have had the backing of the Government. Will the Taoiseach back the players if they say they are not going to go ahead with this game? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan  Ireland's Presidency gives us a real opportunity to tackle an issue that matters greatly to patients and families across Europe, that is, access to innovative medicines. I recognise that pricing and reimbursement remain national competencies. However, there is clear scope for greater co-operation between member states. Joint clinical assessments are now a reality and earlier this year the first EU assessment of a cancer medicine, tovorafenib, for children with low-grade glioma was published, with Ireland's National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics, NCPE, acting as the assessor. The challenge is that a common assessment does not guarantee common access and patients' chances of receiving a life-changing medicine can still depend on where they live. So, while the aforementioned drug, with the NCPE acting as its assessor, was approved in principle, we still do not have an application here in Ireland. Therefore, patients here with that disease do not have access to the drug. With the new EU pharmaceutical package adopted this week and health Ministers meeting in Dublin to discuss access to medicines, Ireland now has an opportunity to lead on this issue. Given that the presidential programme identifies equitable access to healthcare as a priority, what specific outcomes does the Government intend to achieve during our Presidency to reduce the disparities? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Naoise \u00d3 Cear\u00fail","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Naoise-\u00d3-Cear\u00fail.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Naoise \u00d3 Cear\u00fail  The Opposition would lead one to believe that this country has done absolutely nothing when it comes to Palestine. However, this country was one of the first countries in the world to enact an occupied territories Bill and now we have the UK and other countries throughout Europe following suit. There needs to be an acknowledgement of that.  I want to ask the Taoiseach about how we can make fundamental changes and put real pressure on Israel through the suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement. Will the Cabinet committee be discussing how the Government can pursue a suspension of that agreement, moving forward? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-D-McGuinness.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor D. McGuinness  Will the Taoiseach intervene urgently to secure access to Gaza for a mobile maternity unit funded by the community in west Waterford through a major fundraising campaign led by Gael ar son Gaza? We know the criminal Israeli regime has targeted medical personnel and medical infrastructure and this has led to there being no maternity facilities in the whole of Gaza. Women are giving birth in the most atrocious conditions and the impact on women - expectant and new mothers - and their babies is immense. It is part of Israel's genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people. It is an attack on newborns, pregnant women and maternity services. That is why the community in west Waterford and many other communities have raised money to fund mobile maternity units. However, Israel, in its callousness and inhumanity, is stopping them from entering Gaza so women are still giving birth under canvas and in tents, in the most medieval conditions. This summer, all but two of Ireland's MEPs co-signed a letter to Kaja Kallas seeking her intervention. I will not name the two MEPs who did not sign it but it is on the public record for those who are interested. Will the Taoiseach, in the context of Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union, intervene and use every lever available to him and the EU to get these mobile maternity units into Gaza? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard Boyd Barrett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Richard-Boyd-Barrett.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett  The Taoiseach said today that Benjamin Netanyahu, a wanted war criminal, does not care if Ireland plays a football game against Israel. That is not true. If people support BDS, they are not allowed into Israel. People can be jailed in Israel if they support BDS. Why? It is because Israel is terrified of boycott, divestment and sanctions and is terrified of people who tell the truth, that the Israeli state itself is based on apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Palestinian people. That is why Israelis are worried and why Yoseph Haddad, who was in this building previously and who is a mouthpiece for Israel, was leading chants in the stadium, while the game was going on, in favour of the IDF, the force that has carried out the genocide. He was leading the chants. What kind of sick state cheers for armed forces engaged in a genocide? It is a state that is not a normal state, one that needs to be treated like apartheid South Africa was treated and needs to be boycotted, just as we boycotted apartheid South Africa. Why does the Taoiseach not show leadership, in the way Gavin Bazunu did, and give confidence and support to the footballers not to play this rogue regime? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  Will the Cabinet agree to send an observer to the Ulm 5 trial in Germany? That trial is taking place without a transcript and without any observer, despite the Minister standing up over there and telling us that there would be oversight of the trial. How can we have oversight if there is no observer on behalf of the Irish Government? I remind the Taoiseach about his speech at the UN when he spoke about an affront to decency in relation to what is happening in Gaza and said that we must act. These young people did not carry out any violence and they have been remanded for over a year. One of them is Daniel Tatlow-Devally, an Irish citizen. I and other TDs and MEPs attended the trial and we saw for ourselves outrageous treatment of the defendants who were behind glass panels. They were not being listened to and were not able to communicate in an ongoing way with their teams. Their alleged crime was to show opposition to the genocide in Gaza by destroying the arsenal that is being built up there. When is the Taoiseach going to send an observer, as was promised by the Minister and the Government? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  Business as usual with Israel is long beyond tenable. Ireland now holds the EU Presidency at a time when the EU's continued trade relationship with Israel is under intense scrutiny. I ask the Taoiseach to outline to the House the concrete steps he taking, as Taoiseach and holder of the EU Presidency, to build the necessary support among member states to suspend the trade elements of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. Will he commit to making this a priority on the agenda of EU leaders? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Duncan Smith  At the Cabinet committee, will the Taoiseach back up his words at the UN General Assembly with three separate actions to strengthen support for the Palestinian people? First, in light of the British Government's policy reset and its stronger version of an occupied territories Bill, will the Government revisit its own Attorney General's advice as well as advice from Departments in relation to financial services and services in general and strengthen our own Bill? Second, will the Government follow the precedent set by Deputy Chambers in 2022 when, as Minister of State with responsibility for sport, he wrote to Irish sport's national governing bodies regarding a joint statement, signed by 37 other sports Ministers, which called for Russia and Belarus to be banned from hosting, bidding for or competing in international sporting events? Will the Government follow that precedent through, apply the same to Israel and stop this second game from happening? Third, following on from what Deputy Coppinger said, will the Government send an observer to the Ulm 5 trial, as promised, straight away? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Malcolm Byrne  I welcome the closer relationship between Ireland and the European Union on one side and Canada on the other side. I ask the Taoiseach to outline to the House how he envisages the proposal of associate membership of the European Union for Canada operating.  Will he outline when he expects full Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, ratification to proceed here in Ireland? In practical terms, does he see the possibility, either through Erasmus+ or Horizon Europe, of increased opportunities for educational exchange between higher education students and, as I would like to see, at second level as well? There is a big connection between south-west Wicklow, in my constituency, and Canada. More opportunities for exchange between our two countries would be welcome. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  To Deputy Paul Murphy I would say that neither I nor the Government wants any applause. We just want balance and an acknowledgement that we have been the leading government in Europe, along with Spain, in supporting a Palestinian right to self-determination and in opposing the Israeli genocide in Gaza and what is amounting to ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.  On the humanitarian side, we have been strongly supportive. We have provided over \u20ac134 million in support for the people of Palestine since January 2023. That includes new funding of \u20ac42 million for the Palestinian people for 2026, of which more than \u20ac31 million has been paid to date. Either Deputy Murphy or Deputy Boyd Barrett said our words have not been backed up by any action. That is just untrue. The Deputies cannot get away with saying stuff like that. We have ensured there is continuing financial support to the Palestinian Authority. We have allocated approximately \u20ac78 million to UNRWA since 2023, of which \u20ac20 million was provided in 2026.  We intervened in South Africa's International Court of Justice case against Israel under the Genocide Convention. We made a submission to the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of Israel's actions in the occupied Palestinian territories. We subsequently co-sponsored a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 18 September 2024, which seeks to implement the court's advisory opinion. We have recognised Palestine as a sovereign independent state. Since 2024, there have been medical evacuations from Palestine of sick children, along with their family members, for treatment here, with plans ongoing for further missions. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has supported over 400 people to leave Gaza and travel to Ireland since the crisis began. We have led from the front on this issue. It is just nonsense to say we have only made statements and have taken no action.  We have done more than that. We also signed into law the Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Act. We were the first European Union country to announce measures prohibiting trade with Israeli settlements. We led the way on that issue, followed closely by Spain, and now other countries are pursuing it. I welcome the statements that have been made by the UK, France and Canada that they are also acting on the issue of trade with Israeli settlements. There has been a reset in respect of the UK. I welcome that and have spoken to Prime Minister Burnham about it. We continue to push for a ban on trade, including services, at EU level, where it would be far more effective.  The fundamental issue remains how to change the Israeli Government from pursuing the policies and militarisation campaign it is pursuing. That is the fundamental question. Within Europe, there has been division. Many member states, for historical reasons, have been very slow to hold Israel to account and have been very naive in accepting Israeli guarantees in respect of this all along the way.  Deputy \u00d3 Cear\u00fail asked about the suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement. We are not yet in a position where we can get agreement on that. The High Representative has been pushing it at the Foreign Affairs Council. I have raised it at the European Council. Some member states are still very much against that.  Deputy McGuinness asked specifically about access for mobile maternity units to Gaza. When I was Minister for Foreign Affairs, I went to Rafah and witnessed at first hand the enormous volume of aid that was on the wrong side of Rafah, that is, it was not allowed in there. I was told last week that pencil kits were allowed in for little children. They were not allowed in before that because they included a tiny scissors, with nonsense spoken about them possibly being used as weapons. There is an incredibly malign and vicious approach from the Israeli authorities in respect of allowing aid into Gaza. I saw a mobile tent with coolers and so on that would have facilitated transport of vaccines and other medicine into Gaza. It was refused. There was so much stuff refused. Countries all over the world had made donations of medical equipment, including scanners and everything else. All of it was refused. It is appalling. That is what I said at the UN and I meant it. It is absolutely beyond human comprehension that any state would behave like this. I have spoken to President Trump about getting that aid into Gaza. I will send a specific message regarding the mobile maternity clinics.  Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan spoke about innovative medicines and joint clinical assessments across the EU. That is welcome. Common access is still some distance away but it is the best way to go and we will be pursuing it with the Commission. Historically, health systems have been very reluctant to have greater European harmonisation. Public health is probably the one area where we have had some success because of the Covid-19 experience, including the vaccines and all of that. The more we have a common approach in Europe, the better it will be all around for EU citizens. That is what a one-market approach means, by the way, and there should be a one-market approach in health and medicine as well. We now have common approval of medicines but, as the Deputy said, they go into the 27 individual member state approval processes. I will talk to the Minister for Health to work out how best we can pursue that at European Union level.  On Deputy Coppinger's question, my understanding is that our ambassador and officials from the consulate and the embassy have been at the trial to which she referred. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ruth Coppinger","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","memberCode":"Ruth-Coppinger.D.2014-05-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ruth Coppinger  I have just spoken to Daniel's mother about it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  My understanding is that officials from the Department of foreign affairs and from the embassy have attended the trial. However, I will check that again with the Minister for foreign affairs. Certainly, there was an offer to visit those who are detained. They offered to visit and so on. I am not sure what was the response to that. I will check with the Minister.  On the football matches against Israel, the FAI has sought, through UEFA and otherwise, to exclude Israel from all competition. That would be the desirable outcome.  The first issue Deputy Smith raised concerned financial services. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Duncan Smith  Yes, Britain is including services, in accordance with the legal advice it has been given. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  As I said earlier, we are pursuing that through the European Union. The advice from the Attorney General is very clear that implementation is impossible. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Duncan Smith","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Duncan-Smith.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Duncan Smith  Spain, which is an EU member state, has included services. Now the UK is acting. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Martin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Martin.D.1989-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" The Taoiseach  Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked about co-operation between the EU and Canada. What we are looking at here is a closer relationship between the two, with a significant pivot by Canada to Europe because of its trade issues with the US. It is a good idea to have second level participation in Erasmus+. I met with Prime Minister Carney after the state of the union address by President von der Leyen. He certainly is very keen to strengthen the relationship between Europe and Canada. I hope he will be here in November for the European Political Community meeting, at which we will continue to pursue these issues.  I hope CETA will be ratified by the end of the year. There are legal issues in terms of challenges. It is proving to be extraordinarily beneficial to the Irish economy and Irish SMEs, with a fivefold increase in exports. It baffles me why Opposition Members are consistently against that trade deal. It seems they, and Sinn F\u00e9in in particular, have relegated trade to the bottom of the barrel in terms of the issues they feel we should be concerned about. It just baffles me that Sinn F\u00e9in is taking legal action against a trade agreement that benefits jobs, workers and many companies in this country. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Cabinet Committees"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_14","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill 2026: Second Stage","counts":{"speechCount":14,"speakerCount":13},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_14","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cormac Devlin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paula Butterly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Catherine Ardagh)  I move: \"That the Bill be now read a Second Time.\"  I am pleased to introduce the Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill 2026. The Bill introduces protections for those targeted by strategic lawsuits against public participation, commonly known as SLAPPs.  SLAPPs are abusive court proceedings which are not taken to assert a right or seek genuine redress but to prevent, restrict or penalise public participation by threatening and intimidating people or organisations engaged in public criticism or debate. Common targets of SLAPPs include journalists, media outlets, and human rights defenders. SLAPP proceedings are often characterised by an imbalance of power with one party using the significant resources at their disposal to place financial and psychological pressure on the other. SLAPPs create a chilling effect on public interest reporting and debate and pose a significant danger to press freedom, public access to information and to democracy itself. The consequences of SLAPPs have been recognised at EU level. An anti-SLAPP recommendation was adopted by the European Commission in 2022 followed by the anti-SLAPP directive which came into force in 2024.  The directive requires member states to introduce minimum procedural safeguards to combat abusive proceedings against public participation in civil and commercial cases which have a cross-border dimension. Those protections include the early dismissal of proceedings which are clearly or manifestly unfounded and the ability for targets of SLAPPs to seek more generous costs and damages as well as security for those costs and damages.  The Bill transposes the directive and takes account of provisions contained in the anti-SLAPP recommendation. For example, as I have mentioned, the directive applies only to cross-border proceedings. However, in recognition of the need to also address in a domestic context, this Bill goes beyond the scope of the directive and provides safeguards for all civil and commercial proceedings, both cross-border and domestic, ensuring that the same level of protection exists for targets of SLAPPs across all civil and commercial matters.  Many of the safeguards referred to in the directive were included in Part 7 of the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026 which was enacted by the Oireachtas in February of this year. Part 7 amended the Defamation Act 2009 to provide for safeguards in respect of defamation proceedings, which are a common vehicle for SLAPPs. This Bill draws heavily on the approach taken in Part 7 of the Defamation (Amendment) Act. It builds on the protections contained in Part 7 and introduces further protections in line with the directive. For example, it provides for interventions by third parties to support targets of SLAPP proceedings. It also makes provision for SLAPP proceedings taken in non-EU countries.  To ensure consistency across all forms of civil and commercial proceedings, the Bill repeals Part 7 of the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026 and instead directly amends the Defamation Act 2009 to include SLAPP protections. This means that all SLAPP protections are referred to in the same legislation.  I will now address the main provisions of the Bill. Sections 1 to 3, inclusive, provide for the Short Title and commencement of the Bill, definitions and the repeal of Part 7 of the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026. Section 4 outlines that Part 2 applies to proceedings brought against a person on account of his or her engagement in public participation. Section 5 of the Bill outlines that a defendant who considers proceedings taken against them to be initiated on account of his or her engagement in public participation, must inform the court.  Section 6 enables a court at its discretion to allow a person or body with a legitimate interest in safeguarding or promoting the rights of persons engaged in public participation, to make submissions to the court and to assist the defendant in proceedings which are alleged to be a SLAPP. This seeks to ensure that SLAPP targets, can avail of assistance of persons or organisations with relevant experience and expertise throughout proceedings which may be lengthy, complex, and overwhelming.  Section 7 provides that a court may, on application by a defendant, require a plaintiff to provide security for the defendant\u2019s costs and-or any damages claimed by the defendant if the court is satisfied, first, that there is a prima facie case that the proceedings are abusive court proceedings against public participation and, second, that the requirement is in the interests of justice. It will be for the courts to determine what is in the interests of justice based on the circumstances of the case but the Bill provides guiding factors for the court to consider. These include the impact of such an order on both parties, the economic situation of the parties, the conduct of the proceedings and any difficulty likely to be faced by a defendant in enforcing an order for costs or damages.  Section 8 allows a defendant to seek early dismissal of proceedings relating to their engagement in public participation on the basis that those proceedings are manifestly unfounded. Where an application for early dismissal is made, the plaintiff is obliged to substantiate their claim so that the court can determine whether or not it is manifestly unfounded. The term \"manifestly unfounded\" is not defined prescriptively by the legislation but instead guidance is provided to the courts as to the circumstances in which a claim might be considered manifestly unfounded. This includes claims which have no reasonable chance of succeeding or are an abuse of process or interim or interlocutory proceedings which might unreasonably prejudice or delay the trial of a claim. The court is required to consider applications for early dismissal as expeditiously as possible consistent with the administration of justice. The striking out of SLAPP proceedings at an early stage will ensure that SLAPP targets are not forced to endure the lengthy and costly extent of a full trial. At the same time, the requirement that proceedings be manifestly unfounded mitigates the risk that those with genuine claims will be denied access to the courts.  Sections 9 and 10 of the Bill allow a defendant to apply to the court, at any stage of proceedings, including where early dismissal is sought, for a declaration that proceedings taken against them are SLAPP proceedings. Where a court issues such a declaration the court must take that declaration into consideration when making orders for costs. The Bill requires the court to consider the issue of costs as expeditiously as possible and allows the court to order the plaintiff to pay costs to the defendant on the more generous legal practitioner client or legal practitioner own-client basis if it considers this to be appropriate.  Section 11 enables a target of SLAPP proceedings to seek damages for any injury, loss or harm suffered as a result of those proceedings. Damages may be sought at the time an application for a declaration is made under section 9 or 10 or following the making of a declaration. This is a significant provision which recognises the extraordinary and abusive nature of SLAPP proceedings. Its effect is two-fold. It will allow a defendant to obtain compensation for material and non-material damages resulting from the bringing of the proceedings, undercutting the frequent goal of SLAPP litigants to use financial pressure to silence public debate. SLAPP defendants will, therefore, be able to fully defend against a claim, secure in the knowledge that they will be able to seek compensation for their losses. These remedies will also deter those contemplating or pursuing SLAPP proceedings, by increasing their potential losses where they are unsuccessful.  Section 12 requires a court which has made a finding that proceedings are a SLAPP to direct that its written judgment be published on the Courts Service website or, where there is no written judgment, that its order is published. In addition to having a deterrent effect, this will give greater clarity in relation to the frequency of SLAPPs in Ireland and the types of proceedings used as vehicles for SLAPPs, data on which is currently quite limited.  The Bill also contains provisions to protect public participants domiciled in Ireland from SLAPP proceedings taken against them in non-EU countries. Section 13 prohibits the recognition or enforcement of judgments made in third-country proceedings that would have been considered abusive court proceedings against public participation, or manifestly unfounded if they had been initiated in the State.  Section 14 allows targets of third-country SLAPP proceedings domiciled in Ireland to seek a declaration that those proceedings are abusive proceedings against public participation within the meaning of the legislation. Where such a declaration is made, a defendant may also seek compensation for damages and costs incurred in the third-country proceedings.  Section 15 of the Bill inserts a new Part 4A into the Defamation Act 2009. It replaces section 19 of the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026 which is repealed by section 3 of the Bill. Part 4A consists of 12 provisions to be inserted in the Defamation Act 2009. Section 34A is an interpretation provision which is similar to that contained in section 2 of the Bill. Section 34B clarifies that Part 4A applies to defamation proceedings. Sections 34C, 34CA, 34D to 34I and 34IA and 34IB mirror the provisions contained in sections 5 to 14, inclusive, of the Bill, which I have outlined. The distinction is that these provisions will apply specifically to defamation proceedings.  The Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill 2026 will provide important and effective protection for those who engage in public participation, while maintaining access to the courts for those who genuinely seek to assert their rights. I am hopeful that with Members co-operation, we can facilitate its swift passage through the House with a view to early enactment and completion of the transposition requirements and I commend the Bill to the House. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Ward  I thank the Minister of State. Sinn F\u00e9in welcomes legislation that will provide greater protections against strategic lawsuits against public participation, SLAPPs. The judicial system is a foundational pillar of the State and society. As with any such pillar, that there is faith and confidence in its fairness as to how it operates, but also that it operates consistently and without favour, is of paramount importance. There is much we can and should do to support such faith.  One such area is access to justice. Sinn F\u00e9in has brought forward proposals in this regard in relation to jury service and other areas. We welcome the Ministers' and Government's constructive engagement on this. Of course, another such area is the right to legal counsel and while I will not dwell on it today, I appeal to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to engage in mediation in good faith with the Law Society to address that crisis, the outworkings of which I do not believe we have even begun to see.  The other side of access to justice as it relates to fairness and this Bill is that some large entities or even individuals have, in effect, endless resources in comparison with others and for some time, this has allowed them greater access to the justice system and to abuse the justice system and silence political opponents, environmental or human rights activists and others.  Sinn F\u00e9in welcomes this legislation, which will provide new protections against SLAPPs across commercial and civil law while enhancing those recently passed by the Oireachtas. People should be clear as to what a SLAPP is, or rather what it is not. It is not when elected representatives defend their good name from spurious attacks. Everybody should have that right. In particular, we welcome the provisions of this Bill that will facilitate third-party interventions in cases by human rights bodies and others with relevant expertise. However, if we expect organisations to assist in safeguarding rights for targets of SLAPPs, we must recognise that we are asking such organisations to involve themselves in cases in the public interest and at their own expense. The Minister of State might consider such in terms of future funding needs of any such body or maybe she can clarify whether, in such a case, third-party costs would also be covered by the guarantees contained in the Bill.  We also welcome further provisions such as those ensuring that defendants may seek that a plaintiff provide security for their costs or any potential damages if the court is satisfied that they can justifiably argue that SLAPP provisions may apply; allowing for defendants to seek early dismissal should a case be manifestly unfounded; and providing for allowance in relation to damages for abusive proceedings. In particular, we welcome the provision whereby Irish courts will not recognise or enforce judgments that are initiated in a third, or non-EU, country that are considered by courts to be SLAPPs, and whereby Irish residents can apply to Irish courts for a declaration of such a case to be a SLAPP when such a case originates in a third country. However, this does call to mind issues raised during the consideration of the criminal justice Act 2026 in terms of co-operation with the judicial systems of other European Union member states. Where are the protections in cases wherein there are fears as to the independence of the judicial systems of European member states that may be experiencing democratic backsliding and whose governments have attacked the independence of their domestic courts?  The approach of the Bill includes repealing a not-insignificant portion of the defamation Bill 2026, passed by the Oireachtas earlier this year, but then goes on to reintroduce it largely verbatim, albeit with additionality. It would be beneficial if the Minister of State could explain in her closing remarks the reasoning for the approach. Why was this additionality not simply considered as part of the previous Bill? Why take the legislative approach within this Bill of repealing what the Government only a few lines later relegislated for? Therefore, in advance of Committee Stage, for the benefit of members of the Oireachtas justice committee, of whom I am one, I ask that the Minister of State direct officials to provide the committee with a detailed briefing note outlining the changes contained therein.  As we discuss access to justice and its relation to SLAPPs, I ask the Minister of State to reflect on the Government's own approach to litigation. A SLAPP can take the form of a case being taken that an individual or entity plaintiff has little intention of seeing through or winning on the merits of the sole basis that they are confident their financial means greatly exceed those of the campaigner or activist defendant they have taken a case against. In spirit and in principle, what is the difference between a SLAPP and the manner in which the Government defends cases taken by children seeking to vindicate their right to an assessment of need? I raised this with the Minister with responsibility for disability only the other day. A total of \u20ac7.2 million has been spent by the Government over the last four years to defend itself in cases against families who were just trying to access their rights to an assessment of need. These are rights in respect of which, under this Bill, the Government has broken the law. It wears families down and can financially exhaust them. It sends a message to the vast majority of parents that they will never be able to outspend the Irish Government.  It may be worth examining whether this legislation can be amended to ensure that once we have pinned down and insofar as possible eradicated the scourge of SLAPPS, it will not be the case that the only SLAPP left is the slap in the face and wallet Irish families receive when they dare to call out the Irish Government on its failures.  In conclusion, Sinn F\u00e9in welcomes this Bill. We will be supporting its passage through Second Stage and look forward to working constructively with the Minister of State as to how it may be improved on even further, providing greater and even more enhanced and widespread protections. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Gary Gannon","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Gary-Gannon.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Gary Gannon  The Social Democrats will be supporting the Bill. Before we get into the detail of it, it is worth reminding ourselves of what we are actually trying to protect here. Strategic lawsuits against public participation make the consequences of speaking out so expensive, stressful and prolonged that eventually people decide that it is simply safer not to speak at all. The people most exposed are often precisely the people who are integral to a functioning democracy, namely, journalists, whistleblowers, activists, NGOs and people attempting to expose wrongdoing.  That is why this legislation matters. We are fortunate in this country to have a robust and independent press. Those of us in politics may not always feel particularly fortunate when we open the newspaper in the morning. We might not like what has been written about us. We might think something is unfair. We might think a journalist has completely misunderstood something we have done. However, that is democracy. The test of whether we believe in a free press is not whether we support journalism that is favourable to us. It is whether we defend the right of journalists to scrutinise us, challenge us, irritate us and occasionally make our lives uncomfortable. Events elsewhere over the last number of weeks should remind us of how precious that is.  Earlier this month, Donald Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico were to be banned from the White House because of reporting he did not like. That was not just rhetoric. Journalists from those organisations subsequently arrived at the White House and were denied entry. Their press credentials were confiscated. A federal judge has since intervened and temporarily restored their access on finding that the ban was likely to be unconstitutional. Today, those news organisations still have to go before the courts to protect their access while that case continues. It is genuinely extraordinary that we have arrived at a point in 2026 when the President of the US has decided that because he does not approve of the journalism of a particular news organisation, those journalists should no longer have access to the seat of government. It is dystopian. It should concern democrats of every political persuasion because governments do not get to decide who is a legitimate journalist based on whether they like what that journalist writes about them. Governments do not get to determine what constitutes acceptable scrutiny of government. The moment journalists begin wondering whether asking a difficult question will cost them access, whether publishing an investigation will result in retaliation or whether reporting something uncomfortable will result in financial or legal consequences, democracy has already started to lose.  I criticise the Government regularly. I am going to continue to do so because that is my job. It is also worth acknowledging that, thankfully, there should be nearly cross-party agreement in the House for a law such as this. We have a functioning democracy. Journalists can stand outside this building and criticise the Taoiseach, the Minister, the Opposition or anybody in this House. They can investigate the Government, expose failures of the State and report information those in power would much rather never saw the light of day, and thank God for that. We should treasure that freedom rather than simply assume it is permanent, because those freedoms can be eroded. Intimidation can become normalised, scrutiny can become something to be punished and those who have considerably more power and considerably deeper pockets can make the cost of speaking simply too great.  Coming back to the Bill, I welcome the fact the Government is completing the transposition of the European anti-SLAPP directive and even extending these protections beyond defamation to other civil and commercial proceedings. I particularly welcome the decision to extend the protections to domestic cases rather than restricting them to cases with a cross-border dimension because it would make very little sense to recognise the chilling effect of this type of litigation where there is a cross-border element but not where exactly the same things happen entirely in this State.  There are good protections in here. There is a provision for security for costs and damages. There are provisions for organisations with a legitimate interest in protecting public participation to assist defendants, and there is provision for damages where proceedings are ultimately found to have been abusive. Section 8 also allows somebody to seek the early dismissal of a claim as manifestly unfounded and requires the person bringing the case to substantiate the claim.  These are meaningful protections, but there are areas where we can make this legislation stronger as it progresses. There needs to be a clearly identified focal point for people dealing with SLAPPs and it is my understanding that IHREC is willing to perform that role, but I do not believe it is named in the legislation as the focal point. That matters because if we expect an organisation to take on an additional function, we have to formally recognise that function and resource it accordingly. I ask the Minister of State to look at that as the Bill progresses.  An issue arose when we considered the anti-SLAPP provisions in the defamation legislation last year. The threshold for early dismissal remains that a claim is manifestly unfounded. I am not convinced that fully captures what makes SLAPPs so insidious. The point is not necessarily that every SLAPP is completely without a legal argument. It is that the legal process itself can become the punishment. If somebody has vastly greater resources than the journalist, campaigner or whistleblower they are pursuing, they do not necessarily need to win. They can drag proceedings out, increase the costs, consume everybody's time and resources and make that person's life miserable. Most importantly, they can make that next person think twice before speaking.  The Minister of State could look again at whether the underlying proceedings should be paused while an application for early dismissal is being determined. We raised this issue during the defamation legislation on this floor as well. The logic of it is fairly straightforward. If somebody comes before a court and says, \"This case is being used to exhaust me financially and silence me\", it somewhat defeats the purpose if the cost of that case continues to mount while we decide whether they are right. The amendments we previously considered sought precisely that kind of stay in order to prevent legal fees continuing to accrue while a strike-out application was being determined. The protection has to work in reality, not merely on paper.  None of these issues take away from the fact that this is good and necessary legislation, but we should never become complacent about having a free press. Whatever disagreements we have in the House, and they are plenty, I hope that is something we can find unanimity on.  Before I conclude, these will be the last weeks before the courts open fully. Next week, chaos will reign around the courts. Our press, even today, is filled with reports of court cases that have proceeded without legal representation. It is incumbent on the Minister of State's Department and the senior Minister to intervene, negotiate and come to an agreement to avoid the precipice of what is going to be a disaster next week.  When we talk about SLAPP legislation, we should also stop and remember other whistleblowers, such as the ones who have come forward and raised issues in relation to the protected disclosure departments. This legislation in regard to SLAPP is happening at the same time that continued penalisation is happening against Dr. Donal Corcoran and Detective Superintendent Brian O'Reilly. I ask the Minister of State to intervene and cease that because if we believe in protecting whistleblowers, and we talk about it often, that must exist across all the architecture of the State. The architecture for protected disclosures is failing and the continued penalisation of those Garda members, through simply making their pay packet, is not fair or acceptable. The Minister of State has a responsibility to intervene. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cormac Devlin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cormac-Devlin.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cormac Devlin  I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this Bill, which supports a free press. I thank the Minister of State and her officials for their work.  Informed public debate and a free press are fundamental in a modern democratic republic. Our democracy was hard won and it should never be taken for granted. A strategic lawsuit against public participation is not a genuine attempt to vindicate a right; it is an attempt to silence. The person who brings it often does not expect to win. They expect the journalist, the campaigner or the community group on the other side to run out of money, time or nerves long before the case reaches the courtroom.  The process is the punishment and the cost is not only theirs. When a journalist drops a story, a community group withdraws an objection or a citizen deletes a post, the public loses. The problem is growing. The Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe has now documented 1,303 of these cases across Europe since 2010, with 167 new cases added in 2024 alone. It has recorded 33 cases in Ireland and that figure probably only scratches the surface. The same research tells us that only 8.5% of these cases are cross-border. The vast majority are domestic. That is why I particularly welcome the Minister's decision to apply these protections to domestic proceedings, and not only to the cross-border cases the EU directive requires. Anything less would have left the people most at risk with the least protection.  The Bill gives defendants real tools. Under section 6, for example, the court can allow others to make submissions or to assist a defendant, so no one has to stand alone. Under section 7, the court can require the plaintiff to lodge security for costs and damages. Under section 8 also, a defendant can seek early dismissal of proceedings that are manifestly unfounded and the plaintiff must then substantiate the claim. Under sections 9 to 11, inclusive, a court can declare proceedings abusive, award more generous costs and order the plaintiff to pay damages. Section 12 means those findings will be published on the Courts Service website, so the practice carries a reputational cost as well as a financial one. Sections 13 and 14 mean Irish courts will not enforce abusive judgments from outside the EU, and people here targeted by such cases can recover their losses.  I welcome Part 3. By repealing Part 7 of the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026 and inserting a new Part 4A that mirrors the rest of the Bill, we will have one set of safeguards, in one place, whether a case is framed as defamation or anything else. That is simpler for the courts and far clearer for the people this Bill is meant to protect.  In my own constituency of D\u00fan Laoghaire, the people most exposed to this kind of threat are not the major broadcasters with in-house legal teams. They are the local and regional papers, residents' association making a planning submission and the volunteer who runs a community page and asks a hard question. For them, a solicitor's letter can be enough to end that conversation. This Bill gives them somewhere to stand.  The research is also clear about who brings these cases. Across Europe, the most common litigants are those in positions of power, namely businesses and politicians. It is disappointing that even here, some elected representatives have appeared to engage in this practice. Every citizen, including every politician, has a constitutional right to their good name and nothing in this Bill takes from that, but those of us who ask the public for its trust should be the last people to use the courts to silence those who question us. Scrutiny is part of the job. Criticism, even unfair criticism, is also part of the job.  That tells us something about the wider state of our public discourse, and that is what I want to turn to now. The space for political debate in this country and across Europe is shrinking, and it is shrinking in strange ways. Since October of last year, Meta and Google have stopped accepting political adverts everywhere in the EU, blaming the complexity of new EU rules. That includes any advert placed for or by a politician. A TD can no longer pay to tell constituents about a clinic or a public meeting. Meanwhile, scam adverts are everywhere. The Taoiseach and the Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers, have both had their images used in them and almost daily a new public figure has been implicated. Last November, Reuters reported that Meta's own internal documents projected that around 10% of its 2024 revenue, some $16 billion, would come from adverts for scams and banned goods.  Mark Little, in his new book The Last Good Day on the Internet , charts how the relentless pursuit of attention and scale fuelled toxic algorithms, hate, misinformation and division. Platforms profit from reaction, and nothing drives reaction like the most extreme position. The clinic notice is blocked, the scam advert is served and the outrage is amplified. That is not a healthy information space.  It is a similar story with political funding. A party or candidate here can only accept limited donations or support. Foreign donations are banned and the rules have recently been tightened again. Yet, some parties have used the gap between this jurisdiction and others, particularly the UK, to take in donations no party could accept here in the Republic, including a single bequest of more than \u00a32 million. None of us wants a UK-style system where crypto money buys a platform, but some reform is necessary so that our rules are proportionate and cannot be sidestepped by crossing a border.  Corporate interests and the NGOs press their agendas in this House and around the country every week. In a liberal democracy that is a good thing. We must hear ideas, including new ones and the ones we disagree with. However, set that against the growing web of declarations, returns and compliance rules elected representatives and parties must follow in the course of their ordinary work. Transparency is correct and right but when the heaviest burden falls on those who must face the electorate, the treatment is inconsistent, and it is having an impact.  Add the toxicity of so much online debate and you can see why people are stepping back from public life. A UCD survey for the Oireachtas task force on safe participation in political life found 94% TDs and Senators who responded had experienced threats, harassment, abuse or violence. Some 45% had avoided a particular policy area as a result and 43% said it made them less likely to run for office again. We saw the consequences at the last general election. Thirty outgoing TDs did not seek re-election, compared with just 19 in 2020. Many of them were good, hardworking representatives. When he announced his decision, Ciar\u00e1n Cannon said, \"There\u2019s a coarseness, a toxicity in politics now that was barely palpable twenty years ago\". The next local elections are due in 2029 and parties across this House are already looking for candidates. If the young parent, the small business owner or the carer decides public life is not worth the abuse, the ballot paper will not reflect the community those people could serve. Last of all, most TDs from all sides of this House welcome the dedicated channels Departments and agencies have set up for Members' representations but the service is very inconsistent and in some cases it has reduced in recent times. We must be vigilant these channels do not become a bureaucratic box-ticking exercise pushing more work on TDs and our offices. A reference number is not an answer, an acknowledgement is not a resolution of a query and a closed file is not a problem solved.  I raise these issues so Ministers - and I understand the Minister of State is aware of these issues - colleagues and the public might consider how we promote healthy public debate and systems that let elected representatives advocate effectively for their constituents. Politics should always be about ideas and policies that improve the nation for all. I have two specific asks of the Minister of State. The first is that the Courts Service publish annual figures on applications made and granted under this Act so this House can see whether it works or not. The second is that the Minister raise with the Minister for housing and local government the need for a review by An Coimisi\u00fan Toghch\u00e1in of how the rules on political advertising, funding and compliance work in practice and implement the reforms well in advance of the 2029 local elections and potential general election. Democracy must not just work; it must be seen to work. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Aengus-\u00d3-Snodaigh.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aengus \u00d3 Snodaigh  I welcome the opportunity to speak on this. It is quite an important matter and not the first time we have been addressing this in legislation. It is important we do so to ensure the well-resourced corporations can no longer use the threat of legal cases to prevent the disclosure or exposure of wrongdoing or criminal acts by those corporations or by their agents, and the like, and that there are protections here for other civil and consumer cases. We should be encouraging whistleblowers in particular and giving them all the protections. By given them protections we are standing with the logic behind this but we need to fully adhere to those protections so there is no undermining of the systems. We have seen some of that only recently with the discussion on the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na whistleblower section resigning because they did not have faith in their own whistleblowing and how the disclosures were being treated by that organisation. We cannot just pass the legislation. We have to act accordingly and ensure the protections are there.  The free press and free debate have to be protected, as other Deputies have said, though a free press and free debate are not unfettered. We do and we must defend the free press, especially in the era we are living in and when there are moves to silence the press and to hamper it from publishing the truth. It is important for us in a democracy that we understand what the free press stands for, how it defends us in our democracy and how the truth needs to be what is published. We have seen big organisations using the threat of legal proceedings to threaten those who are intent on taking a court case. People are threatened with bankruptcy, their home being taken or whatever. We all know of people who have backed off and who have sometimes sought help in a different way to try to expose wrongdoing. The threat of bankrupting a person is something we need to stand up against and that is why this legislation is to be welcomed.  We also need to live up to it as a State because the State Claims Agency is one of the organisations that threatens people who are taking cases against the State and it has managed to force people. Even though that agency understands it is in the wrong its instructions are to fight cases that are unjust or where a wrong has been perpetrated against a citizen. The thalidomide survivors are an example. They still have not been granted the recognition and the financial compensation they deserve for the wrong done by the State. There are others. There is the Air Corps chemical poison group in which each individual had to take a case themselves rather than collectively. The threat, therefore, was that they would be bankrupted if they did not win the case. It was a question of being forced into silence or poverty. When we are passing legislation aimed at the private sector the State also has to take note of it.  