{"head":{"counts":{"debateCount":2,"resultCount":2}},"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":"2026-11-04T17:09:58+00:00","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/main","formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/mul@\/main.xml"},"pdf":null},"date":"2026-11-04","counts":{"contributorCount":51,"divisionCount":0,"debateSectionCount":12,"questionCount":0,"billCount":0},"debateType":"debate","debateSections":[{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/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 Roderic O'Gorman - To discuss capacity issues and the proposed timeline for a school extension project. Deputy Joe Cooney - To discuss the postponement of the new localised weather warning system. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss funding for the N70 Ring of Kerry road. Deputy Erin McGreehan - To discuss the need to legislate for tokenisation of the funds industry. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss the publication of the revised wind energy development guidelines. Deputy Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in - To discuss Bunclody AFC and the fallout of Clearwater going into liquidation. Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss the need to strengthen Uisce \u00c9ireann's accountability to D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness - To discuss water services infrastructure investment and supply disruption i gContae Phort L\u00e1irge. Deputy Pa Daly - To discuss physiotherapy services in Kerry. Deputy Thomas Gould - To discuss deficits in local authority funding and resulting increases to social housing rents. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue - To discuss a school project in Rush, County Dublin. Deputy Ryan O'Meara - To discuss financial supports for community caf\u00e9s. Deputy Cathy Bennett - To discuss efforts to secure a public sector pay deal. Deputy Matt Carthy - To discuss the necessary steps for Monaghan County Council to secure funding for a swimming pool in Carrickmacross. Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire - To discuss the domiciliary in and out, DOMINO, scheme at Cork University Maternity Hospital, CUMH. Deputy Ruair\u00ed \u00d3 Murch\u00fa - To discuss the difficulties experienced by people whose boilers have broken. The matters raised by Deputies Roderic O'Gorman, Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire, Joe Cooney, Albert Dolan and Matt Carthy 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\/2026-11-04\/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\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_4","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Schools Building Projects","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/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":"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":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"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 appreciate the Minister being here in person to take this important Topical Issue. Castleknock Community College, CCC, as it is known locally, is a secondary school in my Dublin West constituency located in Carpenterstown. It is a very large secondary school. It currently has 1,335 students. The reason this school is so big is a number of years ago, there was major pressure on secondary school places in the Carpenterstown-Castleknock school planning area. CCC shares this school planning area with two other secondary schools, Luttrellstown Community College and Edmund Rice College. To address the school places crisis at that stage, the school management team in CCC and the board of management agreed to a long-term increase in the overall number in the school, going up to eight classes per year with 240 students per year. That was a big step to take but meeting the needs of the local community has always been central to CCC's ethos. In order to facilitate this extension to have the physical space for these extra students, there was an agreement. The school would immediately start to take the additional eighth class. Some temporary accommodation would be provided in the short term but a permanent new-build extension to the school would also be provided. This would include seven mainstream classrooms, one music room, one design and computer graphics room, one home economics room, one graphics room, two engineering-construction studies rooms, two special education classrooms and two special education tuition rooms. It was a big investment in the school but it was absolutely necessary to meet the needs of the extra students the school had committed to take each year. Now, years after that agreement, this vital extension is still only at stage one, preliminary design, of the Department's process. That is what the Minister told me in response to a parliamentary question in late July. This lack of progress has become a real issue because the school is currently looking to issue offers for incoming first-year students in September 2027. Due to the constraints of the physical size of the school building right now, and because the outgoing year group only had seven streams of 210 students, the school only has room to offer 210 places for September next year. The starting point is down 30 places from the 240 students it had been able to offer places for in recent years. The school has received 590 applications for September 2027. This year, there are more students with siblings which means they fall into the first category, which is category A. Category B, where the majority of applications come from - students who go to a feeder school and live within the catchment area - are not guaranteed to receive a place. Parents and students in that category will receive letters saying they did not get a place and are on what could be a very lengthy waiting list. What is frustrating is the school took on those extra students and that extra class in good faith. This could all have been avoided if that extension had been progressed at place. Will the new build for CCC be prioritised? The school fulfilled its part of the bargain; it has taken on the additional students. Now, the Department has to step up and fulfil its side of that bargain. What is the timeline for delivery of the new build? Is the Department aware of the real pressure this school is under for places in September 2027? Is it looking at any contingency measures to ensure students can get a place in a local secondary school?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister for Education and Youth (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton) I dt\u00fas b\u00e1ire, gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta as an gceist seo a ard\u00fa mar tugann s\u00e9 deis dom achoimre a thabhairt don D\u00e1il ar an seasamh reatha maidir leis an bplean t\u00f3g\u00e1la scoile do Chol\u00e1iste Pobail Chaisle\u00e1n Cnucha. This project was approved under the Department's additional school accommodation scheme and has been devolved to the Dublin and D\u00fan Laoghaire Education and Training Board for delivery. The project will provide seven additional mainstream classrooms, six specialist classrooms, a two-classroom special educational needs base, two special education teaching rooms and ancillary accommodation. The project is currently at stage 1, preliminary design. The stage 1 report has been submitted to the Department and is under review from a technical and cost perspective. As with all school building projects, progression to the next stage is subject to the completion of the necessary technical, scope, design and cost assessments, as well as overall programme priorities and available funding. All school building projects, as they progress through the pipeline, must undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the infrastructure guidelines and capital works management framework. The timing of a project moving from one stage to the next requires careful planning and takes account of factors, such as compliance with all scope, design and cost requirements, timing of affordability and the prioritisation necessary for the school building programme to remain within agreed annual funding allocations. The Department keeps post-primary school provision in the Castleknock and Carpenterstown school planning area under ongoing review, taking account of demographic trends, enrolment patterns and available school capacity. Current projections indicate that the population of first-year students resident in the Castleknock and Carpenterstown school planning areas will remain relatively stable over the coming years, and that sufficient capacity for first-year exists within the school planning area to meet projected demand. While Castleknock Community College has reduced the number of first-year places advertised for the 2027-28 school year, this is not expected to impact on the availability of school places for students resident within the Castleknock and Carpenterstown school planning areas. Analysis of enrolment patterns indicates that the majority of students attending Castleknock Community College reside within these areas, with a proportion also travelling from neighbouring school planning areas. Any reduction in intake at Castleknock Community College may increase demand for places in other schools, including Luttrellstown Community College. However, sufficient capacity remains available within the wider area to accommodate projected enrolments. In addition, further post-primary capacity is planned at Castleknock Community College to cater for future population growth arising from the planned residential development, particularly within the Kellystown area of Carpenterstown. The Department will continue to monitor demographic trends and school place requirements to ensure that sufficient capacity is available to meet future demand."},{"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 Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire. I will make a couple of points on that. I am not convinced that demand for secondary school places has plateaued as her Department is arguing, particularly when we look at the fifth and sixth classes that are outgoing at the moment. Even if it were stable, we have to remember 30 places have been taken off the pitch this year. There is a reduction in the number of places that Castleknock Community College has available to it next September. Thirty places is a big chunk out of it, considering the school was just able to provide offers to category A and category B students last year, and we now have more students in the sibling category A. Regarding additional post-primary capacity as planned in Castleknock, there is another school planned in the very long term. However, when the State cannot deliver an extension to an existing school, telling parents that there will be a new school built at some time on a greenfield site is not going to convince anybody and is certainly not going to address the challenge we are facing this coming September. When we are investing State money, we absolutely have to go through the due diligence and the technical process but agreements need to be met as well. Commitments need to be fulfilled. A commitment was made here. The school went out on a limb to deal with a major crisis that myself and other Deputies in Dublin 15 were dealing with a number of years ago. There was an agreement to support the school with this extra build. That extra build is still at stage 1. We all know how long these processes take within the Department and stage 1 is not a good place to be in. Will the Minister go back to her officials and ask them to drive forward this new-build project? There will be real pressure this year and in future years on secondary school places in the Carpenterstown area."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Hildegarde Naughton It is worth noting that four additional mainstream classrooms and two science laboratories were delivered to Castleknock Community College in 2023, pending the delivery of the larger additional school accommodation, ASA, project. I assure the Deputy that my Department will continue to progress the ASA project in line with the school building programme. Ba mhaith liom bu\u00edochas a ghabh\u00e1il ar\u00eds leis an Teachta as an deis a thabhairt dom an t-eolas is d\u00e9ana\u00ed a chur ar f\u00e1il don Teach maidir le tionscadal c\u00f3ir\u00edochta Chol\u00e1iste Pobail Chaisle\u00e1n Cnucha. My Department is committed to ensuring appropriate accommodation is available for all pupils and will, in the wider context outlined, ensure that each school project on the school building programme is subject to the due diligence required under the Government's infrastructure guidelines and capital works management framework. As outlined, current projections indicate that sufficient first-year places are available to meet local demand in the Castleknock and Carpenterstown area. The Department remains committed to forward planning for future growth. It is constantly monitoring demographics and pressures in relation to school planning areas and will continue to invest in school infrastructure to ensure that school place provision keeps apace with demographic change. Since 2020, the Department of Education and Youth has provided \u20ac2.1 billion in capital funding for Dublin schools. Over this period, a total of 316 schools have been upgraded, either through the provision of a new school building, large-scale extension or provision of modular accommodation. The accommodation needs at Castleknock Community College will be considered as part of the ongoing overall Department-led prioritisation process in consultation with the school patron and the school authorities."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Schools Building Projects"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_5","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Hospital Services","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/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":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","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":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire I acknowledge the presence of the Minister of State in the Department of Health and thank her for taking this Topical Issue. I also thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting it. I know the Minister of State will be familiar with it but just to put on record that the DOMINO scheme is community-based midwifery-led care. We do not always get the chance in these Houses to talk about services or initiatives that are win-win for the public and for the State but this is what DOMINO is. For the mother, the family and the baby, it provides an excellent level of care in the community. It ensures that low-risk pregnancies can be managed, stay in a low-risk environment and be supported to do so. It means, in some instances, that you could give birth in the hospital and within four or five hours be at home in your own bed. It is a terrific service but it is also in the interests of the State and the hospital if we can get things right. It ensures there is less pressure on hospital beds, that low-risk pregnancies do not escalate to high-risk pregnancies and it is very much in line with what is in the national maternal health strategy. Changes took place to the service on 12 October 2026. I state at the outset that it is not disputed that a service does continue and that DOMINO continues to be operational, but it is about the nature of changes to the service and restoring it to its full capacity. This was initiated as a pilot a bit over ten year ago. The objective at that stage was to see if it could be successful that it would potentially be expanded. That is what we should be looking at. First, we should be looking restoration but in the medium run seeing it expanded. That has not happened, even though the results speak for themselves. A number of years ago in its own publication, CUMH recognised that there are financial savings - not the primary consideration but it is worth noting - because of the early discharge and home care arrangements. I will outline some of the difficulties that exist or have existed. The telephone line was an issue. I understand this has been progressed to some extent but it is important that it remains monitored. There is also the capacity for home care. As I said, that is one of the biggest things that most appeals to mothers and families who are interested in accessing DOMINO care. At the moment, there is a question as to whether the early transfer home team has the staffing and capacity to provide the equivalent care, including at weekends. Access to antenatal education is a significant issue because people are trying to book the CUMH classes but have been told they are already full. There had been in the past, and there certainly is intended to be, dedicated DOMINO classes. We should ensure that is restored to full capacity and confirm whether the locations that had been in place for community antenatal appointments will be retained. We need to ensure there is adequate staffing to retain the full DOMINO model because it is the full suite of services that ensures this is attractive. I have spoken to some of the women who have experienced DOMINO and are campaigning on this issue. I acknowledge the work of the campaigners who have been highlighting this. They presented a petition to the Taoiseach on, I think, Monday. Their key point is that it needs to be the full suite of services. We should ensure not only that this is retained but that it is expanded into the future."},{"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 Health (Deputy Mary Butler) I thank the Deputy for providing this important opportunity to discuss the DOMINO scheme. He has set out very well and very strongly how important it is for low-risk pregnancies and giving women the choice to make the decision as to how they would like to give birth. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The Department has been engaging regularly with the region, and I assure Deputy \u00d3 Laoghaire that the DOMINO scheme at Cork University Maternity Hospital is operational. It is fair to say he acknowledged that. This is a highly valued scheme available to existing participants and eligible new patients. As of the middle of October, 52 women are registered with the DOMINO scheme in CUMH, 38 of whom will give birth before the end of this year. In October, CUMH made some changes to staffing arrangements within the hospital due to a high level of maternity leave and staffing pressures. Some of the midwives from the DOMINO scheme have been deployed to support the labour ward. Patient safety remains the overriding priority for all arrangements. These changes do not represent a closure of the scheme but are a temporary solution to ensure the safety of women and babies in CUMH. Antenatal care continues through DOMINO and the hospital's outpatient midwifery services. Parentcraft education continues to provide antenatal classes. The HSE has further advised that the increased presence of DOMINO midwives within the birthing suite is likely to facilitate continuity of care for women in the scheme who present in labour at CUMH. Postnatal care will be provided through the early transfer home midwifery team. This includes support at home following discharge. CUMH continues to review the service and, following engagement with the DOMINO midwives, the dedicated 24-hour DOMINO telephone line was reinstated from 23 October, which was just over a week ago. CUMH was also among the sites involved in the original pilot of postnatal hubs, as the Deputy said, supporting the delivery of postnatal care closer to home for women and families in communities such as Ballincollig, Clonakilty, Mallow and Carrigtohill. I acknowledge the Deputy's concern about recruitment. While enhanced controls are currently in place, it is important to clarify that there is no blanket recruitment freeze. Recruitment to essential posts can continue, with decisions informed by clinical need, patient safety and patient benefit, and having regard to available funding. The DOMINO service remains operational and available to eligible women. HSE South West continues to review and prioritise staffing requirements to support the safe and effective delivery of maternity services. The staffing arrangements currently in place are temporary and it is intended that the redeployed staff will begin to return to the DOMINO service from the first quarter of 2027."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire At the very minimum, that timetable needs to be held to. There will be women out there wondering. We need to get that communication very clear. The first quarter of 2027 for procurement might be fine but for a pregnancy, when you have a very specific date, you want to know whether you will have the full suite of services at the time you are giving birth or the period before and after. We need clarity as to what exactly that means. I ask the Minister of State to try to work with the Minister for Health to announce a specific date for the full restoration of services. I hope not only that is what the Minister of State can commit to but also that it is communicated very clearly because that will inform the choices women and families make in terms of their births. The capacity for home care is crucial. I live in a part of the city that is quite near the hospital so I see the CUMH cars around at people's homes delivering those home visits and supporting women before and after they give birth. It is crucial that is fully resourced and reliable. The point has been made that CUMH is short about 80 positions in terms of vacant posts and so on. Ultimately, moving staff between services does not resolve the underlying shortage. If we can get this service right, it will reduce pressure on doctors and on hospital beds. As I said, it is a win-win. I ask the Minister of State to bring back some key points to the Department. As regards antenatal classes, I know she has said the parentcraft places are still in place, but there needs to be dedicated DOMINO classes. That needs to be key. She has said the telephone access is restored. That needs to be maintained. The home care is crucial. It needs to be fully resourced in order that people are in a position to return home. I refer also to community antenatal appointments and a specific date."},{"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 Deputy for that. I will take on board everything he has said and it will be reflected back to the Minister, her team and the Department. There is evidence that investment in postnatal hubs in Cork and Tralee supporting care closer to the home, as well as the recently opened women's health hub in Tralee, do work. I agree with the Deputy that they absolutely do. The commitment to women's health services is reflected in Cork University Maternity Hospital. Since 2020, staffing across the region has increased by 27%. That includes 29 additional staff who were recruited this year. While births at CUMH have reduced by 7.8% since 2020, we remain committed to providing women with choice in their maternity care, including through the supported care pathway and the domino service. The HSE South West region is operating with additional recruitment controls, as I said. The region will continue to review and prioritise its staffing requirements. I take on board what the Deputy said about a timetable. As he said, quarter 1 is fine for procurement, but if you are somebody who is using the DOMINO scheme and you are nervous about what the situation is, timelines, communication and the helpline are really important. Operational decisions are taken by management from a safe staffing perspective and we cannot really question the decisions they make to make sure that it is a safe staffing process. At the same time, I will take on board everything the Deputy has said and the way he has presented it. As a woman who has had three children during her life, and there are lots of dads here as well, I understand that people need that certainty when they are about to give birth."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Hospital Services"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_6","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Meteorological Services","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/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":"Joe Cooney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joe-Cooney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joe-Cooney.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":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joe Cooney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joe-Cooney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joe-Cooney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Joe Cooney I raise the planned introduction by Met \u00c9ireann of a new weather warning system and a decision to delay its introduction. It was reported by RT\u00c9 last week that the new system, which was due to be in place by the end of this year, will now be delayed and is still going through consultation. I welcome the plans to improve the warning system but I am disappointed that it will not be ready as expected. The current system is based largely on county boundaries. This means an entire county can receive the same weather warning even when conditions are very different from one part of the county to another. Anyone familiar with my county, County Clare, will understand the problem. We have a long Atlantic coastline, areas of high ground and inland communities. The weather can be very different in west Clare compared to east Clare, even over a relatively short distance. Let me give the Minister of State an example. In the 24 hours between 4 p.m. on 23 October and 4 p.m. on 24 October this year, 51 mm of rain fell in Moyasta in west Clare, where ground conditions were already very wet. Compare that with Newmarket on Fergus on the other side of the county, where just 23 mm of rain fell during the same period. During this time, Cork, Kerry and Waterford were placed under status orange weather warnings while Clare was placed under a status yellow weather warning. Under Met \u00c9ireann's own guidelines, a status orange rainfall warning applies where 50 mm or more of rain is expected over 24 hours. That level was reached in west Clare. Meanwhile, the 30 mm required for a status yellow warning was not reached in Newmarket-on-Fergus. This shows exactly why the current system needs to be changed. The new system would allow Met \u00c9ireann to issue warnings for specific areas rather than entire counties. This is already done by the UK Met Office. I have three questions. Why has the new system been delayed? Why are so much further consultation and so many focus groups needed when the UK Met Office introduced this type of warning system in 2011? It has been in place in the UK, whose weather conditions are very similar to our own in Ireland, for 15 years. What more do we need to find out before we can move ahead? When will the new system actually be in place? Are we talking about a few months or will people have to wait another year or two? People depend on Met \u00c9ireann's warnings when deciding whether to travel, when protecting their homes and businesses, and when planning outdoor works. This is also particularly important for those in the farming community, who need to make decisions based on weather conditions."},{"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 the Taoiseach (Deputy Thomas Byrne) I thank Deputy Cooney for raising this Topical Issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy James Browne. Met \u00c9ireann has strengthened its national weather warning service and the localised weather warning and display systems have been put in place. These developments have now entered the usability and understandability assessment phase. The introduction of a new warning system is not simply a technical exercise. It is essential that the information provided is easily understood by the public and supports informed decision-making during severe weather events. As part of this assessment, Met \u00c9ireann has also engaged with local authorities, Government Departments and emergency management agencies. The next most important stakeholder in this phase is the public. Met \u00c9ireann is undertaking independent research using focus groups to ensure the technical development for localised warnings achieves its objective of providing clearer information to the public and supporting informed decision-making during weather events. This approach aligns with international best practice and is what other national meteorological services have done with comparable localised weather warning systems. The research will take place over the coming months and any improvements identified will be incorporated into the final technical solution. As a matter of operational prudence, major changes to national weather warning systems are not introduced during the winter period, when the system may be required to support responses to significant weather events. Met \u00c9ireann is committed to ensuring that the enhanced warning system is robust, effective and readily understood by users. The new localised weather warning system will be in place by the start of the next storm season."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Joe Cooney","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Joe-Cooney.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Joe-Cooney.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Joe Cooney I thank the Minister of State very much for his response. I want to make one thing clear; people do pay heed to Met \u00c9ireann. They listen to the warnings and use that information to make decisions about their daily lives. Having a proper weather warning system in place allows people to make informed decisions about travelling, making plans and carrying out outdoor work. The difference between receiving the wrong weather warning because of the county boundary system and receiving the correct warning for the conditions in your own area is significant. This is especially important during storms but it also applies in wintry weather. I will give another example from Clare. In November 2024, almost exactly two years ago, areas of higher ground in Clare recorded close to 1 ft of snow. A number of rural communities were left cut off and housebound for several days. However, in the lower, more populated parts of the county, the weather was completely different. They experienced rain rather than heavy snowfall. Despite these very different conditions, the entire county received the same weather warning. Surely, we can do better than that. We need to change the way we issue weather warnings. They need to reflect the conditions people are actually facing in their own areas rather than treating the entire county as one. I acknowledge the Minister of State's response but the fact remains that a working system already exists in the UK. This has been in place since 2011 and we can learn from that experience. We need to speed up this process rather than allowing it to drag on. This is ultimately about public safety. People need to know what weather conditions they can expect so that they can protect themselves, their families, their homes and their businesses. We have waited long enough for this change. I ask the Minister of State to make sure the work is completed and the new system put in place without further delay."},{"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 I have said, Met \u00c9ireann is enhancing its weather warning system. It is bringing in a more localised weather warning system. This system will provide information at a sub-county level, enabling a more targeted and geographically precise approach. It will not just align to county boundaries. Localised warnings will be issued based on where anticipated impacts are expected to occur. The system is already being used in a pre-operational manner by Met \u00c9ireann's forecast office. As I have already said, the localised warning system is undergoing usability and understandability assessments. Work is on track for delivery in time for the next storm season. It is not considered best practice to introduce a major change to a national weather warning system during the winter period due to the risk that confusion may occur in relation to this important source of public safety information. It is vital that this move to a localised weather warning system achieves its purpose of providing clearer and more geographically relevant information and direction to the public and emergency management agencies. Met \u00c9ireann is following international best practice and the approach adopted by other countries that have comparable localised weather warning systems. Alongside putting in place pre-operational localised warning systems, it is essential to ensure that the new warnings are clearly understandable by those who will use them. This has to be achieved through robust independent scientific research, which includes the use of focus groups. This work is under way at the moment. The objective is to assess how users interpret the information presented, identify any areas of confusion and ensure that the system supports effective decision-making during high-impact weather events. The localised system will be in place before the start of the next storm season."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Meteorological Services"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_7","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Wind Energy Guidelines","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/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":"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":"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":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 I am raising this issue today because Ireland is still planning for the wind turbines of 2026 using guidelines written in 2006. The reality is that the game has completely changed in those 20 years. When these guidelines were introduced, turbines were typically 80 m to 85 m in height. Today, in my constituency of Galway East, communities are facing proposals for turbines reaching 180 m and beyond in height. The technology, the scale and the impact on communities have changed. The only thing that has not changed is the guidelines, which have not kept pace. I have raised this issue repeatedly in this House, including directly raising it with the Taoiseach, because I believe we need a sensible and balanced approach to wind energy development. Let me be absolutely clear; I support renewable energy. Ireland needs it. We need greater energy independence and to reduce our reliance on imported fossil fuels. Most importantly, we need an energy system that delivers lower electricity prices for households, farmers and businesses. That has to be the ultimate objective. The transition to renewable energy must deliver tangible benefits to the people who are paying the bills. However, supporting renewable energy does not mean accepting every development in every location at any scale without appropriate safeguards. In Galway East, I have spoken to families and communities who are genuinely concerned about the size of proposed turbines, their proximity to homes, noise, shadow flicker and the impact on the rural landscape. These are legitimate concerns and they deserve to be addressed through a modern evidence-based planning framework. We cannot expect communities to have confidence in a planning system that relies on guidelines that are two decades old. I want to see updated guidelines that properly reflect the height, scale and technological capabilities of modern turbines. That means appropriate setback distances from homes, clear and enforceable noise limits, protections against shadow flicker and meaningful community consultation. We need the communities that are hosting this infrastructure to see a real benefit from the energy being generated around them. The Taoiseach indicated his hope yesterday that the new national planning statement would be issued before the end of the year. I welcome that indication, but communities have been waiting quite some time. My request today is straightforward. Will the Minister of State give us a firm timetable for publication, ensure the new guidelines reflect the reality of modern wind turbines and provide the protections that rural communities deserve? I firmly believe that we can deliver renewable energy, lower electricity costs and respect for rural communities. Those issues should not be at odds. I have attended multiple public meetings in my constituency over the last year at which people expressed concerns about wind farms. Prior to the general election, there was a meeting with over 300 people in attendance in Tuam. The conversation was open and honest about the issues that people are facing. One of the worst problems is that these communities receive very poor consultation. That is one of the main issues driving the inequity in these decisions. I understand that it is a matter for the planning process, but we have to show leadership on it 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 I thank Deputy Dolan for raising this important issue on behalf of his constituents in east Galway. I am taking the matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne. I acknowledge the importance of the Government's ambitious commitment that 80% of electricity demand is met by renewables in the near term, with plans to move to net zero by 2050, in order to reduce our costs and protect the environment. lreland is developing a renewables-led electricity system, which will reduce emissions, ensure the energy security of the State and protect Irish households and businesses from the volatility of the international fossil fuel markets. Onshore wind energy is fundamental to this transition. The Planning and Development Act 2024 introduces provisions for what are known as national planning statements. These national planning statements have been introduced to replace ministerial guidelines that were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. All existing guidelines will, over time, be revoked and replaced with new planning statements. Any current section 28 guidelines will remain in force until revoked or replaced by a corresponding national planning statement. Subsequently, this means new planning guidance on wind energy development will be issued as a national planning statement following a review of the existing wind guidelines. While this has been ongoing for a period of time, progress has been made towards concluding the review process. I can advise the House that it is currently the intention that a draft national planning statement will be published as part of a public consultation at the end of quarter 1 of 2027. In respect of sectoral national planning statements, such as on onshore wind energy development, there is also an important role for the relevant policy Department in collaborating with the Department of housing on the development of national planning statements. In this context, the Department of housing is working closely with the Department of climate, as the Department with policy responsibility for this area of Government policy. I reiterate that the Government's position is that public participation is a key element of all substantive decision-making processes under the Planning and Development Act. The draft national planning statement on wind energy will be subject to strategic environmental assessment, and a public consultation will be held as part of the process, whereby individuals and stakeholders, including local community groups, will have the opportunity to make observations on the draft national planning statement. It will also be open to any member of the public to make an observation or submission on a planning application, including in relation to wind energy development. The planning authority is statutorily obliged to consider such submissions before making a decision on the application."},{"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 Go raibh maith agat, a Aire St\u00e1it. I appreciate the indication that the planning statement will be published before the end of quarter 1 of 2027. A lot of communities will be concerned because there are so many live applications for onshore wind developments going through An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la. Many communities want to see these updated guidelines go out for public consultation as soon as possible in order that they can be taken into account in any decision that An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la might make. I want to emphasise one final point. We are dealing with an entirely different scale of wind turbine today than we were in 2006. That is the fundamental change here. In 2006, the guidelines were adequate for what was being proposed. They not seem to be adequate today. Turbines are over 180 m in height. They have a huge impact on the landscape and a huge presence. There is a huge amount of wind development in Offaly. I recently visited the area to see what living in close proximity to wind turbines is like, and whether people could hear them, if there was noise and what the issues were. One resident is living in an old house, and the irony is that the house is a protected structure, so they could not put in new windows which would help with the noise issues. They could hear wind turbines late at night from over a kilometre away. That is just one example. I understand that each case has to be taken on a case-by-case basis, but we are dealing with a different technology. We, as legislators, need to ensure that the guidelines keep pace with the reality on the ground, so that rural communities are protected. That is where I am coming from on this. I support renewable energy and want to see us get energy prices down for our constituents because that is what they want us to do. They want us to lower the price of energy, and if renewable energy gets us there, then happy days. I just want it to be done a responsible way."},{"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 Significant progress has been made towards the publication of the national planning statement as a matter of priority. We intend to open it for public consultation by the end of quarter 1 next year. The statement needs to provide for a robust, up-to-date policy which considers the evolved context, the technological progress of recent decades and the critical need for Ireland to meet our ambitious target of 9 GW of onshore wind energy capacity. It is vital because the programme for Government commits to the delivery of this by 2030. The target has gone up from 5 GW to 9 GW. The perspectives of everybody will be considered as part of the public consultation. The national planning statement seeks to strike an appropriate balance by addressing the concerns of communities and ensuring there is a greater and earlier community engagement by wind energy developers, while also ensuring that Ireland's ability to deliver on its binding energy policy obligations and to get cheaper and better energy are maintained."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Wind Energy Guidelines"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_8","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Swimming Pools","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","speakers":[{"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":"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":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"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 thank the Minister of State for being here. It is always helpful when the Minister with responsibility is in attendance. Nach bhfuil m\u00e9 ceart?"},{"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 used to be."},{"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 T\u00e1 br\u00f3n orm. Rinne m\u00e9 dearmad faoi sin. In that case, I express my disappointment that the Minister with responsibility is not here, although I know the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, has a lot of knowledge in this area. Since long before my election to the D\u00e1il, going back as far as my first election to Carrickmacross Town Council over 25 years ago, one of the issues I have consistently raised is the need for a swimming pool in Carrickmacross. In fact, the demand for a public swimming pool in the town goes back long before that. There is a local legend about a huge fundraising drive that was undertaken as far back as the 1970s and into the 1980s when local people came together to raise funds for a swimming pool that did not materialise. In the period that I have been involved in politics, we have been raising this matter locally. Unfortunately, for a long period of time, it is fair to say that the executive of Monaghan County Council was not really on board and there was not the necessary drive at that level to progress the matter. We are now thankfully in a situation where there is unanimity and a determination locally to deliver a swimming pool. Monaghan County Council has assigned a site. That is very welcome and is something I have been calling for many years. The council appointed a design team this week and is putting in place a steering committee to progress this project. The demand for a swimming pool has now been proven. All the local schools, sports organisations and the wider community support it. We have tangible evidence of this because, in conjunction with Swim Ireland, we have had a temporary swimming pool in the town since 2004. It was supposed to remain for a six-month period and is still there. In fact, the pop-up pool will remain in place until December and is only leaving because it requires significant repair works and there are rising operational costs. However, it has been booked out throughout the time it has been in place. That provides very clear, rock-solid proof that public swimming facilities are needed in Carrickmacross and that this would be a worthy investment. I now believe we have all of the building blocks in place for the delivery of a swimming pool in Carrickmacross. There is one crucial element missing, namely, the necessary central government funding. Will the Government provide a clear pathway for towns like Carrickmacross to access funds? I have been raising this matter in the House since 2020. I have pages of responses I have received in that time. We were told there was a review of the large-scale sport infrastructure fund, LSSIF. We were told there had to be a national swimming strategy. All of those have been completed. What will be the route for towns like Carrickmacross to secure central government capital funding for the delivery of a swimming pool? Will that route be opened as speedily as possible so that we can deliver this infrastructure for the young people of Carrickmacross but for the wider community 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 I thank the Deputy. Carrickmacross is a town I am very familiar with. Sport and physical activity are hugely important to our collective well-being. Swimming is one of the most important sports to ensure participation. Availability and ease of access to sports facilities, whether in a club setting, on public lands or in other amenity areas, drives participation. Planning for future facilities' needs, locations and types is a focus of the current sports action plan, which is supported by the work of Sport Ireland as a statutory consultee for local development plans and capital funds operated by the Department. There is real merit in the development of municipally backed shared sports facilities to make the best use of available funding. Therefore, I strongly encourage national governing bodies of sports and local authorities to collaborate on developing multisport facilities. That can include swimming. There are a number of examples around the country where local authorities have got together with national sports governing bodies and put in place multisport facilities. We only have to look at Castlebar and similar places. While this is a matter for Monaghan County Council, the Department has a number of funds, such as the community sport facilities fund and the large-scale sports infrastructure fund, that can be accessed to improve and develop swimming pools. The community sport facilities fund is open until February. Applications for swimming pools will be prioritised under that. In the context of a swimming pool, that is a smaller fund but there is also the LSSIF, which has allocated significant funding for swimming pools around the country where the local authorities have requested it. If I am correct, Monaghan County Council did not look for this funding previously. A previous local authority swimming pool grant was in place for 25 years. Lucan leisure campus was opened only recently, yet the grant for it was allocated in the early 2000s. Local authorities have a strong role to play to get these facilities over the line. We are looking at a future round of LSSIF but the current focus is on ensuring project delivery under the first two rounds of LSSIF. The Deputy mentioned the pop-up pool in Carrickmacross, which has been incredibly successful. When I was the Minister of State with responsibility for sport, I funded that. I also developed the national swimming strategy. This is very important. I know Carrickmacross very well and it would be an ideal location for a swimming pool. I certainly would support a swimming pool. My constituents would benefit enormously from one if one were there. I am certainly willing to work on that, and I know my colleagues in Monaghan, Councillor PJ O'Hanlon and Senator Robbie Gallagher, have been very supportive of this ambition as well."},{"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 welcome that indication from the Minister of State that he will support this. I will be the first to acknowledge that Monaghan County Council was previously far too slow in moving on this area. We have an excellent swimming facility in Monaghan town, which completely washes its own face financially after the initial investment, and I believe the same would be the case in Carrickmacross. However, we had an executive that was reluctant and we had councillors, including some the Minister of State mentioned, who voted to sell off the land that is now earmarked. Thankfully, that did sale did not happen. I agree that we need unity in progressing this project. As the Minister of State knows, Carrickmacross is a growing town. There is a lot of very welcome housing development, of which we need much more. We also have a great record of community organisations, particularly sporting organisations. We have the Carrick Aces running track. The Carrick Rovers soccer team is moving into new facilities. The Carrickmacross Emmets GAA club is currently in the middle of a huge fundraising drive, Every Square Matters, to deliver new, state-of-the-art facilities on the Donaghmoyne Road. We have kickboxing, basketball and a myriad of other sporting organisations doing huge work. The missing piece that all of those sporting organisations would benefit from is a swimming pool. I believe Monaghan County Council is now in a different place, where there is unity of purpose and determination in the council executive. From the CEO down, the council is entirely in support of this proposal, to the point that it has earmarked land and appointed a design team. My appeal to the Minister of State is that when an application for funding is submitted, it is prioritised. This campaign goes back to the 1970s at a local level, although it did not have the support of the local authority. Now that the local authority is on board, we do not want to be waiting 30 years to go through bureaucracy and applications. We need prioritisation so that funding will be allocated and then delivered and we can provide these facilities for the people of growing towns like Carrickmacross."},{"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 When I was the Minister of State with responsibility of sport, I published our first ever national swimming strategy. That set out a vision to give everybody in the country an opportunity to swim. If there was a swimming pool in Carrickmacross, I would support it because my constituents around Meath Hill, Drumconrath, Nobber and the Kingscourt area would benefit hugely from it. We knew from that strategy that we did not have enough swimming pools. We accepted that. As a result of the strategy, Swim Ireland carried out an in-depth analysis of swimming pool provision in Ireland that looked at all sorts of different factors. That gap analysis report is available on its website. That report is being examined by the Department of sport and will be a key input in the future development of swimming pool facilities. It is important to acknowledge our swimmers in the Olympics who have done incredible work representing this country from all parts of the island. I am very proud of them. In some cases, it was difficult for them, with the facilities we have on the island, North and South. We are giving additional funding to Swim Ireland for the deployment of swimming activators who are working with local authorities to try to change the mindset in local authorities. We want increasing participation and we want existing swimming pools opened for longer hours. We have given over \u20ac1.5 million to Swim Ireland since I established that fund in 2024. The impact of that is being felt. We have seen an increased number of participation programmes and partnerships throughout 2025, including Carrickmacross. The Department is considering further funding. There are also a number of other funds. We have capital opportunities. I have set out the community sports facilities fund and the large-scale sports infrastructure fund. The former is open and I hope the LSSIF will open again. It is up to the local authority to now work with Sport Ireland and, I suggest, other governing bodies of sports because swimming pools nowadays are not just a pool of water with a shed around them. They tend to be multisport facilities, and that is the way we should be looking at these things."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Swimming Pools"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_9","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Protected Disclosures Inquiry: Motion [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":29,"speakerCount":18},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_9","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":"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":"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":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","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":"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":"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 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":"Claire Kerrane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Claire-Kerrane.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":"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":"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":"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":"Eoin Hayes","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoin-Hayes.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":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","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) Before proceeding, I remind Members that parliamentary privilege should be exercised in a responsible manner, and Members should avoid making allegations against identifiable persons who are not in a position to respond. Under the sub judice rule, there is also an onus to avoid comment that may prejudice the outcome of legal proceedings. Therefore, Members should exercise particular care in their contributions and refrain from naming individuals, including any person who may have made a protected disclosure."},{"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 move: That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann: notes that: \u2014 concerns were raised regarding the safety, suitability and serviceability of certain Garda firearm holsters through protected disclosures, internal reports and training personnel prior to the fatal shooting of a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na in June 2020; \u2014 firearms instructors and other personnel are reported to have raised concerns about holster performance and equipment safety during training exercises; \u2014 evidence arising from training exercises and a firearms-related incident involving a Garda member shortly before the fatal shooting is said to have raised additional questions regarding holster safety and associated forensic findings; \u2014 questions remain as to whether the equipment worn by the Garda member at the time of his death was subjected to a comprehensive and independent technical examination; \u2014 a quality-assurance review completed in 2024 identified concerns regarding the investigation of protected disclosures relating to firearms equipment, including issues relating to technical expertise, forensic evidence, procurement processes and investigative methodology; \u2014 in 2025, concerns were raised by those involved in the protected disclosures process that significant questions remained unresolved and that further enquiries were required before certain disclosures could be closed; \u2014 responsibility for the disclosures were subsequently reassigned, and closed shortly thereafter, notwithstanding the existence of unresolved issues identified by those previously examining them; \u2014 further concerns have been raised regarding the engagement and withdrawal of independent technical expertise, the reliance on internal assessments, and the adequacy and independence of technical reports prepared during the course of the investigations; \u2014 allegations have been made that individuals who raised concerns through protected disclosures, or who challenged aspects of the investigative process, experienced adverse professional consequences; \u2014 questions have also been raised regarding the treatment of personnel involved in the administration and oversight of protected disclosures, and whether sufficient safeguards existed to protect them from adverse treatment; and \u2014 concerns have been expressed regarding the handling of disclosures involving allegations against senior office holders and whether existing arrangements provide sufficient independence, transparency and accountability; recognises that: \u2014 Detective Garda Horkan was much loved by his family and friends, was a pillar of his community and was a dedicated member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, and his murder was a desperate loss to all who knew him; \u2014 the Horkan family have called for an independent public inquiry; and \u2014 ongoing criminal or inquest proceedings must be protected, but they should not become an indefinite reason for withholding independent scrutiny of distinct administrative and public-safety failures; has concerns that extend to: \u2014 defective ammunition, and the reported disposal of approximately 500,000 rounds; \u2014 firearms storage, recording and accountability; \u2014 procurement irregularities and alleged supplier favouritism; \u2014 inappropriate servicing or repair of privately owned firearms; \u2014 alleged misuse of Garda resources, fraud and financial wrongdoing; \u2014 ammunition procurement and testing; \u2014 staffing, training and specialist promotions within the Garda National Technical Bureau; and \u2014 potential consequences for public safety and the integrity of criminal investigations; and calls on the Government to constitute a full independent public inquiry that: \u2014 is genuinely independent of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration; \u2014 has effective powers to secure documents, electronic records and testimony; \u2014 can examine the knowledge, actions and omissions of senior Garda management, including the former Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, where relevant; \u2014 can independently test the disputed forensic examinations and the technical evidence concerning holster safety; \u2014 can examine the original procurement competition, the weighting of cost against quality, mandatory safety specifications, technical testing and the role of independent expertise; \u2014 can examine interference allegations, expert selection and the premature closure of protected disclosures; \u2014 can investigate allegations of penalisation and failures to protect reporting persons; \u2014 can review the accuracy of information supplied to Ministers, the Houses of the Oireachtas and the Horkan family; \u2014 can refer evidence of suspected criminal wrongdoing to the competent authorities; \u2014 can examine whether other protected disclosures involving public safety were inadequately investigated or closed without proper resolution; \u2014 can examine why the files were closed, and how two serious disclosures were closed on 23rd June, 2025, after the Protected Disclosures Manager had expressly stated that material questions remained unanswered; \u2014 can examine why cost was given greater weight than quality, who authorised 500 marks for cost and 400 for quality in the procurement of firearm holsters, what mandatory technical safety standards applied, and who independently verified compliance before the contract was awarded and the equipment issued; \u2014 can examine who was accountable, who authorised the reassignment, and the closure decisions and the representations subsequently made to the Ministers and the public; \u2014 can examine why were whistleblowers penalised; \u2014 can examine what statutory authority permitted the former Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, to intervene in the handling of a report that the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner had already transmitted to a designated statutory recipient under Section 10D of the Protected Disclosures Act 2014; \u2014 can examine why the former Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, sent a Protected Disclosure to the then Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, given that it was expressly identified as a separate Protected Disclosure in its own right; \u2014 can examine why on 21st December, 2023, a protected disclosure was redirected to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na following a direction by the former Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, and why identifying information appeared in the titles of attachments transmitted by the Department of Justice to senior Garda management, including to an individual implicated in the very allegations; \u2014 can examine why extremely serious allegations concerning the former Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, did not meet the threshold for an investigation under Section 102B of the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Act 2005, what evidence was considered; and \u2014 who undertook that assessment and why was further information not sought through the designated statutory process before that conclusion was reached. First, I pay tribute to Detective Garda Colm Horkan, who was murdered in the line of duty in June 2020. He was a much-loved individual by his family and friends. He was a pillar of his community and a dedicated member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. His murder was a desperate loss to all who knew him. From what I understand of Colm, he was a quiet individual and probably would not like his name to be used in a location such as this but he was also a man who fought for justice and truth, and that is important. I also pay tribute to the garda\u00ed who have stood up and made protected disclosures at great cost to themselves in recent years. Some of those garda\u00ed are in the Public Gallery with us here today, and I thank them for that. I pay tribute to some of the many journalists who have looked into this issue over the past few years - people like John Lee, Mick Clifford and others, who have made sure this information has come to light. While this issue is a complex one and has many different elements to it, at the heart of it is an incredible crisis at a senior level in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and a lack of ministerial oversight and, in some cases, Ministers breaking the law on what they are supposed to do in upholding the protected disclosures legislation. Remember the words \"protected disclosure\". The whole idea of a protected disclosure is that good people who see wrongdoing in a location can raise that wrongdoing, have it investigated and be protected in the manner in which they do that. What we see here is the opposite of that. We have seen very good garda\u00ed raise issues and be punished significantly for the actions they have taken. There is a serious result in that which is that in the future, good people will shut up. Good people will say nothing, will keep quiet, will keep their heads down or will leave. If that happens, a dysfunction will be created at the head and senior levels of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na - a dysfunction that will be detrimental to people's lives and one that will put garda\u00ed lives at risk. It will also hit the civilians they are supposed to serve hard. At the heart of these particular allegations, it is alleged the garda\u00ed were given materials that were unsafe. In this case, they were given holsters that did not retain the loaded guns they were carrying, and this could have possibly led to the serious injury of one particular garda and the murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan. A garda raised this issue about these holsters in 2019, in advance of the murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan. Firearms trainers within the garda\u00ed also raised these concerns. Video footage reportedly recorded during live firearms training in May 2020 demonstrated potential equipment safety problems. On 11 June 2020, a detective was involved in an accidental discharge associated with a firearm and that holster, subsequently giving rise to serious injury and forensic concerns. Serious questions arise from the fact this information was ignored, and we know these concerns were brought to senior garda\u00ed before Colm's murder. Who received the warnings and the video evidence? Why did the equipment remain in use, and who is responsible for assessing and managing that risk? An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na has publicly asserted that Colm's holster was examined by Forensic Science Ireland and a GNTB ballistic expert gave evidence at Stephen Silver's trial. It is seriously disputed whether those examinations adequately addressed the particular holster safety defects identified through the protected disclosure. Relevant safety defects have never been subject to an adequate technical examination. The McMenamin investigation recorded a visual inspection on Colm's holster on 7 February 2024, approximately three years and seven months after his murder. Serious questions remain concerning the qualifications and independence of the examiners, the testing undertaken and the scientific foundation for reassuring the conclusions. Who actually examined Colm's holster? What precise tests were undertaken? Where were the specific defects identified by the whistleblowers and were they tested? Where are the original reports, photographs, laboratory records and exhibit continuity documents? These are all questions that have not been answered. The procurement of leather pistol holsters raises questions about tendering, restructuring, supplier relationships, conflicts of interest and product quality, and the priority assigned to operational safety. The McMenamin report recorded an evaluation allocating a maximum of a thousand marks - 500 marks to cost, 400 marks to quality and 100 marks to delivery. That is incredibly serious. We have more marks afforded to the cost of a holster than to the quality of that particular product. Why was cost allocated more than quality in the procurement of a product that held a loaded firearm carried by a Garda member? A Garda firearm holster is not an ordinary piece of equipment or clothing; it is essential in retaining and securing a loaded firearm and protecting that member, their colleagues and the public from accidental discharge, unauthorised access or equipment failure. Public procurement principles permit this situation to arise. Who allowed for that public procurement principle to be put in place, and why has it not been changed? A tender arrangement in which a lower-price product could overcome materially inferior safety performance raises fundamental questions as to the design of that competition. The McMenamin report also had concerns around the serviceability and evidence-questioning claims that the selected holsters were superior to earlier Cobra holsters. Who approved the tender evaluation, and who allocated the 500 marks to cost but only 400 to quality for this? Who exposed garda\u00ed to this potentially fatal danger? Who determined the weighting? These are all questions that have not been answered on this. Were experienced firearms trainers, ballisticians, armourers and independent technician specialists consulted before these contracts were awarded? What product testing happened for this, including testing under realistic operational conditions following prolonged use? What role did the supplier take in the tenders and their structures? Were there conflicts of interest at play here? The second element of our motion today looks at what happened to the garda\u00ed who were involved in trying to bring this information to light, which is incredible. The information I and many others have received here is unprecedented in the history of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. On July 2024, protected disclosure manager, Rose Sweeney, and facilitator, Dr. Donal Corcoran, prepared a detailed 108-page quality assurance review. The McMenamin investigation into PD 2020\/04 raised specific questions around the holster safety, contradictory forensic evidence, suitability of technical experts, procurement and investigation deficiency. On 9 June 2026, Rose Sweeney informed Commissioner Drew Harris that critical questions remained unanswered and further inquiries could affect the outcome. On 17 June 2025, Rose Sweeney expressly stated that she was not in a position to close the disclosure. On Friday, 20 June 2025, responsibility was assigned to the new manager. On Monday, 23 June 2025, the next working day, PD 2020\/04 and PD 2022\/15 were closed. That is an extraordinary situation to happen. Individuals tasked and paid at the most senior level to investigate serious allegations of wrongdoing in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na were moved, documents were closed, and there was no further investigation. On 8 July 2025, Rose Sweeney continued to challenge the closure and the unanswered questions, and no substantive answer to that challenge is known to have been received. This is outrageous at any level. Who directed that reassignment? What changed over the weekend? Where are the answers to the 108-page review? Are there any answers to that? Does the Minister know what is asked in that review? Does he know the answers in that review? On what evidentiary basis were the investigations into firearms safety risks closed? That is a cliffhanger of lack of information that exists around serious threats to life and limb. Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Lane was selected to provide independent specialist expertise on firearms-related disclosures. His proposed involvement did not proceed as originally envisaged. Serious questions arise considering interventions by senior Garda management, including the former Commissioner Drew Harris in relation to this. Who intervened in the independent expert arrangements? Why was Raymond Lane not permitted to complete the work proposed? Who selected the alternative examiners? Why did the proposed independent policing expertise not materialise? Serious questions then arise concerning statements made by senior Garda management about the holster-safety forensic examinations. This is important. Brian O'Reilly disputes aspects of information supplied to the Horkan family, including the description of forensic examination of Colm's holster. Statements made by the former Commissioner Drew Harris and other senior Garda officers to Oireachtas committees must be compared with documentary records available at the time. We are not just talking about this one specific issue. There is a whole range of firearms questions at the heart of this. We have defective ammunition and the reported disposal of approximately 500,000 rounds of defective ammunition, firearms storage, recording and accountability, procurement irregularities, alleged supplier favouritism, inappropriate servicing or repair of privately-owned firearms, alleged misuse of Garda resources, fraud and financial wrongdoing, ammunition procurement and testing, potential consequences for public safety and the integrity of criminal investigations. How many of these matters has the Minister investigated that he knows about? How many were administratively closed, and what corrective actions were taken, and can the Minister demonstrate that they were done? This was the other element of the protected disclosures issue. These are the questions in relation to those who raised the alarm. Remember, the whole idea of the protected disclosure is to protect the whistleblower. Brian O'Reilly alleges adverse professional consequences following his protected disclosure, including decisions affecting his responsibilities at the GNTB and the firearms stores. Serious questions also arise concerning the treatment of persons within the protected disclosures office, such as Donal Corcoran, who challenged investigative deficiencies. Alleged penalisation may involve the removal of duties, exclusion, reputational undermining, and confidentiality breaches that have a cumulative professional or financial detriment. All of these elements appear to have happened to these individuals. What happened to the protected disclosures office is quite incredible. It ceased, a new one was created, and the individuals who worked in that office were then reassigned to other responsibilities. These are serious questions and there are questions for the Minister for justice as well. There is a report in the Irish Examiner today about garda\u00ed and firearms procurement for a private gun club in 2018. It is reported that there have been no prosecutions. The then Minister for justice seemingly unwittingly signed the licence for that procurement. Are we talking about \"Fawlty Towers\" here in relation to firearms? There are serious questions about the competence of the former Minister, Deputy McEntee, and about whether she broke the law. She has not explained on what statutory authority, as former Minister for justice, she intervened in the handling of reports of the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner that had already been transmitted to a designated statutory recipient under section 10(D) of the Protected Disclosures Act. Why on 21 December 2023 was a protected disclosure redirected to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na following a direction from the then Minister, Deputy McEntee? Why did she identify information in the titles of those attachments transmitted to the Department and senior Garda management that allowed for the knowledge about the individual to be made known? These questions have not been answered. The Minister's amendment does not significantly address them, and he has to change it."},{"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 Independent Ireland will be supporting this motion. First and foremost, we remember Detective Garda Colm Horkan who was murdered in Castlerea in June 2020 while serving his community. Our thoughts remain with his family, colleagues, and all those who continue to feel that loss today. Nothing said in this debate should take away from one fundamental fact. The individual responsible for Detective Garda Horkan's murder was convicted by the courts and bears responsibility for that crime but there is a separate question before us today. That question is whether serious concerns relating to Garda equipment, procurement processes and protected disclosures were properly examined when they were raised. We know concerns were raised about the firearm holsters issued to Garda members. We know questions have been raised about testing procurement decisions and whether warnings from experienced Garda personnel received the attention they deserved. The Horkan family have consistently called for an independent public inquiry. That request deserves to be treated with respect and seriousness. Every garda who goes on duty has a right to expect that the equipment issued to them is safe, properly tested and fit for purpose. Safety-critical equipment cannot be judged primarily on cost. The protection of front-line garda\u00ed must always come first. We must also look carefully at the handling of protected disclosures. The whole purpose of the whistleblower legislation is to ensure that people can raise concerns about public safety, potential wrongdoing or failures within organisations without fear of retaliation or damage to their careers. When somebody comes forward with legitimate a concern, the priority should be to investigate the warnings, not the person raising them. I want to put direct questions to the Minister. Will the Minister confirm whether any warnings, reports or concerns about the safety of these firearm holsters were received before Detective Garda Horkan's death, and what action was taken in response? Was the actual holster worn by Detective Garda Horkan independently examined and by whom? Will the findings be made available? Were protected disclosures relating to these matters closed in June 2025 and were all outstanding issues fully addressed before that decision was taken? Who approved the procurement criteria for the holster, including the weighting given to cost and quality, and what mandatory safety testing was required before they were issued to Garda members? Will the Minister now commit to establishing an independent statutory inquiry with the power to compel documents and witnesses, so that these questions can finally be answered?"},{"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 Today is about a wrongdoing, a wrong investigation into something at the cost of a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na's life. Detective Garda Colm Horkan lost his life over a faulty holster, which was raised by other Garda members. I see the Minister shaking his head. He has no qualification to even look at this. The people in the Gallery have the qualifications to look at holsters and they were not given a proper opportunity because it was covered up and the investigation was not done properly. We are trying to encourage people to join An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to uphold the law. When we look at the history over the past eight years, and at the eight garda\u00ed, it took five years to come to a conclusion where they were found innocent. Who was at the head of this investigation? It was Drew Harris who has single-handedly destroyed An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. Why? It is because he was brought up in a policing model that is not in Ireland. It is An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na - the guardians of our State and not the state he wanted us to go to. The people who stood up here - Brian O'Reilly, Raymond Lane and Donal Corcoran - put themselves on the line to get justice and right a wrong. What did they do? They turned everything back on them. What does that say about the type of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Drew Harris wanted, using his power in that position and putting pressure on other senior people to make sure this stayed quiet? There needs to be investigations into the person who caused this and not only this. Remember the eight garda\u00ed who were taken off Garda duties and found innocent. Nothing was done about that either."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jim O'Callaghan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Jim-O'Callaghan.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister for Justice (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan) I move: To delete all words after \"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann\" and substitute the following: \"notes that: \u2014 there are robust structures, policies and procedures in place across the criminal justice sector, including in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, to ensure the effective management of protected disclosures and to provide support to people who make disclosures under the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022; and \u2014 the Government will not publicly discuss the merits or detail of any protected disclosure, since it is not for any Minister to reach conclusions on the veracity or legitimacy of any disclosure, as that is a function for the prescribed investigating bodies; recognises that: \u2014 Detective Garda Colm Horkan was much loved by his family and friends and was a highly respected and dedicated member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, and his murder was an appalling crime and is a tremendous loss to his family, friends and the Garda family; \u2014 the murder of Detective Garda Horkan epitomises the risk and sacrifice that has been made by many members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na; and \u2014 concerns have been raised about the safety and suitability of the firearm holster used by Detective Garda Horkan at the time of the incident in which he was fatally shot; further notes that: \u2014 having regard to the importance of ensuring that equipment issued to members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na is safe, the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has requested, under section 205(2) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, that Fiosr\u00fa, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, investigate questions concerning the safety and suitability of the holster Detective Garda Horkan was using at the time of his murder; and \u2014 the purpose of such a referral is to establish, through an independent external investigation, whether the holster gave rise to any operational or safety concerns; further recognises that: \u2014 a number of measures have been taken to strengthen protected disclosure mechanisms within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na; \u2014 a new and strengthened Protected Disclosures Unit was established in January 2025, within the Garda Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Governance and Accountability, which also has responsibility for the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit and the Professional Standards Unit, the office was assigned additional and dedicated staff who have the requisite training and qualifications to undertake their role; \u2014 extensive training has also been provided to managers across An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and, in addition, all personnel who make protected disclosures are advised of support services; \u2014 the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, established the Garda Board, the Policing and Community Safety Authority (replacing the Policing Authority and Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Inspectorate) and Fiosr\u00fa; \u2014 the Act was designed to enhance governance, oversight and accountability in relation to the delivery of policing and security services by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na; \u2014 An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na have emphasised that they encourage and support employees in disclosing wrongdoing and that all allegations made under the Protected Disclosures Acts to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na are treated seriously, and examined for any potential disciplinary or criminal matters that may arise; and \u2014 a review of the operation of the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act is due to take place in the coming year; furthermore, notes that: \u2014 the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act requires Ministers to transmit reports of wrongdoing to the Protected Disclosures Commissioner; \u2014 the relevant legislation was adhered to in transmitting such reports; and \u2014 it is not appropriate to comment or draw assumptions from partial information that relates to a process that, by its design, includes legislative provisions that protect the confidentiality of the discloser, and the details relating to the disclosure; and furthermore, recognises that: \u2014 there are robust structures, policies and procedures in place that ensure the effective management of protected disclosures in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, and to provide support to those who make disclosures under the Act; \u2014 there are multiple independent avenues for Garda personnel to make disclosures to ensure that disclosures are treated with the appropriate level of independent consideration, and the Government is satisfied that there are robust procedures and protections for those who make disclosures; and \u2014 several ongoing legal processes and investigations should be allowed to progress and conclude and so consequently, a public inquiry is not under consideration at this time.\". The family of Detective Garda Colm Horkan suffered a devastating loss when he was murdered while on duty in Castlerea in 2020. I believe I speak for everyone in this House when I say that Colm\u2019s murder shocked us all. Colm lost his life doing a job that he loved - protecting the community and serving An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the State with duty and distinction. His murder again reminded us of the risks the brave men and women of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na take every day to protect our communities and the burden all Garda families carry in supporting them and in mourning the loss of the fallen. I have met with the Horkan family on a number of occasions, most recently last Thursday, and I am aware of its call for a public inquiry into Colm\u2019s death. It should be noted that the only person responsible for Colm\u2019s murder is the individual who has been convicted of his murder. I am conscious that an appeal judgment is awaited from the Court of Appeal in respect of that conviction. It is important to allow for the conclusion of criminal proceedings that are ongoing and the outcome of the coroner\u2019s inquest, which will be held in public, and other matters I will outline now before considering if there is a need for a public inquiry. I would like to inform the House of a recent decision I took in relation to this matter. Questions have been raised in this House, particularly by Deputy Kelly, and elsewhere by the Horkan family and others concerning the operation of the holster he was using at the time of his murder, including its firearm-retention characteristics and its suitability for operational policing. I am of the view that these are matters of public interest that require independent examination by Fiosr\u00fa. Colm\u2019s family is entitled to know if his holster contributed in any way to his murder and the public is entitled to expect that our brave garda\u00ed are equipped with equipment that is fit for purpose and does not add to the risk they face day in, day out as they go about their business keeping the people of Ireland safe. In light of the ongoing controversy surrounding the holster Colm was using and the public interest in getting to the truth as to its role or otherwise in his murder, this week, I wrote to Fiosr\u00fa - the Police Ombudsman - invoking the provisions of section 205(2) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 to request that it undertake an investigation in the public interest into matters concerning the safety and suitability of the firearm holster used by Garda Horkan at the time he was murdered. This is not the first time I have written to Fiosr\u00fa seeking an investigation into issues raised surrounding the use of the holster. On 27 February 2025, in my first month as Minister, I invoked section 102(5) of the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Act 2005 and referred the issues raised by Detective Superintendent Brian O'Reilly to GSOC. I referred the issues raised by him to GSOC because I believed it was in the public interest for his complaints to be investigated. In referring this matter to GSOC, I also assumed, based on the commentary and correspondence I have seen and heard, that this would meet with his approval. He had expressly requested that his complaints be investigated by GSOC. Therefore, I was disappointed when I was informed by Fiosr\u00fa, which has now replaced GSOC, in a letter to the Department dated 28 May 2026 that \"in the absence of further engagement from the reporting person Fiosr\u00fa\u2019s investigation of this matter has been discontinued in accordance with section 93(1)( c ) of the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Act 2005.\" On a positive note, however, Fiosr\u00fa did state that it had advised Detective Superintendent O\u2019Reilly that he was entitled to engage directly with that office at any time in the future. I wrote to Detective Superintendent O\u2019Reilly on 1 October 2026 asking him to re-engage with Fiosr\u00fa, so that it can complete the investigation of his complaints. Again, I ask him to re-engage. Fiosr\u00fa is the appropriate statutory body to investigate his complaints. I am satisfied that Fiosr\u00fa has all the powers needed to fully investigate this matter, particularly since the enactment of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. Fiosr\u00fa is fully independent in the exercise of its functions and I have every confidence in its capacity to investigate this issue without fear or favour. For my part, I am only interested in the truth of the matter. Colm\u2019s family deserves it and so does the public. I have advised the Garda Commissioner of my decision to refer the case to Fiosr\u00fa and he has assured me of the full co-operation of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na with the investigation. I should add that I have also directed my officials to write to the Roscommon coroner and offer the Department\u2019s practical support to ensure that the coronial investigation process is advanced in a timely manner. Insofar as the question of a public inquiry is concerned, my position is this: there are criminal proceedings before the courts and a coronial process to be undertaken. The Fiosr\u00fa investigation will take its course and reach conclusions on the matters. Once these processes have concluded, I will consider if there are any outstanding matters that need further inquiry or investigation and if so, the nature of any such inquiry or investigation. Turning to the matter of protected disclosures more generally, I would like to place on record that as Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, I take extremely seriously any protected disclosures that are made within the justice sector. To facilitate those reporting a protected disclosure, a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na or Garda staff has a number of options. In the first instance, he or she can make the protected disclosure to the protected disclosures unit within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, go to Fiosr\u00fa, go to the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner or go to a Minister. The protected disclosures Act is designed to enable a discloser to make a protected disclosure without his or her identity being publicised except for the proposes of the investigation itself. In updating the legislation in 2022, the Oireachtas made several important amendments to the 2014 Act. Most notably, it created the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner and it removed Ministers from the follow-up and investigation of protected disclosures. Specifically, section 8(3) of the Act, as amended, requires Ministers to transmit reports of wrongdoing to the Protected Disclosures Commissioner without having considered the report, the information or any allegation. As the House will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the organisation's obligations under the Protected Disclosures Act. I know that An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na considers the handling of protected disclosures to be of the utmost importance and is committed to ensuring the integrity of the structure and process for making and investigating all such reports. I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that all protected disclosures made to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na are treated seriously. Furthermore, the Commissioner has taken a number of measures to strengthen the protected disclosure mechanisms and structures within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. A new protected disclosures unit was established in January 2025 within the office of the assistant commissioner for governance and accountability, which also has responsibility for the Garda anti-corruption unit and the professional standards unit. The office was assigned additional and dedicated staff who have the requisite training and qualifications to undertake their role. In addition, Transparency International Ireland has provided training to the protected disclosures unit and senior Garda managers and provides support and confidential advice to any member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na who may be considering making a protected disclosure. Extensive training has also been provided to Garda managers across An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. All personnel who make protected disclosures are advised of support services that are available to them. The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 established the Garda Board, the Policing and Community Safety Authority and Fiosr\u00fa-the Office of the Police Ombudsman. These changes enhance governance, oversight and accountability in relation to the delivery of policing and security services by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. Where protected disclosures are made internally within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, the 2024 Act gives the Garda Board and the audit committee important oversight roles in relation to the operation of the protected disclosures system in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na has emphasised that it encourages and supports employees in disclosing wrongdoing and that all allegations made under protected disclosures are treated seriously and examined for any potential disciplinary or criminal matters that may arise. Having regard to these changes and the substantial programme of Garda reform that has been undertaken over the last decade, I am satisfied that there is a robust system in place to deal with and oversee the handling of protected disclosures in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. As I have outlined today, there are a number of legal processes and investigations ongoing relating to protected disclosures, which, directly or indirectly, are linked to the question of the suitability of the holster used by detective garda Colm Horkan. I am confident that the referral by me of this issue to Fiosr\u00fa for investigation can provide the Horkan family and the public with the answers they deserve but if there are still outstanding issues, I will consider what further inquiry or investigation is needed. I commend the countermotion 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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Darren O'Rourke) I have just taken the Chair. Before we continue I remind Members that parliamentary privilege should be exercised in a responsible manner and Members should avoid making allegations against identifiable persons who are not in a position to respond. Under the sub judice rule there is also an onus to avoid comment that may prejudice the outcome of legal proceedings. Therefore, Members should exercise particular care in their contributions and refrain from naming individuals, including any person who may have made a protected disclosure. On that basis, we move forward to the next speaker, an Teachta Paul Lawless."},{"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 want to make clear that Aont\u00fa will not support the Government's amendment to the motion. The Garda whistleblower scandal is extremely serious. I have never seen anything of this scale in my lifetime. My eyes have been opened to the level of corruption happening before our eyes. It is incomprehensible that there has been so little debate, and no debate in this Chamber, following the \u201cRT\u00c9 Investigates\u201d programme. I cannot understand how the former Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, who decided that her Department would not investigate the protected disclosures about gun holsters still holds a Cabinet position. This is an extremely complicated issue but at the heart of it we know detective garda Colm Horkan was working in Castlerea and was murdered on 17 June 2020. He was shot after he approached a man named Stephen Silver. Silver managed to disarm detective Horkan from the holster and fired 15 rounds of ammunition, 11 of which wounded detective Horkan. Colm Horkan was a native of Charlestown. In recent days, weeks and months, Garda whistleblowers have come forward with very serious allegations and questions about the gun holster that Colm Horkan was wearing that night. We know that six days prior to the murder of Colm Horkan detective garda Eddie Connell was working in Dublin when he suffered injuries after the gun he was holding in the same holster worn by Colm Horkan was triggered in the holster. The whistleblowers are alleging that safety concerns about the holster were ignored by senior members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. They allege it was brought to the attention of senior members of the force over a year before that fateful night of 17 June 2020. They allege that the Garda Commissioner at the time, Drew Harris, effectively blocked safety reviews for this particular holster. When senior officers blew the whistle on the scandal and made a protected disclosure to the then Minister for Justice, she refused to have her Department investigate the matter despite the fact that the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner directed her Department to investigate it. Instead of doing so and following protocol and the law, she had that disclosure returned to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the Garda Commissioner. In so doing, she leaked the accuser\u2019s name to the person against whom the allegation was made. The man making the disclosure was detective superintendent Brian O\u2019Reilly, a former head of the Garda Technical Bureau. His disclosure was sent back to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na to investigate because the Minister refused to do so. That is a very serious thing to happen. When the internal Garda unit responsible for investigating the protected disclosures tried to investigate the issues that had been raised, and there were many issues of serious allegations of wrongdoing in the force, Garda management tried to block those investigations and interfered with the protected disclosure process. Eventually the protected disclosure unit itself was effectively dismantled. The individuals involved in the unit, Dr. Donal Corcoran and Rose Sweeney, were so frustrated with the process they themselves made protected disclosures."},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Darren O'Rourke) The Deputy\u2019s time is up now. He had five minutes. An Teachta 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 Like most people in this country I have huge respect for the rank and file members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, who are decent hard-working people who put their safety on the line every single day and do not get paid enough, but as this motion highlights we are looking at an ongoing systemic failure within the higher procurement and management structures of the force. Let us look at the facts. We had an administrative system that prioritised financial savings over human lives. How on earth does anyone think it is acceptable for a police force to award 500 marks for cost and only 400 marks for quality and safety specifications when buying standard issue firearm holsters? It does not make sense. It is a farce. What happens when you cut corners on safety standards? You get defective equipment issued to front-line officers leading directly to life-altering accidents and tragedy. We see the ultimate price paid in the horrific murder of detective garda Colm Horkan and injuries to garda Connell. It gets worse, however, because when people internally tried to raise flags about these issues and used the statutory protected disclosures process to say, \u201cGabh mo leithsc\u00e9al, there is an issue with the holsters. There is an issue with half a million rounds of defective ammunition being dumped\u201d, the system failed them and actively turned on the whistleblowers who were professionally penalised, sidelined and basically run out of their careers by senior management. This has happened before and we should have learned those lessons already. The independent protected disclosures manager explicitly stated in June 2025 that major public safety questions remained unresolved. What did the powers that be do? They stripped the files away and closed them down anyway. That goes to the issue of political accountability in relation to the former Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, for example. The Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner gave an independent statutory direction for the Secretary General of the Department of justice to investigate the serious allegations against senior management, but instead of letting that happen the former Minister chose to invoke section 102B of the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Act 2005. The Government can say she had to follow that route but independent legal scholars like Dr. Lauren Kierans BL, cofounder of the European Whistleblowing Institute, have looked at the framework and said that the additional steps in the process are frustrating transparency. She is right because the extra steps did not find the truth; they acted as a screen. Former Attorney General and now Senator, Michael McDowell, has also questioned the reliance on this legislation and has basically called it a non-binding choice. We have to ask what advice was given to the Minister to take this non-binding decision. This was a decision that left her exposed to multiple accusations because under section 102B a formal investigation into the Commissioner requires the explicit approval of the Government. It states the ombudsman commission may at the request of the Minister or of its own motion but \"subject to the consent of the Minister given with the approval of the Government, investigate any matter that gives rise to a concern that the Garda Commissioner may have (a) committed an offence, or (b) behaved in a manner that would constitute serious misconduct.\" The Government did not recommend an investigation into the former Commissioner, Drew Harris. It decided the high bar was not met and that it was not legally required to activate or pursue the route at all - it was completely optional. If the Minister did not recommend a GSOC investigation, what statutory authority did she or her colleagues have to take a protected disclosure away from her Secretary General and send it straight to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na? Section 102B gives her the power to request an Ombudsman probe. It does not give her a blank cheque to act as a delivery service for confidential files to be sent to senior management who may be the subject of an investigation or at least about whom questions may be asked. The consequence of that choice was a severe data breach in which the whistleblower's sensitive identifying details were sent directly, via email attachment, to senior garda\u00ed, who were the very people being complained about, as the recent RT\u00c9 documentary covered in detail. It makes an absolute mockery of whistleblower confidentiality. We cannot keep allowing the State apparatus to self-police and attack the whistleblower rather than deal with the message. I support this motion. We need a full public inquiry and actions to ensure that these types of wrongs, when called out by whistleblowers in the future, are dealt with and reported properly. We do not have faith in the system as it stands and we need to renew that faith."},{"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 Taca\u00edonn Sinn F\u00e9in leis an r\u00fan seo agus f\u00e1iltim roimh an deis labhairt faoi na ceisteanna seo inniu. Sinn F\u00e9in has consistently called for transparency, accountability and independent scrutiny when serious issues raised by Garda whistleblowers have come before us, as well as the need for accountability in the overall effectiveness of the protected disclosures mechanisms in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. It has to be said and the Minister needs to recognise that there is virtually no confidence that the protected disclosures regime in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na is functioning and that has serious implications. I join others in paying tribute to Colm Horkan, but we need to be incredibly mindful in this House that the Horkan family has taken a significant and unprecedented step. The family of a garda killed in action has called for a public inquiry into the circumstances leading up to his death and that has to be taken seriously. That is why it is disappointing to see the Minister's amendment today, which essentially boils down to rejecting that call. I join the Minister and others in saying that Stephen Silver is the person responsible for garda Colm Horkan's death. He was rightly convicted, but his family is also entitled to know whether the tragedy could have been prevented and whether concerns raised in advance through protected disclosures regarding Garda equipment were properly acted on. The family has set out a series of specific questions, which it made public, regarding procurement of gun holsters, the handling of complaints and protected disclosures, and the actions taken by Garda management and relevant authorities when concerns were first raised. The family has said, and I agree, that the questions can only be properly examined by an independent inquiry. I am a little taken aback that the Minister has passed this on to Fiosr\u00fa and told the House that it is the forum that will resolve this issue. He knows, and we have heard countless pieces of evidence, that GSOC, throughout its existence, was seen not as an avenue for families to get truth or for the public to get answers, but as a delaying model. For example, we are both well aware of the case of Shane O'Farrell. The Minister knows that his predecessor in 2014 asked GSOC to carry out a public interest inquiry, exactly the same type of inquiry the Minister is suggesting is warranted in this case. He will know that inquiry was completed in 2018 and that today, in 2026, the family of Shane O'Farrell is before the courts trying to get access to the report of that public interest inquiry. The Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the committee that has responsibility for this, has sought from Fiosr\u00fa the report of that public interest inquiry and Fiosr\u00fa has refused to provide it even to an Oireachtas committee. To suggest Fiosr\u00fa is a vehicle that will get answers is entirely disingenuous when all the evidence suggests it is a delaying tactic that will frustrate rather than facilitate the route to answers. There are serious questions, which have been raised here and elsewhere, regarding the procurement of the holsters and how a particular saddlery received the contract. We and the public need to know whether procurement decisions were based on appropriate and objective assessment criteria. There is a key question regarding the handling of safety concerns raised about the holsters and whether the warnings raised through the protected disclosures system were properly acted on. These questions need to be answered. We also need answers to questions about those who made the protected disclosures and how they were treated. Were the lessons we were told were learned after the treatment of Maurice McCabe actually learned? What is the current situation? We have been told that those who made protected disclosures have faced serious consequences for their jobs, careers and livelihoods. The issues they raised relate to public safety, the safety of members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, Garda equipment, firearms storage, procurement practices and oversight. In other words, they are serious issues. The State promised that whistleblowers would never again experience the treatment suffered by Maurice McCabe and the question we have to ask is whether things have changed. Serious questions also remain regarding the handling by the former Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, of the protected disclosure and her role in this debacle. The House needs and deserves answers about what the Minister knew and when she knew it, what disclosures were brought to her attention, what actions she took, why concerns involving senior Garda figures were handed back to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, what her role was in upholding the independence of the protected disclosures process and what measures, if any, she took to protect the disclosure. She has to come before the House to answer questions. We had the laughable situation yesterday of the T\u00e1naiste, Deputy Harris, saying a Member should come before the House and make a statement in respect of his role in a charity. That Member has requested time to do that but at the same time the T\u00e1naiste is standing in the way of a current Minister coming here, despite repeated requests, to answer questions about the safety of members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, what she did and when information was brought to her attention. That position is untenable and the fact the Minister has told me that he would do what she did if the situation were to occur again says to me that, far from lessons having been learned, we are back to square one. We have a serious, fundamental issue in our public system, particularly in terms of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, when people, at huge cost to themselves, decide to make a protected disclosure. The role of protected disclosures is to inform management, the Government and the public about potential risks in a system. They did that. They deserve to be commended for doing it and we collectively have an obligation to act upon it. There cannot be any more hiding. There cannot be hiding for the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in her role. She has to come before the House and answer the questions before us because, above all, the public and members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na need answers and the Horkan family deserves answers. We are six years on. Questions have been raised on multiple occasions in this House. They deserve to be answered and the Minister cannot hide behind Fiosr\u00fa or anyone else. He has a responsibility to ensure those questions are answered."},{"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 Aont\u00fa for bringing forward this motion on whistleblowers. Its primary focus is on whistleblowers in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, but we have a bad history in this State in other departments with how we treat whistleblowers. In 2022, I raised the matter of a whistleblower in the south Kerry child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, Dr. Ankur Sharma, whose concerns about the over-medication and misdiagnosis of children were vindicated by the Maskey report. Dr. Sharma highlighted that children were prescribed dangerous amounts of medication by a junior doctor who was not being supervised. This led to the Maskey report, which showed that 227 children received risky care from a barely supervised junior doctor. The treatment of 13 other children by other doctors was also found to be risky with proof of significant harm to another 46 children. Dr. Sharma was ostracised in the HSE resulting in him leaving his post. When the HSE struggled to recruit a consultant psychiatrist for Kerry, Dr. Sharma went back to the HSE and offered to fill the post of consultant psychiatrist in Kerry, only to be ignored. It is a measure of the man, which is why I am raising this again today, that despite his mistreatment by the HSE he was willing to return to help. He should have been commended and not ignored. In relation to today's motion, there was meant to have been a turning point on how protected disclosures were dealt with within the Garda after Maurice McCabe. However, we have seen recently that Garda members who were connected to the protected disclosures unit have alleged they were forced out of office for protecting whistleblowers. These are the people who tried to raise serious concerns from inside An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. They have given decades of service and tried to fulfil their duty in challenging wrongdoing. Instead, they were sidelined, obstructed and penalised. Even when garda\u00ed raised concerns about firearms equipment, these were not properly investigated. Shortly afterwards, detective garda Colm Horkan was fatally shot because his murderer was able to get the gun from his holster, despite these concerns having been raised. The Horkan family has called for an independent public inquiry into detective garda Colm Horkan's death and the Government must listen to them. Such a tragedy cannot be allowed to happen again and the family has to be listened to. If everything were rosy in the garden with the Garda, there would be no whistleblowers. However, we have seen reports this week that garda\u00ed have been flagged for disciplinary referrals for making comments to the media nine times in the last year and a half. The GRA is extremely concerned that its elected members could be silenced by the threats of discipline and I have to agree with it. As the Minister knows, we had some really robust engagement with the GRA at the justice committee in relation to the ability of garda\u00ed to pursue dangerous drivers, including cars, scramblers, scooters and e-bikes. We heard that as it stands, not one garda in this State is trained in pursuit, which is unacceptable in this day and age. Following this pressure, the pressure after the M9 tragedy and the tragic death of Grace Lynch, the Garda Commissioner agreed to start training this year using the train-the-trainer method. Garda\u00ed were to go to Britain to learn to become instructors so that they could train garda\u00ed here to pursue cars, scramblers, scooters and e-bikes. It is a bit late in the day, but it is welcome nonetheless. We would hope that it would lead to more garda\u00ed being trained as time goes by. However, at a recent public accounts committee meeting under questioning from my colleague Joanna Byrne, the Garda Commissioner could not confirm if garda\u00ed will get the training to pursue scramblers, e-bikes and scooters. This issue has taken up a huge amount of debate in this House, at the committee and among the public, particularly after the death of Grace Lynch. It is astonishing that the Garda Commissioner could not confirm if garda\u00ed will get this training. When Joanna Byrne submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister for justice, she was informed that her question was disallowed because he had no responsibility for this matter. It is absolutely abhorrent for him to claim he has no responsibility for this matter. For me and for the public in general, this is simply not good enough. I am demanding clarity from the Minister. I ask him to confirm if the pursuit of scramblers, e-bikes and scooters will be part of this training. It is unfathomable that this would not happen."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Claire Kerrane","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Claire-Kerrane.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Claire Kerrane We have two primary issues here. First is a family who need and very much deserve answers and, second, are the ongoing and very serious issues in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na when it comes to protected disclosures. We are now many years on from the very brave stance that Maurice McCabe took. That \"Prime Time Investigates\" programme clearly shows us that we are not very far on, if at all, from that time. When speaking about an independent public inquiry, the Minister has said that we need the criminal proceedings to end and we need the inquest. However, it is important to be honest and clear. Neither the court case nor the appeal looked at the gun holster and I very much doubt that an inquest will either. I know the Horkan family have made that point. I presume they are not happy with an investigation being carried out by Fiosr\u00fa. Putting all that to one side, if a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na sees something wrong and flags it, there is a fear that the member will be removed from their role or pay a price for that. That was shown as clear as day in the \"Prime Time Investigates\" programme. There is something very wrong with a workplace where someone sees something wrong but cannot do the right thing by flagging it. I do not believe that Fiosr\u00fa will answer the questions on that. That is an issue for all of us and it is an issue for every single member of the public. We need to see more done on this and we need to see a lot more done in relation to protected disclosures."},{"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 challenge the Minister to find me one person who has made a protected disclosure and was allowed to continue in their job and flourish. I would challenge An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na but also on a wider government basis whether just one person was allowed to continue and flourish in their careers once they made a protected disclosure."},{"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 Hear, hear."},{"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 When the Protected Disclosures Act was introduced, it was sold as legislation to protect people who speak up about wrongdoing. In its current application, all it is being used to do is to highlight and identify people who speak against wrongdoing. Once the person is identified, they can find themselves isolated, ostracised, discredited and indeed penalised in the most severe ways. In 2020, Margaret Loftus made a protected disclosure to Fiosr\u00fa about issues concerning Garda handling of cases of domestic abuse. This disclosure through a court order was handed to the organisation and to the very people she made the disclosure about before it was even investigated. That disclosure is currently at recommendation stage and is being sent to the Garda Commissioner in the very near future, yet, Margaret Loftus, the person who made the protected disclosure, had no entitlement to see those recommendations or even know if they were implemented. After sticking with a hellish process for six years, she will never know what even became of it. The fundamental purpose of protected disclosures should be to prevent wrongdoing, prevent harm and protect the public interest. Instead, many people who speak up feel it protects the institution first and the individuals second. The tragic death of Colm Horkan remains a stark reminder of what is at stake when concerns relating to public safety are not addressed effectively. Questions raised over equipment and risk management should always be examined with one objective over all others: preventing serious harm and saving lives. I support the Horkan family in their quest for a public inquiry. Any one of us who has lost a loved one in whatever circumstances wants to know the answer to the basic question: could it have been prevented? A whistleblower system should be judged by whether people can speak up without fear, whether risks are addressed and whether lessons are learned. A society that punishes those who speak the truth does not have a whistleblower protection system and we should stop pretending that we have. It has a warning sign for everyone else to stay quiet and to keep their heads down if they want to keep their job. In its current form our protected disclosures system is protecting the very institutions that should be held to account, not the person who highlights the wrongdoing. This is under the watch of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and he has to correct it. Successive Ministers for justice claiming that this is not under their remit, and that nobody looks here, is totally wrong. This has to be corrected here and now."},{"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 We are back in the same place again. What do we expect for garda\u00ed? We should expect that they have the resources, the necessary tools and sufficient backup to be able to do the work they do, which is about protecting the wider community. We would expect the protected disclosures system to exist. If there are problems in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, as with any other major organisation whose necessary work we need delivered, we need to be able to find them out and address them. What we do not need is what we have seen, namely, that those who have been brave enough to come forward and provide the necessary information have been let down badly by this Government. This is all about public safety. There are questions to be answered by the former justice Minister, Deputy McEntee, about providing information on a whistleblower directly to An Garda. I do not think anyone would think that this is a way to do business. We cannot forget the family of Colm Horkan. When I think of Colm Horkan, I also think of Adrian Donohoe and Tony Golden. These are garda\u00ed who have been killed carrying out their duty. What has the family of Colm Horkan looked for? It is unprecedented, but they want a public inquiry. In fairness, Deputy Carthy referred to a similar Fiosr\u00fa-type investigation and how it has failed the family of Shane O'Farrell. That is not good enough. We are failing garda\u00ed at this point in time. A family out there requires answers. It is necessary that the Minister does his part. I cannot see that anything other than a public investigation and inquiry is going to deliver. This is not good enough. We have been in this place too many times before. It is the same story as it was with Maurice McCabe, and we have not moved on."},{"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 first send my thoughts to the family of Detective Colm Horkan. I acknowledge Aont\u00fa for bringing forward the motion. It is incredibly important. Listening to the Minister's speech, something jumped out from it. He stated that on 27 February 2025, within his first month as Minister, he invoked section 102(5) of the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Act and referred the issues raised by Detective Superintendent O'Reilly to GSOC. Was that the right section? Section 102(5) concerns wrongdoing by Garda members. Section 102B refers to the Commissioner himself being investigated and requires Government consent. Why did the Minister choose section 102(5) and not the one actually within the remit? The Minister should check that. I have sat down with Garda whistleblowers. I have listened to their accounts. I have heard their frustrations and discussed the extraordinary effort required to simply get serious concerns properly examined. A thought that stays with me long after those meetings is if this is what happens to people who speak up, why would the next person bother? Why would somebody put their career, livelihood and peace of mind at risk if they believe an institution will turn its attention toward them rather than toward the wrongdoing they have reported? Before going further, I acknowledge those who have stepped forward. Some of them are in the Gallery. Brian O'Reilly and Donal Corcoran are people of immense courage and dignity. The Minister should meet them. We have to establish how concerns about Garda equipment were handled, how disclosures were investigated and whether those raising them were properly protected. From my meetings with the whistleblowers, I have come away deeply concerned that what has reached public attention is the tip of the iceberg. Their brave accounts raise many questions that go far beyond a single piece of equipment or a single disputed decision. They raise questions about who gets listened to, who gets protected and what happens when somebody challenges a person with authority. We cannot decide every allegation on the floor of this House, which is precisely why we need an independent inquiry with the power to establish the facts, but we can recognise the seriousness of what has been put before us. When people involved in the administration of the protected disclosures system itself raise concerns about its operations, the Government should ask how that happened and what it says about the safeguards we were told were in place. We have been here before. After the treatment of Maurice McCabe, nobody in political leadership can credibly say they did not understand the consequences of failing a Garda whistleblower. We know what institutional defensiveness can do. We know how damaging it is when a person reporting a problem comes to be treated as the problem, yet we are again hearing accounts of interference, of professional consequences and of concerns left completely unresolved. How many times must people come before us describing the same culture before we accept that legislation alone will not be enough? A reporting channel means very little if people cannot trust where the report will end up. A protection means very little if somebody has to spend years fighting to make it effective. This culture survives when political leadership accepts procedural assurances without demanding evidence that the system is working. Tackling this failure has to begin with accountability at ministerial level. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, should appear before this House or the justice committee to answer questions about her handling of these matters, as has been requested by the whistleblowers with whom I have sat. She stated that she followed the legislation and the advice provided to her. That position should be examined alongside decisions taken, the information available and concerns raised by the whistleblowers. What did the Minister know? When did she know it? What action followed? These are simple questions. Where a disclosure concerns senior Garda management, how is the independence of its handling assured? Where officials are briefing a Minister, what safeguards exist to identify any conflict of interest? Who checked that the information that reached the Minister was accurate and complete? Changing portfolios does not remove the obligation to account for decisions taken in office. The forthcoming review of protected disclosures legislation must also seek the participation of whistleblowers. Their experience has to shape its conclusion. For our part, we will continue to work with those who seek to expose the truth. What we are talking about here are people who we trust to stand on the wall. They are people of immense courage. We often talk about how lucky we are in this Chamber, because we want more garda\u00ed. We want people in the force. We have a good system of garda\u00ed who we want on our streets, but there is also a scenario where people who have raised issues, people of immense integrity, are clearly experiencing continued penalisation. That is not an accusation I make lightly. I stood several times over the last couple of months with Dr. Donal Corcoran and Detective Brian O'Reilly. They are people of huge dignity. As a result of their stance, they are now living on social welfare. That cannot be allowed to continue."},{"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 Hear, hear."},{"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 Minister and I often clash, but I do not doubt for a second that he is a decent person. What is happening to people who stepped forward - they go by the name of whistleblowers but they are actually incredible people - is wrong, and wrong is wrong. We can all talk about legislation and systems, but if the Minister stood in front of Donal or Brian, he could not help but see a system failing and come to a conclusion that this system, which was built perhaps ten years ago, was simply designed to fail because it is failing so consistently. The impact it is having on people's lives is devastating. These are people who were in uniform. I would not want anyone other than the people I have sat with in meeting rooms protecting this State and our communities. I have heard their testimonies and listened to their voices. These people have courage and dignity. They have been removed from the profession they were born to do. We should be unimaginably proud that Dr. Donal Corcoran and Detective Superintendent Brian O'Reilly are the people who are defending our communities. I can think of no better people. They stepped forward and did the right thing, but are now continuously being penalised. Is anybody in the Department or An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na investigating penalisation? That is a continual wrong. I ask the Minister to meet these individuals, hear their testimonies and investigate the continual penalisation. We want people to step forward and put their hands up. The stories and testimony we are hearing from the whistleblowers are enormous. We would not be able to investigate every single one of them in this Chamber. We need an independent investigation, not only to establish accountability but also to make things better for people whom we trust to serve our communities. My final request is that the Minister meet Dr. Corcoran and Detective Superintendent Brian O'Reilly and do something to stop the continued penalisation."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin Hayes","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Eoin Hayes I welcome the motion. I am glad to see wide Opposition support for this issue of protected disclosures. Whistleblowing in Ireland has a chequered history. As we have seen far too often, a deep tribalism can seep into institutions in this State, rather than an objective assessment of the facts. This can breed a culture of denial, cover-up and retribution. Whistleblowing takes great courage and perseverance, sometimes over many years. It can take a great toll on those who do it. In standing up for what is right, integrity and fairness, people are often treated wrongly, consistently undermined and deprived of any fair justice or process. Whispers ensue in institutions. People are moved around, power structures change and a culture of bullying can fester. That experience, as too many in this country are familiar with, takes an extreme toll on the whistleblower, their mental health and their families. The questions before us in this motion are very grave. There are allegations or insinuations of wrongdoing in the upper echelons of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. If what I have been told privately is true, it would send shock waves across the political system and across the country. It may yet threaten a Government. Our job as custodians of public integrity is to seek out the full truth, even if it is uncomfortable and leads us to difficult realisations about our country and those who are meant to protect and serve it. History has shown us that initial disclosures can merely mark the beginnings of revelations as deeper concerns, including criminality, emerge during subsequent investigations. I am disappointed the Government has chosen to oppose this motion and I want to call out two lines in its amendment which are worth emphasising to the general public. One line says: \"the Government is satisfied that there are robust procedures and protections for those who make disclosures\". From what we know about how past disclosures have been handled and from what I have heard privately about these cases, I do not see how any government could possibly be satisfied with the protected disclosure system or have confidence in it. The other line says: \"An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na have emphasised that ... all allegations made under the Protected Disclosures Acts to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na are treated seriously, and examined for any potential disciplinary or criminal matters that may arise\". While I would like to believe that is true, the Government may rue the day it made that declaration. An investigation is required to establish exactly what happened with these disclosures and understand how seriously they were treated. If the truth emerges that there was any refusal to examine any disciplinary or criminal matters in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, it will cause a political crisis this Government will not survive."},{"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 I thank Aont\u00fa for this timely motion. I also acknowledge and thank other Members of the House for coming on this journey with me. I have been at this for two years, as the Minister is well aware. It is very unusual that everybody in the Opposition is on the same page on this. That tells us how serious it is. What the Minister has announced today in relation to Fiosr\u00fa and the holsters is another layer of insult on injury for the Horkan family. I have spoken to them. They describe it as a nonsense. It is a complete nonsense, an attempt by the Government to kick this can down the road and get it off the agenda. The allegations of Luke Rochford were referred to GSOC. What happened? GSOC contacted Garda management and could not get co-operation. It then contacted Luke Rochford and told him it was discontinuing the investigation because it could not get co-operation. Now the Minister is referring it again. It is a joke. Here are the two holsters. Look at them lying in my hands. This is the leather; this is the stitching. That should be the Fiosr\u00fa investigation in one go. That was holster worn by Eddie Connell and this is the one worn by Colm Horkan. They are the exact same, and not fit for purpose. This did not even cover the back of the gun of Ed Connell. Read Mick Clifford's article if you do not want to believe me. They are dangerous and known to be defective. Senior garda\u00ed knew about these holsters and their defectiveness. Hundreds of garda\u00ed refused to use them and bought their own. Garda management knew but did not care; it only began caring after these two incidents. Garda leadership had been warned about it numerous times by Luke Rochford. The superintendent in the Garda college in Templemore had warned them, her staff had warned them and video footage from the firearms training unit had warned them. What happened? Nothing. Brian O'Reilly kept trying to warn that they be taken down after these incidents. What happened to Luke Rochford for bringing forward these issues? He got crucified, but he will have his day. He will have justice. His case has been stopped 30 times. It will never happen because An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na cannot afford for it to happen. I only have time to raise two issues with the Minister. First, why were these two holsters sent on two different pathways for investigation? This is the critical issue the Horkan family wants to know. After the Ed Connell incident, GSOC took primacy of the scene, GNTB provided forensic services to GSOC and the exhibits from the incident were delivered to GNTB for forensic examination. Subsequent forensic analysis of the holster identified significant defects. That is all clear. That investigation is done. On 17 June, after Colm Horkan was murdered, GNTB got to the scene, including Superintendent O'Reilly. They focused on the holster, given the concerns at the scene. Exhibits were collected, bagged and tagged, went to Forensic Science Ireland for DNA and fingerprint analysis, and should have been given over to the GNTB but never arrived. Why? That is the critical question in all this. In February 2024, three years later, the holster was given to two non-experts, non-ballisticians who did not have forensic analysis or meet ISO standards. Why? It is clear this was a deliberate action by Garda management and that is what the Minister should be focusing on. Why the two different pathways? Why the cover-up? It is a cover-up. That is why the family want the investigation. It is a critical question. Why bypass the only experts in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na who are qualified to do this investigation? It will never be answered through the pathway the Minister has put forward. It can only be answered through an inquiry. The second question is how protected disclosures were managed by two Ministers, including the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan. Brian O'Reilly sent his protected disclosure to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, in September 2023. It impugned the Commissioner. The Minister sent it to the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner. In October 2023, the OPDC set a statutory declaration that this be dealt with by the Secretary General of the Department of Justice. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, then directed the investigation be removed from the Secretary General and redirected to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, thereby usurping the OPDC's statutory direction and revealing Brian O'Reilly's identity. In doing so, she acted without legal authority and directly interfered with a serious and significant protected disclosure. Since then, the Minister has argued - and she is now supported by the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan - that she did not reveal Brian O'Reilly's identity as his solicitor had already corresponded with Drew Harris. This fails to recognise that Brian O'Reilly's correspondence with her was completely separate. The cover letter states it is a protected disclosure in its own right. The confidentiality attached to this letter was completely breached by the Minister, Deputy McEntee. There is nothing in section 16 of the Protected Disclosures Act that gives the Minister legal authority to disclose that person's identity, even if the person she exposed him to is aware he has previously made protected disclosures. Additionally, despite the fact the current Minister has consistently said he cannot speak about protected disclosures, he amazingly has the capacity to vocalise aspects of Brian O'Reilly's protected disclosures. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, who is sitting there, has made public that he sent Brian O'Reilly's protected disclosure to Fiosr\u00fa when he came into office. He also alleges that Mr. O'Reilly has failed to engage. The Minister is completely misleading people by saying this. This is not accurate and is totally selective. It is dangerous territory for the Minister now - very dangerous territory. This is what really happened. Prior to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, taking office on 17 January 2024, a Department official endeavoured to move Brian O'Reilly's protected disclosure out of the Department. They wanted to get rid of it before the Minister took office, really, despite the fact they had not statutory power to do so. Fourteen months after the Secretary General's appointment to investigate, Brian O'Reilly was told to go to Fiosr\u00fa and start again. He never provided any such consent. Despite this, on 27 February, the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, sent the disclosures to Fiosr\u00fa. This is a fatal error. The Minister has now also acted without legal authority. It means two Ministers have acted without Brian O'Reilly's consent or legal authority. What makes it worse is the Minister did not even tell Brian O'Reilly until March. For 16 months, Brian O'Reilly, whose protected disclosures had been statutorily directed for investigation by the OPDC to the Secretary General of the Department of Justice, was ignored by the same Secretary General, ignored by the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and ignored by the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan. He was given none of his statutory entitlements over that period of time or since. What is worse is that the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, deliberately sent it to Fiosr\u00fa under section 102(5) of the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Act despite knowing his protected disclosure related to the Garda Commissioner. However, it could not be investigated under this section. He should have done it under section 102B of the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Act but that would have meant being passed by Cabinet and the Minister was not willing to do that. Let me be clear: there was never any legal or moral obligation on Brian O'Reilly to engage in any of this with Fiosr\u00fa. The process was locked in time once the OPDC made its statutory appointment. Everything since then has been flawed. I am now clearly saying that the Ministers, Deputies McEntee and O'Callaghan, have both acted without legal authority and contrary to the interests of the disclosure, in this case, of Detective Superintendent Brian O'Reilly. The Taoiseach and T\u00e1naiste need to take note - there will be consequences. The Minister has dismissed the call for a public inquiry at this stage. He has made his decision in relation to Fiosr\u00fa. The family will not accept that. It has been described as \"nonsense\". Fiosr\u00fa and its predecessor GSOC have already failed in this. The Minister can dismiss the Opposition's call, collectively, for a public inquiry but he cannot dismiss the calls of the Horkan family whom he met last week. Why? It is because their brother, their son, was murdered and the equipment he was wearing was not right. This was warned of well in advance. It is also the cover-up afterwards. Now, both the Minister and the former Minister are impugned, as I just outlined, for their actions as Minister for justice. I said on 25 March that the issue of these holsters and protected disclosures would haunt the Ministers, Deputies McEntee and O'Callaghan, this Government and the previous Government. I can tell them now, today, that the nightmare is only beginning."},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Darren O'Rourke) Before we move back to the Government, I remind Members that parliamentary privilege should be exercised in a responsible manner and Members should avoid making allegations against identifiable persons who are not in a position to respond. Members should also exercise particular care in their contributions and refrain from naming individuals, including any person who may have made a protected disclosure. I call the Minister, Deputy McEntee."},{"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 begin by echoing what I think every person in this House has said today, namely, that Colm Horkan was an exemplar of public service and his contribution to serving and protecting this State will never be forgotten. The family of Detective Garda Colm Horkan suffered a devastating loss when he was murdered while on duty in Castlerea in 2020. Indeed, my first act as Minister for Justice in 2020 was to visit his colleagues and family following his murder and to pay my respects and tribute to him. I again offer my sincerest condolences to them. I also want to say that I am, as is everyone in this House, completely committed to a trusted and effective protected disclosure system. Any person who wishes to raise or make a protected disclosure should be confident that they can raise issues within their workplace or organisation, that this can be done confidentially and that they will be treated fairly. I have always, in my capacity as an elected representative and as Minister for Justice, complied with the protected disclosure legislation. Also as Minister for Justice, I introduced new measures to strengthen Garda accountability and oversight. I enacted legislation to establish a new and strengthened independent oversight body for An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, Fiosr\u00fa. I enhanced independent oversight of Garda management by establishing a new Garda board and I tasked the Garda audit committee with examining the appropriateness, effectiveness and efficiency of Garda protected disclosure procedures. These changes give the Garda board and audit committee important oversight roles in relation to the operation of the protected disclosure system in An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. Deputies will be aware that the Protected Disclosures Act precludes Ministers from discussing or acknowledging protected disclosures. This is to ensure the integrity of any investigation of a protected disclosure is upheld, to ensure the anonymity and safety of those who make protected disclosures and are subject to them and to ensure others are confident they can come forward into the future. However, in recent months, in particular following the airing of the RT\u00c9 programme, several claims have been made about me, including in this motion. I have sought legal advice and based on that legal advice, I will today outline the action I took in relation to one specific protected disclosure. I want to be clear. Of the four individuals features in the RT\u00c9 programme, one case is before the courts so I will not comment on that case. Two of the other people featured did not make protected disclosures to me or the Department, so I will not refer to them. In relation to the fourth person featured, Detective Superintendent Brian O'Reilly, a number of inaccurate and unsubstantiated allegations have been made about my handling of his protected disclosure in the Aont\u00fa motion today, by the Opposition and by some members of the media. For that reason, and on the basis that Detective Superintendent O'Reilly has asked that I speak about it, while I will not discuss the contents of the protected disclosure made by Detective Superintendent O'Reilly, I am going to lay out precisely the steps I took in handling it. On 20 September 2023, I received a protected disclosure from solicitors acting on behalf of Detective Superintendent O'Reilly. On the same date, his solicitor sent a more detailed account of the same matters directly to the Garda Commissioner and copied that correspondence to the Department of Justice and to me, as Minister. In the letter directly to me, Detective Superintendent O'Reilly's solicitors stated: \"Our client wishes to be informed of whether or not the Commissioner of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na has referred to your office the protected disclosures containing finer details, as made by our client.\" In the letter sent by Detective Superintendent O'Reilly's solicitor to the Garda Commissioner, it was stated: \"It is clear that our client has made protected disclosures relating to a number of matters.\" At no stage did I or my Department acknowledge the existence of or send the protected disclosure or any material relating to the protected disclosure to the Garda Commissioner and at no point have I engaged with the Garda Commissioner. The only instance where Detective Superintendent O'Reilly's identity was exposed to the Garda Commissioner was in letters from solicitors acting on behalf of Mr. O'Reilly. In accordance with the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended, the Department of Justice referred the disclosure on 20 September 2023, the same day it was received, to the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner for consideration. This was the appropriate approach. It is important to note again that in a subsequent letter to the Garda Commissioner which my Department was copied on, the solicitor representing Detective Superintendent O'Reilly stated: \"We note the referral by the Minister for Justice of our client's protected disclosure to the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner.\" On 3 October 2023, the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner referred the disclosure back to the Department of Justice. In doing so, the commissioner considered whether there was a prescribed person within the meaning of the Protected Disclosures Act and the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 (Disclosure to Prescribed Persons) Order 2020 to whom the disclosure could appropriately be sent. Having concluded that no such prescribed person could be identified, the OPDC also considered whether the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Ombudsman Commission was an appropriate recipient for the protected disclosure. It is important to highlight that the request from Mr. O'Reilly was that this was treated as a protected disclosure, not as a complaint. The OPDC noted that GSOC could not investigate the Garda Commissioner under section 102B of the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na Act 2005 without authorisation from the Minister for Justice and the approval of Government. The OPDC therefore determined that the Secretary General of the Department of Justice was the appropriate recipient as another suitable person for the purpose of the Protected Disclosures Act. Under section 10E of the Act, the recipient of a disclosure is required to conduct an initial assessment and determine the most appropriate course of action. It should be noted at this point that in a letter to me, dated 13 October 2023, solicitors acting for Detective Superintendent O'Reilly wrote to the Department objecting to any investigation being conducted by the Secretary General. Detective Superintendent O'Reilly's solicitor said that the Secretary General \"is not the appropriate and proper person to investigate wrongdoing alleged by our client.\" In a later letter to me, his solicitor requested that Detective Superintendent O'Reilly's protected disclosure be referred by the Policing Authority or GSOC. It should be noted that while GSOC is a prescribed body under the Protected Disclosures Act, the Policing Authority is not. Following consideration of the disclosure, the Secretary General submitted an e-submission to me on 19 December setting out three options. The first was a referral to GSOC; however, the advice provided to me by the Department was that there was no legal basis on which to seek Government approval for a GSOC investigation of the Garda Commissioner as the disclosure did not identify specific acts or omissions by the Commissioner that could be investigated under section 102B. It is important to say at this point that a previous similar protected disclosure had been sent to GSOC having not met the requirements under section 102B, and it was not accepted by GSOC. I was advised that sending this protected disclosure to GSOC would have resulted in a similar outcome and delayed the process. The second option was that the Department itself would investigate the matter raised. The assessment was that this would amount to the Minister and the Department investigating An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, an approach for which there was no precedent and which risked encroaching upon the operational independence of the Garda Commissioner. Again, Detective Superintendent O'Reilly's solicitors had objected to the Secretary General investigating this issue. The third option was referral to the office of protected disclosures within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. This option was recommended on the basis that there was an established process and recent precedent for dealing with disclosures through that office. Having considered that advice, I agreed with that recommendation. Accordingly, on 21 December 2023, the Department referred the protected disclosure, clearly marked as such, to the head of the office of protected disclosures within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. Again, at no stage did I send this protected disclosure to the Garda Commissioner as the Aont\u00fa motion falsely claims. I worked on the basis, as any of us here would, that the head of the office of protected disclosures would treat this referral in accordance with the legislation. On 10 April 2024, the matter was referred back to the Department of justice by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, that stated, upon receipt of separate advice, that several of the issues contained within the protected disclosure were assessed to fall outside its remit. Following further engagement with the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, the Department was advised that two options remained available. First, that with the consent of Detective Superintendent O'Reilly, the matters raised could be referred to GSOC as a complaint rather than as a protected disclosure; or second, that Detective Superintendent O'Reilly could be advised to make a protected disclosure directly to GSOC. A recommendation to write to Detective Superintendent O'Reilly outlining these options was approved by me on 15 January. The Department was subsequently informed that the solicitor was no longer acting on Mr. O'Reilly's behalf but that the solicitor would pass the correspondence on to him. As the Minister, Deputy O\u2019Callaghan, has set out in his speech, he subsequently referred the issues raised by Detective Superintendent O\u2019Reilly to GSOC as a complaint. To be very clear, the disclosure was referred to the head of the protected disclosure office within An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, having received the recommendation. At no point was it sent by me or the Department of justice to the Garda Commissioner. I have set out the facts in relation to the steps I took in response to the protected disclosure made by Detective Superintendent O\u2019Reilly. Every decision that I made, I made in the public interest. My objective at all times was to ensure truth and accountability, and fairness and safety for all involved. This should not distract from the tragedy that we are discussing today and that is the murder of Detective Colm Horkan. The loss of Detective Colm Horkan was devastating. I support any further measures that are now being taken to provide clarity on the matters discussed. I commend the countermotion to the House."