I welcome the commentary about social media. At least journalists are known and their names are printed. In social media people hide and you cannot take cases against them. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Alan Kelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Alan-Kelly.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Alan Kelly  This is the second time in seven months the Oireachtas has been asked to legislate against SLAPPs in defamation cases. The Defamation Act 2026 was signed into law on 19 February. Part 7 of that Act inserted anti-SLAPP provisions for defamation cases. On 25 February the Minister signed an order bringing most of the Act into force from 1 March. He did not bring Part 7 into force. The Department said Part 7 would be commenced to align with a separate SLAPP Bill. The general scheme of that separate Bill was published on 11 February 2026, which was eight days before the defamation Act was signed into law. The Government asked the Oireachtas to pass anti-SLAPP legislation it already knew it was going to replace very soon. There are questions there about timing. Is this a good use of the Department\u2019s resources? These provisions have never been enforced and this Bill will repeal them. Section 15 in Part 3 inserts a new and longer version of Part 4A in their place. The Minister of State might explain why the Defamation Bill was not simply amended in its final Stages, rather than asking the Houses to legislate twice on the same subject. She should give the House a clear, ideally published, comparison of what the new Part 4A changes versus the version the Oireachtas passed in February.  The Bill is also late. The deadline for transposing the directive was 7 May 2026. We are not very good at transposing directives on time. In fairness, there are a lot of directives that are justice-orientated but it was not presented until 1 July of this year.  We do not have a good track record and the Minister of State should tell the House when she expects the Act to be brought into force.  The Bill promises a bit more than it delivers. The language in the Bill is very strong to be fair and is practical in its effect in most instances but there are issues regarding early dismissal. How Irish courts can already strike out a claim that discloses no reasonable cause of action is an abuse of the court process or is bound to fail. The Bill's definition of a manifestly unfounded claim largely lists those same existing grounds. The defendant's application must be made in accordance with law, which means under the existing rules of court. There is actually no new procedure in place in this Bill so how is it different? Regarding speed, the Bill directs the courts to act as expeditiously as possible consistent with the administration of justice. The final words of that phrase do all the work. The courts already control their own list. Delay in our court is caused by the number of judges we have and the resources available to the Courts Service and nothing in this Bill will change that.  The burden is on the plaintiff. The Bill says that it shall be for the plaintiff to substantiate his or her claims, which sounds significant, but in any application to strike out the claim, the plaintiff already has to show that there is a real case to answer so the practical change is minute, if at all.  On costs, where a court finds proceedings to be abusive, it may take that finding into account when awarding costs insofar as it considers appropriate and may if it thinks fit award costs on a higher basis. That is a discretion that is qualified twice over. The courts already have a discretion under section 169 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 to reflect the party's misconduct in the costs they award. A SLAPP harms its target through cost and delay not usually by winning at trial and this point is being lost. A Bill that does little about cost and delay actually does little about SLAPPs. That is the key point I want to get across here. Delay and cost are the tactics and if they are not addressed, the fundamentals of the Bill are not at the level we require.  What it could do, but does not, is bring in a way of pausing the main proceedings, so when a defendant applies to have a SLAPP struck out, the rest of the case keeps running and keeps costing money, exchange of pleadings, discovery of documents, other motions, etc. The Bill should pause the main proceedings while the anti-SLAPP application is decided.  Regarding full costs as a starting point, once a court has found the proceedings are abusive, the person targeted should recover his or her full legal costs as the default position unless the court decides otherwise for good reason. As regards paying for defence, while we are not saying that it should be paid for and are not arguing in favour of for-profit funding of litigation, has the Government considered a narrow statutory exception allowing the defence of a SLAPP to be funded in certain circumstances because it may be necessary?  On threatening letters, much of the damage is done before any case is even started by solicitors' letters threatening proceedings that may never be issued and are unlikely to be issued. Every prosecution in this Bill begins only once proceedings are started. The Minister of State should say what the Government proposes for the threat stage - not the initiation stage. For example, working with the Law Society on standards of professional conduct for such letters would be a good start.  Regarding judgments and publishing findings, judgments finding proceedings to be abusive are to be published on the court's website where practical and as soon as is so practical. It is genuinely hard to see when publishing a finding of abuse would ever be impractical. I cannot see how it could be, so why is the conditionality there? That should be taken out. The Minister of State might look at an amendment with regard to that. I will submit an amendment but it would be good if she could come forward with one as well.  Defamation is the most common vehicle for SLAPPs yet under this Bill people sued for defamation get narrower protection than people sued in any other civil case. Both sets of protections depend on whether the speech concerned a matter of public interest and the Bill gives examples of what that includes. For ordinary civil cases, the examples include activities aimed at protecting the values set out in Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union, namely, democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights, including protecting democratic processes against disinformation. In the defamation provisions, that example applies only to cases within the scope of EU directives, which, in practice, means cross-border cases.  A journalist sued for defamation in an Irish court over reporting on disinformation seems to get less statutory recognition that a campaigner sued for anything other than defamation under what we are debating today. A similar restriction applies to allegations of administrative offences. The Minister of State should explain the policy reason for giving defamation defendants a narrower definition. If there is no good reason, the two definitions should be the same in our opinion.  What is the situation regarding people who are being sued right now as this legislation is being brought forward? What happens to pending cases? The February Act contained a transitional provision - section 20 - that stated the anti-SLAPP provisions would apply only to proceedings started after those provisions came into force. This Bill repeals that section and puts nothing in its place either for the defamation provisions or for the new general scheme, so the Bill is silent on the question that matters most to anyone being sued today, namely, whether this law will help them. The Minister of State might address that in her reply. Where are we as regards current cases and will the Bill help people who are being sued at the moment? Without an express provision, the courts will have to decide that question themselves applying general law presumptions provision by provision. Procedural protections such as direction to deal with applications quickly would probably apply to cases already under way.  On the new liability to pay damages for bringing abusive proceedings, perhaps it would not if the law presumes that new liabilities are not attached to things done before the law was passed. Security for costs and enhanced costs orders may perhaps fall somewhere in between. The uncertainty will be resolved by litigation at the expense of the people this Bill is meant to protect. We need absolute clarity on this issue and I presume the Minister of State's discussions with her officials there involve trying to get such clarity because certainly as regards the provisions of the Bill as currently constituted, we do not have that clarity.  It is welcome that the Irish courts will refuse to enforce abusive judgments obtained outside the European Union - that is universally welcome - and that people living in Ireland who are sued abusively abroad can seek a declaration and compensation here. However, the Bill does not say who has to prove the foreign proceedings would have been abusive had they been brought in Ireland or on what evidence. The Minister of State should clarify that. Compensation under these provisions would be ordered against a plaintiff based outside the European Union who will often have no assets here. This is obviously a very important point. The Minister of State should explain how the Government expects such orders to be enforced in practice. If the plaintiff has no assets or ties, how is it going to be enforced?  The Bill preserves agreements between the State and a third country concluded before 6 May 2024. Many agreements on recognising court judgments from non-EU countries are made by the European Union rather than by Ireland. The Minister of State should clarify how these provisions interact with those agreements.  Regarding constitutional balance, strong protections against SLAPPs are needed but the Constitution also protects every citizen's good name and every citizen's right of access to the courts. Anyone who has genuinely been defamed must be able to vindicate his or her reputation. Anti-SLAPP law must never become a shield for falsehood either. The Government may say that this Bill goes as far as the Constitution allows but it does not. This Bill goes as far as existing court powers allow. This is a much lower bar than the Constitution sets. None of the additional measures we are proposing decides any case against any plaintiff. On pausing the main proceedings while an anti-SLAPP application is heard, making full costs the starting point once a court is found abuse, allowing defence of a SLAPP to be funded and addressing threatening letters before proceedings are issued, none of those proposals denies anyone access to the courts or weakens the protection of anyone's good name. All are within the power of the Oireachtas and all of us to regulate court procedure.  There is, however, a genuine constitutional limit. Some other countries allow a court at an early stage to dismiss the claim that has some merit because the public interest in the speech outweighs the harm to the plaintiff. That would sit uneasily with our constitutional protection of a person's good name and the right of access to the courts and is not what is being proposed here but this Bill sits way below that line.  I have some questions for the Minister of State. Why did the Government ask the Oireachtas to pass anti-SLAPP provisions in February that it always intended to replace? What does the new Part 4A of the Defamation Act 2009 change compared with the version passed in February?  Will the Minister publish a comparison for us all to look at? Has the European Commission raised the missed transposition deadline of 7 May this year with the State? What did we say to it? When will the Act be brought into force? Will the defamation provisions and the general provisions come into force on the same day? Was the removal of the transitional provision in section 20 of the February Act deliberate? Will people who are already being sued benefit from this Bill? That is very confusing. Why do people who sue for defamation get a narrower definition of \u201cmatter of public interest\u201d than people sued on any other basis? I cannot see why there is a difference. Which set of rules applies where a defamation claim is combined with another kind of claim? That is totally confusing.  Will the Government accept an amendment pausing the main proceedings while an anti-SLAPP application is decided? Will the Government accept an amendment making full costs the starting point once the court has found proceedings to be abusive? That would be a welcome amendment if the Minister would consider it. Will the Government consider a narrow exception to the rules against third-party funding so the defence of a SLAPP can be funded? What does the Government propose to address threatening solicitors\u2019 letters sent before any proceedings are issued? It is an area that is completely left out at the moment and needs to be addressed.  The February Act allows a court to penalise with costs a party who unreasonably refuses to use the Press Council\u2019s complaints process or the broadcasting right of reply. Will the Minister of State confirm in reply that a defendant will not be penalised for refusing on the grounds that the claim is a SLAPP where the court later finds that it was? How does the Government expect compensation orders against plaintiffs based outside the European Union to be enforced? It seems to be silent on that.  We will have a lot of amendments on Committee Stage, depending on how the Minister of State responds. I suggest there are a number of areas, which we have put a lot of thought into, that the Minister of State might consider. Certainly, we will be putting forward amendments should she not.  This legislation is critical in the grand scheme of things concerning what we talked about previously in relation to Garda whistleblowers. It is beyond my comprehension how the Government thinks that by putting its head in the sand, this is going to go away. This is not going to go away. Many of those who are brave enough to stick their heads above the parapet are on social welfare. Imagine being put through that after all the years of service they have given. It is ironic and something this House probably needs to look at. If they were charged with serious criminal offences, they would be suspended on full pay. These people have pointed out serious wrongdoing, yet they are on social welfare. It is a genuine comment that we need to look at that. I see the Minister of State nodding. It is a fair point to make.  I know these people. Some of them are in the Houses at the moment. What they are saying needs to be dealt with by the Government. This does not have to be a \u201cgotcha\u201d moment. These are real issues in relation to how whistleblowing was dealt with by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and how it continues to be dealt with by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. I do not think it is reasonable for us to accept that the people who point this out are being penalised to the level that they are on social welfare, while other people who may have committed serious offences are on full pay while suspended. It is a reasonable point that the Minister of State should reflect on, outside of the issue we are talking about. I also believe that, separately, all of the ongoing protected disclosures that have been made within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na for the last number of years need to be independently audited. No matter where this issue goes, they need to be independently audited. We also need a check on documentation to make sure it is preserved.  Whatever happens, one thing that is central in relation to how protected disclosures are dealt with in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na needs to be dealt with. There is no possible way that future protected disclosures and the process by which protected disclosures are made in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na can be under a directorate, a Commissioner or a deputy commissioner within that organisation. It has to be independent and separate, not answerable to a Commissioner or deputy commissioner for access, funding, legal advice or anything else. That has never been the case and the changes An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na has now made, and the directions it has given out, mean it is still not the case. We will never ever get to a position of confidence in that process until it is independent. As has been said in the media, a Commissioner or deputy commissioner should not be in a position or have any capacity to know about what is going on in relation to that unit and the work it does. They should have no capacity to decide whether funding is given to that unit or not. They should have no capacity to decide whether legal advice is taken. They should have no capacity to even know what experts are brought in to give advice to that unit. They should have no capacity to decide whether people are allowed into the Phoenix Park or wherever the unit is based. It must be totally independent. It is the only way.  I have made three important points in relation to this separate from what I have said on it previously. First, these people deserve respect. They deserve not to be penalised. I am asking the Government to address that now. As I said, if they committed an offence or were on a serious charge, they would not be on social welfare but on full pay. Second, there is a need to preserve documentation and ensure there is an independent audit. Third, please, once and for all, make sure that this unit is independent from the other roles of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paula Butterly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paula Butterly  I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill as it goes to the very heart of our democracy. It concerns freedom of expression, the right of citizens to speak out on matters of public interest and the ability of journalists, campaigners, whistleblowers and community activists to hold those with deep pockets to account without fear of being dragged into costly and intimidating legal proceedings.  We all recognise that every person has the right to their good name and reputation. Indeed, it is enshrined in our Constitution and must always be protected. However, we must also recognise that legal proceedings can sometimes be weaponised. They can be used not as a genuine means of seeking justice but as a tool to silence criticism, suppress scrutiny and discourage participation in public debate. For example, a journalist investigating corruption, a local resident raising environmental concerns, a survivor speaking out about wrongdoing or a community group challenging a powerful interest may ultimately win their case, but even when they are right, the mere threat of years of litigation, substantial legal costs and overwhelming stress can be enough to silence them.  In a healthy democracy, and thankfully Ireland is still a healthy democracy, the truth should never be drowned out by the deepest pockets. The purpose of this legislation is therefore straightforward. It seeks to identify cases that are abusive in nature and allow courts to deal with them in an efficient manner. This legislation introduces mechanisms for the early dismissal of manifestly unfounded proceedings and provides protections for people engaged in public participation. It also allows courts to make appropriate cost orders and other remedies where proceedings are found to be abusive.  Very importantly, and I welcome the fact, there is recognition that public participation is essential to democratic life. Public participation is not limited to newspapers or broadcasters. It includes community activists campaigning for safer neighbourhoods. It includes parents advocating for better services for their children. It includes environmental groups raising concerns about developments in their community. It includes victims, survivors and whistleblowers who speak out in the public interest. All of these people play an invaluable role in our society and, far from being discouraged, they should be encouraged and protected.  As legislators, we should be especially conscious of the pressures faced by local campaigners and ordinary citizens. Large corporations, wealthy individuals and powerful organisations often have access to significant legal resources. Ordinary citizens generally do not. This imbalance is obvious. Where one side can absorb years of legal costs, the other cannot. Access to justice therefore becomes unequal. Thankfully, this Bill seeks to restore that balance.  I also welcome the protection it provides for responsible journalism and, as we know, responsible journalism does not necessarily have a voice in some parts of this world. A free and independent press is one of the cornerstones of democratic accountability. Investigative journalism has exposed corruption, uncovered wrongdoing, highlighted failures in public services and given a voice to those who might otherwise have been silent. When journalists are threatened with meritless lawsuits simply because they are doing their jobs, democracy suffers, as do we.  That is why Ireland has been encouraged for a number of years by media organisations, civil society groups and international bodies to strengthen protections against SLAPPs. The Government has acknowledged that SLAPPs pose significant challenges to press freedom and democratic debate and that measures are required to prevent misuse of the legal system. Importantly, this legislation does not remove anyone's legitimate right to take legal action where they have genuinely been defamed or harmed. Genuine claims can and should continue to proceed through the courts.  The objective is not to weaken access to justice and to our courts but to prevent the abuse of the justice system. That distinction is absolutely critical. We must always strike an appropriate balance between protecting reputation and protection freedom of expression. Those rights are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they reinforce one another when supported by a fair legal framework. The challenge for legislators is to ensure the law cannot be manipulated as a means of intimidation. The safeguards provided in this legislation are, therefore, proportionate and necessary. They recognise the threat of litigation can itself become the punishment, even in cases where the underlying claims lack merit. By allowing courts to intervene earlier, the legislation reduces that risk that defendants are forced into lengthy and expensive legal battles simply to vindicate their right to speak on matters of public concern.  This strength of any democracy can be measured by how willing it is to tolerate scrutiny, criticism and debate. Democracies do not fear questions. They do not punish those who seek accountability. Democracies depend upon informed citizens engaging openly, freely and honestly in public life. The people we seek to protect through this legislation are often those who shine a light where others would prefer to stay in the darkness. They ask the difficult questions, challenge the established interests and advocate for transparency and accountability. They are not enemies of democracy. They are, in fact, its strongest defenders. For this reason, I believe the Bill represents an important and necessary reform. I, therefore, welcome this legislation and look forward to its implementation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Catherine-Callaghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Catherine Callaghan  I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill 2026. At first glance, the Title of this Bill probably does not tell most people very much about what it actually does, but the principle behind it is relatively straightforward. People should be able to participate in public debate, report on matters of public interest, raise legitimate concerns and ask difficult questions without the legal system being used as a means of silencing them.  At the same time, people have a right to their good name and reputation and if somebody has genuinely been wronged, they must continue to have access to the courts. That balance is important and it is worth keeping it at the centre of our consideration of this Bill. What we are dealing with here are commonly called SLAPPs, strategic lawsuits against public participation. We are essentially talking about legal proceedings which can be used against somebody because their participation is a matter of public interest. The concern is not simply whether somebody ultimately wins or loses a particular case. The concern is that the legal process itself can become the punishment. A person may face the prospect of significant legal costs, considerable time, uncertainty and the pressure that comes with defending legal proceedings.  There can be a wider effect as well. Other people looking at what has happened may decide that they are better off saying nothing. That is where this becomes an issue not just for the individual involved but for public participation more generally. This issue has been recognised at European level already. In April 2024, the EU adopted its anti-SLAPP directive, which requires member states to provide minimum procedural safeguards for people targeted by manifestly unfounded claims or abusive court proceedings arising from their participation in matters of public interest. This Bill gives further effect to that directive in Irish law. Importantly, Ireland is proposing to go beyond the minimum requirements of the directive in one significant respect. The European requirements relate principally to cases with a cross-border dimension. This Bill proposes that the protections should apply to domestic proceedings in Ireland. This makes sense. If we accept the principle that the legal system should not be abused in order to suppress legitimate public participation, it would be difficult to justify protecting someone where a case has a cross-border element but not providing comparable protection where the entire case arises within Ireland.  We have also done some work in this area through the Defamation (Amendment) Act 2026. That legislation contains protections relating to SLAPPs in defamation proceedings. The Bill essentially completes that work by dealing with other civil and commercial proceedings and completing Ireland's transposition of the EU directive.  What will actually change? There are a number of practical measures in the Bill, which I think are worth explaining. A defendant who believes that a claim brought against them because of their public participation is manifestly unfounded will be able to apply to have that claim struck out. Importantly, the legislation states that a court should deal with such an application as expeditiously as possible, consistent with the proper administration of justice. Once that application has been made it is for the plaintiff to substantiate the claim so that the court can assess whether it is manifestly unfounded. This matters because one of the problems we are trying to address is the burden that lengthy litigation itself can impose. If a case really is manifestly unfounded, then we should have a mechanism through which that can be identified at an early stage, rather than requiring somebody to go through a prolonged legal process before reaching that conclusion.  There are also provisions concerning security for costs and damages. Where a defendant can establish a prima facie case that proceedings are abusive, a court can, where it is in the interests of justice, require the plaintiff to provide security. There are safeguards built into that decision. The court has to consider matters, including the financial circumstances of both parties, whether requiring security would unfairly prejudice the plaintiff's ability to pursue a legitimate claim, and the effect of the defendant's ability to defend the proceedings if security is not provided. Again, this brings us back to balance.  We want to protect people against abusive litigation but we cannot replace one barrier to justice with another. A person who has a genuine legal grievance should not be prevented from pursuing it simply because they do not have substantial financial resources. I will be particularly interested in examining this when we get to Committee Stage.  There is another interesting provision in the Bill which allows a person or organisation with a legitimate interest in safeguarding public participation to make submissions to the court and, with the court's permission, assist the defendant. That does not extend to funding the proceedings but it recognises that some cases have implications which go beyond the two individual parties before the court.  The Bill also provides for the publication, where practicable, of judgments or court orders where a court has found that proceedings were abusive proceedings against public participation. This provides an additional degree of transparency around the operation of this legislation.  There are also provisions dealing with proceedings taken outside of Ireland and with certain judgments from third countries. This is important because public debate today does not stop at national borders. Journalism does not stop at national borders and information certainly does not stop at national borders, so our legislation has to recognise the international environment in which people now communicate and publish.  There is a broader point here too. When we talk about public participation we should not think only about national newspapers or prominent journalists. Of course, investigative journalism is an important part of this debate and journalists must be able to investigate and report responsibly on matters of genuine public interest. However, public participation is wider than journalism. It can be a community organisation raising an issue. It can be an NGO. It can be somebody involved in environmental or human rights work.  It can simply be an individual who has legitimate information or concerns that he or she believes should be put out into the public domain. Our democracy depends upon people being prepared to participate but rights come with responsibilities. Freedom of expression does not mean that somebody can say absolutely anything about another person without consequence. The right to participate in public debate does not remove another person's right to his or her reputation or to seek redress when he or she has genuinely been wronged. We should be careful not to create the impression that every legal action taken against a journalist, campaigner or public participant is automatically a SLAPP. It is not. There will be legitimate cases, disputes, and circumstances where somebody has every right to ask a court to vindicate his or her rights. The role of this legislation is to help the courts distinguish between those genuine cases and proceedings which are manifestly unfounded or abusive. That distinction is fundamental.  We also need to be conscious of access to justice on both sides. We quite rightly talk about the cost of somebody having to defend him or herself against abusive proceedings but access to justice also matters for someone who has suffered a genuine wrong and needs the court to remedy it. As this Bill progresses, I will be interested in whether we have got that balance right in practice. Can a manifestly unfounded case be dealt with early enough to make these protections meaningful? Are the tests clear enough for the courts to apply consistently? Are we ensuring that legitimate plaintiffs are not discouraged from accessing courts? Are the remedies sufficiently practical to make a real difference to someone who has been subjected to abusive proceedings? Those are exactly the kind of questions that Committee Stage allows us to examine in greater detail.  I also welcome the fact this Bill does not simply focus on one particular profession or category of person: the principle is broader. It is about protecting participation in matters of public interest. That is the correct approach. There is a tendency sometimes when we debate legislation to present competing rights as though one must choose one and disregard the other but I do not think we need to do that here. We can support freedom of expression and public participation while also protecting a person's good name. We can protect journalists and ordinary citizens from abusive litigation while maintaining access to the courts for people with genuine claims. We can give judges stronger and clearer tools to deal with abuse of the legal process while maintaining the independence of the courts to decide individual cases on their merits. That ultimately is the balance this legislation has to achieve.  I support the objective of the Bill on Second Stage. The principle behind it is sound. Nobody should be able to use their financial strength or the prospect of lengthy and expensive litigation simply to prevent another person from participating legitimately in a matter of public interest. Equally, nobody should lose their right to vindicate their reputation or other legal rights simply because the person on the other side of the case describes his or her activity as public participation. The challenge is to protect both.  As a member of the justice committee, I look forward to examining details of the legislation on Committee Stage, particularly how these safeguards will operate in practice and whether we have achieved the right balance between protecting public participation, people\u2019s good name, and maintaining proper access to justice. On that basis, I am happy to support the Bill proceeding to the next Stage. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill because for me, this is not just a theoretical issue. I know what it is like as a sitting TD to be pursued with legal correspondence and to be threatened with legal action while simply trying to represent the people who elected me. When a constituent comes to my office with a serious concern, my job is to listen to them, investigate the matter, ask questions and where necessary, raise those questions with the relevant authorities. That is what I was elected to do. However, when solicitors\u2019 letters start arriving because you have raised difficult questions, there is a chilling effect. You start to wonder what is the next letter you will see, what defending yourself could cost and how far somebody with deeper pockets might be prepared to take it.  If that pressure can be put on a TD, imagine what it is like for an ordinary citizen, local journalist, farmer, community activist or whistleblower. That is why I understand the principles behind this Bill. Nobody should be able to use their wealth, power, or access to expensive lawyers to frighten another person into silence. People have a right to their good name and to defend themselves where they have been genuinely wronged. This Bill cannot and should not give politicians, journalists or anybody else a licence to say whatever they want without consequences. However, there is a world of difference between going to court to vindicate a legitimate right and using the threat of the expense and stress of litigation as a weapon to silence legitimate public interest questions. Sometimes you do not even have to bring the case to conclusion; a threatening letter can be enough. The prospect of spending tens of thousands of euro to defend yourself can be enough. The legal process itself can become the punishment. That is where this legislation is important.  I particularly welcome the provisions allowing unfounded claims to be dealt with at an early stage, and allowing the court to take stronger action where proceedings are found to be abusive. However, I have serious concerns. Will an ordinary person actually be able to afford to use these protections? There is no point in passing legislation protecting people against expensive and abusive litigation if they need thousands of euro to get to court and prove the litigation is abusive. A person who receives a solicitor's letter may already be frightened out of his or her wits about what the case could cost. I want to know what practical assistance will be available to that person. How quickly will these applications be heard and will adequate resources be provided? Will legal aid - if the person can get it - or some other form of assistance be considered because these protections have to be quick, affordable and accessible, or they will mean very little to the ordinary person?  I also want the Minister to consider the position of elected representatives. A TD's job does not begin and end in this Chamber. We meet people in our clinics and we write to Departments, councils, State agencies and other organisations. We raise difficult cases because sometimes the people sitting across the desk from us have nowhere else to turn. I have been elected to represent those people and I will not be frightened out of representing them by the threat of a solicitor's letter. However, that does not put me or any TD above the law. In effect, representatives acting honestly and responsibly on a genuine matter of public interest must be able to do their job without wondering whether the price for asking an uncomfortable question will be another legal threat landing on the desk.  Our courts must always remain places where people can go to seek justice. They can never be allowed to become a weapon for those with the deepest pockets to silence those who ask difficult questions. The real test of this legislation will come when an ordinary person gets that solicitor\u2019s letter. Will he or she be able to stand his or her ground and challenge abusive proceedings quickly? Most importantly, will he or she be able to afford to do it?  Freedom of expression and public participation cannot become rights that only belong to people wealthy enough to defend them. That is the challenge I put to the Minister and it is the standard by which this Bill should be ultimately judged. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. To simplify it for people, an investigative journalist should be protected. From an investigative point of view, a person may be in a Department, in government or in Revenue. I have two cases before Revenue. They are not for me but for my constituents. To tell the truth, from the couple of cases I have in different parts of Revenue, things are sitting on desks for 12 months and are not being looked at. The knock-on effect of this is the legal bills involved. If somebody is whistleblowing, they are up against the management in these places. People in that position are afraid to do anything because it might affect their jobs. People are actually shoved out in the cold. We can see what happened with the whistleblowers in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the Prison Service. They were cast out. Why were there no protections there?  It is the same thing when we talk about journalism. If a journalist is investigating something that is wrong and pressure comes on him or her from a legal perspective, he or she should 100% be protected.  It is the same thing for a sitting TD, Senator or councillor. If they see something wrong and highlight it, they should be protected.  We have seen how many years it took when we had people under investigation in the Garda. All those garda\u00ed were acquitted of any wrongdoing. What stood in the way of that happening? How many years? How many people did not get to where they needed to get in their careers? It not only affected them but their families and extended families. The garda\u00ed are our protectors. I have the utmost respect for the garda\u00ed and I encourage people to join the Garda service. If you are in the Garda protecting people in your area, there should be the same protections for you if there is an internal matter in the service. In any walk of life, no matter where you work or what you work at, there is always a minority of people that do things for the wrong reasons, but the majority are there for the right reasons. We need to make sure the majority of people, those who are there for the right reasons and who want to make things better, are protected, while the ones there for the wrong reasons, even those in positions of power, are held accountable. That is what we need to do and what I would like to see happening.  Looking at criminals and reoffenders, some people are getting free legal aid who have been 25 or 30 times in front of the courts. It is fine if you have done something once or twice, something goes wrong and you get free legal aid, but when you are doing something 30 times, does it not show we have a problem? We are giving them free legal aid. It was brought up in our local authority in Limerick by Councillor John O'Donoghue that there should be a cap put on somebody who reoffends repeatedly. How are you going to learn from anything if you keep getting free legal aid? That is also an issue that needs to be discussed.  From the Garda Commissioner down, everyone should be treated as an equal, regardless of their position, when it comes to accountability. I hope this Bill, when it goes through, reflects that. The same goes for Departments. If our Departments, or certain parts of them, are not doing right, they should be held accountable. Everyone is entitled to legal aid, but I have an issue with it when people reoffend and need to be accountable. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Peadar-T\u00f3ib\u00edn.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn  I welcome this SLAPP Bill. Legislation on this issue is long overdue. I have been in the ear of a number of Ministers for justice for at least five or six years, looking for legislation in relation to this. I am glad the European Commission saw fit to begin infringement proceedings against Ireland last May for its failure to transpose the 2024 anti-SLAPP directive into Irish law.  SLAPP is among the worst forms of abuse anybody can suffer. It is not confined to defamation; it comes in many guises. I have seen trumped-up trespass cases, trumped-up pollution claims and so on. In addition to abusive litigation, I have seen victims subjected to other forms of abuse, such as malicious reports to a myriad of regulatory bodies with the intention of tying that person up in knots. I have seen first hand the distress caused to victims of SLAPP and their families. I have seen people receive nasty seven-day solicitor's letters on Christmas Eve and at other sensitive times of the year, such as Easter and the summer holidays.  What is particularly egregious is misuse of the discovery mechanisms of the State. I have seen solicitors misuse these to terrorise victims and keep dragging them back before the courts by disrupting everything they try to do to comply with discovery orders. A very worrying issue is the way the cost orders are racked up against vulnerable defendants. I have seen solicitors try to have defence of SLAPP struck out on various technicalities. Bad as it is to be subject to vexatious litigation, to seek to strike out defence of such litigations is a shocking form of abuse.  I welcome the section of the Bill that deals with forum shopping. It has been suggested by some that one could just ignore SLAPP. This is not possible as failure to file a defence allows an applicant to take out a judgment in default of defence. SLAPP-type litigation requires the victim to field a team of lawyers. This does not come cheap. Litigation typically gets drawn out with loads of court appearances, all the time clocking up a serious legal bill for the victim. The courts are already struggling to cope with the heavy caseload they deal with; to add vexatious litigation to it is unacceptable.  Having examined the Bill, I wish to raise a couple of concerns, which mean we will table a number of short amendments on the next Stage. The need for defendants to demonstrate a case is \"manifestly unfounded\" is an unduly high threshold that would preclude many SLAPPs from being subject to an early dismissal mechanism. We recognise the threshold was established by the EU anti-SLAPP directive but as the Bill has already gone beyond the minimum standards set out by the directive with respect to its inclusion of domestic cases, there is no reason this flawed threshold should be enacted. The \"manifestly unfounded\" test is far too high. The legislation should instead allow for abusive lawsuits to be subject to the dismissal mechanism in order to ensure the right to freedom of expression is duly protected.  A letter was written to the Minister for justice in February 2025 about this flawed text regarding the Defamation Act. Nevertheless, we are still seeing that within the system. This is hugely concerning. A defendant does not have cost protection in such proceedings. As such, a high bar will discourage victims from referring instances of egregious SLAPP-type cases. We will propose to substitute \"abusive\" for all mentions of \"manifestly unfounded\".  I am particularly concerned that the Bill is silent on those who enable litigation in certain situations, that is, solicitors and lawyers. The enablement of SLAPP is a major difficulty. There are numerous cases of abusive processes, such as serving seven-day solicitor's letters on Christmas Eve; hamming up vexatious cases; misuse of the discovery mechanism, which has been used as an instrument of persecution by enabling lawyers to harass and intimidate; and making false statements in court and knowingly misleading the court. There are scores of ethical provisions which are ignored by enablers. I have seen one person bring these to the attention of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority, LSRA, and it was completely ignored. Ethical provisions are actually part of the Law Society. A solicitor \"Has an overriding duty to the court to ensure, in the public interest, that the proper and efficient administration of justice is achieved, and should assist the court in the administration of justice, and should not deceive, or knowingly or recklessly, mislead the court.\" That is not always put into place. There are similar provisions for barristers: \"A Barrister shall not knowingly make, procure or countenance the making of any false or misleading statement of fact, whether express or implied [or] written... with regard to any matter in which that Barrister is engaged, to any Court, other body or to any other party or any representative thereof.\" That is not always put into place either.  It is worth noting the comments by Mr. Justice Seamus Noonan in the Court of Appeal judgment in Keating v. Mulligan, 2022. He described the litigation misconduct of the defendant, stating that his lawyers engaged in gratuitous and sustained impugning of the integrity of the plaintiff, which had to be deprecated in the strongest terms.  The High Court had determined that the defendant had improperly accused the plaintiff and her lawyers of fraud and awarded aggravated damages in addition to general damages. The allegations were completely improper and need to be resolved----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  The Deputy's time is up. I call Deputy Gogarty. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  Cuirim f\u00e1ilte roimh an mBille seo. Is ceann an-t\u00e1bhachtach at\u00e1 ann. I welcome the Bill. It is important legislation that facilitates legitimate criticism of institutions and corporate interests. If it is done right, it balances the fear of legal threats and, on the other side, vexatious or potentially defamatory statements. We have heard that this Bill is a direct and necessary response to EU Directive 2024\/1069, the anti-SLAPP directive. To be a little bit facetious, it is taking its time. The EU has had to give Ireland a little slap on the wrist to get the legislation moving. Throughout Europe, including here in Ireland, we have been very slow in implementing legislation to protect people. We have seen a disturbing rise in powerful corporations and wealthy individuals basically weaponising our legal system. They are not doing this for justice. Sometimes they are not even doing it to protect their good name but rather to chill debate and discourse and silence those who are speaking truth to power, especially investigative journalists, environmental activists, community groups and individuals who have legitimate concerns. This Bill, in the rightful way, targets those who threaten public interest advocates with some form of financial ruin. Looking at it from a non-expert point of view, it provides a good level of protection, for example offering early dismissal of groundless claims, moving the burden of proof back onto wealthy plaintiffs and forcing litigants to post security for costs.  However, the small person, such as a local campaigner, blogger or small community group, still has barriers because within the Irish defamation framework, groups such as the Law Society of Ireland say that we still lack a serious harm test. Damage to reputation is legally presumed here from day one. Plaintiffs can launch lawsuits without ever having to prove an actual or tangible financial loss, which means they can still - the Minister of State is going to elucidate on this later - intimidate defendants to some degree. We need more clarity on this. As my colleagues in the House have said, we possibly need related amendments on Committee Stage. Another angle is that if a defendant wants to get a case thrown out early, as Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn mentioned, he or she has to prove that a claim is manifestly unfounded. That is a very high legal hurdle because a well-funded corporate legal team can tie a case up for a long time and draft a claim that looks plausible on paper, but to the ordinary citizen, who has an information deficit in many cases, it basically forces them to face the prospect of a full trial and definitely makes them think it is going in that direction. That in itself has a chilling effect.  Regarding the costs, the very act of hiring a legal team to file the anti-SLAPP application costing thousands of euro is going to be prohibitive for some. Very small NGOs, community groups or individuals might not have these funds. It is still hard to get backing for legal cases in a proper manner. For small persons, therefore, there is still a risk that their home is going to be taken away from them if they raise this issue. When I was a councillor, for example, a pub wrote to me saying that when I had said that people crossing over a median to go to the pub were taking their lives into their hands, that was defamatory against the pub. I had to rephrase my remarks in a certain way because I did not have any means at the time. If we multiply that for people raising genuine public issues, we see that we have to get the legislation right. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Catherine Ardagh)  I thank the 11 Deputies who contributed, namely, Deputies Ward, Gannon, Devlin, \u00d3 Snodaigh, Kelly, Butterly, Callaghan, Collins, O'Donoghue, T\u00f3ib\u00edn and Gogarty. Many of the questions posed by the Deputies were answered by other Deputies, but I will do my best to go through many of the questions that were posed. Most of the Members raised the importance of the SLAPP legislation. The most recent data from the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe suggests that 34 SLAPP cases were filed in Ireland between 2010 and 2025. This is not a huge number, but we are also very conscious that collecting information on SLAPPs can be challenging for a number of reasons. Many Members outlined that some SLAPP-type cases might be started on a pre-litigation basis between the parties and before court proceedings are filed. The phenomenon of SLAPPs has only been defined at EU level since the adoption of the directive in 2024. Many SLAPP cases go unreported because those targeted or intimidated do not have the resources to compile and report information on their cases. We must, therefore, be careful not to confuse the lack of information on the issue with the lack of an issue, because there clearly is very much an issue there. A lot of Members raised the issue of attacks on democracy by litigation. A semi-related issue is the use of deepfakes and social engineering attacks on politicians. However, it is not just on politicians and Members of this House but also on local advocates and residents, where attacks online or by way of litigation have a chilling effect on their public participation.  Deputies Gannon, Kelly, T\u00f3ib\u00edn and Gogarty raised the issue regarding why a case has to be manifestly unfounded to be dismissed early and questioned whether that threshold is too high. There have been some suggestions that the requirement that the claim be manifestly unfounded to be dismissed at an early stage is too onerous. I understand the desire to provide protection for those targeted by abusive proceedings against public participation. However, the striking-out of proceedings represents a limitation on the right of access to the courts, and a balancing exercise is therefore necessary. The Bill outlines an indicative list of circumstances where proceedings might be considered manifestly unfounded, for example in cases where the endorsement, pleading or claim is an abuse of the court process. The list is expressed to be non-exhaustive and takes account of recommendations made by the justice committee in its pre-legislative scrutiny report on the SLAPP provisions contained in the Defamation (Amendment) Act. The wide definition aims to allow the court enough flexibility to balance those rights as fairly as possible in the circumstances in each case.  