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Ken O'Flynn Colm Horkan was murdered in 2020 while wearing a Garda holster provided to him by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na from an equestrian saddlery in Kildare. It was provided not by a firearm specialist by from a saddlery; horse tack on the hip of an armed garda. This warning came first to us in 2019 via whistleblowers who warned Garda management that the holsters were dangerous. One week before Colm was murdered, a garda in the Israeli ambassador's residence suffered a life-changing injury when his pistol discharged. A senior garda alleged at the time that the holsters may have been to blame. How did the Horkan family learn of that? They learned of it not from the Minister's office, not from An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, but from a newspaper. They were promised an apology by the former Commissioner Drew Harris. We are still waiting for that apology to the family. Last Thursday, the Minister met the family and sat down with them. He said he will not commit to an inquiry. Instead, he has asked Fiosr\u00fa to investigate. Fiosr\u00fa, by the way, is the same body that was warned about the holsters in 2019. It is like the old saying, \"Ask my brother am I a liar?\" It does not make sense. I have come to note in this State that the crime is not about wrongdoing; the crime in this State is about telling the truth. We only need to ask Brian O'Reilly in the Gallery here, who warned about the holster too. In December 2023, the Department of justice apologised to two different Garda whistleblowers whose details were wrongly passed on, and promises were made by that Department that new checks and balances would be implemented and put in place immediately. Thirteen days later, the Department sent the Detective Superintendent Brian O'Reilly's protected disclosure straight back to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, the very people on whom he was doing the whistleblowing. It does not make sense. Thirteen days is the shelf-life of the promises of the Department of justice. Let us now look at the ammunition. Faulty ammunition rounds made by an Italian company, which was willing to take them back four years earlier, instead stayed in circulation for over four years in the Garda response unit, the armed support unit and were carried every day by up to 1,500 to 2,000 members of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. This was faulty ammunition that can jam, can misfire and that could take a garda's life. Why was there no recall? It was because an internal report worried about the reputation of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. It did not worry about keeping people safe. It did not worry about the front-line garda\u00ed who were carrying this ammunition. It worried about garda reputation. It put reputation before lives. To add insult to injury, on top of that those set of bullets were destroyed later at a cost to this State of \u20ac160,000, despite the fact that the company was willing to take it back four years earlier. Let us look at the gun parts. Guns belonging to a private gun club in Kildare were brought to the Garda armoury in Dublin. They were repaired. The parts were imported under the licence that the then Minister for justice signed off in the belief that they were for Garda use. They were paid for by the taxpayer. The guns were repaired and they were driven back to the gun club in a private car belonging to a member of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. Two separate investigations have confirmed this. Now, we learn today that the DPP will not prosecute. That is the story of this country. Nobody pays and nobody is answerable. That is why we are calling for an inquiry today. Let us look at the two Garda helicopters that were ordered to the sum of \u20ac20 million that have never flown over Irish airspace and probably will never. This is not through bad luck or bad decisions but through stupidity and ignorance. We should follow those stories of holsters, ammunition, firearm stores and gun parts. Let us be fair about it; it all leads to one particular door. It leads to the door of Superintendent Liam White, who was responsible for the Garda firearms and responsible for procurement. Detective Superintendent O'Reilly has told the courts that the owner of the saddlery and Superintendent White are neighbours. I wonder has anyone asked the question as to whether they are both members of the particular gun club in Kildare. I suspect we might find a very interesting answer to that. It is about time that this superintendent and previous Commissioners are put under oath in public to give those answers and to tell the truth about things. The Minister said that it is not within his role to discuss such matters. I have a newsflash for him; he is the Minister for justice. I lost my confidence in the previous Minister for justice. I have told her that and I have been honest in this House. However, I am beginning to lost confidence in the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, as well. I believe him to be an honourable man. He can restore the confidence of this side of the House in him by putting this inquiry together and by making sure an inquiry with teeth examines this. We can bring the former Commissioner Drew Harris and Superintendent Liam White before us, it can all be discussed and everything can be out in the open. The Horkan family has waited six years. Colm Horkan gave his life to this State. At the very least, this State owes his family the truth."},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Darren O'Rourke) I call on an Teachta T\u00f3ib\u00edn to conclude the debate."},{"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 am absolutely shocked by the Minister's response to this motion. The Minister has completely ignored the substance of the allegations that were made in this motion. It is as if the speech was actually written in a parallel universe. Ignoring allegations does not make them go away, or does it? Is that actually the modus operandi of the corruption that we see at the heart of senior garda\u00ed at the moment? The Minister is ignoring the allegations, not accepting them, stopping them, not allowing them get investigated and hoping they will go away but they are not going away. They are not going away for a number of reasons, most importantly because of the people behind what has happened in relation to this wrongdoing. These garda\u00ed and this family are not going to allow this just disappear and go away. Incredibly, another whistleblower at the heart of this crisis was arrested after blowing the whistle, and the State sought to prosecute that individual. I also put on record in the D\u00e1il today that a litany of mistakes were made by the Government and a litany of mistakes and wrongdoing were done by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na in relation to this. There is clear evidence of that that I have put on the record of the D\u00e1il. There are grievous wrongs happening here. This is a grievous wrong to the family of Colm Horkan as it seeks to hide the truth from his family. A grievous wrong is being done to the Garda, and it sends a message to anybody in the force in the future to stay quiet, shut up and keep your head down. This virtually guarantees the dysfunction of the Garda management into the future and virtually guarantees that great wrongs will be done, possibly to the lives of individuals working in that force and possibly to civilians as well. The Minister's contribution here is a continuation of the corruption that led to this horrendous tragedy. Fiosr\u00fa is not the location for this investigation. GSOC, was told about the faulty holsters before the murder of Detective Horkan. GSOC did not take action at that time. GSOC cannot be seen as an independent arbiter of the truth in this issue."},{"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 Hear, hear. It is impossible."},{"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 Minister admitted an investigation of Brian O'Reilly was sent to Fiosr\u00fa without his consent and contrary to the law. The Minister did not deal with the 108-page document and all the unanswered questions related to it. He did not deal with the question as to why they were shut down. He did not deal with the protected disclosure unit, which was shut down, an unprecedented action by any Government or organisation in the history of the State. He completely ignored the actions of the former Minister for justice, Deputy McEntee. He ignored the questions as to why the former Minister for justice sent a protected disclosure to the Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, the head of whom was Drew Harris, and why she publicised the name of the whistleblower. She started her contribution today by saying she has a responsibility to protect the anonymity of the whistleblowers and she herself publicised the names of the whistleblowers in the emails she sent. The fact that in his contribution the current Minister failed to address these issues breaks any confidence that any investigation he authorises will address these questions. The problem at the heart of this is that organisations punish whistleblowers to protect the rank-and-file individuals of those organisations. The Minister has also done that here today. At the heart of this situation is a grieving family, a family broken-hearted at the loss of a great man. Garda\u00ed have also lost their hard-working and honest colleague. The Minister has refused our demand for an independent investigation. It is one thing to do that to elected representatives here but for a Minister for justice to refuse the request of the family of a fallen garda for an investigation is a defining moment in the history of this Republic. I urge the Minister at this late stage to reverse from his damaging amendment. The moral weight on his shoulders today is immense. Forget about Aont\u00fa's request or that of any other political party here. Listen to the family's request and hold a full public, independent investigation into what happened to their loved one."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment put."},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Darren O'Rourke) The division is deferred until the weekly division time this evening."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar fionra\u00ed ar 11.44 a.m. agus cuireadh t\u00fas leis ar\u00eds ar 12.02 p.m."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Sitting suspended at 11.44 a.m. and resumed at 12.02 p.m."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Protected Disclosures Inquiry: Motion [Private Members]"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_10","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions","counts":{"speechCount":21,"speakerCount":7},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_10","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}},{"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":"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":"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":"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":"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}}],"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 welcome Margaret Loftus from Mayo who is here with Deputy Mary Lou McDonald."},{"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 N\u00ed f\u00e9idir deireadh a chur leis an tseirbh\u00eds monat\u00f3ireachta CCTV i Luimneach. Is cosaint th\u00e1bhachtach \u00ed don phobal agus caithfidh an Rialtas lean\u00faint ar aghaidh ag cur an maoini\u00fa buan at\u00e1 ag teast\u00e1il ar f\u00e1il chun an tseirbh\u00eds r\u00edth\u00e1bhachtach seo a choime\u00e1d ar oscailt. The country is still reeling from the horrific murders of four members of the English family, including two precious young children, in a petrol bomb attack on their home last month. This catastrophic and barbaric incident in Waterford put focus on the devastating consequences of violent organised crime and the escalating scourge of drug debt intimidation. In the early hours of yesterday morning, five adults and two children were rushed to hospital following yet another arson attack on a family home, this time here in Dublin. Families are held to ransom by drug gangs through threats, extortion and violence. They live every day with a sense of fear in communities across Ireland. There is anger that Government is not responding with force or purpose to keep communities safe. Limerick has suffered the torment, violence and consequences of organised drug crime and drug debt intimidation. The community spent decades working to overcome this scourge. Limerick understands how investing in community safety can really turn the tide, yet as communities look to Government for greater support and protection, it provides the exact opposite. It removes funding for one of Limerick's most important and most successful community protection services. The Limerick CCTV monitoring service was established in response to the violence that plagued communities. It monitors hundreds of cameras across the city and county. It is a vital resource for An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and for the community. It prevents crime and allows for incidents to be responded to. It is a proven and highly successful initiative that has taken years of work to develop. It is at the very core of Limerick's safety infrastructure. The service faces a funding shortfall of approximately \u20ac660,000 for 2027. The Department of local government is cutting the funding it has provided for years. The Department of justice refuses to take on funding responsibility. As things stand, just two days before Christmas, the doors will shut, hundreds of cameras will shut down and this vital crime prevention service will be lost to the people of Limerick. The Taoiseach should make no mistake; the big winner here will be the organised crime gangs that are seeking any opportunity to reassert themselves. Stripping the people of Limerick of this vital community safety service is a dangerous and disgraceful dereliction of the Government's duty. The Government has funded Limerick's CCTV monitoring service for decades. It must continue to fund it. There can be no excuses. We need a crystal clear commitment from the Taoiseach today. Does he accept that the closure of Limerick's CCTV service would be devastating? Does he accept that it cannot happen? Does he accept that the Government has a responsibility to provide the funding to keep it open? Will he now intervene directly and guarantee the \u20ac660,000 required to keep this service operational for 2027? Furthermore, will he commit to establishing a permanent multi-annual funding arrangement for this community's safety?"},{"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 T\u00e1 gach iarracht \u00e1 d\u00e9anamh ag an Rialtas maidir leis an m\u00e9id d\u00fanmharaithe agus for\u00e9igin at\u00e1 ar si\u00fal ar fud na t\u00edre ag daoine \u00e1irithe. T\u00e1 n\u00edos m\u00f3 \u00e1iseanna agus airgid curtha ar f\u00e1il ar\u00eds i mbliana don Roinn dl\u00ed agus cirt agus do na Ranna eile chun pobal na t\u00edre a choime\u00e1d sl\u00e1n. N\u00edl aon amhras ach go bhfuil br\u00fa ar dhaoine agus go bhfuil deacrachta\u00ed agus d\u00fashl\u00e1in faoi leith ann. People are extremely angry, frustrated and shocked at the level of recklessness with which some criminals, particularly those involved in the area of drugs, behave in murdering, injuring and intimidating people and in endeavouring to undermine cohesion within communities. The Government is very clear that there will be no tolerance of that kind of behaviour. As the Deputy will know, An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na implements a national anti-drugs strategy through Operation Tara. The focus of that operation is to disrupt, dismantle and prosecute drug trafficking networks at the local, national and international levels. The Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau leads in tackling all forms of drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs in Ireland. The consumption of drugs is a societal issue. It is far more widespread than it should be. There is an onus on all those who take drugs to realise that there is a very sordid, murderous and violent background to the provision and supply of drugs in our society. We have initiatives such as Operation F\u00f3gra, the drug-related intimidation reporting programme, and the Drug Related Intimidation and Violence engagement, DRIVE, programme, which is a national inter-agency initiative funded by the Departments of Health and justice. An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na and the Minister for justice are extremely focused on dealing with the levels of intimidation that certain drug criminals are engaging in. The DRIVE programme brings together law enforcement, health services, social services and community organisations to address drug-related intimidation through a co-ordinated and victim-centred approach. Since its launch, more than 800 individuals have received training across 24 drug and alcohol task force areas. The Deputy raised the issue of the CCTV system in Limerick. She indicated that it has been in operation for quite a number of years now."},{"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 It is decades."},{"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 Exactly. At national level, there has been no pulling back from funding CCTV-----"},{"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 There has."},{"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 has."},{"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 You are closing 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 can look at the specifics of the case but, on the \u20ac660,000, in my view, it is within the remit of the local authority and others to ensure that does not happen by Christmas. Funding to Government Departments, local authorities and across the board has now increased. CCTV systems have been in place for a long time and are included in the base funding allocations. There should not be an issue in respect of it. The fears I am hearing from An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na regarding our new station in Newcastle West is that there are not enough garda\u00ed to put into it. The Government's proposal is to get to 15,000 garda\u00ed. To be honest, I think we need 15,000 more. We have a population now hitting 6 million and criminal levels are at an all-time high. In the parishes surrounding me, there were 16 robberies in two days and in the parishes adjoining them, 12 robberies were recorded in one place and 14 in another place, all of them done by criminal gangs. I was targeted last Friday when the keys of one vehicle, which were locked into a solid box, were taken, equipment worth \u20ac1,000 belonging to a carpenter was stolen and the lock was pulled off another van. We have the criminals, members of a well-known criminal gang, on CCTV, coming in and doing their work. They were gone within eight minutes. Garda\u00ed need cameras with registration recognition technology in places where there are criminal gangs. If cars belong to criminal gangs are in an area, the Garda would then be notified automatically. That can be done. We have had cameras turned off in Kilmallock and Croom for data protection reasons. People who are doing nothing wrong should not be worried about a camera that is there to protect good people against criminals. Repeat criminals are being brought to court multiple times and left off. There is no place to put them or hold them, so what does the Government do? It lets them back out and they do the same thing over and over again. Garda resources are being used to build a case against them and by the time the Garda builds a case, they are only given a slap on the wrist. It is a case of \"Out you go to do it again\" and within a week, they are in with garda\u00ed again. It is a waste of 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 I also welcome the young 16-year-old, Kyle Lohan, to the House. I commend his interest in politics, and I advise him to keep an open mind into the future-----"},{"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 He is with the best party possible."},{"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 did when I was 16 years of age. He is welcome to the House."},{"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 Do not forget Councillor Noel Thomas."},{"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 The Taoiseach, without interruption, please."},{"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 Sure you might get him back."},{"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 a new device, where Deputies bring their aspiring candidates into the House to get them mentioned."},{"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 He is really one of yours."},{"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 He is indeed."},{"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 very consistent recruitment of garda\u00ed in the past two years. We had a significant setback during Covid, with the closure of Templemore and so on. However, we should reach about 15,000 in the near future. At the end of August, the figure was about 14,600 and we have had a further attestation of 207 recently. I think we will make the 15,000 figure by the end of the year. We then want to go higher than that because there are also retirements, which we acknowledge. There are about 3,616 additional Garda staff who work alongside the garda\u00ed. That has enabled about 900 garda\u00ed to be freed up for front-line duties. We have made changes to the Garda trainee recruitment process, through an increased recruitment age and training allowance, shortened recruitment timeframes and reform of the physical competency test, construction of the assessment centre, approaches to elements of recruitment and regular recruitment competitions. There is healthy interest in joining An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na, which is positive. As regards the Garda station, I presume the Deputy welcomes the investment into Newcastle West, which is significant. With this recruitment, we will be in a position to staff the station. The Commissioner has been progressively allocating additional garda\u00ed, first to cities like Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and so on, and then to others. We have to get them out to rural Ireland, and the Minister for justice is very conscious of that. We will endeavour to get garda\u00ed to west Limerick as well. We also note the passing of the late former Minister, Gerry Collins, who was a household name in Abbeyfeale and west Limerick more generally, and whose funeral is tomorrow. He was a former Minister for Justice. We are very conscious of the needs in the area. On criminal gangs, I regret what has happened in the Deputy's own situation, which he has articulated to the House, as well as the other robberies he referenced. They will be convicted and will not be left out again if they are well-known criminal gangs. Garda\u00ed use cameras and information provided by the public to prosecute these people. They need to be prosecuted and brought to justice."},{"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 also extend my sympathies to the family of former Minister, Gerry Collins, who will be laid to rest tomorrow in Abbeyfeale. I acknowledge everyone in politics and the contributions they make. We had a justice Minister in County Limerick, which covers east and west Limerick. All the criminal gangs know to target rural areas. All the Garda presence, as the Taoiseach just mentioned, is being put into Dublin city, Cork city and Limerick city. It is almost an hour and 40 minutes from one end of my constituency to the other. That is how far it is. We need Garda resources because criminals now know it is easy pickings. I welcome the Garda resources, the technology and the extra recruitment of garda\u00ed, but the Government needs to stop putting all the garda\u00ed into the cities. When you have a lot of people in one area, you can maintain them in it. However, in scattered places in rural Ireland, including rural Limerick, we deserve the same protection as people have in the cities. I would like to see that change."},{"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 garda\u00ed being provided to rural Ireland, and there will be more allocated to rural Ireland as we continue to ramp up and get recruits into and out of Templemore in the time period. We are also investing in prisons, with close to \u20ac500 million. We want to create about 1,500 more spaces and we need to do this by 2031. It is the largest ever building programme in the prison estate. Some people are objecting to it but we have to drive ahead. The Deputy is correct in respect of the need. If someone is convicted, they do their time. That has to be the objective. In respect of technology, this Government has provided the technology required by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. The previous Government had a different composition and others did not agree with giving garda\u00ed the technology they needed to identify and convict criminals. As far as this Government is concerned, we will provide the technology and resources to procure that technology to An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na because we have to stand behind it in facing up to this criminal element."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_11","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 na Comhalta\u00ed Eile - Other Members' Questions","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_11","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shay Brennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shay-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shay-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","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}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shay Brennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shay-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shay-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Shay Brennan I raise the issue of how we protect and grow our successful open trading economy. The United States and the European Union remain our most important partners, but we need to consider more seriously how we diversify because too much rests on too few markets, sectors and companies. On markets, more than \u20ac4 in every \u20ac10 of our goods exports are earned in the United States. On sectors, more than half those goods are pharmaceuticals, and almost \u20ac6 in \u20ac10 of our service exports come from the IT sector. With companies, a handful of firms pay close to half our corporation tax. The companies behind those numbers have been very good for Ireland, and long may they stay, but it is a lot of eggs in very few baskets. Recently, in my constituency, I addressed a Hong Kong business delegation in Sandyford and a Yorkshire Chamber delegation in Clonskeagh. Yorkshire alone has as many people as Ireland, so even in markets we think we know, there is room to grow and diversify away from the main cities and established trading routes. Both these groups found their own way to us. Imagine what we would find if we went looking ourselves proactively. The difficulty, as I see it, is how we incentivise our agencies. It is always going to be easier to find the next dollar, job or company out of Texas or California, and we should keep prospecting there, but diversification means looking beyond the next dollar. This will not happen unless we give the relevant agencies the mandate and resources to do it. South Korea is the clearest example. As one of the world's 15 largest economies, it trains its biopharma workforce on the model of Ireland's National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, NIBRT, which is based in Mount Merrion in my constituency. The Taoiseach will recall he was instrumental in bringing NIBRT about when he was Minister for enterprise in 2025. The Korean version, K-NIBRT, trained over 3,500 people there last year, all on UCD- and Irish-branded material. Every one of those newly qualified professionals working in cutting-edge industry knows and trusts Irish expertise as a result. ICON, which is headquartered in Leopardstown, helped Korea grow one of the busiest clinical trial sectors in the world. Korea has one in seven of the world's medicines in development, and they will need a home in Europe. Yet in Seoul, I found just one IDA officer and one Enterprise Ireland officer. Korea imports almost half a million tonnes of beef a year. Last year, we sold it only 358 tonnes, and the Bord Bia post remains vacant. Korea is not unique. Similar opportunity gaps exist across south-east Asia, India, the Gulf, and Latin America. Se\u00e1n Lemass opened Ireland to the world. The opportunity today to double down on this is enormous. Building up our agencies' presence in these markets is a relatively small investment for outsize returns and a stronger, more resilient economy. Will the Government act, rather than waiting, to fill those gaps?"},{"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 in a very informed and insightful way the issues of Ireland's global footprint, the presence of our enterprise agencies in certain key markets and the need to expand that presence in markets, particularly in countries like South Korea. I agree with the basic import and substance of what the Deputy said. We have had Global Ireland 2025, which has been particularly impactful. We have expanded our diplomatic footprint significantly by opening 27 new missions since 2018. The final two missions, the consulates general in Malaga and Melbourne, opened this year. That enabled us to take a more strategic approach to global relations, to better weather the impacts of Brexit and then to deal with the Covid pandemic and Russia's illegal war on Ukraine and so on. We also developed a more proactive team Ireland approach, reflected in the Ireland House model. That will be key. I opened a flagship of that model in Tokyo, during my visit to Japan last year. I saw what a wonderful resource that is for the country and our enterprises. We now have 20 Ireland Houses overseas and we expect this to increase to 22 by the end of 2027 or early 2028. We want to expand the model with new Ireland Houses in London, Toronto, Madrid and so forth. We also need to plan for the next strategy, to 2040. The Presidency of the EU takes up time but I want the next strategy, Global Ireland 2040, ready to be launched in the first half of next year. We need to do that and I will be working with the Department of foreign affairs and my own team to make sure it happens. The Deputy made a fair point about market diversification. The key markets have been the UK, North America, including Canada, and areas of Asia. We have good relations with China. Twenty years ago, I was on a trade mission to South Korea. I take the Deputy's point that our presence is not good enough in South Korea. Ultimately, we need an Ireland House there. Enterprise Ireland in particular needs to be there. IDA Ireland needs to have a stronger team there. A review has been completed and resources will be increased and have increased in South Korea from the IDA perspective. The Enterprise Ireland review is expected to conclude in quarter 4 of 2026. I take the Deputy's point on Bord Bia. The footprint review, aligned with the market prioritisation framework, is still under review with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Research Ireland does have dedicated overseas staff and they are not necessarily needed. South Korea is a market of growing strategic importance. The IDA has strengthened its presence in Seoul with a new chief executive in place since late last year, but we need more."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Shay Brennan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Shay-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Shay-Brennan.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Shay Brennan I thank the Taoiseach for the reply. I appreciate him confirming the delivery of the Global Ireland 2040 report. An international trade and investment strategy depends on having people on the ground to deliver it. At the moment, nobody outside those agencies can really see where those people are. Will the Government publish the staffing and targets of the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and Bord Bia on a market-by-market basis every year or indeed every quarter, so that we can see whether the effort is actually following the strategy? If we are serious about new markets, we need to invest and we need to see and measure that investment. Will the Taoiseach ask those three agencies to direct their focus, sooner rather than later, on Seoul and similar markets, so that, rather than reacting to each lead as it comes in, we have the resources there to make the most of every opportunity in markets like these?"},{"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. They should be transparent in that regard. For example, Bord Bia has about 50 people working in offices overseas. The numbers vary, with six in China, six in France, three in Germany and four in Singapore, but, to the Deputy's point, I do not think there are any in Seoul. I was very impressed with Bord Bia in China when I visited at the beginning of the year. Irish people were communicating about Irish food products in Mandarin to Chinese media, which was very impressive. We have had a debate this morning on technology. To me, Seoul in South Korea is one of the big capitals for advanced technologies. The IDA has had some success with companies coming to Ireland to work on battery storage for supporting renewable energy. There are very important advanced technologies to be understood and to have their presence in terms of the tasks and challenges we face in technological advancement and investment in renewables."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 na Comhalta\u00ed Eile - Other Members' Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_12","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Pholasa\u00ed n\u00f3 ar Reachta\u00edocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation","counts":{"speechCount":73,"speakerCount":20},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_12","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}},{"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":"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":"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":"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":"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 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":"James O'Connor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-O'Connor.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"James-O'Connor.D.2020-02-08","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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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 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}}],"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 ask Members to stick to their allotted times and not to interrupt other 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},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Mary Lou McDonald I put it to the Taoiseach to again hike up toll charges on our roads is unjustified and unjustifiable. If this goes ahead in January, it will represent the sixth such hike in prices in as many years. It will happen at a time when petrol and diesel prices are very high, but also at a time when the Government is also moving to increase public transport fares for buses and trains. The average person is caught every way. For a Government that talks a lot about easing cost-of-living pressures and looking after working families, it is a joke at this stage. I want the Taoiseach to intervene to put a stop to and freeze this or for the State to intervene and cover this. It certainly should not go ahead. It is most unfair at a time when we know that individuals, families and businesses are struggling."},{"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 not the Government that is doing this. There are very clear legal frameworks governing the operation of public-private partnerships, PPP, that built our motorways. That is the challenge here and it is related to the CPI inflation figure for the 12-month period to August 2026. Even Transport Infrastructure Ireland does not have the right to unilaterally change the basis on which PPP toll rates are revised."},{"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 They were frozen before."},{"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 is a framework governing how the public-private partnerships-----"},{"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 know how it works."},{"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 If the Deputy knows how it works, then she knows that I cannot intervene unilaterally."},{"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 M50 is not a PPP."},{"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 know that for ten years the Government has intervened."},{"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 You know how this works - we do not interrupt."},{"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 Yesterday, families from all over Ireland stood outside the D\u00e1il to campaign for a stronger Government response to drug-related intimidation. On the morning of that day, another family had their home petrol bombed on Clanbrassil Street, Dublin 8. In the past ten months, three children have been murdered through petrol bomb attacks on their home. Countless others have been targeted with violence and more are being coerced into engaging in criminality. This is endemic across Ireland. We need a national emergency response. The DRIVE programme referenced earlier by the Taoiseach was funded last year to the tune of \u20ac340,000. We need a response that meets the scale of what is becoming a crisis, where lives are being lost."},{"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 been relentless in taking on criminal gangs over many years. We have broken up many big criminal gangs here through very focused action by An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. What tends to happen is that new generations of criminals emerge and they manifest what they do differently. There is no question that this intimidation phenomenon by criminals is abhorrent and there can be no toleration of it. An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na will focus very specifically on this and on those who are committing these murders and very violent attacks and we will bring them to justice."},{"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 This month marks 65 years since the international withdrawal of the drug thalidomide from the market, yet survivors with the Irish Thalidomide Association are forced to continue their campaign for justice. I am so disappointed to be raising this again with the Taoiseach, as I have done over many years. Finola Cassidy, the well-known campaigner on this issue, just turned 65 last week. She said her birthday wish was for the State apology to thalidomide survivors to be front-loaded. Whenever I raise this with the Taoiseach, he says that a resolution process is under way but why are survivors still contending with so many delays? Why are survivors still awaiting a promised date for a next meeting? It is simply unacceptable because, very sadly, we are learning every year of more affected people and their parents passing away, dying without ever seeing the justice they deserve. It is long past time that this 65-year-long saga came to an end. Can we see an apology for survivors and justice along the terms they have sought for so long?"},{"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 has been sought has changed as well in respect of some legal realities governing all of this and the role of the company involved. The delays are not on our side. We have met. We have had some good productive meetings and there continues to be engagement between the legal representatives and officials in my Department, and we are seeking to get a date soon for a further meeting. I want these issues resolved as quickly as we can. It has been frustrating from my perspective that certain aspects of this have not moved on as quickly as I thought they could have."},{"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 asking the Taoiseach to urgently intervene in the proposed plan for Ballyconnell Estate in Falcarragh. The proposed transfer from \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta to Donegal County Council has been under discussion since 2018. Eight years later, despite continuous efforts, the local community is still waiting. It is about much more than transferring an estate. It is about unlocking the opportunities for Falcarragh and Cloughaneely and the wider Gaeltacht community in Donegal. Ballyconnell Estate could be a countrywide facility with public access to grounds, trails and heritage. It could support tourism, recreation, employment and the retention of young people and our language. The local GAA club is hosting an all-Ireland Gaeltacht competition in 2029, an event that only comes around every 20 years or so. They need facilities and for this estate to be opened with additional spaces put in place. This event could be in jeopardy. Could the Taoiseach intervene in this and get this over the line?"},{"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 quite get the full title of the estate but-----"},{"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 Ballyconnell."},{"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 T\u00e1 dualgas ar an \u00fadar\u00e1s \u00e1iti\u00fail an cheist seo a r\u00e9iteach le h\u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta. N\u00edor ch\u00f3ir go mbeadh aon mhoill air seo. N\u00edl c\u00falra an sc\u00e9il agam. I do not have the full background to the case. The local authority should resolve this. My understanding is that the Deputy is saying the estate should be transferred to the local authority so that it can be developed and opened up for community endeavour and recreational amenity and as an economic asset to the area. That has happened in many other places. I recall Spike Island. On one occasion, the county manager came to me and asked me whether I could get Spike Island transferred from the Department of Justice to the county council. He did not ask for any money by the way, and all current CEOs should take note of that. He just asked if I could get him the island. Look at Spike Island today. It is a major tourism resort. That is how things get done. I will follow it up."},{"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 postal service is in tatters. I have heard that it is bad enough in the Taoiseach's constituency. I have heard a lot of stories recently in my constituency. One lady had no post for six weeks. Suddenly ten letters, some of which were from early September, were shoved in her mailbox. A public services card was delivered to the wrong address. This would be typed. Post did not arrive for three days and when the postperson was queried, the post was found to be in the van. I was handed a letter from a postman from another estate with a totally different name. We do have the new longer routes so a lot of staff are leaving. There is also the suggestion that parcels have been prioritised over letters. The service is not great. The Government can attach performance metrics and service retention clauses to An Post and also hold the board and CEO accountable. Will it try to do that given that An Post is autonomous but, at the same time, it should not be allowed to get away with a woeful service?"},{"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 not our experience. I do not think that is uniform across the country, to be fair, and I would not like to use the phrase \"in tatters\". I will certainly ask the Minister if he can get an up-to-date performance report from the CEO of An Post."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James O'Connor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-O'Connor.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"James-O'Connor.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy James O'Connor I raise the important issue of ambulance response times in the east Cork area. Recently, we have received information that service provision in east Cork is under-serviced. This is causing enormous stress and is a health hazard to people who live in my constituency, particularly in the east and north Cork regions. Thankfully, the Minister for Health is already aware of the issue and has given some commitment that in the near future, we may see improvements. Will the Taoiseach reiterate to the Minister and the Department my concern to ensure that we do something to improve these services for the east Cork region? Of course, traffic congestion and other issues impact the response times but people on the ground are concerned about this. They need to see better provision and we also need to see the development of a new ambulance base, alongside the new ambulance training college in Youghal, to improve the service once and for all."},{"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 advocating on behalf of the people of east Cork. I am conscious of the progress made in terms of the training base in terms of Youghal. I will speak to the Minister about this issue. It is an issue that gets raised periodically in terms of ambulance response times and the model that is used. I will certainly reinforce the Deputy's concerns to the Minister and talk to her about them."},{"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 This week last year, Claire Cullen from the small village of Riverchapel just outside of Courtown was preparing for her brother's wedding in the Dominican Republic. Claire, a mother of three, was a beautiful young woman, a well-known hairdresser and a gifted artist and musician. On 7 November last year, Claire was tragically killed in a hit-and-run incident in the Dominican Republic. The driver fled the scene but later handed himself into the authorities. This horrific incident had a devastating effect on the community of Riverchapel. One year on, Claire's family is still awaiting justice. I understand we cannot interfere with the judicial process in the Dominican Republic, but I ask that the Government continue to monitor and provide full assistance to both the Cullen and O'Brien families. Her husband Ronan, her three children and her extended family deserve justice for Claire."},{"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 very sad situation. I express my sincere condolences to the husband, children, extended family and friends of Ms Claire Cullen on the tragic loss of Claire in the Dominican Republic almost one year ago. The death of a loved one is a very traumatic loss for the family and the community and when it happens far away from home, it adds another layer to the enormity of the grief of the family. I assure the Deputy that officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have been providing extensive consular assistance and support to Ms Cullen's family. The Embassy of Ireland in Bogot\u00e1, Colombia, is accredited to the Dominican Republic and provided extensive consular assistance in the immediate aftermath of her passing. Embassy officials and officials in the Department's consular directorate in Dublin have liaised closely with local authorities in the Dominican Republic to support the family in Claire's repatriation to Ireland. Since that period, the consular directorate has remained in regular contact. A dedicated consular officer in the Department was assigned to the case and remains available to support the Cullen family at any time."},{"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 The Taoiseach and Deputy Brennan might need to engage further."},{"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 talk to the Deputy to see if there is any more we can do."},{"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 The Government needs to end the recruitment freeze in the health services in Donegal. For years, we have struggled with a lack of staff in our hospital at Letterkenny, our mental health services, our disability services and our community hospitals. We have lagged behind the rest of the country. We won a campaign last year on the surgical hub. It was based on the fact that we had been neglected for years. Just as we are starting to turn that around, this recruitment freeze has kicked in. It has to be removed. We cannot continue to allow our people to suffer in the emergency department in Letterkenny, our staff to work in horrendous conditions and our people with disabilities and those using mental health services to be failed. Will the Government remove the recruitment freeze immediately?"},{"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 Staffing levels have increased very significantly across the entirety of the health service in the past number of years. Budgets have gone up very significantly. There needs to be a degree of realism about this and how we plan sustainably for the provision of our health services. There has been expansion across the board. The surgical hub was a good decision that the Minister took. The Minister listened to Fianna F\u00e1il, Fine Gael, Labour and Independent TDs. There was no campaign. The Minister was readily persuadable in respect of Letterkenny, and indeed other hospitals, because a surgical hub is a good model to try to ring-fence elective beds so that people can get their surgery done more quickly. I will ask the Minister to engage with Letterkenny with a view to seeing what can be done. The staffing has increased all round this year again very substantially."},{"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 Over 20 years ago, the Government allocated \u20ac350,000 of sports capital grant to the KDUL, the Kildare District Underage League, for grassroots football. In 2023, that was finally drawn down to develop a state-of-the-art all-weather football pitch. In that time, no KDUL league or cup match has happened on this pitch, which is fully open, because a different entity, the KDUL CLG, has full ownership of it. I do not believe this was the intended use of that sports capital fund. I raised this on the floor of the D\u00e1il last year with the Minister, who said that there was nothing to see here, that the fund had been drawn down, but we are still at a complete impasse. Will the Taoiseach ask the Minister to convene a meeting with all stakeholders? We have the KDUL, the KDUL CLG-----"},{"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 Who is that?"},{"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 It is a private entity. It is essentially an academy football team and it has full ownership of 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 What team?"},{"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 Klub Kildare."},{"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 The Taoiseach may respond, and he might need further engagement."},{"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 It is a completely different entity. This means 6,000 kids have no football."},{"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 not something that should be resolved in D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann. This is crazy. I do not understand the full background to this. Obviously, someone applied who should not have applied. Is that it, or was there previously an harmonious relationship? I presume there was an harmonious relationship between the two entities when the grant was originally applied for. I will have to find out the background and will talk to the Minister. It is terrible. The kids should be playing on the pitch. We put the money in. It is taxpayers' money. It belongs to the community. That is how it should happen. We will have to watch how that model works because that cannot happen again."},{"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 Deputy Peadar T\u00f3ib\u00edn."},{"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 You cannot have private groups doing that. Sorry."},{"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 Here is something that can be resolved by D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, the Taoiseach will be glad to know. At the start of the year, I raised with the Minister for justice an organisation that provides services to migrants in Meath. I asked for the results of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities. At the time, the Minister, Deputy O\u2019Callaghan, said that there was an investigation and that the Department was concerned about it, so much so that it had paused funding of the organisation. I have asked a subsequent question of the Minister, who again said he had concerns about it, but he said that funding had started. I have also asked for the publication of the investigation. Either there were financial irregularities or there were not. A report was done into it. That report should be published. The name of the organisation is Cult\u00far. Surely taxpayers have the right to know whether State funds were misused in this case. Surely there should be accountability. Will the Taoiseach confirm today that the report will be published so that people will know whether there was wrongdoing in that location?"},{"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 do not have the background to that case. The Deputy mentioned an organisation called Cult\u00far. I will talk to the Minister about it, but in situations like this, one cannot just publish a report that could be subject to legal challenge or could be perceived to be defamatory such that people could take action and so on. I do not know the background to it. Obviously, the Minister, if he has expressed concern about it, did pause the funding initially. I cannot give the Deputy the reasons as to why funding might have recommenced. It may have something to do with the content of the report. I do not know. I cannot just unilaterally, without any background to this, condemn people, question them or put a cloud over their character or whatever."},{"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 understand. The Taoiseach can ask the Minister."},{"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 raise the serious issue of access to endometriosis care for women in the west of Ireland. I recently met Endo Ireland, which highlighted the difficulties facing women living with this debilitating condition. I welcome the Government\u2019s national endometriosis framework, which designated Galway as a regional specialist hub, but over a year later Galway still has no lead clinician and no specialist excision surgery expertise. Women are being referred to Galway, where specialist treatment is unavailable, while Dublin hospitals are reportedly refusing referrals because they fall outside their catchment areas. These women are being left in limbo, suffering chronic pain without access to treatment. Will the Taoiseach commit to an immediate referral pathway for these women, a firm timeline for the appointment of a clinical lead and the full delivery of the Galway specialist service?"},{"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 very important issue. The Government and I recognise how debilitating endometriosis can be and the impact it can have on those who suffer from it. To be fair, the Minister and the Government have put a particular focus on women\u2019s healthcare over the last number of years, but particularly and more specifically in respect of endometriosis. A national funded plan to improve the care is being delivered. There is a national framework for management and so on. On the specifics in Galway, I will revert to the Minister. Regional specialist centres for moderate cases have been established in the Rotunda, the Coombe and University Hospital Limerick, and I have a note that says there are clinics under further development in University Hospital Galway and the National Maternity Hospital. We also have two supra-regional specialist centres in Tallaght and Cork University Maternity Hospital. My understanding is the funding has been allocated. I am not clear as to why the appointments have not gone ahead in Galway. I will ask the Minister if she could follow up with the HSE on that."},{"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 The Government and the Oireachtas have done a lot of good and very important work on limiting the appeal, availability and use of vapes. The single-use vapes Act, which has come into law, bans the sale and distribution of disposable single-use vapes and aims to reduce environmental waste and limit access to low-cost vaping. The Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling) (Amendment) Act has banned fruit- and menthol-flavoured vape products and introduced restrictions on flavour descriptions, prohibition of display of vaping products and restrictions on their sale to under-18s. While there is a lead-in period for these Acts to come fully into force and we hope this reduces the number of vape shops, there is still a proliferation. Is the Government planning any additional changes to reduce the numbers of vapes shops on our high streets? There are some small towns with three or four vape shops, often near schools and busy roads and streets, and their visibility to young people is still 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 I accept the point the Deputy is making. I think vapes are shocking. They damage people\u2019s health and more and more research is indicating the very negative impact of vapes on young people\u2019s health and that of adults as well. We need even stronger regulation. The Deputy is correct. The Minister of State with responsibility for public health, Deputy Murnane O\u2019Connor, along with the senior Minister, has introduced these two significant measures in terms of under-18s, narrowing point-of-sale displays, tastes and flavours and so on. On the planning side, however, planning law does not distinguish between types of retail goods, so the regulation of vape sales, advertising and display rests primarily with the Minister for Health. There are retail planning guidelines. They do not allow regulation of shops by the products they sell; however, local authorities can address concentrations or impacts of particular retail uses to protect town centre vitality and visibility and ensure diverse retail offering, including litter, shopfront design and diversity of uses. There is room within those guidelines. I think we need to do more. I am talking to the Minister for housing about this. He has a lot on his plate in terms of the various planning statements his Department has to produce, but there is an issue here and many people are concerned about the proliferation of these shops."},{"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 Today is Groundhog Day because I am raising again the Government\u2019s failure to properly engage on the future funding of the CCTV network in Limerick. This is about the fourth time I have raised this. The shortfall is \u20ac660,000. The mayoral forum met this morning again. I know that the Taoiseach was not there, that he sent his apologies and that a number of senior Ministers attended, but the Minister for justice did not send his apologies to the mayor. A submission was made by the mayor and the council to his Department. I am trying to be constructive. Will the Taoiseach at least ensure that the Minister, Deputy O\u2019Callaghan, meets us as local Oireachtas Members, the pr\u00edomh chomhairleoir and the mayor? We need to find a solution to this other than the mayoral fund. We need the Minister to sit down with us instead of continually ignoring our concerns. If we do not find a solution to this, we risk a return to a feud in Limerick."},{"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. In fairness to the Minister for justice, he was here in the House from 10 a.m. to 12 noon to deal with the Private Members\u2019 business, which I think people would expect in terms of accountability. The Minister for housing is more responsible for this. It comes under the aegis of the local authority in terms of CCTV, or maybe not. In early presentations, there was a reference to the local authority fund in terms of the CCTV provision in Limerick. As I said, I will talk to the Ministers involved. These issues should be resolvable, given the increased public expenditure in all Departments and, indeed, towards local authorities."},{"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 raise the matter of electricity supply in rural County Carlow, particularly in my home village of Kildavin. Some residents are getting increasingly frustrated by the constant interruptions to their supply. One resident recently told me that on one day in September, they lost their electricity 11 times. This is an issue affecting families, farmers, rural businesses and, in particular, people who are trying to work from home. I absolutely accept that the Government has made significant investment in improving critical infrastructure, grid infrastructure and the work of ESB Networks. When will families and households in rural areas of Ireland feel the benefit of that investment? Is there something the Government can do in the meantime, particularly given the increasing cost of electricity?"},{"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 met EirGrid recently with Government Ministers and our sense from the meeting was that resilience had improved overall this year and will continue to do so next year. I do not know whether there are issues specific to rural Carlow in terms of electricity outages, but I will communicate with ESB Networks and EirGrid about this to see what is going on in that location."},{"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 raise the issue of Col\u00e1iste an Phiarsaigh in Glanmire as well as other school projects, not only in Cork North-Central but across the country. The Taoiseach is familiar with the project. He attended a number of years ago the launch of the proposal for a brand new school. Unfortunately, since then, the school has been stuck in the perennial 2A, 2B log-jam. I recognise that capital spending on education has increased by about 70% since 2022 or 2023. I am not saying that significant investment has not gone in, but many projects like that of Col\u00e1iste an Phiarsaigh in Glanmire, where I live, are looking for confirmation of whether they will be part of any tranche of construction that will be launched next year. As we know, time is money. In the case of many of these capital projects, the longer we leave them on the long finger, the more likely it is that the cost will increase. It would be appreciated if the Taoiseach could bring some clarity to the situation."},{"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. He has been raising it for quite some time and there is a degree of frustration on his part and that of the school patrons and community about progressing the school to the next stage. While he is correct in saying that additional funding has been allocated to education, inflation has eaten up a significant amount of this. The cost of school projects generally has increased, per project, by significant degrees. That said, I will keep a focus on this and will engage with the Minister for education on progressing the project as quickly as possible."},{"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 Last night, Donald Trump took a hammering and the reason is that he failed to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. Ultimately, people punished the US Government when they could not pay their bills. I believe the same will happen here if the Government does not deal with the immense pressure people are under. Diesel, for example, is still over \u20ac2.10 per litre and almost 50% of that is taxation. The Government will still take in more this year than in any previous year in carbon tax and VAT. Electricity prices in this country are the highest in Europe, 40% above the EU average, yet the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU, has implemented further network charges in the last number of weeks. Will the Taoiseach address the major pressure so many families are under with housing, rent and energy? It is crippling so many 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 The cost of living is a major issue facing many families and that is why we took a lot of measures in the budget, including cutting taxes, bringing in a new cost-of-disability payment, reducing childcare costs at the commencement of the new childcare year next year and strong social protection increases. All of that, and specific measures for food production, haulage and farmers, were to try to ease and alleviate the undoubted costs of energy, which are caused outside the country by the wars in Ukraine and Iran. They have raised prices dramatically. We have had two crises in the last five years with the wars in Ukraine and Iran and the closure of, and restriction of traffic through, the Strait of Hormuz. Very few governments have been in the position we have been in, to try to alleviate the pressures on the public., but they are significant. The Government cannot deal with every cost increase across the economy. What we can do is try to protect as many people as we people as we possibly can."},{"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 Last Thursday evening, I received a phone call from a family of five, including two children aged 16 and 12, who had presented as homeless to Cork County Council in Annabella, Mallow. They were told no emergency accommodation was available. The Simon Community in Cork was also full when they made the call. That night, the family of five slept in a church in Ballincollig. On Friday, they returned to Cork County Council only to be referred back to IPAS. I have seen correspondence in which IPAS directed them back to the local authority, while Cork County Council said it needed clarification from the Department of justice. They were eventually given accommodation last night, so they spent five nights sleeping in the church in Ballincollig. It is difficult to stand over a system in which a family is passed between State agencies while two children remain homeless. Will the Government review the legislation and ensure there is a clear, enforceable responsibility to provide emergency accommodation when families present as homeless?"},{"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 specific background. It is not acceptable that a family of five with two children would have to spend time in a church. I presume that if they had been moved on from an IPAS centre, it was because their residency had been confirmed or they have permission to remain in the State."},{"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 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 There have been movements from IPAS centres, but they should be organised and structured better than what happened here. I take the Deputy's point. I will not say it is in any way satisfactory. It is not."},{"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 Will the Taoiseach allow people to decide on the Government's proposal to scrap the triple lock by calling an ordinary referendum on the Defence (Amendment) Bill? Why? Because it is a matter of national importance - the Taoiseach himself has said the triple lock is at the core of our neutrality - because people have voted on this in terms of the Nice and Lisbon treaties, and because Fianna F\u00e1il in government promised people that if it were to ever change the triple lock, there would be a referendum. Brian Cowen, as Minister for Foreign Affairs, in 2002 stated: The National Declaration [the civil declaration] confirms...that we will continue to take our sovereign decision...based on the triple lock guarantee of UN endorsement, Government decision and D\u00e1il approval....there will be no change to that situation unless the people first give their assent in a referendum. Will the Government hold to that commitment Fianna F\u00e1il made and allow the people to decide?"},{"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 the referendum on the Nice treaty, we inserted in the Constitution a prohibition on Ireland joining a mutual defence pact in the European Union, so we already have a provision in the Constitution prohibiting Ireland joining any mutual defence pact, which the Deputy never references. No one on that side of the House ever references it."},{"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 That is different from the triple lock"},{"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 crucial because the Deputy says we want our young people to join a European army. They cannot. We could not do it. No government could because there is a constitutional prohibition on it. The Deputy mentioned an ordinary referendum. We have never had an ordinary referendum. We only have referendums to amend the Constitution, that is, to delete something from the Constitution or to add something to it. The Deputy is endeavouring to create a new form of check or limit on the democratically elected representatives in the Parliament."},{"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 Fianna F\u00e1il promised people"},{"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 That concludes questions. I thank the 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 have a parliamentary democracy."},{"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 Fianna F\u00e1il promised people."},{"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 Deputy, please, show courtesy."},{"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 the referendum on the Nice treaty, we inserted the strongest possible protection-----"},{"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 Taoiseach, your time is up. We have finished."},{"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 -----against Ireland joining any mutual defence pact."},{"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 There will be no change \"unless the people first give their assent in a referendum\"."},{"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 That is the end of Questions on Policy or Legislation. Taoiseach, please. Do not antagonise him."},{"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 No change. Fianna F\u00e1il promised people."},{"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 Deputy Murphy, respect the direction of the Chair. Out of courtesy, I allowed the Deputy in even though we were over time. I might have to review that in the future."},{"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\/2026-11-04\/debate\/dbsect_13","debateType":"statement","bill":null,"showAs":"Post European Council Meeting: Statements","counts":{"speechCount":26,"speakerCount":16},"parentDebateSection":null,"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":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"Erin McGreehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","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":"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":"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":"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":"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}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"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 welcome the students of Nagle Community College to the Gallery. They are led by the school's principal, Nicholas O'Keeffe, and the son of the Chief Whip, Mary Butler, Jack Butler, who teaches there. All of the students are very welcome to D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann. The meeting of the European Council on 15 and 16 October was the first to take place during Ireland's Presidency term. It was a long meeting with a very full agenda, with leaders having discussions on a number of key Presidency policy priorities. The priorities included competitiveness, the next multi-annual financial framework, Ukraine and enlargement. Other items on the agenda included migration, European security and defence and, of course, the Middle East. I will set out the main results of the European Council meeting on competitiveness, the multi-annual financial framework, Ukraine and the Middle East. The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, will speak later to the other issues. Leaders reviewed ongoing work to strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy against the backdrop of increased geopolitical uncertainty. I briefed colleagues on the considerable progress being made by the Irish Presidency on the implementation of the One Europe, One Market roadmap, which is the blueprint for European competitiveness, building on the Draghi and Letta reports. The targets set out in the roadmap were jointly agreed by the European Union\u2019s three institutions, the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission. As the current holder of the Presidency of the Council, Ireland is doing all we can to meet the goals agreed in the roadmap. In this context, the European Council had a useful exchange with President Metsola of the European Parliament on the importance of continued constructive engagement by the European Parliament to advance negotiations with the Council on key files in line with the ambitious timelines in the roadmap. I also took the opportunity to highlight specific priority files where an extra political push is required. This includes finding the right balance on the Industrial Accelerator Act, where compromise will be required to reach political agreement this year. On European Union Inc., our political exchanges at this European Council set the path for the Council negotiating mandate secured by the Irish Presidency on 23 October, with significant progress there. This is a measure that will make a real and practical difference to Europe\u2019s start-up and scale-up potential. It represents a significant milestone for the Irish Presidency, and I thank our hard-working teams in Brussels and Dublin for their efforts in securing this result. As holders of the Presidency, we look forward to early progress in the European Parliament so that we can advance negotiations to conclude the file. On foot of the leaders\u2019 exchanges, we also secured agreement on an important package of measures to simplify European Union digital regulation. We now have agreement on three of the four omnibus simplification packages we are aiming to conclude this year. The discussions among leaders also helped advance the European Union\u2019s savings and investment union. The Irish Presidency has reached an important agreement with the European Parliament on measures to revive and simplify the European Union\u2019s securitisation market. At the ECOFIN Council in October, the member states reached a political agreement on the market integration and supervision package. I pay tribute to the T\u00e1naiste and his team for their hard work in delivering this important agreement. These key elements of the savings and investments union, or the securing a capital markets union, will help to create a truly single market for capital, including stronger financing for fast-growing young firms at the technological frontier. Our October meeting also included important political exchanges on the review of the emissions trade system, ETS, which will inform the ongoing work towards achieving political agreement on this difficult package at the Environment Council in December. Energy was a key focus of discussion in the broader competitiveness context and leaders underlined the critical importance of tackling high energy prices. We discussed the impact of the current geopolitical context on global supply chains, energy security and prices, including the effects on citizens, in particular the most vulnerable, industry and the wider economy. We underlined the urgent need for a co-ordinated European response, with targeted and temporary measures that reflect the specific circumstances of member states and safeguard the Single Market. The Commission\u2019s proposal to postpone the methane regulation was welcomed in that regard. Alongside immediate measures to protect households and industry, we reaffirmed that accelerating the transition to clean, homegrown energy is the most effective way to strengthen Europe\u2019s energy security and structurally lower energy prices. Our discussion on global macroeconomic imbalances at the European Council underlined that China\u2019s economic model is presenting significant challenges for Europe, including de-industrialisation. Leaders welcomed the progress made by Commissioner \u0160ef\u010dovi\u010d during the recent European Union-China trade and investment consultations in Beijing, including agreement by China on an approach to significantly moderate exports of hybrid vehicles and on ways to improve market access for European exports. It is important to acknowledge that these agreements reached with China represent the first step towards achieving rebalanced trade between China and the European Union. In parallel with the ongoing dialogue with China, there was broad support for recent Franco-German proposals that advocated swifter use of existing trade defence tools and the development of new ones to rectify structural imbalances in trade. The importance of unity on this issue cannot be overstated, and we should proceed in a manner that ensures that the European Union remains a strong, innovative economy that is competitive and open to investment, and an advocate for free and fair trade. At the October European Council, I presented the Irish Presidency\u2019s revised negotiating box on the 2028-2034 multi-annual financial framework, in other words the budget for Europe for the next seven years. This meeting marked a significant milestone and achievement by our Presidency, the delivery of a robust compromise proposal on the future European Union budget. In sharing our rationale and approach, I made clear to European Union leaders that the objective of our revision was to present a modernised and flexible budget that invests in new and emerging priorities on the one hand, while at the same time protecting treaty-based policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP. The proposal also reflects the fiscal realities that all member states face. The Irish Presidency proposal reflects an ambitious budget of \u20ac1.62 trillion, a 30% increase on the current multi-annual financial framework. Our proposal remains future-oriented, with a strong focus on competitiveness, research and innovation while reflecting a greater focus on security and defence in the context of a more uncertain world. It proposes a package of European competitiveness funds totalling more than \u20ac400 billion and the competitiveness heading overall has more than doubled compared with the current multi-annual financial framework. We have also responded to the calls of a very large number of member states that want to see national envelopes under heading 1, Cohesion and the Common Agricultural Policy, protected as part of that positive, future-focused agenda. These are valued, impactful and proven policies that can continue to support and develop our regions, our rural communities and our farmers into the future. We have also sought to ensure flexibility within national envelopes in how member states allocate this European Union funding. We have protected support for recovery and reconstruction funds for Ukraine and also humanitarian assistance for the most vulnerable. We approached our task with an open mind and not with any fixed agenda. We also listened to those member states that contribute most to the budget that the previous proposal was simply too large for our current fiscal circumstances. That is not something that can be lightly set aside if we are to reach agreement. That is why we reduced the overall volume by about 8%, or \u20ac141 billion, compared with the Commission\u2019s proposal. That should not distract us from the very real increases that are being made when compared with the current MFF. This Irish proposal is for a budget that is 30% above our current MFF and almost every programme receives an increase in our negotiating box when compared with the current situation. The revision seeks to bridge the differences between member states on volume, long-term spending priorities and how the European Union will generate its revenue. As is the nature of difficult budget negotiations, our negotiating box was never going to please everyone. However, it has been broadly welcomed by leaders as an important step in the right direction. I am confident that it has advanced discussions further on the path to agreement before the end of the year. I am particularly keen that we get agreement. It now falls to President Costa to take these negotiations forward. The Irish Presidency remains at his service to assist with this complex and challenging task. Russia\u2019s illegal war in Ukraine is deadlier for civilians today than at any point since the start of the full-scale invasion. By August 2026, more civilians were killed and injured in Ukraine than during the whole of 2025. At the European Council, leaders reaffirmed our steadfast support for Ukraine. President Zelenskyy gave an overview of the situation on the ground in Ukraine. We maintained our call for a ceasefire and for Russia to cease its aggression and engage in meaningful negotiations. We strongly condemned Russia for deliberately targeting Ukraine\u2019s civilian, energy and transport infrastructure, healthcare and education facilities. Despite all peace efforts, Russia has repeatedly shown it is intent on escalating rather than de-escalating the conflict. The Black Sea corridor remains blocked as Russian strikes target commercial shipping and weaponises food and global food security. Russia is a direct threat to the global security order beyond Ukraine, repeatedly violating member states\u2019 airspace and territorial waters. Ireland is committed to ensuring Ukraine receives the support it needs to resist Russian aggression, to strengthening pressure on Russia through European Union sanctions and to advancing Ukraine\u2019s pathway to European Union membership. The European Union\u2019s robust targeted sanctions in response to Russia\u2019s war of aggression are impacting on the Russian economy, making it harder to access battlefield foods and to pay for war. Leaders also reaffirmed the European Union\u2019s determination to take forward further measures to raise the costs to Russia, including by targeting the shadow fleet and its enablers. Ireland is working to ensure that Ukraine has access to the finance it needs to defend itself against Russia\u2019s aggression. As a Presidency, we have facilitated the disbursement of the instalments of the European Union\u2019s \u20ac90 billion support loan for Ukraine. However, Ukraine still has significant financing needs for 2027, potentially in the region of \u20ac70 billion. This is a direct result of Russia\u2019s continuing and escalating aggression. The European Union and its member states will need to rise to this challenge. Leaders will return to this issue at a special meeting of the European Council in late November. As part of the enlargement process, Ireland launched negotiations on clusters 2, 3, and 6 for Ukraine, in addition to the launch of cluster 1 earlier in the year. We are working to achieve the opening of the remaining two clusters and hope that this can achieved before the end of our Presidency. Moldova is also feeling the impact of Russia\u2019s war of aggression and its threat to the security of the entire region. The people of Moldova are suffering daily from Russia\u2019s hybrid activity. It is therefore important that the European Union also works to advance Moldova\u2019s path towards European Union membership. The European Council leaders welcomed progress made on its accession negotiations, with the opening of four of six negotiating clusters to date. The opening of all clusters is a priority of our Presidency. The European Council expressed its grave concern about the deterioration in the security situation across the Middle East and the continuing military escalation in the region. We agreed on the importance of all actors avoiding further escalation. Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path forward. Maritime security was a particular focus. Freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea is vital for global trade and energy security. We also reiterated that Iran must never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon. The Council clearly condemned human rights violations in Iran and the European Union must continue to take measures targeting those responsible for these violations. On Yemen, Ireland joined the Council in strongly condemning continued Houthi military escalation, including attacks against Saudi Arabia, including civilian infrastructure, and repeated attacks on civilian shipping. Leaders discussed the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and again called on Israel to allow immediate, unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout Gaza. We reiterated the European Union\u2019s commitment to the two-state solution. Indeed, a key focus of Ireland\u2019s Presidency of the Council is to reaffirm the European Union\u2019s commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution that guarantees the right of both Israeli and Palestinians to self-determination and to live in peace and safety within secure borders. We are now at the fifth month into Ireland\u2019s Presidency term. The October European Council meeting marked both a significant milestone with the presentation of the Irish negotiating box and a significant opportunity for progressing our other Presidency priorities. I look forward to welcoming my fellow European Union leaders to Dublin next week for an informal meeting of the European Council. This will be preceded by the European Political Community summit the day before, which will be the largest meeting of international leaders ever hosted in Ireland. I look forward to updating the House on these events and future meetings of the European Council, and on the results of the Irish Presidency as we head into the most intense and pivotal phase of our term in office."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire In the first instance and before I go into the substance of it, it is important to acknowledge that during the course of the Presidency many members of staff in the Department of foreign affairs spent a considerable amount of time organising it. We must pay tribute to the enormous initiative of those people and acknowledge that. I will begin with Palestine. I just left a meeting with Francesca Albanese, who met the foreign affairs committee yesterday, informally. She will appear before the European Union affairs committee today. The statement the Taoiseach made acknowledges it, but a great deal more is needed. The situation in Palestine remains profoundly serious both in a humanitarian and political sense. Depressingly, the recent Israeli election shows that while there are differences in policies, ultimately, both the Israeli Government and opposition are dedicated to expanding settlements and undermining the pathway to a sovereign and independent Palestinian state. That needs to remain our position. Clearly it is, but it is the way that the politics of Israel remain focused on undermining that. There is a great deal more that this State can do. There is more Europe can do. The continued existence of the EU-Israel Association Agreement is a stain on the reputation of the EU. The idea that the human rights clause could not have been invoked, dozens and perhaps hundreds of times in recent years, is absurd. The Irish Government is also at fault. It is appalling that so many licences were given for dual-use items that went on to go directly to the IDF during the height of the genocide. Products produced here in Ireland were effectively going on to assist the genocidal policies of the Israeli Government. It is shameful and wrong. Questions remain as to how that sign-off would have been given. In relation to the Middle East, I echo what the Taoiseach has said about human rights abuses with Iran. I have never felt that there is any contradiction between condemning an illegal war in Iran and the chaos that is caused in that region. It is very clear that there are human rights violations. There were executions of protestors in recent days. It must go on the record again that it is a repressive and ruthless government. Nonetheless, the war that was encouraged by the Israeli Government and supported by President Trump has caused chaos in the region. There is no disputing that. At the time, I and many others said that ultimately American workers and families would pay the price for the attacks on Iran through the impact on the cost of living. That is clearly seen in the elections yesterday. It has caused chaos throughout the world. It is important to state that we will watch in the coming days the response from the US Administration. I hope that it will not see a further escalation. I will touch on the issues in Sudan. It is too often neglected, both in these Houses and internationally. It has been a bit longer than a year since the massacre at El Fasher, with some of the worst scenes of violence that we have seen in this century. The numbers who were killed in that slaughter are not yet fully known, even at this stage, but it was certainly over 20,000 and hundreds of thousands of people were displaced. It is the most appalling humanitarian situation in the world. In this area, we have leverage and things we can do. A candidate from the United Arab Emirates is putting themselves forward for Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Irish Government must rule out support for Lana Nusseibeh. There has to be a price paid for the United Arab Emirates' complicity in the appalling slaughter we have seen. She has been part of the Emirati cover for the ongoing supply of drones, weaponry and other support for the RSF, which is responsible for these slaughters. The Government has the option of stating it will not support that candidacy and it must do so. I again condemn recent attacks on civilians in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin. It is clear the statements he is making are paying lip service to negotiations and he is not interested at this point in meaningful negotiations. Sanctions need to continue to be part of it. I have raised time and again with the Taoiseach and the Minister the need for Ireland to raise its voice. The Taoiseach referenced the energy situation. Russia continues to have significant influence because of its grasp on energy. Ireland could put forward sanctions in relation to Rosatom, the Russian atomic agency. That is a clear demand of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ireland should be more vocal in supporting that."},{"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 Another European Council meeting has taken place that signally fails to grasp the geopolitical realities facing the world. While Iran is rightly criticised for its attacks in the region, the conclusions of the European Council read as though it simply launched spontaneous attacks on its neighbours. Nowhere in the conclusions is the United States or Israel criticised for starting a war that has worsened an already critical cost-of-living crisis in Ireland and across the EU. Why are we so afraid to call out the United States for its warmongering? Why does it have carte blanche to destabilise entire regions, sit back and point the finger at those it attacked? If we are too cowardly to assign blame where it belongs, how can we be surprised when the US and Israel do the same thing over and over? It is cowardly. The Iranian regime is not to be defended but if we are to have a serious conversation about peace in the Middle East, it was US and Israeli warplanes that dropped bombs on 28 February this year. That is why the Strait of Hormuz closed and why a tank of diesel suddenly costs \u20ac30 or \u20ac40 more. Now that the US Republican Party has been embarrassed in the mid-term elections, the world is holding its breath for Donald Trump's reaction. It is an irrational actor we are dealing with and we are too afraid to call it for what it is. The conclusions on Gaza similarly fail to grasp the severity of the situation. We are still urging Israel to allow humanitarian aid to reach the Palestinian people unimpeded. It is clear Israel is waiting for winter to kill those Palestinians it could not bomb. Starvation, dirty water and collapsing buildings can kill as readily as a bullet or a bomb. Diseases are rampant, especially those affecting young children, but the European Council is more concerned with Hamas's political future than children who are dying right now. I question the priorities and motives of the Council. I question its humanitarianism. In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority is criticised for not scheduling elections as settler violence spills out of control. Again, we urge Israel not to continue to steal land in the West Bank and ethnically cleanse its rightful inhabitants. Israel must be held to account; it must be sanctioned. Israel cannot be treated with kid gloves while the crimes against humanity play out before our very eyes."},{"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 was very disheartened to hear the Taoiseach. He hardly mentioned the proposed cuts to CAP. What does this say for the farmers and what they face? Today is a major milestone for the Irish Presidency, said the Minister for agriculture following last week's meeting of the European agricultural council. It is a major milestone all right in that under the Irish Presidency the agricultural council has proposed dismantling CAP as we know it. The IFA is going around lobbying TDs to say this. The proposal involves scrapping the two-pillar structure and folding agricultural funding into wider national and regional partnership plans. Pillar 2 would no longer be protected by a dedicated funding structure, leaving vital rural development and environmental programmes competing for money. Farmers must be properly rewarded for being good stewards of the land. Environmental protection must go hand in hand with farm profitability and not come at the expense of it or of regional development. What has the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, done to secure this for Irish farmers? What will he do in the fight for them? We want to hear about it. Is the Commission proposal of a 20% to 25% CAP budget cut still on the table? The Government, Minister of State and Taoiseach should not stand for this. If a cut to our farmers of one quarter, or even one fifth, is coming, this will not work for our farmers. The Government cannot sign off on any European budget which contains a single euro less for our farmers. According to analysis by farming organisations in my constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, these cuts would reduce family farm incomes by \u20ac2,100 to \u20ac2,300. Our rural communities and family farms cannot be left paying the price for a weakened CAP. We need the Minister of State to stand up. They cannot afford a weak Government advocating for them. Now is the time to fight and I ask the Minister of State to do that."},{"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 appreciate the chance to share a few thoughts I have following the European Council meeting. Primarily, credit is due to the Taoiseach, the Minister of State and the team across government for steering our Presidency of the EU. In a world that feels increasingly turbulent, Ireland is not just sitting at the table making up the numbers. We are helping to set the agenda and that is really important. We come from an island on the western edge of the Continent and it matters that we have our voice heard and can enact change. EU membership has shaped a modern Ireland. It built our economy, opened doors for generations of young people, backed our family farms and gave homegrown businesses the muscle to trade globally, yet we all know the Union cannot rest on past achievements. The playbook that brought us stability over the past 50 years will not automatically guarantee it for the next 50. That is why the focus on competitiveness, energy costs and a working Single Market hits the right note. Wearing my hat as Fianna F\u00e1il spokesperson on enterprise and the circular economy, I want to talk straight about what competitiveness looks like on the ground. In Brussels, people talk endlessly about directives, frameworks, roadmaps and benchmarks, but drive through Athenry, Tuam, Gort or Loughrea and ask a shopkeeper or engineering firm owner what competitiveness means. It means opening an electricity bill without dread, finding and keeping decent staff and spending Friday evening running your business or with your family instead of drowning in compliance forms and box-ticking. Ultimately, it is about whether the doors stay open on Monday morning. If we want businesses across Europe to thrive, we have to stop tying their hands behind their backs. Progress on initiatives such as the One Europe, One Market roadmap, the EU Inc. model and the savings and investments union is welcome, if it allows Irish firms to scale without hitting an artificial wall or having to flee across the Atlantic for capital. We need a bonfire of red tape. Every duplicated declaration, unnecessary audit and overlapping rule drains energy from enterprise. Cutting back on administrative friction is not an ideological debate; it is simply common sense. One practical example is the packaging and waste regulations. In Galway East there is a small business called Mishn\u00f3c that makes the most beautiful leather goods. As there is no one-stop shop for European waste and packaging regulations, it would have to independently go throughout member states to find a company to deal with it. That administrative burden is massive. The one-stop shop for VAT has worked so well and we need to see that rolled out for the waste regulations. Mishn\u00f3c has essentially stopped selling into all the other European districts because of this and it has hampered its ability heading into the Christmas season. In terms of energy, the Council was right to highlight how war and global instability have wreaked havoc on power prices. Nowhere is the pain felt more acutely than right here. Energy is not just an abstract line item for businesses; it is something that hits every home, business and department. The energy bill is loud and present. It has to be dealt with systemically. For a manufacturing organisation in Galway, it is the difference between hiring five more people or shelving an expansion. For a family in a rural parish, it dictates what is left in the bank account come the third week of the month or for farmers, it is a crushing overhead eating away at already razor-thin margins. A long-term pivot away from unsustainable fossil fuel imports makes strategic sense but let us be clear - the green transition cannot become a luxury tax on ordinary people. We need renewables, a modern grid and storage capacity but communities will rightly push back against massive infrastructural upheaval if all they see at the end of it is higher standing charges or dearer bills. The public has to feel the dividend in their pockets, plain and simple. The regulations have to be up to date for the technology and scale of the proposals we are dealing with. I raised that with the Minister of State during Topical Issue Matters around wind energy guidelines. On agriculture, discussions around the post-2027 CAP framework are critical. I grew up on a farm in County Galway. I am a member of Macra na Feirme. I do not need a briefing document to explain to me how vital CAP is to rural communities. It is not a handout. It is an economic bedrock that keeps schools open, local shops trading, adds high-quality food to our tables and ensures there is resilience in our country for our own food supply and in our rural economies. The Government's fright to ring-fence CAP and cohesion funds in the multi-annual budget has my full backing but the money alone will not fix what is broken if the schemes continue to remain an administrative nightmare. Farmers want to be out in the yard and in the sheds. They do not want to be sitting under fluorescent lights trying to decipher bureaucratic jargon or upload endless geotagged photos of progress on the farm. This is not what they wanted to be a part of or what they signed up to. They need to be given their time back so they can do what they do best, which is keep the farm going. The Council once again confronted brutal international realities. The ongoing devastation in Ukraine is a grim reminder that peace and sovereign borders can never be taken for granted. Europe must stand firm behind Ukraine's right to defend its territory and secure a durable and just peace. Equally, the catastrophe unfolding across Gaza and the West Bank demands unyielding moral clarity. Ireland has always been respected because we call things as they are. We must keep pressing for full compliance with international humanitarian law, unimpeded aid delivery, the release of hostages, an immediate halt to civilian bloodshed and a viable political path to a two-state solution. Pushing for that is what will define who we are. Next week, when European leaders gather in Dublin for the EPC summit and the informal Council meeting, it will be a proud moment for our diplomatic standing. However, the measure of our Presidency will not be recorded by group photos or standing on the steps of Dublin Castle. It will be judged by whether apprentices across Europe can afford an apartment, a small manufacturer can keep employing more people, delivering more in their own communities and keep trading better. It will matter when a farmer working seven days a week can get a fair wage for the work they do and the next generation feels Ireland and Europe offer them a future worth staying for."},{"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 It is time we had a serious and honest discussion about the direction in which the European Union is heading. There is clearly a growing drift towards militarisation and the centralisation of power, a growing democratic deficit and overreach by EU bureaucrats and unelected officials. These are all the things we warned about during the Nice and Lisbon treaty referendums. which Fianna F\u00e1il, Fine Gael and the Labour Party told us at the time would not happen. We now see that EU funds are moving away from cohesion funding, CAP and regional development funding towards greater military spending. That is a very worrying signal in respect of the EU's direction. Under the proposals brought forward by Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael, Ireland is expected to pay more into an EU budget but get less back on the most important programmes such as CAP. Instead, EU funds will benefit EU arms companies and a militarisation that does not have the support of the Irish people. That runs contrary to Ireland's tradition of military neutrality, a position that has allowed us to pursue an independent foreign policy, stand up for international law and contribute positively to peacekeeping and conflict resolution. The Government's decision to dismantle the triple lock cannot be viewed in isolation from all of that because it comes alongside deeper involvement in EU military structures and an increasing focus across Europe on rearmament. At a time when the EU is prioritising military expenditure, Ireland should be at the forefront of defending our independent voice, not weakening the safeguards that have protected our neutrality for decades. Sinn F\u00e9in and communities all over Ireland will resist any attempt to undermine Ireland's military neutrality. We will ensure the demand for a referendum. If the Government is confident about dismantling the triple lock neutrality protection, then it should be confident enough to put it to the people. We will continue to demand that it does so. Next week, as Ministers will dine and wine with members of the European Political Community, it now appears likely that our SNAs, nurses and care workers will be on the picket lines once again. They are just asking for a fair wage and for Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael to recognise the financial pressures ordinary workers and families are under. The tone-deaf approach of this Government is galling. It is forcing vital workers to the picket lines but the bankers, developers and vulture funds have never had to strike for sweetheart deals. The head of Dublin Airport did not have to strike for the Government to give him a pay hike of \u20ac95,000, nor did the head of Uisce \u00c9ireann for approval of a \u20ac118,000 annual increase. The head of the ESB did not have to strike for \u20ac92,000 extra, neither did Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann's for \u20ac75,000 extra nor the head of the National Stud for a \u20ac60,000 pay rise. All were gifted by Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael. It is very easy to see whose side this Government is on. The Irish people are clearly on the side of our SNAs, nurses and other public service workers. We will stand if we have to alongside our striking workers next week until the Government sees and realises the real struggles workers and families are living under."},{"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 October's EU Council meeting came at the midway point of Ireland's Presidency. In May and June, while dotting the i's and crossing the t's on plans for the Presidency, the Government might have thought of the public sector workers servicing these events and keeping the country running. Instead, it let the public service pay agreement lapse for the first time in decades. After months of delay and insulting low-ball offers, the Government is now set to host a crucial meeting of the European Political Community next week in the midst of yet more strike action, potentially, unless a resolution is reached at the eleventh hour. That failure delay lies squarely at the feet of the Taoiseach and Government Ministers. European leaders may fly here next week only to be greeted by picket lines of workers asking the Government for a fair deal. The October Council meeting we are here to discuss was a mixed bag. I welcome the Taoiseach's speech in which he emphasised the focus upon Ukraine, ensuring effective sanctions against Russia and the fast-tracking of Ukraine's accession to the EU. In the Labour Party, we very much welcome all of those things but I ask that the Minister of State convey to the Taoiseach our ongoing concerns about the issue of Aughinish Alumina. It is unconscionable that any exports from Ireland would feed Putin's brutal war machine particularly now as we see the people of Ukraine, civilians and children, under an ongoing onslaught from Putin. I ask that the Minister of State bring that issue in particular back to the Taoiseach. Speaking of effective sanctions, clearly, on the Israel-Palestine issue we need to see more effective sanctions against Israel. The EU is undermining its own mission as a peace project while we still see trade ongoing with Israel. While the eventual passage of the weakened occupied territories Bill was a late but welcome step, the trade Ireland and other EU countries does with illegal settlements is peanuts compared with the value of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. It is a stain on the EU that that agreement remains in place. Will the Minister of State ask the Taoiseach to update us on whether he took the opportunity at the European Council meeting in October, given that Ireland holds the Presidency, to make a clear case for ending the agreement, for ensuring it should no longer stand, and to work with like-minded countries to build a coalition against the association agreement to ensure that effective EU pressure would be brought to bear on Israel's genocidal regime? In his speech the Taoiseach also referenced the climate crisis and the climate catastrophe, but in reality it received only lip service in the read-out of the Council meeting. This is an existential crisis. It necessitates urgent action and co-operation across member states. We welcome the Commission's recent proposal for an EU climate resilience law, but we need to do much more to deal with the climate transition and energy crisis double whammy. Will the Minister of State ask the Taoiseach if he ensured discussion of the proposal from the S and D group in the European Parliament for a temporary energy emergency regulatory tool aimed at fast-tracking the rapid roll-out of renewables? As the Labour Party has said many times in this House, renewable energy is not just about climate protection; it is also about energy security and ensuring better cost-of-living measures. We have seen socialist governments in Spain accelerating the roll-out of renewables, bringing down energy costs for struggling households. Will the Government ensure the renewable energy transition is top of the agenda for the remainder of Ireland's Presidency? Another issue that needs to be prioritised in the Presidency is housing. It was notably absent from the post-meeting read-out. Again, this is a real concern for the Labour Party. It is a pan-European problem. The work of our MEP, Aodh\u00e1n \u00d3 R\u00edord\u00e1in, through the S and D group, has shown what is possible through EU structures. Aodh\u00e1n \u00d3 R\u00edord\u00e1in made it clear in his election in 2024 that housing was his number one priority. We saw, thanks to the S and D group, as the Minister of State will know, the establishment of the Parliament's first housing committee last year and the appointment of Dan J\u00f8rgensen as housing Commissioner. Young people across the EU are stuck in their childhood bedrooms, locked out of any aspirations to home ownership or even to renting their own home. Next week, the Minister of State and the Taoiseach will be welcoming leaders of every member state to a city with more than 12,000 people in emergency accommodation and homelessness. While clearly Ireland has squandered the opportunity of this Presidency to date to push for EU action on housing, will the Minister of State ask the Taoiseach to ensure investment in social and affordable housing will be at the heart of the next multi-annual financial framework and at EU budgetary level? I am aware the Taoiseach focused on that in his speech. Before I finish, I will speak briefly about workers' rights. It is concerning, in a country with some of weakest collective bargaining rights in Europe, to see so little emphasis on workers' rights and the use of the EU buzzword \"competitiveness\" often being used now to suppress the protection of workers' rights. That is a real concern for the Labour Party, the party of European Socialists, of which we are a member, and the S and D group. Will the Minister of State ask the Taoiseach how he is going to stand over the Irish Government's lack of action on workers' rights, particularly when we are likely to see strike action and people on the picket line because of the Government's failure to agree a public sector pay deal next week?"},{"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 welcome the opportunity to contribute following the European Council meeting of 15 and 16 October, particularly as Ireland continues its Presidency of the Council of the European Union. I will focus on three areas today, namely, the future of rural communities and farming, children's online safety and Europe's responsibilities in international development. I will begin with rural Ireland and the future of CAP. As a TD representing Mayo, I know just how important European investment is to our rural communities. I think of programmes such as LEADER. We have so many projects in Mayo run under LEADER. I think of the South West Mayo Development Company, which recently completed a project, Cabots Cookery School, that has completely reinvigorated a rural area. These projects, which are vital in Mayo and rural communities, are investing directly in communities and allowing local people to identify their own priorities. As our negotiations continue on the next European budget, it is essential that rural development remains a priority. I particularly welcome the hard work and progress being made by the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon. He secured agreement on the Council's partial negotiating position for the Common Agricultural Policy on 26 October. He is over his brief, is having regular engagements with the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, INHFA, and other interested parties and I know he understands the realities facing Irish farmers on the ground. We know the upcoming changes to CAP are causing huge concerns. We know there is a proposed reduction in expenditure, but I have every confidence that our Minister will fight tirelessly to support the best possible CAP agreement for farmers. This agreement represents important progress recently, but we know that financial negotiations are far from concluded. I recently met representatives of the IFA in Mayo and I acknowledge the constructive engagement we had and the very real concerns they raised. The figures they presented to me are deeply concerning. According to their analysis, Mayo farmers could face a cumulative loss of \u20ac131.1 million over the next CAP period under one proposed payment scenario. This rises to \u20ac219.4 million under a lower payment scenario. These potential reductions are highly concerning. The IFA is calling for an increased CAP budget, proper recognition of active farmers, simpler regulations and appropriate transition arrangements. These are concerns that deserve to be heard. I strongly support the Minister's efforts to secure a properly funded CAP that protects farm incomes and the future of rural communities. Second, on children's online safety, I am chair of the Joint Committee on Children and Equality in the Oireachtas. We recently launched our online safety report with a focus on well-being. In this regard, I welcome the European Council's conclusions on protecting children online. We are looking forward to the EU KIDS Act being examined fully and the proposals concerning a minimum age for social media access being expanded further. We have 45 recommendations in our report and we look forward to them being considered when the EU KIDS Act is transposed into national law. One of the strongest messages from our work is that responsibility for protecting children cannot simply be placed on parents or schools. Platforms must be designed with children's safety and well-being in mind from the outset. Christmas is coming and people will go to the shops to buy toys. When we go into a shop we can see a stamp on a toy to show that it is safe and we are then happy to give it to our nieces and nephews or our children. Yet, we have our children on platforms that are designed, or look like they are designed, for their age but carry huge risks. Safety by design must be built in from the beginning. With that, considerable importance must be placed on hearing directly from children and young people. At two meetings of our committee, we spoke directly to young people. That is important under Article 12 of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The children talked to us about how much they use the online world for learning, communicating and creating. We have to get the balance right between children's right to privacy and right to safety but also their right to connection, creativity and learning. Ireland has an important opportunity during this EU Presidency to advance meaningful European action on age assurance, platform accountability and harmful design features. We must ensure that children's rights, safety and well-being are central to the development of a European digital policy. Finally, I will address international development and official development assistance. Last week, I travelled to Ethiopia, with two of the Members in the Chamber, on a cross-party visit that focused on maternal and child health and nutrition. It was a very inspiring but deeply sobering visit. Ethiopia is a country with enormous potential, but one facing serious challenges arising from conflict, displacement, food insecurity and climate shocks. Having spent almost two decades working in childhood development, I know the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child's life, from pregnancy to the age of two. Adequate nutrition during this period is fundamental to healthy physical growth and brain development. Supporting children's nutrition is about much more than providing food, however. It requires access to healthcare, clean water, maternal health services and functioning community support systems. What stuck me was the importance of co-ordination between communities, healthcare workers, governments and international partners. While we were there, we saw absolutely amazing work being done in advancing the digital agenda. We visited a neonatal intensive care unit where there were not enough ultrasounds or tracing machines for the babies but it had already transitioned to paperless data and that data was fed back in at the national level. We also heard how data is being used in refugee camps to give real-time data on available stocks, but then, quite starkly, one can visit a primary care centre where a mother may have walked two hours to get some nutrients and which has no clean water or there is a lack of gloves. There was a stark contrast between some of the aims they had and some of the realities on the ground. This brings me back to the European Council's discussion on the next multi-annual financial framework. The European Union, and Ireland more specifically, have a long-standing development partnership with Ethiopia. That partnership supports longer term development, including in areas like agriculture, renewable energy, healthcare and education. These investments matter because humanitarian assistance and long-term development must go hand in hand. We cannot expect a child to thrive without access to basic services and we cannot build sustainable development without peace and stability. As Europe negotiates its next seven-year budget, there will understandably be competing demands. We must invest in our own security, our competitiveness, agriculture and rural communities, but I do not believe that investing in Europe's future and investing in the well-being of vulnerable children elsewhere in the world are mutually exclusive. Development co-operation is also an investment in peace, stability and opportunity. I therefore ask the Government how Ireland intends to ensure that poverty reduction, maternal and child nutrition and humanitarian assistance remain priorities for us in these negotiations. How can we strengthen our co-operation between the EU, Irish Aid, UNICEF and other partner organisations to ensure that funding delivers measurable and lasting improvements? I returned from Ethiopia with an even greater appreciation of the importance of this work, and of UNICEF and our embassy on the ground. Ultimately, Europe's success must be measured not only by its economic strength but also by the difference it makes to people's lives both within Europe and beyond."},{"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 Yesterday there was an announcement by the Minister for justice, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, and the Irish Prison Service that they recognise the importance of the old Cork detention barracks, or the old Cork prison, as it is called. People like Thomas Kent were imprisoned, executed and buried there. Terence MacSwiney started his hunger strike there, and many other republicans, not only Cork republicans but also nationalist republicans, were imprisoned there. The Minister has recognised that there is historical value in that building after Cork City Council voted to preserve it and to have it enshrined that it be protected. The Minister, however, has now come out in favour not of totally demolishing the prison but of the majority of it being demolished, with some parts of it being kept because of their historical value. Those parts, however, will be locked behind the new prison walls of the two new prisons being built, so people in Cork or anywhere else who want to visit this site of republican history will be barred by large prison walls and a Government that does not care about our history and our republican heroes but instead only pays lip service to them. I ask the Minister of State to take that to the Minister. To give the Minister of State an idea, at the European Council, Pedro S\u00e1nchez might tell him about the regret Spain feels following the demolition of Carabanchel Prison in Madrid, or perhaps the Minister of State's Polish counterparts could fill him in on Pawiak Prison in Warsaw, what that means to Polish people now and how much they regret decisions they made. I ask the Minister of State to take that on board and reach out to his European colleagues and ask them about that. Another issue I want to raise is the huge issue with Cork city's active travel scheme and the traffic in Cork at the moment. The Government is trying to encourage people to get out of their cars and get the cars off the road, but what we have is a bus service that does not arrive on time, one that is delayed and that does not work. At the same time, we have no light rail, we have cycle lanes that go nowhere and end abruptly, and there is no alternative for people. People therefore have to get in their cars, and now they are being stuck in them for hours. There is absolute gridlock in Cork in the mornings and evenings. What we need is a dependable bus service. Can we look at putting emergency park-and-ride facilities in GAA clubs and other sporting organisations' car parks to get people off the road? We have targets to meet, emission targets in relation to global warming and energy, and at the same time we are driving more and more cars down the road. I will leave the Minister of State with two things. A man contacted me who had - the Minister of State is kind of shaking his head-----"},{"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 It is just that this was not raised at the European Council."},{"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 Do you know what it means? You are not reaching your targets in relation to emissions, getting cars off the road or global warming. You are driving more and more people into their cars. That creates gridlock, so if you want to know what it means, it is that you are not doing your job here because you are going off to Europe, where you can be the good boy over there, saying, \"Oh, we are doing all this.\""},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Erin McGreehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Erin McGreehan) Thank you, Deputy. I call Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett."},{"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 No. The Minister of State asked me a question and I answered him. I will give this example."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Erin McGreehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Erin McGreehan) Your time is up, Deputy, and you are starting to eat into other people's time."},{"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 It took a man two hours and 45 minutes to travel from the northside-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Erin McGreehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Erin McGreehan) I call Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett."},{"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 -----to get to Ballincollig for a job interview and he missed the interview by 45 minutes."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Erin McGreehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Erin McGreehan) Deputy, you will respect the Acting Chair."},{"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 You might ask what that has to do with Europe. If you were doing your job, it would have something to do with it."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Erin McGreehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Erin McGreehan) Go raibh maith agat. I call Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett."},{"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 When European leaders come here on 12 November, they should consider that the US voters have just rejected Trump's agenda of warmongering against Iran and complicity with Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people and the cost that all of that has had for ordinary people in America, who are hammered with the cost of living. When the American people are rejecting Trump's warmongering and complicity with Israel, the European leaders coming to Dublin on Thursday week are embracing that agenda - to discuss the plan of Europe to double arms expenditure and continue its complicity with the Israeli regime while it commits an ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. That is what the Irish Government is planning to do: trash our triple lock, trash our neutrality and join European leaders who, at the bidding of Donald Trump, want to double the European arms budget from \u20ac400 billion to \u20ac800 billion and continue trade with the Israeli regime while it massacres Palestinian people, continues the campaign of ethnic cleansing and continues the regime of apartheid. Europe is the biggest trading partner for the Israeli regime, and Ireland is the biggest trading partner in Europe with the Israeli regime that continues that genocide. Then the Government prattles on about a two-state solution, which is a dangerous alibi when the Israeli elections make it clear that there is no political party in the Israeli regime interested in peace or justice for the Palestinian people. They all want to just continue with the genocide and the ethnic cleansing. The Irish Government, however, pretends as if the Israeli regime is a normal one. It does billions' worth of trade with it and it allows Europe to sell weapons to it as it massacres Palestinians. Now the Irish Government wants to extend that logic to hundreds of billions more being spent on weapons and arms while there is no money for workers, who are going out on strike, while there is no money in Spain for housing, and while there is no money for education so that French students have to come out on the streets. Working people are paying for the warmongering and the complicity with genocide. We will protest next Thursday week, marching to the convention centre to say no to war and genocide in Europe."},{"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 It is, incredibly, almost five years since Putin invaded Ukraine. The death toll is utterly horrifying, running into the hundreds of thousands of people. However, we cannot close our eyes to the abuses of human rights that are taking place in Ukraine. The Government should not continue to close its eyes. When President Zelenskyy is here in Dublin in a couple of weeks' time, the Minister of State needs to ask him about the policies of internment and forcible conscription into the Ukrainian army that have been rolled out across Ukraine. People are being taken off the streets in unmarked vans to enlistment centres if they cannot produce the right exemption documents in a policy known as busification. Those conscripted have been reported to be injured by the officers enforcing this practice. One man, Andrii Dombrovskyi, who is 26 years old, reported having his leg broken during detainment. This is conscription for the working class, for ordinary people; it is not for the rich because the rich can bribe their way out of conscription. We cannot ignore this. The Minister of State needs to call out the abuses of human rights. The other thing, though, is that the Irish Government needs to not be complicit in these abuses of human rights because right now Ukrainians are suffering under the new temporary protection rules, which require proof of military exemption in order to be able to get temporary protection in the European Union. Ukrainians who do not have it are forced back into a war that they do not support and that they do not want to fight in. The Irish Government is currently complicit by sending back people who have come here seeking refuge, saying they do not want to fight. If they do not have the military exemption documents, they are sent back by the Irish Government to fight. It flies in the face of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, which says that refugees cannot be returned to a country in which they are likely to face a threat to their life. Hungary has opted out of these new rules. The Irish Government should as well. We should also be counting the years Ukrainians have been here under temporary protection towards naturalisation. There is no reason for these people to be denied citizenship while under this protection."},{"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 opportunity to contribute to these post-European Council statements. I welcome the fact that it is a standing item. It gives us, as TDs, the opportunity to contribute to the debate, albeit after the discussion, in the hope that it sticks in the minds of the Minister of State and other Ministers as they participate in other meetings of the European Council. I also note the event that is going to take place on Thursday week with a very significant presence from European leaders, that is, the meeting of the European Political Community. It is an important opportunity to discuss many of the issues facing the Continent at the moment. None of them are simple. They are complex. It is often forgotten in this country that there are many different views on all of these issues. Countries that are in closer proximity to threats that Ireland is not exposed to may understandably have very different approaches. It is the sovereign decision of the Irish people to participate in a Union that features all of that complexity. In joining the European Union, one of the things we joined was the complexity of the Continent. It has been complex for hundreds of years. It is about trying to navigate those differences and the different agendas different countries have. Having said that, I would like the most recent meeting of the European Council to have said more with regard to the situation in Gaza. The ceasefire, if it can be called a ceasefire, has provided some breathing room but there has not been enough progress on any side. The Palestinian election has been deferred. The Israeli election has taken place but we do not yet know what the outcome will be. Europe has a role. This House has said that. In calling for a review of the European trade agreement, the Taoiseach has also said it. Europe can do more with regard to the conflict in the Middle East. I would like to have seen some of that in the European Council's statement. I also want to see more on the implementation of a single market for financial services and financial products. I will go on to talk about the different freedoms we have in the EU in a moment but, alongside the free movement of people, the free movement of goods and capital is a cornerstone of what the European Union actually means. My inability, as a consumer in the European Union, to procure a mortgage, an insurance product or another financial product from any EU member state is a restriction. It is a failure of the European Union as a whole to grasp some of these issues, which I agree are very thorny, to deliver a single market for financial products. I know some steps have been taken with regard to regulatory oversight and so on but this is something that would really give consumers value. I accept that we also want to protect consumers but this would give consumers value. It is an example of how we have to move more. We have been able to do it in many other spaces, such as telecommunications and data roaming across the EU. All of these things have given benefits to consumers. It is important that we get the single market for financial products across the line. I urge the Government to do what it can within the remaining period of the Presidency. I understand that the EU budget is probably the biggest issue facing the Union. From my observations, it appears that Ireland is not taking the easy answer of just passing it on to the next holder of the Presidency. We are doing our very best to find a solution. I know the Government is respected for its ability to bring different countries together. Along with some of my colleagues, I recently had the opportunity to travel to Westminster to meet with some of the political parties in the UK. I also had some engagements in Belfast as part of an event at Stormont. There is definitely a change in the debate on Britain's role with the European Union. That is welcome. As somebody who really regretted Britain leaving the EU, it is welcome to see that it wants a greater and deeper connection with the EU. I also note Ursula von der Leyen's offer for Canada to become an associate member. I know that Britain and Canada are in different positions, with one being on the European Continent and one not, meaning that one is eligible for membership and the other not, but we have to be very careful about what European Union membership means, particularly in the context of British politicians considering this matter. The four freedoms of the EU exist for a very valid reason. The social justice check on the free movement of capital and goods is the free movement of people. If you allow capital and goods to be traded, they will be attracted to different centres around Europe. You have to allow Europe's population to avail of the benefits wherever those benefits arise. I would hate to see any dilution of that social justice check on the free movement of capital. The European Union is not just a financial or economic arrangement. It is an arrangement for the people of Europe and it must be of benefit to them. The Irish Government should protect that free movement within the European Union at all costs. We should not allow others to cherry-pick the benefits of membership, whether they are associate members or have a new relationship with the Union. It is not about being inhospitable or not seeing the benefit of common agreement on things. However, the European Union means something and we should protect that. That leads on to the matter of the candidate countries. I know there will be moves during our Presidency with regard to Montenegro and other countries. There is sometimes a rush to push for EU membership. In some ways, I am glad that it takes so long to become an EU member country. It should. There should be alignment, constraints and minimum standards to be reached in order to become an EU member. That applies to Ukraine as much as to any other country. The aspiration of EU membership should be there but I caution against having any sort of fast-track mechanism. I do not think anyone would argue that Montenegro has been on a fast track."},{"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 Ukraine is."},{"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 If I may make my point without interruption, I would argue that what is valuable about Europe and what is important to it should be criteria for all member countries. As I have said, the aspiration of membership, association with the European Union and sharing our values are all important but, if the European Union is to mean something, we need to protect those freedoms that are so important. We also need to protect the process by which countries become members of the European Union."},{"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 We are at a time of great uncertainty across the globe. The actions of the United States are having a devastating impact on our economy. It continues to pursue its policy of endless wars in the Middle East and ordinary workers across Ireland and the EU are forced to pay the price. Where is the strong leadership from the European Commission to stand up to this bully and say that enough is enough? Other world leaders have shown leadership but the EU, along with Ireland, continues to approach the United States with cap in hand. As I have said, we are in deeply uncertain times. This is a time when we should be increasing supports for domestic producers rather than increasing our outsourcing of food production to third countries that are beyond our control. Food security is fundamental to a strong and secure state. At present, we import 85% of our fruit and vegetables. I was recently at the launch of Talamh Beo's policy proposal for basic income supports for local food producers. This group has shown that we have enormous potential in this area. In the same year in which the Irish taxpayer is spending upwards of \u20ac300 million so that the Government can wine and dine EU officials as part of the EU Presidency, our farmers and primary producers are being told that a 24% reduction in the CAP looks likely."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Post European Council Meeting: Statements"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-11-04"},{"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":"2026-11-04T14:34:18+00:00","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/main","formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/main.xml"},"pdf":null},"date":"2026-11-03","counts":{"contributorCount":159,"divisionCount":1,"debateSectionCount":29,"questionCount":60,"billCount":1},"debateType":"debate","debateSections":[{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/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":"Peter 'Chap' Cleere","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peter 'Chap' Cleere","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere) 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 John Connolly - To discuss the proposed expansion of the TFI bike rental scheme in Galway city. Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss the Ballyheige water contamination issue. Deputy Grace Boland - To discuss an additional grant for essential electrical work that may be required before solar panels or a battery system can be installed. Deputy Louise O'Reilly - To discuss the need for EV charging infrastructure to be located in developments. Deputy Paul Lawless - To discuss the Health Service Executive recruitment restrictions and delays in the appointment of front-line healthcare staff in the HSE West and North West region. Deputy Eoghan Kenny - To discuss the allocation of funding for school building protects. Deputy Albert Dolan - To discuss the publication of the revised wind energy development guidelines. Deputy Fionnt\u00e1n \u00d3 S\u00failleabh\u00e1in - To discuss Bunclody AFC and the fallout of Clearwater going into liquidation. Deputy Colm Burke - To discuss the opening a stem cell transplant unit at Cork University Hospital. Deputy Michael Murphy - To discuss the need to strengthen Uisce \u00c9ireann's accountability to D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness - To discuss water services infrastructure investment and supply disruption i gContae Phort L\u00e1irge. Deputy Pa Daly - To discuss physiotherapy services in Kerry. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere - To discuss the issue businesses are facing regarding the use of sick certificates from online doctors. Deputy Shane Moynihan - To discuss the introduction of planning exemptions for sports clubs' changing facilities. The matters raised by Deputies Louise O'Reilly, Eoghan Kenny, Colm Burke, Peter 'Chap' Cleere, Shane Moynihan 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\/2026-11-03\/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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_4","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Electric Vehicles","counts":{"speechCount":10,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/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":"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":"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":"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 I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this Topical Issue. The question is fairly straightforward. On the one hand, the Government tells us it wants us in electric vehicles and to move away from fossil fuels. All of that is really good. I do not for a moment come in here to do anything other than try to work with the Government constructively to ensure the people I represent and beyond have the opportunity to charge their cars. When you buy a house or apartment in a multi-unit development, often you do not have a front garden. If people have their own front garden, they can put in EV charging, park the car in the front garden and they do not have to think about it. However, there is an issue if there are communal parking spaces. I will highlight two cases to illustrate the point. The broader point stands but I will talk specifically about two cases. They are both in multi-unit developments. In case number one, planning permission was given to a developer. I will not name the developer because it is partly the developer's fault and partly the local authority's. The planning permission was given on the basis that every parking space would have ducting to facilitate EV charging. Fast forward to people moving into their homes and they find out they cannot put EV charging in at their designated parking space because the ducting is not in place. They have been back and forth. I have to pay tribute to my constituent for his patience and diligence. I will not mention his name but the story has been covered very well by Eoghan Dalton in The Journal who has done good work in this space. The ducting is not in place. Other cables are now under the ground that make it very complicated to put that ducting in place. My constituent still wants what he was told he would have when he bought the house and what he was also told is Government policy, which is the opportunity to drive an electric vehicle. Case number two is an estate where some residents have their own front gardens and others do not. This person does not have a front garden. The estate has not been taken in charge so he cannot put an EV charger in because it is unclear at this stage who the person in charge is. He has been told local authorities currently have no mechanism for agreement to allow personal charger cables across public footpaths. The estate consists of communal parking bays owned and managed by the council rather than individual homeowners but residents understand that running a charging cable across the public footpath is unsafe and not permitted. Their question is simple. The council has helpfully illustrated what they cannot do - they cannot drag it across the footpath or put it over. They want me to ask the Minister of State what they are to do. What does the Minister of State on behalf of the Minister advise that they should do?"},{"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) Will the Deputy provide a bit more detail on case number two?"},{"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 In case two, the estate has not been fully taken in charge as yet. The footpaths have been taken in charge as they are public footpaths but the people still own the bay. It is that strip of land. They want to drive electric vehicles but they cannot if they cannot charge them overnight. The Minister of State knows that. It is an impossibility if they do not have the facility to charge them at their home. Their question is simple. What does the Government say? This is in direct conflict with what I believe is Government policy. What is it they are to do?"},{"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 Deputy O'Reilly for raising this important matter and providing me with an opportunity to update the House. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. I will outline what the general provisions are and will refer to the specific points the Deputy raised. EV charging requirements are primarily set by the building regulations and apply to new developments. Planning permissions may also specify parking layouts and charging provision. Where non-compliance with the terms of a grant of planning permission is reported, it is for the relevant planning authority to consider the need for enforcement action. The current building regulations requirements for the provision of electric vehicle recharging infrastructure for buildings other than dwellings are contained in SI 393\/2021, the European Union (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2021. Requirement for EV recharging infrastructure in dwellings is provided for under the Building Regulations (Part L Amendment) Regulations 2022, SI 535\/2022. These regulations apply to dwellings where the relevant works or major renovation commence or take place on or after 1 November 2022. The regulations require that a multi-unit building containing one, or more than one, dwelling that is new or undergoing major renovation should install, as the Deputy has already referenced, ducting infrastructure consisting of conduits for electrical cables for each car parking space, to enable the subsequent installation of recharging points for electric vehicles where the parking space is located inside the building or within the curtilage of the building. I am not certain of the specific circumstances the Deputy referenced in terms of 1 November 2022. The regulations also require that a new building that is a dwelling, other than where the dwelling forms part of a multi-unit building, where a parking space is located within the curtilage of a dwelling, should have installed appropriate electric vehicle recharging infrastructure to enable the subsequent installation of recharging points for electric vehicles. Technical guidance documents provide practical guidance on compliance with these requirements. These regulations generally apply to off-street parking associated with developments and do not apply to areas of public on-street parking that may ultimately be taken in charge by a local authority. Once again, I think the Deputy has made reference to an element of that. Alongside the building regulations framework, planning policy may also address the provision of EV charging infrastructure. Some local authority development plans contain objectives relating to EV charging points and associated infrastructure. In addition, the sustainable residential development and compact settlements guidelines of 2024 include a policy requirement relating to parking provision in residential developments, stating that the maximum parking standards do not include bays assigned for designated short-stay EV charging stations. It should also be noted that subject to compliance with certain conditions, EV charging points are exempt from the need for planning permission under classes 29A and 29B of Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended. Class 29A provides for the construction of a charging point for electric vehicles. It is open to a property owner to make use of planning exemptions subject to the requirement to adhere to any conditions imposed within the regulations. It is therefore important to recognise that responsibility for EV charging infrastructure can arise through both the building regulations and the planning process. While the building regulations establish minimum technical requirements, planning authorities may also determine the appropriate quantum and distribution of EV charging infrastructure within a development, having regard to local circumstances and planning policy. Deputy O'Reilly has obviously done a lot of work regarding case one and case two. I do not know if it is the same local authority. If she wishes to elaborate a bit more and write to the Minister's Department, it may be something we can contact the local authority on without interfering with process to see what the circumstances are. I hope that sheds some light. I will await the Deputy's contribution."},{"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 I thank the Minister of State once again for being here. Regarding case number one, my constituent tells me the requirement for 100% EV ducting in communal multi-unit developments was explicitly reinforced during D\u00e1il debates - which it was because I have checked it - where Ministerial clarifications confirm that national frameworks require comprehensive preinstalled ducting in multi-unit parking structures to prevent subsequent retrofitting excavation. I get that because once it is built you want it to stay built; you do not want to be going back in with diggers. Condition 10 of the parent planning permission, and I will send this on to the Minister of State, strictly mandates that 100% of car parking spaces across the phase must be equipped with subterranean ducting to meet Fingal development plan standards. That was not done and-----"},{"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 Was that in the project planning?"},{"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 Yes, exactly. It was an explicit condition of planning and it was not done. Therefore, my constituent finds himself in a situation where he is on a merry-go-round. He is back and forth with the council. The council has given him a certain amount of information, but nobody is addressing this. The years are ticking by and he still does not have access to EV charging at his home. The same is true of my other constituent, who has been in touch with the council. He understands very clearly what the rules are but he also asks the question, in the application of the rules in the spirit of what the Government says, which is that 100% of spaces should be EV-charging compliant, what does he do where they are not? In case two, he has not yet bought an electric vehicle but that is another diesel or petrol car on the road. I know the Government wants to take those off the road and I want to work with it to take them off the road. At the moment, however, the man does not have a choice because he cannot charge it at home. It is not feasible to be going around charging it in other places. It is not safe to be parking your car in other places at night, nor would you want to do it. The question is a simple one. I will send the details of both these cases to the Minister of State, as he has asked, because they illustrate a broader problem. Hopefully, we will be able to come to some class of a resolution. All they want is to be able to charge their cars at home."},{"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 again thank Deputy O'Reilly for raising this important matter. I am taking the Topical Issue matter on behalf of James Browne, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. As I have outlined, the requirements for electric vehicle charging are primarily established through the building regulations and must be complied with in the delivery of new developments, in addition to grants of permission, which the Deputy has referred to, that may contain specific requirements regarding parking layouts or the provision and distribution of charging facilities in such cases. It is a matter for the local authority to consider the need for enforcement in the event that the authority is notified of non-compliance with the terms of the permission. I refer to independent statutory bodies, directly elected councils and their own management. In addition, section 30 of the planning Act precludes the Minister with responsibility for planning from exercising any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority may be concerned. Accordingly, when matters of planning enforcement arise, these functions must remain a matter for the relevant planning authority. The Deputy can come to us and we can give her the actual position, but the Minister cannot in any way interfere in the process in terms of the local authority."},{"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 I am not asking for that."},{"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 The Government remains committed to supporting the transition to electric vehicles through the continued implementation of green energy, the building directives, the building regulations framework and wider climate and transport policy measures. These measures will help ensure that EV charging infrastructure is provided in new developments to meet growing demand in the years ahead."