Deputy Ward asked why there is specific reference to defamation proceedings but not to other types of proceedings. It was Deputy Callaghan who answered that this legislation is not limited to defamation proceedings. It is the finality of legislation to incorporate all civil and commercial matters. On the issue of costs and why the provision of financial assistance is excluded from the supports that may be provided to a defendant, while this may be discussed on Committee Stage, third-party litigation funding and class actions are not permitted in Ireland. The Bill provides a number of other important supports to the targets of SLAPP proceedings, including the ability of a relevant person or organisation to make legal submissions to the court or provide it with information relevant to determining whether the proceedings are SLAPP proceedings, as well as other non-financial forms of assistance the court considers appropriate in the circumstances. It will also a person or entity targeted by SLAPP proceedings to recover more generous costs and damages to compensate for any loss, including financial loss, suffered by a defendant as a result of the proceedings.  On the general subject of costs, turning to a point mentioned by Deputies Gogarty and Kelly, the general scheme of the civil reform Bill was published earlier this year. It forms part of an holistic approach to the reform of the civil justice system in Ireland, together with other ongoing access to justice reforms, including the judicial planning working group and the Courts Service modernisation programme. These collective reform measures will deliver significant efficiencies across the court system, and we hope we will see a reduction in legal costs. The Bill is a key implementation measure for the legislative recommendations made by the review of the administration of civil justice, otherwise known as the Kelly report. In 2020, the Kelly report made over 90 recommendations regarding civil procedure in the courts, covering discovery, judicial review litigation, multiparty litigation, facilitative court users and technology and e-litigation. The recommendations are intended to take an holistic approach to reform of the civil justice system and require implementation amendments to legislation and the rules of court as well as operational provisions.  Other Members asked why we were introducing damages for SLAPP cases. That was raised by Deputies Ward and Gannon. Allowing targets of SLAPP cases to seek damages for injury, loss or harm suffered as a result of those proceedings is important. It recognises the extraordinary and abusive nature of SLAPP proceedings, which are brought, not to genuinely assert or exercise a right but rather to prevent, restrict and penalise public participation through pressure and intimidation. It also recognises that these proceeding frequently seek to exploit an imbalance of power between the parties, which often involves one party using its position to place significant financial and psychological pressure on the other. It is important not only that those targeted by SLAPPs are empowered to seek redress and acknowledgement of the harm they have suffered but also that there are significant consequences for those who initiate SLAPPs, which we hope will discourage the taking of these forms of proceedings.  Regarding legal aid, I think Deputy Collins raised the question as to why legal aid was not allowed in cases involving SLAPP. There are no specific legal aid provisions in the Bill as reform of legal aid is being considered more broadly by the Department. The Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 and associated regulations govern the provisions of civil legal aid by the Legal Aid Board. Section 28 (9)(a) of the 1995 Act provides that certain \"designated matters\" are excluded from the scope of civil legal aid. Defamation is one of those matters. Also, legal assistance is not generally available on foot of the legal aid scheme. There are some very limited exceptions to this. The future of civil legal aid generally is being considered by the Department in the context of the civil legal aid review. In June 2022, a civil legal aid review group chaired by former Chief Justice Mr. Frank Clarke was established to review the current operation of the civil legal aid scheme. The findings of the civil legal aid review group were published in July 2025 and they contain a number of recommendations relating to the scope and eligibility of the civil legal aid scheme.  A number of broader questions were posed by colleagues. One of the issues raised was in relation to the threatening letters to those who are considered public participants. It is hoped this matter can be addressed. I am sure it will be addressed on Committee Stage. There was also a question on whether the Courts Service will publish the figures of SLAPP cases. This is something on which we can engage with the Courts Service, and we will do so. Deputies Kelly and Gannon raised the issue of whether bringing a motion to assess the case as a SLAPP case should pause the proceedings. In some ways this would happen automatically. Like in any type of case, once an interim motion is brought the proceedings would be paused at that stage. Other Deputies mentioned they will put down amendments on Committee Stage. We look forward to seeing those amendments and discussing them with Deputies then. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill 2026: Second Stage"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_15","debateType":"debate","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/76","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/76\/dail\/motion\/referral","houseCode":"dail","stage":"motion","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill 2026: Referral to Select Committee (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill 2026: Referral to Select Committee","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Catherine Ardagh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Catherine-Ardagh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration (Deputy Catherine Ardagh)  I move:  That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration pursuant to Standing Orders 103(2)(b) and 188(1). "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation Bill 2026: Referral to Select Committee"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_16","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Public Transport and Fare Increases: Motion [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":52,"speakerCount":43},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_16","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louis O'Hara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donna McGettigan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darragh O'Brien","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n Crowe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-Crowe.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-Crowe.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sh\u00f3nagh N\u00ed Raghallaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sh\u00f3nagh-N\u00ed-Raghallaigh.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sh\u00f3nagh-N\u00ed-Raghallaigh.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ann Graves","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pat Buckley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pat-Buckley.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Pat-Buckley.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maurice Quinlivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maurice-Quinlivan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Maurice-Quinlivan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Seamus Healy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","memberCode":"Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Carol Nolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Albert Dolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Denise Mitchell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Denise-Mitchell.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Denise-Mitchell.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dessie Ellis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dessie-Ellis.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Dessie-Ellis.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Donnelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pa Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Pa-Daly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pa Daly  I move:  That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann:  recognises that:  \u2014 public transport is an essential public service and should be affordable and accessible to all;  \u2014 investment in public transport is critical to fairness, social inclusion, balanced regional development and reducing emissions; and  \u2014 the best way to increase public transport use is to make services more affordable, reliable, accessible and more widely available;  notes that:  \u2014 households, workers, students, pensioners and families continue to face significant cost of living pressures, with rising costs across housing, energy, childcare and everyday essentials;  \u2014 the Government has chosen to increase the cost of public transport for those who rely on it, and at a time when fuel costs are spiralling out of control;  \u2014 the National Transport Authority (NTA) has acknowledged that increasing fares will result in fewer people using public transport;  \u2014 affordable public transport helps to reduce household costs, tackle transport poverty and help workers and families cope with the rising cost of living; and  \u2014 commuters are being asked to pay higher fares while continuing to endure unreliable and overcrowded services, including so-called \"ghost buses\" that simply fail to turn up, leaving workers, students and families stranded and out of pocket;  further notes that:  \u2014 the Government has prioritised pay rises for public transport chief executive officers in conjunction with fare increases for commuters;  \u2014 this Government have failed to provide adequate funding to the NTA to both expand services, and maintain affordable fares;  \u2014 despite repeated promises, the rollout of improved public transport services has slowed significantly, with concerns raised regarding delays to the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan and promised rural transport improvements;  \u2014 communities across rural Ireland continue to experience poor connectivity, inadequate services and a lack of viable alternatives to private car ownership;  \u2014 this failure comes amidst repeated examples of waste, mismanagement and spiralling costs within the transport system, including the write-off of approximately \u20ac50 million arising from a failed public transport Information Technology project;  \u2014 affordable, reliable and accessible public transport delivers significant social, economic and environmental benefits by reducing congestion, lowering emissions, supporting regional development and connecting people with employment, education, healthcare and social opportunities; and  \u2014 free public transport for children and young people would ease financial pressures on families, increase mobility, improve access to opportunities and encourage lifelong use of public transport; and  calls on the Government to:  \u2014 immediately cancel all planned public transport fare increases;  \u2014 introduce free public transport for all children and young people under 18 years of age;  \u2014 provide adequate funding to the NTA to ensure affordable fares and expanded services are delivered together;  \u2014 deliver better, more reliable and more frequent bus and rail services;  \u2014 accelerate investment in rural public transport and fast-track the expansion of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan; and  \u2014 improve accessibility across the public transport network so that it works for disabled passengers, older people, families, rural communities and all users.  Families and workers across the State are being hit by surging costs from every side. From the soaring cost of energy to higher grocery bills and childcare, households have no reprieve. They are living from week to week and they need a break. However, instead of making life easier, the Government is piling on yet another cost at a time when household budgets are being stretched to breaking point. This is utterly wrong. The Government must reverse the planned fare hikes. Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael must deliver on something that successive governments have been short on for decades, which is the political will and ambition to deliver an affordable, accessible transport system fit for purpose in a 21st century Ireland. Due to a lack of investment, workers, students, pensioners and families are already struggling with the soaring cost of living but the Government has decided the solution is to make public transport even more expensive. People are already paying for overcrowded services, delays, cancellations and routes that were never delivered. It is outrageous that the Government expects ordinary people to pay more while CEOs have their salaries topped up, millions of euro are wasted on failed projects, and costly overruns are tolerated without consequence.  The Minister will say there were no fare hikes since 2016 but there were plenty between 2008 and 2016. Also, unspent money that comes in from the carbon tax could be used to facilitate no fare increases. The Government's priorities are completely wrong. The Taoiseach says he wants a budget for people who get up early but instead of helping those same people the Government is hitting them with higher fares.  Let us be clear: this is not just about reversing these fare hikes. We should be asking a bigger question of what type of public transport we actually want. Sinn F\u00e9in believes that public transport should be affordable, reliable and accessible. It should facilitate people accessing work, education, healthcare and social opportunities, and it will reduce emissions, tackle isolation and strengthen communities. That is why we are calling not only for the fare hikes to be scrapped but for free public transport for all under 18s. No child should miss out on education, sport, opportunities or community activities because the family cannot afford their fares. Free travel for children and young people would put money back into families' pockets, tackle child poverty and, crucially, encourage sustainable travel from a young age. We are also demanding more reliable bus and rain services. If people are paying into the system, they want a service on which they can rely.  Finally, disabled passengers should not have to fight barriers every day simply to use a bus or train station. Public transport must work for everyone, regardless of disability, age or where they live. Accessibility is not an optional extra; it is a basic right. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  Hear, hear. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louis O'Hara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louis O'Hara  The decision to hike the cost of public transport fares is a deeply short-sighted move. Every day, thousands of commuters are forced on to overcrowded and often unreliable services. From January, these people are going to have to pay more to get to work, school, college or to go about their daily lives. Public transport is an essential public service, not a luxury, and in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis the Government is telling people the cost of yet another everyday essential is going to rise. This fare hike decision makes no sense. It stands in stark contrast to the massive pay rises handed out to the CEOs of transport companies. At a time when the Minister claims to be encouraging more people to use public transport, he has decided to increase the costs of services. Even the NTA has said passenger numbers will fall as a result.  This fare hike is totally within the Minister's control. He could have decided to properly fund our public transport system but instead he has decided to lob yet another price increase on households. This is clearly the wrong move and he knows it. This motion is an opportunity for him to acknowledge that the proposed fare hikes are a mistake and that they will reduce passenger numbers. The Minister must act to stop these fare hikes. He must ensure the State's public transport system is properly funded in order for it to be affordable, reliable and sustainable.  The Government is also failing when it comes to investment in rural transport. I raise with the Minister once again the long-promised Athenry to Galway bus service. When I raised this with the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, last week he spoke of the need of \"not just doing things for the sake of doing them.\" That was an outrageous statement to make when the Minister knows there is clear demand for a bus service in Athenry. I have repeatedly raised the case of commuters in Athenry being squished on to morning train services, with nothing to even hold on to, and passengers fainting because of the cramped conditions. We were promised this service two years ago and all we have got is dismissive comments. The people of Athenry and other rural towns deserve better. They deserve effective public transport links, not an attitude that tells commuters to put up and shut up. Once again, I urge the Minister to provide the necessary funding to get the Athenry bus service up and running. It is badly needed and we have been left waiting for too long. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louise O'Reilly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Louise-O'Reilly.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louise O'Reilly  Of all the short-sighted, tone-deaf announcements that have been made by this Government, and there are many, this one is right up there. I genuinely did a double take when I read it. I thought that in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, surely not even a government as bad as this one is going to jack up the cost of public transport, yet that is apparently what it is proposing.  The Minister well knows that the people in my constituency who get the train in either Balbriggan or Skerries were left out of the Dublin commuter zone, meaning they have already had a fare increase. I spoke to a woman the other day who told me that the fare increase for her is close to \u20ac1,000 every year. That is an awful lot of extra money for one person to have to pay to then be told by the Minister that she has not had a fare increase in eight years. She has, and she really could do without another one. In fact, the Minister should be reversing the decision because we have towns in Meath and Kildare in the Dublin commuter zone, while towns in my constituency, Skerries and Balbriggan, have been taken out of it. Will the Minister make that make sense?  For no additional service, people are going to be asked to pay more money and that is not acceptable. The Minister knows the ongoing issues with the 101 and 103 bus services. Frequently, the bus does not arrive. I have a list of excuses as long as my arm but the Minister has already confirmed, and the NTA has as well, that this increase is not going to result in a better service for those people because it is not going to result in enhanced services. It is on a standstill basis. Equally, the people who get the 33 bus in the mornings are now very familiar with ghost buses. I spoke to a woman the other day in Lusk, who told me she is on a final written warning for work because she is consistently late. It is not her fault. She wants to use public transport. In fact, the Minister says that he wants people to use public transport but if someone lives in Balrothery, that involves standing on the side of the road while full buses pass them by every morning before they eventually get on a bus. For that service, the Minister is going to charge people 15% extra. It absolutely beggars belief.  The Minister knows, and the NTA has told him just in case he does not, that when fares are increased it decreases the number of people who use public transport. This is going to result in fewer people using public transport. As I said, will the Minister please make it make sense? He knows that the sensible thing to do is to reverse these hikes and put Skerries and Balbriggan into the Dublin commuter zone where they belong. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donna McGettigan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Donna-McGettigan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Donna McGettigan  At a time when families are struggling with the cost of living and this Government keeps telling us that it is listening, I have to ask, who is it listening to? Is it listening to ordinary households or to the big CEOs? While families are struggling with the cost of living, we have seen huge pay increases for CEOs and now we are seeing transport fare hikes that in some cases will see fares for children increase by over 100%. That is not fairness and is not putting people first.  As someone who uses public transport, I have experienced standing in all sorts of weather for a bus that simply does not show up. In Clare, a largely rural county, people are expected to put up with a lack of bus services, an unreliable service and now they are being told that they need to pay more for it. That is unacceptable.  Students are already struggling. Many who cannot find accommodation because of the Government's failure to provide enough student housing are commuting long distances just to access education and are now being asked to pay even more on top of the enormous costs already associated with their education. What message are we sending to young people?  Families are struggling to put food on the table. Parents are doing everything they can to keep households going and children are watching this and asking if that is what they want for their future. The National Youth Council of Ireland has highlighted that seven in ten young adults believe they would have a better quality of life if they left Ireland. These are not young people simply saying that they want to travel, explore the world and come back. They are telling us that they could have a better life somewhere else and that is shameful.  Public transport is not a luxury; it is a necessity. People should trust that their bus or train will arrive and that they will be able to afford to get on it. It should never be a barrier to education, work, medical appointments or to simply participate in ordinary, everyday living. We have a Government that talks about expanding public transport while failing to put in the resources to put it in place. The Ennis town bus route was meant to be up and running in early 2025 but will not be in place until, hopefully, mid-October of this year.  I am calling on the Government to cancel these planned hikes and to be more ambitious by giving free public transport for every child and young adult under 18. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Martin-Kenny.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Martin Kenny  We are here this evening to try to appeal to the Minister to ensure that these transport hikes do not go ahead in circumstances where across the country we have so many people who simply cannot get public transport in the first place. For example, I was with Irish Rail earlier, and we talked about the commuter service into Sligo town where the earliest train in the morning gets in there at ten o'clock. There is no train for people going to appointments, work or college. Irish Rail says that it has put in place the plan for it but the NTA has no money to provide for it this year.  We have a similar situation here. It is 6.20 p.m. but the next train leaving Dublin to go to Sligo is at seven o'clock. Most people who work in this place cannot get away until long after that and have not got an option. Similarly, the trains are at five o'clock and seven o'clock. There is none in the middle at six o'clock, so people are waiting for hours for it. It is no wonder that people continue to use the only transport they have which is the car. That is what we have to do here and so many people around the length and breadth of the country are in the very same situation.  To be putting hikes on the cost of providing transport when in many cases it is not there is simply untenable. In a situation where we are trying to get people out of the car and are appealing to them to use public transport because we have the carbon crisis we talk about, we cannot have a situation where the Government continues to raise the cost of it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  It makes no sense whatsoever in the midst of a cost-of-living squeeze and crisis that the Government would add to people's woes and increase transport costs. There is no justification for it. A 10% increase is a significant additional burden for people who are already finding it very difficult to deal with other rising costs, as the Minister well knows. A government should not be adding to people's stress and problems. The point has been made that we all want to make sure that people have alternatives to the car, for example. We know from all of these proposals in relation to climate action that more investment in public transport is necessary to ensure that the Government and this State meet their climate action targets, which I am afraid we will not because it is always the same. We set these high-level targets and then we do not put the investments in and do not provide people with alternatives, particularly in rural Ireland.  I want to raise two issues in relation to capacity in Waterford city and county. I raised the BusConnects service with him earlier. It just beggars belief that there is so much confusion around that. We are being told that this project could be delayed for up to a year and nobody knows exactly what is happening. I have put in parliamentary questions and still have not had a response. I would appreciate if the Minister could get the Department to come back to me in relation to exactly what is happening because this will mean more bus routes, more connectivity and more options. I was dealing with a parish priest in Waterford city last week who held a public meeting on an issue relating to parents who find it difficult to drop their children off to school because there are no drop-off points. They were using a church car park that can no longer be used. It makes no sense. The priest says that BusConnects is part of the solution.  I have one final point. Waterford City and County Council are waiting for 11 bus shelters for a year and half. What the hell is going on? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darragh O'Brien","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darragh O'Brien  They have not. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"David Cullinane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","memberCode":"David-Cullinane.S.2011-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy David Cullinane  They are saying that they cost \u20ac30,000 each and are coming from Sweden. I have been asking questions and raising this with some of my council colleagues, Councillor Joeanne Bailey being one who has raised this at a council level. We cannot even get bus shelters that are on order. It just makes no sense. The Department needs to get its act in order and deal with these issues rather than hiking up charges. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cathy Bennett","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Cathy-Bennett.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cathy Bennett  When it comes to transport this Government and the Minister seem to be entirely without any direction at all. The carbon tax, which is supposedly a behavioural tax, is intended to change people's behaviour. The Government's carbon tax is supposed to encourage people to switch to electric cars and public transport, never mind that some people cannot afford electric cars. It is not a viable option.  In communities like mine in Cavan and Monaghan, public transport is not a viable option either. It is very sparse. Buses frequently run late and students cannot access school transport. What we do have, however, are viable commercial operators we are very fortunate to have in Monaghan. They have been excluded from schemes that deliver reduced fares, such as those for young adults and children. Sometimes a solution for rural Ireland might be found later, and much later at that, with rural people being the afterthought they are to this Government. With regard to rail, for all the talk of an all-island strategic rail review, perhaps my grandchildren might actually see a railroad in Monaghan some day because the Government has put that on the long finger too.  Plenty of money can be found to support transport CEOs, and the Government can find \u20ac500 million yearly for school transport for Bus \u00c9ireann, yet this Government thinks that we should pay more to access what little unreliable public transport it has to offer us.  I have very little confidence in this Government to deliver public transport for rural people but for the love of God, could the Minister please not make it worse? Scrap the hike now. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Se\u00e1n Crowe","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Se\u00e1n-Crowe.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Se\u00e1n-Crowe.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Se\u00e1n Crowe  Public transport is essential public infrastructure. It connects people to work, education, healthcare, family and community. This debate is not simply about what a bus or train ticket costs but what kind of transport system we want to build for the decades ahead. The Government should reject further increases in public transport fares and instead begin a serious transition towards a universal, free public transport system as a public good. That would require investment and sustainable public funding. We should also recognise the wider costs of our current transport system which include congestion, pollution, high household transport costs, social exclusion and the enormous amount of time that people lose sitting in traffic.  Making public transport affordable is only one part of the challenge. We also need a massive expansion of capacity. The State must accelerate investment in rail and public transport infrastructure right across Dublin. MetroLink is an important part of that investment but ambition cannot stop there. Communities across the south and south west of the city and county have waited long enough for high-capacity public transport. We need a clear plan for MetroLink south west, with the route, funding, planning and delivery programmes established without further delay. We cannot be serious about climate action without reducing congestion or giving people a genuine alternative to the car. Equally, we cannot be talking about delivery some time in the future. We should set ourselves a clear objective to make MetroLink south west a reality this side of 2040. A public transport system should allow people to get to work, schools, hospitals and communities without having to choose between making that journey and paying another bill. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sh\u00f3nagh N\u00ed Raghallaigh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sh\u00f3nagh-N\u00ed-Raghallaigh.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Sh\u00f3nagh-N\u00ed-Raghallaigh.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Sh\u00f3nagh N\u00ed Raghallaigh  The recent decision to hike fares by 15% is baffling. For some of my constituents in Kildare those increases will be closer to 20%. This will mean a \u20ac290 annual increase for Newbridge commuters and a \u20ac545 annual increase for Athy commuters. These are huge increases at a time when families are already struggling with rising energy, grocery, education and insurance costs. This decision is completely out of touch with reality. Access to public transport is essential for workers, students, older people and those attending hospital appointments or social events. Travelling by bus or train should not be a luxury but these fare increases are pricing people out of public transport.  Customers of Irish Rail and Bus \u00c9ireann certainly do not feel like they are experiencing luxury when travelling aboard these services. Day in and day out I hear from commuters in Newbridge, Kildare town, Athy and Monasterevin about overcrowded trains, with dozens of passengers regularly forced to stand in carriages. We need more capacity i gCill Dara. We need earlier morning services and later evening services for those returning from work, events and concerts. I know students in Carlow College who regularly have to leave their classes early in order to catch the train back to Kildare. We need accessible and reliable services and a booking system that works. We need Kildare to be fully recognised as a commuter zone. We need better connectivity for our rural areas in both north and south Kildare. Kildare is one of the fastest growing counties in the State but there are no significant service improvements planned. Kildare passengers will see no tangible benefit from these fare hikes. They are simply being asked to pay more for the same unsatisfactory service. It is maddening.  South Kildare campaigners and the fair fares campaign fought so hard to have our towns included in the short-hop zone and this decision essentially undoes all of that progress. The decision will force more people onto the already congested N7, increasing traffic, commuting times and emissions. The irony is that these developments came during mobility week. The Government speaks about the importance of sustainable transport and reducing car dependency but in reality, this Government and our transport providers are actively discouraging public transport use in the middle of a climate emergency. The Minister needs to wake up and get serious about delivering affordable, reliable and sustainable public transport for all. This retrograde decision must be reversed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darragh O'Brien","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Transport (Deputy Darragh O'Brien)  I move amendment No. 2:  To delete all words after \"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann\" and substitute the following:  \"affirms Government's efforts to:  \u2014 deliver a more frequent, reliable, accessible and sustainable public transport network;  \u2014 rollout contactless fare payments on all public transport, and keep fares low and affordable;  \u2014 place the Public Service Obligation (PSO) programme on a more sustainable footing;  \u2014 support households and businesses through addressing congestion; and  \u2014 work to address Ireland's climate targets;  notes that:  \u2014 the Government is committed to the delivery of major public transport projects, as evidence by last year's review of the National Development Plan (NDP) allocation of \u20ac24.3 billion to transport projects from 2026 to 2030;  \u2014 while the Government has allocated an unprecedented level of investment in transport, representing an almost 87 per cent increase as compared to the previous five-year period, investment decisions will always require a degree of sequencing and prioritisation of individual projects;  \u2014 for public transport infrastructure, there is over \u20ac12 billion in funding in the NDP from 2026 to 2030, this represents more than double the amount provided in the previous five years;  \u2014 the funding in the NDP will provide for the progression of a number of major public transport projects over this period, including the commencement of construction of MetroLink, Luas Finglas, the Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART)+ Programme and the Western Rail Corridor from Athenry to Claremorris, as well as the continued implementation of the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme and the BusConnects programmes across Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford cities;  \u2014 this funding will see the new DART+ Fleet rollout next year, as well as enabling early construction work to commence on DART+ West next year;  \u2014 on public transport services, PSO journeys have continued to grow steadily, reaching a record 363.5 million passenger journeys by the end of 2025, this represents an increase of 6 per cent or almost 20 million journeys over the 2024 total of 343.6 million, this sustained and significant growth in passenger numbers underlines the extent to which people are increasingly relying on public transport and demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining and investing in the network to meet this demand;  \u2014 Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan is another strong example of progress, delivering exponential growth in rural transport since its launch in 2022, 185 new and enhanced services have been introduced, resulting in almost 8 million passenger journeys in 2024, where Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan services have been implemented, patronage rose by 38 per cent from 2023 to 2024, and is up by 165 per cent compared to early 2019;  \u2014 passenger fare revenue is a critical component of the funding base, and is essential to maintaining the financial sustainability of the network into the future;  \u2014 since 2022, passengers have benefited from a 20 per cent cost of living fare reduction, extension of the 90-minute fare, a 50 per cent discount for Young Adults and Students, free travel for children under nine years of age, and extensions to the eligibility of the Free Travel Scheme, which is run separately by the Department for Social Protection;  \u2014 even following the 2026 adjustment, fares remain approximately 8 per cent lower in real terms than they were eight years ago, and the additional revenue generated through this determination together with continued Exchequer investment, will help the National Transport Authority (NTA) manage rising operating costs, improve capacity and reliability on existing services, and continue the rollout of new services;  \u2014 in 2025 alone, 363.5 million passenger journeys were made on the Transport For Ireland network \u2013 this level of demand places significant pressure on the funding required to sustain and expand services, and underlines why fare revenue is an essential component of the overall funding model;  \u2014 public transport remains highly competitive and affordable, the fare changes support continued network expansion and climate objectives by funding future improvements;  \u2014 the Government recognises that an equitable and reliable public transport network plays a vital role in encouraging a shift away from private car use, it is essential that the public transport system remains well funded and responsive to passenger needs and adequate fare revenue is essential to support this; and  \u2014 the NTA continually works with operators to improve efficiency and maximise value for money from both fare revenue and public investment, however, public transport services have expanded significantly in recent years, and operating costs have increased substantially, a sustainable public transport network requires an appropriate balance between fare revenue and Government funding to support continued growth and investment.\".  We can all agree on the importance of stabilising the PSO funding model, investing in the public transport network and the crucial role that fare revenue plays in addressing this. I welcome the chance this evening to discuss the measures already being progressed and those that are captured as part of wider policy initiatives across Government.  In accordance with its responsibilities under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008, the NTA announced an adjustment to national fares as per its new fares determination on 3 September 2026, with the revised fares taking effect from January 2027. This is a critical step in the standardisation of the national fares structure and in line with the national fares strategy published in 2023. The key objective of that strategy is providing a more equitable and consistent structure for all PSO services, to which I will return later.  Fare revenue covers approximately 38% of the cost of operating PSO services nationally compared to the European average of 44%. The direct State subvention is much higher in Ireland than the European average. In 2025, about \u20ac850 million was spent on the PSO programme, which included a \u20ac192 million supplementary requirement to support our public transport network. In 2026, we raised the base for PSO funding with a substantial increase but inflationary pressures have increased the cost of operating public transport services. This has limited the NTA\u2019s ability to introduce improvements to existing or new services, which many of the Deputies opposite are calling for. The adjustments to fares are required to help offset the cost increases in recent years, improve fare revenue recovery and ensure the sustainability of the PSO model. That model underpins our transport system and, importantly, allows for the continued roll-out of BusConnects, Connecting Ireland and DART+.  Since 2022, we have seen inflation of almost 21% which has driven up the cost of operating subsidised public transport services, including fuel, vehicle maintenance and staff costs. In the same period, public transport fares have decreased through various measures, such as the 20% cost-of-living discount, the young adult card discount of 50% and the extension of free travel to all children under nine, which no one opposite has mentioned. This has meant that approximately 1.5 million, or 27% of people in the Republic, are eligible for free or reduced-fare travel. While this is positive from a social inclusion perspective, it has widened the gap between what it costs to run services and the revenue fares bring in. There is a requirement to strike the right balance in public transport fares to enable further enhancements, which both Government and Opposition Members are calling for, to the public transport network in the coming years, offer the most competitive fares to younger and student passengers and to ensure value for money of the PSO subsidy to society.  While adult fares will increase by an average of 15%, child fares are being reduced in several areas nationally. In the Dublin commuter zone, in regional cities, in participating towns and on TFI Local Link services, a new reduced child rate will apply set at 33% of the equivalent adult fare. Again, no one opposite mentioned that. The determination will also continue to protect existing Government-supported fare initiatives, including the free travel scheme, free travel for children under nine years of age, and free companion travel arrangements for people aged over 70. A lot of people - approximately 1.5 million - are supported under the free travel schemes and rightly so. The NTA\u2019s assessment is that even with these changes fares will remain approximately 8% lower in real terms than they were eight years ago.  Despite any demand elasticity effects arising from the fare increase, steady passenger growth is expected to continue throughout 2027, reflecting the continued strength of underlying demand for public transport services. Ongoing expansion and enhancement of services are anticipated to attract additional users and further strengthen public transport demand, outweighing any moderate reduction in demand associated with higher fares. The NTA will continue to monitor patronage trends across the network. I want to be really clear that any overall increase in revenue generated will go straight back into investment in public transport services, delivering better connectivity, increased capacity and greater reliability for passengers and commuters. I represent a commuter constituency as well and I speak to commuters from across the country. I know that what they are looking for are reliable services and more services. This investment also forms a key part of the Department's engagement. In the budget process, I will be seeking additional funding to further expand public transport services.  The NTA continuously monitors punctuality, reliability and demand. The Deputies opposite are right to raise specific issues on certain routes and I raise them directly with the NTA myself.  We needed many of those routes to improve reliability and provide additional services. The additional funding that will be provided in 2027 will be directed exactly to that end. We are working closely with the NTA to address the service issues. I am working with it directly on that. We must ensure reliability is improved for passengers.  The NTA has identified approximately 140 new and enhanced service initiatives nationally as part of the additional funding that will be available under the 2027 budgetary Estimate. Many Members have spoken about certain services they want to see. I, too, want to see them. We must ensure the funding is there to enable that to happen. That will be done through fare income, which is an important part of it, and through public service obligations. When I became Minister for Transport, I said I wanted to put the PSO process on a sustainable footing such that we do not have to go back every single year looking for Supplementary Estimates. A bus or rail network cannot be planned into the future in that way.  The additional revenue will be focused on providing a lot of the new services people are looking for, while also protecting the most vulnerable. There are three aspects to improving public transport accessibility, particularly for people with disabilities. The first is ensuring there is a universal design approach for all new infrastructure, to which our ambitious investment programme will adhere. The second is addressing legacy infrastructure deficits. We have greatly increased the funding to retrofit legacy inaccessible parts of our infrastructure. We will maintain that increased level of funding to ensure disabled people will be able to turn up and go, just as they should be able to do. Third is providing supports for independent travel. The NTA has expanded the independent travel support scheme to Dundalk, Drogheda, towns in Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim, and to the Louth Meath Fingal Local Link area.  Under the national development plan, as Deputies know, there is significant increased investment in the public transport network. In the Fingal area, work is commencing on MetroLink, which will carry 20,000 passengers per hour to and from the city. Planning has been approved for the Luas extension to Finglas. Phase 1 of the Cork commuter rail project is done and we are moving on to phase 2. Work is under way on the Liffey Valley BusConnects, with a second corridor contracted. All of these services are critically important for a growing population.  We are seeing people respond to those developments. In the past full year, there were approximately 363.5 million public transport journeys. I want to see more of that. We want to see improvements across our rail system. Deputy Martin Kenny mentioned issues in Sligo, of which I am aware. Issues in different areas are raised with me regularly at Question Time. I want to see improvements because I want to see more people using public transport services. We have had a significant increase over the past number of years, including last year. This year, we are projecting a 6% increase.  Commuters want affordable services but they also want reliability and to see an expansion of the services that are already there. I assure Deputies that the additional income arising from the NTA determination on fares is not to secure a stand-still position. In fact, it is to provide additional services. As part of the budgetary discussions I am engaged in, I am seeking additional funding to enable us to do even more. Fortunately, we are now in a position in which we are able to build significant public transport infrastructure across commuter rail, Luas and DART services. The roll-out of DART+ will take the service into Deputy O'Reilly's constituency as well as my own. That has been long called for and it is starting this year through shared island funding and additional funding from my Department.  This year was a stabilisation year across services. There still are issues regarding reliability and punctuality on certain services in particular. I raised those issues directly with the operators and the NTA and I am meeting the latter again tomorrow to discuss them. I assure Deputies that the additional revenue from the fare determination brought forward by the NTA will go into new and expanded services. Many of the Deputies' constituents and commuters generally are looking for that, and I intend to deliver it. As part of our budget negotiations, we intend to secure additional funding to do more in that regard.  I thank Deputies for their comments and feedback. It is important to get feedback. We all want to see improved services and an increase in the use of public transport. What we are doing will help to ensure that happens. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ann Graves","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ann Graves  Demanding that people pay more for public transport in a cost-of-living crisis is wrong on every level. It just cannot go ahead. The Government is clearly removed from the day-to-day struggles of ordinary families as they try to make ends meet. If there was any commitment to reducing emissions, the Minister would be making public transport more affordable, reliable and accessible for even more people.  In Dublin Fingal East, the transport system is a joke. I listened to people speak at the Swords Senior Citizens Club AGM last night. It was notable that no Government parties were represented. The Minister was not there. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darragh O'Brien","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darragh O'Brien  The EU energy ministers were over here. I had to attend that meeting. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ann Graves","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ann-Graves.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ann Graves  A major issue for those senior citizens is the lack of the regular bus service that was promised between Swords and Beaumont Hospital. I received confirmation from the HSE last week that the service would be running by the last quarter of 2026. Two days later, I got a contradictory letter from the NTA saying the service would not be in place until 2028. Pensioners cannot fork out \u20ac60 for a round trip to hospital appointments.  The Minister is a local TD and is responsible for transport. He is failing communities across Dublin Fingal East. He said he has spoken to commuters but, clearly, he is not listening to them. Swords and Donabate are two of the fastest-growing areas in Fingal but a decent, reliable public transport service is not being provided. Yesterday, people spent more than an hour sitting in their cars in a traffic jam from Swords to Donabate because there is no alternative reliable service in place for them.  I genuinely look forward to the delivery of the metro. We have been waiting 35 years for it and it is still a few years away. In the meantime, I call on the Minister to ensure residents in Swords get a regular bus service to Beaumont Hospital as a matter of urgency and that a linked-up, reliable and sustainable public transport service is put in place to serve the people of Dublin Fingal East. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pat Buckley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pat-Buckley.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Pat-Buckley.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pat Buckley  We have been told time and again that we should all be using public transport. Yet, there are communities across east Cork that have no adequate public transport whatsoever. The Government, with a straight face, is telling those communities that public transport will now be more expensive, notwithstanding that there is no public transport there at all. It is farcical. For people in Knockadoon and Ballymacoda, which are on the coast beyond Ballycotton, it is not a question of increasing fares. There is absolutely no service there at all. A lot of those residents have contacted me in the past few weeks. Many of them are elderly and are reaching the stage where they can no longer drive. They need a good, reliable public transport link to Midleton, where they can avail of GP services, shopping, banking and other essential services.  There are approximately 4,000 people living on that eastern Cork coast. I have written to the NTA on a couple of occasions to ask about Knockadoon and Ballymacoda. The response I received stated: \"The NTA does not have sufficient funding to introduce new or enhanced bus services in '26. In advance of budget '27 and a greater certainty of funding availability for enhanced or new services, we are unfortunately not able to provide a date for implementing any of the bus service enhancements.\" There is a difference between east Cork and Dublin. A couple of years ago, I saw a fellow out by LH 2000 at 7.30 a.m. tutting because he had missed his bus and had to wait six minutes for the next one. I said to him that if he was in my part of Cork and missed the bus on a Tuesday, it could be the next Tuesday before he got another. That is the reality of the difference between the two places.  I am very disappointed by the Minister's amendment to our motion. However, nothing surprises me. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"M\u00e1ire Devine","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"M\u00e1ire-Devine.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy M\u00e1ire Devine  Many people might say that people in my constituency of Dublin South-Central are really lucky when it comes to public transport. We live in the inner-city areas between the canals and so we must have perfect transport services. In fact, that is not true. I have been bombarded with emails from constituents who are livid over the fare increases, and rightly so. As well as the hundreds of emails from angry and upset residents, I have been approached by people on the Luas, at the bus stop and on the street to demand that the Government not proceed with these price hikes. They cite the dire cost-of-living crisis.  