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Electric Vehicles"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_5","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Planning Issues","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/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":"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":"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":"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 thank the Minister of State for being here. This topic is a matter I want to raise around the introduction of planning exemptions for a sports club for certain changing facilities and, in general, to incentivise our planning system to allow for the positive development of sporting facilities by clubs. Sports clubs play an important role in all our communities, no more so than in my community in Dublin Mid-West, providing opportunities for people of all ages to participate in sport and become involved locally. At the same time, in areas like Dublin Mid-West, population growth in areas such as Lucan, Adamstown, Clonburris, Clondalkin, Newcastle, Rathcoole and others is putting increasing pressure on existing pitches, changing rooms and other sporting facilities. Many clubs that have access to their own property are working to accommodate growing membership with limited resources and, as we the Minister of State know, relying heavily on volunteers to fundraise, manage projects and improve their facilities. However, not least of all for female members, members who have additional needs or who have disabilities, for clubs to provide additional changing facilities, toilets or other basic welfare facilities for those people, the planning process can add significant time, expense and uncertainty, even for relatively modest developments, for example, under 40 sq. m or 45 sq. m. That availability of appropriate changing rooms and accessible facilities is particularly important in supporting participation among women and girls, younger players and players with disabilities. While I welcome the Government's efforts to simplify the planning system, there is low-hanging fruit here by taking a proportionate approach to smaller developments at established sports clubs that have their own established lands as well. In this House and in other places, I have consistently made the case that sports infrastructure needs to keep pace with housing development and I have advocated for proper changing rooms and storage facilities in our public parks since my time in South Dublin County Council. I pay tribute to South Dublin County Council for its investment in a pavilion programme across all its public parks. This is delivering those much-needed storage facilities and changing rooms in parks such as those at Griffeen Valley, Corkagh and Willsbrook. This modular approach is resulting in more efficient and faster delivery. That same sort of practical thinking is needed for clubs that are developing facilities on their own grounds. I have worked with many clubs across Dublin Mid-West to secure sports capital funding but securing a grant is only one part of the process. Things can slow down when converting plans into reality on the ground, costing a lot of time and resources. When drawing on volunteers to do this work, time can be an expensive commodity. With that in mind, will the Minister consider introducing a clearly defined planning exemption for modest changing rooms, toilets, storage and associated facilities at existing sports clubs, possibly where they would cover less than 40 sq. m or 45 sq. m, and obviously subject to appropriate safeguards? Will the Department look at engaging with local authorities and sporting organisations to incentivise positive engagement on the development of things like ball walls, astro pitches or all-weather pitches on existing sports grounds? This would provide for positive development and encourage clubs that are trying to grapple with ever-growing memberships, that are competing with screens and are trying to make sport attractive to everybody from all sections of society regardless of where they are from. This is a practical way to bring to life something that is very important to everybody in this House; the idea that everybody should have access to sport regardless of gender, ability or age. Putting in place a planning exemption for changing facilities and toilets is a basic thing and a very easy step Government could take to incentivise and achieve that vision of sport for all."},{"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 Deputy Moynihan for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. At the outset, I will explain that the role of the Minister in relation to the planning system is primarily to provide the policy and legislative framework under which the planning authorities and An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la perform their statutory planning functions. The general position is that all developments require consent following appropriate examination by the relevant planning authority. This process allows for public participation, which is a long-established and key element of the planning process under which any person who may be affected by a proposed development may make a submission or observation in relation to a planning application. The planning authorities and An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la must have regard to any valid submissions or observations made when making a decision to grant or refuse a planning application. A person who has made a submission or observation on a planning application that a planning authority has decided to grant or refuse may subsequently appeal that decision to An Coimisi\u00fan Plean\u00e1la or make a further submission in relation to an appeal of that decision. In some circumstances, where there is a level of uniformity and similarity in the nature of developments and where such developments would get planning permission if the regular processes were followed, it makes sense to relieve the planning system of the burden of carrying out such repeated assessments and to provide an exemption for the need to apply for consent. Criteria for such exemptions have been developed over time and are provided for in the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and the supplementary Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended. So long as a development conforms with the specified set of criteria, it should be possible for it to be permitted without any controversy. In all other cases, it is important that the usual planning processes continue to be applied. The criteria that apply to planning exemptions have been under review in recent years as part of the transition to the new Planning and Development Act 2024. A public consultation on the matter was held in 2025, which received over 900 submissions. I advise Deputy Moynihan that the matter of changing facilities for sports clubs was not raised as a theme under the public consultation and there are no plans to introduce any such exemption at this time. The current focus is on exemptions for the delivery of critical infrastructure and other matters raised during this consultation, such as exemptions for domestic dwellings. I also note that where local authorities own land, they may provide sports facilities under the general exemption in section 4 of the 2000 Act, subject to the Part 8 process. As the Deputy will know, this is a reserved function of the elected members and a matter for the relevant local authority. I remind Deputy Moynihan that under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage shall not exercise any power or control in relation to any particular case."},{"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 thank the Minister of State for setting out and clarifying the criteria for exemptions under the planning guidelines and the planning and development Acts. I respectfully suggest that if something is not raised in the public consultation but is raised in D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann, that probably is a good enough reason to consider giving it some sort of detailed analysis. I respectfully submit that this is perhaps something the Minister of State could look at, or ask officials to look at, in terms of its timeliness, not least the fact that we spend an unprecedented amount of money pumping investment, and rightly so, into our sports clubs around the country. For a modest investment that incentivises female participation in sport, surely to God we should consider whether a planning exemption is appropriate for something that is smaller than 40 sq. m, notwithstanding the fact that it was not raised in a public consultation. I hope the fact that it was raised on the floor of this House is enough currency to ensure it is given adequate attention. For example, we are now rightly and at last removing the planning requirements around things like bus shelters. I respectfully suggest that something like changing facilities for women and girls is as important, if not more important, as bus shelters in terms of those exemptions. I ask that it be considered as part of this. This is a fundamental point related to a deeper theme that many clubs mention to me during discussions, namely, the difficulty in getting volunteers. It sometimes feels we are making it very difficult for volunteers to engage in their clubs. We should take a volunteer-led approach to some of these issues around the support that sports clubs need. We did it with the sports capital programme. It is easier to apply for those grants. We should look at things like planning permissions, and what clubs need to do to satisfy planning conditions and make it easier for the volunteers who give their time freely to develop all the people in our community regardless of their background or gender. That should be recognised, and sometimes it feels like we should do a bit more to make it easier for people to volunteer and value the fact that they are giving so freely of their time. I ask the Minister of State to go back and ask officials to look at this, notwithstanding that it was not raised in public consultation, but it has been raised in the floor of the House."},{"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 again thank the Deputy for raising this topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne. The Department of housing is in the process of commencing the Planning and Development Act 2024 on a phased basis to facilitate the transition to a new legislative framework across the planning system, taking into account the need to liaise with local authorities, planning bodies and other stakeholders. The Planning and Development Act 2000 shall continue to operate until such a time as Part 4, development consents, of the 2024 Act is brought into operation. The planning exemptions in the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, shall remain in effect until they are revoked through the regulations under section 9 of the Planning and Development 2024, as amended. As mentioned, the priority is to transfer existing exemptions and any appropriate modifications which were highlighted through the public consultation in 2025. As I said, there are currently no plans to introduce any new exemptions in relation to sports clubs' changing facilities and the usual planning laws will continue to be applied to such projects. I will bring the points the Deputy raised to the attention of the Department and the Minister for housing, as I have no doubt he will also do in his own way. Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage shall not exercise any power or control in relation to any particular case which a planning authority or local authority is or may be concerned with. This means that the Minister is specifically prevented from interfering in such cases. This is of the upmost importance in maintaining the independence of the planning authority or the commission. I trust this sets out the current position."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Planning Issues"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_6","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Cancer Services","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/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":"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":"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":"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 Minister of State is aware, there is no CAR T-cell treatment facility in Cork University Hospital, CUH. A facility was in place in 2008 but was closed down as a result of a number of inspections. In the nearly 20 years since 2008, people from the Cork and Kerry region have had to go to Galway or Dublin for this treatment. It is important to explain CAR T-cell therapy. Blood is drawn for a stem cell transplant and blood stem cells are harvested for CAR T-cell therapy. White blood cells, T-cells, are specifically collected. They are then treated and infused back into the patient they were taken from. Between January and September 2026, over 80 patients were referred from CUH to Galway or Dublin. If we take in Clare, Limerick, Cork, Kerry, Waterford and north Tipperary, there are 1.4 million people living in the region, which has no CAR T-cell treatment facility. With a growing population, this issue will come up more and more. Over 400 people a year are diagnosed with melanoma and over 3,000 people with it are getting ongoing treatment. Treatment is available in Galway and in St. James's and St. Vincent's hospitals in Dublin. In the period 2006 to 2008, the Irish Medicines Board, IMB, carried out inspections in CUH and in 2008, the unit was closed. A business case was put together a number f years later, in 2019, and presented to the South\/South West Hospital Group in 2022. The national cancer control programme, NCCP, is extremely supportive. In a letter dated 31 October 2025, Patricia Heckmann, assistant national director of the NCCP, said that given the capacity issue nationally and the current requirement for patients from the south-west region to travel to Galway or Dublin to access such services, the NCCP continues to recommend the re-establishment of a HSCT service at CUH and the repatriation of south-west region patients from the other sites. The NCCP, she added, has provided financial support and staffing regarding this re-establishment; however, an upgrade in CUH laboratory infrastructure in the form of new tissue establishment is central to the reinstatement of the HSCT service on the site. A new tissue establishment will facilitate on-site stem cell procurement and transplantation for CUH patients without unnecessary travel or delays and associated potential risk of disease, she continued. The national cancer control programme wants this facility reinstated and for the services to be provided in Cork. CUH is catering for a whole range of areas but it is also dealing with cancer patients on a large scale. This particular treatment is not available in CUH. It is not a day procedure but a treatment over a period of time, so there is a huge cost involved for families travelling and staying in either Galway or Dublin. I ask that the Department consider providing the funding to HSE South West and CUH so that this service can be brought back into use and patients no longer need to travel, and also a growing number of people are being identified with this problem."},{"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 the Deputy for raising the issue of the proposal to open a stem cell transplant unit at Cork University Hospital, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. The Government is committed to improving cancer care, ensuring better prevention, maintaining improvements in cancer survival rates and facilitating timely access to treatments. The availability of appropriate, fit-for-purpose facilities and equipment is critical to the safe and timely delivery of cancer care. In this context, the Government has allocated significant funding of \u20ac105 million since 2017, including \u20ac23 million in 2025, to the national cancer strategy to support cancer services and improve outcomes for patients. The Deputy will appreciate that haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and other related cellular therapies are highly specialised treatments used in the management of a range of malignant and non-malignant diseases. Cellular therapies currently available in Ireland include autologous stem cell transplantation, allogeneic stem cell transplantation and chimeric antigen receptor, CAR T-cell therapy. These therapies require specialist multidisciplinary teams, dedicated laboratory facilities, tissue establishment infrastructure, specialised inpatient facilities and robust regulatory and accreditation arrangements. Adult autologous stem cell transplantation services are currently provided in St. James's Hospital, University Hospital Galway and St. Vincent's University Hospital. Adult allogeneic stem cell transplantation is currently provided through St. James\u2019s Hospital, which has also provided CAR T-cell therapy to adult patients since December 2021. Stem cell transplantation activity continues to increase nationally, driven primarily by growth in cellular therapies and the expansion of CAR T treatment indications. As the Deputy may be aware, in 2026 Beaumont Hospital was designated an additional autologous stem cell transplantation and CAR T centre, working towards commencement of services in 2027. This illustrates the Government's ongoing efforts to increase capacity to meet nationally increasing demand for these important services. It is against this background that HSE South West is considering proposals for a stem cell tissue establishment and advanced cellular therapies unit at Cork University Hospital that may increase national capacity even further, while supporting the delivery of stem cell transplantation and other advanced cellular therapies closer to home for patients across the south west. The national development plan sets out the investment to enable the furtherance of the Government's commitments to include the provision of infrastructure necessary in ensuring better healthcare for all. The Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has published the Department of Health's sectoral plan for 2026 to 2030 under the national development plan, NDP. The sectoral plan sets out infrastructure investment priorities for the next five years, building on a strong track record of delivery to support the delivery of equitable, accessible and high-quality healthcare across Ireland. While the project is not included in the current approved HSE capital plan, it remains under consideration through the established capital planning and approval processes. Accordingly, the future progression of the project is subject to the normal appraisal, approval, budgetary and capital funding processes necessary with projects of this nature."},{"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 The site has been clearly established as being located in CUH, where a detailed plan has been completed as regards where the infrastructure can be put in place. The problem is the funding. We are going to have a huge problem that is already in CUH where certain work has had to be outsourced because the hospital does not have the availability to provide the treatment patients require. As I said, over 80 patients were sent to either Dublin or Galway from January to September, and that figure is going to continue to grow. It is important to note I am not just talking about Cork here; I am talking about the entire southern region, including the Minister of State's county of Limerick and counties Clare, Kerry, Cork and Waterford. It is important we develop the service here because it is clear from the national cancer control programme that there is a concern there are not adequate facilities available to deal with the growing number of patients. Therefore, I do not think this can be put down the road. It is on the programme for the south and south west region but it is ninth on the list for construction work. This project should be brought forward and the additional funding provided so that the work can start. Even if the work started today, it would, as the Minister of State knows, take at least 12 months to complete and have ready for use. Even if we start today, we have a problem that is two years down the road. I do not want to have a situation where I am back here in two years' time raising the same issue and saying the same thing, and there being another two years added on. I ask that this matter be given priority by the Department. The pressure is on the two hospitals in Dublin and Galway. They have the numbers from their own region and are now also taking numbers from the south and south west."},{"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 am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I thank Deputy Burke for his contribution today and his ongoing advocacy on this matter. He has been strongly dedicated to the improvement of cancer services and has been a particularly strong advocate for the patients of the south west, especially in Cork. The Government recognises the importance of ensuring patients nationally can access high-quality specialised cancer care as close to home as possible. I acknowledge that travelling to Dublin or Galway can be difficult for patients and their families. The proposals being considered by HSE South West for stem cell tissue establishment in the advance cellular therapies unit in Cork University Hospital is representative of the growing national demand for these treatments, and the Government's commitment in the national cancer strategy to align services both at both regional and national levels, where appropriate. While projects not including the HSE capital plan 2026 remain a consideration, all major investment must be progressed through the established planning and approval process. The Department of Health will continue to engage with the HSE at this proposal develops. I thank Deputy Burke again for his advocacy on this issue and for cancer services more broadly. I will bring the matter he has raised to the attention of the Minister and the Department."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Cancer Services"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_7","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Medical Inquiries","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/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":"Peter 'Chap' Cleere","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","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":"Peter 'Chap' Cleere","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere I raise an issue that is causing increasing concern among employers throughout the country, particularly small and medium-sized businesses. It is an issue that deserves serious attention from the Government. I refer to the growing use of online medical consultations to obtain sick certificates and, in particular, to questions being raised about the adequacy of clinical assessments before certificates recommending periods of absence from work are issued. Let me be clear that this is not about questioning the rights of employees who are genuinely unwell. Those rights must be protected. Nor am I suggesting that online medical consultations do not have a legitimate and important role in modern healthcare. However, we must also recognise that the system needs to work fairly for everyone, including employers who ultimately carry significant financial and operational responsibilities when employees are absent. I have been contacted by employers who are increasingly concerned about what they are experiencing. One employer recently reported that two employees working on the same project received medical certificates from the same online medical practice on the same day recommending exactly the same period of absence \u2013 two weeks. I stress that I am not making allegations against the employees or medical practitioners involved. However, these examples raise legitimate questions about the process, the level of clinical assessment taking place and the safeguards in place. For an employer, these situations have real consequences. Businesses have projects to deliver, customers to satisfy and contractual obligations to meet. Other employees must often carry the additional workload when colleagues are absent. For a larger organisation, these challenges may be manageable, but for a small business employing 20, 30, 50 or 100 employees, a sudden absence of even a small number of employees can have a significant impact. There is also a direct financial consequence, with employers required to meet their statutory sick pay obligations where the qualifying conditions are satisfied, in addition to the cost of replacement labour and lost productivity. Are we confident the system has sufficient safeguards to ensure medical certificates, particularly those recommending extended periods away from work, are supported by an appropriate clinical assessment? The Medical Council has been very clear that doctors providing remote consultations must maintain the same professional standards as those providing face-to-face consultations. I fully support that principle. However, we also need to examine the wider picture, including the commercial platforms through which these consultations are provided and which are responsible for ensuring that appropriate standards are maintained. I ask that the Minister address four specific matters. First, will the Government engage with the Medical Council to examine whether clinical assessment standards are being applied appropriately when online consultations result in extended periods of certified absence? Second, will the Government examine what oversight exists in respect of commercial online medical certificate services and whether additional safeguards are necessary? Third, will it consider a review of the medical certification arrangements to ensure they strike the right balance between protecting employees and providing reasonable assurance to employers? Finally, will the Government commit to engaging with employer representative organisations, particularly those representing SMEs, so that the practical impact on businesses is properly understood? We should not have to choose between protecting workers and businesses. Both are absolutely essential. Employees who are genuinely ill deserve support and protection but, equally, employers which provide jobs, invest in their businesses and contribute to our economy deserve to have confidence that the systems they are required to operate are fair, robust and not open to misuse. I ask that the Minister recognise that this is a growing concern and commit to examining it properly before it becomes an even greater problem for Irish businesses."},{"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 Deputy for raising this important matter. I will try to address his four questions in my opening contribution, while fully recognising what has been raised on behalf of businesses. Regarding businesses, particularly small businesses, I meet many family businesses and independent operators who are under significant pressures, including rising labour and operational costs. Where an employee is absent for an extended period, it creates real challenges for them in terms of staffing, service delivery and day-to-day running of the business. It is understandable, therefore, that employers want confidence that medical certificates are being issued following an appropriate clinical assessment and that there are clear standards underpinning the process. Of course, we must also ensure that employees who are genuinely unwell are protected. I know the Deputy is not challenging the merits or legitimacy around that. The challenge is to strike a fair balance between the rights of employees and the legitimate concerns of employers. The Sick Leave Act 2022 introduced Ireland\u2019s first statutory entitlement to employer-paid sick leave. The scheme commenced on 1 January 2023 with an initial entitlement of three days increasing to five days on 1 January 2024. The purpose of the legislation is to provide employees with a minimum level of financial protection when they are unable to work due to illness or injury, particularly those in lower-paid or precarious employment. The legislation does not interfere with more favourable sick pay arrangements already provided by employers. Under the Act, an employee must provide a medical certificate from a registered medical practitioner stating that he or she is unfit to work due to illness or injury. I appreciate, however, that simply requiring a certificate does not necessarily address every concern an employer may have about the assessment underpinning it, particularly where certification is provided online. It is important to clarify that services providing medical certificates online operate on a private basis. They are not provided by the HSE nor are they provided by general practitioners under their HSE contracts where they fall outside the scope of those contracts. Doctors are clinically independent practitioners and must make decisions based on their professional expertise and experience. They are responsible for the clinical decisions and certifications they issue. Importantly, the use of telemedicine or online appointments does not remove or diminish a doctor\u2019s professional obligations. As referenced by the Deputy, the Medical Council of Ireland permits doctors to provide telemedicine services but its guidance makes clear that the same standards of professional conduct and practice apply as would be expected in an in-person consultation. The Medical Council\u2019s guide to professional conduct and ethics also states that a medical practitioner should only sign a certificate, report or document following a review of the patient\u2019s condition. The decisions recognise the needs of the employee but also ensure that employees have income protection where the practical and financial pressures are being faced by those who are being assessed to be unfit to work. The legislation is kept under constant review. I acknowledge that employers are entitled to raise legitimate concerns, as the Deputy has raised on the floor of the D\u00e1il, about the certificate process. Maintaining confidence in medical certification is an important process for both employees, employers and the wider public."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peter 'Chap' Cleere","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere I thank the Minister of State for his response but I want to emphasise that simply pointing to existing regulation and professional guidelines does not necessarily address what employers are experiencing on the ground. The question is whether those arrangements are working effectively in practice. I am hearing from employers all over the country, including in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, who are feeling increasingly frustrated because they have very little visibility or reassurance around the process through which these certificates are being issued, particularly when an online consultation results in an absence of one or two weeks. I return to the examples I mentioned earlier. These are not hypothetical situations. These are genuine experiences being reported by employers who are trying to manage their businesses, meet deadlines and retain staff. I am particularly concerned about smaller businesses, which simply do not have the resources or flexibility to absorb repeated and extended absences but there is also a wider policy consideration here. We have introduced statutory sick pay obligations for employers and there have been discussions about extending those entitlements but if we are asking businesses to carry greater responsibilities, surely we must also ensure that the certification system underpinning those responsibilities is robust and properly overseen. This is not about restricting legitimate healthcare or challenging the professional judgment of doctors. It is about ensuring that appropriate assessments take place and that there is accountability across the system. Will the Minister of State commit to bringing the Department of Health, the Medical Council and the relevant employer representative organisations together to examine online medical certification practices, the adequacy of clinical assessments and whether additional safeguards are required? This is a reasonable request, which would be welcomed by employers across the country. We need to get ahead of this issue rather than wait until confidence in the system is further undermined."},{"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 I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I reiterate that I understand why the issue is a concern for employers. An extended absence can place considerable pressures on a business, particularly when replacing staff or covering additional shifts can be difficult. It can also be costly for the business. It is entirely reasonable that employers want confidence that the medical certificate process is supported by appropriate clinical assessment. As I said earlier, the Medical Council guidance is clear that doctors who are providing telemedicine services must meet the same professional standards as they would in an in-person consultation. It also states that a doctor should only issue a certificate following a review of the patient's conditions. We are public representatives. We are not clinicians or doctors. They are professionally responsible for the clinical decisions they make and while the Medical Council regulates medical practitioners and promotes appropriate professional standards, it is important to ask the question as to what assessments they are undertaking. I will speak to the Minister for Health about this. On the Deputy\u2019s point, the objective is very much to protect employees who are genuinely unwell under the legislation. We all have a responsibility to do that while also recognising there are real pressures on employers in maintaining confidence in the certification process. The concerns raised by the Deputy should be taken seriously. I will review that with the Minister for Health."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Medical Inquiries"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_8","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Schools Building Projects","counts":{"speechCount":4,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_3","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_3","showAs":"Saincheisteanna Tr\u00e1th\u00fala - Topical Issue Debate"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_8","speakers":[{"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":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"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 raise the delays affecting school building projects across Cork and throughout the country. I welcome the Minister\u2019s presence in the Chamber. Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire. She will also appreciate the question I have put down is a broad topic, so I do not expect a reply to every single individual question I have. Perhaps we could liaise on all of them. As a former secondary school teacher, I understand, as does the Minister, the importance of proper school facilities. I also understand this from personal experience. Following the devastating fire at the Patrician Academy in Mallow in 2016, I spent years being educated in temporary accommodation. As a student, I wrote to the Minister\u2019s former colleague, Joe McHugh, who was Minister for Education, asking when permanent classrooms would be delivered. They were delivered last year. Years later, I find myself asking the same questions on behalf of other school communities. I want to raise three particular cases today. The first is Col\u00e1iste an Chro\u00ed Naofa in Carraig na bhFear. I recently visited the school and met acting principal Andrew Barry. I saw first hand the challenges facing students and staff, particularly children with additional educational needs. The building project remains at stage 2B. Approximately \u20ac900,000 has already been spent yet the planning permission is due to expire in 2027. We cannot allow a project with such significant investment to face further delays that could jeopardise its planning permission. The Minister will be aware I have requested an urgent meeting between herself, the school management, myself and the Department. I am asking that the Minister consider that. I recognise the opening of the North Cork Community Special School in Carraig na bhFear. It is really welcome. Ballincollig is a rapidly growing community. Le Ch\u00e9ile Secondary School opened there in 2021 while Gaelscoil an Chaisleain opened in 2017. Both continue operating in temporary accommodation while awaiting permanent buildings at Lisheens. The secondary school is planned to accommodate approximately 1,000 students, including six special education classrooms. Ballincollig's population increased by more than 13% between 2016 and 2022 and substantial further housing development is planned and rezoning has been done. I acknowledge my Labour Party colleague, Councillor Ciara O'Connor, who represents Ballincollig on Cork City Council and has been working tirelessly to advance these schools building projects. Councillor O'Connor has been pursuing the outstanding land transfer with Cork City Council and advocating for the school communities to receive the permanent accommodation they deserve. Yet when I received replies to parliamentary questions about this in July, the legal transfer remained outstanding. Has that transfer finally been completed and will construction begin? The third is the Convent Primary School in my hometown, Mallow, which has been seeking progress on its building project for many years. The project is to provide five dedicated classrooms for children with additional needs, alongside mainstream education. What is preventing this project progressing and when can the school expect to receive a clear timetable? This is a much wider issue, namely the State's dependence on prefabricated accommodation. In 2024 alone, \u20ac28.8 million was spent on renting prefabs in 440 schools nationwide, including \u20ac3.7 million in my county of Cork. At the Committee of Public Accounts, the Department confirmed that overall school accommodation rental expenditure reached \u20ac37 million in 2025. That is \u20ac37 million in one year for renting school accommodation instead of owning it. I accept temporary accommodation in emergency circumstances is necessary but our priority should be properly designed, permanent, brick and mortar schools. I would, therefore, welcome an improvement to the system in terms of choosing it as a permanent solution. I would welcome engagement from the Minister on the schools I referenced."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister for Education and Youth (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton) Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Teachta as ucht an \u00e1bhair seo a ard\u00fa mar tugann s\u00e9 deis dom staid reatha na hinfheist\u00edochta in east\u00e1t na scoile a leagadh amach don D\u00e1il. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department published the \u20ac7.55 billion national development plan, NDP, sectoral investment plan for the education and youth sectors for the period 2026 to 2030 earlier this year. The capital allocation available to the Department of Education and Youth in 2026 is \u20ac1.6 billion and in 2027, it is \u20ac1.6 billion. That represents a significant level of investment in the school estate. The NDP sectoral plan involves a strong emphasis on maximising existing capacity and prioritisation of school building projects to meet the most urgent needs. The plan included a list of 105 school building projects to proceed to construction or tender in 2026 and 2027. Some 56 of these projects have now been completed, commenced construction or received approval to commence construction. Further modular and smaller scale additional accommodation projects also continued to be progressed to meet annual September needs. It is important to note that the list of 105 projects to move to tender and construction in 2026 and 2027 represents a subset of all projects currently being progressed. Overall, approximately 1,000 school building projects of varying scales will be on site during the course of 2026 with a similar level expected in 2027. This represents a significant level of investment in the upgrade and expansion of the school estate. It includes large scale projects, additional accommodation and modular projects, repurposing for special classes, climate action summer works and the climate pathfinder programme. The next tranche of projects for progression to tender is expected to be announced in 2027. Prioritisation is ongoing and has included consultation with patrons and management bodies. As part of the NDP plan, clarity has also been provided to schools on an annual December-January payment period for minor works and ICT grants to schools. The minor works for the 2026-2027 school year issued in December 2025 and the ICT grants for the school year 2025-2026 issued in January. Since 2020, in the region of \u20ac330 million in minor works grants was issued to schools. Investment under the NDP plan also involves the delivery of the first tranche of 297 projects under the climate action summer works scheme. Is f\u00e9idir liom a dhearbh\u00fa don Teachta go bhfuil mo Roinn f\u00f3s tiomanta bonneagar scoile ar ardchaighde\u00e1n a shol\u00e1thar chun freastal ar an \u00e9ileamh, agus go leanfaidh muid ag obair go dl\u00fath le scoileanna ar fud na t\u00edre chun tosa\u00edochta\u00ed infheist\u00edochta caipitil a chur i bhfeidhm."},{"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 recognise the significant investment that has been put into capital building projects in our school communities. Will the next tranche of projects be announced in mid, early or late 2027? As the Minister will have noted from my opening piece, Carrignavar's planning permission is due to expire in October 2027. Carrignavar school is in immediate danger of its planning permission lapsing. There is an expectation in the school community that the building project will begin. There are two issues, the certainty for school communities and the value for taxpayers' money. Projects are undergoing technical reviews, awaiting approval and progressing through appropriate stages. They are the responses we are receiving from the Department but it is hard to determine what to give back to schools. The same question is coming up: what does that actually mean? In Carrignavar, approximately \u20ac900,000 has already been spent, yet the planning permission is approaching expiry. I ask the Minister to commit to meeting the school management. I wrote to her about this only yesterday, which is to be appreciated. In Ballincollig, two schools are awaiting permanent school buildings. I would appreciate if the Minister could confirm to me in writing whether the land transfer at Lisheens has been completed. I would also appreciate if a clear update on the Convent Primary School Mallow can be provided to the school management. To return to the issue of prefabs, the Department spent approximately \u20ac37 million renting school accommodation in 2025 alone. That is money spent year after year without necessarily delivering a permanent asset for the State. There is a difference between a school being grateful for an additional classroom and a school choosing that accommodation as its long-term future. Our priority must be permanent, properly designed, brick-and-mortar schools. Ultimately, I am asking for delivery dates and not a list of administrative stages."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Hildegarde Naughton Since 2020, the Department of Education and Youth has provided over \u20ac229 million in capital funding for schools in Cork North-Central. Over this period, 34 schools have been upgraded through provision of a new school building, an extension, modular accommodation or climate pathfinders. Five school projects to go to tender or construction in 2026 and 2027 were included in the NDP implementation plan. Four large-scale extension, modular or climate pathfinder projects in Cork North-Central are under construction and eight projects are under way through the climate action summer works scheme. Nineteen classes have also been sanctioned in Cork North-Central for 2026. Regarding the NDP, prior to the summer break, departmental officials contacted in the region of 250 schools by telephone to provide an update on the projects' status, prioritising those that had had a stage submission with the Department for six months or more. During these calls, the stage report review requirements and the overall process for prioritisation were outlined. Schools were also invited to share any relevant information regarding their accommodation needs to inform the prioritisation process. In addition, officials have visited a number of schools that have expressed urgent additional needs, pending the delivery of their major projects. My officials will continue to engage with schools over the coming months and to provide any necessary guidance. Additionally, the planning and building unit officials met with all patrons and management bodies in June of this year to outline their prioritisation approach and to seek feedback from them to inform future tranches. The Department is targeting 2027 for the publication of the next tranche of priority projects to proceed to tender. Since 2020, the Department has invested over \u20ac7.55 billion in our schools throughout the country. Is \u00e9 seo an leibh\u00e9al ab airde infheist\u00edochta i bhfoirgnimh scoile riamh. We can come back to the Deputy directly on the specific schools he mentioned."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Schools Building Projects"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_9","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions","counts":{"speechCount":59,"speakerCount":11},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_9","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}},{"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":"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":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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}}],"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 would like to take the opportunity, and Members may join me, in welcoming Liam Conlon MP to the Distinguished Visitors Gallery. Liam Conlon is a Labour Party MP for Beckenham and Penge. He is joining us this afternoon as a guest of Deputy Ivana Bacik. He is most welcome. We will move to Leaders' Questions under Standing Order 38."},{"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 Liam Conlon chuig an Teach inniu. I want to mark the heartbreaking passing of the wonderful Ciara Mageean. She was a remarkable person and an amazing athlete gone too soon. Her heroics on the track were matched by such grace and strength. Ireland has truly lost an incredible young woman. Our sympathies to Ciara's husband, Thomas, and all who loved her. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a hanam d\u00edlis."},{"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 Hear, hear."},{"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 oibrithe san earn\u00e1il phoibl\u00ed ag plean\u00e1il dul ar stailc don dara huair an tseachtain seo chugainn. T\u00e1imid ag an bpointe seo mar gheall gur theip ar an Rialtas comhaont\u00fa p\u00e1 r\u00e9as\u00fanta a bhaint amach, mar gheall ar an easpa ceannaireachta \u00f3n Rialtas. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 in am deireadh a chur leis na cleasa agus comhr\u00e9iteach p\u00e1 cothrom, at\u00e1 tuillte go maith ag na hoibrithe seo, a chur i gcr\u00edch. The Government's lack of respect forced public sector workers onto the picket line three weeks ago. That same lack informs the Government's refusal to deliver a fair pay deal. I will cite a figure for the Taoiseach that captures what is the stark unfairness at play here. That figure is \u20ac95,000. That is the pay hike that the Minister, Deputy Chambers, has signed off on for the CEO of Dublin Airport Authority. It is an increase far above the total salary of a young teacher or nurse. It was granted with no problem, no drawn out talks and signed off on with the stroke of a pen. Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael deliver for those at the top but it is a very different story if you are a nurse, a teacher, an SNA or a firefighter. After ten days of talks, the Government has failed to hear their concerns, failed to deliver a credible pay offer and failed to respond to the cost of living that is devouring their wages. That pressure has hit home again today as the CSO reveals that energy bills have increased by over 18% in the past year. Where is the Government's urgency to deliver a fair deal? What the public sees is a distracted Government with its eye off the ball, not treating this dispute seriously. It is a Government unable and unwilling to get the job done. It allows drift and continues to pick a fight with public sector workers. The result is the prospect of another strike next week. If this strike goes ahead, every cancelled hospital appointment, every school closure and every disruption to vital services is on the Government. That is the Taoiseach's responsibility. He refused to put himself in the shoes of a nurse, working long shifts in an overcrowded hospital, and wondering how she will pay her bills, or of the teacher who goes above and beyond but stresses out on how he builds a future. I visited the picket line three weeks ago. The workers told me very clearly that they do not want to be on strike, yet we face another strike because of a failure of leadership by the Government. On the eve of the last strike, I told the Taoiseach that playing a game of chicken with public sector workers was short-sighted, unfair and wrong. I told him it would lead to a longer dispute and here we are. Can he now accept it is time to change tack? Will he stop the brinkmanship? Will he respond to the cost-of-living pressure on these workers and finally deliver a fair pay deal?"},{"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 First of all, I again articulate our deep sadness at the very untimely passing of Ciara Mageean. As we stand here at this moment, her family and community are gathering at St. Patrick's Church, Ballyphilip, Portaferry, to honour a truly special person who left a truly special legacy in Irish life. As a European champion and an Olympian, she inspired so many with her outstanding performances, bringing immense pride to her family, her native Portaferry and the entire country. The great dignity and quiet courage she showed during her health challenge only added to her legacy and Ireland's affection for her. Our heartfelt sympathies and those of the entire Government and Oireachtas go to her husband Thomas and to her family and friends. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a h-anam d\u00edlis. I would not accept at all the Deputy's characterisation of the Government's approach to a public service pay agreement or, indeed, to the public service. This Government and the previous Government have invested hugely in the public service. The sheer numbers have increased exponentially since about 2019. Public service employment has grown by about 85,000 since 2019. That does not indicate a lack of respect for the public service, rather, it represents a significant expansion. On average, 13,000 additional staff were recruited each year. We are looking at a significant increase in the Civil Service, now up to 50,000, and at 31,000 additional healthcare staff, over 11,000 more nurses and midwives, and 16,800 more teachers. The expansion of the public service has been very significant. The last pay agreement, which expired in June, provided increases of about 9.6% cumulatively, greater than inflation of 6.6% over the same period. Between 2019 and 2025, there were pay increases totalling 22.5%, broadly in line with inflation. For the lowest paid public servants, pay was increased by 36% over this period, significantly in excess of inflation. To give some examples of how public service pay has increased, the starting pay for a teacher and a nurse increased by 23.6% and 28.3% respectively between 2019 and 2025. The population has grown and there are additional pressures on the public service. That is acknowledged. The Government wants a public service pay agreement. We entered into talks in good faith and continue to engage in good faith. We agreed at the outset a template for the conduct of these talks under the aegis of the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC. An overseeing panel was created, which trade unions sought, at the commencement of the talks. That overseeing panel, working with the WRC, is now engaging with both sides. In my view, we should allow the talks to continue. The Government is very clear we want to arrive at a public service pay agreement that is sustainable and fair. There is no brinkmanship here and there is no lack of respect here. The expansion of the public service over the last five to six years has been far in excess of anything in the previous ten years because we have been in a position to do it across all sectors, and we will continue to do so in terms of education, health and all areas of the public service. Also, there is a local bargaining dimension and a low-pay element to this that we want to prioritise and focus on."},{"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 last pay deal, as the Taoiseach says, ran out in June and the Government dithered and delayed for months. It ran things literally to the wire and literally to the eleventh hour. It dithered, delayed and played a game of chicken with public sector workers and drove them onto the picket line. Now, after ten days of talks, it has failed to bring forward a credible offer in respect of pay. That is the Taoiseach's track record. If that is not brinkmanship, the very definition of a delay tactic, designed to face these workers down, well then I do not know what it is. Now we face the prospect of more industrial action and of more strikes next week with all of the attendant disruption and hardship that will bring. That is on the Taoiseach. I am asking him now to change that approach, to come to the table in real good faith with real honesty, recognising that inflation and the cost of living have devoured the salaries of public sectors workers."},{"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 The Taoiseach to respond, please. Thank you, Deputy."},{"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 contrast between how the high-flyers are-----"},{"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 Deputy, Taoiseach to respond. Time is up."},{"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 -----treated, with massive pay increases, and the average public sector worker-----"},{"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 Deputy, time is up"},{"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 -----is astonishing and unacceptable."},{"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 not on me actually. We had no hand, act or part in any decision by the trade union movement to make the announcement it made yesterday. That was its decision. From our perspective, we committed to a template governing the pay negotiations and we are adhering to that template. We want to arrive at a fair and sustainable pay agreement for public servants. Government is committed to its role as a good employer. As I said, we have expanded the number of public servants. We believe that the terms and conditions of employment generally in the public service are competitive, right across the board from pay and increments to pension entitlements and a range of other things. As an employer, we want to be a good employer of public servants and to continue to expand the public service. In the budget, we made a decision on a significant tax package, which will help workers and public service workers in particular. The decision to reduce childcare costs will help public service workers as well as related cost-of-living measures in terms of rent credits and so on-----"},{"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 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 -----and cost-of-disability payments-----"},{"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 Time is up, 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 -----which will be significant all round."},{"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 call Deputy Cian O'Callaghan."},{"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 On behalf of the Social Democrats, I want to extend our condolences to the family and friends of Ciara Mageean and especially to her husband Thomas. Ciara was one of Ireland's greatest athletes. Despite her illness she showed immense courage and bravery, sharing her story and raising awareness of bowel cancer. She remained deeply concerned about others and was outspoken against the genocide in Gaza. We have lost an amazing person. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a h-anam. Taoiseach, your Government's handling of the talks with public service workers has been an unmitigated disaster. For most of the year, you ignored them, barely bothering to engage before the current pay deal expired in June. This intransigence and arrogance blew up in your face and resulted in the biggest public service strike in nearly two decades. Up to that point, your Government had refused to countenance talks in which the issue of pay was front and centre. It took more than 300,000 workers joining picket lines before you climbed down. Now, just a few weeks later, there will be another day of strike action because your Government has failed to make a credible pay offer. This mess begs an important question: what is your Government at? You have been all over the place all year. You have treated public service workers with barely disguised contempt, allowed the previous deal to expire, refused to discuss pay first and then you eventually climbed down on that. Your intransigence achieved absolutely nothing. There are public service workers who are barely keeping their heads above water - nurses, garda\u00ed, teachers, SNAs and local authority workers, delivering essential services across the country. They keep us safe, teach our children and look after us when we are not well. Then they go home and wonder how they will put food on the table or pay their soaring energy bills. Let us be clear - if there is another strike next week, it will be the fault of your Government. Your Government has spent more time on internal bickering and rivalries than addressing the country's problems. You sleepwalked your way into an industrial relations crisis. The question for the Taoiseach now is: what are you going to do to avert next week's strike? Will you personally intervene? Will you ensure a credible offer on pay is finally made?"},{"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 think your language is completely over the top, genuinely. The Deputy said \"barely disguised contempt\"."},{"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 This has gone on for months."},{"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 said we treat public service workers with \"barely disguised contempt\"."},{"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 They do not even want to strike."},{"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 attended the annual conference of F\u00f3rsa earlier this year. Does that suggest to the Deputy that I treat them with contempt? It was actually a very agreeable conference. We got on very 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 It does if you talk out both sides of your mouth."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(Interruptions)."},{"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 For example, we will have expanded the number of special needs assistants to about 23,000 by the end of this year. Is that treating the public service with contempt? We have expanded the public service very significantly over the past four to five years. Is that treating the public service with contempt? I know you have to do what you have to-----"},{"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 You will not do what you should 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 I know the old line, which is not that imaginative or creative, that \"if a strike happens, it is your fault\". It is a great line and that is what the Deputy has to say. That is what he is going to say and will continue to say but from our perspective, we entered into the talks in good faith. We agreed a template for these talks with the trade union movement in advance of the talks commencing. By the way, we were available for talks all along prior to that. We made that very clear before any strike happened. We did not have to wait for a strike to say we wanted to get into talks. The template was agreed and it involved the overseeing panel under the aegis of the WRC and Kevin Foley engaging with both sides if an impasse arose. That is all that is happening now. That was agreed over the weekend. We should allow the talks to continue. The Deputy is not a party to the talks. The offers that have been made are not small offers."},{"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 They are not credible either."},{"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 You have had your say. There is sustainability involved here. We have to think of the wider picture as a Government. We have responsibilities and that is it. We will continue to engage in the talks in good faith with the trade unions. There is no need for a strike next week. With a will, there is a way to resolving 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 Taoiseach, you have been around Government and politics for decades. You know what normally happens here. When a pay deal expires, a new one is agreed. Under your Government, that has not happened. You have not made a credible pay offer. The media reports are of pay offers below inflation. How is that credible in a cost-of-living crisis? How is that not treating public sector workers with contempt? You owe it to the people working hard to deliver public services and to the public who need those services to resolve this quickly. Make a credible pay offer. Get on with this. Instead, Taoiseach, you let weeks and months go by months before talks even began because you would not agree that pay would be the first item on the agenda? Where did that get you? It got you nowhere except delays. The Government is too busy with Ministers briefing against each other and Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael trying to outvie each other. You have your eye off the ball. When will you actually make a credible pay offer and get this resolved?"},{"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 of all, earlier this year I did offer an enhanced social dialogue to the trade union movement. We circulated a paper to that effect-----"},{"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 They need credible pay offers."},{"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 The Taoiseach, uninterrupted, Deputy."},{"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 the context of the LEEF."},{"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 They said address pay first."},{"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 Deputy-----"},{"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 You are characterising Government as not respecting the trade union movement and not engaging with it; I am just laying out the facts. They said, \"Not yet\"."},{"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 about pay in a cost-of-living crisis."},{"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 Please, Deputy."},{"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 You only see it through one dimension. I cannot be responsible for how others engage or deal with things. All I can simply say is that the Government wants a national pay agreement. It does not believe there is any need for a strike next week. Where there is a will, there is a way. In our view, we should allow the negotiation process to conclude and to enable that agreement to be arrived at."},{"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 thank the Ceann Comhairle for welcoming our visitor, Liam Conlon MP to the Gallery. On behalf of the Labour Party, I extend my deepest sympathies to the husband and family of Ciara Mageean as she is laid to rest today. Ciara inspired a generation of young women to embrace sport. By speaking publicly about her diagnosis, she will also have saved many lives. I echo calls for bowel cancer screening to be extended in her memory. May she rest in peace. Here we go again Taoiseach - another public sector work stoppage next week, potential strike action on one of the most important days of our EU Presidency. It is just in time for Friday the 13th - unlucky for some, they say, but this is not back luck; this is bad government. Your Government let the last pay deal expire in June, on the eve the start of the EU Presidency, a massive undertaking you knew would place huge demands on public servants. The Taoiseach may not like us saying it but it is the truth that his Government's failure to engage then is what brought about the strike last month by 300,000 public service workers. Now he is doing it again. Instead of showcasing our country at its best, the EU Presidency is being overshadowed by a pay dispute of the Taoiseach's making. On his way into Cabinet today the T\u00e1naiste encouraged everyone to dig deep in good faith. The Government might think of engaging deeply and in good faith itself. We understand that one of the sticking points in talks with the unions is the lack of provision for the lowest paid workers. There is nothing meaningful, it seems, for those on less than \u20ac50,000 per year. How can the Minister, Deputy Chambers, claim to be pursuing a fair deal for workers while leaving behind those who need the most help? Meanwhile, the same Minister has been busy approving inflation-busting pay rises for the heads of semi-State agencies. Many of these rises are multiples of the rate of inflation. Let us take a few examples. Uisce \u00c9ireann\u2019s CEO got a pay rise of 43%. The chief executives of Bus \u00c9ireann and the Land Development Agency each received top-ups of \u20ac50,000. That increase alone matches the total salary a teacher can expect to earn after six years\u2019 service. The CEO of the Dublin Airport Authority will draw a wage of \u20ac380,000. That is a \u20ac95,000 increase compared with his predecessor. These are eye-watering amounts. Of course we need competitive salaries to attract people to lead our public bodies, but what message does it send to public servants when chief executives receive increases of this magnitude while the Government is reportedly asking those delivering essential front-line services to settle for less than 2% for now? Is it any wonder they are preparing to down tools or looking beyond our shores? The impact is being felt across the country already. The Ombudsman for Children tells us of children missing vital developmental checks because we cannot retain or recruit public health nurses. The public sector is not a charity case. As engagement continues today, will the Government put a serious offer on the table, including meaningful increases for the lowest paid public servants, so that we can resolve the dispute now?"},{"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 disagree with the Deputy's narrative in terms of how this negotiation has unfolded. The Government engaged very early on with the trade union movement in respect of public service pay. This issue about whether pay was first or last was a complete red herring, if you want my honest opinion about it. The national pay agreement talks are about a national pay agreement. In the name of God, what did you think we were going to be discussing? Let us bring a bit of common sense into the debate now as well. A national pay agreement is about pay, fundamentally. That is what always happens. That is what happened the last time - it was about pay. The last agreement that expired in June provided increases of about 9.6% cumulatively, greater than inflation over the same period of 6.6%, but for the lowest paid public servants pay was increased by 36% over this period, significantly in excess of inflation. The Government shares the Deputy's view of a prioritisation of lower-paid workers. Again, I do not want to pre-empt the negotiations. Those talks are under way in accordance with the template that had been agreed with the trade union movement at the commencement of the latest phase of the talks with an overseeing panel that was sought by the trade union movement, which was agreed and under the aegis of the WRC. Those talks are ongoing and we should allow those talks to continue. We are not responsible for people making decisions to set a further strike day. We cannot allow that to undermine our approach to the talks or influence us either. The Presidency is for six months. We have achieved a lot already on a whole range of files and issues from competition in terms of One Market, One Europe, particularly with the Capital Markets Union, a new corporate legal framework for SMEs, enlargement of the European Union and real progress with Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine. We will continue to work extremely competently and in a focused and ambitious way for the remainder of the Presidency. Parallel with that we want to achieve a fair and sustainable pay agreement. As I said, talks are continuing. We should allow the talks continue between the unions and Government under the aegis of the WRC. That is the logical way to proceed here and that is what we intend to do."},{"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 am glad the Taoiseach said he would be willing to prioritise the lowest paid public servants. That is really welcome and is a very positive sign but nobody can accept his assertion that his Government engaged early in meaningful talks. He keeps referring in his responses today to the last pay deal but that ran out in June. What nobody can understand, least of all nurses, garda\u00ed and teachers on the front lines, is why the Government let that pay deal run out and did not seek to renew it before the expiry date and before the EU Presidency began. There is a passivity that is characterising the Government's response to public servants. That is what is bringing about the anger and people's desperation. People are really struggling out there with inflation running now at 4% and families not being able to afford to keep food on the table or to pay energy bills. We know hundreds of thousands are in arrears on energy bills. Public transport fares are set to increase. People are really hard-pressed. It is welcome to hear a willingness to prioritise the lowest paid public servants. That is positive. We know in the Labour Party about negotiation. We know nobody wants to withdraw labour. Nobody-----"},{"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 The Taoiseach to respond."},{"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 -----does it on a whim, but this is now being seen as a last resort in the face of Government passivity and inaction."},{"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 characterisation at all. The Government's engagement in the talks in the last week has been very proactive-----"},{"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 It is not a characterisation at all. It is a fact."},{"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 -----and very fair in terms of seeking an agreement. Second, the cost of living is the big issue and in the budget we responded to that. Again, in terms of low-paid and low-income groups, and do not take our word for it, objective data shows that we looked after the lowest income groups more than anybody else. They were the biggest beneficiaries of the budget. We brought in significant tax cuts, which will take effect early next year, in the form of a \u20ac1.3 billion income tax package for both private sector and public service workers. The reductions in childcare costs, which were significant, will impact on workers and other measures in the budget will take pressure off workers. This is necessary given the cost-of-living pressures people are undoubtedly under. If the Deputy compares the tax cuts in our budget to any other budget across Europe, there is not a comparison. That is the reality. We have expanded the public service very significantly as well."},{"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 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 There is no question about that either."},{"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 On behalf of the Green Party I would like to join with the tributes paid to Ciara Mageean. She is a loss to athletics and a loss to our country. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity has been meeting in Yerevan in Armenia for the last two weeks under the theme of taking action for nature. The conclusions from this annual meeting were stark. In its State of Biodiversity Action report, the secretariat of the convention determined that fewer than half of national biodiversity improvement targets were reported as being on track. Here in Ireland we see similar threats to nature. Last year, the Central Statistics Office found that between 2006 and 2019, 2.7% of species were no longer found to exist in the State. They are described now as being \"regionally extinct\". It also found that 14.7% of species were considered \"at risk of extinction\". Bees were among the most endangered. About 3% of bee species were regionally extinct and 30% were threatened. It is bees I want to focus on today. In the last government, the Green Party took steps to protect one species of bee, the native Irish honey bee. With the agreement of the government, which the Taoiseach was part of, a Green Party Private Members' Bill, the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill passed all stages in the Seanad. That Bill is now awaiting its Second Stage debate here in the D\u00e1il. The Taoiseach may recall that at the centre of the law is a proposal to stop the import of non-native honey bee queens into Ireland to prevent the hybridisation of the native Irish honey bee. Recent research shows that up to 25% of honey bees in Irish are now non-native - a big jump in a short period of time. Research was commissioned by the Department of agriculture to support the Bill, with the final report delivered to the Minister's desk in September 2025. That is over a year ago now. I raised the matter with the Minister for agriculture three weeks ago and he was not able to give me clarity on when that research will be published. There is also no clarity on whether the Government will continue the policy of the last government, support the ban on the importation of non-native honey bees and protect the unique characteristics of the Irish honey bee. There is a lot of support for this Bill from Deputies and Senators in government and also in opposition. I want to work with the Taoiseach and the Minister for agriculture to get this important proposal over the line but it would help to have clarity on two specific points. First, when will the research about the native Irish honey bee, which is sitting on the Minister for agriculture's desk, be published? Second, does the Taoiseach support the central plank of my Bill, to protect the native Irish honey bee, and will he work with me to get this Bill passed during this D\u00e1il?"},{"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 pay tribute to the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, who was in Yerevan in respect of the biodiversity COP and led the way in respect of a number of issues there. He has done a fine job, generally speaking, such is his love for all things to do with nature, and he shows his enthusiasm for that. Over the past five years - Deputy O'Gorman was in the Government - we have substantially enhanced the National Parks and Wildlife Service. I think we have more than doubled the team working there. We have developed and designated a number of new national parks, and I hope that over the next year or two we will be in a position to designate more national parks and to enhance our resources for biodiversity more generally. It is a subject I am very keen on and interested in and one I have overseen with a particular focus on the well-being of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and I continue to do so as Taoiseach. In respect of the native Irish honeybee Bill, I share, generally speaking, the Deputy's objectives and aspirations. A memo came to the Government last week on the matter. I better be careful. I was going to say the matter is not black and white but, as the Deputy knows, that is the unique characteristic of the native Irish honeybee."},{"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 Can it sting?"},{"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, there are about 330 imports, I think, into the Republic. We have thousands into the North of Ireland. That creates a problem for us. If things continue for the next 50 years, we potentially face the extinction of the native Irish honeybee. We will have to watch the legal framework and make sure anything we do is in conformity with EU frameworks and so on. In short, I am willing to work with the Deputy. I sought the research on the native Irish honeybee myself and read it very quickly over recent days. I am concerned about its prospects over a 50- to 70-year timeframe. We need to do something in respect of protecting it. The imports have come a way down. There was a substantial increase during the Covid-19 pandemic, which is interesting, but they have come back down to what might be called manageable levels for the moment. We have no control over that into the future in terms of higher volumes of imports. We should increase consumer awareness of our native honeybee and the product from it, which is far better honey, health-wise and well-being-wise, for all of us, as opposed to imports. My understanding is that the research will be published without delay. I will talk to the Minister for agriculture on that. The deliberative process is not totally over but effectively over. I will work with the Deputy to see how we can progress this issue."