They rightly point out that transport services are not delivering for them and the fare increases will likely reduce their use of services. Let us take the Dublin Bus route 73 as an example. A constituent from Crumlin says, \"As a daily commuter, I cannot rely on this service any more, its terrible reliability, ghost buses, and completely inaccurate real-time information.\" The new 80 route serving Chapelizod, was implemented a year ago, but the residents had to block the main road in the village to get attention for their concerns. Multiple bus stops have been removed from service without consultation with residents. We need solutions. Residents of Inchicore and the Liberties remain troubled by the persistent reports they will lose all routes down Thomas Street, where they shop weekly. Last week in Inchicore, a family of tourists was in disbelief at my staff pointing out to them that they had to go to the shop because they needed coins to pay for the bus. Dublin Bus does not accept anything else. Notes and debit cards are still not supported. Why should people pay more for a service that does not deliver or serve them? It is just not good enough. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Mark-Ward.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Ward  The Government wants people out of cars and on to public transport, and I agree with that. I have no issue with it whatsoever. In theory, it is good, but in practice, it is simply not working. To encourage people out of cars, the first thing that needs to be done is to make public transport more accessible. The last thing that needs to be done is increase the cost of public transport in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. It is also bad for the environment and the ever-increasing traffic congestion around Dublin, as we see ourselves as we move around.  The Government has also failed to deliver and provide for adequate public transport in my own area. The DART+ South West, which would bring a DART service to Clondalkin, Lucan and Adamstown, was granted planning permission in November 2024. Despite the Minister's arguments, the funding has not yet been released. I am very disappointed that in his ten-minute speech, I did not hear DART+ South West mentioned once. That is concerning to me. DART+ South West is a game-changer in my area. It would bring 20,000 passengers in each direction per hour. The reality is that because of the lack of train capacity, passengers in my area are fainting on trains because of overcrowding as they try to go to work. Now, the Minister wants them to pay more for the privilege of fainting.  The Minister mentioned BusConnects. There are 12 schemes, all of which have secured planning permission. How many have been delivered fully? Not one. I have seen the work on the Liffey Valley route starting, but that was meant to start years ago.  I will raise one last issue. The lack of public transport is forcing people to drive. I ask the Minister to look at parking provision in new estates in new areas. This is causing a lot of concern for residents. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maurice Quinlivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maurice-Quinlivan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Maurice-Quinlivan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Maurice Quinlivan  Increasing public transport fares during a cost-of-living crisis is wrong. It is short-sighted, unfair and hits those least able to afford it hardest, namely, young people, students, pensioners, workers and families already struggling to make ends meet. People are being asked to pay more for a service that is already falling short. Simply put, it is higher fares for an incomplete service. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has noted that a 10% fare increase results in a 3% decline in passenger numbers. Why are we making public transport more expensive when we should be encouraging more people to use it? It shows once again how out of touch this Government is.  In Limerick, the problems are clear. Take the Condell Road, for example. This is a populated area with infrastructure where people would use a bus service if they had one, but there is no service there. I have raised this in the D\u00e1il on a number of occasions. I again call on the Minister to personally intervene to ensure a bus service is provided on the Condell Road. We have bus lanes and bus stops but we have no buses. BusConnects has been delayed until 2028 at the earliest. We are being told we will not get a bus service until 2028 at the earliest. That is not acceptable. It is not fair on the residents and the Minister needs to intervene. Deputy Sheehan has raised the issue of a bus service for the Condell Road a number of times as well.  Almost a decade after BusConnects was announced, the plan remains incomplete and timelines continue to slip. As I said, Limerick BusConnects is delayed until at least 2028, yet fares are going up. We are giving the Government an opportunity to change course, reverse these fare increases, invest in a transport system that works, deliver the routes and services communities have been waiting for and put workers, students, pensioners and families first. Do not ask people to pay more for less. Cancel these plans and start delivering the affordable, reliable public transport that Limerick and the rest of the country deserve. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aidan Farrelly  I thank my colleagues in Sinn F\u00e9in for putting forward this motion. I listened with attention to the Minister's opening remarks on the motion. If he can deliver what he just put forward, I will be the first to stand here in a couple of years and say he has done a really good job. There is an awful lot of good in this. The potential and the demand for public transport in this State are very clear. While we struggle to build significant capital projects, what the Minister has before him is a portfolio that offers real potential.  I also noted from the Minister's opening remarks the idea of stabilising the PSO with Supplementary Estimates. We know that a Supplementary Estimate was required only because it was not budgeted for properly in the first instance. Is that not a fair assessment? That is what the PSO costs year on year. In recent weeks, I have heard the Minister and many others emphasise that we are still below par when it comes public transport fees in the EU. We are either aspirational about public transport or we are regressive. If we compare ourselves to some EU states, they are moving in the other direction, towards free public transport, or certainly free for certain demographics in society. They are certainly not making tone-deaf decisions, such as increasing fares. There is no justification for doing that, even if, as the Minister says, fares have not increased in eight years. That rhetoric is simply not an acceptable reason for this decision.  Successive Governments' transport policy has focused on the movement of cars, not people. What the Government has done in its most recent budgets is treat roads funding and public transport funding as if they are a gift to the backbenchers, who are hungry to rush out to their constituencies to stand beside a new bus stop or new bus and say what they have delivered for their communities. It is unacceptable when we know that the truth is that the NTA is not receiving an adequate level of funding.  Demand for public transport services is at an historical high. We are also living in the midst of a climate crisis. What message do the fare increases send to commuters and public transport users? If we, collectively in this House, want to move as many people as possible away from cars towards public transport and secure that modal shift, as is surely our ambition, increasing the cost of public transport when demand is so high is a poor step.  We have heard time and again a figure of 140 new services. I have not seen the detail of that yet and I do not know if the Minister has either. However, he is asking people to pay now and see the detail of the plan later. This did not have to happen now. The NTA, the Minister and the Department could have been forthcoming, by at least providing a detailed breakdown of what those 140 new services will look like, when people are being asked to pay more. If that is available, I would love to see it, and I certainly would look forward to seeing it. In many ways, it would help people to digest what is a real tangible cut. We know this is the first in a series of cuts. \"We cannot fund anything forever\" is what Taoiseach said in response to these cuts. That concerns me, because if Donogh O'Malley had taken the same type of approach back in the 1960s when it came to free post-primary education, that sector would look very different now. We need ambition, and I am worried that this does not track with where we are going with this Government.  BusConnects has failed many. It has disconnected communities in Leixlip and Celbridge, to call it as it is. Many small communities have been left isolated when they had a more than adequate service to begin with. That desktop study has failed. To be honest, I am not a perfect mathematician. I struggled in the leaving certificate when it came to maths. I believe these fare increases will garner \u20ac70 million in additional revenue. This year, Irish Rail had to write off \u20ac50 million for a botched IT project. The Department of education, because it overspent, has imposed a levy of \u20ac18 million on the Department of Transport. Due to poor expenditure in Irish Rail and a levy imposed by the Department, there has been a write-off of \u20ac68 million. When I asked about this last week during oral questions, the Minister was not here and other Ministers said it was a budgetary decision. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darragh O'Brien","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darragh O'Brien  I was at the UN. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aidan Farrelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Aidan-Farrelly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Aidan Farrelly  I am not criticising the Minister. I am just letting him know that when the question was asked last week, no answer was forthcoming because, it was said, this was a budgetary decision. We have, however, an overspend of \u20ac68 million.  What are we doing? We are putting \u20ac70 million worth of additional fares on the taxpayer. It is simply not good enough. As it stands, while the Minister's opening remarks are very aspirational, and I reiterate that if he delivers on those, I promise him I will be the first to stand here and say very well done, I do not believe we can get there. I will tell the Minister why. We are doing the wrong things when it comes to climate. We are doing the wrong things when it comes to the affordability crisis. When we have such momentum behind the move - the modal shift from cars to multi-occupancy vehicles - we are struggling. We are failing and the optics of this will be a really regressive step. The Minister could do away with these hikes. I think he knows in his heart of hearts that he could. There are certainly ways around that \u20ac70 million within his budget. What he is justifying is inexcusable. I really ask him to reconsider that, certainly for the core demographics of people who are using public transport. He should work that into the budget. This does not have to happen in January. I ask him in that time to reconsider. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Daniel Ennis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","memberCode":"Daniel-Ennis.D.2026-05-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Daniel Ennis  In a cost-of-living crisis and a climate crisis, one of the things that makes least sense is increasing the cost of public transport. However, that is a decision this Government has made. The Government could have chosen to invest further in public transport and encourage more people to use public transport networks it has already invested in, but it has not. Public transport is a public good that needs investment. This Government should be building on those investments, not undermining them by pushing people away from public transport.  For every 10% increase in public transport fares, ridership is estimated to fall by 3%. Instead, the Government has decided to place another financial burden on individuals and families who are already struggling through a cost-of-living crisis, with public transport fares set to increase by an average of 15%. This will have a significant impact on those individuals and families who rely on public transport. For many people living in my constituency of Dublin Central, the impact will be particularly acute, with short fares increasing by approximately 33%. This increase will disproportionally affect those on lower incomes and at a time when people are already struggling, a lot of people simply will not be able to afford this. At a time when the Government is already making abysmal progress towards meeting its climate targets, the last thing it should be doing is pushing people off public transport and back into cars.  As the Minister well knows, Dublin is already one of the most congested cities in the world. With a predicted decrease in public transport ridership, congestion will only get worse. Dublin drivers already lose 158 hours per year in rush hour traffic and that figure will only increase if people move back to cars because of the higher fares. On top of that, increased congestion makes our bus and Luas services slower and less efficient, further undermining our public transport network. Increasing fares also runs directly against the Government's own climate policy. We are supposed to be shifting journeys away from private cars and towards public transport if we are to meet our own emission targets, yet at this very moment, when we need to accelerate that shift, the Government is allowing public transport to become more expensive.  The contradiction is even clearer when we look at the Government's own record. When fares were cut in 2022, Ministers explicitly argued that cheaper fares would encourage people onto public transport and reduce our reliance on private cars. If reducing fares supported a modal shift then, the Minister needs to explain how increasing them is supposed to support that very same climate objective. All the facts, evidence and research point towards keeping public transport affordable, but the Minister is not following the advice here. Instead, he appears to be betting that public transport users do not have the same ability to bring the country to a standstill as other sectors.  Ultimately, fare increases are a political choice, and a very poor one. If the Government is serious about getting people out of their cars, reducing emissions and making public transport a viable alternative, it should be making public transport more affordable, accessible and not putting up the price of using it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  The Minister and everyone here knows these fares are illogical. We have a cost of-living crisis. Again, the Minister knows and everyone knows that people are really struggling. We want to get people out of cars and into public transport, and the Government doing this by increasing fares. It is completely counterproductive. People are talking about average increases of 15%. In Dublin, the short Leap fare is going to increase by 33%. I have been speaking to people in my constituency. They are very frustrated and angry. They are really going to be hit by this. The Dublin short cash fare is going to increase by 35% from \u20ac2 to \u20ac2.70. The Government talks about services and the need to balance the public service obligation, PSO, and what is given but it has a massive budget surplus. Surely the logical thing to do was give the NTA sufficient funding so that it did not have to increase fares. People are really frustrated by this. They see that it is a bad decision and it is bad policy. I would really call on the Minister to reverse this decision because we need to move away from cars. We need our cities to actually have decent public transport.  My concern is that what is behind this is a drive to the privatisation of public services and public transport. We have an increase in the likes of Go-Ahead Ireland and private operators being given public routes. Are these fares about incentivising more private involvement in our public services? Is it about making them commercially attractive for private operators? Go-Ahead, for example, which runs 30 routes, is an international company. It is owned in Australia and somewhere else. Why do we have private international companies running our public transport system? The Minister is shaking his head again and saying this is not true, but I would question whether it is. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darragh O'Brien","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Darragh-O'Brien.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darragh O'Brien  I did not, actually. As it happens, I did not, but go on. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rory Hearne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Rory-Hearne.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rory Hearne  Is it? Why not have a completely public transport system then? Why get private operators? Surely we understand the failure that has happened in the UK with the privatisation of public services. We should have fares as low as possible. People have spoken about places like Luxembourg where free public transport has worked. We need to be reducing fares rather than increasing them and ensure that we have a proper public service.  Talking of my constituency, something I have raised with the Minister before is how BusConnects has made it very difficult for people. On three of the new routes, 24, 23 and F1, Dublin Bus's own assessment of its performance shows that they have not met their punctuality targets. None of the three new routes that were brought in are reaching their punctuality targets. As my colleague mentioned, in one of the most congested cities in the world, this is illogical. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ciar\u00e1n Ahern","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ciar\u00e1n-Ahern.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ciar\u00e1n Ahern  I thank Sinn F\u00e9in for bringing forward this motion today. It is a great motion. I think we in the Opposition are all of one mind on this. There is absolutely no way we would be proceeding with an increase in public transport fares at this time. I have read the Government's counter-motion and I read the Minister's comments earlier. By reading them, you might thing we were living somewhere in continental Europe such is the level of propaganda about how great our public transport system is. This week marks German Unity Day. We barely have a unified Luas system here.  I am genuinely baffled by this decision. Keeping public transport fares low is good policy. That has been borne out by the fact that we have seen huge increases in the numbers on public transport over the last number of years, far outstripping population increases or anything like that. The NTA has told us that for every 10% increase in fares, there is going to be a 3% decrease in the number of people using public transport. At a time of a cost-of-living crisis and when, as the Minister knows, we are in the middle of a climate crisis as well and we are trying to get people to use more sustainable modes of transport, a move like this that really punishes people who are less well off, who cannot afford to buy cars, or disabled people, students and other cohorts who are already up against it, is a really baffling move. It is not like the Minister is up against it from the Opposition. We all think this is a great policy. As I said, we are unified. It is a very popular policy with the public. It is a popular policy when it comes to politics as well. It is just sad that this Government is kind of pitching one section of society against another, or certainly looking out for the interests of certain sections of society and not all of them.  How is it that the Government can find \u20ac1.2 billion to subsidise people who are able to afford cars to drive to work, while the less well-off people who are stuck on public transport or cannot afford to buy cars are not getting the benefit of the largesse of this Government? I just do not think it is fair. The amount the NTA requires not to go through with this is \u20ac70 million. That is 6% of the \u20ac1.2 billion the Government has been able to find down the back of the couch to subsidise the cost of petrol and diesel, and we know there is going to be more. Of course people who are driving their cars are suffering as well, but I do not think it is right for this Government to look after one section of society and forget about others with this public transport fare hike.  In the Labour Party, we are dead set against it and very proud to support the Sinn F\u00e9in motion tonight. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor Sheehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Conor-Sheehan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Conor Sheehan  To be honest, this makes absolutely no sense. It is a political choice and a very bad one. It is a bad choice also from a climate change point of view. I was listening to the former Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, on \"Drive Time\" the other day and I have to say, I could not have agreed more with him. It is a real pity that somebody like him is not in government at the moment. We spent \u20ac1 billion effectively chasing the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil in terms of fuel subsidies, something that is not even really working and that we are not going to be able to sustain indefinitely. We have climate, cost-of-living and energy crises, yet the Government is slapping 15% onto public transport fares because the capital plan for transport is not worth the paper it is written on. That is a fact. It is a complete fiction and the Government needs to plug the gap somewhere.  We know we are far too car dependent. We know that given the climate crisis we are all living through, even if some of us might be in denial about it, we need to get more people onto public transport. Through this decision, people who get the bus, the Luas and the train are the ones who are going to suffer. I wonder sometimes whether they should come out and grind the country to a halt to get the Government to listen to them. They are on packed trains and they have ghost buses. In some cases in Limerick, when you look at BusConnects, which was promised and then delayed three times, they do not have any bus at all. If the Government were serious about public transport, then it would fund it properly. We are spending \u20ac100 million per month at the moment and cutting public transport fares, or at the very least sustaining the reduction, is a cost-of-living support that puts money back in the pockets of ordinary workers, students and young people. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoghan Kenny","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoghan-Kenny.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Eoghan Kenny  I find the decision to increase the price of public transport absolutely mind-boggling when all of the available evidence proves that the use of public transport is dictated by the price of it. Every day, every Member of this House hears stories about mothers with prams and elderly commuters left standing between carriages. In my own county of Cork, I receive a significant number of emails from commuters on the Midleton and Cobh lines who are dealing with two-carriage trains that are packed to the rafters. This is far from encouraging people on board. State services are driving them away.  I want to speak specifically about school transport. School transport, which of course is related to this issue, has increased its fees on parents who are battling with the fairy tale that is free education. There is an issue here I want to flag. The school bus is, for many young people, their first ever experience of public transport, and it is the beginning of kids seeing the benefit of it. We should make it free, increase the capacity, get parents out of the school run chaos and get kids using public transport early.  Commuters are getting nothing extra for these increased fees. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has said that 4.5% fewer passengers will use public transport next year because of these increases. The Government is rowing back on the relative progress made by the previous Government in lowering public transport fees. At a time when we should be making climate decisions that can be made in the here and now, the Government is encouraging people back into their cars, into traffic and the long and stressful commutes. If the Government provides a service for rural communities, they will use it. The Local Link in places like north Cork is usually full and so many people rely heavily on it. Let us have more of that and more service times that give rural people access to the local night-time economy through the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. This is mind-boggling and I am shocked by it. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Robert-O'Donoghue.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert O'Donoghue  These fare hikes are outrageous. At a time when people are facing a severe cost-of-living crisis, what is the Government doing? It is making it more expensive for people to get to and from work. I received a message from a constituent last week saying that she had to borrow \u20ac3 from her boss to get home because she was not paid until the next day. That is the reality workers are facing in this country. How does the Government respond? It makes the daily commute even more expensive.  I get the train every day. We pack on. It is overcrowded and unsafe every day. My constituents are on about the 33A, the 33X, the 101 and the 101X, which are also overcrowded. Despite the pressure they are already under, they are being asked to pay more. What message are we sending to workers? Instead of making public transport more affordable and reliable, the Government is making it harder for people to use it.  Workers should not be punished for going to work. They should not have to borrow \u20ac3 to get home. This is another hit to working people who are already desperate and struggling to make a pay check last until the end of the month. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mark Wall","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Mark-Wall.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mark Wall  First, I wish to thank Sinn F\u00e9in for bringing forward this very important motion. I am not sure who the Government is listening to but the proposed public transport increases are being met by simple disbelief by people in Kildare South. Time and again in this House and the Upper House, which I am a former Member of, I have raised the need to improve reliability and availability and address the overcrowding on our public transport services. We are now met with, \"Hold all that; we're going to increase the fares.\"  I will make this plea. Has anyone from the opposite side of this House sat on the M7 in the morning for hours on end trying to get into the capital for work, knowing the stress it is putting them through and knowing that they are going to be late for work? Has anybody sat on the M7 waiting to go to a hospital appointment? I have mentioned cancer patients here before who have been late for appointments because of this stress. God forbid if anyone needed to get to the airport. It would seem the opposite side of the House is not listening to those commuters. Despite the motions that we in the Labour Party have brought forward to assist with this traffic congestion and get commuters out of their cars and onto public transport, the Government has simply rejected these. The Government's big idea, its answer, was to propose, as we know, an average increase of 15% in public transport fares.  For those who may say we only give out here on the Opposition benches, let me be clear. My colleagues have been clear. Time and again, I have welcomed the new rural links in my area, the new priority bus lanes on the M4 and the one under construction on the M7. I have welcomed them and will continue to welcome them. I have welcomed the investment in our train stations, such as Athy, but I cannot for the life of me welcome a fare increase for the commuters of Kildare South.  What we need to do is encourage commuters off our roads and onto public transport. That needs to be a priority for this Government. Increasing fares by 15% will, as has been pointed out, including by the NTA itself, reduce the number of those using public transport by more than 4.5%. It is time to cut fares on public transport. It is time to deliver a reliable, available and comfortable service, which everybody in this State deserves. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Charles Ward","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Charles-Ward.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Charles Ward  I thank Deputy Daly from Sinn F\u00e9in for bringing forward this motion on public transport and fare increases. Instead of working towards a goal and trying to increase bus services in rural areas, this Government is taking a step backwards. The decision to increase public transport fares by an average of 15% to 30% next year is a major step backwards. The people of Donegal simply cannot afford this type of daily increase for a service that is often very poor and is extremely unreliable, yet we are being expected to pay an even higher fare for an already poor service, with no intention of any upgrades to justify the extra expenditure.  Donegal is not served by any rail connections, yet the bus service, particularly the main ones - routes 30, 32 and 64 - are so poorly connected that they are completely inadequate for the communities they are meant to serve. Instead of investing further in these services, the Government continues to strip them away. The recent decision to take away the 30 Expressway is further proof of this downgrading of services. I have been contacted by many constituents regarding an extremely poor 64 service.  Here are three examples. The first one says:  I am personally fed up missing connections because the Express bus cannot arrive in time to meet the Local Link so I can get into college. Trying to get the Expressway 64 to keep a decent timeable in order to connect to the Local Link is impossible.  The next person said they were a wheelchair user in Letterkenny. They said they have been unable to use the 64 service for the past 18 months because wheelchair-accessible booking has not been available.  The third person said the 64 bus service is unreliable when it comes to stopping in Drumkeen and this leaves people stranded and unable to plan with confidence. There is no late evening service after 6.30 p.m. This is 5 miles outside Letterkenny. It effectively cuts people off in the evenings from activities, part-time work and socialising in the town unless they can be picked up by car.  The lack of consistency of frequent buses into and out of Letterkenny is a real problem and with the current situation of traffic chaos in Letterkenny, it is unsustainable for residents, workers, students and businesses alike. Journeys that should take 15 to 20 minutes are now taking an hour to an hour and a half. We need to think outside the box. We need to provide buses and bus services for every child in these areas so we can get cars off the road. We need to aim for what we are meant to be doing instead of causing more chaos with cars having to come and pick people up because the bus services are not there.  I also take this opportunity to urge the Government to introduce a national no-wait card for those who have chronic illness, as well as access to toilets. The issue is especially prevalent in Donegal because we do not have access to trains, which have toilets on them. We need all the help we can get in Donegal. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Seamus Healy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","memberCode":"Seamus-Healy.D.2000-06-22","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Seamus Healy  The Government must reverse the 15% average increase in fares for public transport announced by the National Transport Authority for 1 January. This increase worsens the cost-of-living crisis and undermines climate policy. Switching from private cars to a comprehensive system of public transport, not just in cities but also in rural Ireland, where there is no alternative to private cars, is the most effective action we can take to meet our climate goals. There are billions available in the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund to reverse these increases and build a nationwide system of free, reliable and accessible public transport. This fare increase is moving in the wrong direction and is out of step with many of our European neighbours, where public transport is very low cost or even free.  Public transport is an essential public service and must be accessible to all, and I mean all. That means not just people in cities but also those in rural areas, like my constituency of Tipperary South. It is an area where there is limited public transport available and no practical alternative to the private car. If you are from south Tipperary and work in Clonmel at Abbott's vascular division, Boston Scientific, Tipperary University Hospital, Tipperary County Council, MSD, Medite or any other business, you must use a car. If you attend third level in Clonmel, you must use a car. If you shop in Clonmel, you must use a car. If you are from south Tipperary and attend third level in Waterford or Limerick, you must use a car. The Government must prioritise public transport in rural areas.  I also wish to highlight the unacceptable situation at Clonmel Railway Station. Clonmel station is a hub for trains and Bus \u00c9ireann services. Large numbers wait for connecting trains and buses there. They wait outside in hail, rain and snow while the station building remains closed. There is no access whatsoever to any service like toilets or waiting areas. I raised this issue again recently, only to be told that while internal works including passenger waiting areas, accessible toilets, a changing place toilet and staff facilities will be carried out as part of an accessibility programme funded by the National Transport Authority, the works will not commence for another two years. That will mean another two years of people waiting in all weathers without toilet facilities or waiting areas. This is not good enough by a long shot. I am asking the Minister of State to intervene to ensure these minor works in what is an existing building commence immediately. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Brian Stanley","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Brian-Stanley.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Brian Stanley  The 15% average increase that has been proposed is over the top and defies logic. It is a retrograde step. We are supposed to be getting people onto public transport to reduce our carbon emissions and reduce congestion but this is putting our transport system in reverse. Inflation is only running at a fraction of that. This could not come at a worse time when there is cost-of-living crisis due to the sky-high cost of rents, mortgages, home heating, electricity and groceries. The Government will discourage many people from using buses and trains and push them back into cars, which will have a negative effect. The National Transport Authority has conceded that and I am hearing it from commuters in the Portlaoise and Portarlington areas. All our efforts should be going towards getting as many people as possible onto public transport and reducing traffic congestion and pollution. It is worth noting that just weeks after the exposure of the \u20ac50 million written off by Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann for a failed traffic management system, we now get a proposal to increase charges by 15%. We need a better use of the existing subsidy from the taxpayer and that is an issue. I have no problem with the subvention. We can increase it further. We need to improve capacity on our packed trains, on the Luas trams, where people are like sardines, and on buses.  Facilities at railway stations are very poor. In Portlaoise, for example, there are two tiny shelters and hundreds of people stand out in the rain getting soaked. They could be on their way to college or work in Dublin, Limerick or wherever. The situation is the same in Portarlington and Ballybrophy. That needs to be addressed. We need basic weather shelters at railway stations and proper toilet facilities.  Packed trains and carriages need to be taken into account and dealt with. We need extra carriages. Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann told me all its rolling stock is in full use and that is good, but new carriages are promised and that needs to happen. I am appealing to the Minister to halt this 15% increase in public transport fees, to put on more services and in the case of Laois to put on an 11 p.m. train from Heuston. The service currently finishes at 10 p.m. It is a good service but there needs to be an 11 p.m. service as well for people attending events in Dublin. We desperately need to improve facilities at railway stations like those at Ballybrophy, Portlaoise and Portarlington, as I have outlined. We need a survey of carriage, bus and tram capacity and to put on extra capacity where required. All of this is needed along with good use of the subsidy given by the taxpayer. We need to expand the local town and bus service as well. We have a good one in Portlaoise and Carlow but that needs to be exteded. I appeal to the Minister of State to see that this happens. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Roderic O'Gorman","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Roderic-O'Gorman.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Roderic O'Gorman  I thank Deputy Daly for bringing forward this motion. This is ultimately a question of political choice. It is possible to enhance public transport services and keep prices affordable. It was done during the last Government. Those four and a half years saw a huge expansion of bus services all over the country and at the same time they saw a 20% cut in everybody's public transport fares, a 50% cut for young adults and the securing of the funding to ensure under-nines could go free. Those were political choices made during the last Government and driven by a Green Party Minister in the Department of Transport.  This Government has made a different political choice. Yes, there may be some service enhancements but people are going to pay more for them. That is the difference at the heart of this. Do we look to keep fares low and continue to enhance services or do we go with the Minister's approach whereby we can have one or the other? My colleagues in the Green Party and I will always argue for keeping the fares low and expanding the services and we will make that argument any time. However, to hike fares by 15% on average in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis defies logic. This is a 15% increase when the rate of inflation is running at 3.4%, and the only promise the Government can make is that it will come back next year and hike fares again.  The Minister had a great line in his speech. He used the phrase \"Despite any demand elasticity effects arising from the fare increase\". Let us be clear about what that means. It means people who stop taking the bus or train due to unaffordability because of this decision. The NTA tells us to expect a 4.5% decrease in the number of passengers because of this decision. What sum is ultimately at issue here? It is \u20ac70 million. That is what the price increase is going to bring in. I am not saying it is a small sum, but when you place it beside the \u20ac1.3 billion that has been mobilised very quickly to assist other parts of society with the increases in their costs, and specifically their transport costs, you can understand why bus and train users are so angry. The electricity bills of people who use the bus and train are going up too. Their grocery bills are going up too and now, from 1 January, they are going to see a 15% hike in their transport costs.  This is a political choice. Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il have made the wrong choice here. They should provide the NTA with that \u20ac70 million, choose to expand public transport and keep it affordable. It can be done. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Lawless","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paul-Lawless.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Lawless  This increase in public transport fares is affecting the most vulnerable citizens and many students in third level education. The reality is that because of its failure in terms of housing, this Government has displaced so many young people from university campuses right across this country and, in many cases, these young people are now living at home and commuting into college on a daily basis. They are doing so not because they want to. They have to because of Government policy. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage outlined recently that he is not even considering the demand element with regard to housing. As a result, many young people across Ireland are commuting to college and the Government is robbing them of that opportunity in terms of college life and that wonderful time of independence in one's life. The Government has put them to the train and the bus, including getting one bus to another. I have had a number of calls about problems with connecting buses for young people going to college. The Government is now increasing the fares for the privilege of having to commute to college on a daily basis. It is wrong. I hope the Minister of State saw the National Youth Council of Ireland survey that showed seven in ten young people are planning on emigrating. The Government cannot offer them a bed for college or a reliable bus route in Mayo and other rural areas but it is now increasing the fares significantly. I ask the Minister of State to reconsider this proposal regarding hiking the cost.  I also want to speak about bus transport in Mayo. I thank Citylink for its work. I worked very closely with Citylink when the Government service from Ballina to Galway pulled out. It was Citylink that actually stood up in terms of offering an additional service. It was interesting and there was an irony because Government TDs and Ministers in Mayo were jumping up and down sending out press releases and timetables with their names on them, when it was the State service that had failed and pulled out and it was the private sector that was standing up. I worked very closely with Citylink on it and, extraordinarily, at the time Citylink was unable to even get the data from the Bus \u00c9ireann service to ascertain whether or not it would put on a service. It was extraordinary that there was no communication on that. I ask the Minister of State to reconsider this position. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Nicholas Gogarty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","memberCode":"Paul-Nicholas-Gogarty.D.2002-06-06","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Nicholas Gogarty  It is almost like we are watching an episode of \"Austin Powers\". He has woken up from the sixties and then he sees the Minister - Dr. Evil - with this cunning plan. The trains are overcrowded and the buses are full when they turn up. It is a case of \"Sure lads, how are we going to help with the demand situation here? I know. We're going to raise the price of public transport to discourage people from using the service\". That demand reduction is built into the moronic idea of increasing the price of public transport at a time when people are suffering in many other walks of life. There are areas where less demand will lead to an improved service for others but there are people who live in places in my constituency, such as Adamstown, Clonburris and Seven Mills, where the trains are always full but the people in these houses are only given 0.75 parking spaces per housing unit and do not even have the option to drive. They cannot charge an EV to try the greener driving option because they cannot tag on their domestic charging tariff with it. They have no choice but to use public transport but they cannot rely on it because the buses do not turn up and if buses are cancelled, there is no real-time information.  A tourist in Dublin trying to pay with a credit card cannot do so because we still do not have that technology on a bus and the driver is delaying traffic explaining to that person that they need to pay in a different way. The system is not fit for purpose and, as I have said before, the NTA is not fit for purpose. It is a real kick in the craw to increase prices when people are suffering from increases in the price of food, fuel and electricity. That is what this Government should be getting right now - a full stop for this sort of measure. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Richard O'Donoghue","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Richard-O'Donoghue.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Richard O'Donoghue  The Government projects a \u20ac9.2 billion surplus for this year and today it is looking for a 15% increase in bus and rail fares. I do not know if I heard this right. This Government projects a \u20ac9.2 billion surplus for 2026 and it wants to increase bus and rail fares by 15%. My God. I was in Moate the other night at a meeting attended by over 3,500 people from all walks of life - the transport network, the haulage network, carers, nurses and contractors - wondering how their businesses are going to survive and then they see a Government with a \u20ac9.2 billion surplus. I heard the crowd across there saying how the Green Party did great things in the last Government. It spent a rake of money on electric buses that are parked and cannot be used, tied us to Europe on an unrealistic plan that we cannot achieve and brought pain to this country, but that was put in there by this Government. It signed up to that too.  It goes to show that if this Government was a business of any type in this country, it would be bust. It makes bad decisions and wastes money and what does it do? It goes back to the Exchequer and looks for more money for its mistakes. There is no accountability and nobody gets fired so it loses money and wastes money every year and comes back the following year. When I told the Minister for public expenditure in the Oireachtas Committee on Budgetary Oversight that there were people who could not get a rebate because they were not compliant because they might have been late with a repayment, he said \"Richard, people have to be compliant\", but this Government is not compliant. Every year, it goes over budget but the difference between the Government and a business is that the Government inflicts pain on everyone in this country to fix mistakes. It cannot even run a budget.  Now we come to the 15% increase in bus and rail fares. When people are trying to make a difference for the environment, the Government penalises them as well. The day of reckoning is coming and it is coming soon. The people in this country no longer have any faith in the Government. Hopefully, the next time there is an election, they will finally vote with their conscience. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Collins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Michael-Collins.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Collins  At a time when families, workers and pensioners are already under enormous financial pressure, increases of around 15% across many public transport services, including Local Link, rural services, buses and trains will be another blow. The biggest problem we have in this country is accountability regarding transport. I do not think the NTA is accountable. I thank Sinn F\u00e9in for this very good motion.  We had the NTA before us at the committee. West Cork Connect has offered to take over the whole running of the Kinsale area, which would save millions of euro for the State. I asked the NTA why it would stop that. Basically, West Cork Connect is a private bus service. Bus \u00c9ireann is trotting around after it, just in case it would have any little bit of success. Good God almighty, what is wrong? Millions can be saved, so why is the NTA not considering that instead of using these heavy-handed tactics to make sure that good private operators are out of work, and instead of working with them and pushing that service? Millions could be saved and services put into areas like Caheragh, Drimoleague and Skibbereen. There is no bus service from Bantry or Kealkill to Macroom and Drinagh has no bus service. The NTA had tenders for Clonakilty and Grange a year or a year and a half ago, but it never delivered the service. It is a farcical situation. The NTA tells us there is no money. They are broke. The whole system is in collapse from start to finish and we are not getting what we could call accountability.  School transport is a shambles. It is an absolute disaster in many areas, regardless of where people are. It is the same complaint. I brought it up in the D\u00e1il last week, but it has been put off as if there is no problem. There is a major crisis. People have spent five years getting a bus ticket and in the sixth year they will not get a bus ticket. It is outrageous. You could not make it up if you tried to make it up because people would not believe it could happen in any other world out there.  Instead of connecting Ireland, we are disconnecting Ireland. We are not using the private operators to run some of the services and Bus \u00c9ireann to run services in other areas, which would ensure that everybody gets some good out of the transport service. While I am talking about the transport service, what about people with disabilities? What about Megan O\u2019Sullivan in Allihies, near Castletownbere, who sits at home because she has intellectual disabilities? She will not be picked up. Either her father or her mother will have to give up their job to take her to the services, which she can make such a success of if she gets there. Instead, she is left sitting at home in a chair. That is the kind of Ireland we have.  The Government has forgotten the people of Castletownbere. It has forgotten the people of Caheragh, Kealkill, Grange and Timoleague. It is not good enough. The money is there but it is blown apart. I am part of a rural transport board, or Local Link or whatever they want to call it nowadays. The Government took the buses from us and decided the NTA would run the service. It splashed out millions, not hundreds of thousands but millions of euro extra. While I am on that, I would like to wish David O'Brien, the Local Link manager in west Cork, the very best as he is retiring this weekend. He has been a brilliant servant to the people of west Cork and the whole of County Cork over the last number of years. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Carol Nolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Carol-Nolan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Carol Nolan  The sheer audacity of the Government proposal to increase public transport fares is breathtaking. The Government wants to increase public transport fares while large parts of rural Ireland are still waiting for public transport that actually exists. In Offaly, people are not talking about buses being too cheap. They are talking about the bus that never comes or they are angry about the route that does not exist. Only recently, I received confirmation that the long-promised route 826 connecting Mullingar and Edenderry, a service that would finally provide a direct public transport link across parts of Offaly, Westmeath and Laois, is stalled because there is no funding available. It is not delayed because of planning or staffing but because the Government has simply not provided the money. The Minister says fares have to rise to support the system. People in rural Ireland have every right to ask what system exactly he is talking about. The Government is asking people to pay premium prices for a second-rate service.  Let us look at what is happening to motorists at the same time. Figures released to me show that \u20ac23.7 million has been collected from motorists at the Portlaoise toll plaza every single year. That is completely unfair on businesses, haulage businesses in particular, that have to go through that toll frequently. Every day, workers, families, farmers, small business owners and hauliers across Offaly hand over more of their income simply to travel the roads they depend on. The M7 and M8 were built over 15 years ago. The concession runs until 2037.  Now, after collecting tens of millions of euro from motorists, the Government wants public transport users to pay more as well. If you drive, they have their hand in your pocket. If you get the bus, they have their hand in your pocket. If you live in rural Ireland, they expect you to be grateful for the privilege. If you work, you are taxed out of existence. The contradiction at the heart of this policy is impossible to ignore. For years, the Government has told people to leave their cars behind, but every action it takes pushes people back towards their cars. It cannot tell people to get out of their cars while failing to provide reliable alternatives and it certainly cannot justify fare increases when new rural services are being frozen because the money is not there, such as the 826 service that would serve Mullingar to Edenderry. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Albert Dolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Albert Dolan  I want to use this debate to make a very simple point, which is that if the NTA and the Department of Transport are going to ask people to pay more for public transport, then people are entitled to ask what they are getting for it. For the people I represent, that has to mean two things: capacity and connectivity.  