},{"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 welcome the Taoiseach's concern on the issue. Having read the research, he is clearly even more up to date with the real threat that exists to the Irish honeybee. This is not just a question of protecting nature; it is a question of our country's food security. As regards the Irish honeybee and its hybridisation, which we see at the moment, this process risks ending a unique genetic resource that has evolved very specifically towards the Irish climate. This process puts our bee population at risk, and there are consequences of that for food production and plant diversity. Those consequences are absolutely enormous, and even if they are over a 50- to 70-year timeframe, that is still hugely consequential. There is a proposal on the table. There is actually legislation drafted. It has passed the Seanad; it just has to pass this House. I ask the Taoiseach specifically on my Bill whether he is willing to support it. I am not precious - we can amend it - but will he use that as a vehicle to face this real threat to the native Irish honeybee?"},{"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, I am very concerned about it in terms of the future. I agree 100% with the Deputy that it is inextricably bound up with our overall sustainability, biodiversity, food chain and so on. There are some issues and hurdles we would have to jump. I would be prepared to work with the Deputy and I will ask our colleague, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, as well to engage with Deputy O'Gorman in relation to this and how we can navigate this particular issue. I pay tribute also to our former ambassador in Paris, Niall Burgess, who has been a great champion of the native Irish honeybee and who briefed me quite a number of years ago on the intricacies of this issue. It is a very serious issue, so I am very much focused on helping."},{"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 That concludes Leaders' Questions. Just before I move to the Order of Business, I too add my voice to pay sympathy to the family, friends and colleagues of the late Ciara Mageean. Ar dheis D\u00e9 go raibh a hanam d\u00edlis."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Ceisteanna \u00f3 Cheannair\u00ed - Leaders' Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_10","debateType":"orderofBusiness","bill":null,"showAs":"An tOrd Gn\u00f3 - Order of Business","counts":{"speechCount":98,"speakerCount":25},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_10","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}},{"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":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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}},{"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":"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":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","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":"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":"Miche\u00e1l Carrigy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Carrigy.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Carrigy.S.2020-03-30","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}}],"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 In accordance with Standing Order 35, I call on the Chief Whip, Deputy Mary 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":"Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (Deputy Mary Butler) I move: Tuesday's business shall be: - Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026 - Financial Resolutions (without debate; to be moved together and decided by one question and any division claimed to be taken immediately) - Statements on 'Our Rural Future 2026-2031' (not to exceed 2 hours and 25 minutes) Tuesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Hospital Overcrowding, Safe Staffing and Winter Preparedness, selected by Sinn F\u00e9in. Wednesday's business shall be: - Statements and Q&A on post European Council meeting of 15th \u2013 16th October 2026, pursuant to Standing Order 133 (not to exceed 1 hour 33.5 mins, followed by 20 mins Q&A and Ministerial response for 5 mins) - Short-Term Letting and Tourism Letting Bill 2026 (Second Stage) (to conclude at the end of the first speaking round; not to exceed 3 hours and 34 minutes) - Dublin Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026 (Report and Final Stages) (to conclude within 1 hour) - Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation Bill 2026 (Report and Final Stages) (to conclude within 1 hour) Wednesday's private members' business shall be the Motion re Protected Disclosures Enquiry, selected by Independent Technical Group. Thursday evening business shall be the Second Stage of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2026, sponsored by Deputy Alan Kelly. 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 Government Business with consequential effect on the commencement times for the items following in the ordinary routine of business; 2. the following arrangements shall apply to the proceedings on the Motions for Financial Resolutions for the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026: (a) the motions shall be moved and decided together by one question which shall be put from the Chair; (b) the proceedings thereon shall be taken without debate; and (c) any division claimed thereon shall be taken immediately; and 3. the Statements on 'Our Rural Future 2026-2031' 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 mins In relation to Wednesday's business, it is proposed that: 1. notwithstanding any in Standing Orders: (a) the time allotted for Government Business shall be extended in accordance with the arrangements for that business and the D\u00e1il may sit later than 9.30 p.m.; (b) the Statements and Q&A on post European Council meeting of 15th-16th October 2026, pursuant to Standing Order 133, shall be taken at the time when the SOS pursuant to Standing Order 25(1) would normally be taken, and on the conclusion of the Minister\u2019s response to the statements, the sitting shall stand suspended for one hour; and (c) the weekly division time may be taken later than 8.45 p.m. with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the D\u00e1il; 2. the Statements and Q&A on post European Council meeting of 15th-16th October 2026, pursuant to Standing Order 133, shall not exceed 1 hour and 58.5 minutes, and the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows: (a) the arrangements for the statements, not including the Ministerial response, shall be in accordance with the arrangements contained in the table immediately below (to be read across, not down); (b) following the statements, questions and answers shall be taken for 20 minutes; (c) on the conclusion of the questions and answers, a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes; and (d) members may share time; Gov SF SD Gov SF Mins 15 10 5 9 3.5 Lab Gov SF IPTG Gov Mins 5 8 3.5 5 8 SF ITG Gov OM Mins 3.5 5 8 5 Total: 1 hour 33.5 mins 3. the proceedings on the Second Stage of the Short-Term Letting and Tourism Letting 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 mins 4. the proceedings on the Report and Final Stages of the Dublin Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 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 Transport; and 5. the proceedings on the Report and Final Stages of the Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation Bill 2026 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 60 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 Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. In relation to Thursday's business, it is proposed that: 1. notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders: (a) Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Higher and Further Education, Research, Innovation and Science pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) which were to be taken on Tuesday, 13th October, 2026, shall be taken immediately following the SOS and without any change to the allocation of priority Questions to that Minister and not otherwise affecting the current sequence of Ministers or rota for priority Questions as ordered by the House; and (b) Second Stage of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2026 may be taken earlier than 8.24 p.m. with consequential effect on the time for the adjournment of the D\u00e1il."},{"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 Are this week's arrangements agreed to?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputies Not agreed."},{"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 Surprise, surprise."},{"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 Today the High Court delivered a damning judgment on the Minister for justice's criminal legal aid reform. \"Grossly unfair\", the judge said, and \"demonstrably illogical\". This is damning. We need statements and questions urgently in the D\u00e1il to find out what the Government will do to sort out this chaos and crisis as soon as possible."},{"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 \"Grossly unfair\" and \"demonstrably illogical\". For four months we have raised the issue of the chaos that exists in our courts because of these attempts at reforms. It is sloppy work on the part of the Minister. We need statements and we need them fast. We need to know how a resolution will be achieved and how the Minister intends to bring this absolute farce of his own creation to an end. We need those statements this week."},{"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 the spirit of how this House can constructively honour the memory of Ciara Mageean, would we be able to schedule, at the earliest possible convenience, detailed statements on how we can reform and extend bowel screening in this country? Bowel Cancer Ireland has very articulately put forward what we can do. I know the Minister for Health has stated that she intends to expand and lower the age, but we should have a debate on that at the earliest possible convenience."},{"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 has forced hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, on whom this country relies, in health, education, councils, to take strike action because - the details are now emerging - it is offering them pay that amounts to a pay cut in real terms. It is asking workers to go out and work for less, looking at the percentages the Government is offering. There needs to be an urgent discussion here about why the Government is insisting on asking public sector workers to take a pay cut-----"},{"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 call Deputy Michael Collins."},{"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 With the AGRIFISH Council meeting coming up, can we have the Minister in for a debate on the state of the fishing industry before the meeting? Issues like Rockall, Scotland, bluefin tuna and a fuel cost crisis are leaving the industry on the edge. One fisherman sent me his fuel bill for being out five days last week in his trawler. It was \u20ac22,851.81. This is not sustainable. The Minister needs to come before the D\u00e1il to lay out his plans for the fishing industry."},{"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 have listened intently to the suggestions. I will take them and consider them, but the Order of Business stands for now."},{"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 Are the proposed arrangements for this week's business agreed to?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":" Deputies","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputies 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 I welcome the Taoiseach's intention to bring a memorandum to Government before Christmas on Ireland's constitutional future. There is no doubt that momentum towards unity is growing and that the question of reunification is now a pressing political reality. A united Ireland offers the best future for all of our people and now is a moment for leadership. Preparations for change have to begin now. People across the island must shape the debate and get clear answers on the practical choices ahead. What is the timetable for the Taoiseach's initiative? When precisely does he propose to bring this memorandum to Government and, crucially, what engagement with parties from the Opposition will he have in advance of bringing that memorandum?"},{"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 shown very strong leadership on this question for quite some time. One of the more significant achievements to date has been the legacy framework, which tends to get ignored now that we have reached an agreement. I welcome the fact that it has gone through the House of Commons. I hope it can get through to the House of Lords, so that, for the first time in 30 years, we will have an overarching framework for all those who have lost lives and their families to try to get closure. The shared island initiative has been the most consequential initiative since the Good Friday Agreement and the most significant investment in Northern Ireland since the foundation of the State, with over \u20ac1 billion allocated already. A new initiative to hear all voices and not see this pathway as one of victory over anybody or a sense of inevitability but, rather, a pathway to enable voices from all traditions to be heard and heard properly is under consideration by the Government. When I have further details, I will come back to the Deputy 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 In August, the CEO of Cork University Hospital, CUH, raised serious concerns about the impact staff shortages will have on patient safety in the hospital this winter. We are now in winter, and the situation has got worse and not better. These concerns were echoed by the consultant committee, the clinical directors and countless front-line staff, yet they have been dismissed by the Minister for Health. Staff shortages have resulted in over 4,000 people waiting over 24 hours in the accident and emergency unit in the first half of the year, CT scanners operating at 50% capacity, paediatric epilepsy supports being cut, 21 beds being stuck in limbo, a reduction in maternity services and the surgical hub shambles. Staff morale is on the floor as a result. The latest we have heard is that the hospital CEO has been threatened with a performance review for speaking out. It is an attempt to silence dissent. Is it appropriate to threaten hospital CEOs who speak out about patient safety concerns with disciplinary action? Does the Taoiseach accept the concerns expressed to him directly by nine clinical directors in the hospital? Will he commit to an independent assessment of the headcount to ensure there is adequate staff in CUH to deliver vital services in addition to the work being done by HIQA?"},{"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 Funding to Cork University Hospital increased from about \u20ac303 million in 2019 to \u20ac600 million in 2025. That is a very significant investment. There has been a huge increase in staff. It has gone from about 3,456 in 2019 to about 4,870 by the end of 2025. It is now at 5,194."},{"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 an independent assessment."},{"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 Deputy, there are to be no interruptions."},{"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, that is a 41% increase. The Deputy said the CEO was threatened. By whom?"},{"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 Andy Phillips."},{"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 No. That was rhetorical."},{"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 serious question marks over the veracity of that assertion. People need to be very careful about what is being asserted."},{"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 It is in the minutes."},{"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 For example, my office was referenced in some newspaper reports, and it was completely false."},{"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 Will the Taoiseach at least speak to the Minister about this?"},{"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 Deputy Bacik is on her feet."},{"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 Will the Taoiseach agree to an independent assessment?"},{"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 three minutes to-----"},{"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 Deputy Bacik is on her feet."},{"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 In a significant ruling today, the High Court found the new criminal legal aid rules brought in by the Minister for justice, Deputy O'Callaghan, to be \"grossly unfair\" and \"demonstrably illogical\". This judgment must be desperately embarrassing for the Minister, and it confirms that what we have described as his Rambo approach to reform has failed. We all agree on the need for reform, but the Minister's approach has caused chaos in the criminal courts over some months now, with impacts on vulnerable witnesses and persons in the system. We can all recall the very distressing case of the female complainant cross-examined in person by a man who allegedly threatened to kill her and made appalling threats of violence, so the impacts on the administration of justice have been very serious. Now that this judgment has been given, and I know the matter is listed for hearing next week, how does the Minister propose to address this? We have all been pressing the issue. The Labour Party has been pressing for meaningful engagement with the Law Society to resolve matters and ensure that there can be no more chaos and impacts on the administration of justice. How does the Government propose to address this?"},{"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 first consider the judgment the High Court delivered today. The court has requested further submissions from both sides in advance of any final orders being made. It should be noted that the aspects of the new scheme which have been the subject of adverse commentary have already been adjusted or are the focus of ongoing discussions with the Law Society. As the Deputy knows, arising out of earlier engagements with the Law Society, the Minister has already changed aspects of the new scheme, including increasing the flat fee from \u20ac455 to \u20ac520. He also agreed to split the payment of the fee and confirmed that separate and distinct cases appearing for the first time on different days would attract a new legal aid certificate for the same accused person. The Minister is entitled to reform the system, particularly following the review of the Department, which raised very significant issues, in particular that cases with criminal legal aid were taking significantly longer than those without it even though the sentencing outcomes were similar, and that there were more appearances and longer trials due to an appearance-based fee structure. That needs to be reformed."},{"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 2006 wind turbine guidelines are 20 years out of date. As somebody who believes that wind has to be part of our renewable energy future, I have been asking questions on this now for nearly 16 years. Various Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael and Ministers and taoisigh have said the new guidelines are coming soon. I have received loads of parliamentary question replies on this. Meanwhile, massive wind turbines and wind farms are being built without proper regulations or guidelines. Last November, I brought forward this Wind Turbine Regulation Bill to the D\u00e1il. The Government did not oppose it but said we would have guidelines within three months. I asked the Taoiseach again in March and there was still no movement on it. In that reply, the Taoiseach actually said he understands the issue but let us be honest; when these guidelines emerge, they will probably lead to a reduction in the number of wind farms. Here we are 12 months later and there is still no progress. When will have these wind turbine guidelines?"},{"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 The Taoiseach to respond."},{"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 Is the real reason for the delay for the past 16 years what the Taoiseach said to me here in March-----"},{"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 The Deputy is in other Members' time."},{"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 -----that they may put restrictions on development? When will we have them?"},{"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 note the Deputy's commitment to renewable energy, which we articulated at the beginning of his question when he said he was in favour of wind farms. The Minister for climate has been working on this with the Minister for housing, who is responsible for new national planning statements."},{"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 has been 16 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 Let me finish. My understanding is that the Minister for climate and the Department have concluded their deliberations on this. It is now with the Minister for housing and he is beginning the formulation of a new national planning statement. Planning statements will now replace guidelines. On the exact timeline for this, I would hope we will have this national planning statement before the end of the year."},{"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 might happen before Christmas."},{"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 It is pointless to ask the question if you will not allow the answer, Deputy. I thank the Taoiseach and call Deputy Collins."},{"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 People with intellectual disabilities are at the very bottom when it comes to services. That includes social housing, where Before We Die, BWD was set up, to transport, where adults with disabilities are left at home because there is no transport service available. Look at the proposed day-care centre for adults with autism in Dunmanway. It was promised and is not being delivered, even though people gave the grounds to the State for free. Respite services in west Cork for adults with intellectual disabilities is at a level of zero. Families are seriously stressed, from Bandon down to the Castletownbere. This led to a peaceful protest two weeks ago in Bantry town. There is real frustration and serious burnout among families whose care, in some cases, is being carried out around the clock. Millions of euro have been collected down through the years from the west Cork people for respite. They were proud to give it but they expected delivery that never happened. Local CoAction management can only do so much with the funds it has. In areas like Bandon, Clonakilty, Bantry, Skibbereen and Castletownbere, will there be a fair and equal rollout of much-needed respite and will the Government match funds collected to deliver? If so, when?"},{"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 was substantial funding allocated last year to the section 38s and section 39s in respect of disability, both respite and residential, and also in terms of the financial issues many had. In terms of intellectual disability and housing, the Minister for housing has engaged with the local authorities across the length and breadth of the country and has engaged with the Minister for disability with respect to new quotas, essentially, or ring-fenced housing for people with disabilities. Every year, we are building about 10,000 new social homes. A portion of those will have to be ring-fenced for people with disability, particularly intellectual disabilities. We met with the Before We Die campaign recently. This is a commitment of Government. Working with local authorities, we will ensure that will become a reality on the ground in every local authority area. In terms of transport, as the Deputy knows, the Minister for Transport has announced a new mobility grant scheme where grants will be available for adaptation to cars."},{"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 What about respite?"},{"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 The Deputy will have to engage further. Time is up."},{"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 Yesterday, the last remaining judicial review challenging the planning permission for the Galway city ring-road was withdrawn from the High Court. For the first time, a much-heralded and much-needed transport project for Galway city now has full planning permission, which is very welcome. I would like the Taoiseach to take the opportunity to reiterate the Government's commitment to the completion of the project in the shortest possible timeframe. In doing so, I ask that the Taoiseach joins with me in seeking those authorities responsible for implementing the compulsory purchase order with the homeowners involved would do so in an empathetic, expeditious and engaging manner. There is much concern among those homeowners, as the Taoiseach will accept. The last thing that is complementary to the ring-road is that it forms part of the Galway transport strategy of 2016. That is the only transport strategy of the regional cities that has not been reviewed. The NTA has recently commenced the review of the Galway transport strategy but it is unclear when there will be an opportunity for public consultation. It is even unclear when there will an opportunity for local authority engagement on the issue. I ask the Taoiseach to take up that issue."},{"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 pay tribute to the good Deputy. I remember earlier this year, he raised the issue of the Galway ring-road and the need for engagement and conciliation in respect of the judicial review. The Deputy identified the possibility of making a breakthrough in respect of it and he said that to the Minister involved. That has come to pass. I welcome the breakthrough on that. The Government is absolutely committed to its completion. This is critical infrastructure for Galway, in particular. There is also the situation concerning homeowners who, for a long time, have essentially not been able to do anything with their homes and who did not have any long-term clarity in respect of this. We are possessed of the need to engage with those homeowners, working with the local authority, to get their issues resolved as quickly as possible. I will see what I can do on the strategic review. A public consultation should be part and parcel of that."},{"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 The programme for Government commits to developing a new national cardiovascular health strategy. The previous one expired in 2019. That commitment is particularly timely following the EU's safe hearts plan and the Commission's recent proposal for a Council recommendation on cardiovascular health checks and early detection. With Ireland currently holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we have an opportunity to show leadership in this area and ensure our national policy reflects developments at European level. Can the Taoiseach indicate when the national cardiovascular health strategy will be published? Will it reflect the EU focus on prevention, screening, early detection, treatment and ongoing care?"},{"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 exact timeline. It will cover all of the above and the issues the Deputy outlined. I remember the first national cardiovascular strategy. I had the honour of implementing it from 2000 to 2004. Brian Cowen had published it in late 1999. It was a game changer for cardiovascular health in this country. I believe in national strategic approaches to the key diseases. At that time, the two big killers were cancer and heart disease in Ireland. That was for lifestyle reasons and a whole host of reasons. We did not even do cardiac rehabilitation after surgery."},{"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 The previous one expired in 2019."},{"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 have made huge progress. One of the reasons for the lifespan extension and growth in Ireland has been those strategies. The stroke strategy followed on. There will be a further strategy. I will talk to the Minister about it and we will get it published. They are a good approach so we are for them."},{"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 West Waterford Athletic Club has ambitious plans to develop a new regional athletics facility at St. Augustine's College in Dungarvan. The club has secured a 50-year lease and is working towards an eight-lane, 400 m track, full track and field facilities and a clubhouse with an estimated investment of \u20ac4 million. There is currently no athletics facility in west Waterford or east Cork. I know many of the athletes travel to either Waterford city or Clonmel. I know Waterford City and County Council is supportive of this project, as are many athletic clubs. Given that it straddles two counties, it would be fantastic for the people in west Waterford and also east Cork. I ask the Taoiseach to contact the relevant Minister and ensure this is properly looked at in relation to funding. The cost is \u20ac4 million. Obviously, the clubs themselves will try to fundraise, which they are doing. Any support they can get from the State would be really 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 The Government is extremely supportive of sport. Over the past number of years, and particularly with sports capital grants or the large-scale sports capital grants, we have been responsive to a lot of big submissions. Athletics is a key sport and I think the group involved have been in touch with all of the Waterford Deputies. I knew there was a movement in Midleton for something as well. I do not know whether they are engaged in this particular project or not. The Deputy is saying this project has the premises and land. We will have to look at it in more detail to see whether it is more suitable for large-scale sports capital grants as opposed to the sports capital grants. It probably would not be in the ballpark of what is required. It is a good initiative and we will endeavour to be supportive."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire The Irish people ought to have a referendum on the Government's proposals to get rid of the triple lock. The Taoiseach has said in the past he is tired of being reminded of his comments that the triple lock is at the core of our neutrality but I do not think it is any harm to remind people that was his position. The Taoiseach has also acknowledged in the past that concessions in relation to neutrality were essential to the government passing the Lisbon treaty the second time around. Given those commitments were made, relied on and that the Taoiseach has acknowledged they were relied on, this should be put to the people. Talking to people in Cork over the weekend, and people have all sorts of different views on the triple lock, the primary issue they had on such a fundamental change to our foreign policy, neutrality and defence policy was that there ought to be a referendum."},{"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 is wrong there. He is incredible in his capacity to present a false narrative and almost make it a truism. We have never had a referendum on something that is not part of the Constitution."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire There is nothing to prevent 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 We have never had one, so the idea we would have a referendum that neither amends, deletes nor adds to the Constitution is undermining this House."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire No, 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 It is, because we have parliamentary democracy, which means governments can legislate."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire That is for the birds."},{"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 When we passed the Nice referendum, we made a constitutional change which prevented Ireland from being part of an EU mutual defence pact. That is in the Constitution. That is what we agreed back at Nice, not anything else."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire There is nothing stopping this."},{"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 is saying we want to be part of a warmongering Europe. We cannot be. There is a constitutional prohibition on that, but the Deputy never says that because he is just interested in false narratives."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Cummins","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"John-Cummins.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy John Cummins 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 Third, I was the person who negotiated Lisbon. We amended the European defence Act-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire You relied on that, and you went to the Irish people on the strength of 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 Deputy Whitmore is next. The Taoiseach's time is up. The Deputy is on her feet."},{"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 was principally responsible for that debate. I know what was agreed. There were a hell of a lot of issues there, including getting our Commissioner back, if you remember the posters - or did you oppose that as well?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire Including 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 Deputy Whitmore is on her feet."},{"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 would say you campaigned against 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 Through the Chair and with respect for the Chair's direction. The Deputy is on her feet."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire The promises you made are the ones you are reneging on."},{"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 apologise, a Cheann Comhairle."},{"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 Thank you, a Cheann Comhairle. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, reported today that electricity prices have risen by over 18% since last October. At the same time, the International Energy Agency has warned of gas shortages across Europe due to the war in Iran if that issue is not resolved. We already have hundreds of thousands of people who are struggling to pay their electricity bills at the moment. There are 324,000 people and households in arrears on their electricity bills. That is 14% of the population. There is a crisis in this country when it comes to the cost of living and the cost of energy. The Taoiseach's Government established the national energy task force to look at energy affordability and ascertain what can be done to help people. That was set up in June 2025, and we have seen nothing substantive from it. When will it produce its energy affordability action plan, and how high do gas and electricity prices have to get for the Taoiseach's Government to start treating this with some sense of urgency?"},{"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 treating this with urgency. It is the biggest issue facing the world, never mind Ireland. It is the cause of enormous issues in terms of cost-of-living pressures. We are in difficulty because we depend too much on imported fossil fuels; that is a fundamental challenge for us. All across Europe, there are huge cost-of-living pressures on societies, families and households. In the budget, we were in a position to do more than most across Europe in endeavouring to alleviate the pressures on people through fuel allowance increases and the fuel income support schemes, which we have again extended from August to December 2026 for particular sectors of our economy, such as haulage and food production. There is also the exceptional aid for farmers in terms of fertiliser and energy costs, the deferral of certain aspects of carbon tax increases and the measures we took in the budget in social protection and carbon tax."},{"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 raise the issue of constructive evictions taking place as a result of the Government's new rental laws introduced this year. The Taoiseach told the D\u00e1il that new rental measures would not impact negatively on renters in existing tenancies. He said, \"The legislation will not have any impact on the 240,000 people who are currently renting\", yet I have been contacted by existing tenants who are being forced out of their homes because of the Government's new rules. I have here an eviction notice served by IRES Real Estate Investment Trust, one of the State's largest vulture fund landlords, which issued to one of its tenants because IRES has refused to allow the tenant to replace a tenant who has left. Large corporate landlords are refusing to allow tenant swap requests, forcing tenants to leave in order to get around the new rental rules so it can charge full market rent to new tenants. I raised this with the Minister for housing five months ago and he failed to act."},{"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 Thank you, Deputy. The Taoiseach to respond."},{"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 Government's housing policies are resulting in the highest level of evictions. Will the Taoiseach intervene on this?"},{"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 do not agree with Deputy Hearne. The housing policy is increasing far greater supply than anything the Deputy has proposed would do."},{"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 There is the highest number of evictions since the pandemic."},{"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 You know the rule, Deputy."},{"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 fact, most of what the Deputy has proposed would actually reduce supply and create more pressure on the marketplace. On any specific issues, the reforms were needed. The Housing Commission recommended the need to reform the existing rental sector. A review was then done on foot of that recommendation, which the Minister moderated in favour of tenants by bringing in greater protections for them. There can be anomalies in any given situation that emerges, but we will examine that specific case the Deputy has raised."},{"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 Communities across Celbridge and Maynooth, particularly Crodaun, are experiencing power outages consistently and far more frequently. This is quite frustrating given the issues with water in the past. Those issues have improved but significant numbers of housing units are being built, and while that is extremely welcome, it is leading to interruption when it comes to power supply and what we have seen with water supply. Considering the investment the Government is making in improving the grid, communities are looking for a sustainable and quality service when it comes to power, particularly for those working from home and those who have healthcare issues. I ask that there be increased engagement with the ESB to ensure that these power outages are reduced and that communities can be certain of an improved service."},{"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 a very serious issue and we do not want that happening to large towns like Celbridge and Maynooth. I will certainly engage with the ESB to see what is happening there and the background to it, as well as what can be done to alleviate the situation."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Miche\u00e1l Carrigy","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Miche\u00e1l-Carrigy.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Miche\u00e1l-Carrigy.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Miche\u00e1l Carrigy In August 2024, the autism innovation strategy was published by the Government following the publication of the report of the Joint Committee on Autism, which I chaired. We have a commitment in the programme for Government to legislate for that strategy. One of the recommendations of the strategy related to the autism innovation fund, which was set up to support parents' groups that have been doing so much work to support families throughout the country. To date, \u20ac2 million was allocated in 2025 and \u20ac2 million was allocated in 2026, but the application process has never opened for parents' groups to apply for funding. I work with a group that has been set up in my local area, Orbit Autism in Longford, in which parents work to support their kids. When can these parents' support groups apply for funding to support the work they do in their communities before the end of this year, so that this money can be spent to benefit the children it was intended to benefit?"},{"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 Deputy Carrigy for raising this issue, which is a very important one. I am told officials are finalising the most effective approach to administering the funding, including the consideration of an open funding call. However, I will engage on this and make something happens now because the Deputy is saying this has gone on for two years. That is unacceptable, so something will have to be sorted."},{"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 The people of Clonmel in Tipperary are fine, hardworking, decent businesspeople, but we have been a scourge of a drug problem, with gangs dealing drugs on the streets. I appeal to the Taoiseach to meet with all five of us Oireachtas Members from south Tipperary regarding Garda numbers. They have never been as low in Clonmel and south Tipperary, in Carrig-an-Suir, Cahir or Cashel - never. We got two new recruits recently and there were three in for transfers. We had a crime task force, which is being stood down because of a lack of numbers. We need this badly. Garda\u00ed are telling me we are in danger of losing the town of Clonmel to these criminal, marauding gangs, who also go out into the surrounding areas marauding and terrorising people. It is an awful situation. I am pleading with the Taoiseach to try to get more garda\u00ed in there and I urge him and the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, to meet with the Oireachtas Members. We do not want a situation like Waterford, but we are on the verge of it."},{"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 Thank you, Deputy. The Taoiseach to respond."},{"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 thank the Deputy for raising the issue. Certainly, the scourge of drugs is a horrible one, particularly in its impact on families, communities and society more generally. We have progressively increased the number of garda\u00ed, which is close to 15,000, and as more and more recruits come out of Templemore, the Garda Commissioner is allocating garda\u00ed the length and breadth of the country. Obviously, it is not everywhere yet. He has not been able to do it in sufficient numbers everywhere but we will have a further number of graduates in the next output from Templemore. We will see what we can do in respect of Clonmel."},{"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 Last night Dublin City Council rejected an emergency motion brought forward by my colleague, Independent Councillor Kevin Breen, calling for urgent intervention to protect Trinity Sports and Leisure Centre. We are looking down the barrel of losing another swimming pool in north Dublin. We have already lost the pool at the Northside Shopping Centre in Coolock. We simply cannot afford to lose another one. It is a vital community facility, relied on by local schools, swimming clubs, sporting organisations, families, and hundreds of people throughout my constituency. With the meeting scheduled for late November, I ask the Taoiseach to instruct the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, or the Minister, Deputy Browne, to engage directly with Dublin City Council before we see another pool close. We need action in north Dublin. I am constantly talking about sports clubs and facilities. We cannot afford for another pool to close."},{"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 know the background to this. Is this a council-owned facility?"},{"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 It is a council-leased facility."},{"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 know the background as to why the council is closing it."},{"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 You have to engage, Deputy. We cannot have back and forth. The Taoiseach to engage."},{"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 speak to the Minister to see what the story is, or what the background to this is. I cannot commit the Minister to action until I know the full import of what is involved. I do not know the reasons behind the city council's decision but I will certainly speak to the Minister for sport in respect of it."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"An tOrd Gn\u00f3 - Order of Business"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_15","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Construction and Construction-related Craft Apprentices) Bill 2026: First Stage","counts":{"speechCount":5,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_15","speakers":[{"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":"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":"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":"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 move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for the inclusion of construction and construction-related craft apprentices within the application of the National Minimum Wage Acts 2000 and 2015 and, for this purpose, to amend the National Minimum Wage Act 2000. When the National Minimum Wage Act 2000 was introduced it was determined that apprentices would be excluded from the Act in recognition of the unique nature of apprenticeships which combine practical work with structured training. However, there is substantial research showing a relationship between low apprenticeship pay and poor completion rates. Surveys carried out by Connect Trade Union and my colleague, Teachta Mairead Farrell, alongside discussions at committee level have highlighted the financial difficulties facing apprentices. Connect Trade Union reported that apprentices cannot afford to stay in their chosen craft and that some are being forced out of their training or to emigrate because of low pay and exploitation by unscrupulous employers. The findings are concerning. Some 46% of respondents to the Connect Trade Union survey reported earning less than \u20ac7 per hour during a stage of their apprenticeship. More than one quarter reported being paid less than agreed minimum wage apprenticeship rates and more than 90% reported being paid less than the national minimum wage during a stage of their apprenticeship. Apprentices are dropping out at a higher rate than third level students. The average age of someone starting an apprenticeship is now approximately 21 years. Many apprentices are adults with rent or mortgage payments, household bills and family responsibilities. Expecting them to survive on less than \u20ac8 per hour during the early stages of training is increasingly unrealistic in the cost-of-living crisis. Low pay makes apprenticeships less attractive, contributes to drop-outs, and undermines efforts to develop the skilled workforce Ireland urgently needs. The Low Pay Commission has recommended abolishing sub-minimum wage rates for workers under 20 years of age while the National Youth Council of Ireland has also called for the abolition of sub-minimum rates of pay. Furthermore, the committee for further and higher education, following meetings with apprentices, providers and stakeholders, has recommended introducing a minimum wage floor for apprentices. Construction and construction-rated craft apprentices should be the starting point for reform. Ireland needs more skilled craft workers to address the housing crisis. Improving pay would help retain apprentices, increase completion rates, and strengthen the future construction workforce. The Construction Industry Federation at WorldSkills Ireland 2026 stated, \"Ireland will continue to struggle to tackle its housing shortage unless it makes a much bigger commitment to apprenticeships.\" We all know of the crisis in housing but future housing requires a skill commitment today and we need to encourage young people to enter construction apprenticeships. We know from costings that it may not be feasible to introduce in one go placing all apprenticeships in minimum wage, so prioritising construction and construction-rated craft apprenticeships would provide a practical first step with other apprenticeship programmes considered for inclusion in the future. This Bill will place those in craft and construction apprenticeships on minimum wage during on-the-phase jobs only. Year 1 is 13 weeks paid on-the-job phase and year 2 of the on-the-job phase is 26 weeks. The estimated annual cost of this is \u20ac43.16 million. The proposed funding source for this is through the National Training Fund which has a recorded surplus of \u20ac364 million in the previous year. This fund is financed by employer contributions and is intended to support training and skills development. The exemption introduced in 2000 recognised the distinctive nature of apprenticeship training. However, evidence of financial hardship, low pay, and apprentices leaving their chosen trade demonstrates the need to reconsider that approach. Introducing a minimum wage for construction and construction-related craft apprenticeships would be a targeted and practical first step and would help apprentices meet living costs, improve retention, and support Ireland\u2019s need for skilled construction workers. With an estimated cost of \u20ac43.6 million under the proposed 2027 rate, funding through the National Training Fund could provide a route to reform, with the longer-term aim of extending minimum wage protection to other apprenticeships."},{"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 thank the Deputy. 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) It is not opposed."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"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 Since this is a Private Members' Bill, Second Stage must, under Standing Orders, be taken in Private Members' time."},{"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 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":"National Minimum Wage (Inclusion of Construction and Construction-related Craft Apprentices) Bill 2026: First Stage"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_16","debateType":"financialResolution","bill":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/98","event":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/bill\/2026\/98\/dail\/finance_res","houseCode":"dail","stage":"finance_res","isBillStage":false,"showAs":"Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026: Financial Resolutions (D\u00e1il)"}},"showAs":"Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026: Financial Resolutions","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_16","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Hildegarde Naughton","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","memberCode":"Hildegarde-Naughton.S.2013-07-19","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister for Education and Youth (Deputy Hildegarde Naughton) I move the following Resolutions: THAT section 10 of the Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026, which relates to the measures contained in Schedule 3 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 40 of 1997) providing a definition of the relevant capital sum be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT section 531AA of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which provides for definitions for the purposes of Part 18C, which relates to Domicile Levy, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution by providing that a donation qualifying for tax relief under section 847AA Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 will not be deducted from an individual's \"world wide income\" for the purposes of Domicile Levy. THAT section 847A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which provides for tax relief on donations by companies and individuals to \"approved sports bodies\" for funding certain projects be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution to impose an upper limit on the tax relieved donations made by an individual in a year of assessment of \u20ac1 million or, where the donor is associated with the approved sports body, 10 per cent of the donor's total income. THAT section 847AA of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which provides a scheme of tax relief for donations to certain sports national governing bodies (NGBs), be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution to impose an upper limit on the tax relieved donations made by an individual in a year of assessment of \u20ac1 million or, where the donor is associated with the NGB, 10 per cent of the donor's total income. THAT schedule 25B of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which contains a table outlining the specified tax reliefs available to certain individuals which are restricted under Chapter 2A of Part 15 of that Act (limitation on amount of certain reliefs used by certain high income individuals) be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to the Resolution to provide that donations made under section 847AA of that Act, for the purposes of the high income individuals' restriction, cannot be used to reduce an individual's taxable income. THAT section 667D of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which contains provisions in relation to succession farm partnerships, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT section 413 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, which contains definitions and interpretation provisions relating to the group relief measures in Chapter 5 of Part 12, and section 752 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, which contains provisions designed to prevent a tax avoidance scheme involving a dividend stripping device, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997) be amended by the insertion of a new Part 27A to provide for the establishment of individual investment accounts, to be operated and taxed in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997) be amended by the insertion of a new section 739DA to provide for the tax treatment of investors in investment undertakings whose units are held in a recognised clearing system in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT Part 35B of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997, which provides Controlled Foreign Company rules to prevent the artificial diversion of profits from controlling companies to offshore entities in low or no tax jurisdictions and also provides for certain exemptions from the application of those rules, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT Chapter 5 of Part 29 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which deals with the taxation of companies engaged in knowledge development, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT section 247 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which contains provisions providing relief for companies for interest paid on certain loans, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT Schedule 1 of the Finance Act 2024 (No. 43 of 2024), which provides the rate of e liquid product tax, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT section 67B of the Finance Act 2002, which provides for the imposition of betting intermediary duty be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT section 132 of the Finance Act 1992, which provides for definitions of categories of vehicles for the purposes of Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT), be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution by providing that an increase of 1 per cent be added to the rates of VRT charged for Category A vehicles from rate band 3 to rate band 20. THAT section 84 of the Finance Act 2025 (No. 18 of 2025), which provides for an amendment to section 125A of the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 (No. 31 of 1999) is to be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT section 125A of the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 (No. 31 of 1999), which provides for a stamp duty to be levied on health insurance contracts that are entered into or renewed between authorised insurers and their customers in each quarter, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT section 126AB of the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 (No. 31 of 1999) which contains provisions in relation to stamp duty levied on certain financial institutions be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997) be amended by the insertion of a new Chapter 4A, Part 42, to be referred to as \"Administration of permissible ceiling of general de minimis aid and agricultural de minimis aid\", having the effect of restricting reliefs or entitlements in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT the provisions contained in Part 4A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), which provides for the implementation of Council Directive (EU) 2022\/2523 of 15 December 2022 on ensuring a global minimum level of taxation for multinational enterprise groups and large scale domestic groups in the Union, be amended in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution. THAT the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997) be amended by the insertion of a new Part 22C to provide for a new tax, to be referred to as \"derelict property tax\", to be charged, levied and paid in the manner and to the extent specified in the Act giving effect to this Resolution."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Question put and agreed to."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Finance (No. 2) Bill 2026: Financial Resolutions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_17","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna - 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 - Questions"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_18","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Cabinet Committees","counts":{"speechCount":52,"speakerCount":20},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_17","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","showAs":"Ceisteanna - Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_18","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":"Peter 'Chap' Cleere","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"James O'Connor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-O'Connor.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"James-O'Connor.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 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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_18.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 26, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on infrastructure last met on Monday, 19 October and is scheduled to meet again on Monday, 19 November 2026. The Cabinet committee drives infrastructure delivery, ensuring that our unprecedented investment is delivering real results and addressing our infrastructure deficit. The revised national development plan provides for more than \u20ac275 billion in investment in critical infrastructure throughout the country until 2035. This includes more than \u20ac24 billion to be invested in key transport programmes nationwide. A further \u20ac12.2 billion will be invested in the water sector, improving water quality and rural water services and enabling new housing and upgrading of our water and wastewater infrastructure. The landmark investment of up to \u20ac18.9 billion, approved by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities in its price review 6, is supported by a Government investment of \u20ac3.5 million equity in our overall grid. This is the largest single investment in the country\u2019s electricity network in its history. More than \u20ac20 billion of Exchequer capital investment was allocated in budget 2027, an increase of \u20ac1.1 billion plus 5.9% on the 2026 allocation. That is the highest annual spend in the history of the State on the lines of the Government\u2019s commitment to delivering the infrastructure our country needs. We have allocated \u20ac5.5 billion to the Department of Transport for next year to enable a record level of investment in public transport services and the road network throughout the country. Some \u20ac1.28 billion has been allocated to accelerate the transition to a secure, sustainable and affordable energy sector. We have committed \u20ac2.35 billion to Uisce \u00c9ireann for 2027. This investment will progress more than 400 projects next year, including the eastern and midlands region's water supply project, the greater Dublin drainage scheme and the wastewater treatment plants upgrades in counties Limerick and Waterford. Large, once-in-a-generation projects, such as MetroLink, are advancing at pace with an additional \u20ac6 billion allocated in the budget over the period 2027-2030. Tendering is progressing and significant enabling works are to start onsite from early next year. The housing activation office is accelerating delivery of critical infrastructure needed to unblock housing supply through 82 projects which are being funded under the \u20ac1 billion housing infrastructure investment fund to directly enable the delivery of 86,000 new homes. We are coupling all of this investment with the reform of our delivery systems so that critical projects and programmes are completed as efficiently and as quickly as possible. This includes many legal, regulatory and process reforms such as the introduction of a scale of fees for environmental judicial review, which provides a clearer cost framework for applicants. It aims to prevent unpredictable costs for the taxpayer and reduce the burdens of prolonged delays to public infrastructure. In addition, it is now possible to designate strategically important projects as critical infrastructure allowing them to be fast-tracked through approval processes. In July, the Galway city ring road was among the first transport projects to be designated as critical infrastructure."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peter 'Chap' Cleere","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere Last year, the Taoiseach told this House that the Kilkenny northern ring road extension was extremely important for a growing city like Kilkenny. I welcome the fact that the project is now on the move with surveys starting on the ground this month. As the Taoiseach knows, the completion of this road is of vital strategic importance to Kilkenny. It will give the city a new crossing over the Nore taking traffic out of the city centre and making our streets safer for everyone. It is also key to opening up new housing and planned growth on the northside of the city and giving local businesses the access they need. The council and the people of Kilkenny are 100% behind this project. As the project develops, will the Taoiseach commit to ensuring the Government makes the necessary funding available to see this road completed? He is very familiar with the road."},{"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 A first-year economics students in any of our universities will tell you that price, rent and access to housing are determined by supply but also demand. At a time of static supply, the Government is purposefully increasing demand through the issuing of tens of thousands of visas into the country. A total of 50% of people in emergency accommodation at the moment are non-Irish citizens. In Dublin, this figure is 58%. A total of 45% of mortgage drawdowns in some areas are taken up for people who have recently come to the country. In 2024, the Government issued 40,000 working visas and 60,000 student visas. The Government is building 30,000 homes. Can it not draw the dots between the two difficulties?"},{"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 Dublin Mid-West is one of the constituencies in the State that is delivering more and more housing growth. While this is very welcome, it is also putting unprecedented pressure on our local infrastructure. On many occasions, I have raised with the Taoiseach the need for concerted investment in a medium-term strategy to deliver DART+ South West as soon as we can by bringing forward funding for that and to ensure that the Luas line to Lucan gets over the line in terms of the emerging preferred route being published this year, along with a railway order as soon as possible afterwards. Houses are being built and people will need the public transport links to back those houses up. It is important that DART+ South West and the Luas line to Lucan are prioritised."},{"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 south Galway flood relief scheme is a critical scheme to protect homes in the south Galway area from flooding, which has had a devastating impact in the past. This scheme has been delayed for many years. Last week, we were informed that construction works as part of the project are not expected to start until 2029. This is hugely concerning for residents in the area whose homes are at risk and left exposed to potential flooding. I am asking the Taoiseach to commit here today that this scheme will be designated as a critical infrastructure project to ensure that OPW and planning approval can be expedited so that people's homes are adequately protected."},{"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 Wastewater capacity is a major obstacle to housing delivery across Ireland with towns like Edenderry in my constituency unable to reach their full potential. The Government has found a practical solution through modular wastewater treatment units. I raised this at a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Infrastructure and National Development Plan Delivery where we heard that no developer-led schemes had yet progressed. Having listened to people in the industry, I believe the remaining obstacle is financial. We have the solution. Will the Taoiseach consider safe funding for these units to unlock badly needed houses across the country and not increase the price of housing to purchasers?"},{"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 wish to raise the ongoing delays with the BusConnects project in Cork. This project was initially announced in 2021 with the initial consultation phase but over five years later, we have seen little or no implementation. It was hailed as being transformational for Cork bus services with a 53% increase in the services available, 11 dedicated sustainable transport corridors and so on, but implementation has been chronically slow. I ask the Taoiseach to take the matter up with the NTA so that we can get a firm timeline on the implementation from here on."},{"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 Underfunded and underdeveloped wastewater treatment in Dundalk is impacting the delivery of housing and future industrial development. I think of my own estate, Bay Estate, and places like Cluan Enda, which are at constant risk of flooding. While we need catchment flood risk assessment and management, CFRAM, protections, the fact is we are impacted because 80% of Dundalk consists of joint control systems that are not up to scratch in any way, shape or form. If we are talking about the Coes Road pumping station or the treatment plan, what was previously 2027 is now 2029 and what was 2029 is 2034. We need to see delivery."},{"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 The Dunsink urban area plan is potentially one of the most ambitious public housing projects seen for decades. This is an opportunity for thousands of affordable homes. However, the way it has been dealt with so far does not bode well. First, the density increased from 7,000, indicated two years ago in a question that I put on the council, to 18,500. It has now gone down to 16,000. It was to be dealt with in one day and councillors had to insist on five more meetings. The way this has been handled does not bode well for the future of the project. The Government needs to step in and see that the infrastructure is delivered."},{"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 Digital infrastructure is a critical component of the AI transition we are seeing in our economy and society. I acknowledge the Taoiseach's establishment of a Cabinet subcommittee for AI and the success of the AI summit, which should be a yearly event. One of the recommendations of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence was for a citizens' assembly on AI. I have proposed it in the discussion document that I generated for my party's Ard-Fheis this Saturday. Is a citizens' assembly something the Taoiseach might consider as a way of getting through the misinformation and misapprehension and involving the public trust that is out there regarding the AI transition in our economy and society?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James O'Connor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-O'Connor.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"James-O'Connor.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy James O'Connor The route stop selection of the N25 Midleton to Youghal scheme is due for publication before the end of this year. This is an important infrastructure and national road upgrade that we have long fought for with the Taoiseach's co-operation. Could we get an update about the status of Government support for this project? We estimate the cost could be anywhere from \u20ac250 million up to \u20ac400 million. We need to see it completed."},{"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 many years, we campaigned to get social and affordable housing on the Shanganagh Castle site. The Land Development Agency, LDA, has finally built it but now serious problems are already emerging in this flagship development. The council just did a survey of the 100 cost-rental homes and found that 40% of them did not meet standards. There are problems with disability access and heating systems and residents are being charged \u20ac120 a month for parking. The council asked the LDA to come in twice to discuss these problems but it did not turn up and neither did the private company that has been hired to manage it. Could the Taoiseach tell the LDA to hold itself accountable to D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and the people of the area for these serious problems?"},{"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 The data centre construction companies that the Taoiseach and his Government have been trumpeting as success stories have turned out to be rogue employers of the worst sort. Thanks to an Investigate Europe investigation, we know that workers on Irish-run sites have suffered serious injuries, including electrocution, a TB outbreak, rat-infested accommodation, unpaid wages, excessively long hours and union busting. Unions have won \u20ac1.3 million in compensation from Irish company BenBau at a Microsoft site in Sweden. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Is the Taoiseach confident, like his former Cabinet colleague Tom Parlon, that these companies comply with labour legislation?"},{"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 The Taoiseach knows my work on private wires, plug-in solar systems and long-range storage but, ultimately, it is all undermined if our electricity grid cannot keep pace. Two weeks ago in the Oireachtas Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy, I questioned EirGrid about renewable connection offers that depend on PR6 being delivered on time. We have seen PR6 and previous infrastructure being delayed so I asked EirGrid, which refused to answer my question three times, whether it will ensure that ESB and EirGrid provide clear connection platforms and if they fall short, who is responsible."},{"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 Roads in west Cork have serious infrastructural deficits. Bypasses in Innishannon and Bandon, the northern relief road, the southern relief road and the Bantry bypass have all been talked about for the past 20 years. The last bypass involving any real expenditure was the Skibbereen bypass, which was built in 2003. The condition of the Ballydehob Road is shocking. There are no passing bays on the M71. I do not understand why we are left behind. I see today the Boher-Scart R572 road near Castletownbere and the Dromdeegy and Dunmanway roads have now been put off so the people in Castletownbere will not get their roads surfaced this year as was promised. What is wrong?"},{"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 failure to provide adequate wastewater infrastructure and the failure of Uisce \u00c9ireann to properly manage and upgrade existing facilities is contributing to the discharge of untreated and inadequately treated sewage into our waterways in Meath and Louth. This issue was very well addressed at a large public meeting in Navan last night. What is the Government going to do to address this failure? Will the Taoiseach commit to direct intervention with Uisce \u00c9ireann, an urgent assessment of wastewater infrastructure failures affecting Meath and Louth and a clear, funded timetable for necessary upgrades?"},{"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 Cobh, one of Cork\u2019s largest towns, remains dependent on a single road connection to the mainland. The proposed Great Island connectivity scheme has been under consideration since 2019 yet the Government\u2019s current timetable does not envisage construction beginning until 2030. There is a serious resulting constraint on housing development, economic activity and the safety of residents. Will the Taoiseach intervene to accelerate this project, provide the necessary funding and publish a credible timetable for delivering a second access route to Great Island?"},{"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 Households, families and businesses in Dungarvan have endured repeated water outages, including prolonged ones, over the last week. I want to acknowledge the Uisce \u00c9ireann workers on the ground restoring supplies and the work of my colleague, Councillor Kate O\u2019Mahoney, in supporting affected residents. However, serious questions now need to be answered about the causes of these outages, the conditions of the network serving Dungarvan and the investment required to prevent a repeat. Households and businesses have faced considerable disruption with communication from Uisce \u00c9ireann also falling far short of what people should expect. This cannot be treated as an isolated operational difficulty. The people of Dungarvan deserve answers."},{"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 People are shocked by the decision by Iarnr\u00f3d \u00c9ireann to facilitate the greenway along the disused railway between Collooney and Charlestown. We have serious concerns about the future of the western rail corridor. Can the Taoiseach clarify the Government\u2019s long-term intentions for the strategic rail corridor, when the Claremorris to Athenry section will be delivered and whether he will commit to a clear timeline for extending the rail services northwards to Sligo?"},{"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 That is 21 Deputies for the Taoiseach to respond to, 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 thank all the Deputies for the variety and range of questions presented. I am familiar with the north Kilkenny ring road. I must have said to Deputy Cleere a couple of months ago that I thought it was very important and now he has put the words back into my mouth to reinforce my commitment to the completion of the road. Lesson learned. The Deputy can be assured that the Government is committed to getting this road completed. Deputy T\u00f3ib\u00edn raised the issue of student visas and work visas. A lot of the work visas relate to our health service. Some of them are renewables. They are high but work permits generally are for the areas of the economy that need extra workers \u2013 our health service, some technology areas and so on."},{"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 Hotels, pubs, restaurants."},{"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 Deputy."},{"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 Not really actually, no. I mean-----"},{"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 general ones are higher."},{"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 Deputy, are you-----"},{"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 Educational."},{"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 issue will be whether we want to try to work out a programme to switch off the economy to a certain extent. These are the choices facing us. We cannot slow things down. We can reduce students into the country. We can reduce work permits if we wish but then we would have to be prepared for the implications of that. We need to map out the implications of that in terms of services and so on. It is not a simple issue and it is not something that can be done just at the switch of a button. Deputy Shane Moynihan raised the DART+ South West. He has raised this consistently in the House. I have been pressing the Minister for Transport and for climate on this. I hope we will have some good news on this soon as well as the Luas line to Lucan, and the importance of public transport more generally. Deputy O\u2019Hara raised construction work on the flood relief scheme. If he had been told it was 2029, I presume this was by the engineers. We cannot rush a flood relief scheme. We cannot skip crucial milestones in terms of public consultation in flood relief schemes."},{"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 We have to expedite the planning."},{"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 That is rhetorical, Deputy."},{"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 spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, on this and to the OPW. These are very complex engineering projects. They have to be done right. What happens is people give a timeline and then we say, \u201cWe were told it will not be until\u201d. The date that is given is the date at which people feel they will complete it, I presume, or else when they will start construction or whatever, but these all have to do with the planning, design and so on. On wastewater treatment plants, I think Deputy McCormack was suggesting that we would now support-----"},{"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 It was wastewater modular units."},{"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 Yes."},{"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 Taoiseach, it does not work 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 am just seeking clarity. That is all."},{"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 know but there are still 17 other Deputies."},{"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 Do not worry. The point is the Government has been funding a lot in the construction sector. Eighty percent of all housing built in the country is now supported by the State. We want to get some action on these modular plants. There has not been enough delivery yet and the nature-based approach has not yet yielded results considering we have given it the green light. We are working on that with Uisce \u00c9ireann and the EPA. Deputy Michael McGrath raised Cork BusConnects. It is fair to say there was huge consultation on that. There was a lot of public consultation before the documents were ready for planning to go in. That probably took a lot of time since the announcement in 2021. I was involved in a lot of representations on behalf of people, as no doubt the Deputy was too. It created a lot of heat in different communities but ultimately I think they have arrived at an accommodation with a lot of communities and residents. I hope we can progress it as quickly as possible. It would be a transformation with bus corridors and transport in the city. Deputy \u00d3 Murch\u00fa raised Dundalk and CFRAM."},{"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 Uisce \u00c9ireann as well."},{"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 No."},{"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 had a lot in his question. He probably got the most in in 30 seconds of anybody. I will see what we can do with Uisce \u00c9ireann, and the OPW I presume, in relation to the implementation of CFRAM. On Dunsink, again, the Government does not run every local authority. We are asked repeatedly in the House to intervene on what is happening in local authorities. The Deputy is saying it has gone down to 16,000 houses. Is this the rezoning?"},{"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 No, the-----"},{"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 That was rhetorical."},{"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 The Taoiseach was asking me."},{"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, I will ask my team to try and find out the issue there. The AI summit was a very successful summit with some very heavy hitters and good insightful speakers. A lot of companies came to Ireland. I am not so sure that doing it annually is the correct way to deal with something. Sometimes, you will not repeat the same thing again and again but you do need to have sequels, follow-ups and things like that. I have asked my officials to look at the prospect of sectoral approaches to AI. We have an Oireachtas committee as well. I will keep an open mind on the citizens\u2019 assembly but I know the Oireachtas committee is bringing in a lot of people which is where the action is at the moment in respect of public policy. It is amazing that Deputy James O\u2019Connor campaigned for something that had small beginnings in terms of money, and now he has quoted somewhere between \u20ac250 million and \u20ac400 million."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"James O'Connor","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/James-O'Connor.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"James-O'Connor.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy James O'Connor Ballpark."},{"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 No."},{"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 think this road has to be done and this issue has to be dealt with because of the traffic queues, the number of workers on that corridor and the towns that have expanded beyond compare in very recent times. That will be needed and the Government will have to find the money to make sure we do that, but I think we are in a position to do it over the next number of years. On social and affordable houses in Shanganagh, I have not had the same account as the Deputy. Is he is saying 40% of houses are defective?"},{"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 cost rentals."},{"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 40% of the cost rentals. I will engage with the LDA on that and try to get a report on what is happening there. On data centre construction, I do not know what companies Deputy Murphy is talking about. He said companies."},{"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 BenBau, Collen and others."},{"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 Rhetorical."},{"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 Again, I will have to get a proper presentation on that. I am not so sure everyone in Ireland engaged in data construction. Many of these companies are global, not the ones the Deputy is talking about but other ones, and I do not think we can be branding everybody under the same title of rogue employers. I do not think that is fair. I have not seen the report the Deputy referenced. The good news for Deputy Heneghan is the Minister is making a lot of progress on private wires legislation and plug-in solar. The electricity grid and EirGrid were mentioned. We met EirGrid last week. It has outlined significant investment plans after 2030. The issue with EirGrid for everyone in the House is that the only thing that will slow things down is objections. Whether they are to power lines or connections, they are a big factor in progressing any grid infrastructure. We will have significant issues in the time ahead trying to get proper grid resilience and trying to strengthen and extend the grid and have a stronger grid. That is one of the big issues facing us. Deputy Collins named a lot of bypasses and I am familiar with all those areas. We are allocating a lot of resources. There is a lot of inflation in road construction and it is eating into the resources, but we will engage with Cork County Council about progress on a number of those roads. On sewage in Meath and Louth, we are working with the OPW and Uisce \u00c9ireann to try to deal with those issues. I do not have the specifics of the issues he referenced in Meath and Louth, but the Government, working through the agencies, is allocating unprecedented resources to deal with these issues. The Government is supportive of the Great Island connectivity scheme. There were planning issues in respect of it which had an impact on housing and relocation of industry from the docklands in Cork city to the east. We are supportive of the second access route. A lot will depend on the planning, design and so forth. Deputy Conor McGuinness praised the Uisce \u00c9ireann workers on the ground in Dungarvan who restored the water. The reorganisation of Uisce \u00c9ireann, as regards it moving out of the local authorities and so on, was a factor for a number of years. I think it has been completed so I hope we will continue to see an enhancement and improvement of the water network. The greenway is important. A lot of people wanted it and these are not mutually exclusive objectives. The all-island rail review predicted this stretch will not be in a position to accommodate a railway until approximately 2050. It is 2026 so meanwhile a greenway could do a lot for the area. We have already sanctioned funding for the extension of the western railway. We have made substantial progress on it and will continue to do so. We have allocated substantial resources to it. We should not lose sight of that either. The greenway can be an important amenity and create additional economic benefits for the region."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Cabinet Committees"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_19","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Cross-Border Co-operation","counts":{"speechCount":39,"speakerCount":17},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_17","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_17","showAs":"Ceisteanna - Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_19","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}},{"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":" A Deputy","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Erin McGreehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","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":"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":"Eoin Hayes","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","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":"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":"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":"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}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_19.xml"},"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 Deputies will appreciate that we are now three minutes into the time for the next question. If it is okay with the Taoiseach, we will take his full response as read into the record."},{"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 would like to be able to read some of it. We can take three minutes off the whole lot or we can go for three minutes longer."},{"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 Well then, we will add on time. I remind Members we cannot have a back and forth once Deputies have asked their questions."},{"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 Deputy Paul Murphy will try not to do 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 No, everyone needs to undertake not to do so. We have fewer Members, but to get an honest 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 I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 to 43, inclusive, together. The programme for Government and the revised national development plan set out an ambitious agenda for building our shared island, backed by a total \u20ac2 billion commitment to the shared island fund to 2035. We are forging ahead with this investment and co-operation agenda across all sectors. The Narrow Water Bridge reached a major milestone in its construction on 20 October. Major steel components of the bridge arrived from Belgium at Carlingford Lough for assembly on site in the coming months. The bridge will do far more than connect two shores. It will bring communities closer, strengthen links between the Mourne Mountains and the Cooley Peninsula and help to unlock new opportunities for recreation, sustainable tourism and economic development across the region. I look forward to seeing the bridge take shape in the months ahead and to the lasting benefits it will bring for communities on both sides of the lough. On 23 June, the Government made a funding commitment of more than \u20ac377 million from the shared island fund to resource 12 new projects to be delivered as part of the initiative between 2027 and 2030. Among these capital allocations are \u20ac193 million to improve rail infrastructure and travel times between Dublin, Belfast and Derry; \u20ac35 million for the continuation of the hourly frequency service between Dublin and Belfast to 2030; \u20ac40 million investment in offshore renewable energy servicing facilities at eligible ports North and South; and a \u20ac3.5 million contribution to cricket grounds development in Belfast as part of the joint hosting by Ireland and the UK of the International Cricket Council, ICC, Men\u2019s T20 World Cup in 2030. There are also shared island fund contributions to enable major new co-operation programmes up to 2030 on water quality in Lough Neagh catchment areas North and South, with \u20ac33 million allocated; early years education; digital creative industries; industrial sustainability; a new support centre as part of the North West Cancer Centre at Altnagelvin; Border-area tourism development; and a docklands bridges delivery partnership. This brings to more than \u20ac1 billion the total investment by the Government from the fund to date, with more than 50 major all-island projects and programmes being supported by the fund. The latest dialogue phase of the shared island initiative, the shared home place programme, commenced this year. This invites people across the island and beyond to explore, through a heritage and culture lens, the question of what a shared home place means to them, past, present, and future. A number of components are being taken forward by the Heritage Council, national cultural institutions and a diaspora voices project through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The shared island media initiative, led by Coimisi\u00fan na Me\u00e1n, has a new shared island sound and vision strand, which will also include options for programming and productions in response to the shared home place programme. The shared island research programme continues to provide high-quality evidence and analysis of the island as a whole in economic and social terms. All research is available at a new repository, gov.ie\/sharedisland\/research , which I launched on 29 June, to host and increase accessibility to the more than 50 shared island research programme outputs to date. Further ESRI shared island work is in train on health inequalities, economic trends, productivity, regional inequality, gender-based violence and care of older persons, to be published over the coming months. Finally, implementation of the programme for Government commitment to a new North-South statistical series is being taken forward by the Central Statistics Office, CSO. There was a first publication on 3 June, Ireland and Northern Ireland: A Regional Economic Comparison. The series by the CSO, in consultation with its Northern Ireland counterpart, will provide further comparable data on social and economic measures across both jurisdictions."},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Louise O'Reilly) The first speaker is Deputy Devlin. There are a lot of speakers. I ask each one to take 30 seconds and then we will have a transfer and answer."},{"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. Given the popularity, success and demand for shared island funding, including the \u20ac10 million the Taoiseach referenced for the digital creative industries innovation programme announced by the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, in mid-October, will he outline some of the key priority schemes for the period 2027 to 2030?"},{"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 The shared island initiative is not just a concept now. It is an important programme of investment which will help to realise the potential of many of the natural resources on this island. I particularly welcome the focus on broader tourism development, especially in the area of regenerative tourism. The Taoiseach was in the Cuilcagh Mountain area with me on the Cavan-Fermanagh border, where he saw first hand the Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark. I welcome the investment he approved for that tourism initiative. I also welcome that he approved the commissioning by the National Economic and Social Council of a study of the opportunities and challenges facing the central Border region. We have particular challenges in that region, both North and South, because we do not have any major urban centre. I hope the work will proceed as rapidly as possible to identify the opportunities because far too often in the past, currency fluctuations and so on destroyed our economies on both sides of the Border at different times. I therefore welcome that development."},{"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 There is no volume."},{"speaker":{"showAs":" A Deputy","uri":null,"memberCode":null,"role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"A Deputy There is no microphone."},{"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 Can the clock be stopped?"},{"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 can hear the Deputy."},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Louise O'Reilly) Yes, but it might not be recorded."},{"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 He is going over to the Opposition benches. The flexibility of Deputy Crowe is to be commended."},{"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 think this was Deputy O'Gorman's seat so it is a kind of in-between seat. The shared island unit has demonstrated the immense power of cross-Border investment from the A5 upgrade to the landmark \u20ac50 million investment in Casement Park. However, as we build world-class shared sport infrastructure, our competitive sporting structures must also evolve. The success of the women's all-island cup proves that cross-Border football works. It commands a massive public appetite and it can break down those age-old divisions. However, the men's domestic game remains structurally fractured and an all-island national team remains a distant ambition. If rugby and hockey can compete, win and unite as one island on the sporting stage, why not soccer? Will the Taoiseach commit that the shared island unit will actively engage with both the FAI and the IFA to explore the possibility of a fully unified league structure here on this island under a single historic all-island football association that truly represents everyone across this island?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Erin McGreehan","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","memberCode":"Erin-McGreehan.S.2020-06-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Erin McGreehan The shared island initiative has real potential to strengthen the Irish language and our shared heritage. Omeath Park House has huge history. It was built by John Obins Woodhouse from Portadown and later hosted Col\u00e1iste Bhr\u00edde, founded by Eoin MacNeill, where P\u00e1draig Pearse is believed to have written the Irish Proclamation. Omeath is the home of the Irish language in the north east and right along the east coast. The Fadgies came from Omeath and set up the first urban Gaeltacht in Belfast. I want the shared island unit to invest in this community, in the Irish language and in protecting this history."},{"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 welcome the new Government body that is tasked with scoping out models and, I assume, challenges in relation to different constitutional futures in Ireland. Perhaps the Taoiseach could give details. This means research and preparations on the possibility of Irish unity. I assume this is Government leading out in relation to the issue. This does not take away from any work being done as regards reconciliation. Are there plans for a forum where we can have the conversations that need to happen on what a new Ireland would look like? This should not be held up by particular issues happening within political unionism at the moment."},{"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 The one thing we share on this island is a danger of gender-based violence and we have the femicide epidemic. By my count, there have been four femicides in the North and 11 in the South this year. By femicide, I do not just mean women being murdered; I mean women murdered by men because they are women. The rate in the South has doubled since last year. Women's Aid has had an increase of one third in calls but not in funding. Why has Women's Aid in the North had its core funding cut completely and utterly when there is a femicide epidemic? Loredana Morosanu, the latest femicide victim, exhibited signs of violence and distress and sought help, but still got killed. Why did the justice Minister see fit to spend his time pulling up the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre about a consent advertisement when there is a femicide and gender-based violence epidemic on this island? I really think he needs to be held to account for 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 was in Newry last night meeting with People Before Profit members who are part of the SOS Daisy Hill campaign, which is about the hospital in Newry from which the Southern Trust has decided to relocate maternity services to Craigavon hospital. Thousands of people have been marching in Newry because of this. The shared island unit comes into this because 71,000 people in the Republic use Daisy Hill Hospital. For them, it is the nearest acute hospital. The problem is with consultants. Is the Taoiseach engaged with this very serious issue which is affecting, on a cross-Border basis, the acute and maternity services for Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry. Will he engage with it? Should we not use the shared island fund to try to assist in developing an all-Ireland health service which will not dismantle maternity services and other services in Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry?"},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Louise O'Reilly) I ask people to stick to their time if we are to have any chance of an answer."},{"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 Someone living in the North who loses a loved one can contact one government service, called Tell Us Once, and it informs all relevant state bodies. No such thing is available in the South. Instead, people have the upset about correspondence still coming to the loved one who has passed away and the hassle of contacting multiple State agencies. Will the Government commit to introduce a similar tell-us-once service in the South to enable those whose loved ones have passed away to contact the State once and it then informs all relevant Departments?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Eoin Hayes","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Eoin-Hayes.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Eoin Hayes I join the Taoiseach in welcoming the repeal and replacement of the legacy legislation in the UK House of Commons. It was notable that some MPs raised concerns on committee stage over the Irish Government's commitment to fulfil its obligations to work with the UK Government as a result of this Act. Will the Taoiseach commit to ensuring that the Irish Government will fulfil its obligations to ensure that legacy is something we properly address? A core part of reconciliation has to be restorative justice. I was reminded of that as Brian Stack's family were here two weeks ago. Will the Taoiseach commit to ensuring that restorative justice is a part of the legacy and the resolution in relation to the Troubles?"},{"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 announcement of the new Government body to be tasked with scoping out the models and challenges for different potential constitutional futures. I ask the Taoiseach to indicate a timeline? Will it be before Christmas, which is the expectation? What opportunity will the people of Ireland have to submit to this research and planning exercise because the people of Ireland want to be part of this conversation?"},{"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 Talking about a shared island goes back to the need to talk about our shared electricity grid. There are ongoing delays with the North-South interconnector. If EirGrid is issuing grid connections for renewable projects that depend on major transmission upgrades, it should be reassessing those delays. I have asked this repeatedly of EirGrid and I ask the Taoiseach to ask EirGrid. We are talking about \u20ac19 billion in planned grid investment for our shared island, for the North-South interconnector and for all of Ireland. My question is simple: who is ultimately accountable for delivering that infrastructure on time? If EirGrid is issuing connection offers and the grid is delayed, can the Taoiseach ensure it reassesses those offers? I understand we need investment in our grid from renewable projects, but we need guarantees that the grid will be able to take them."},{"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 Taoiseach has acknowledged that the shared island initiative is not enough to prepare for Irish unity. Will the body that is proposed to examine the case support a proper process of planning for a united Ireland? Will that process involve all communities and all perspectives? Will there be an opportunity for people from all across this island to feed into that process and to have their say? The conversation has been ongoing for a long time, but it has certainly gathered pace over the last number of years. People want to have their say and feed into that process. That road to Damascus conversion to the planning process is really welcome, late in the day as it might be, and people are up for the conversation. I am eager to have space provided for communities all across the island of Ireland to engage in the process."},{"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 also welcome the announcement for the preparation for the constitutional future and I look forward to getting the details of that. The Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, ISIF, has significant investment capacity but its statutory remit currently restricts investments to the Twenty-six Counties. Given the considerable infrastructure and economic development needs and opportunities that would benefit the whole of the island, can ISIF's remit be expanded to allow for investments in projects in the North, thereby complementing the shared island fund and supporting balanced economic development across the island?"},{"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 for their contributions. I appreciate Deputy Devlin's comments in respect of shared island. I outlined some of the key allocations that will be focused on over the next number of years in my earlier reply. The Dublin-Belfast-Derry rail infrastructure will involve an investment of about \u20ac193 million up to 2030. The Minister for Transport and his Northern Ireland counterpart are taking forward this major investment project to boost rail connectivity between Derry, Belfast and Dublin. The work on a set of agreed projects, North and South, will increase line speed, capacity and service resilience, in line with the all-island strategic rail review, which we produced some years ago under the shared island unit, and the joint rail project prioritisation strategy. This is co-funded with aligned investment by the Department of Transport and the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure in both the Dublin-Belfast and Belfast-Derry lines. It builds on the strong partnership approach between the Government and the Executive on planning a co-ordinated investment in rail infrastructure and services, including the \u20ac700 million Enterprise fleet replacement programme, the contract signing for which I attended in Belfast in May, and which is in receipt of \u20ac165 million from PEACEPLUS. There is, therefore, significant stuff on rail. The continuation of the hourly frequency service to Belfast is a significant impact of shared island funding. We are now providing funding for the next three years, until 2030, for the Belfast-Dublin line. The hourly frequency service was introduced in October 2024. It effectively doubles rail connectivity between Dublin and Belfast, as the two largest cities on the island, supporting economic and societal connections. There has been a 40% increase in passenger numbers in its first year. We have an offshore renewable energy ports development scheme. A total of \u20ac40 million has been allocated to that. The idea is that the Minister for Transport, in consultation with his Northern Ireland Executive counterpart, is overseeing progress of a new offshore renewable energy ports development scheme. It will enable progress next year with eligible projects at an advanced stage of development. By investing on an island-wide basis, the scheme will increase the capacity, agility and resilience of offshore renewable energy, ORE, in many areas and support the development of island-wide supply chains for ORE. We are contributing to the cricket grounds in Belfast in terms of the redevelopment of cricket facilities at the Stormont Estate in Belfast. That will support the hosting of the T20 Cricket World Cup 2030. The programme for Government commits to an all-island approach to that. The Executive, Cricket Ireland and the Northern Ireland Civil Servants Sports Association are also funding the project. I can go on to the issue of water in Lough Neagh-----"},{"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 Please do not. We have a lot of questions."},{"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 A total of \u20ac33 million was allocated to improving water quality in the Lough Neagh catchment area. That is now under way until 2031. Both Departments are also contributing funding. Over \u20ac10 million is being provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and over \u20ac13 million is being provided by Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Some \u20ac13 million has been provided to early learning skills and early learning and childcare services across the island. The digital creative industries has been allocated \u20ac10 million to strengthen those industries across the island, delivered by the Higher Education Authority. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, and I announced that on 16 October. The sustainability challenge fund has been allocated \u20ac20 million, and so in. There is also healthcare co-operation. Deputy Brendan Smith raised the issue of Border tourism and Cuilcagh UNESCO Geopark. He first brought this to my attention and the shared island initiative enabled for that to be purchased by the State to create, in essence, a nationally controlled park. We are now developing a tourism project there as well. There are also other tourism projects, particularly in Carlingford and Mourne, to complement the work of the Narrow Water bridge so that these areas become areas of destination in future from a tourism perspective. I hear Deputy Smith loud and clear in terms of the central Border region. That study is extremely important. There is a lot we can do into the future to create greater economic output and activity, which would benefit North and South. Deputy Crowe raised the issue of the A5 upgrade, which we are fully committed to. That is being funded directly out of our NDP-----"},{"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 referred to football associations."},{"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 coming to that, but the Deputy also mentioned the A5. In terms of football, we do not try to prescribe or overly interfere with the running of things. There is a long history. David McCullagh's recent book, From Crown to Harp , is a very good publication. From the very beginning, following partition, both football associations went their separate ways, almost independent of the politics of what was going on at the time. There have been different attempts over the years to try to create greater synergy and harmony between the two football associations. I would love to see that. I will put it this way to the Deputy. Shared island funding is available for cross-Border collaboration and shared programmes between soccer in Northern Ireland and soccer in the Republic. I hope the two associations could continue to engage on that. Deputy McGreehan raised the interesting history of Omeath Park House. I will engage with her in respect of that in terms of the Irish language and the heritage there. Deputy \u00d3 Murch\u00fa raised reconciliation, which is very important. The shared island initiative is separate from any work. One of the successes of the shared island initiative is that all shades of opinion and all traditions have engaged with it in different communities in an open and constructive way. It is important that we protect that, without any preconditions. In terms of a new pathway and how we approach the future constitutional frameworks on this island, we need to bring as many voices as possible to the table, and do it in a way that is not just nationalists and republicans talking to each other. That has failed in the past. The Good Friday Agreement was based on the principles of people coming around the table to get-----"},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Louise O'Reilly) There are seven questions outstanding. I ask the Taoiseach to please try to get to them."},{"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 the shared island initiative, we have worked with Women's Aid and provided funding for a joint approach between the National Women's Council of Ireland and Women's Aid in respect of gender-based violence. We want to do more projects with Women's Aid in respect of this issue. The Deputy is correct; it is a grave issue. We have real issues here, North and South, in respect of it. In response Deputy Boyd Barrett's question, we do not run the health services in the North. That is a matter for the elected representatives of Northern Ireland and for the Executive. There may be a background issue to the relocation of maternity services. Every health service has had strategic reconfiguration of services. It does not mean the end or closure of any particular hospital, but it can mean different things are going on in different hospitals. We contributed significantly to the cancer and heart centres in Altnagelvin Hospital. We do invest-----"},{"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 Engage on Daisy Hill Hospital."},{"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 Northern Ireland hospitals, but we do not interfere with the policy. That is a matter for the Executive and those in government 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 It is to do with training consultants. They need help."},{"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 lots of tricky and complex issues in respect of that. In response to Deputy Murphy, I will ask our public service to look at that service in Northern Ireland, with a view to seeing whether we can establish something similar here. It is a good initiative. The whole project is about learning from each other. Different jurisdictions can do things better and we can learn too and adopt some of what is going in Northern Ireland. They have been very helpful to us in emergency preparedness, for example, and supporting us when we have had emergencies in the Republic. Deputy Eoin Hayes raised restorative justice. We will commit to implementing that. Legislation has been agreed to by the Government in terms of implementing the framework agreement in respect of legacy. We are committed to doing that. I hope the Minister will be able to bring legislation to the House sar' i bhfad. Deputy O'Rourke raised the timeline. Again, my comments are similar to what I said earlier to Deputy \u00d3 Murch\u00fa. All voices are important. We have further work to do at Government level on this. We will revert as soon as the proposals are fleshed out. Deputy Heneghan raised the interconnector. I am not quite getting what he is hinting at. There have been strong political issues around the delay on the interconnector for a long number of years. We need the interconnector for houses, industry, farming and agriculture. I have said to EirGrid that it needs to communicate with communities up and down the country. We need a comprehensive engagement with communities in respect of energy needs into the future and the needs of our electricity grid, which are going to be critical. There are three dimensions to Deputy McGuinness's question. The shared island funding has been very impactful. I think we need reform of the institutions in Northern Ireland. It is a critical next step. I have been saying that for the last four to five years. We then need to have a pathway, as per the constitutional change we made in 1999. We desire unity in our Constitution. Our Constitution states that we want to pursue unity, but in peace and harmony. Some of the rhetoric we saw in recent times does not lead in that direction. We need to be very conscious of all of that. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh raised ISIF. There are organisations within Northern Ireland, such as Invest Northern Ireland and so on, which are working with new starts and the enterprise sector. I am not ruling anything out, but we would have to be careful that we are not cutting across Executive functions within the North."},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Louise O'Reilly) I thank the Taoiseach. I am only the Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach. I will not be asked to Chair proceedings again after going this far over time."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Cross-Border Co-operation"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_20","debateType":"debate","bill":null,"showAs":"Message from Select Committee","counts":{"speechCount":1,"speakerCount":1},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_20","speakers":[{"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}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Louise O'Reilly) The Select Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has completed its consideration of the Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025, and has made amendments thereto."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Message from Select Committee"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_21","debateType":"statement","bill":null,"showAs":"Our Rural Future: Statements","counts":{"speechCount":48,"speakerCount":40},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_21","speakers":[{"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":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Conor D. 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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}},{"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":"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":"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":"Peter 'Chap' Cleere","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.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":"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":"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":"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":"Michael Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Healy-Rae.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Michael-Healy-Rae.D.2011-03-09","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":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":null,"pdf":null},"text":[{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Louise O'Reilly) I call on the Minister, Deputy Calleary, to make his statement under Standing Order 56."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Dara Calleary","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","memberCode":"Dara-Calleary.D.2007-06-14","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Dara Calleary) Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh Gn\u00edomhach. It is good to see you in the Chair. We will all give the Ceann Comhairle a reference to say how good you are. Is c\u00fais \u00e1thais dom deis a bheith agam labhairt sa Teach inniu maidir le \u00c1r dTodhcha\u00ed Tuaithe, beartas forbartha tuaithe n\u00e1isi\u00fanta nua an Rialtais don tr\u00e9imhse \u00f3 2026 go 2031 a sheolamar seachtain \u00f3 shin. Gabhaim bu\u00edochas le hoifigigh mo Roinne a d'oibrigh go d\u00edograiseach chun an beartas seo a fhorbairt le roinnt m\u00edonna anuas. Nuair a sheolamar \u00c1r dTodhcha\u00ed Tuaithe in 2021, bhraitheamar ollmh\u00e9id na hacmhainne a bhaineann len\u00e1r gceantair thuaithe. Leagamar amach cur chuige uaillmhianach uile-rialtais i leith na forbartha tuaithe. Cuireann an leagan nua de \u00c1r dTodhcha\u00ed Tuaithe leis an dul chun cinn suntasach at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta go dt\u00ed seo. Leagtar amach f\u00eds ann i gcomhair ceantair thuaithe na h\u00c9ireann at\u00e1 br\u00edomhar agus ina gcuirtear daoine agus pobail tuaithe ag cro\u00edl\u00e1r na forbartha tuaithe. Our Rural Future 2036-2031 brings together commitments from across Government to ensure that rural communities have the infrastructure, services and supports they need to prosper. It includes a range of new measures and initiatives to support rural enterprise and employment, improve access to essential services in remote areas, tackle rural isolation and strengthen community resilience through innovation and technology. Before I get into the details of the new policy, I would like to spend a few moments reflecting on what has been achieved so far. In the past five years, Our Rural Future has delivered vital investment and supports to rural areas, strengthened local economies and improved quality of life for people across rural Ireland. Through sustained investment and strong partnerships with local authorities, State agencies and rural communities, the Government has delivered real improvements across rural Ireland. Government has provided an unprecedented level of investment in rural communities, with more than \u20ac1 billion allocated to support thousands of projects since 2020. These investments range from small-scale local improvements to large-scale regeneration initiatives, all delivering tangible social, economic and environmental benefits for rural communities. The first Our Rural Future policy set out an ambitious set of actions over its lifetime and our approach to implementation was successful. One hundred and fifty measures, or 84%, are either fully completed or being successfully implemented. This has shown we can and will deliver for rural Ireland. Through the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, and the town and village renewal scheme, over \u20ac560 million has been invested in rural regeneration projects, helping to tackle vacancy and dereliction, revitalise town centres and support economic activity in our rural towns and villages. The development of a national network of over 400 remote working hubs has opened up new opportunities for remote working, while the roll-out of the national broadband plan has improved digital connectivity. We have seen significant improvements in essential services. The connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, for example, has delivered 185 new or enhanced services since its launch in 2022, linking over 240 towns and villages to the public transport network. We have also strengthened the infrastructure at the heart of community life. The community centre investment fund has invested over \u20ac112 million in supporting upgrades to over 1,600 community facilities, helping to ensure that communities have welcoming, accessible and comfortable spaces in which to come together. We have allocated funding of over \u20ac150 million under the local improvement scheme, funding work on over 3,000 road projects and benefiting over 16,000 people. This year CL\u00c1R has been expanded, bringing the total population under it to over 1 million people for the first time. We can see the benefits of this investment on the regeneration and revitalisation of town and village centres and the enhancement of community facilities and public amenities, such as community centres, walking trails, libraries, playgrounds and public realm works. The funding and supports delivered under the rural development investment programme will continue to have a critical role to play in the implementation of the new Our Rural Future. One of my priorities is to ensure that funding available under the programme is responsive to priorities at local level. We will roll out further calls for proposals across all schemes under the programme to support small, medium and large-scale capital projects in rural areas, delivering \u20ac500 million in capital funding over the 2026-2028 period. We will implement improvements to the rural development investment programme to ensure this funding is more accessible to community groups on the ground. This will ensure that the communities most in need receive funding. One of the greatest privileges of serving as Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht is the opportunity to visit communities across the country and see at first hand the impact of our investment. Behind every project and every big figure are real benefits for real people and tangible improvements that are making a meaningful difference to people\u2019s everyday lives. Last month, I visited Leitrim and turned the sod on the Glenfarne wood project. This project received \u20ac2.45 million in RRDF funding and will transform the woodland and lakeshore of Glenfarne into a major visitor attraction within Ireland\u2019s hidden heartlands, bringing more visitors, more footfall, more spending and, consequently, more jobs to the area. I opened the new narrow gauge trail in Drumshanbo, which received \u20ac400,000 in outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme, ORIS, funding and demonstrates the real and lasting impact that investment in outdoor recreation can have on rural communities. In the heart of Manorhamilton, I had the privilege of opening the Manor youth hub. This previously vacant building has been redeveloped, providing a fully accessible, dedicated and vibrant youth hub. This demonstrates the change and transformation that can happen when a local authority, Government and, most importantly, a community work together to bring their vision to life. N\u00ed g\u00e1 a r\u00e1 go bhfuil tiomantas daingean againn lean\u00faint len\u00e1r n-uaillmhian a thabhairt i gcr\u00edch i leith ceantair thuaithe na h\u00c9ireann. N\u00ed hamh\u00e1in at\u00e1imid ag tos\u00fa; is ag cur leis an m\u00e9id at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta le blianta beaga anuas agus feabhas a chur air at\u00e1imid. C\u00e9 gur cheart d\u00fainn an m\u00e9id at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta againn go dt\u00ed seo a aithint, t\u00e1 a fhios agam nach bhfuil an obair cr\u00edochnaithe. We know that rural Ireland is continuing to face severe challenges, including access to essential services, housing, climate pressures and the need to create sustainable economic opportunities. This is why Our Rural Future 2026-2031 is so important. The overarching objective of the policy remains to support the continued economic, social and environmental development of rural Ireland. It brings together commitments from across Government to support balanced regional development, protect and enhance our rural environment and ensure that rural communities have the infrastructure, services and supports they need to prosper. We will build on the momentum and progress that have been achieved to date to deliver targeted, meaningful and practical benefits that improve the everyday lives of those living and working in rural Ireland. The policy is structured around five interconnected pillars which provide a clear framework for our continued whole-of-government approach to rural development. The first pillar, thriving rural places, focuses on investing in our rural towns, villages and communities, ensuring they remain vibrant, attractive and sustainable places to live, work and raise families. Through this pillar, we will build on the significant investment already being delivered through our rural development investment programme with a particular focus on revitalising our towns and villages, improving essential infrastructure and harnessing the opportunities presented by digital connectivity. The second pillar focuses on access to high-quality public services. It recognises that the availability and accessibility of these services is fundamental to the quality of life of people living in rural areas. This will include further improvements in rural transport, ensuring that health and disability services respond to the needs of rural communities and supporting access to education and childcare. Rud at\u00e1 t\u00e1bhachtach n\u00e1 go n-aithn\u00edtear faoin chol\u00fan seo nach m\u00f3r cinnti\u00fa gur f\u00e9idir rochtain a fh\u00e1il ar sheirbh\u00eds\u00ed poibl\u00ed d'ardchaighde\u00e1n tr\u00ed Ghaeilge. T\u00e1 an plean gn\u00edomha\u00edochta ina thaobh seo i bhfeidhm anois, le sprioc maidir le 20% cainteoir\u00ed Gaeilge sa tseirbh\u00eds phoibl\u00ed faoi 2030. A strong and diverse rural economy is fundamental to Ireland\u2019s overall prosperity and competitiveness. Our third pillar thus focuses on supporting rural enterprise and employment, developing key sectors of the rural economy and ensuring that rural Ireland is well positioned to respond to a changing economy, new ways of working and challenges that may come. We want to see rural businesses grow and succeed, new opportunities for enterprise emerge and for people across rural Ireland to have the opportunity to build rewarding and successful careers without having to leave their communities. Through Our Rural Future, we will build on the strengths of our rural economy, support innovation and enterprise and ensure that rural Ireland continues to make a vital contribution to our national economic success. Our fourth pillar, resilient rural communities, recognises that the greatest strength of rural Ireland lies in its people and in the communities they call home. Across rural Ireland, we see the enormous contribution of local communities, voluntary organisations and community groups whose dedication and commitment are central to our rural areas being vibrant, inclusive and welcoming places. Through this pillar, we will build on that strong community spirit, empowering local communities to shape their own futures and equipping them to respond to new and emerging challenges. We will also focus on supporting the well-being and safety of people living in rural areas while celebrating the rich cultural heritage and diversity that make our rural communities so unique. The final pillar, sustaining our rural environment, recognises the vital role that rural Ireland will play in delivering on our climate and environmental ambition. Rural Ireland is home to some of the world\u2019s most valuable natural resources and landscapes. We have a responsibility to protect and enhance them for future generations. Through this pillar, we will support rural communities to become more resilient to the impacts of climate change while harnessing the opportunities presented by renewable energy, sustainable agriculture and forestry and the growing bioeconomy and circular economy. Protecting and restoring biodiversity will also be a key focus, recognising the importance of our natural environment to the well-being and future prosperity of rural communities. We want to ensure our rural communities are not only supported through the transition to a greener economy but are empowered to benefit from the opportunities it presents. The new policy is about building on the momentum of the past five years, strengthening what is working but responding to the changing need and ambition of rural communities. We have focused on bringing all new and existing activity together in one place. This is how we will ensure that there is an effective focus on our rural communities across the full breadth of Government activity. The policy brings together a mix of new interventions and supports, with an expansion and improvement of existing activities in key areas such as rural transport, digital connectivity, enterprise support, support for inclusive community-building, the regeneration of our towns and villages and increased investment in our community facilities. One of the most important developments is the introduction of a new strategic rural investment fund for rural Ireland within the RRDF. This will provide a new approach to investment in major strategic investments at a regional level. It will broaden the fund\u2019s remit and is aimed to help unlock major strategic capital projects and consequently attract investment and support enterprise and employment creation in rural areas. The goal of the fund will be to improve the long-term economic competitiveness and sustainability of regional and rural areas. We are currently finalising the full detail of this intervention. However, my overall aim is to provide support for a small but targeted number of projects of significant scale that deliver on our ambition to drive economic growth in regional and rural areas. We recognise the particular challenges facing some of our most remote rural communities. I believe a community-led or social enterprise-type approach can help support things like community cafes, community pubs or community shops in rural towns and villages. A new pilot initiative will be developed to support the establishment of social enterprise and community-led approaches in our most remote rural areas where gaps in local services are most acute. Community-led initiatives such as community shops and community cafes are becoming more and more prevalent. I want to be there to support them. Support will focus on areas where these key services may no longer be present in a rural community. This support will help to address unmet local needs, create employment opportunities and strengthen community resilience. Throughout our consultation process, the issue of rural isolation was mentioned and raised extensively. To respond to this, a new joint pilot initiative between my Department and Department of agriculture will explore locally based innovative approaches to addressing isolation in farming and rural communities and to strengthen social connections and well-being. Some \u20ac600,000 is earmarked for this in year one. Our approach will complement existing interventions in this area such as SICAP, Tidy Towns, CCIF, LEADER, CL\u00c1R, men's and women's sheds, etc. The pilot will be place based and informed by local circumstances. The focus will be on new and innovative elements rather than simply funding existing activities or extending existing activities. We will see what is effective and what works well and then take our learnings from this pilot to inform ongoing initiatives that can be integrated into wider programmes such as SICAP and LEADER. Through a new community-led rural innovation fund, we will support locally driven initiatives that harness innovation and technology to address new challenges and build resilience in rural communities. I want to tap into local knowledge to see how new technologies will address specific local challenges in rural communities. We have set out the Government\u2019s 34 commitments for delivery across all Departments and agencies over the lifetime of this policy. These commitments are supported by clear and practical actions. They are backed by substantial investment targeted at securing a more sustainable and resilient future for rural communities. Over 230 actions are set out for delivery over the first half of the policy period to the end 2028 across a wide range of areas from health, housing and education to digital connectivity, enterprise development and our culture, heritage and language. The development of these actions was rooted in a set of principles which guided our policymaking. These principles were informed by our consultation process, our experience of delivering policy and international best practice. It is very important to me for this policy to be people centred and placed based. This means putting people at the centre of this policy and understanding that there is a huge variety in the rural places we all call home. We recognised the unique circumstances and needs of different rural communities throughout the development of these actions. Another one of our principles is progression. We will build on our achievements; however, we will retain the flexibility needed to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities across the wide variety of rural contexts. The policy is grounded in participation and inclusion. It recognises the importance of addressing exclusion, isolation and inequality. We recognise the interdependence of our urban and rural areas. The success of each contributes to the prosperity of the other. Based on this principle, we took an integrated approach to policy development to ensure Our Rural Future 2026-2031 is in line with national, local and sectoral strategy, so we can co-ordinate the delivery of our goals. Our policy is reflective of the core principles of the EU\u2019s long-term vision for rural areas. This vision is for rural communities that are stronger, more connected, resilient and prosperous, with local people actively shaping their futures. Rural communities must be at the heart of Europe\u2019s economic, social and environmental development. Indeed, I have just come from our EU Presidency event taking place in Naas, Europe\u2019s Rural Future, where over 200 people from across the EU have come together to discuss integrated approaches to rural development. At the heart of these discussions is the recognition that rural development must remain a strategic European priority. We must translate our shared vision into co-ordinated policies, effective investment and meaningful opportunities for rural communities across Europe. That is the central principle of our approach to rural development, combining national ambition and co-ordinated Government action with local knowledge, local leadership and local initiative. I will be returning to this conference tomorrow and our discussions will focus specifically on LEADER, including its contribution over 35 years to rural development, with a showcase of projects that are supported through the programme. T\u00e1imid f\u00f3s faoi ghealltanas daingean taca\u00edocht a thabhairt d\u00e1r bpobail Ghaeltachta agus na hoile\u00e1in, aitheantas a thabhairt d\u00e1 sainriachtanais chult\u00fair, teanga agus gheografacha, agus cinnti\u00fa go bhfuil na seirbh\u00eds\u00ed, an bonneagar agus na deiseanna acu chun go mbeidh rath orthu. Mar Aire Gaeltachta, chinntigh m\u00e9 gur th\u00e1inig na m\u00e9aduithe is m\u00f3 riamh ar bhuis\u00e9ad na Gaeltachta le dh\u00e1 bhliain anuas. Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire, an Teachta Jack Chambers, as a thaca\u00edocht sa r\u00e9imse seo. Through that support, we can invest \u20ac35 million in the new pier on Inis O\u00edrr. Progress throughout this summer has been significant and gives a sense of the large-scale investment in rural communities. Our Rural Future 2026-2031 is firmly rooted in a comprehensive public and stakeholder consultation process. This process captured the views and the inputs of more than 2,000 participants. The process included an online public survey with more than 1,200 responses; a series of eight stakeholder and public events across the country; online and bilateral meetings with key stakeholders, representative groups and public bodies; and a debate within this House. We particularly sought to capture the voices of the new generation. The voices of young people were captured through the rural youth assembly, an initiative itself born out of the first Our Rural Future policy. This engagement has ensured we had a consultation process that lasted over a year, and was followed with engagement with a range of Departments. It was also informed by the OECD\u2019s 2026 Rural Policy Review of Ireland, which highlighted the strengths of our whole-of-government approach. The OECD review had said, \"Ireland has built one of the OECD's most sophisticated rural policy frameworks and has a unique whole-of-government approach that maintains visibility on rural impacts across all departments in Ireland.\" I present this policy to the House and I look forward to the debate. However, I also intend to continue the debate across the country. We will host five regional events in the midlands, the west, the south, the mid-west and the Border region during January and February, alongside an online event to make progress and get feedback on this plan. Our Rural Future will continue to be underpinned by funding through my Department's programmes, and will also have the support of Government colleagues through their programmes in each individual Department. The new policy seeks to respond to the emerging opportunities. It seeks to prepare our rural communities for challenges that we anticipate but also those that we cannot, through a place-based approach which recognises that rural areas are unique and that each of our areas has different needs, priorities and strengths. We will ensure that the distinct needs, opportunities and challenges of each rural community are reflected in delivery across all Government sectors to strengthen rural outcomes. I intend to ensure delivery of this and to ensure accountability to the House and to the various committees of the House, but most important, I intend to assure accountability to communities across the country whose futures are intertwined with this document. Go raibh m\u00edle maith agaibh."},{"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 T\u00e1 strait\u00e9is n\u00e1isi\u00fanta l\u00e1idir de dh\u00edth orainn chun todhcha\u00ed na tuaithe a chinnti\u00fa. Is l\u00e9ir sin d\u00fainn go l\u00e9ir. A strategy for rural Ireland is important. It should set a clear direction, identify the challenges facing our communities and establish how the Government intends to address them. Our Rural Future 2026-2031 is an opportunity to do precisely that. Unfortunately, while it contains some welcome commitments, it falls short of what rural communities need and deserve. The central weakness of this strategy is that it does not adequately address the biggest challenge facing rural Ireland, namely, the ability of people to remain in, return to and build a future in their own communities. Young people cannot afford homes, families cannot find suitable sites to build on, and older people are increasingly isolated as local services disappear. The Government\u2019s own consultation identified housing and generational renewal as major concerns, yet there is remarkably little in this strategy that explains how those challenges will actually be addressed. Young people want to stay in their communities. They want to build a home, to raise a family, to make a future where they grew up but, increasingly, they cannot afford to do so. They cannot secure planning permission or find a suitable site to build on. Ba cheart go mbeadh s\u00e9 de cheart ag daoine \u00f3ga teach a th\u00f3g\u00e1il, agus clann a th\u00f3g\u00e1il, ina bpobail f\u00e9in faoin tuath agus sa Ghaeltacht. The Government has to answer some very basic questions, and this plan needs to answer those questions too. How many additional affordable and social homes in rural Ireland will be facilitated under this strategy? How many serviced sites will be provided? What measurable targets are being set in the housing space? If this is to be a whole-of-government approach, it really needs to answer those questions. It is not enough to say this is a matter for housing. That needs to be seen as core to developing, protecting and enhancing rural Ireland. We have heard plenty about housing delivery, vacant property and planning reform, but there is nothing sufficiently concrete on affordable housing for younger families, for serviced sites for local people, as I mentioned, or for tackling dereliction. The consequences are already evident. Research commissioned by the National Youth Council of Ireland found that 68% of young adults aged 18 to 24 are considering moving abroad, while 71% believe they would have a better quality of life elsewhere. That should be a serious warning to the Government. Generational renewal is not simply about attracting new businesses or promoting tourism. It is about whether young people can afford to remain in the places they call home. There are other significant weaknesses too. Small rural schools need certainty about their future. Rural families need access to childcare and school transport. People need access to GPs, primary care, community nursing and mental health services. Digital healthcare has a role to play here, but it cannot replace appropriate face-to-face care. The plan, and we in this Chamber, need also to talk about infrastructure. Rural communities are increasingly frustrated by the centralisation of services and the failure to provide basic infrastructure. Water services, roads, public transport and broadband are fundamental to sustaining our rural communities, yet people are too often left waiting while investment and decision-making are concentrated elsewhere. That is not to ignore the ageing population. Post offices, banks, shops, pubs and Garda stations have disappeared and are disappearing from communities. These are much more than commercial premises and public service buildings. They are part of the social infrastructure that allows people to remain connected and supported, that allows people as they get older to remain independent and to continue living independently in rural Ireland. On that point, I wish to acknowledge something positive in the strategy. I welcome the inclusion of a pilot initiative to tackle isolation in farming and rural communities. As the Minister will know, I have raised this repeatedly with him and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and have called for Government support for the farmer's yards initiative as an example. That model, developed by Dr. Shane Conway and Dr. Maura Farrell and piloted in Mountbellew mart, demonstrates the value of familiar community spaces in bringing people together. Is fi\u00fa f\u00e1ilte a chur roimh an tionscnamh seo, ach n\u00ed leor tionscnamh p\u00edol\u00f3tach amh\u00e1in chun dul i ngleic leis an bhfadhb seo. Isolation is not confined to farming communities. It affects older people and younger people. It affects people living alone and families across rural Ireland. We need a sustained whole-of-government response to tackling isolation and loneliness, supported by proper resources and investment in community services, public transport and local services. It is really good to see that pilot scheme included, but it needs to be more than a pilot scheme. Hopefully, it will develop as such in time. Rural Ireland has enormous strength. Its people, its communities, its businesses, its culture, its primary producers and its contribution to our national economy should never be underestimated, but those communities cannot thrive on goodwill and resilience alone. They need the Government to match commitments with investment and delivery. The ultimate test of this strategy is straightforward: can people remain in, return to and build their futures in their own communities?"},{"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 This policy did not get off to a great start, and I will tell the Minister exactly why. I looked at the picture of the people who launched it, and the Minister knows what I am going to say, but it was the junior Minister, Jerry Buttimer; the Minister, Peter Burke; the Taoiseach, Miche\u00e1l Martin; the Minister, Deputy Calleary; and the junior Minister, Se\u00e1n Canney. I made a remark on social media about it. I said, \"There they are now.. there's all the lads at the lads launch.. launching the document for lads..\" It did not look great. As a woman who represents a significant rural constituency, I looked at that, as did my constituents, and we thought, \"Where are we in all this? Do we feature? Do we figure?\" That did not send a good message at all. It is bad practice to exclude women. There are laws about it but we will not get into those. It was not a great look, and that is where the Government started from. I went on from there to read the strategy. As the Minister knows, I am a Dublin TD. There would be absolutely no point in my trying to deny that. I am blue and navy. However, I represent a constituency with a significant rural population. They are also very proud to be blue and navy. Many of my constituents, like the people living in Ballyboghil, Balscadden, Garristown and Oldtown and right across Fingal West, cannot rely on public transport. They do not have it. There is a myth that everyone in Dublin has a bus that goes past their front door. That is not true and it is most definitely not true for my constituents. They have absolutely no choice. They have to use their cars. Public transport is not an option. They must use their car or get a lift. The relentless rise of energy prices is absolutely creasing people. They live in Dublin and they pay Dublin prices for their homes but they do not have any of the facilities that one might imagine would be available. They do not live in an urban setting. They want to live in rural Ireland. They want to be able to raise their families there. They want to be able to build a decent life. As Deputy McGuinness has said, the real test of this strategy, and the one I think it will fail, will be whether it facilitates people to build a life for themselves where they were born and where they grew up. People who live in rural Ireland are the very same as those of us who live and grew up in urban Ireland. They want to live near their families and they are being priced out. It is the same for my constituency. One third of households right across the State rely on home heating oil. The cost of it is very high for the people I represent. Only two weeks ago, at the social protection committee, meals on wheels volunteers told us they cannot afford to use their own cars. They are worried they will lose volunteers simply because they cannot afford the rising cost of diesel and petrol for their cars. Rural Ireland depends on meals on wheels. It is an absolute mainstay. The Government talks about wanting to combat rural isolation, but if they are losing volunteers simply because they do not have the wherewithal to put diesel or petrol in their car, that is not a good place to be. I know we have spoken many times about the cost of home heating oil and the cost of heating one's home. This is very acute. People who depend on home heating oil do not have the option of allowing arrears to build up; their homes simply go cold. In order for rural Ireland not just to exist but to thrive, they need sustained investment, and that is not writ large in this document."},{"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 When I speak about our rural future and the future we have for our rural communities across this State and, as the Minister will know, across County Galway, the one thing that always springs to my mind is the basic, essential, fundamental infrastructure that any community needs in order not only to survive but also to thrive. One of the key issues that is raised with me continuously is the state of our roads across Connemara. The Minister will know Kylemore Abbey. Everybody has heard of it. Near Kylemore Abbey is Kylemore bridge. Over the winter, every few months, we see flooding at Kylemore bridge that makes the bridge impassable for local communities. It really concerns and terrifies the local community when they are not able to pass over the bridge. This has been going on for a long time and it is high time that all ducks were put into a row and that action was taken in relation to Kylemore bridge. Chomh maith leis sin, t\u00e1im cinnte go bhfuil aithne mhaith ag an Aire ar Ros Muc agus go bhfuil a fhios aige c\u00e9 chomh deacair is at\u00e1 s\u00e9 nuair nach bhfuil an buninfreastrucht\u00far ar f\u00e1il i leith\u00e9id\u00ed Ros Muc. M\u00e1 bhreathna\u00edmid ar Ros Muc mar shampla, is d\u00f3cha go l\u00e9ir\u00edonn s\u00e9 na deacrachta\u00ed at\u00e1 ar fud Ghaeltacht Chonamara freisin. Is l\u00e9ir an easpa infheist\u00edochta sa bhuninfreastrucht\u00far. T\u00e1 b\u00f3thar ag dul tr\u00edd Ros Muc at\u00e1 i ndroch-chu\u00ed. T\u00e1 g\u00e1 le hinfheist\u00edocht cheart ann ionas go mbeadh s\u00e9 s\u00e1bh\u00e1ilte don cheantar agus go mbeadh s\u00e9 sa chaoi gur ch\u00f3ir d\u00f3 a bheith. Teasta\u00edonn an infheist\u00edocht sin. Aon uair a arda\u00edm leis an gcomhairle contae \u00e9, deirtear liom nach bhfuil an t-airgead ann. Ba mhaith liom go gcuirf\u00ed an t-airgead ar f\u00e1il do bh\u00f3thar Ros Muc."},{"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 The Minister mentioned that the Government has five interconnected pillars. The first is \"Thriving Rural Places\", focusing on investment in our rural towns, villages and communities. Pillar 2 is to include improvements in rural transport. We in Sinn F\u00e9in believe that you should have a chance to build your own home, raise a family and make a future in the place you call home. That means action on affordable housing, serviced sites, dereliction, infrastructure and removing the planning barriers. On that, we still have massive issues with flooding in east Cork, particularly in my town, Midleton, but also in Whitegate, Rathcormack, Mogeely and other places. We do not have good rural transport. As regards the N25 from Cork to Midleton, the most dangerous road is probably from Midleton to Youghal, after which you hit Waterford. We do not have a railway because it was got rid of in the seventies. People are struggling. You cannot build confidence once you cannot get in and out of a town. Our post offices in rural areas are gone. Our pubs are gone. Those were the meeting places. I know of people in rural areas who during the Covid pandemic wrote to themselves so the postman would visit them. The postman was the only person they were seeing. I hope the Minister is right when it comes to this strategy for rural Ireland but I know for a fact that there is an awful lot more to do. We have had boil water notices for nearly ten years. In the Whitegate area it was affecting around 10,000 or 12,000 people. That is on and off. We are on about trying to build local communities and local areas and what we have here is zero confidence among commuters. There is, however, also a plus to this. If you were to have a proper public transport rail line from Midleton to Youghal, taking in Killeagh, Castlemartyr, other towns and the surrounding areas, with a spur out to Mogeely or Ballycotton, that can grow. The price of houses could come down. People could have a better chance to commute to and from college in UCC or wherever they are going. You can now get on the train in Midleton and go to Mallow. It takes the pressure off the hospitals in Cork city. There is a possibility of growing, but the most important thing here is that if we do not invest in the interconnectedness - one of the pillars - on rural transport, we are starting at a low base. There is a lot to be done."},{"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 For too long, rural Ireland has been left behind. Those of us who live in rural Ireland have all watched that decline. We have watched the post offices close, we have watched the banks disappear and we have watched essential services being stripped away - many times, essential government services being taken from our communities. Businesses have struggled, young people have been forced to move elsewhere and towns and villages that were once thriving communities, once known throughout the world for their outstanding beautiful Irishness, proud of their traditions, are becoming unrecognisable. We cannot accept that as inevitable. We need to turn the tide and we need to give people a genuine opportunity to live, to work and to raise their families in rural Ireland. That means investing in local services, improving our transport infrastructure, investing in water infrastructure, supporting employment and ensuring that people can access housing that is affordable in their own communities. A thriving rural community needs schools, shops, post offices, healthcare sevices, banking facilities and places where people can meet and socialise. These are the things that make a community a place to live rather than somewhere people return to at the end of the day. We also need to recognise the importance of supporting local businesses in creating employment opportunities so that young people are not forced to leave in search of a future elsewhere. Our Rural Future must be about more than just words and ambitious targets. The plan the Government has announced has the same types of ambitions as the old plan but the reality is, when I look at the communities around me, I see more decline. I see fewer post offices, banks and other services. There needs to be real delivery and a change of direction here. It needs to be about turning the tide. It needs to be about improving services, supporting local communities and giving people a genuine reason and opportunity to stay in rural Ireland. D\u00e9anann an Ghaeltacht suas cuid mh\u00f3r d\u00e1r gceantair thuaithe. T\u00e1 an Ghaeilge i mbaol. Caithfidh an Rialtas infheist\u00edocht mar is ceart a chur isteach i gceantair Ghaeltachta \u00f3 thaobh sc\u00e9imeanna agus infreastrucht\u00fair de. Caithfidh s\u00e9 cead a thabhairt do dhaoine at\u00e1 ag iarraidh a gcuid chlann a th\u00f3g\u00e1il leis an Ghaeilge a bheith \u00e1balta bheith ina gc\u00f3na\u00ed sa Ghaeltacht. Cialla\u00edonn s\u00e9 sin go gcaithfear dul i ngleic leis an fhadhb thith\u00edochta i gceantair Ghaeltachta."