There are three practical examples in Galway East where we need to see delivery. The first is on the train from Athenry to Galway city. A parent contacted me just last week. His daughter is a college student in Galway. She fainted on the early train to Galway city from Athenry because it was so crammed. There were only two carriages and it was absolutely wedged. This is a daily occurrence for commuters in Galway. It needs to be tackled. I know there are capacity constraints across the country for rail, but the new carriages cannot come quickly enough for the people who are commuting daily. The trains are only going to get stuffier and hotter over the winter months.  The next practical step that could be taken relates to towns like Athenry, a town with over 5,000 people. For almost two years now, there has been no bus from Athenry to Galway city. We always had a bus in Athenry. Immediately after the private operator pulled the service a PSO was put in place, but we have still not seen a bus put on the route from Athenry to Galway. It is something that I and my constituency colleagues have been calling for. We know that Athenry needs to have a bus going to Galway city, which would take pressure off the train as well.  The last point is that there was a long-mooted Local Link service to be run from Athenry to Tuam. An Athenry to Tuam service serving Monivea and many other villages along the road would be an incredible addition for connectivity between the towns of Athenry and Tuam. These are the priorities that matter to people. That is what matters. It matters that if they need to get somewhere, they have the connectivity and if they choose to use the service, they have the capacity. That is the whole point I wanted to make today. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Cahill","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Michael-Cahill.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Michael Cahill  I want to make a particular point about the impact of the proposed fare increases on people in my county. I recognise the significant investment the Government is making in public transport. In 2026, \u20ac940 million is being invested across the public transport network and that investment is badly needed. However, we need more capacity, more services and better connectivity.  As a backbench Government TD, my responsibility is also to bring the concerns of the people of Kerry into this Chamber. The messages I am receiving from people across County Kerry are very clear. They are worried about what these increases will mean for them. We have a very real cost-of-living crisis. The national average increase is approximately 15%, but people in Kerry are concerned that some fares could increase by significantly more than that, in some cases by over 30%. That matters in a rural county like Kerry.  We are not talking about people who have multiple public transport options outside their front door. We are talking about people travelling from rural communities to places like Dingle, Killorglin, Castleisland, Tralee, Killarney, Kenmare and other towns across the county for work, education, healthcare and essential services. For many people, public transport is not a lifestyle choice. It is how they get to work. It is how a student gets to college. It is how someone who does not drive gets into town. If the cost of that journey rises substantially, we have to ask what the consequences will be. Will people continue to use public transport or will some have no option but to get back into their cars, if they have a car?  That is not just an issue for those passengers. It affects congestion, our roads and our climate objectives as well. I have received correspondence from constituents in D\u00fan Chaoin and elsewhere in Kerry making exactly this point. They are not asking for special treatment. They are asking that affordability is properly considered, particularly for people in rural areas who have fewer alternatives.  I also recognise the Government's response points to the additional services and capacity these fares will help provide. The commitment to 140 new and improved services is very important. The continued 50% discount for young adults and students, reductions in many child fares and the continuation of the free travel scheme are all very important.  My county did not receive any additional funding for additional Local Link services this year. That was very disappointing but I believe there is a very simple principle here. If we are asking people to pay more they need to see and feel the improvement in the services they receive. There are a number of services I would like to mention that are in the pipeline but the funding has not been forthcoming for Local Link in Kerry to provide them. They are: Beaufort to Whitefield and Killorglin; the Gap of Dunloe to Beaufort and Killarney; and my own parish of Glenbeigh to Dooks along to Cromane and on to Killorglin. A route was approved for Killarney to Rathmore and Gneevgullia and on to Mallow. It is already approved but has not been launched. I support the investment in public transport. I support expanding services. I am asking the Minister of State and the NTA to pay particular attention to the impact these increases will have on rural Kerry. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Danny Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Danny-Healy-Rae.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Danny Healy-Rae  I too am glad to get this opportunity. I thank Sinn F\u00e9in for raising this very important issue. Many people are very concerned about raising the cost of travel on public transport. We appreciate the public transport we have in Kerry very much because it is a very rural county and towns are dispersed and far away from each other. The Kenmare to Killarney route provides a great service. My idea is that maybe we do not need the larger buses all of the time. Maybe we could save by having a minibus or a 35-seat bus that could fulfil the needs of the people.  I am very concerned about young people and under-18s going to college, and indeed the over-18s, with the raising of the cost of travelling on buses. Many people - parents and students - are very concerned about this.  I also want to raise the issue of concessionary bus tickets. There is a problem in school transport that is manifesting a lot where people need their children to be taken on the bus, but if they are within the distance and only have a concessionary ticket they are not allowed to travel on the bus. In places like Killarney town itself, we need a lot more buses to bring people in from the outlying parts of the town. This is because the town is very busy, you cannot leave children walking and some parents do not have a second car so it is very hard for them to get their children to school, be it a mile away or whatever it is in the town's suburbs. We need more transport there. Then there is the route from Killarney to Killorglin. We need more space on those buses. Secondary school students travel from Killarney to Killorglin and have done so for years but we do not have enough capacity there at all times.  I am very concerned about the cost when we are trying to entice people onto public transport. Many people have no choice but to travel on public transport. I do not think now is an opportune time to raise the cost for people, with people under so much pressure. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Neale Richmond)  I thank all the Deputies for their contributions this evening, for the points they have raised and for bringing these important topics to the House.  As set out in the Minister, Deputy O'Brien's, earlier remarks and the counter-motion, the Government is committed to maintaining a sustainable PSO funding model that supports continued network growth, service improvements on public transport, the delivery of BusConnects and Connecting Ireland, commuter rail expansion and future investment, while ensuring public transport remains reliable, accessible and affordable. The proposed fare adjustments are necessary to underpin these objectives and support the long-term sustainability of the network.  Maintaining affordable fares must be balanced with ensuring a financially sustainable transport system capable of funding service improvements, network expansion and fleet investment. Achieving this requires a careful balance between delivering high-quality, reliable services and ensuring the network is adequately resourced to meet growing demand. As passenger numbers continue to rise in recent years, with a record breaking 363.5 million journeys undertaken just last year, supporting people to make that switch from private car use, it is important to recognise Ireland has maintained an effective eight-year fare freeze alongside targeted affordability measures, including the young adult card, free travel for children up to nine years old and the 90-minute fare.  In line with international best practice and to bolster the State's capacity to invest in service expansion, network improvements and operational resilience, and to encourage continuous passenger growth, it is essential, therefore, that we prioritise the reinvestment of increased fare revenue, ensuring we can maintain a well-funded, reliable system and deliver greater, long-term benefits rather than reducing fares to unsustainable levels. These measures compare favourably when viewed in a European context with those adopted in many other countries. While we acknowledge the objective of improving affordability on a wider scale, making public transport free for all, as suggested by some, would impose a significant fiscal burden on the Exchequer with potentially far-reaching funding implications for the wider transport system and any other budgetary suggestions or requests.  In this regard, providing free travel for all would significantly undermine the financial sustainability of the public transport system and constrain the ability to maintain and enhance service provision. The proposal to make public transport free for all is difficult to determine but would be substantial. The fare revenue loss alone in 2027 is in the range of \u20ac538 million to \u20ac595 million and does not include the cost of the provision of additional fleet and services to cater for the expected additional passenger demand. We fully recognise that keeping fares affordable is important but so too is ensuring that we can continue to introduce new routes, increase frequencies, improve reliability and connect more communities to public transport.  The Government completely appreciates the pressure rising fuel costs is placing on households, transport operators, the wider community and families across the country. Public transport has a particularly important role to play at times like this by providing a more affordable and sustainable alternative for many people. In that context, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and his Department are keeping under close review how the public transport system is equipped to respond to current pressures. At the same time, it is important the measures are carefully considered and aligned with available resources so they are effective, sustainable and deliver real benefits to passengers. There is a requirement to strike the right balance in public transport fares to enable further enhancements to the public transport network in the coming years, offer the most competitive fares to younger and student passengers and ensure the value for money of the PSO subsidy to society.  As articulated earlier, the recently announced change in fares is aimed at supporting the continued expansion and improvement of public transport while maintaining affordability. Any overall increase in revenue generated here will go straight back into investment in public transport services, delivering better connectivity, capacity and reliability for passengers and commuters. I counted no less than 14 interventions from Deputies who called for that increased level of service and availability in this debate alone. There is a lot of demand. It is understandable and merited but it does have to be paid for somehow.  Regarding funding, an unprecedented funding allocation of \u20ac940 million for PSO services was secured in budget 2026, as laid out by Deputy Cahill. This is a significant 43% uplift in the allocation from the previous year's budget. While 2026 saw this substantial increase in Exchequer funding, continued inflationary pressures have increased the cost of operating public transport services which has limited the NTA's ability to introduce improvements to existing services or new services in the TFI network as part of the wider capital investment under the national development plan. Any funding provided to the PSO programme under budget 2027 will still be supporting over 65% of operating costs overall. Fares have to play a role, therefore, in rebalancing that equation. The adjustments to fares are required to help offset the cost increases in recent years, improve fare revenue recovery and ensure the sustainability of the PSO funding.  We are at a key juncture for public transport in Ireland. Reliable and sustainable services are critical as passenger numbers grow. Congestion worsens in urban areas and a greater proportion of the population depends on public transport for commuting, education and essential travel. The challenge, therefore, is to balance affordability for passengers with the long-term financial sustainability needed to expand and improve public transport services.  The NTA applies detailed statistical analysis of all services, and it shows the passenger growth is expected to continue throughout 2027, supported by the ongoing expansion and enhancement of services which are anticipated to attract additional users and further strengthen public transport demand. To support this increased demand adequate funding, including increased fare revenue, will support the delivery of key transport programmes and commitments in line with operational and resource capacity. For example, the NTA recently identified approximately 140 new service initiatives and capacity enhancements as part of its 2027 budget submission to the Department of Transport, taking account of competing funding demands and wider public transport priorities. They remain subject to the outcome of the annual Estimates process and, if approved, will represent the biggest year-on-year enhancement of services in many measures. As per the intervention of Deputy Dolan, these measures would allow for the continued growth in PSO journeys, which have continued to grow steadily, and demonstrate how the public is making positive steps in making the switch to using public transport.  The adjustment of fares is required to ensure the sustainability of the PSO funding model and support the Government's commitment to continued network growth, service enhancements, investment in BusConnects in Dublin, Cork and other cities, the completion of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility programme, continued development of commuter rail services, and funding future improvements while keeping public transport competitive and affordable. As a Government, we must remain fully committed to building on these positive changes and delivering a public transport system that is responsive to passenger needs. In this regard, as noted in the Minister's earlier remarks, the Government is investing record levels of public funds into public transport infrastructure. Over the lifetime of this Government, we will see shovels in the ground of MetroLink, DART+, Luas Finglas and the reinstatement of the western rail corridor between Claremorris and Athenry. We will also see the continued progression of core bus corridors in Dublin as part of the BusConnects Dublin programme, the completion of phase 1 of the Cork area commuter rail programme and the progression of phase 2. These projects, along with others provided for in the national development plan, will help provide a high-quality, connected public transport system for all passengers and help to alleviate congestion.  I assure the Deputies that the Government recognises that transport connectivity is hugely important for all people, particularly those who live and work in rural Ireland, as evidenced by the launch last year of Ireland's first-ever smart demand responsive transport, DRT, pilots in Achill, Killarney and the north east of Limerick city. Using the TFI Anseo app, passengers are now able to book on-demand rides with ease, bringing the convenience of modern rideshare together with the reliability and affordability of public transport. This pilot is funded under the Government's climate action fund which supports innovative transport solutions which contribute to a greener and more connected Ireland. The roll-out of the current phase of the Towns++ programme began with the launch of the Carlow town bus service in 2023 and, most recently, a Mullingar town service launched earlier this year.  I thank the Deputies for raising these issues and initiating a very important discussion. However, for the reasons the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and I both outlined, the Government is opposing the motion. The Government has high ambitions for our public transport system and has allocated funding to make them a reality. We want people to shift to sustainable modes and believe the new fares remain competitive and continue to represent great value to commuters and all passengers. We also believe that investment in new services is essential and fare changes will help facilitate this and will mean that public transport will continue to be attractive for more and more people in the years ahead.  The Government and Department of Transport, in partnership with the NTA and operators, remain fully committed to delivering a public transport system that is reliable, accessible, affordable and capable of meeting the growing needs of communities throughout the country. It is, therefore, essential that the public transport system remains well funded and responsive to passenger needs. Adequate fare revenue is critical to supporting this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John McGuinness","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","memberCode":"John-McGuinness.D.1997-06-26","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Leas-Cheann Comhairle  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire St\u00e1it. Fillfimid anois ar Sinn F\u00e9in ar feadh deich n\u00f3im\u00e9ad leis an d\u00edosp\u00f3ireacht a chr\u00edochn\u00fa. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Denise Mitchell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Denise-Mitchell.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Denise-Mitchell.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Denise Mitchell  On Friday last, I got an update from Dublin Bus on the performance of three of the main bus routes that serve my constituency. It states that the H1 route has unfortunately not achieved the target of punctuality in recent months. The H2 route has also has not achieved the target of punctuality in recent months, and I received the same answer for the H3 service. The Minister of State is telling commuters who are annoyed at being late to work, college or appointments that they need to pay more for a service that is either constantly delayed or does not show up. Seriously, is he for real?  We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. Everything is more expensive. The last thing we should be doing is hiking public transport fares and putting more costs on the people who get up early in the morning, as the Government likes to say. If we want people out of private cars, we should reduce transport fares and increase the number of people who are entitled to free public transport, particularly those under 18 years of age because what we will then see is those young people developing good habits at an early age. This is a slap in the face for ordinary people. I urge the Government to intervene and stop these fare hikes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Fionnt\u00e1n-\u00d3-S\u00failleabh\u00e1in.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in  Increasing rail fares on the antiquated Rosslare, Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin rail line would be an absolute joke. It would be a bad choice and would make no sense. Despite great expansions at Rosslare Europort, the gateway to Europe which connects Rosslare to Dublin, our capital city, it is an absolute farce and has regressed hugely. It takes longer to get to Dublin by train than it took 40 years ago, when I started using the service. There are fewer carriages, carriages are cramped, toilets in stations are often not open, there has been no catering service for years and, as I said, the journey goes at a snail's pace due to the failure of successive Governments to invest in rail infrastructure. Yet, the Minister wants to charge people more for the privilege of using the service.  When Deputy Mythen and I met with the manager of Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann in Buswells Hotel, we pointed out that, unfortunately, many of those who use the Rosslare, Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin rail line are forced to stand the entire journey to Dublin, often in between carriages. This is absolutely shocking in 2026. Why would we ask passengers who board in Gorey, Arklow, Rathdrum and Wicklow and are squashed like sardines before they do a hard day's work in Dublin to pay 15% more for the privilege? That is a bloody joke. There are only two services that are capable of getting commuters from my constituency to Dublin to get to work before 9 a.m. This is pushing many of them back onto the road as commuters on a gridlocked M11.  Despite all the bluster about reducing carbon footprints and all of that, the Government has refused to prioritise public transport and invest in the rail service. It could make that happen. It could take cars off the road and improve people's quality of life, instead of people being stressed in the morning trying to get to Dublin because they have no alternative but to use public transport. How on earth can the Government expect them to pay 15% more for an antiquated service that runs from Rosslare to Dublin? I call on the Government to rethink and reverse this crazy decision. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dessie Ellis","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dessie-Ellis.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Dessie-Ellis.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Dessie Ellis  The Government is expecting people to pay more for public transport at a time when those who depend on public transport are already struggling with ever-increasing household costs. The Government has proposed that from January 2027, adult public transport fares are set to increase by an average of 15%. In Dublin, the 90-minute Leap card fare will rise from \u20ac2 to \u20ac2.30. There are a number of economically vulnerable areas in my constituency of Dublin North-West. These price hikes will have a seriously negative impact on families in this cost-of-living crisis. Particularly now with the high cost of fuel, many of my constituents are becoming more dependent on public transport.  There has been an overhaul of the provision of public transport in my constituency, yet despite promises of better connectivity, there have been numerous complaints about the reliability of the new bus services. For example, in Dublin North-West, with the introduction of phase 7 of BusConnects, routes 23 and 24 have had reliability issues since their introduction. Common among the complaints are long delays in waiting for buses and multiple bus cancellations. A bus service is only useful if the bus arrives on time and with sufficient capacity. Unreliable services force people back into cars and taxis, undermining the Government's own objectives on congestion, emissions and public transport usage.  I, along with the community, have submitted proposals to the NTA to amend certain proposed new routes, particularly in terms of their accessibility. For many people, especially the elderly, public transport is a necessity and not a choice. As such, it should be accessible, dependable and affordable.  Extending the age requirement for free travel to 18 would have a societal benefit, allowing for greater opportunities for young people to attend school, extracurricular activities, jobs and social events regardless of household income. The Government should not allow these price hikes to go ahead. Instead, it should properly fund public transport, as well as address reliability and capacity issues. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paul Donnelly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Paul-Donnelly.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paul Donnelly  Do any Government Members listen to the radio or watch television? Do they hear workers and families talking about the cost of living every day? What do they do? They make it more expensive to go to work, school or college, or to attend essential services, particularly health services, that some people rely on the public transport system for. The Government claims it wants more people to use public transport, but its actions tell a different story - they tell the truth. Increasing fares while asking people to leave their cars at home makes no sense. Ghost buses that put people's jobs at risk are unacceptable. For how long has the Minister been promising it will be sorted? This morning on RT\u00c9, it was said to the Minister that people are standing there, the bus is coming and then, minutes from its supposed arrival, it disappears. That is happening all over Dublin West and all over Dublin city. I heard last night at a meeting from Shannon, a resident of Tyrellstown who started college and is already missing classes because of these ghost buses.  Those on the Government benches love to waffle about the Opposition having no solutions. Well, here they are: stop the fare hikes, introduce free travel for under-18s, improve the failing services, end the scandal of ghost buses and deliver decent services for people. I will provide an example. In Tyrellstown, in the new developments of Kilmartin, Hollystown and Hollywoodrath, there are no rail services and there is a poor bus service that is made worse by ghost buses when people are relying on those buses.  I met representatives of Irish Rail today and they said they are hoping for funding for DART+ to be given this year. Why does the Government not tell them the funding is there and let them get on with the job of delivering a world-class system? This comes down to political choices. Last year, the political choice the Government made was to give \u20ac250 million to developers who were already building apartments. Let us help the people - the workers and the families - who are struggling. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Darren O'Rourke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Darren-O'Rourke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Darren O'Rourke  Haveyouseenthe103.ie is a community website set up a few weeks ago to track the failings of the 103, 103X and 105X bus services from Ratoath and Ashbourne to Dublin. I have the report from the first few weeks and it paints a damning picture. This is not just about delays; it is about a system failing the people who depend on it. Now the Minister wants to hike up fares for the privilege of this frustration. From 2 to 28 September, there were 275 community reports and 155 officially cancelled trips. A quarter of all notifications of cancellations arrived too late to be useful, very many of them after the bus was due to arrive. Commuters checking the Bus \u00c9ireann website would have missed 84 cancellations, while those checking the app would have missed 47. One feed is never enough. This is communications failure on top of service delivery failure. Meanwhile, more than 100 full buses passed stops, leaving passengers behind. This accounted for 28% of community reports, 27 at Ashbourne Community School alone. That school is far from the last pick-up point. Ghost buses that were shown and that then vanished accounted for 92 reports. The chain of accountability from the Minister to the Department to the NTA to Bus \u00c9ireann is like the 103 - it is broken. Someone must answer and the Minister is the one charged with responsibility and authority. It is clear from the data that we need extra capacity at the morning peak and we need answers on why the live feed shows buses that never come. More than anything, we need a bus service that is fit for purpose. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  In accordance with Standing Order 85(2), the division is deferred until the weekly divisions tomorrow evening. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Public Transport and Fare Increases: Motion [Private Members]"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_17","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_18","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Energy Prices","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_17","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_18","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_18.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  From next Monday, over 1 million households will see gas and electricity prices begin to increase. Households lose out but big energy companies will be the big winners. Energy companies will rake in even greater profits while ordinary people are left to carry the burden. Will the Minister bring forward a windfall tax on these excess profits and use the money to help households struggling to keep the lights on and heat their homes this winter? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister for Finance (Deputy Simon Harris)  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta. More broadly regarding energy prices and the like, I am conscious of the pressures people are feeling in relation to energy bills. They are real, not just in Ireland but across the European Union and large parts of the world. In an Irish context, we will have our budget next Tuesday, when we will endeavour to assist people with those bills, particularly through the winter period. The Government is conscious of the increased financial pressures on households and businesses in recent months. In response, it has introduced a number of measures to help reduce - or at least suppress the growth of - fuel prices for households and businesses, with additional supports for key sectors of the Irish economy and supports more widely in relation to excise reductions.  The European Commission's AccelerateEU communication addresses the EU's rising energy costs and volatile fossil fuel markets and aims to accelerate the clean energy transition and strengthen EU energy resilience. While the communication notes member states may take domestic measures, no EU-wide approach has yet been agreed. The temporary solidarity contribution, TSC, was introduced in line with the Council regulation of 6 October 2022 to tackle windfall gains being made in the energy sector following the commencement of the war in Ukraine. The TSC formed part of a co-ordinated European response, reflecting the highly interconnected nature of EU energy markets - when we acted, we did so at an EU level - and a view that an emergency intervention to mitigate the effects of high energy prices at the time could not be sufficiently achieved by member states individually. It continues to be our view that tackling the energy crisis in a co-ordinated way between EU member states is preferable, given the interconnectedness of EU energy markets.  Governments across Europe are rightly attentive to developments in energy markets and their impact on households, businesses and the wider economy. As Minister of Finance, and in the context of our Presidency of the Council of the EU, as I think we discussed before, we put the topic of a windfall tax on the agenda of the ECOFIN meeting in Dublin and I have requested the European Commission to reflect on those discussions and report back at a meeting of ECOFIN next Thursday and Friday in Luxembourg. I will update the House after that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire. The Minister knows the European Commissioner has ruled out a Europe-wide energy windfall tax. He said it was better done domestically. There is no point in the Minister for Finance hiding behind the skirts of the European Union. It said, as of Tuesday, that it is not planning to do this and that it is best done at domestic level. These companies are raking it in. Households will be fleeced by nearly double-digit increases in gas and electricity from Monday, the day before the budget. One million houses will, within a week, see their electricity and gas prices increase and the Minister is hiding behind something the European Commission is telling us, the public, that it is not planning to do and that would be better done domestically. Will the Minister look at introducing a windfall tax on the excess profits these energy companies are making while ordinary people are put to the pin of their collar trying to keep warm and keep the lights on this winter? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  My position is extraordinarily clear. I heard that individual Commissioner's comments today. I met with Commissioner Hoekstra yesterday, who is the Commissioner with responsibility for taxation. He is due to report and engage with EU finance Ministers in Luxembourg next Friday.  It is not only my view but the view of the German finance Minister, the Italian finance Minister and four other finance Ministers, expressed in a signed letter to me, that the best way to consider acting on this is at an EU level. That is how we acted in this House in the past, as the Deputy will recall, at the start of the war in Ukraine. Due to the interconnectedness of the EU energy market, it makes sense to look at these things as a European Union. Of course, there are things we can and will do domestically and we will outline a number of those in the budget. Regarding the windfall energy tax, I am clear on the Government's position, and I am also clear on the position of many of my EU counterparts, that working together at an EU level is the right way to go. That is why we will formally be discussing this in Luxembourg on Friday week. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  It is the energy Commissioner who made the point that there will be no windfall tax at a European level. That is the wrong position - I absolutely agree on that - but in this Parliament, the Minister, as the Minister for Finance, can bring one in if he wants. He can tax the excess profits. We are talking not about the profits but about the supernormal profits that energy companies are making. He should tax them at a rate of 75%. Why? It is because they should not be making these types of profits while people are being pushed to the pin of their collar and we are seeing double-digit increases in gas and electricity prices. It is immoral that energy companies are making these types of profits. As the Minister for Finance, the T\u00e1naiste would have the back of ordinary Irish people if he stood up and said he was going to make sure these excess profits are taxed and that that tax would be redirected back into people's pockets and to households right across the State to help them with their electricity and gas bills. That is a decision that he could make today if he wanted to. Will he consider that? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  The Deputy keeps asking me the same questions. I have the back of ordinary workers. We tested that electorally in Galway West not that long ago when the Deputy's party put its proposition and I put mine. We won the by-election and his party did not. We have tested these propositions with the people because the people of Ireland know that, of course, it is more nuanced than the Deputy outlined. We are in the European Union. Energy is extraordinarily interconnected across the European Union. That is why it is not just my view, but the view of multiple governments of a whole variety of different political persuasions - some of the right, some of the left and some of the centre - that the best way to consider these issues is at a European level. That is not a new phenomenon in this House. It is also what we did when we previously introduced measures at the start of Russia's brutal illegal invasion of Ukraine.  We will continue to work on how best to deal with windfall profits. I share the Deputy's analysis of the situation on the windfall profits and how we best deal with that. We will continue to do that at European level. Domestically, we will continue as a Government to have the backs of ordinary workers. That is why we have brought in packages of measures that far exceed what most other European countries have done. We have an ability to do that because of our good management of the economy. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Energy Prices"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_19","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Banking Sector","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_17","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_19.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  What actions is the Minister's Department taking to address the continued tracker mortgage and consumer protection issues arising from the transfer of mortgages from KBC to the Bank of Ireland? I have spoken recently to a family who have recently lost their home because of overcharging both by KBC and Bank of Ireland. What action is the Department taking to address this? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Tracker mortgage failings by lenders have caused significant distress. That phrase probably does not quite capture the level of distress. In some cases, it has had devastating consequences for the affected customers. The Central Bank of Ireland launched the tracker mortgage examination in 2015. This followed engagement and intervention with a number of lenders when it became clear that tracker-related issues could be industry-wide. The tracker mortgage examination was the largest, most complex and most significant consumer protection review ever undertaken by our Central Bank. It involved an initial review of more than 2 million mortgage accounts by lenders. The aim of the tracker mortgage examination was to put in place a framework that ensured lenders identified and put impacted customers back in the position they would have been in if the lenders' failings had not occurred. This required lenders to examine the extent to which they had met their contractual obligations to tracker mortgage customers and to examine the transparency of their communications with customers in relation to tracker-related issues.  The tracker mortgage examination was designed in a way which allowed affected customers, after they had received redress and compensation, to continue to have options to appeal. This could be done to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman and to the courts. Over the course of its work, the Central Bank produced regular progress updates and published its final supervisory report in 2019, which is available on its website. It also concluded seven enforcement investigations against lenders with tracker mortgage failings. The Central Bank of Ireland advises that, at the end of June 2025, circa 42,000 customer accounts were impacted across 11 lenders in the tracker mortgage examination. Circa \u20ac750 million has been paid in redress and compensation to impacted customers. The Central Bank also advises that more than 99% of redress and compensation due to impacted customers identified in the tracker mortgage examination has concluded and compensation has been paid. Remaining cases are understood to be due in the main to uncontactable customers.  The Central Bank has also indicated that it continues to monitor the outcomes of any complaints, appeals and court cases and has communicated to lenders the expectation that they must fully consider whether any individual customer issues arising could have the potential to impact more widely. The Central Bank's consumer protection code applies in full to all lenders and all mortgages. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  In the case in question, this is not an uncontactable customer. The family took out a tracker mortgage with KBC. For years, the bank charged them the wrong rate, which KBC eventually admitted to. When KBC left the Irish market in 2023, the family's mortgage was transferred to Bank of Ireland. The overcharging did not stop. It carried on under Bank of Ireland. The customer wrote to Bank of Ireland's CEO and asked to meet, but the bank refused. Instead, the arrears letters kept coming, as did the repossession warnings. In the end, the customer was being overcharged to the point where he could afford the mortgage. He was forced to sell his family home. This had a devastating impact. I have written to the CEO of Bank of Ireland raising this case, and I have yet to receive a response. Does the Minister accept that there could be many more people in this loan book affected by overcharging? Will he, as Minister for Finance, ask the Central Bank to examine how incorrect balances from redemption figures persisted after years of tracker remediation and how many other customers are affected? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Obviously, I will not comment on an individual mortgage situation, and the Deputy is not asking me to comment on it. I appreciate that is not the point he is raising in the D\u00e1il tonight. \"Yes\" is the short answer to his question. I will ask the Central Bank of Ireland to specifically look at the issue the Deputy has raised. If he wishes to either copy me on that correspondence or send me other correspondence outlining the situation, I would be very happy to speak to the Governor of the Central Bank and ask the Central Bank to engage with the Deputy directly. The figures that are available to me, which I am sharing with the House and are available to the Deputy, show robust action by the Central Bank across a whole variety of lenders - 11 of them - affecting over 42,000 customers, with over \u20ac750 million paid in redress and compensation in what was the biggest examination ever carried out by the Central Bank on this issue. It was the largest, most complex and most significant consumer protection review. If the Deputy has, as he clearly does, some information that he would like the Central Bank to consider beyond that individual case and to provide an assurance, I would be very happy to seek to do that for him. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Cian O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Cian-O'Callaghan.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Cian O'Callaghan  I welcome the Minister's response that he will contact the Central Bank about this wider issue and ask it to examine it. I am not just raising a specific case. This is an example and if this has affected the family in question, there could well be a very significant number of others in the loan book that was transferred who are similarly affected. That warrants investigation by the Central Bank. I welcome the Minister's commitment that he will contact the Central Bank about that. If he needs more information, I will certainly engage with him and pass it on. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I certainly will. For the record of the House, I do not have any information at my disposal in relation to that wider issue or the potential for a wider issue. However, considering that the Deputy has raised the matter on the floor of the D\u00e1il, I will send a transcript of this exchange to the Central Bank. If I or the Central Bank requires any further information, I will ask it to come back to the Deputy. I will report back to the Deputy once I have received an update from the Central Bank. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Banking Sector"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_20","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Tax Collection","counts":{"speechCount":45,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_17","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_20","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_20.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Within a stone's throw of this D\u00e1il, there are apartments owned by vulture funds. They charge over \u20ac3,000 for a two-bedroom apartment and the Government lets them off without paying a penny in tax on their rental income. Hundreds of thousands of euro are being fleeced from renters right across this city and elsewhere and the Minister of Finance does not ask these funds to pay a penny of corporation tax on their rental income. Is the Minister going to continue to adopt that position, which is against his officials' advice, that there should be a tax applied on these funds? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Until December 2016, income and gains arising on Irish real estate and distributed by certain Irish regulated funds to non-resident investors were outside the scope of Irish taxation. The Irish real estate fund, or IREF, regime was introduced in the Finance Act 2016 to address concerns that non-resident investors who were making investments in collective investment funds were not taxed on income and gains from Irish property. That was the starting point in relation to the regime the Deputy referenced.  The regime is predominantly a withholding tax regime that applies to an Irish fund where 25% or more of the value of the assets in a fund is derived from Irish property, such as land and buildings. Where the profits of the IREF are transferred to a non-resident investor, the IREF is generally required to apply IREF withholding tax at a rate of 20%. There are exemptions from IREF withholding tax for certain investors, for example, where an investor is a domestic, EU or EEA equivalent pension scheme, investment fund or life assurance company.  These categories of investors are generally associated with collective, widely held investment. Exemptions are in line with international taxing norms. They are necessary to prevent double taxation in the hands of the ultimate individual investor, and it is a wider policy objective to support financial security through long-term investments such as pensions and life assurance policies.  In order to prevent instances where exemptions from IREF withholding tax intended for collective investment are inappropriately used for personal investment, the IREF legislation contains complex anti-avoidance measures referred to as the personal portfolio IREF rules. The IREF regime also contains a suite of other anti-avoidance measures which protect the Exchequer from abuses. IREFs are not obliged to separately report the source of the profits on the IREF return as the value passing to the investor is the reference point for taxation under the tax regime. While the financial statements filed by IREFs contain high-level detail of the profits generated by IREFs, the profits of an IREF may arise from various activities including, for example, investment income, property development, property sales and rental income. Some IREFs also engage in non-property related activities. In the absence of a breakdown of the source of the profits, I am advised that Revenue is not in a position to provide an estimated cost for the Deputy. As the Deputy knows, I intend to carry out----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Go raibh maith agat. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I will come back on this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  I am well aware of the IREF regime. The record will show it was me who campaigned to bring it in in 2016, just as it was me who had to force the Government to bring in the renters' tax credit and the mortgage interest relief that it continued to argue against but finally started to see sense on. This is the issue here. I have continued to campaign on this point. Just think about this: there are two-bedroom apartments a stone's throw from this building, from our national Parliament, and their owners are charging \u20ac3,000 rent and the Government allows them not to pay a penny in tax on that rental income. If that apartment was owned by the Chairperson or anybody else out there, they would have to pay 25% corporation tax on the rental income. If it was owned by a private company, they would have to pay tax on it. However, because it is vulture fund, an institutional investor, Fine Gael, Fianna F\u00e1il and the Independents allow them not to pay a penny in tax on the eye-watering rents they are crippling young people and older people with in this city and beyond. It is scandalous. Worse is----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  -----that the Government's officials have called for a tax to be introduced. It is there in black and white. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  T\u00e1 an t-am caite. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  There is no point in the Minister shaking his head. It is there in black and white. The officials have called for a tax to be introduced. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Go raibh maith agat. Glaoim ar an T\u00e1naiste. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Will the Minister finally do the right thing? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Will he tax the vulture funds on the rent they are collecting? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Let the record of the House show that it was a government led by my party in 2016 that introduced the legislation and legislated in relation to these issues. Just to be clear. I know the Deputy does this thing about Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael for the social media clips, but let the record of the House show that it was a Fine Gael Minister for Finance who actually legislated in relation to the IREF legislation. The reason I read out the lengthy answers at the start of this is because the Deputy distorts the situation and frames the debate in a certain way. The IREF was actually introduced, as the Deputy has said, and, in fairness, as he acknowledged and campaigned for, to address concerns that non-resident investors who were making investments and collective investment funds were not taxed on income and gains from Irish property. However, there is an issue - again, I do not think the Deputy should speak for my officials - in relation to double taxation. In the answer I have given this House I have very clearly outlined that. Therefore, we gave a commitment that we were going to carry out a consultation in relation to simplifying the IREF regime, something the Deputy says he looked for to be introduced in 2016. We intend to carry out a consultation to see what improvements and simplifications need to be made and I intend to publish that consultation this year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Go raibh maith agat, a Th\u00e1naiste. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  I have the documentation. The Minister's officials have recommended a tax at the level of the fund. They have recommended a rate of that tax. A tax of that nature could bring in a quarter of a billion euro. Does the Minister know what he could do with a quarter of a billion euro? He could do what Sinn F\u00e9in is proposing, that is, to double the renters' tax credit and put \u20ac2,000 into every renter's pocket across the State to help them as they are being fleeced by the landlords the Government protected over many years. Does he know what else he should do along with that? He should make sure he bans further rent increases. That is the type of policies we are putting forward. To go back to the core of this, there are people who are ripping their tenants off with these type of eye-watering rents of thousands of euro, and they are not paying a penny tax on that rent. If I am the landlord, I have to pay tax; if it is a company down the road, it has to pay tax; but if it is a vulture fund or institutional investor, they pay no corporation tax on that rental income. It should stop----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Sin \u00e9, a Theachta. T\u00e1 an t-am caite. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  The Department officials have recommended that the Minister bring in a tax. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  An T\u00e1naiste. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Will he actually----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  A Theachta Doherty, t\u00e1 an t-am caite. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  -----take a side that is not the side of the vulture fund in this case? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Again, it was Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il in government that introduced the renters' tax credit. It was Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Oh my God. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  No, sorry. You get to say your thing and I do not say \"Oh my God\", so just sit there and allow me answer these----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Who pushed you into it? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Just to be very clear----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Who forced you into it? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  There is one speaker. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I just do not understand. If the Deputy is so effective at his job----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  I am----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  -----I do not understand why he is sitting over there as the longest-serving Opposition spokesperson on finance in the history of the European Union. Maybe reflect on that for a moment. We introduced the renters' tax----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Still larger than Fine Gael for the past two elections. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  There is only one speaker and the T\u00e1naiste has the floor. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  We are here and you are there----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Still. Good luck to you. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  -----and that is for a reason called democracy.  We introduced the renters' tax credit. We increased the renters' tax credit. The programme for Government commits to further increasing the renters' tax credit. It is now worth more than \u20ac300 million to renters in this country. We also introduced rent pressure zones, including providing protections to renters in Donegal, that did not exist until we brought in those rent pressure zones. There are specific issues - and this does not suit the Deputy's quick social media clips - in relation to double taxation. We want investment to come into this country, we want more homes to be built, we want more apartments to be built and we want more rental properties for people. There are specific issues in relation to double taxation which we need to work our way through. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Go raibh maith agat. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  That is why we will publish this year a consultation on a simplified IREF regime. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  More consultation. Why not act? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Glaoim ar an Teachta Ged Nash----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Why not act? It is because you have are in bed with the vultures. That is the reality. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  That is a slur. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  It is the truth. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  -----without interruption. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Tax Collection"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_21","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Exchequer Returns","counts":{"speechCount":8,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_17","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_21","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_21.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ged Nash  Has the T\u00e1naiste carried out an impact assessment in terms of the Exchequer related to his proposed saving and investment accounts proposition, and where that is at? I expect we will hear more about this and the details around the proposal in next week's budget, but at this point will he confirm that an assessment of the impact on the Exchequer has taken place, and if he is prepared to publish that assessment? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I thank Deputy Nash. The introduction of the investment account is a key step in fostering a stronger culture of long-term investment in our country and supporting greater financial resilience over time for individuals and families. We want to provide a simple, accessible and attractive framework for investment. The investment account will help individuals to put their savings to work, strengthen their economic resilience by helping people build assets, prepare for future financial needs, and improve their ability of our citizens to withstand economic shocks. It also contributes to the broader piece of work going on in deepening Europe's and Ireland's capital markets. While many of the parameters of the investment account have been shared and published in the roadmap on the taxation of retail investment this summer, a number of aspects, as the Deputy rightly suggests, will be announced on budget day, including the tax-free threshold, the flat rate of tax that will apply and the maximum amount you can contribute to an account in one year. In that context, final estimates of initial costs to the Exchequer on the introduction of the investment account will be provided as part of budget 2027. We will also provide, as the Deputy seeks, an economic impact assessment of the proposed investment account. The assessment uses a modified version of the dynamic representative agent model developed by the European Commission. The model has been adjusted to incorporate Irish parameters and data. It examines the potential impact of the proposed account on household investment, wealth accumulation, consumption and Exchequer revenues over a 20-year period. It compares the introduction of the account with a baseline in which there is no policy change. The analysis uses Irish household wealth data from the European Central Bank and income data from the Central Statistics Office. It also takes account of international experiences. In addition, the staff working document published with the European Commission's recommendation on savings and investment accounts in 2025 considered the potential fiscal impact of introducing investment accounts on member states at the EU level and suggests that these changes would have a positive economic impact. To cut a long story short, yes, we will publish it, and it will be published in advance of this House considering legislation and the detail of that legislation, so that we will then have an opportunity to tease through it together. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ged Nash  I expect then, from what the T\u00e1naiste is saying, we will see more details next week in the budget but that a lot of the tax-related matters will be addressed in the context of the Finance Bill that we will be dealing with in early November. Figures published by the IBEC group, Financial Services Ireland, would suggest that there will be a conservative 10% adult uptake. It applies a \u20ac30,000 tax-free annual allowance so that is probably a threshold that has been inserted into the media and with which we are familiar. It said that its first-year cost estimate would be approximately \u20ac54 million in foregone tax receipts. Is that an estimate that is familiar to the Government? Is that the baseline on which it is working? I would find it useful if the T\u00e1naiste could establish, given his clear interest in this issue - he has been interested in this issue for some time now - an assessment in terms of the number of savers who may take up the opportunity to engage in this form of an account in the first year or two. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  These are very fair questions. I am very happy to engage with them and we should engage with them in detail through the Finance Bill piece.  While we have seen a significant uptake in these accounts in a number of member states that have introduced them, I do not see this as a kind of light bulb or light switch moment. I see this more as a cultural change in terms of finance and investment that we will be on over a number of years and, if and when this works, I see this as being a moment that we will look back on in ten, 15 or 20 years, perhaps a bit like auto-enrolment, and see that it made a real and meaningful difference.  We need to make these decisions as a collective in government, but I expect the Exchequer impact, and I want to thank the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, for his work on this, to be very modest in the first year. I expect the economic assessment that I will publish to show the positive impact that this will have, which would also be in line with what the European Commission has found when it has looked at it on a member state level.  I have tried to put quite a lot on the record of the House in terms of the various information and methodology that we are following in terms of public finances. We want to get this right but the threshold----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Go raibh maith agat, a Aire. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Sorry, my apologies. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ged Nash","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Gerald-Nash.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Ged Nash  There is probably never a good time to launch an initiative like this given with what is happening with the US Treasury at the moment. In addition, given the kind of investment that will take place because of the products available such as bonds, exchange-traded funds, ETFs, shares and so on, it may not be the best time ever to do it.  I will be straight with the Minister. I do not see this in the scheme of things as being a priority. It is something that will happen. It has to happen. I understand why people will want the money that they have on deposit in bank accounts that is not earning an awful lot in interest at the moment to work harder for them, but I have said it before and I will say it again, it may very well be a bit of a minority sport. The reality is that people who may be watching in this evening and people who are following D\u00e1il proceedings, this will be the last thing on their mind during a cost-of-living crisis when they are finding it hard to pay the bills.  I have no issue with the principle of it. It very much aligns with the objectives of the European Union in terms of savings and investments, capital markets and so on. I have no issue with that, but there will be tax foregone. It may ultimately prove to be beneficial to our economy and society but time will tell. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I very much agree that time will tell is a fair analysis of the situation, and I appreciate that the Deputy does not have an ideological or principled objection to it. I also appreciate that this House will want to get the detail right and will want to tease through that.  I fully accept that we are living through a cost-of-living crisis and I fully accept that that it is real, but alongside that there is data from the CSO published only in the past month that shows that Irish people are continuing to save in many cases. They are small amounts, and this is not the Government or the Oireachtas telling them to open an investment account, but for those people trying to set aside very small amounts and a few bob, we want them to be able have the same opportunities, and quite frankly they do not at the moment because the tax system has been too complex. People have had to be a tax expert or a wealthy person to be able to avail of investments. Over time I might be able to convince the Deputy that this is something that the labour movement and the Government can align on in terms of it actually being something that is fundamentally good for ordinary workers.  However, I fully accept that this is not in any way being put forward by the Government as a response to the cost-of-living crisis but more actually to building up economic resilience over time for households. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Exchequer Returns"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_22","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Tax Code","counts":{"speechCount":22,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_17","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_22","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_22.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  The price of diesel is well above \u20ac2 per litre at the pumps right across this State, and at many of them it as high as \u20ac2.20. I am sure that the T\u00e1naiste has noticed that. It is hammering people who have no alternative to driving. For many people in rural areas, their car is their connection and lifeline. They simply cannot do without it, whether it is going to work or dropping the kids to school. Does the T\u00e1naiste accept that the situation has got worse since the D\u00e1il was recalled? Does he accept that there is now a need for further intervention to reduce the cost at the pumps in the scale of further reductions in excise? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I fully and factually have to accept that the price of diesel and petrol has risen further since the D\u00e1il was recalled. That is a statement of fact and there is an onus on all of us in this House to work in a constructive fashion in terms of more proposals and ideas that we can consider together.  Faced with the sudden rise in global energy prices, we have taken a number of actions. We have taken actions that did reduce the price as to what it otherwise would have been at the pumps. We have provided targeted assistance for vulnerable households. We have introduced financial support for critical sectors with acute exposure to high fuel prices. We also have to continue, and we saw more measures today from the Minister Climate, Energy and the Environment, Deputy O\u2019Brien, in relation to vital long-term investment to try to help people who are genuinely trying to transition but need support in terms of that, whether it is replacing the boiler or putting solar panels on the house.  We have seen over \u20ac1.3 billion in measures targeted at households, farmers, agricultural contractors, hauliers, and businesses. The Government has delivered one of the largest, if not the largest, support packages in the EU per capita . As we finalise the budget for next week, we are extremely conscious of the pressure that people are under when it comes to energy costs and energy prices.  We are actively endeavouring to advance a number of issues to provide assistance and certainty to people when it comes to energy, including on excise, and I have already signalled this.  We have got to be honest with people, and I think the Deputy accepts this, that there is no government in the world that can absorb all of the impact of the global energy shock. We have already temporarily reduced the mineral oil tax applying to petrol, auto diesel and marked gas oil, MGO. Inclusive of the reduction in the NORA levy, these changes save consumers and businesses 27 cent per litre of petrol, 32 cent per litre of auto diesel and 7.4 cent per litre of MGO.  It is perhaps because of those reasons that when I attended a meeting of the budgetary oversight committee last week, I was able to print out an article from the Euronews website that showed while diesel and petrol prices are still very high in Ireland, we were not featuring in the top ten in the European Union for petrol or diesel as of last week. I need to check them again this week. I am just making the point that the interventions are making a difference.  I have been very clear. We are not going to be a position to restore those excise measures in November as previously outlined, and we will be bringing forward more proposals to provide certainty for the winter in next month\u2019s budget. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  I have said it numerous times. We cannot control the international price of a barrel of oil. We cannot control what happens in the Middle East or in the Strait of Hormuz, but what we can control in this House is the amount of tax we apply to petrol and diesel. When people are driving up to their petrol stations and they are being charged \u20ac2.20 for a litre of diesel and they need that car and the diesel in their tank to go to work, drop the kids to school, visit their mother or whatever, then that pressure is too much.  The resources are in the State. We can all accept that. The resources are in the State to help people at this time of need. I am putting it to the T\u00e1naiste very clearly. When these prices are this high, the Government needs to go further. It has the ability to reduce excise further on petrol and diesel. It can do that. It can do it on the budget day, if it wants, which is only a couple of days away. It should have done it before this, but I am asking the Minister whether the Government will consider reducing excise further or petrol and diesel. It is a simple question. Is that under consideration? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Quite frankly, we are considering the whole issue of energy in the round. We need to be truthful with people. I am not suggesting that the Deputy is not. We need to be truthful with people in relation to things like EU directives and how far we have gone. In fact, we have gone further, as the Deputy knows, than the EU directives and sought derogations in some cases already. We have also got to be honest with people, who rightly want us to be able to do a whole variety of things in the budget next week, that there is a limit to what we can do and what any government can do in relation to energy.  At the moment, as profiled by the financial resolutions passed in this House, the excise cuts are due to be reversed starting in November. That will not happen. As a Government, we have agreed to provide clarity and certainty for people for the winter months. There are also other pressing issues that the Deputy and others have highlighted around home heating oil, gas and perhaps the carbon tax that is applied in relation to that. There are limits in relation to that too under the ETS2 derogation, but there is room to do stuff.  There are lots of ways of helping people with energy and cost of living and some of them are not related to energy, such as things like income tax proposals and childcare costs. People do not look at what they have at the end of the week or month based on which Department did what. They look at the overall package that the Government brings forward and we will bring forward a range of cost-of-living measures next week. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  I told the Minister a couple of weeks ago that the Government's plan to reintroduce excise on petrol and diesel was nuts. Putting up carbon tax in two weeks' time in October and then further on 1 November is absolute bonkers. That is why we voted against it. Let us be clear: the Government will get no pats on the back from people for saying \"I am not making your lives worse.\" What people expect from a Government is of course that not to make things harder, but when diesel and petrol prices are high, and the diesel price is \u20ac2.20 per litre, they want the Government to use some of the resources that workers collectively across this State have created. They want the Government to use the additional VAT that was brought into the Government's coffers, including \u20ac300 million more than expected at the end of August because prices are so high, to reduce excise further.  The Minister did not answer the question. He said that the Government is looking at everything in the context of energy. My question was not about energy broadly. My question is about petrol and diesel. Workers and families want to know whether the Government understands the pressure they are under. Is the Government considering further excise reductions on petrol and diesel? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Where the Deputy and I have disagreed on this, and we have disagreed on a few points, is that the Government has taken the approach, which we actually think is the right approach, to be agile and nimble, locking in decisions for long periods, when, with the greatest of respect, the Deputy or I did not know what was going to happen the Strait of Hormuz and whether it was going to get better or worse. The Deputy and I did not know that. Locking in taxpayers' money actually takes away the ability to be agile or nimble. We have shown every time as a Government that we have responded and respectfully the Deputy has suggested every time that we were going to put it back up but we have not. We are being agile and nimble. We are using taxpayers' money - we have to look at it in the round - to help people in the here and now.  What we have done with petrol and diesel has not just helped at the pumps. It has suppressed inflation in the economy by around 0.6%, so it has had a positive impact on food prices too. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Will the T\u00e1naiste answer the question? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  The answer to the question is that all of these are matters for budget day next Tuesday. The Government will consider all of them. The Deputy would not expect, because he has been at this a while, any other answer from me----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  If it is to one of the newspapers, the T\u00e1naiste will leak like the Titanic . "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Acting Chairman (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Deputy, please. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  He will leak like the Titanic . "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Acting Chairman (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Deputy, it is the T\u00e1naiste's opportunity----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I look forward to engaging----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  If there is a journalist in the corridor, he will tell him everything, but, by God, will he tell the D\u00e1il----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Acting Chairman (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  Deputies, the time for the question has expired. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  -----or the people of Ireland who are worried about their fuel bills? If there are any journalists here, maybe we will get an answer to the question----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Acting Chairman (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  We are moving on to----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I read Siobh\u00e1n Fenton's book recently. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Acting Chairman (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  -----an Teachta Tony McCormack. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  She gave a very good insight into how Deputy Doherty performs in this House. I think it is on page 154. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Aindrias Moynihan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Aindrias-Moynihan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Acting Chairman (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan)  An Teachta Tony McCormack, the floor is yours. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  It is a good description. She says he is a nice man and just acts for the cameras. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Tax Code"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_23","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Business Supports","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_17","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_23","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Tony McCormack","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Tony-McCormack.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Tony-McCormack.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_23.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Tony McCormack","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Tony-McCormack.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Tony-McCormack.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Tony McCormack  Before I start, I would like to offer my sympathies to the family, friends and work colleagues of Mihai Chinez and Denisa Chinez, who lost their lives so tragically in a workplace accident yesterday at Banagher Precast Concrete.  What are the Minister's plans to implement the recommendations from the cost of business advisory forum report that relate to his Department? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Deputy Robert Troy)  I thank the Deputy for his question and echo his words of sympathy to the families who were bereaved yesterday.  The Government is conscious of the challenges facing all businesses in the current economic climate. The programme for Government sets out a range of commitments to support small and medium enterprises, SMEs, and promote innovation, economic growth and entrepreneurship while maintaining competitiveness. This is an ongoing process.  The report of the cost of business advisory forum was published on 28 August. This is an industry-led report. It was facilitated by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and established as one of the commitments under the programme for Government to examine the factors contributing to the cost of doing business in Ireland and identify practical measures to improve competitiveness. The forum brought together business representative bodies from retail and tourism to agriculture and the multinational sector, alongside Departments and State agencies. It was designed to facilitate a solution-focused dialogue between businesses, policymakers, regulators and experts who have insight into the factors driving the rising costs of business in Ireland. A number of meetings of the forum have taken place since its establishment in June 2025. These focused on insurance costs, regulation and planning, water services, legal costs, regulation and compliance and banking, payments and financial services. The report contains 63 recommendations aimed at reducing business costs, strengthening competitiveness and easing regulatory burdens. A number of these come within my Department\u2019s remit.  My colleague the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has contacted the T\u00e1naiste and Minister for Finance, Deputy Harris, as well as other relevant Ministers to assess the feasibility, resource implications and potential impacts of individual recommendations and identify priorities for action. The Government is are committed to progressing practical measures that reduce the cost of doing business, enhance competitiveness and support a favourable operating environment for SMEs and enterprise. I am advised that the forum will reconvene in January 2027 to review progress made to date. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Tony McCormack","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Tony-McCormack.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Tony-McCormack.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Tony McCormack  I welcome this report and the 63 recommendations it contains. I also welcome the commitments outlined by the Minister of State to identify practical measures that can reduce the cost of doing business. A number of these recommendations fall within the remit of the Department of Finance. They could make a real difference, particularly to small businesses. I ask the Minister of State to give us an indication of the priorities within his Department and what practical progress he would like to see made before the forum meets again in January. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert Troy  I thank the Deputy and acknowledge his interest in and advocacy for SMEs. Indeed, as my party's spokesperson, he has been to the fore in raising the issues facing SMEs, not just in his own constituency but across Ireland. His own experience as an SME operator means that he can speak with real authority in terms of the challenges facing SMEs. It is important that we listen to people like him who are operating businesses and who understand the challenges.  One of the key issues that falls under my area of responsibility is ensuring reduced insurance costs for businesses. We did considerable work in the lifetime of the previous Government in terms of the action plan on insurance costs, publishing the personal injury guidelines, bringing down the cost of claims and enhancing the role of the Injuries Resolution Board and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission in order to ensure that we create more competition in the insurance industry. Some 57% of SMEs are now paying less than \u20ac1,000 in annual insurance premia. A total of 90% of businesses are paying less than \u20ac5,000 in annual insurance premia. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Tony McCormack","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Tony-McCormack.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Tony-McCormack.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Tony McCormack  I compliment the Minister of State and his Department on the work they have done on insurance. The cost of insurance was one of the main findings of the report. This is something that many businesses are under pressure with. I want to focus on one area that is particularly important for small businesses, which is access to credit. The report identifies limited competition in business banking and high borrowing costs as problems for small businesses. Access to affordable credit can decide whether businesses can buy equipment, take on another employee, invest in new technology or enter a new market. The forum recommends examining the case for a State SME bank. We already have State-backed structures that support business finance. Will the Minister of State ensure that this recommendation is properly assessed? More broadly, can we examine whether small businesses are actually getting enough affordable credit from the current system? We talk about helping Irish businesses to start, grow and become exporters, but access to finance is essential if we want that to happen. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert Troy  I could not agree more, and that is something I advocated strongly for when I was a Minister of State in the Department of enterprise in the previous Government. Establishing a new State bank will be fully considered by my Department, including in the context of conducting any necessary further stakeholder consultation. I would like to draw the Deputy's attention to a large number of State supports that are currently in place to help SMEs to access credit. These include the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland, SBCI, Ireland's national promotional bank, which was established in 2014 to deliver financial supports that address failures in the Irish credit market while driving competition and innovation and ensuring the efficient use of available EU resources. The SBCI will have provided about \u20ac5 billion in lending to more than 66,000 SMEs to the end of 2026.  I would also point to recent changes to the credit union lending regulations by the Central Bank that are enabling credit unions to lend up to 15% of their assets to SMEs. That is an area in which I see real growth opportunities to support SMEs going forward. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Business Supports"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_24","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_25","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Cross-Border Co-operation","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_24","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_25.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  Cross-Border working is an increasingly important feature in our all-island economy, with thousands of people crossing the Border every day to work. Brexit and the growth of remote and hybrid working have exposed practical difficulties for workers and employers dealing with two tax systems and different rules. Negotiations on a new double taxation convention between the Irish and British Governments present an important opportunity to simplify these arrangements. What progress has been made in these negotiations and when are they expected to conclude? What practical improvements will they deliver for cross-Border workers and for their employers? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I propose to take questions Nos. 121 and 122 together.  I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for the question and for her ongoing engagement on this issue. This is a matter that I am determined to get done. I had a good discussion with the new Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK, John Healy, on the matter when he was in Dublin for the informal ECOFIN meeting. The two questions concern cross-Border working on the island of Ireland. I can inform Deputy Conway-Walsh that progressing and enhancing the all-island labour market is a priority for me, my Department and the Government of Ireland.  The tax treatment associated with cross-Border working has been subject to ongoing discussions in recent years, particularly in light of the increase in remote working as a result of the pandemic. However, cross-Border working gives rise to complex issues involving shared taxing rights between different jurisdictions. There are potential issues for employees, employers, and Exchequer revenues, with a wide range of policy issues requiring consideration including around double non-taxation and the likes. There is also the need to respect long-established international tax principles. Nonetheless, it is absolutely necessary from an all-Ireland labour market perspective to find a satisfactory solution to the issue. I am pleased that the Irish and British Governments are committed to finding a solution.  Deputy Conway-Walsh will be aware that the second annual UK-Ireland Summit, which was held in Cork on 12 March, acknowledged and committed to this work being undertaken in order to address the complexities of the cross-Border issue. The joint statement that arose from that summit welcomed agreement to engage on reaching a decision on this issue and the commitment to reviewing a bilateral Ireland-UK approach to address concerns arising from hybrid cross-Border work.  Engagement on this matter between my departmental officials, Revenue officials and His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, HMRC, commenced in 2025 to facilitate an exchange of views, share experiences and consider recent developments in relation to cross-Border tax issues. Revenue and HMRC officials are currently considering various approaches in the context of a broader renegotiation of the double taxation agreement with the UK, with a view to finding a solution on cross-Border working and also to update and modernise the double taxation agreement, which is now almost 50 years old. The Deputy will be aware that the double taxation agreement is an international treaty. Such agreements are strictly confidential while under negotiation. As this particular agreement is still in the process of renegotiation, I cannot discuss further details of either the process or the substance of the negotiations other than to say that all double taxation agreements must be brought before the Oireachtas prior to ratification.  Revenue is aware of the uncertainty faced by employees and employers regarding the taxation of employment income. Where the employee can avail of a hybrid working engagement, he or she could live in one jurisdiction and work in the other. These are common daily realities for many people. The negotiations are at an advanced stage. I engaged recently in Dublin with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the progress. We are committed to finding a mutually acceptable solution to cross-Border hybrid working. While I cannot give the House a definitive timeline, I can say that the negotiations are going well and I expect we will bring them to a conclusion to everybody's satisfaction. I will keep the Deputy informed. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  I appreciate that the T\u00e1naiste cannot give the details here tonight. I am raising this issue because I want it to be an absolute priority. Ten years on from the Brexit referendum, cross-Border workers are still dealing every day with uncertainty and complexity. In excess of 18,000 workers crossed the Border, along with \u20ac17 billion in trade, in 2025. We need to make it as seamless as possible for workers and employers.  A few months ago, we spoke in this Chamber about the fiscal implications of a united Ireland. Here we have the fiscal implications of partition on our island. People living on one side of the Border and working on the other can find themselves navigating two tax administrations alongside different rules on social protection, pensions and employment rights. Where somebody works from home for part of the week, questions can arise around tax liabilities and employer obligations. This creates uncertainty, not only for workers, but also for businesses that might otherwise recruit people from across the Border. We should be making it easier to live, work and employ people on an all-island basis, rather than allowing administrative barriers to discourage labour mobility. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I agree with that fully. While we are here talking, quite rightly, about an all-island economy and the better shared future we want to build, I am conscious of the very tense situation in the North tonight. With the Taoiseach, I engaged on that today with the Deputy's party leader and with Michelle O'Neill. We are all thinking tonight of a community in which people are feeling a sense of trauma and retraumatisation. Nobody ever wants to see us brought back to the previous time. It would be odd to have the conversation arising out of these questions without acknowledging that context and backdrop.  The Deputy is right that there is too much conversation in the media of what is nearly a gotcha question as to how much a unified island would cost. There would also be huge benefits from an all-island economy. I welcome her constructive engagement on the discussion we had in this House on the dynamic effects. There would be some upfront costs, of course, but there also would be huge benefits. The idea of having to give one figure for the cost is not helpful. I try to put useful data on the record of the House.  In the here and now, as we prepare to build our shared future and, I hope, a unified island into the future, there are practical issues arising for cross-Border workers. There are people who live on one side of the Border and work on the other. There are people working some days on one side of the Border and some days on the other. We need to fix this issue and get it right. It is a personal priority for me and for my Department, and also for Revenue from a practical point of view. In fairness, I think it is also a priority for the UK Treasury. It is an outcome of the UK-Ireland summit in Cork last year. I am committed to getting it done and we want it done as quickly as possible. The fact that we are also doing some broader work is not to delay that. The double taxation agreement review is also a good thing in terms of east-west processes. I will let the Deputy know as soon as we have progress on that. Both the Chancellor of the Exchequer and I have noted the good progress that is being made. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Rose Conway-Walsh","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Rose-Conway-Walsh.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh  I, too, send solidarity to the residents of the Garvaghy Road. What is happening there is an absolute disgrace. I appeal to the T\u00e1naiste, as a member of the Government and leader of his party, to get the Taoiseach and the Government to act immediately. We cannot let this continue. We know what needs to be done. There will be no march down the Garvaghy Road. People need to understand that. The Secretary of State must play the role he has to play in this as co-guarantor of the Good Friday Agreement. We met the residents here last week. What they have been put through is not right, and it is not right for it to continue another day. We cannot be spectators in this. The Government has a role to play, as does the British Government. There must be intervention. There is no way that the Parades Commission should ever have made that decision. It was totally wrong, and it was a wrong done to every person on this island. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  The Parades Commission got this extraordinarily wrong. I am very clear on that. There has been good engagement with the Deputy's party leader and with Michelle O'Neill in her capacity as party vice president. To be fair to everybody, the Taoiseach is extraordinarily engaged on this issue; of that there is absolutely no doubt. My colleague, the Minister for foreign affairs, is in the North this evening. We are engaging closely with the Deputy's party colleagues.  I, too, had the opportunity to meet the Garvaghy Road residents when they were here last week. What really struck me was that they are decent people who all have simply worked far too hard for far too long to ever go back to the situation of the past. The Deputy will know this, because she has been up there with the community, but they told me of the young people who had grown up expecting this conflict to be just a distant memory. We are never going back and we cannot go back.  The most important thing in the here and now is that space be created. I do not want to say anything to cut across that process other than that we are, and will remain, very engaged as a Government and as co-guarantors of a peace agreement that so many people have worked so hard to get to this point. I heard a woman speaking on \"Morning Ireland\" this morning who is a Garvaghy Road resident. She talked about how her children were growing up playing with children from another community tradition in a way that would not have been imaginable in the past. Even if this issue ended today, and we all hope it does, there is a level of trauma and retraumatisation that is real after the events of the past few days. We will all have to work together on that in the time ahead.  We continue to work together in a sensible, all-island way to resolve the taxation issue for the future. There are very practical implications for people, regardless of their political tradition. We can do much better for cross-Border workers and I am determined to bring the matter to a close. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Cross-Border Co-operation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_26","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Tax Yield","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_24","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_26","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louis O'Hara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_26.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louis O'Hara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louis O'Hara  Will the T\u00e1naiste outline the amount of carbon tax collected in 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026 and how he proposes to support householders who have borne the brunt of continuing increases in that tax in recent years? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I thank the Deputy for his question. The carbon tax has been a central pillar of Ireland's climate policy framework. It has provided a clear and credible long-term signal in terms of our work as a country to transition away from fossil fuels and move towards a low-carbon economy.  Provision was introduced in the Finance Act 2020 to provide for annual increases in carbon tax rates up to May 2030. Carbon tax rates on petrol and auto-diesel are generally legislated to increase at budget time each year up to 2029, with the increase delayed until 1 May for all other fuels up to 2030. In April, the Government deferred the 1 May 2026 carbon tax increase on home heating fuels and marked gas oil, MGO, until October in light of the extraordinary circumstances and increased fuel prices created by the conflict in the Middle East. I am advised by Revenue that the amount of carbon tax collected was \u20ac1.067 billion in 2024 and \u20ac1.176 billion in 2025. The provisional figure to the end of August this year was \u20ac866 million.  Revenues raised from the carbon tax are allocated for expenditure on just transition and climate-positive measures, including funding social welfare measures, agri-environmental schemes and retrofitting programmes. The net impact of the combined measures funded by the carbon tax has consistently been shown to be progressive. As of budget 2026, the Government has allocated over \u20ac4.2 billion in carbon tax revenue for those purposes since 2020. Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, analysis consistently shows that the lower income deciles are better off as a result of the social protection measures funded by the increased carbon tax.  The Government remains committed to our climate action policy, which includes the carbon tax. However, we took the decision to pause the 1 May increase to help alleviate fuel price pressures being faced by households and businesses. In budget 2026, \u20ac1.114 billion was allocated to climate action measures and to ensure the most vulnerable were protected from the unintended impacts of the increase.  I will make one further point in the interests of fully informing the House.  As the Deputy has heard me say before, we published a tax strategy group paper over the summer. It outlined different ways one could consider the carbon tax reforms that could be made. We are considering that in the round and I have particularly signalled that changes be considered for kerosene and gas. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louis O'Hara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louis O'Hara  Households across the State are under massive pressure at the moment when it comes to the cost of filling their car and heating their homes. In terms of home heating oil, we brought forward proposals on eight different occasions just this year to remove the carbon tax on home heating oil, but the Government has opposed that on every single occasion. There has been no reduction of carbon tax or excise duty on home heating oil this year, while prices have gone through the roof. Over the past number of years, we have seen successive Governments heap more upward pressure on the cost of home heating fuels, petrol and diesel through continued carbon tax increases, and there are further ones planned all the way through to 2030. The carbon tax is a regressive tax which forces the most vulnerable and disadvantaged households in this State to pay a premium. These are households that very often have no other alternatives available to them. The ongoing fuel price crisis shows us that when the cost of fuel and home heating oil increases, it is the most vulnerable and most disadvantaged people who feel the impact the most. The ongoing increases are going to further exacerbate that inequality. When will the T\u00e1naiste finally acknowledge this reality, stop pretending that high carbon tax and tax increases are working, and give households a break? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I appreciate that when it comes its application, the carbon tax is not equally felt by all citizens. I take the point that the data shows that those living in rural Ireland are twice as likely to use home heating oil as a fuel source - as an example - as those living in larger towns and cities. According to the latest available CSO figures, around 26% of households in Ireland use it as their main heating fuel, so that is probably around half a million households. The Government understands that these are disproportionately older households, disproportionately rural, and in a lot of cases, lower income households as well. Many households are eligible for the fuel allowance. We extended it by four weeks earlier this year, meaning that close to 470,000 households will have benefited from additional payments, totalling \u20ac152 per household. The fuel allowance season has now commenced for this winter period. I am also conscious that there are those who use home heating oil who do not qualify for the payments, so the upcoming budget will consider all of these issues in the round.  We would also have to consider - I think the Deputy is endeavouring to do this too - that we stay on the right side of the ETS2 derogation. We do not want any unintended consequences in relation to any changes that may be brought forward. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Louis O'Hara","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Louis-O'Hara.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Louis O'Hara  The T\u00e1naiste says that he understands but this year he has not done anything on home heating oil. He has not reduced the excise duty or the carbon tax on that at a time when prices have increased massively. We all understand that prices have increased because of the conflict in the Middle East. The Government still had options available to it to alleviate that pressure for households, but it has simply chosen not to do so. That needs to happen as a matter of urgency. The Government needs to completely remove the carbon tax from home heating oil to give households a break. Carbon tax increases need to be taken off the table. In the context of the prices we have at the moment and people, especially in rural Ireland, not having the alternatives available to them, it is totally unjustifiable for the Government to continue to proceed with these increases. They should be taken off the table. What choice does a person have if they are renting and their landlord does not want to get rid of the oil tank? What choice does a person have in rural Ireland where there is no public transport available to them, where they have to put petrol or diesel in the car? They cannot afford an expensive electric vehicle. These tax increases are anti-rural. They disproportionately impact low-income households and the Government needs to acknowledge that reality. Remove the carbon tax completely from home heating oil. Cut the tax on petrol and diesel as well to continue to give people a break, because households cannot sustain any more increases. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  We can have a difference of view on this. We have taken a number of measures to try to help people with energy and fuel supports. It is probably the largest in the European Union per capita . I agree with the Deputy on the point that not everybody is in a position to change their home heating oil tank. I think particularly of older people as well. It just simply might not work for people. Quite frankly, there is a difference between saying do not increase the taxes versus a complete abolition of the tax. We need to operate in this space while being conscious of the ETS2 derogation. We all take our views and our advices in relation to this. We have a derogation from opting into the ETS. We do not want to have a situation where we transfer revenues being collected by one form of taxation and spent domestically here over to a large payment of billions of euro to the European Union. We have to consider all of those issues. The tax strategy group paper, which no doubt Sinn F\u00e9in will be considering as part of its alternative budget too, talks about trajectories and different products. The Deputy is correct; there are things the Government can choose to do. The Government cannot do everything. The Government can help people with costs in general, including the cost of energy and filling the home heating tank through a variety of means, including the income tax system. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Tax Yield"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_27","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Banking Sector","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_24","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_27","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_27.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Martin Daly  I ask the Minister the steps being taken to ensure adequate access to cash and in-person banking services in rural communities, particularly in towns in the counties of Roscommon and Galway, and how the effectiveness of the access-to-cash framework is being assessed under the Finance Act (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure) 2025. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert Troy  I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Government is committed to ensuring that cash remains available as a means of payment and last year put legislation in place to achieve the same. The Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrastructure Act) 2025, which was commenced on 13 June 2025, implements a recommendation from the 2022 retail banking review as part of the legislative framework. The section 5 order issued under the Act established criteria to ensure that access to cash infrastructure across the State remains sufficient and effective. Designated entities which are credit institutions that hold prescribed percentages of current accounts and household deposits are responsible for ensuring those criteria are met. The Central Bank is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the access-to-cash framework on a quarterly basis. This includes assessing the number of cash service points and the ATMs against the criteria prescribed in the section 5 order.  The initial quarterly reports published by the Central Bank indicate that the levels of cash infrastructure remain broadly in line with those criteria. Where non-compliance is identified, the designated entities are responsible for taking the necessary steps to address it. In addition to the access-to-cash criteria, the Central Bank has implemented a local deficiency framework, effective since 1 July this year. The framework allows members of the public to notify the Central Bank where they believe there is inefficient access to cash services in their locality, even where the access-to-cash criteria for the wider region have been met. Perhaps that is something the Deputy is referring to in his own constituency. The Central Bank has published guidelines detailing how it will assess submissions, make determinations on whether a local deficiency in cash infrastructure exists, and decide if remediation is required. The guidelines are available on the Central Bank's website, along with a cash access map, to help individuals to identify the location of cash services in their area. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Martin Daly  I thank the Minister of State for his answer and I am reassured by what he tells me. Cash is still a vital component of our economy, especially in rural areas. In my own town of Ballygar, County Galway, we lost the Bank of Ireland in 2021 and access to 24-hour cash. It took a considerable campaign by the Ballygar Regeneration Group to get the Athenry Credit Union to install an ATM in June of this year. Cash still remains a critical safety net for individual groups, especially elderly people, people who are living with disability or people who may have an intellectual disability. It is a tool for social inclusion. It allows for immediate settlement of bills and it is a fundamental safeguard for consumer privacy. It is also a real backup in cases where the digital infrastructure around money transfers may fail or in the case of a natural disaster. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert Troy  I could not agree more with the Deputy. It is critically important that we retain the use of cash and that it is available and acceptable by all businesses. It is a legitimate way of paying for goods and services. I will address what has been done to correct deficiencies in the Deputy's constituency, which he is focusing on this evening. The most recent quarterly access to cash report published by the Central Bank, based on data collected as of 30 June, identified a non-compliance with the criteria in the west region, of which counties Galway and Roscommon are part. Specifically, deficits were identified in the number of ATMs per 100,000 people and the percentage of the population that should be within 10 km of a cash service point.  Detailed information on the number and location of ATM cash service points is available on the Central Bank website. The Central Bank has issued a non-compliance notification to the designated entities and after receipt of the notification, the designated entities have at least one month and up to eight weeks to present proposals to the bank for addressing each instance of non-compliance. Regarding what the Deputy is raising in the Chamber today, the Central Bank is acutely aware of where there are deficiencies and is already acting on that. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Martin Daly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Martin-Daly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Martin Daly  I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I take the reassurance that there is a constant monitoring of cash access and that the system is responsive to individual communities and groups that have a problem in accessing cash.  I come back to the idea that rural communities depend on cash. Due to the lack of transport links and accessibility to ATMs or other banking services, it helps people who are unbanked and those who rely on setting their day-to-day grocery bills and transactions in cash. It is an accessible, physical means of exchange for vulnerable citizens. It also helps increased budget management for many people because cash is a tangible thing for them. In a world of increasing loss of privacy for individual citizens where major corporations control our identities and data, it is most important that we have the safety net of cash in our society. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Robert Troy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Robert-Troy.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Robert Troy  \"Local deficiencies\" is the term used in the legislation for where particular difficulties arise in accessing cash in NUTS 3 regions. Even if a region meets the designations but people locally feel that particular pockets within the overall region are adversely affected, there is the mechanism whereby a local person or representative can notify the Central Bank directly. The Central Bank will then assess each submission and determine whether that particular local geographical area warrants a remedy. There a very clear mechanism whereby local areas can ensure that access to cash is readily available. As a fourth-generation postmaster in a small village in Westmeath, what I would say is that, if people do not use services such as that, they will lose them. It is critical that people use the services that are there because we only miss the water when the well runs dry. Services such as the post office and credit union, particularly in rural Ireland, are critical for ensuring that people who are not banking literate have the ability to carry on their daily lives, pay their bills, access the cash, etc. I will put the call out there to use the services that are in people's localities because if they do not, they will lose them. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Banking Sector"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_28","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Vacant Properties","counts":{"speechCount":8,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_24","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_28.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  Deputy Gould ask me to take this in his absence. Obviously, we have been waiting a long time for the vacant homes tax to be introduced. There was a collection of data and so on. It has been introduced now. We understand that the collection rates are very low. I am asking the Minister for an update. We have the 2025 self-assessed data, but what is the most recent data the Minister has? Have we seen a spike in terms of compliance? What options is the Department looking at for this year? I think we can accept that the tax is not working in its current form. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I thank Deputy Doherty and Deputy Gould, whom I know has a particular interest in this. The vacant homes tax was introduced in 2022. The tax is currently charged at seven times the base rate of local property tax. Following re-evaluation last year, in which all local property tax charges were increased by a small to moderate amount, vacant homes tax will scale accordingly. The tax operates on a self-assessment basis where the number of properties in scope and the amount of tax payable depends on the self-assessed returns submitted by property owners, the number of properties declared as liable and the number of property owners entitled to claim available exemptions from the tax. There was a decrease in the number of properties liable for the vacant homes tax between the first and second chargeable periods and a further decrease between the second and third chargeable periods. This is not unexpected, given the behavioural nature of the tax, its objective of bringing vacant residential properties into use and the level of demand, which we all know, for housing in the State.  Regarding the collection of vacant homes tax, I am advised by Revenue that, from January to August of this year, approximately \u20ac1.34 million was collected in vacant homes tax. As the Deputy is aware, I intend to introduce a new derelict property tax in this year's budget. Further details about the tax will be part of budget 2027, which I hope we can then legislate for in the Finance Bill. Creating and introducing the new tax this year is a key priority for my Department. It is hoped that this tax will paint a clear picture of the level of dereliction across our towns and cities. The data collected will help inform local and national decisions regarding long-term vacant and derelict properties. I will continue to work with colleagues to ensure that any further interventions are appropriately calibrated and represent the best use of resources.  The new measure will try to build on the progress we have made to date in relation to vacancy and dereliction. The derelict properties tax - a robust one using Revenue - is the way to go. We will be outlining details of that in the budget but looking to legislate across the House on this between now and the end of year. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  My understanding, and the Minister might correct me if I am wrong, is that dereliction and vacancy are two different things. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  They are, yes. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  We are talking about apples and oranges here. The Minister is talking about a derelict properties tax. That is fine; a property that is derelict is visibly derelict. We are talking about vacant homes. We are talking about how the whole idea of this tax is to get homes into usage and to penalise people for leaving properties vacant and not using them in the middle of a housing crisis. We have argued time and again for many years with the Government to introduce this tax and to make it stronger and its rates higher.  Crucially, we cannot have the situation where the Central Statistics Office, CSO, says there are 70,000 vacant properties. I accept that not all of the 70,000 would fall under the scope of this tax because of some of the caveats and exemptions that are there, but it is not the case that there are only 2,361 vacant properties across the State. It is just not the case. This has been going on, and what I have not heard from the Minister is how he is going to fix it. He is telling me that he is going to introduce a different tax for a different type of property. That is not what I am interested in at the minute. I am interested in the tax that has existed for the last four years. It is simply not working. Has the Minister any proposals to actually fix this? Are we going to see anything in the budget that is going to fix this or is the Minister just going to leave it the way it is? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I fully understand and agree that vacancy and dereliction are two different things, but the taxes are all aimed at the same purpose of making sure that we get homes back into use. A tax of vacant residential property is one policy tool to address vacancy but it is also a behavioural change tax. It is about making sure that people do not leave houses in vacancy. We would expect, when we bring in a tax, that behavioural change will start to take effect.  I take the Deputy's point. He referenced the 70,000 figure while also acknowledging that there may be many that do not meet the definition of vacancy. When Revenue looked through all of this, as the Deputy will remember when all of this was introduced, it wrote to around 25,000 property owners who were potentially within the scope of the vacant homes tax. Many of the property owners declared them as being occupied and for the first chargeable period of the tax, there were about 6,800 properties declared as vacant. Some 2,800 of them claimed an exemption from the tax. In the first chargeable period, which went from November 2022 to October 2023, there were 3,910 properties liable for the vacant homes tax. That reduced in the next chargeable period to 2,357. In the third chargeable period, from November 2024 to October 2025, there were 1,655 properties liable. Therefore, we see this as a tax that is actually bringing about behavioural change. The next focus from a Revenue perspective and a Government perspective will be tackling what we believe to be the bigger issue around derelict properties. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  The Minister has announced the derelict properties tax numerous times, but derelict properties are derelict properties and are harder to get into use in the system than vacant homes. Of course we need the tax on them - that should absolutely happen - but it is not a case of looking at something else and forgetting about the fact that this tax here, which has been introduced for the last four years, is not working. I still have not heard anything from the Minister that suggests there is going to be any change. He has brought in a tax that allows people to self-declare that a house is not vacant. Is there any follow up in relation to this?  Is there a compliance issue? Has the T\u00e1naiste sat down with Revenue? Is he concerned that fewer than 10% of those who got these letters are paying the tax? Is he concerned that a tiny fraction of the owners of properties that the CSO identifies as vacant are in compliance when it comes to the tax?  We are in the middle of a housing crisis. The accepted view is that a large number of homes are vacant. The idea behind this behavioural tax is that you would tax people in order to get these properties into use. Have 10,000 or 20,000 houses gone into the private rental sector as single tenancies? No, they have not. It has gone in the other direction. All the evidence points towards there not being a massive change in behaviour. On foot of that, one can only be led to believe that this tax is not working and is not being complied with. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Revenue does a very good job of collecting taxation in this country. That is why there are often calls in this House for derelict properties to be handed over to Revenue, because Revenue has teeth. As the Deputy knows, Revenue has powers under the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to address compliance or non-compliance with legislation. It has the power to require a chargeable person to file a vacant homes tax return. It has powers to make inquiries, raise and amend assessments and request a chargeable person to provide certain records. If anyone has evidence of people not complying with taxation law, I am sure Revenue would be very interested in that, particularly as it also has the power to issue a notice to a chargeable person requiring them to provide records to demonstrate that their property was in use as a dwelling for 30 days or more in a chargeable period. Where such records are not provided or where the records provided are insufficient, Revenue may deem the property to be vacant for the purposes of the vacant homes tax.  It is entirely possible that when this House legislates on vacancy and links it with the local property tax structure, behaviour does change and that, therefore, the number of properties that become eligible for tax, when it is a behavioural change tax, actually falls. We keep these issues under review, but Revenue does have significant enforcement powers. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Vacant Properties"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_29","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Disability Issues","counts":{"speechCount":8,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_24","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_29","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_29.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  Are changes to the tax system being considered? I understand that the T\u00e1naiste will not be announcing anything this evening, but I ask that anything relating to people with disabilities, particularly in the context of the cost of transport, energy, medical and assistive equipment, be pushed. Are additional or enhanced tax reliefs in this area under consideration? Is the Department working on anything relating respite or overnight stays for people with disabilities? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Across Government - and I know this is an issue the Deputy is passionate about - we recognise the significant financial pressures experienced by households, particularly the financial pressures being experienced by households in which there is a person with a disability, amid the heightened cost-of-living environment that obtains. In response, we have implemented a number of measures to try to help the most vulnerable.  When this Government took office, we committed to a step change in the delivery of supports and services for people with disabilities in line with our programme for Government commitments. The previous budget was the first step in delivering on this. We provided \u20ac3.83 billion to specialist disability services this year. That is an increase of almost 20%, or \u20ac618 million. It was worth every penny and was vital, but it was a much larger increase than went to pretty much any other Department. It is going to be vital in the context of delivering on the national human rights strategy for disabled persons.  There are already a number of measures within the tax system that support people with disabilities and carers. These include tax relief for health expenses, which provides relief to individuals who have incurred costs in respect of qualifying health expenses, such as, for example, their medical equipment. In addition, substantial measures relating to income tax and the universal social charge have obviously reduced the tax burden for all workers in recent years. Broadly speaking, the income tax measures implemented over the period of the previous Government were in line with wage growth. In order to support people with energy costs, we took a number of measures.  To answer Deputy Heneghan's direct question, the tax system is not the only vehicle in this regard. That is why we are committed to introducing a cost-of-disability payment. Work is being done by the Minister, Deputy Calleary, on that. I met the Minister of State, Deputy Higgins, earlier today, and there is good work being done in relation to respite services, which is a key issue. The Government will look at this matter in the round across a range of Departments in the context of what we can do to help people with both service provision and costs. The Government is very committed to introducing a cost-of-disability payment in this year's budget. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  I will always push for plug-in solar. The T\u00e1naiste sent a lovely letter to my office regarding finance and directly helping on that. We need to make it easily available for people across Ireland and do a pilot scheme for those with disabilities or those who live in rented accommodation. I appreciate the support I got from the T\u00e1naiste's office in that letter.  I recently attended the Before We Die national assembly at the Helix, which is located in my old university. That campaign asks one fundamental question, namely who will care for adult children - people's sons and daughters - with intellectual disabilities when ageing parents are no longer able to do so? At the Helix, figures which show that 2,314 adults with intellectual disabilities are living with parents over the age of 70 were presented. More than 500 are living with parents over the age of 80. These families are providing lifelong care. Some of the supports the T\u00e1naiste mentioned are a help to them. In the context of budget 2027, will he examine whether the tax system can give greater recognition to families caring for those with disabilities, particularly older parents who continue to provide full-time care, in circumstances where appropriate supports or residential provision are not available? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I thank the Deputy for his ongoing interest in and genuine expertise regarding the issue of renewables and plug-in solar, and for his correspondence. I continue to engage with colleagues across Government on that. We will keep in touch with the Deputy in respect of it.  I also thank the Deputy for raising the Before We Die campaign. This is something we are discussing right across Government. The Taoiseach and I, along with relevant Ministers, intend to meet this group again shortly. The Taoiseach and I have already met its representatives. I would argue that many if not all Ministers have met the group, as have so many other TDs. The group is right. There are real issues here. There are some legislative issues that it has highlighted, but there are also a number of practical issues. If we are building more homes - not enough, but more - in our communities. If we are building more social homes than at any time since the seventies, even a small change in a community in terms of a percentage of those homes being provided for those with disabilities could really move the dial. There is a lot of good work going on with the Ministers for housing and disability on this matter.  On tax and expenditure, we will have to wait until next week's budget. We will engage during the week on specific measures, but people can expect that a cost-of-disability payment to be introduced in the budget. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  I appreciate that. I look forward to next week. In respect of the budget, what the Independents and I have been pushing for is relief for those with disabilities. They need to be protected and looked after, particularly in the context of what the Before We Die campaign has highlighted. They also need to be catered for in relation to the greater context of energy and how plug-in solar, battery storage and other smarter uses of electricity can really help them. Last week, we saw people asking for a one-off energy measure of \u20ac500. How about one-off, ten-year solar panels that are going to constantly reduce people's bills? That is something I will continue to push for, and I welcome the engagement.  I will send further correspondence to the Department regarding a constituent who has raised the position of people with obstructive sleep apnea who require continuous positive airway pressure therapy. This relates to the question I started with. I understand that it is cheeky to throw it in, but when someone is diagnosed with a chronic condition, they must continually use medical equipment. I would appreciate if tax treatment in this regard could be facilitated in an adequate way as well. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I am always in awe of the Deputy's ability to cover a lot in a question, but these are all serious issues. I do not mean to be flippant. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Barry Heneghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Barry-Heneghan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Barry Heneghan  You have to be. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  Earlier today, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, brought 11 measures to Cabinet in relation to improving grants around solar, battery storage and the boiler scrappage scheme. The Deputy is right. I understand, as does he, that we have to help people in the here and now. Many people are looking for help in order to allow their families and businesses to make the transition. Sometimes, the gap in that regard can be too big to bridge. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, is coming up with a lot of ideas that I think are going to make a real and meaningful difference to people. I hope the measures brought forward today help. I know the Deputy will keep on the Minister's case and our case in regard to improvements in other areas.  On obstructive sleep apnea, I will consider the Deputy's correspondence with the Minister for Health on that issue and see what may be possible. I am happy to have a further discussion with the Deputy on the matter. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Question No. 127 taken with Written Answers. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Disability Issues"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_30","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Tax Code","counts":{"speechCount":27,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_24","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_30","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_30.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  I have been raising the issue of home heating oil with the T\u00e1naiste over a long period. The reality is that people have used home heating oil right throughout the current crisis. They use it to heat their homes. They also use it to heat their water in order to be able to wash the dishes. Home heating oil is what 700,000 households across the State rely on, and the T\u00e1naiste refused to cut any excise at all from it because all of the excise is carbon tax. I put it to the T\u00e1naiste again that he needs to reduce the excise on home heating oil. He needs to take it away completely.  It can be done under the European rules. There is no minimum requirement and therefore the Government made an error by not supporting families in the past when it reduced it on petrol, diesel and green diesel. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  Thanks, Deputy. You can come back in afterwards. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  I am asking the Minister to take all the excise away from home heating oil while these prices remain high. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I thank the Deputy very much. The Government is very conscious of the price increases in home heating oil. They are very real and significant. The conflict in the Middle East has severely impacted the cost of kerosene. We have taken some measures that have helped those most at risk of fuel poverty and the Deputy knows that. We extended the fuel allowance by a further four weeks. That resulted in additional payments to about 470,000 fuel allowance recipients, many of whom would use home heating oil. It meant a typical household receiving the fuel allowance, which is roughly a quarter of all households in the country, received \u20ac1,216 over the course of the fuel allowance season. We also deferred the planned increase in carbon tax on home heating fuels which was due to occur last May until after budget day and said we would have an opportunity to review these matters again in the budget. As the Deputy knows, we took a range of other measures as well, including expanding fuel allowance eligibility.  The Deputy is correct - we have debated this for quite some time - that the fuel excise applied to kerosene home heating oil is purely carbon tax. We need to be honest about what is and is not possible to alleviate the burden of higher fuel prices in the short and long term. Changes have to be carefully calibrated. We are working through this as a Government and the details will be published on budget day. However, as the tax strategy group paper identifies, we cannot treat carbon differently on different products. Regarding kerosene, there may well be something we can do in that space. I do not necessarily want to be argumentative about this but there is advice available to me - I am happy to discuss it and no doubt we will during the budget - on not risking our derogation in relation to the ETS. We certainly do not want to end up, and I know the Deputy does not either, paying billions more to Europe as a consequence of doing that, so there is a balance we have got to get right on that. I am happy to share our views on that. There obviously will be some people disproportionately at risk of fuel poverty and we have got to continue to target those measures at them. We need to look at all this in the round and we need to continue, to Deputy Heneghan's point, to look at helping people move from fossil fuel-dependence, though I accept that is not as easy for everybody. This will all be looked at in the round and I have been clear I am minded to do something about the taxation that applies to kerosene. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  We had the discussion earlier on and the Minister will say it was a Fine Gael Government that did this but there is no doubt, if you look back at the record, that the reason the Government did not reduce any excise duty on home heating oil is because it is carbon tax, which is this Holy Grail. I really do not want to go into a discussion on that, but the Government is moving now. For the first time it is going to reduce the carbon tax. That is good. It is good that the Government has got there, or that it is going to get there next Tuesday.  As for what the Minister says about what is and is not possible in Europe, if he is willing to share that he can send it to me. My understanding is that the new rule will not take effect until 2028 and therefore a temporary reduction on kerosene will not have an impact in relation to this. If we do this for a period during 2027 it will not have an impact. Obviously if we were to continue it into 2028 it would but for the immediate future it is a bit of a red herring, unless the Minister knows differently. The issue is that it is within his gift to take all the carbon tax off home heating oil. That is about 16 cent per litre. We charge VAT on top of the carbon tax so it would reduce the cost of a fill by \u20ac183. Would that undo the price increases that have happened? Not a chance. Prices have gone through the roof. They have gone up about \u20ac700 since the start of the year. However, it would show that the Government is doing the maximum it can on excise duty on this type of fuel, and that is what I am asking the Minister to do. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  We should have an informed conversation about this. What the Deputy has said is true. There are things the Government can do and this House can do, and there are things we cannot do. I am going to be honest, as the Deputy has been honest, in saying whatever we do on the taxation side will not be enough - I am talking about the taxation on energy piece - to bring prices back to where they were last year. The Deputy is not seeking that and nor am I. There are things we can do to not make the situation worse and there may be things we can do to make the situation a little better. We need to get that calibration right and that is what we are working to do. There is the question of whether you do something temporary or whether you try to provide clarity for the next number of years. At the moment, as the Deputy knows well, there are two things, namely the trajectory out to 2030 and how the carbon tax is applied to products. Do we try to provide just help in the here and now or do we try to provide a clear view on the trajectory of carbon tax on kerosene out to 2030? If we do, that very much impacts on ETS 2. I accept the Deputy is correct about it not coming in until 2028 and I am happy to very honestly debate this issue but we are looking at all of this in the round. Kerosene and gas are two issues we should seriously look at. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  This again bring us back to the point we are at now, which for a lot of people feels like an emergency. There are things happening in this State that are genuinely concerning from a health and safety point of view. There are mothers and fathers going to the petrol station and filling five-gallon drums with kerosene. I am not sure how good an idea it is to be driving around country roads with five-gallon drums of kerosene in the boot, but people cannot afford anything else. There are plumbers being called out to deal with airlocks over and over again. They are refusing to charge the call-out fee because they know the only reason the system is airlocked is there is no oil in the tank. At a time when there is money in our coffers to support families I am asking the Minister again because this is something he has the ability to change. There is no minimum level of carbon tax on kerosene at this point in time. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  Thanks, Deputy Doherty. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  The Minister can reduce it all. He can take the cost down by \u20ac183 a fill. We published the legislation. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  Deputy, we have one more question. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  The Government voted against that and the following day it came out and said it might do something on carbon tax. I welcome that. My job is to push the Minister into positions he does not want to be in. That is fine. He will refuse to say he did not want to be there but I can play back the tunes in here. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  The T\u00e1naiste to respond. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  I can show the Minister his predecessor saying the Government was not going to introduce----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  Thanks, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  -----a renter's tax credit, that it was not going to introduce mortgage interest relief----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  Thanks, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  -----and that it was not going to introduce the IREF stuff. I could play all those things back but my job----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  You are just taking time from the next question, Deputy. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  -----is to keep on pushing and pushing. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  With respect, will you please sit down? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  The question I am asking is whether the Minister is minded----- "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  Can you give the T\u00e1naiste an opportunity to respond, please? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  -----to go the full level in relation to excise duty on kerosene. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  The Deputy has described his job as he views it. It is of course his job to hold me to account in this House. It is also our job, every now and again, to try to work collaboratively on different issues. We will not agree on all of it and that is fine and healthy but we agree that we are living through a cost-of-living crisis, that the cost of kerosene and energy is very high, that we need to look at measures to try to assist people and that even when we do that there are global factors.  Not everybody is equally affected. We all know that and that is why targeted measures through the fuel allowance are also important to reach those most at risk of fuel poverty. Not everyone is at risk of that. The cost of living is real for lots of people but some people are acutely at risk of fuel poverty. Trying to reach them in the here and now is important too. We showed an ability to do that somewhat last year with the fuel allowance changes. That helped people. Enabling people to get that lump sum option helps to fill the home heating tank as well. There are now about 470,000 households getting the fuel allowance as well, so it is not insignificant. I take the Deputy's point. We published the tax strategy group paper this summer to have an informed discussion on the carbon tax trajectory and how it applies to certain products. We will bring forward our specific proposals next week. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  Thanks, T\u00e1naiste. The final question tonight is again in the name of Deputy Carthy, to be taken by Deputy Doherty. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Pearse Doherty","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Pearse-Doherty.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Pearse Doherty  No. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  I am sorry, it is Deputy Boland. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Tax Code"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_31","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Budget 2027","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_24","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_31","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_31.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Grace Boland  I did not think I was going to get in there at all with Deputy Doherty overrunning.  Ireland's strong finances are the result of years of careful economic management and responsible decision-making by successive Fine Gael Governments. Due to that stewardship we are in a position to invest in the future while also supporting households with the pressures they face today. However, as the T\u00e1naiste knows, many working families are feeling under pressure due to the rising cost of groceries, childcare and energy. He might give me some comfort that the budget will see measures that will support and help working families to not just get by but to get ahead. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I thank the Deputy. I will indeed. The first job of government is to not make anything worse so when there is a global energy crisis and real cost-of-living pressures we need to make sure we try to pull policy levers that are going to help and not chase inflation. The measures we have taken on energy already have had a positive impact on the economy. I am not saying petrol and diesel prices are not extraordinarily high, because they are. They are a lot lower than in other European countries, while still being very high. However, they are having a broader positive effect in somewhat suppressing inflation growth. Sometimes people in this House ask why we did this for the motorists.  We did it for the motorists but it has helped suppress food inflation and economists in my Department reckon it has helped suppress inflation growth by around 0.6%.  There are lots of different ways to help working families. Obviously, the social protection system is one. We have a good social protection system in this country helping those most in need. I am proud of the changes we made around the working family payment. We need to continue to support those most in need but the tax system can help too. It is my view that too many workers are paying the higher rate of tax but it is also an objective fact that people are paying the higher rate of tax at below the average income in Ireland. The programme for Government clearly says that, all other things being equal, we should be looking at bands and credits. We made a lot of progress in government over the previous time and we need to try and build on that so there will be an income tax package that will help people keep more of their own money but will also help make sure people do not pay more tax as their wages grow or careers progress or they get promotions or work overtime.  I know the Deputy feels very passionate about childcare because we have also discussed it. We have to continue to really invest in childcare. I know the Minister for children will bring forward measures there. There is a clear commitment in the programme for Government around where we want to get to over the lifetime of the Government. We have to look and take a step in that direction in this budget and we will do that as well. The Deputy is also right to say that we have to look at how we continue to invest in infrastructure because in her constituency, which is the youngest and fastest-growing in the country, we need social and economic infrastructure. A significant amount of money has been allocated to capital and we have to make sure that is delivered quickly and cut through bottlenecks and red tape - the work the Minister for public expenditure is leading on in terms of accelerating infrastructure. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Grace Boland  I very much welcome the income tax package. It is really important that work pays and as the T\u00e1naiste know, our working families are really the backbone of the economy. Childcare is not only essential for equality, it is also essential for our economy. Childcare is actually essential infrastructure and I very much welcome the investment in childcare not only in affordability but also accessibility. Fingal is one of the youngest areas in the country and Balbriggan is the youngest large town. It is essential that we are investing in childcare and investing in community childcare, which is something that my area really lacks. I very much hope that we see support for a huge expansion of community childcare in this budget. Without giving away the budget, the T\u00e1naiste might also briefly indicate some of the measures we might see next week so that I can go back and tell my constituents. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  What we will see next week in the first instance is an ability to make sure we keep our country safe. When I came into this House, unemployment was around 15% and the IMF was in town and not just as visitors. We have all worked really hard to get our country back to a place of full employment where we are having discussions on how best to reduce tax and to increase public expenditure. We should never take that for granted so keeping the country safe at a time of huge global volatility is our first job as a Government. We will do that. We will continue to run budget surpluses and invest in our funds not for rainy days but for demographic change, infrastructure delivery, climate and adaptation.  We will take measures in the here and now to help people with the energy crisis. We have to make calls around excise and the debate we have been having in terms of home heating oil and gas. There will obviously be a personal income tax package. The Government is clear about that. The Deputy is right. Childcare is a social issue and an equality issue but it is also an economic issue. I am meeting lots of people across the country - disproportionately women - who are making career decisions not on the basis of their choice but on the basis of the lack of affordability or accessibility of a childcare place. Next week in the budget, we are determined as a Government to take a big step in that direction and to build on that for the lifetime of this Government. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Grace Boland","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Grace-Boland.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Grace Boland  I very much welcome the T\u00e1naiste's comments about childcare. It is not just affecting parents. We have nearly full employment but instead of being able to participate on a part-time or even full-time basis in our economy, many grandparents are actually providing childcare because there is absolutely no choice in areas like mine in Skerries and Balbriggan, where there really is no accessible childcare. I know that the T\u00e1naiste is working closely with the Minister for children but it is really important that we see the second stage of the action plan launched this year so that we have a road map and know where we are going over the next three years to make sure that we see more accessible and more affordable childcare. We know that community childcare actually drives affordability and, unfortunately, because of the lack of it in my area, my area has among the highest childcare fees in the country so it is really important that we invest in our economy by investing in our people and supporting parents and grandparents to participate more fully in our economy if they so choose. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Simon Harris","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Simon-Harris.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Simon Harris  I fully agree with the Deputy. I know she sees it in Balbriggan and Skerries and across her constituency in Fingal. It is the Minister for children's intention to produce that road map. A lot of work is going into it because as the Deputy rightly says, there are lots of moving parts here. We have to address affordability, accessibility and how we support the workforce. We have made some good progress on that. We have also made decisions over the course of the past year to invest public money for the first time in capital projects in terms of the development of childcare facilities as well. This is a key issue. We also have to recognise that it is up to a parent as well so it is about providing parental choice and recognising that some parents will perhaps want a childminder in their home and the likes. There is stuff we can consider doing on the tax side in relation to supporting childminders too so we are looking at this in the round as a Government. We see it as a key core priority and a key part of Ireland's economic and social infrastructure. We also recognise that for many families, it is a second mortgage. It is a really big bill. We have made good progress on it over a number of years as a Government. I am proud of what we have done with ECCE as well but building on this will be one of the planks of the budget and not just the budget. It will be one of the planks of our work over the next four years. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Is f\u00e9idir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scr\u00edofa ar www.oireachtas.ie. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":" Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Budget 2027"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_32","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_32","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-O'Sullivan.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy P\u00e1draig O'Sullivan)  I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case:  Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice - To discuss the repression of the LGBTQ+ community in T\u00fcrkiye.  Deputy Jen Cummins - To discuss counselling and mental health supports in primary schools.  Deputy John Connolly - To discuss the proposed expansion of the TFI bike rental scheme in Galway city.  Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss making the shingles vaccination free of charge for immunocompromised patients and those over 65.  Deputy Paula Butterly - To discuss a review the withdrawal of funding for the Walk PEER programme.  Deputy Eoghan Kenny - To discuss the delay in responses to parliamentary questions regarding assessment of need waiting lists.  Deputy Donna McGettigan - To discuss the need for a 24\/7 sexual assault treatment unit in the HSE midwest region.  Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss protecting payments for small scale renewable electricity generation.  Deputy Malcolm Byrne - To discuss the digitalisation of Irish health records.  Deputy Conor D. McGuinness - To discuss the need for a primary care unit in west Waterford.  Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell - To discuss the clearfelling of mature Norway spruce in Merlin Woods in Galway city.  The matters raised by Deputies P\u00e1draig Rice, Paula Butterly, Mair\u00e9ad Farrell, Malcolm Byrne and Albert Dolan have been selected for discussion "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"\u00c1bhair Shaincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Matters"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_33","debateType":"topical","bill":null,"showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","speakers":[],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_34","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Human Rights Issues","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_33","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_34","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  Since 12 September, LGBTQ people, organisations and activists in T\u00fcrkiye have faced a co-ordinated wave of detentions, arrests, digital restrictions and public targeting as part of an organised operation by authorities. This crackdown represents the first mass criminalisation of LGBTQI+ people, activists and associations as part of the government's anti-LGBTQI agenda and a new round of operations is expected imminently. At least 117 people have been detained in connection with the operation, of whom 44 are LGBTQI human rights defenders. At least 83 individuals have been arrested pending pretrial detention while 25 LGBTQI people who are closely connected to associations have been arrested, including founders and members of associations whose houses have been raided and digital equipment seized. The targeted associations include seven LGBTQI human rights organisations and organisations working with people with HIV. The fear is that the government is trying to collapse these organisations. Social media accounts of LGBTQ organisations and activists and social media accounts belonging to journalists and human rights organisations expressing solidarity with communities or sharing information about the operation have been restricted, with a total of 419 social media accounts blocked across T\u00fcrkiye since the operation on 12 September. Meanwhile the right to freedom of assembly of those protesting this harassment has been unjustly restricted, with 125 protesters detained in total across Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir. Lawyers and journalists who were gathering in front of the courthouse in Istanbul to protest this crackdown were detained. Access to medicine, clean clothes, hygiene products and even drinking water has been restricted in some of the prisons. The investigations have also been marked by procedural violations and discrepancies that demonstrate the political motivations underlying this operation. Activists have been repeatedly questioned about the ordinary functioning of their organisations, including their organisations' structure, membership, hiring and funding, in particular international funding.  LGBT activists have called for a global day of action. On Wednesday evening at 6 p.m., over 20 Irish LGBT organisations will gather outside Europe House to call for urgent action in response to the reported crackdown on LGBTQI civil society in T\u00fcrkiye. LGBT activists, human rights defenders and civil society organisations are facing detention, prosecution and repression. Nobody should be oppressed or discriminated against because of their sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics. Unfortunately, what we are witnessing in T\u00fcrkiye right now comes at a time of deepening concerning backsliding on LGBTQ rights globally, including in the US under President Trump. When there is an erosion of fundamental rights, it is usually the LGBT community that is targeted first. This cannot be accepted as normal and we must call it out whenever we see it. The asks from the organisations are simple. They are the protection and humane treatment of LGBTQI people and human rights defenders in detention, the release of people detained solely in connection with legitimate human rights activities and the exercise of fundamental freedoms, and an end to the targeting of LGBTQ organisations and independent civil society. They want continued international solidarity, diplomatic pressure and support for LGBT human rights organisations and civic society space in T\u00fcrkiye. We have a duty to stand up for human rights in every corner of the world.  The Government must now engage with the Turkish ambassador to Ireland and outline its serious concerns over her country\u2019s despicable attacks on LGBTQ activists and journalists. The Government must urgently use all available diplomatic channels, including bilateral and multilateral engagement mechanisms, to raise these concerns directly with the Turkish authorities regarding the ongoing operation, and the detention of and restrictions against these human rights defenders. We must move beyond expressions of general concern and clearly communicate that the detention and prosecution of human rights defenders because of their legitimate activities, as well as the targeting of communities, is a violation, that this discrimination is unacceptable, and that it will be taken into account as part of political, economic and diplomatic relations with Turkey. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Deputy Neale Richmond)  I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. Recent actions against LGBTQI+ organisations and persons in T\u00fcrkiye are deeply concerning. As he outlined, reports indicate that, since 12 September, the Turkish authorities have launched a co-ordinated operation targeting LGBTQI+ organisations, activists and associated businesses. The operation, called \u201cMy Family is Safe\u201d by the Turkish Minister for Justice, is reported to have moved from the police operation phase into formal judicial proceedings. While the investigations are officially framed around obscenity, prostitution and public morality offences, concerns have been raised about the possible use of organised crime provisions against legally registered civil society organisations.  Like the Deputy, the Government is particularly concerned by reports of widespread detentions, raids on homes and LGBTQI+ organisations, the blocking of websites and social media accounts and the seizure of digital equipment. We also note the worrying allegations of an apparent media campaign portraying funding of civil society organisations by European and other donors as being linked to alleged illegal activities.  Ireland fully supported the statement of 18 September by the European External Action Service expressing concern about the arrests and legal proceedings in T\u00fcrkiye. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, decided last Tuesday that, in our national capacity, Ireland, along with some EU member states and like-minded countries, would deliver a d\u00e9marche, which is a formal diplomatic proceeding, expressing deep concern to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in T\u00fcrkiye. On 23 September, at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Ireland also aligned with a statement of the LGBTI Group of Friends, of which we are a member, regarding these very disturbing developments. Just last week, I addressed championing diversity and support for LGBTQI+ communities at the United Nations General Assembly, where I once again raised the Irish Government\u2019s deep concerns and condemnation of activities in Turkey.  As noted in the statement by the LGBTI Group of Friends statement delivered at the Council of Europe:  The \u2018My Family is Safe\u2019 campaign announced by the Minister of Justice in T\u00fcrkiye is particularly troubling when viewed against the broader deterioration not only for the situation of LGBTQI+ persons, but also more generally concerning the increasing pressure on civil society in T\u00fcrkiye. The European Convention on Human Rights protects the rights of freedom of expression, freedom of association, and peaceful assembly.  The promotion and protection of the rights of LGBTQI+ persons is a domestic and foreign policy priority for Ireland, and this is reflected in our current campaign for membership of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2027-2029 term, where defending the rights of LGBTQI+ persons is one of our five thematic priorities. As an EU candidate country and member of the Council of Europe, T\u00fcrkiye is expected to uphold the highest democratic standards and to ensure the respect of fundamental rights for all. The European Commission, supported by Ireland, has underlined on numerous occasions that the protection of fundamental rights of LGBTQI+ people in T\u00fcrkiye remains a major concern.  The rights of peaceful assembly, freedom of association and freedom of expression, including for LGBTQI+ persons, need to be fully respected. I was unaware of the protest tomorrow evening, but I offer my full and unequivocal support to the Deputy and the 20-plus organisations that will meet tomorrow evening outside Europe House. It is very timely. I note the four general calls that the protesters are making, and I stand in full support of that. We will continue our call on the authorities of T\u00fcrkiye to ensure that all proceedings against LGBTQI+ organisations, activists and human rights defenders fully respect the rule of law and the rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights. The Government retains a very active watching brief and will move further should we be required to do so. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"P\u00e1draig Rice","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"P\u00e1draig-Rice.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy P\u00e1draig Rice  I thank the Minister of State for outlining the Government\u2019s response, which is comprehensive. I welcome the Government commitment to keep a watching brief on this, because it is an evolving situation. It is a very serious crackdown on human rights organisations, lawyers and journalists in T\u00fcrkiye. What we are seeing is deeply concerning. As I said, it is part of a rollback on rights that we are seeing right around the world. That is why it is all the more important to continue to advocate and defend LGBTQ human rights here at home, and to see advancements in terms of the national strategies. We need to continue to be a beacon for LGBT rights around the world. I thank the Minister of State for his engagement on this. I ask him to continue to engage with the Turkish ambassador here.  In the time left, I want to put on the record letters from some of the activists who are currently in prison, which have been published by ILGA-Europe. Selin Berghan, who is involved on the board of one of the organisations that was attacked, said:  I am experiencing this process as part of the struggle for sexual freedom. I know that this will be neither the first nor the last price I pay for this struggle. Like the others, I wear this price as a badge of honor. I'm sending my gull\u00fcm (queer joy) to all my friends I struggle alongside.  Another trans woman, Janset Kalan, has also been arrested for being a board member of an organisation. She said:  I would like to direct my letter to the trans community around the world. This is not only because I'm firstly a member of such a distinct and marvellous community but also because I hope to bring further attention to the T in the community. Thank you for all your support, solidarity and [for supporting us around the world.]  Nedime Erdo\u011fan is a mother to an LGBT child who has been sentenced to prison. She has fought for years to enhance rights for LGBT people. She said:  For years, while fighting against the bullying and injustices faced by LGBTI+ people across all areas of public life, from education to healthcare, I have also worked to involve families in this struggle. I have tried to explain the importance of families understanding their children, supporting them and standing by their side. No operation can change the meaning of the struggle I have waged as a woman, a citizen and a mother.  These are just some of the people who are currently in prison, whose cases we want to highlight. I thank the Minister of State for maintaining a watching brief on this. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Neale Richmond  To make it abundantly clear, every person, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic, is entitled to equality, dignity and the full enjoyment of their human rights. Being LGBTQI+, forming an association and defending rights are not crimes and should never be crimes. Ireland remains in full solidarity with LGBTQI+ persons and their allies globally, particularly in T\u00fcrkiye right now.  Over the past 18 months of my work in this current role, I have had the distinct displeasure of having to directly confront Ministers from countries such as Uganda and Liberia, which have initiated and maintained blatant discriminatory legislation that is absolutely abhorrent. Unfortunately, as the Deputy rightly said at the outset, this is part of a wider trend. We in Ireland have a very dark history in terms of equality, and we have to admit to that. We celebrate ten years of marriage equality this year, which is great, but we also have to recognise that we are less than 30 years on from the decriminalisation of homosexuality. What came before that in a very dark, troubling period for all of us.  That is why Ireland\u2019s commitment in this regard is underlined by our co-ordinated alignment last week with actions affirming our concern both in Ankara and at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. We will continue to monitor developments and raise our concerns with relevant interlocutors from T\u00fcrkiye and EU member states and at other multilateral fora. As I mentioned, I raised this at the United Nations last week. We are running for a seat on the Human Rights Council. We will be elected to that in January, and we will make sure that two-year term will be defined by standing up for the rights not just of minorities more generally, but of our brothers, our sisters and our friends in the LGBTQI+ community who are, worryingly, seeing backsliding globally that simply cannot be allowed to happen in T\u00fcrkiye or anywhere else. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Human Rights Issues"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_35","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Disability Services","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_33","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_35","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paula Butterly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paula Butterly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paula Butterly  I want to raise concerns regarding the future of the WALK PEER programme and the potential loss of vital transition supports when current funding comes to an end in December 2026. The programme supports young people with intellectual disabilities and autism as they move from school into further education, training and employment, helping them to achieve greater independence and better life opportunities.  The programme operates in ten partner schools across the country, including St. Ita\u2019s in Drogheda, St. Brigid\u2019s in Dundalk and Ballymakenny College in County Louth. Through one-to-one support, career planning and ongoing guidance, it helps young people and their families navigate what can often be a challenging transition from school into adulthood. The programme has reported positive outcomes. In fact, I would say the programme has had excellent outcomes, and it has been independently evaluated. Importantly, it does not simply support young people while they are at school.  It also provides transitions support for up to three years after school, helping participants to access and sustain places in further education, training and employment.  While I welcome the Government's investment in the rolling out of a national transitions support service through the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, my concerns lie in the fact that there appear to be no real resources. As far as I can understand it, it is giving special schools additional hours to roll out the programme but it will be the existing staff, who are already stretched and stressed - these wonderful teachers and support staff - who are expected to take on this extra load. Also, it is my understanding that these supports will only exist for those young people in special schools. In County Louth, however, we have seen in Ballymakenny College how a successful pilot has been rolled out in a post-primary setting. Under the new proposals, this will disappear.  Further, I am concerned that a gap remains in the post-schools supports currently provided by the WALK PEER programme. As matters stand, funding is due to end in December, leaving 110 young people potentially affected. This includes 50 participants already progressing through further education, training and employment, and a further 60 school leavers due to transition in 2027. These are not simply numbers. Behind every figure is a young person striving for independence and a family hoping that their son or daughter can realise their full potential.  The issue is particularly important in County Louth. Students attending schools in Dundalk and Drogheda have directly benefited from this programme. Families in our county need certainty that these supports will not disappear at a critical stage in their children's lives. I have previously highlighted my concerns regarding the withdrawal of services. Schools, parents and students have consistently reported positive outcomes from the programme. It has promoted inclusion, supported well-being and helped schools to respond to the increasingly diverse needs they face in the classroom and outside.  The evidence also suggests that the programme represents really good value for money. The estimated cost of WALK PEER is approximately \u20ac9,500 to \u20ac10,000 per participant compared with an estimated HSE daycare service cost of approximately \u20ac15,000 per participant.  There is now a real risk that a significant gap will emerge in these transitions supports. We cannot allow the young people in Louth and across the country to lose momentum at such a critical phase in their lives because of the uncertainty around the funding arrangements. Will the Minister of State commit to reviewing this decision and to exploring a mechanism that would allow these supports to continue with the WALK PEER programme as the lead? Will he also engage with the relevant Departments and agencies to identify a sustainable funding solution, preserve the expertise built up within the WALK PEER programme, and ensure that these young people continue to receive the support they need to access further education, training and employment? "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Neale Richmond  I am grateful to Deputy Butterly for raising this very pertinent and personal issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan.  As the Deputy is aware, as part of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, the Government has committed to the development of a national policy on transitions, which will map out how we support young people completing school into the various pathways for life after school. This work is ongoing and a report is expected by the end of this year.  Over the past four years, the Department of education, in partnership with the NCSE and Walkinstown Association for People with an Intellectual Disability, WALK, has been testing two different approaches to a transitions support model. A teacher-led programme has been operating in 41 special schools as part of the comprehensive employment strategy for disabled people. The WALK PEER ability transitions programme currently supports seven special schools and three post-primary schools in Dublin, Louth, Cork, Cavan and Westmeath and I greatly appreciate the Deputy naming St. Ita's and others. This programme is delivered by careers and employment facilitators who work directly with students in their final two years of school but also support the students for a further three years post school.  Both programmes finished in June, were externally evaluated and were the subject of very positive feedback from all participant schools and stakeholders more broadly. Both evaluations recommended the expansion of a transitions-type model of support to students.  In relation to the WALK PEER model specifically, funding of \u20ac2 million has been provided through the Dormant Accounts Fund, DAF, over the past four years to support the programme in the ten schools. The programme is fully funded until December 2026. To provide a continuum of support until June 2027, the Department of education has submitted an application through the DAF 2027 for additional funding and a decision is expected shortly.  In addition, a number of Departments have received a submission from WALK to expand the programme over the next four years. While the outcomes of the programme are positive, the scalability of the model to all special schools over the next number of years is limited relative the scalability of the teacher-led comprehensive employment strategy, CES, transitions model.  Based on the outcomes of both pilot programmes and subject to the total funding available, the Minister, Deputy Naughton, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, announced a new transitions support service for all special schools in June this year. The purpose of the new service is to support young people with disabilities as they prepare to move from school into further education, training, employment and other post-school opportunities and pathways. Additionally, the focus of schools\u2019 work can be on supporting transitions into the school. The service is being rolled out to all special schools from this month and will be managed by the NCSE. The service provides each special school with 34 transitions support teaching days per year. This flexible allocation will allow schools to deliver transitions support at the times it is needed most throughout the school year. Prior to the roll-out of this service, there was no guidance allocation to students in special schools. All mainstream post-primary schools already receive an allocation for guidance counselling to provide support to students in line with their needs throughout all stages of the post-primary journey.  That all said, I take very seriously on board the request made by the Deputy on behalf of the school communities and students and will engage directly with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and ask him to speak to the Deputy in the forum of a deputation meeting. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Paula Butterly","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Paula-Butterly.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Paula Butterly  I thank the Minister of State. In that reply, there seems to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel and some hope that funding will be found. We have young people who are halfway through a programme that could suddenly come to an end in December. At the very least, they must be allowed to participate until June in order to finish that course.  The Minister of State mentioned that special schools would come under the wing of the NCSE but what about those post-primary schools that have provided this programme and demonstrated excellent results, like Ballymakenny College in Drogheda? What will happen to them? The Minister of State mentioned that services and resources were provided through counsellors but the key factor of the WALK PEER programme is the expertise. They are there for the last two years that a participant is in school, they are there when school closes and they are there for the young people and their families up to four years after they have left school. That is a vital component and is expertise that we should not lose.  The Minister of State mentioned scalability. The WALK PEER programme acknowledges that there are scalability challenges but it has also suggested a model in which its group can act as a hub where its members' combined expertise, working alongside the school, would allow it to transition successfully over the coming years. Do we honestly believe that teachers and support staff in special schools, whom we know face daily challenges - they are stressed and stretched to the very limit - would, simply by giving them additional hours, be able to roll out the same quality service to these young people? Will they be there when the school closes? Will they be there for the four years after school? I reiterate the calls and thank the Minister of State for taking these questions to the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Neale Richmond  I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this timely issue. The provision of transitions supports for students in schools is a key priority for the Government, and for the Department more broadly. As outlined, there is a commitment under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 to work within Government and with others to improve retention rates and progression for disabled children and young people as they deal with transitions within education.  Both pilot programmes have identified the need for a transitions support model for students with disabilities and recognised the importance of interagency collaboration. Both programmes have been welcomed by participant schools and widely considered as hugely beneficial to the sector. The provision of time and staffing to schools has afforded them the opportunity to work directly with students in their final years in school to develop individualised transitions plans. Reports from schools suggest that a dedicated transitions planning programme relates directly to better outcomes for students. The new transitions support service will build on the pilots and should be seen as a first step in providing transitions supports to students.  In March, the Minister announced a \u20ac48 million investment in the new DEIS strategy and DEIS plus scheme. Schools in the DEIS plus scheme will benefit from enhanced guidance provision at post-primary school level.  As is quite clear, not all the issues the Deputy raised are able to be addressed at this stage, and she can imagine that a lot of big decisions have to be made in the coming days that will have a direct impact on the future of the service.  However, as has been pointed out by the Deputy and indeed is made quite clear by the Department, the pilot schemes have worked. They have been successful and there is an appetite to build upon them. I have to make sure the budgetary requirements are delivered. I very much look forward to working with the Deputy and the relevant Ministers to make sure that happens. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Disability Services"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_36","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Wildlife Protection","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_33","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_36","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  It is hard to put into words the importance of Merlin Woods for the community in which I live. It is one of the only green spaces on the east side of Galway city. It is surrounded by Doughiska and Ballybane, and slightly further on are Renmore, Mervue and Roscam, all of which are areas that have benefited from that green space. To be honest, it is actually hard to understand or fathom in any way why these woods - this local amenity - are being destroyed in the way that they are.  Friends of Merlin Woods have campaigned and worked not only to protect the woods over a long number of years, but also to ensure they have become the heart of the community. This has meant that young children and adults have learned about the biodiversity in the area. It has brought people together in the summer but also in the winter through the \"hearth of winter\" celebrations. Courses happen in Merlin Woods. They are also a place for people to go. So many people have been in contact with me in the past number of weeks to tell me they use it as a place of reflection which has particularly helped them through difficult times in their lives. It is a really crucial piece of the architecture of the community on the east side of Galway city. I say that to give the Minister of State the context for what is happening in Merlin Woods at the moment.  I want to raise some very specific questions with the Minister of State. Merlin Woods is a local biodiversity area under the Galway City Council development plan, and is protected under it. It may also be seen under Article 10 of the European habitats directive as being a stepping stone with its proximity to the SAC areas and creating a connection and widening the genetic links. In this context, I have to ask some questions. In what way does the work in Merlin Woods align with the national biodiversity action plan of no net loss? In some of the areas where trees have been felled, is there an account of how many dreys were found? Dreys are where squirrels live. How many of these dreys were saved from cutting? Red squirrels are protected under the Wildlife Act. While mitigating measures were put in place to feed squirrels and create corridors after the fact, the destruction of their dreys could be seen as a wildlife crime. How many visits has an ecologist paid to this site? Residents have reported that trees have been felled where they feel they did not have the oversight needed. In the general areas where the squirrel dreys were meant to be, they saw that too. What other mitigating measures were put in place for other wildlife such as insects and invertebrates, marsh fritillary butterflies and the many other species of butterfly?  The Minister of State may not have all the answers to these questions, but I am interested to hear what the Department and the line Minister have provided in the response. That will be very critical for the people who are trying to protect Merlin Woods. It is also critical that all these questions be brought directly to the Minister responsible. An exact response is needed as soon as possible. This is happening right now. We cannot have a situation where I get a response two or three weeks later. We need to ensure this area is protected for wildlife but also for the people of the east side of Galway city. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Neale Richmond  I thank the Deputy for her Topical Issue. I am here today on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, and the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, who are in Brussels on EU Presidency business, to address the associated felling licence process. I hope the response will provide an element of clarity. I will, of course, put the questions the Deputy has placed to the Minister and the Minister of State, and ask for an answer to be directed to her as quickly as possible.  Merlin Park in Galway city, as the Deputy has outlined, is one of the largest urban woodlands in Ireland, extending to approximately 80 ha of native and exotic trees, wildflowers, birds and mammals. From recent press announcements, the Government is aware that the owner of the woodlands, Galway City Council, is implementing plans to replant Merlin Woods as a native woodland, following the extensive damage caused by Storm \u00c9owyn in January 2025. I commend Galway City Council on actively developing this woodland. The management of the woodland is a matter for the council, under the oversight of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.  I am aware that the council is planning to fell trees in the park. As Deputies might know, the felling of trees normally requires a licence issued by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in accordance with requirements set out in the Forestry Act 2014. However, on this occasion, the council was not required to obtain a tree-felling licence because the Forestry Act contains an exemption from the requirement to have a tree-felling licence for trees in an \"urban area\". This means that Galway City Council is entitled to fell trees in the urban areas which are part of its remit without having to notify the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. In fact, I have been informed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that the Department has not received or issued any applications for felling licences to Galway City Council in relation to the Merlin Woods park area so far. In addition, the Department has confirmed that the trees in the Merlin Woods park are part of an \"urban area\" and comply with the exemption from the requirement to have a tree-felling licence, as provided for under section 19 of the Forestry Act 2014. This exemption is important because it allows local authorities to have full control over the urban areas they are responsible for.  It is also important to note that irrespective of any felling licence requirement, the provisions of the Planning and Development Act and regulations do apply. More generally, unless an exemption applies, the purpose for the requirement for obtaining a licence for tree felling is necessary in order to protect forests, and also to ensure forestry operations and activities are carried out in compliance with the principles of sustainable forest management. Tree-felling licences normally carry an obligation to replant the area felled. Reforestation after felling is essential to prevent deforestation, which would otherwise counteract the benefits of Ireland's afforestation programme and associated public expenditure on afforestation, which to date represents a substantial State and European Union investment.  I believe that forestry plays a critical role in meeting climate targets, supporting rural employment and providing a domestic supply of timber products. Well-managed forests contribute to biodiversity, water quality and protection of soil as well as providing a recreational amenity for communities. I do not think the passive educational opportunities provided by these areas, as the Deputy outlined, can be overstated. The same applies to their importance to local communities and the wider population. Therefore, while this appears to be largely a matter for Galway City Council, the questions the Deputy put to the Minister are valid and I will ensure a speedy response to her in due course. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Mair\u00e9ad Farrell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Mair\u00e9ad-Farrell.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Mair\u00e9ad Farrell  I appreciate that. I appreciate that the Minister of State is not the line Minister and that it is quite a specific case, but the reason I raise it here is because the people have not been silent in relation to this. The community has not been silent about it. The people who deal with Merlin Woods day in, day out have been saying they feel this is a serious destruction of the habitat, as I have outlined, and of many different species. They have spoken about the serious impact it has on wildlife. The Minister of State mentioned that there was not a requirement for a tree-felling licence but the works at Merlin Woods must follow environmental laws, even if there are exemptions. From my understanding, it seems that there is no funding in place at the moment for the replanting. That is another question that needs to be answered by the Minister.  The question of a clean-up on foot of Storm \u00c9owyn is separate to what I have raised. In this instance, the felling of healthy, standing trees is having a serious impact. It is a serious concern. In addition to the protest outside Galway City Council, we have had protest walks through Merlin Woods because the community has stated very clearly that this is destruction of wildlife. These are people who know what they are talking about. They know this woodland. They have been photographing it for years on end and know exactly what has been there and what is being destroyed. I understand the Minister of State is not the line Minister, but I have raised this as a Topical Issue for the Minister in question to respond. I understand there will be another response from the Minister, but he needs to respond urgently. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Neale Richmond  I accept the Deputy's requests but I will point out two things that I think are important in order to be helpful. It is important a separate question be put to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage as the management of woodland is a matter for him. Felling licences come under the Department of agriculture. This is exempt from a felling licence, as I laid out in the previous reply, but the management is perhaps a more pertinent issue, given the concerns raised by the Deputy and the community at large. The Deputy has asked some clear questions that I will pass on to the Minister. I will stress the need for expediency. One of them would have been here but, unfortunately, both were required to chair meetings in Brussels. We will proceed with that going forward. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Wildlife Protection"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_37","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Patient Files","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_33","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_37","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Malcolm Byrne  I am grateful to the Minister of State for taking this issue on behalf of the Department of Health. It concerns the digitisation of health records. The current situation, which has existed for quite a long time, is not acceptable. We do not have link-ups between GPs and hospitals in terms of health records; we do not even have links between hospitals. If one health venue or health centre has to get the records for a patient from another, it often requires a clinical practitioner - a doctor or nurse - to physically go off and look for them. I was quite surprised that that even applies to parliamentary questions on general health records, such as on the number of heart surgeries conducted in all hospitals in Ireland last year. That should be pretty simple - someone presses a button and the answer comes up. Yet it still is not all digitalised and there are not links right across the system.  The Government is finally moving toward a single electronic health record system. If it is to be patient-focused, any medical professional should, with the patient's permission, be easily able to draw on patient records once they have the patient's name and date of birth. Whether it is a patient's engagement with a GP or their previous medical experience, all that data should be capable of being brought together. I would go further. The possibility should exist for all the clinical data gathered to be used for clinical research purposes. If we consent, the data could be used in an anonymised way and that could inform clinical research. That will represent an enormous opportunity for the health sector in Ireland whereby we can target our resources if, for example, we know men of a particular age are at particular risk. I know the Minister of State has been a strong advocate in the area of prostate cancer. If we know from the clinical data that comes together who we need to target, that will make much more sense.  My concern and the reason I asked for an update is this. When the State's Chief Information Officer came before the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence last year, he anticipated the single electronic health record system could be in place by 2030. The latest I am hearing is it will be 2032. I am aware the Minister for Health announced a shortlisting or procurement process was starting in February 2026. This is potentially the most transformational operation in our healthcare system. It will result in the saving of lives because data will be provided to practitioners much more quickly. It will potentially save significant amounts for our health service. One of our challenges, which is why we definitely need to invest more in clinical research, is we know we have an ageing population. We hope we will all be healthier as we age but there are greater challenges ahead.  I worry, and I say that because of many of the major IT projects managed by the State. While the business case is always well-presented, there are often challenges in how it is operationalised. I find it bizarre that, with all our modern technology, we are talking of further delays before this is in place. A patient-centred approach is vital. I would be grateful if the Minister of State could provide an update on where we are with the process. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Neale Richmond  I am grateful to the Deputy for the opportunity to update the House on the digitalisation of health records and the progress being made to support patients and healthcare professionals through safer, more connected care, stronger research and innovation and a more sustainable health service. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.  As Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, I should highlight the success and the efficiencies of the digitisation of our passport service. Perhaps that is the exemplar of what can be achieved. It continues to go from success to success.  The programme for Government commits to the continued digitisation of Irish healthcare records and information systems, and significant progress is being made. For too long, important health information has been held in separate systems and on paper records, making it more difficult for information to move with the patient across care settings. Our objective is straightforward: information should follow the patient, not organisational boundaries. The Government's approach is set out in Digital for Care: A Digital Health Framework for Ireland 2024-2030. Supported by significant investment in digital health, we are moving from strategy to delivery through a phased programme designed to improve access to information, strengthen care delivery and modernise how health information is managed and shared.  Three national programmes are central to this work. First, the HSE health app is the patient-facing element of Ireland's digital health transformation. Since its launch in February 2025, it has attracted more than 250,000 registered users and provides access to a growing range of services and information, including appointments, referrals, waiting list information, vaccination records and digital health cards. I do not think there is a Member of this House or the Seanad who has not been personally pushed by the Minister to make sure they have it downloaded to their phone.  Second, the national shared care record is now a live national service across all six HSE health regions. It enables authorised healthcare professionals to securely access key patient information from multiple systems through a single shared view, supporting safer and more co-ordinated care.  Third, the national electronic health record programme will provide a comprehensive longitudinal digital record across publicly funded hospitals and community services. Government approved the preliminary business case in February 2026 and procurement is progressing. The programme will be managed through a series of regional deployments on a phased basis to mitigate risks and ensure lessons learned are incorporated throughout the programme, with all health regions live by 2032. As with major infrastructure investments, costs will be refined through a series of related procurements, with associated governance arrangements and approval processes in place to ensure value for money and appropriate oversight.  Alongside these programmes, the national electronic prescribing programme is progressing through procurement. The resulting electronic prescribing and dispensing service will result in safer, better care for patients, especially as they transition between healthcare settings.  The Health Information Bill, which passed into law earlier this year, provides the legal basis for the sharing of health information and the establishment of digital health records. Together with Digital for Care and the upcoming European health data space, EHDS, regulation, it establishes the framework needed to support more connected care and the responsible use of health information for both primary and secondary purposes. The EHDS regulation will create a common framework across Europe to support secure sharing of health information for direct patient-care-specific secondary uses such as research, innovation, public health and policy development and health service management. Importantly, secondary use of health data in this way continues to be protected under GDPR and this is further enhanced by the EHDS regulation.  Ultimately, our ambition is simple: that health information follows the patient wherever they receive care. By connecting people, healthcare professionals and services through trusted digital infrastructure, we can support safer care, better patient experiences, stronger research and a more sustainable health system. Better information supports better decisions, better care and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients. I am genuinely grateful to the Deputy for raising this and for continuing to be a strong advocate on this issue. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Malcolm Byrne","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","memberCode":"Malcolm-Byrne.D.2019-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Malcolm Byrne  I thank the Minister of State. I totally agree with him. The ambition is to follow wherever the patient receives care. We have to ensure that by 2032, whether you are in a GP surgery, a hospital, a community care setting or a nursing home, the medical records are easily accessible. I am concerned that we are talking about six years; it should be done more quickly. The timeframe has continued to be pushed out. In an era of modern technology, we should not be waiting that long, particularly given many countries, including some in the developing world, are far more advanced in the digitisation of records. The process will ultimately pay for itself, both financially and in lives saved. If the Minister of State is giving me the commitment that in 2032, no matter what health setting we are in, that data will be easily accessible, that will be key.  I get that this is very sensitive data. The risk has to be managed. There has to be transparency around the process and it needs to be explained.  I hope the Minister of State will raise this next point further with the Minister. We are talking about what is happening in the European health data space. We know that healthcare costs are continuing to go through the roof, but if we can effectively target resources, it makes much more sense. Let us use that data and marry it with effective clinical research. There is a lot of wonderful clinical research in Ireland. The clinical research centre in UCD, which the Minister of State will be familiar with, has done amazing work. If we can marry all of that data from our healthcare system with clinical research, it will result in huge financial savings, but we can also be world leaders in being able to use that data to tackle disease.  I am broadly happy with the answer, but I will remain concerned if the timelines continue to slip. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Neale Richmond  I am grateful to the Deputy for his comments, which I will bring directly back to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.  As the Deputy is aware, the digitisation of health records is already under way and being delivered in three stages. The HSE health app is designed to provide patients with greater access to their own health information. The national shared care record is connecting data that is already in digital format, albeit stored in separate data silos. It is helping healthcare professionals to see more information about their patients regardless of where they were treated previously. That is happening today. The national electronic health record, EHR, will build on those foundations to provide a comprehensive longitudinal record across all publicly funded hospital and community services.  The timeline outlined is realistic, but it is also there to make sure it is all encompassing. This will be done on a phased basis to ensure that it is done in the totality by 2030, but many of these advances will be made before that. That is why the EHR programme is ambitious. The health service is complex and successful delivery requires more than technology. It requires clinical and operational leadership. It requires changes in how we operate today to more standardised processes, high-quality data, staff training, and managing robust technology and infrastructure that is cyber resilient. It also requires sustained investment. Reflecting this, the Government has significantly increased funding for digital health and technology in recent years, building strong foundations to support digital transformation. Those same digital foundations can also support the research and innovation that the Deputy has outlined.  Under the European health data space, health data may be reused for approved purposes with a secure and tightly governed framework. Appropriate safeguards will be essential to ensure that we maintain that public trust in all that we do. However, our goal is clear. Information should follow the patient. It should be available to healthcare professionals wherever and whenever it is needed to support the delivery of safe patient care. By driving key digital health initiatives, such as the HSE health app, the shared care record, the national EHR, electronic prescribing and related digital care initiatives, we are building a modern and more integrated health service and creating the conditions for delivering better care, better access, stronger research, responsible innovation and more evidence-based decision-making. The ability of the Deputy to continue to hold this Government to account is vital in achieving those goals. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Patient Files"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_38","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Renewable Energy Generation","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-09-29\/debate\/dbsect_33","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_38","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Albert Dolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Albert Dolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Albert Dolan  Across east Galway and, indeed, the country, families and farmers are putting their own money into solar panels. They are looking at the electricity bill, they are looking at the roof on the house and the farm shed, and they are making a decision to invest. That investment is something that should help them for years to come. Even with grant support, that is still a substantial commitment. People use savings and some borrow. They work out what they have to and make sure that the payback period makes sense and that they will get their money back. Part of that calculation is what they will receive for the electricity they supply to the grid. My concern is that, over time, suppliers could chip away at those payments, leaving people with a very different return from the one they expected when they installed their panels. I recognise that the clean export guarantee provides for payment, but families need some certainty about what that payment will be worth. If a household is expected to pay a high price for electricity coming into the home, it is reasonable to expect a respectable price for the electricity going out. I accept that there are different costs involved, but the small producer still deserves a fair deal. Will the Government examine a minimum export payment or another enforceable safeguard to protect households and small farmers against the erosion of their payments? Will the Minister of State ask the regulator to examine whether the current arrangements give people enough certainty to invest?  To elaborate on it a bit further, I have a fear that, down the line, the electricity suppliers could cut the payments that people based their original decisions on. There are many people out there right now who are struggling to meet the high costs of energy and just keeping their lives going. Whether it is the electricity coming into the house or trying to operate a small business or farm, everyone can benefit from being energy independent in their own right. That is what solar panels give people. I understand about if the grid does not have the capacity, whether it is by virtue of not having enough battery storage yet or whatever the case may be, but we cannot allow the energy companies to disregard the initial investment that was made by these people and the deal that they signed up to. For example, if they are getting 19 cent per unit that they export, they should continue to get that because that was the deal that they signed up to when they bought the panels. I understand that things can change, but the Government needs to give people certainty over the amount they are going to be paid for the electricity when they export it because these calculations are done based on the payback period. They buy the panels and put them up and the payback period says, that within four to six years, they will have made their money back. From then on, they will be in a great position because they will have lower energy bills. In the summer, they will go into a credit. In the winter, they will eat into that credit. For families that have done this that I have spoken to across east Galway, they have told me the benefits they have got from solar panels.  I welcome the Minister's announcements today to fund batteries to the tune of \u20ac600. That is a fantastic idea because that will give people even more energy independence. I also welcome that the grants are now being extended to homes that were built between 2022 and 2025, which means that those people can access the benefit of panels as well.  I hope I have made my point clear and I look forward to the Minister of State's response. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Neale Richmond  I am grateful to the Deputy for raising this pertinent and timely issue. For the benefit of the House, if the Deputy does not mind, I might give a bit of context as requested by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. The microgeneration support scheme, MSS, provides supports to domestic and non-domestic applicants, in the form of grants for solar PV installations, up to a maximum of \u20ac1,800 in 2026 for household installations. As announced this morning, the scheme will also provide as of next week a new \u20ac9,000 grant for homeowners in receipt of certain Department of Social Protection payments.  The domestic MSS forms part of a wider residential retrofit programme that, in line with eligibility criteria, supports energy efficiency upgrades and the installation of renewable energy technologies in existing housing stock. Since its pilot launch in 2018, the domestic solar PV scheme has gone from strength to strength, with over 123,000 homes being supported. Budget 2026 allocated over \u20ac67 million to this year\u2019s scheme and so far this year, over 21,000 homes have been supported. Renewable electricity generation has a strong role to play in promoting innovation and enabling diversification by business.  Significant support has been provided to the non-domestic microgen grant, NDMG, operated by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, on behalf of the Government. This provides financial assistance to help businesses and other sectors to install solar PV panels to generate electricity on site. Through this scheme, grants are available for renewables self-consumers above 50 kW and up to 1 MW, up to a maximum of \u20ac162,600. From its launch in 2022 to September 2026, this scheme has supported 3,300 installations totalling over \u20ac34 million and the Minister is ambitious to grow this scheme.  Associated with these schemes for homes and businesses, the clean export guarantee, CEG, provides an opportunity for micro and small-scale generators to receive payment from their electricity suppliers for excess renewable electricity they export to the grid, as the Deputy has detailed about his constituents in Galway East. The payment from the electricity suppliers is intended to reflect the wholesale market value of the electricity. Applicants can receive both the NDMG and the CEG on an ongoing basis. The flat-rate CEG tariffs on offer from suppliers have generally ranged from circa 16 cent per kilowatt hour to 25 cent per kilowatt hour. Responsibility for the regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including regarding the clean export guarantee, is solely a matter for the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, which was assigned responsibility for the regulation of the Irish electricity and gas markets following the enactment of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999.  In line with long-standing policy on deregulating price setting, the CRU ended its regulation of retail prices in the electricity market in 2011 and in the gas market in 2014.  Price setting by electricity suppliers, including remuneration for microgeneration for householders and businesses, is a commercial and operational matter for the companies concerned. In June 2024, the CRU published its decision paper Clean Export Guarantee: Enduring Arrangements to Remunerate Customers for Microgeneration Exports. It confirmed in that paper that it is of the view that the competitive approach whereby suppliers set their own competitive export tariffs has functioned well and will continue.  I am aware, as is the Minister, that there has been some concern that tariffs may diminish. I stress that the Minister has no information which suggests that this is the case. Notwithstanding that, as part of our energy transformation it is important for businesses and households to have maximum flexibility and control in how they consume electricity. As the Deputy mentioned, for that reason the Minister earlier today announced new grants for the installation of batteries. The Deputy raised some serious concerns and offered a proposal that I am not in a position to provide an affirmation on. I will of course refer that back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Albert Dolan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Albert-Dolan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Albert Dolan  I really appreciate the clarity provided in that detailed response. It definitely raises the question about looking back at what has happened in that time since the CRU stopped regulating energy. There are a lot of energy providers and competition in the market. There is also a lot of renewable generation happening. The most concerning thing in the response was the statement to the effect that \"price setting by electricity suppliers, including remuneration for microgeneration for householders and businesses is a commercial and operational matter for the companies concerned.\" Right now, it makes sense for them to pay for the supply that comes from solar during the summer because it provides power to the grid. It is available and they can buy it relatively cheaply compared with what they would pay on the wholesale market. A problem could arise whereby if a huge number of homes have a large amount of electricity to export, on most peak export days the relevant commercial entities will not want to buy all of that electricity if it cannot be stored. I may be barking up the wrong tree here. We need to have a bigger conversation around storage.  I again welcome the grant announced earlier today. It is going to be absolutely fantastic because it will make it easier for people to decided to also install batteries when they are initially putting in solar panels, because the grant is there for that. I ask the Minister of State to take the message back to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien - I will relay it to him as well - that we have to protect people who are supplying electricity to the grid. Regardless of whether they are small businesses, farmers or domestic households, they deserve to get a fair price for their electricity. "},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Neale Richmond","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","memberCode":"Neale-Richmond.S.2016-04-25","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":" Deputy Neale Richmond  As I have set out, the electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European Union regulatory regime wherein electricity and gas markets are deliberately commercial, liberalised and competitive. Responsibility for that regulation of the electricity and gas markets, including in the context of the CEG, is solely a matter for the CRU.  Regarding the development of tariffs under the CEG arrangements, the CRU is of the view that the competitive approach whereby suppliers set their own competitive export tariffs has functioned well. However, if communities, farmers or others wish to pursue an export-only project, the small-scale renewable electricity support scheme provides a fixed 15-year tariff for the development of smaller scale solar and wind energy projects up to 6 MW. This tariff is set by the Minister. However, such export projects are not eligible for the separate CEG, which is a payment for self-consumers only.  On the matter of the CEG, it is important to stress that I am aware that there has been some concern around remuneration levels diminishing significantly. I emphasise once more, not necessarily for Deputy Dolan but for those outside the House, that the Minister has no information which suggests that this is the case. Separately, however, a battery energy storage system means that businesses and households can maximise the benefit they get from the electricity they generate. When the Deputy talks about the parallel conversation on storage, this is perhaps the moment to move into that in greater detail. That will require very real infrastructural investment, not just by individuals but also by the State on a larger scale. A broader discussion will also be needed. This is partly why the Minister announced the new grants earlier today. Batteries provide greater flexibility in that they allow homes and businesses, if it is more favourable for them to do so, to retain the electricity generated on site for their own use rather than relying on exporting it to the grid. The Deputy raised some very real concerns which I hope I have gone some way to assuage this evening. I will bring the matter directly to the attention of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. "},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar athl\u00f3 ar 10.55 p.m. go dt\u00ed 9 a.m., D\u00e9 C\u00e9adaoin, an 30 Me\u00e1n F\u00f3mhair 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The D\u00e1il adjourned at 10.55 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 30 September 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Renewable Energy Generation"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-09-29"}]}