},{"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 There are elements of the new Our Rural Future strategy that are welcome, particularly the commitments to rural enterprise, community development and the regeneration of towns and villages. However, there is a considerable gap between the Government's ambitions for rural Ireland and its willingness to systematically provide the infrastructure and amenities that rural communities need. One of my main concerns is the extent to which the Government has come to depend on the unpaid labour of volunteers to provide essential community facilities. Across my constituency of Cork East, I meet extraordinary people who spend countless hours fundraising, preparing grant applications and navigating planning processes for basic community amenities. There is something seriously wrong with a system in which providing a playground or community centre depends on a handful of volunteers having the time and expertise to pursue it. Some communities have well-established voluntary organisations with substantial fundraising capacity. Others, including communities that are largely made up of newly arrived young families, do not. The Government should not be allocating investment according to how effectively local volunteers can compete for funding. We need predictable multi-annual investment based on population need that takes account of disadvantage, remoteness and existing gaps in amenities. This system also reinforces an outdated clientelist form of politics, where community groups spend years lobbying for funding and, when a grant is finally approved, the local Government TD arrives for the photo op with the oversized cheque. Public investment is presented almost as a favour bestowed on a grateful community rather than something determined through proper planning and an objective assessment of need. People should not have to spend years campaigning for sports facilities, reliable water, public transport or action against dereliction. On housing, the strategy recognises the importance of enabling people to remain in, return to and establish their lives in rural communities, but where are the specific housing delivery targets for rural towns and villages between now and 2031? Young people are being priced out of the communities in which they grew up. Meanwhile, derelict properties are left to rot in our towns and villages. Castlemartyr in east Cork is a particularly striking example. It is a beautiful heritage village whose main street has been disfigured by long-standing dereliction, much of it associated with properties owned by one family. How can one family be allowed to retain control of so many neglected properties while the wider community pays the price? Their deterioration damages Castlemartyr's architectural heritage and restricts opportunities for housing, business and tourism. Why have the statutory powers vested in the local authorities to tackle dereliction not delivered meaningful results? If property owners can leave buildings deteriorating indefinitely without effective consequences, we will continue losing the character and vitality of rural Ireland. We need proper enforcement, effective levies and compulsory acquisition where owners persistently refuse to act. On water supply and other basic services, residents in Ballyhooly, near Fermoy, have endured serious water supply problems for over a decade. Low water pressure, amounting at times to a loss of supply, has left households struggling with everyday essential tasks, including showering and washing clothes. We are talking about a reliable supply of water to people's homes in 2026. Despite repeated remedial works by Uisce \u00c9ireann, residents are still waiting for a lasting solution. The rural strategy promises modern and resilient water infrastructure. What use is that commitment to Ballyhooly residents without a funded programme and a date by which their supply will finally be reliable? The extent of Government neglect is extraordinary when communities are still campaigning for services this basic. My third major concern is rural public transport. Local Link has transformed daily life in some areas but in substantial parts of my own constituency it has never developed into a meaningful regular service. For somebody travelling to work or college, attending medical appointments or just participating in community life, an occasional bus is inadequate. For people without a car, particularly older people, disabled people and young people, the consequence is often deepening isolation. The strategy commits to completing Connecting Ireland and further expanding Local Link. That is welcome but where is the minimum standard of public transport provision that every rural community should reasonably expect based on population need? The National Transport Authority should produce a funded plan identifying underserved communities, the routes they need and delivery dates. I welcome the strategy's recognition of the diversity of rural Ireland and its commitment to inclusion. Too often, self-appointed representatives of rural Ireland suggest that certain opinions and traditions are more authentically rural than others. Concern about climate change, nature conservation, river pollution or animal welfare can be portrayed as an attack on rural communities. Having grown up in the countryside myself, I find it particularly galling to be told that caring about nature somehow makes somebody less authentically rural. Many of us developed our appreciation of nature precisely because of where we grew up and our connection with the land. We also need to stop blaming individual farmers for environmental destruction when so many have been locked into a system that rewards ever greater intensification. Farmers face rising costs, volatile markets and agricultural policies that have too often treated hedgerows, native trees and wildlife habitats as obstacles to productivity. There is a different way forward. Hedgerows Ireland has proposed rewarding farmers for protecting and improving hedgerow quality rather than simply measuring their presence, while the excellent BRIDE Project in east Cork brought farmers together to restore biodiversity across the River Bride catchment demonstrating what can be achieved through co-operation, practical support and payments linked to environmental results. We should build on these initiatives, supporting farmers to earn a decent living while restoring nature, protecting water quality and developing more sustainable agriculture. Rural Ireland includes people of every background, profession and outlook. The Government's commitment to inclusion must be reflected in how investment is distributed, particularly to disadvantaged and isolated communities. The real measure of this strategy will be whether people can find a home in their community, access reliable public transport, turn on a tap and expect water to come out, and enjoy the basic amenities that give them a decent quality of life. Rural Ireland does not need more romanticising, political gatekeeping or praise for its resilience. It needs serious systematic investment in the everyday foundations of a decent life distributed fairly across communities."},{"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 Ireland is probably quite unusual in that no matter where you are born, be that in the middle of the city or in a large town, you are only a generation or two away from rural Ireland. Many of us have family or community connections even if we do not live in rural Ireland ourselves. The face of rural Ireland has changed quite significantly over the last number of years. There has been some positive change, as there has been across the country but, in some ways, there has been change that is quite regressive. My colleague mentioned sustainable agriculture and the intensification of agriculture we have seen over the last 20 or 30 years in Ireland. That is hugely problematic for those communities the Government is trying to make vibrant, strong and resilient. In order to do that, we need to take another look at agriculture and how it has been forced into developing into a more intensified system than is positive for the community. If you go into any supermarket in this country looking for vegetables or fruit, the first thing you will notice is that most of it is coming from overseas. It is coming from the UK. There are apples from Fiji and New Zealand. Those sections of the supermarket are a pure illustration of how broken agriculture is in Ireland and how much we need to do to make it more secure, more resilient and better able to meet the needs of the communities that survive on agriculture and the farmers within those communities. We import 83% of our fruit and vegetables, many of which we could and used to produce in this country. We hear all the time how food secure Ireland is - I think we are in the top 1% or 2% of countries when it comes to food security - it is a really lazy narrative because it does not show what it pretends to show. In fact, if our food supply lanes were shut down in the morning, we would be surviving on beef and dairy, and that is the reality. While there are positives, and there is a huge economy is exporting beef and dairy, what we and what previous governments have done is turned our backs on the more traditional sectors like the fruit and vegetable sector. In the 1990s, we had 600 producers. We are now down to 70. Alarm bells are ringing about how food insecure we are. There is a huge piece of work to be done to look at our farm and agricultural sector and reform it in light of not just climate change but the global instability that we are seeing. We are not doing that work, and I ask that the Minister participates in it and raises it with his colleagues."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"John Paul O'Shea","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/John-Paul-O'Shea.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"John-Paul-O'Shea.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy John Paul O'Shea I welcome the opportunity to speak today on the publication of the Government's new strategy, Our Rural Future 2026-2031. I welcome this five-year strategy which sets out an ambitious and positive vision for the future of rural Ireland. It recognises the importance of our towns, villages and rural communities and, importantly, the need to ensure that people can continue to live, work, raise families and prosper in the communities they grew up in. As a Deputy representing Cork North-West, I know only too well the enormous contributions that rural communities make to our country. We have strong agricultural traditions, local businesses, thriving community organisations, sporting clubs and a tremendous volunteer spirit. These are the foundations of rural Ireland and deserve continued support and investment. The new strategy contains 34 high-level commitments supported by an action plan with 234 practical measures and timelines. I particularly welcome the fact that this is a whole-of-government strategy. Rural development cannot be the responsibility of one Department alone. It requires co-ordination across Government with investment in infrastructure, housing, transport, enterprise, education, health and community services. I wish to highlight a number of areas where the strategy can make a real difference to communities throughout Cork North-West. The commitment to thriving rural towns and villages is particularly welcome. Towns such as Kanturk, Millstreet, Macroom, Newmarket, Charleville and Buttevant, and the many smaller villages throughout my constituency, have enormous potential. We must continue to tackle vacancy and dereliction, bring unused properties back into productive use, support town centre regeneration and encourage new businesses to establish themselves in rural locations. Our towns and villages should be places where people want to live, shop, work and socialise. I particularly welcome the proposed strategic rural investment initiative to help unlock major capital projects at a regional level. It is important that this funding is not just accessible to large projects but also to local authorities and community organisations with worthwhile projects that can make a lasting difference. Supporting rural employment and enterprise must also remain a central priority. Agriculture continues to be important to the economy of Cork North-West but we must also support diversification, food production, rural tourism, small businesses and new forms of employment. The expansion of broadband has already transformed opportunities in many rural areas across Cork North-West, and over the next week or two, we will celebrate the completion of the rollout of fibre broadband in rural Cork. It also allows people to work remotely, establish businesses and access services without having to leave their communities. We must continue to build on that progress to ensure that rural communities have the connectivity needed to compete in a modern economy. I also want to welcome the emphasis on a high-quality public service and essential infrastructure. Balanced regional development cannot happen without infrastructure on housing, wastewater, water, public transport and local amenities. In many villages throughout Cork North-West, the availability of wastewater treatment remains a significant barrier to the development and population growth. We must address these infrastructure deficits if we are serious about encouraging people to settle in our rural communities. Finally, I welcome the strategy's commitment to sustaining our rural environment. Our farmers, landowners and rural communities have a central role to play in protecting biodiversity and improving our water quality."},{"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 welcome the publication of the Our Rural Future strategy. It is a really important document at this time. From where the Minister comes from, I know he understands rural communities really well, and people understand that as well. Picking out the rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, in particular, which has brought the Minister and I up and down the Roscommon-Galway constituency to Boyle, Ballaghaderreen, Ballagh, Roscommon town and Monksland, as well as to An Chistin, the project in Castlerea. In Boyle, the An R\u00edoga project involved the conversion of the old Royal Hotel, a derelict site in the heart of the town. It is the start of a regeneration of that town and it includes working and art spaces, and a new library is now coming along there. It is really important that we provide sites in towns like Boyle, Castlerea, Monksland and Ballinasloe for people to work remotely in, so they can live in their towns and close to their communities because the heart of our communities is our agriculture communities. While many of our agricultural enterprises in the west might be considered marginal and supported by jobs that people to commute to, it is important that commute is as short as possible. Sustaining rural farming is also hugely important as a social exercise because it is the backbone of our rural communities, and it is extremely important that we do so. In terms of the regeneration of housing, the cro\u00ed c\u00f3naithe scheme has been hugely successful in county Roscommon and east Galway. At almost every site, crossroads and boreen, we see old houses being brought back into life. It is hugely encouraging to see young couples setting up in rural Ireland where there were thriving communities before and which are being regenerated but we need to press that on. It is extremely important that the children of farmers will have the opportunity to build on their land providing they satisfy the adequate planning authorities to again keep our communities strong and resilient. Transport is a huge issue in rural Ireland. We have a situation in Ballygar in east Galway where if someone wants to go to their local hospital, Portiuncula, they have to get a taxi into Roscommon town, and trains to Athlone and then Ballinasloe for a 17-mile journey. We need to develop the rural link transport network. It is extremely important to maintain people in rural areas and to allow them to use public transport to get to college, hospitals and health clinics. In addition to that, I have met traders, such as publicans, in Roscommon town, for example, and they are having difficulty around attracting trade in at nighttime because there is no taxi service. We need to have a look at our hackney licence laws to encourage people who would take a hackney licence and provide services. We should also extend the pilot programmes for the Local Link buses which are very successful in places like Sligo, Longford and Buncrana. Wastewater treatment plants are extremely important to enable villages and communities to grow. Many communities have been left unable to develop over the past number of years, so I welcome that investment."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"William Aird","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/William-Aird.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"William-Aird.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy William Aird I welcome Our Rural Future 2026-2031 and its focus on building stronger rural communities. As a Laois TD and a member of the Oireachtas committee on social protection, rural and community development, I believe that rural development must remain a national priority. We must ensure that rural Ireland has the jobs, services, investment and infrastructure needed to thrive. Three priorities must underpin this strategy. The first is supporting rural enterprise and employment. Laois has enormous potential, a skilled workforce, strong rail connections, a strategic location on the M7 and M8, and the proximity to major population centres. We must translate these advantages into jobs, investment and opportunity for our young people. How? By supporting small businesses, attracting new investment, developing local enterprise and expanding remote working opportunities. Agriculture must remain at the heart of rural development. Family farms are vital to food production, rural employment and local businesses. Farmers must be able to remain economically viable while meeting environmental targets. Agriculture and rural development policies must work together. The second thing is improving access to essential services. A thriving rural community needs more than just jobs. It needs reliable public transport, accessible healthcare, childcare, education, and affordable and appropriate housing. Access to these services allows older people, people with disabilities and those without a car to live independently and stay connected in our communities. Social inclusion must be central to rural development. That means tackling rural isolation and disadvantage, investing in community transport, strengthening local health services and community facilities and supporting voluntary and community organisations. Third, it means revitalising our towns and villages and creating opportunities for the future. We must maximise regeneration through LEADER, town and village renewal and the rural regeneration and development fund. Revitalised town centres bring vacant properties back into use, improve public spaces and strengthen local amenities but regeneration must go hand in hand with greater housing availability, improved infrastructure and sustainable population growth. Young people should be able to live and raise families in their own communities with access to affordable housing. We must also protect our rural environment and natural resources, maintain viable family farms, support climate action and create green jobs and new opportunities for rural communities. The success of Our Rural Future 2026-2031 will depend on delivery, not promises. Clear actions and accountability must be backed by adequate funding, strong co-ordination between the Departments and engagement with local authorities."},{"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 thank the Deputy."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"William Aird","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/William-Aird.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"William-Aird.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy William Aird We need to see tangible results, more jobs, better services, more vacant properties brought back into use and more vibrant towns and villages. I want to see rural communities-----"},{"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 Deputy Aird."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"William Aird","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/William-Aird.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"William-Aird.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy William Aird A strong rural Ireland means a stronger Ireland."},{"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 welcome the opportunity to speak on Our Rural Future 2026-2031 but I must be frank. We have seen a habit form with Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael in this Government and the previous one of rolling out grand strategies where the follow-through has left us wanting. As someone who grew up in rural Ireland and who is raising a family in a rural community, this strategy is particularly relevant to me and my family's life. I would strongly welcome increased support and resources for rural communities but I am worried this plan is, at best, half-hearted. Look at how Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael have stood by while the issues affecting rural communities have only worsened. Our schools are being put into increasingly difficult positions as they lose teachers and SNAs because they fall slightly below the student threshold. That threshold is the same whether it is a school in Ballyhale or Donnybrook. That is deeply unfair. The inflexible school transport limit has ensured that scores of children just over the limit are denied school transport, putting their parents in an impossible position. Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael's handling of rural infrastructure has ensured parts of Kilkenny have endured years of drinking water bans. Irish Water's track record across Kilkenny has been shocking. It has squandered public funds and what does the Government do? It gives the CEO an \u20ac118,000 pay rise. Communities like Castlecomer have endured water restrictions and drinking water bans for years. Garda numbers across Kilkenny and Carlow have still not reached previous levels, despite our population greatly increasing. Rural communities are not looking for the Minister to reinvent the wheel. It is clear what is required. As I said at the start, I have a vested interest in this strategy succeeding. I am raising four boys in south Kilkenny and I want them to have opportunities to stay, live, work and raise their own families in the community that raised them. Our bus service, Expressway route 4, has been stripped in half. This happened this year, the year the Government brings out this plan. What does that say? I would clearly hope the Minister takes the time to talk to communities across rural Ireland and asks them what future they see for themselves and the next generation because too many of these plans are being drafted by people who have little to no experience of rural Ireland. I encourage the Minister to get out to the people who live in the heart of our rural areas. They need to have their say because what we have seen is not giving us any hope at all. We have not seen it."},{"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 opportunity to talk to the Minister this evening on behalf of the Labour Party about the Government's Our Rural Future policy statement. As the Minister knows, I made a public consultation submission where I highlighted a number of improvements the Labour Party would like to see, especially around the area of transport and housing. From the outset, I welcome any commitment to address the number of issues that are impacting rural communities throughout the State like many of those in my own area of Kildare South. The five pillars are all areas that nobody will disagree with as being vitally important to rural Ireland. However, this policy statement is unfortunately very light on a real commitment to multi-annual funding which would allow many of the organisations mentioned here tonight to plan for the future. For too long, many rural communities across Ireland have been left behind by their urban counterparts when it comes to investment. Not for the first time, the Minister will hear me raise the need to modernise our community rural halls and bring back into life those rural schools that have been left behind. I acknowledge the community centre investment fund but with any investment comes the need to ensure these vital centres in our rural communities can continue to operate. For example, Brownstown community hall on the edge of the Curragh is struggling due to the high increase in insurance and heating costs and it needs help. That is just one example of what is happening in my own area. These rural communities need assistance with the high increases in overheads just to keep the doors open. Once again, I want to put on the record of these Houses the success of many of the Rural Link transport projects that have made such a difference to many rural communities. In many rural areas, they have been a real life game-changer, allowing rural residents to connect with their local major urban areas for employment, GP services, shopping and social gatherings, to mention a few. We need to see a realignment of the school transport system with these Rural Link routes to provide the school transport that is missing and needed at this time in many rural communities. Joined-up thinking and joined-up travel times could make a difference. However, we now see many of these new Rural Link routes stopped or put on the long finger. Once again, I raise with the Minister route 893, which is the service to the rural areas of Suncroft and other rural locations and villages like Nurney and Kildoon. It is a game-changer for those living there. When will we see this service begin? We are still waiting on the updated rural planning guidelines to allow those born in the countryside to live there and support the many rural schools, pubs, shops, parishes and sports clubs that are on their knees at the moment. Too many genuine rural people are being told to go and live in larger urban settlements and this needs to stop or rural Ireland will not have a future in many places. Our rural older population needs special and continued support. I have mentioned rural transport already but they also need to see the security of additional Garda patrols in their communities and an enhanced community alert system. They also need a grant for security lighting and house alarms, something I have raised with the Minister in the past. This would prevent the many and growing terrifying incidents our rural population is subjected to. While so many communities in Kildare South continue to see more and more housing development, we are seeing a lack of social infrastructure to live with this. Examples are clubs in Kilcullen where they have not got the additional pitches to support this additional housing. We need to see investment on this. For many rural dwellers, their commute to work is now nothing short of mental torture. We need to provide a real right to remote work as we ramp up our public transport. Rural Ireland is very important to the Labour Party. Many of our councillors, TDs and Senators live there, including myself. We will continue to advocate for those who live there. I look forward to working with the Minister further on these important matters."},{"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 publication of Our Rural Future and echo the words of my colleague, Deputy Mark Wall. Rural Ireland is important to the Labour Party. Rural Ireland does not need another strategy full of promises; it needs delivery. I represent communities across north Cork and I know their enormous potential but I also see challenges facing families, businesses and young people every day. On public transport, in recent months, I have submitted parliamentary questions about services in Whitechurch and Mourneabbey, in particular. In Whitechurch, new homes are being built and the population is growing, yet residents are still looking for adequate public transport. In Mourneabbey, I have raised the need for proper Local Link connections and requested one specific link in Mourneabbey. I would appreciate if the Minister could intervene on that. Local Link has been a tremendous success, but we need genuine rural transport guarantees with affordable reliable services connecting our communities. We must also support rural pubs. I welcomed the contribution towards rural pubs in budget 2027, but we must ensure further support is found for our shops and small businesses in rural Ireland. These are at the heart of our communities, and rising costs are threatening their survival. As the Labour Party's spokesperson on education, I also want to highlight school transport. No child should be disadvantaged because of where he or she lives. We need universal, free, school transport with adequate capacity to meet demand. Looking at my hometown of Mallow, some \u20ac4.1 million has already been spent progressing the long-awaited Mallow relief road, yet we are still waiting for a planning application. That project demonstrates why rural communities are frustrated by endless delays. As I said, I welcome this publication but it needs delivery."},{"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 I take this opportunity to raise an issue with the Ministers related to local authorities in rural areas. This Friday, I will meet the chairperson of Tipperary County Council, my colleague Councillor Fiona Bonfield, whom the Ministers have met previously, with Councillors Louise Morgan Walsh and Michael Chicken Brennan. We had to have a crisis meeting in the past couple of days on where the council is going from a budgetary point of view. Tipperary County Council, one of the largest councils in Ireland, is heading into its worst ever budgetary situation. It needs intervention from the Government. The cost of inflation for the roads budget in Tipperary this year is \u20ac3.8 million. The cost of doing business is \u20ac750,000 extra. The Uisce \u00c9ireann transition cost is \u20ac900,000, and the 40% cut in centralised management charges for water services is costing \u20ac675,000 because it runs out this year. That is deeply unfair. The costs related to concentric cabling are increasing every year. Over a number of years, it will cost the council up to \u20ac15 million. This is a local authority that is maxed out on the LPT, at 15%. It is increasing rents and rates and may have to cut services. This is not sustainable. Tipperary is a massive county. There is going to have to be some form of intervention. I have never seen a local authority management team come to me in the manner in which it has on this. Our meeting has been pulled forward to allow me and others to raise this issue with the Ministers. Intervention is needed because without it, the situation will be stark for all Tipperary County Council members and its executive over the coming year."},{"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 In this strategy, the Government is announcing dozens of commitments and hundreds of actions for rural Ireland, but rural communities in the likes of my county, Wexford, have heard many promises before. As we know, people judge policies by what is delivered on the ground, not by the number of commitments listed in a document. Rural Ireland does not need another plan; it needs delivery. The Government talks about balanced regional development, yet major public investment continues to be concentrated around Dublin and the greater Dublin area. In places like Wexford and other rural areas, businesses, commuters and workers contribute just as much per capita to the economy but frequently find themselves at the back of the queue when it comes to infrastructural funding, public transport improvements and economic development projects. It would appear that when Dublin needs investment, the Government writes a cheque, but when the likes of County Wexford need investment, the Government writes a strategy. The strategy speaks about building resilient communities, yet when I proposed a Bill a short time ago in this Chamber to give a real right to remote work to assist people living in rural Ireland to work there, it was rejected outright by Government. Now, it is talking about creating digital hubs. Post offices have faced untold pressure to survive, rural Garda stations have been decimated, local bus services remain inadequate in many areas and accessing healthcare often means lengthy travel, and that is if you are lucky enough to secure the services of a GP. The Government cannot tackle isolation while withdrawing or failing to support the services that keep rural communities connected. Community resilience starts with keeping services in communities, not just talking about them. The real test of Our Rural Future is not in how many commitments are printed in a Government document. The real test is whether a young family in Gorey, a farmer in Enniscorthy, a pensioner in New Ross or a small business owner in Wexford town can see a tangible improvement in their daily lives. Right now, many people in Wexford would say the Government's actions simply do not match its words."},{"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 welcome the strategy, Our Rural Future 2026 to 2031. However, if I cast my mind back ten years, there was a dark cloud hanging over many rural communities that did not see a future and had no hope. The establishment of the committee for rural affairs and the Department and Minister for rural affairs has made a real and material difference in how we invest and improve rural Ireland for the better. I have heard other speakers talk about pubs and post offices, and there is no doubt that consumer behaviours and attitudes are changing. It is important, however, that we give them a hand up rather than a handout. In fairness to the Government, there have been supports for post offices and pubs. It is a model which, if we get it right, can be extended to other businesses on main streets in villages and towns across the country. Several of the different funding schemes and the hundreds of millions that have been allocated were mentioned, as was their importance to community groups led by local authorities in many instances. However, one particular scheme that was not referenced in the document is the local improvement scheme. In County Offaly, we are waiting up to 12 years for some applicants to receive a local improvement scheme. I ask the Minister to include this in the strategy and ensure there is a greater level of financial commitment to it in future. I acknowledge and thank the Minister for visiting County Offaly and for the \u20ac2 million community centre in Moneygall and the \u20ac15 million library in Edenderry. However, there is a real problem regarding volunteers. The Minister referred to volunteer fatigue and an over-reliance on a small number of individuals in every community. I could name them in nearly every community. I acknowledge Birr Tidy Towns, in particular Bernie Flannery and Bernie Taylor Lynch, the team who won a gold medal in the recent Tidy Towns competition and all the groups in the county. We need a promotional campaign around civic engagement and responsibility to encourage the next generation to get involved. I will raise the cost of community projects versus public sector expenditure. In Edenderry, we have a lot of projects on the go. Last week, we got a quote of \u20ac30 million for a local swimming pool through the local authority. The local committee made a few phone calls and a provider from outside this country is coming to meet it this Thursday. It will do it for half that price. There is something seriously wrong with our public procurement process when tenders are coming in at double the price for community projects. I also want to address insurance. Huge progress has been made with the likes of Tidy Towns. At one time, municipal grants that were coming in were being paid out with the other hand to insurance companies. IPB Insurance then stepped into the breach and now covers Tidy Towns groups. That model needs to be extended to other registered PPN groups and facilities. I ask the Minister to look at the community employment scheme. It is a measure that needs to be secured into the future. Local authority enterprise parks, working with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, need to be addressed to allow businesses to scale because many are simply not viable now. We must also see further housing development in smaller villages, unlocking opportunity for smaller builders and embracing energy and national digital infrastructure. There is a huge opportunity here for community benefit funds but we need to get it right. We need to ensure that where energy is invested in, we see lower prices in our energy bills."},{"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 warmly welcome the Government's updated Our Rural Future policy spanning from 2026 to 2031. I commend the Minister for the ambition and confidence this Government has shown in the future of rural Ireland. As somebody who was born and raised on a farm in County Galway, I know the greatest asset rural Ireland has is its people. There is a community spirit in rural Ireland that is irreplaceable and undeniable. It is something you truly have to be a part of to understand. It is the volunteers, sporting organisations, community development committees and neighbours who look out for one another. That spirit is the foundation upon which we must build our real future. We have already seen the positive impact of Government investment through the rural regeneration and development fund, the town and village renewal scheme, investment in broadband and the revitalisation of our communities, the investment in sports capital and the investment in our community centre investment fund. All of these primarily end up in rural communities. This new policy builds on that progress, with commitments to stronger public services, rural enterprise, better connectivity and resilient communities. I will highlight three priorities I believe must be central to its delivery. The first is public transport. Across Galway East, in communities like Athenry, Tuam, Headford, Gort and Loughrea, we need better bus and rail connections, more frequent services and greater capacity. Public transport should connect rural communities employment, education and opportunity. We have seen marked progress in these domains in the last few years but there is a real opportunity to expand the rural link services across east Galway to capture more communities. The second priority must be investment in our villages and community infrastructure. Our community centres, village streetscapes, footpaths and public spaces are the lifeblood of rural communities. As the Minister will be aware, many schemes throughout east Galway are struggling to get participants. That is good because it is a sign of the number of people in employment but, at the end of the day, we need people who will be able to help maintain our villages. We need to look at the structure of village maintenance as it cannot always be left to Tidy Towns committees. There has to be a structure in place for regular maintenance. Some villages are thriving and succeeding in getting through that, while others are being left behind. There is a balance to be struck there. The third priority must be to provide an opportunity for younger people to build a future in rural Ireland. I want young people across Galway East to have the opportunity to build a home, find meaningful employment, raise a family and thrive in the communities where they grew up. This means that housing, serviced sites, wastewater infrastructure and practical planning policies that support rural communities are essential. So often, young people go for planning permission only to be turned down and some planning policy to be referred back to them as to why they failed, without there having been an engagement at the start from the planning authority to explain how they should qualify. Even in the case where they may have had a pre-planning meeting, it is not a case of the authority asking how it can give planning permission. It is often a case of it asking how it can refuse it. There needs to be a shift in mentality in our local authorities. I am immensely optimistic about the future of rural Ireland. I have seen the impact investment has had in rural Ireland and I am excited for the future and to see what comes next."},{"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 Like many colleagues in the Government and in Opposition, I welcome this new rural policy. We are developing and increasing our commitment to rural communities on the foundations of the investment that has been very much at the heart of Fine Gael and Fianna F\u00e1il policy over the last number of years. I will highlight three essential points and I ask the Minister to take them into consideration. Regarding transport, in County Louth we have had both strategy and funding and we have been very lucky to be able to build on a good transport system that goes from north to south on a regular basis. We have trains and buses that go by on an hourly basis, yet we still cannot connect the county from east to west. Indeed, we cannot connect County Louth to County Meath from east to west. I cannot get a bus from Clogherhead to Dunleer or Ardee or even on to Trim. People who would like to rely on public transport for meeting friends \u2013 we know socialising is very important - attending a GP appointment or even changing medication or bandages, whatever is needed by our older population, have to rely on family. I have raised this again and again. We need to be able to connect our counties, not just north and south but also east and west. That leads me to my second point. Strategy is fundamental. Without strategy we do not know which services we need and how much they will cost. However, no strategy is worth anything if we do not take into consideration who it needs to serve, and that must be the people and community. At the heart of that are our loved ones, particularly those who are older and those who are more disadvantaged or disabled. Fundamentally, what we need is a statutory home-care policy that will allow older and disabled people to be cared for in their home. We talk about social prescribing and we know it is good for people to get out into their community and take part in activities. It is, however, equally important, if not more important, that our loved ones get to stay in their home. Until now, we have not developed the right policy to allow this to happen. People who live in rural areas will not find it easy to get a carer. Indeed, they will not be able to stay there indefinitely and die in their own bed. This must be a priority when we talk about rural Ireland."},{"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 The Death of an Irish Town is otherwise known as No One Shouted Stop . I was thinking of John Healy's seminal work today, a book that has never been as relevant as it is today, other than when it was first written almost 60 years ago. Rural depopulation and emigration are once more sucking the lifeblood of rural Ireland, with our young people being pulled toward our congested capital city or the emigrant plane bound for Sydney or Perth on the other side of the world. Dublin-centric policies are causing the managed decline of rural Ireland and some GAA clubs are even facing extinction. Some 78% of GAA clubs are in rural areas with declining populations. Gaeltacht communities, which have represented the essence of Irishness for 2,600 years, are being sidelined and absolutely decimated, scriosta amach is amach. N\u00ed bheidh Gaeltachta\u00ed ann a thuilleadh m\u00e1 t\u00e1 siad b\u00e1naithe ag an imirce n\u00f3 murar f\u00e9idir leis an aos \u00f3g maireacht\u00e1il agus teaghlach a th\u00f3g\u00e1il iontu. We cannot have Gaeltacht communities if the young, native Irish-speaking population cannot build or live in them. Bheadh s\u00e9 sin trag\u00f3ideach. Hearts are being ripped out of many rural villages which are being stripped of essential services. Young Irish people cannot buy, build or rent a home, and many cannot get planning and live locally in rural Ireland. Sadly, seven out of ten young people recently surveyed said they did not see a future for themselves in Ireland. This has to change. The success of this new rural strategy will be judged on whether young Irish people can remain in order to live and start families in rural communities. Sin \u00e9. Otherwise it is meaningless. We also need roads that do not wreck our cars, policies to safeguard family farms and support those of us who are reliant on home-heating oil, basic public services, including affordable public transport, school transport for all and pubs that can survive. We need banks and post offices, so that a family in the west or in Wicklow or Wexford is treated the same as a family in Dublin. In terms of wastewater, small developers are often prevented from building desperately-needed housing due to a lack of wastewater treatment plants. I could mention several areas where this is happening, for example, Aughrim in County Wicklow or Ferns and Camolin in County Wicklow, to name but a few. In the case of Camolin, the lack of housing means a lack of families and fewer children to sustain the local primary school. This was being discussed when I started on Wicklow County Council in 2014, and the situation has not developed any further, which is unbelievable. That is symptomatic of a wider broken and bureaucratic system. We need action. We need easily accessible grants to regenerate our towns, village centres and rural Ireland, and a system that looks beyond repurposing neglected hotels and community centres as IPAS cash cows for the local speculator. In short, we need to complete revival of rural Ireland."},{"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 This debate on the future of rural Ireland is important, but for years this issue has been debated and plans have been brought forward in various reports and reviews. However, the problems still persist. Missing from many of the programmes and plans is the need to create functional and vibrant rural villages. The approach of various Governments through the years has been somewhat disjointed. Villages continue to lose vital services such as shops, pubs and post offices. There are not enough people to sustain the core of villages. Improving rural areas in counties such as County Laois, for example, would mean bringing life back to villages like Ballacolla, Camross and Ballybrittas, where wastewater treatment services are needed. If we want to retain local shops, pubs, schools, etc, we have to have people. That is the missing piece. We can come up with these Mickey Mouse schemes every now and then to put a sticking plaster on the problem but if you have people, you have businesses. This means having affordable sites and serviced land to buy, along with social and private housing. Villages need to be places where people can walk to school, the shop, the pub, the church or their local employment office, if needed. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has a target of 11,200 homes in Laois in the next seven years. That means a population increase of one third in the county - about 33,000. However, not all development has to be in Portlaoise. The services in Portlaoise are stretched beyond their limit. The sensible and sustainable approach should be to increase population in our villages. This means improving wastewater treatment and water capacity. It means having that land serviced for small modest housing schemes. Ballybrittas does not even have a wastewater collection network despite the fact that it is almost beside the motorway. This offers the prospect of regenerating these villages and bringing life back into them. Other villages such as Ballylinan Camross and Ballycolla do not have any or are short of wastewater infrastructure. We need housing to sustain services. We also need to improve the linkages between villages and towns with bus connections. That needs to be improved. Good work is being done but it needs to be expanded. We need EV charging points, which we not have in wide strips of Laois. In short, we need to get people back living in the villages. That is the solution here."},{"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 a rural TD, I am, of course, very interested and invested in support of any policy development in rural areas, particularly in Donegal. We need our rural towns and communities to be places of opportunity for people. Right now, that is not happening. We need our rural towns to be prioritised, particularly when it comes to tourism. We want them to be places where people can live; work; thrive; reach their full potential; grow socially, mentally, physically and personally; and build fulfilling lives going forward. Too often, young people in rural Ireland do not see their hometown as a place of opportunity. Rather they see it as a place that is limiting them and holding them back and that attitude needs to change. The lack of significant investment is reflected in many aspects of life in Donegal from limited public transport to poor broadband to poor road infrastructure. In particular, the north west is years behind. We are the forgotten county, yet tourism has the opportunity to grow in Donegal if it is invested in. Tourism will grow if we invest in it and take the chance. There is an urgent need for greater investment, particularly in Donegal. While destinations such as Killarney have become established tourism hotspots, they are increasingly experiencing capacity pressures. This highlights the importance of developing alternative destinations and spreading the benefits of tourism to other areas and alternatives such as Finn Valley or Malin Head. The Malin Head visitor plant management plan was rolled out in 2018 but has still not progressed. This needs to be progressed but for it to be progressed, Donegal County Council will need funding. Funding these projects is vital. I know the Minister of State has been to Finn Valley in the past. I ask him to come and see the potential in Inishowen and the islands over the next year. Donegal can thrive just like Kerry but we need investment."},{"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 Any discussion or debate on the future of rural Ireland has to be welcomed and is obviously very important. While rural Ireland is a fine place and a great place in which to live and work, we obviously need to identify issues that need to be addressed. There are various issues across rural Ireland that pop up in every constituency, including south Tipperary, which would be described as a rural constituency. The various services that give rise to difficulties would be housing; water services; vacancy and dereliction; the number and the resourcing of An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na; rail and road transport; and industrial development and jobs. The poor situation in south Tipperary with regard to water services is fundamental and is hugely difficult. Many of our schemes are under boil water notices. In Tipperary town, 5,500 consumers have been on a boil water notice since 11 February. The Ardfinnan regional water supply scheme has been on a boil water notice since 7 June and has just come off a \"do not consume\" notice. Glenary in Clonmel and Newport in the north of the county have just come off of a boil water notice. There are significant difficulties. This is something that very many TDs in this House both Opposition and Government have raised on an ongoing basis. Irish Water is not fit for purpose and should be abolished. It should never have been established but it should certainly be abolished and the services returned to the local authorities, which looked after these services in the past. I refer to the question of vacancy and dereliction. Pushing the derelict site tax out to June 2028 is not good enough, particularly in relation to large-scale derelict areas. We have one of those in Market Place in Clonmel. It has effectively been a ghost town for the past ten years and even prior to that was the subject of an auction. I think a developer has been sitting on that for years. The derelict site tax should be brought into being immediately with regard to large developers that are sitting on properties. We also have a problem with garda\u00ed right across the constituency. The new Garda districts, which in our case means Clare and Tipperary, are simply not effective and we have fewer garda\u00ed now than we had in 2024, so that is something that needs to be dealt with. Other issues include transport, for example, the western and eastern sections of the N24 and rail services from Limerick to Waterford through south Tipperary. Those are some of the issues that need to be dealt with."},{"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 welcome the publication of Our Rural Future 2026-2031 and the Government's commitment to supporting rural Ireland. Rural Ireland is essential to our national identity. It is where our communities, culture, traditions and local sporting organisations have been built over generations. I welcome the five strategic pillars outlined in this policy, particularly the commitments around thriving rural places, high-quality public services and resilient rural communities. However, as a TD for County Kerry, I want to highlight the very real challenges facing rural communities in north and south Kerry, particularly the Iveragh peninsula. We need to be honest about what is happening on the ground. In September 2025, just 83 children started across 12 primary schools in the Iveragh region. That is a stark indication of the demographic challenges we face. We are also seeing the impact on our GAA clubs, which have been the backbone of rural communities for generations. I acknowledge the work of Joe McCrohan, chairman of the South Kerry Board; Michael Murphy, demographics officer with the Kerry County Board; and former Kerry footballer Bryan Sheehan from Cahersiveen, who have all highlighted the challenges facing our clubs and communities. I first arranged a deputation as a member of Kerry County Council back in 2024 where these three men came before the meeting of Kenmare Municipal District and outlined the issues facing our county, in particular the Cahersiveen-Iveragh region, which historically has been ravaged by forced immigration and now rural depopulation. Bryan, Michael and Joe were subsequently interviewed by Marty Morrissey on \"Six One News\" in regard to this matter. We are now seeing clubs having to amalgamate and field underage teams. These amalgamations are not happening because communities want to lose their identity or independence. They are happening because there are simply not enough young people living in these areas and that should concern all of us. When the rural school struggles to maintain its numbers, when a GAA club cannot field a team and when young people cannot see a future in their own community, we have to ask ourselves what more can be done. I previously called on the Taoiseach and the Minister for rural and community affairs, Deputy Calleary, to establish a dedicated task force to address rural depopulation in Iveragh, south Kerry. I believe that call is even more relevant today. We need a co-ordinated approach involving Departments, Kerry County Council, local communities, the GAA and other organisations that understand the challenges facing rural Ireland. I would also like to see south Kerry considered as a pilot area for targeted interventions to tackle rural depopulation. I have called for this previously. Housing must be central to that approach. I have called for the exploration of a community-led cluster-type housing model working in partnership with local GAA clubs and community organisations. I sincerely hope that the new rural planning guidelines go far enough. There are plenty of young couples out there who are in the position to build and get a mortgage big enough to build a house. They should be given every opportunity to do so. We need to look at how we can utilise local assets, address planning and infrastructure barriers, and create opportunities for our young people to build their lives in their communities where they grew up. I welcome the commitments in this policy around rural housing, the local improvement schemes, the expanded Local Link services, digital connectivity and the new strategic rural investment fund. These are all very important measures but we must also ensure we deliver tangible outcomes for the communities that need them most. The policy contains 37 high-level commitments and I ask that the demographic decline is addressed especially."},{"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 Cuirim f\u00e1ilte roimh phlean an Rialtais don tuath, \u00c1r dTodhcha\u00ed Tuaithe. Tr\u00e9asla\u00edm leis an obair at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta ag an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, ag an Aire St\u00e1it, an Teachta Buttimer, agus ag feidhmeannaigh na Roinne. Rural Ireland is varied and is intertwined and connected with our large towns and cities. There is no one solution to solve the challenges of rural Ireland. You would have to go to each town and parish to identify the issues and challenges they face. Some places are very strong. Again, a lot of that depends on location. My own area of Moycullen, Killannin, Oughterard, Bearna, Oranmore, Claregalway and Athenry are strong urban areas with their own challenges due to the pressures of growth but have the advantages of being close to Galway city, which has a strong influence and strong job opportunities. Other areas are more isolated and have their own particular challenges. We got good news this week about the Galway city ring road. This will have such a positive benefit to the whole region, not just Galway city but also the county, including Connemara, in increasing connectivity and opportunities for further investment as well as tourism opportunities. We want to see that project built as quickly as possible. We have seen the benefits of the Moycullen bypass, the western rail corridor and further plans for that, which will be of huge benefit to the region with the investment in rail services there. We look at the investment, an infheist\u00edocht, at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta agus at\u00e1 ag dul ar aghaidh in Inis O\u00edrr. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 sin f\u00edorth\u00e1bhachtach. Tr\u00e9asla\u00edm leis an obair at\u00e1 d\u00e9anta ag an Aire, an Teachta Calleary, agus ag an Rialtas air sin. T\u00e1 fadhbanna f\u00f3s ar Inis Me\u00e1in \u00f3 thaobh sh\u00e1bh\u00e1ilteacht an d\u00e1 chaladh at\u00e1 ann. C\u00e9n plean at\u00e1 ag an Rialtas maidir le hinfheist\u00edocht ar Inis Me\u00e1in? Teasta\u00edonn plean go g\u00e9ar. There is also investment in other piers, such as Cleggan Pier, which has a hugely important role in accessibility to Inisbofin as well. The rural broadband plan is working. It allows for remote working or for people to work from home. I acknowledge the Government\u2019s investment in that. We want to see completion of that next year. The cro\u00ed c\u00f3naithe scheme has been hugely beneficial with people renovating run-down cottages and houses and in providing opportunities for people to acquire a house in rural Ireland. There is investment in sports capital. I was hugely involved in the community centre fund with the then Minister, Heather Humphreys, and Deputy Calleary, in relation to maintenance, refurbishment and new community centres. Rural Ireland has challenges but all in all there are also many positives for the area."},{"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 Cuid\u00edm leis an m\u00e9id at\u00e1 r\u00e1ite ag mo chomhghleaca\u00ed \u00f3 mo Dh\u00e1ilcheantar f\u00e9in maidir le c\u00farsa\u00ed c\u00e9ibhe. T\u00e1 s\u00e9 luaite sa phlean mar sprioc \u00e1irithe go mbeidh muid chun an ceann ar Inis O\u00edrr a chr\u00edochn\u00fa. Cuirim f\u00e1ilte roimhe sin ach feicim sa phlean chomh maith go bhfuil dh\u00e1 ch\u00e9ibh i gContae Mhaigh Eo luaite, ceann ar Oile\u00e1n Chliara agus ceann ar Inis Toirc. Ba bhre\u00e1 liom sprioc mar sin a fheice\u00e1il sa phlean d\u2019Inis Me\u00e1in. Ar mhaithe le s\u00e1bh\u00e1ilteacht na ndaoine at\u00e1 ina gc\u00f3na\u00ed ann agus iad ag baint \u00fas\u00e1id as seirbh\u00eds\u00ed b\u00e1id, ba cheart go mbeadh c\u00e9ibh cheart ar Inis Me\u00e1in. Mar is eol d\u00fainn agus mar at\u00e1 luaite ag mo chomhghleaca\u00ed, t\u00e1 taighde ar bun faoi l\u00e1thair ag an gcomhairle contae ar an mbealach is fearr chun s\u00e1bh\u00e1ilteacht a chruth\u00fa agus a choime\u00e1d do mhuintir Inis Me\u00e1in agus iad ag baint \u00fas\u00e1id as seirbh\u00eds\u00ed b\u00e1id. Ba bhre\u00e1 liom a fheice\u00e1il sa phlean seo go mbeimid ag cur leis an obair sin agus ag cur leis na c\u00e9ibheanna eile at\u00e1 luaite sa phlean chomh maith le c\u00e9ibh Inis Me\u00e1in. Agus c\u00farsa\u00ed Gaeltachta ardaithe agam, ba mhaith liom focal n\u00f3 dh\u00f3 eile a r\u00e1 maidir leis an nGaeltacht agus a todhcha\u00ed. Labhra\u00edonn an plean seo faoin r\u00f3l l\u00e1rnach at\u00e1 ag \u00dadar\u00e1s na Gaeltachta agus faoin obair chun tac\u00fa le heacnama\u00edocht r\u00e9igi\u00fanda na nGaeltachta\u00ed. T\u00e1 an t-\u00fadar\u00e1s ag d\u00e9anamh an-obair air sin ach ceapaim go bhfuil deis eile ann don Ghaeltacht. Baineann an deis sin leis an gcusp\u00f3ir at\u00e1 in Acht na dTeangacha Oifigi\u00fala (Leas\u00fa) go mbeidh inni\u00falacht sa Ghaeilge ag 20% d\u2019earcaithe nua don earn\u00e1il phoibl\u00ed faoin mbliain 2030. Dar liom, is deis \u00e9 seo don Ghaeltacht. T\u00e1 d\u00fashl\u00e1n ag an t\u00edr an sprioc sin a bhaint amach ach n\u00edl muid ag baint \u00fas\u00e1id cheart as na ceantair Ghaeltachta chun \u00e9 sin a bhaint amach. Ba cheart d\u00fainn breathn\u00fa ar na seirbh\u00eds\u00ed St\u00e1it agus smaoineamh ar chuid acu a dh\u00edl\u00e1r\u00fa go ceantair Ghaeltachta. The policy the State had previously of decentralisation was a very successful one in terms of the development of public services outside of the Dublin region and the creation of industry and jobs in regions through public services. We should look at our Gaeltacht regions to see if we can use the opportunity of the available workforce in those regions that would help us to achieve the 20% target for those employees in the public sector to be proficient in the Irish language by decentralising some services there. We do face a significant challenge. This would be one way for the challenge to be overcome quite easily, with the technology involved now and the availability of broadband throughout rural Ireland. This is an opportunity we should examine. I would like to mention one other issue before I finish, that of water. Around 10% of households in the country are still not connected to a public water supply or a group water scheme. We need a scheme like the national broadband plan to extend public water services to those households. It is a public health issue as well as one of the availability of water."},{"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 Rural Ireland is the backbone of this country. The people of south Kildare are proud of their rural communities, their heritage and way of life. Families have lived and worked in these areas for generations and we have a responsibility to ensure that those communities not only strive but thrive. Unfortunately, this strategy does little to achieve that goal. It is a polished document full of good intentions and worthy aspirations but it fails to address fundamental challenges facing rural Ireland today. The two core issues that were raised during the consultation process were housing and generational renewal, yet both remain largely unaddressed. The Government chose to ignore the reality on the ground and created another fluffy policy document that will just gather dust. The reality is simple. People can no longer afford to live in the communities where they grew up. Young people are priced out of the rental market and buying a home is completely out of the question for the vast majority of people. What rural Ireland needs are measurable targets for affordable housing, serviced sites and the refurbishment of derelict and vacant properties. We have to follow through with delivery and not another strategy. Until we see a step change from the Government in this regard there will be no rural future to speak of. This plan does not commit resources to tangibly improve the public services that people are crying out for in Kildare South, such as childcare places, primary care and out-of-hours GP services. South Kildare has some of the lowest garda numbers per capita . Water infrastructure in Derrinturn and Allenwood is at breaking point. Narraghmore and Moone have lost their post offices in recent times. The strategy will not deliver for these communities. There is no concrete commitment to expand the oversubscribed school transport scheme, nor is there any further investment in special educational placements to allow children with additional needs to attend school with their siblings in their local area instead of being shuttled across towns and sometimes counties to attend school, and that is if they can attend school at all. While little in the document is objectionable, little in it inspires confidence. It provides no real hope for communities struggling to retain their population, attract young families or maintain essential services. A genuine rural future means affordable homes, accessible public services, thriving local communities and dignity for our older people. This document falls well short of that standard and is further evidence of how out of touch the Government is. Caithfimid todhcha\u00ed \u00e1r gceantair tuaithe a chinnti\u00fa. N\u00ed chabhr\u00f3idh an strait\u00e9is at\u00e1 os \u00e1r gcomhair anseo leis an aidhm sin mar go bhf\u00e1gann s\u00e9 na ceisteanna is t\u00e1bhachta\u00ed ar l\u00e1r, is iad sin maoini\u00fa seirbh\u00eds\u00ed poibl\u00ed agus c\u00farsa\u00ed tith\u00edochta. Leanfaidh b\u00e1n\u00fa na tuaithe ar aghaidh fad is a theipeann ar an Rialtas tithe inacmhainne, \u00e1iseanna c\u00faraim leana\u00ed, c\u00faram sl\u00e1inte poibl\u00ed agus \u00e1iteanna scoile do ch\u00e1ch a chur ar f\u00e1il."},{"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 This is another rural plan; let us hope it delivers. How much time do I have?"},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Paula Butterly) You have five minutes."},{"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 thank the Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach. What will make this any different from what has come before, which is a lot of talk, promises and non-delivery? That is a serious matter. People would like to get to the nuts and bolts of this and where the money will be spent. I remember the regeneration fund which was in place in the past. We had a project in Schull. There was a meeting here and pictures were taken of all the committee members. A senior Minister was sitting inside. His seat was in trouble, the money was shifted that night back to his constituency and the poor people who had come up from Schull lost everything. That is the kind of game that goes on here in relation to funding. It is not equally given out. The Minister of State was not there so I am not pointing the finger at him, but I know it for a fact because I saw the pictures and the carry-on. I rang the committee and was told we had it, which was fantastic, but the committee did not have it in writing and the next day, when the announcements were made, Schull was not in the game or at the races and the people were stunned. That was a serious error because it led to a big downfall in west Cork and projects in Schull. It was an off-season project that would have worked all year round on the pier in Schull. However, we are where we are. The problem we have now is that tomorrow we will be talking about the Short-Term Lettings and Tourism Bill. I would like to think there was something in this that might salvage a lot of the businesses the Government is going to destroy tomorrow evening when it sets the train in motion. I have spoken to the Taoiseach about this on numerous occasions. He promised me that the planning aspect of it would not be included. Now we have seen the Bill. We have combed through it and had public meetings. There were full houses in west Cork of people who deliver short-term lets like through Airbnb. The Government will destroy their businesses within two years with the new planning guidelines that are coming in. What has the Government got in this document to solve that? The best thing I have heard of it doing is that it will put a tax on beds to make sure that if tourism does not go down, the Government will take it down. I do not understand what its plans are. We need to get to the nuts and bolts of this. Will there be funding for rural roads? Earlier I brought up with the Taoiseach the N71, the Innishannon bypass, the Bandon bypass, the northern relief road, the southern relief road, the Bantry bypass, passing bays in Castletownbere and promised funding being withdrawn. It is in the public domain that funding for roads that needed work has been withdrawn. It looks to me as though some parts of rural Ireland will get some of this money, maybe, but the decent parts of rural Ireland will be forgotten. We will be back to square one on the wastewater treatment plants. We want to grow villages like Goleen, Ballydehob, Rosscarbery, Shannonvale and so on, but we do not see the money being invested there in the wastewater treatment plants. People see raw sewage in the tide. If that was a farmer, he would be closed down straight away, but when it is the State it is different. A blind eye is turned to it. In farming and fishing, too, we have a serious crisis. I spoke today about a fisherman who went out in his trawler on five days last week and it cost him \u20ac22,850 in fuel. That is game over as far as he is concerned because it is not sustainable. The price of fish we buy in the shop will not go up that much. The Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, will have serious and devastating consequences. We are leaders in Europe at the moment and we are not able to lead the ship to safety. We are not able to lead farming into safety. Instead, CAP is being cut by 25% while in the last ten years the money that farmers pay to buy a lorry load of ready-mix or fertiliser has doubled. Everything has doubled and now the Government wants to cut farmers' money by 25% because the rest of Europe wants arms to go to war. What the hell is going wrong in Europe? Europe is starting to turn against the people it should protect. I will turn to greenways, as I have the floor. There will be a public meeting on 20 November in Ballinascarty and we will see what kind of public representatives we have in west Cork and whether they will turn out in strength to support people who do not want to wreck their farms. I know a farmer in Ballinascarty who has been told the walkway will go through his farm. He explained that there are farm sheds, calf sheds and milking parlours, and he was told not to worry about them, that they would be shoved sideways. Jesus, what is going on in this country? What is wrong with taking away a ditch at the side of the road to make a walkway? What is wrong with going to meet James O'Mahony in Kilcrohane, who put the most famous walkways around the world, or Jim O'Sullivan in Beara? They did not destroy anyone's farm doing it. They took away ditches, but they did not go down the middle of a farm or put a 5 m tar roadway in the middle of a farm. All of that has to stop, including me."},{"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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Paula Butterly) Indeed. Deputy Lawless."},{"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 The people of rural Ireland do not want any more glossy documents, targets or reports. We need action and delivery from the Government. I will raise three important issues. The first is the western rail corridor. I welcome the fact that work has begun on clearing the Athenry to Claremorris line, but it needs to be delivered on time. I would appreciate if in his reply, the Minister of State could talk about the delivery timeframe for it. I was deeply disappointed to hear the Taoiseach intervened in support of the greenway between Collooney and Bellaghy because if this goes ahead and the greenway proceeds, I fear we will never see a railway north of Claremorris. That is a huge concern for so many community groups and politicians across the political divide in Mayo. The second issue is planning. We cannot have a rural Ireland if people do not live there. In the past two years since my election, I have sat with constituents who have come to me with planning documents because they were refused planning permission. Some applicants were refused on the basis of local need. Incredibly, one person who attended the local national school, whose father attended the local national school, whose children are attending the local national school and who is seeking to build in the catchment area of the local national school, has been refused planning permission on grounds of local planning need. This is happening right across the country. The statements on planning need to happen. They need to be implemented. We need to address the planning system and adopt a permissive attitude to planning. We cannot have a situation where we are looking for grounds for refusal. We have to change the attitude to planning. It is important. If we want to have rural communities and sustain towns and villages, we have to allow people to live there. We need to address the planning attitude. It must become permissible to build. We should be looking for reasons to give people planning permission to build on family land. The third issue is that in rural Ireland we have significant difficulty with home care packages. It is a reality that we have an ageing population and I know families and elderly people receiving home care packages under which a different individual attends every day. We must address the lack of housing for older people in our communities."},{"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 If rural Ireland is to survive, it needs a population. It needs to have people who are able to work from home. Increasingly, the jobs will be hybrid ones, especially in the farming sector. We need to encourage people to diversify from agricultural practices. We have for too long focused on beef and dairy, and with the way the global situation is changing, they may not be sustainable. I have mentioned that our own food security is hugely threatened and, therefore, Government policy needs to push more for self-reliance in producing homegrown tillage products. There is huge potential if we allow people to build in rural areas in properly sustainable homes using wind and solar. It is a win-win for everyone. We should be encouraging people to repopulate the countryside to keep the schools and post offices open."},{"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 welcome the publication of Our Rural Future 2026-2031. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and the Department on this ambitious plan. Its five pillars are grounded in reality. Its 34 commitments and 234 actions and timelines will help to ensure its delivery. As the Minister of State knows, Mayo is blessed with remarkable natural beauty, innovative businesses, strong farming communities and vibrant towns and villages that consistently demonstrate resilience and ambition. We have places with strong identities, proud traditions and extraordinary community spirit, which is often shown in the community future plans and through our voluntary groups. Today I think of people like the vivacious volunteer, disability advocate and all-round community person Avril Graham, whom we sadly lost this week. I think of her family, her colleagues across the various organisations she was involved in and her friends. May she rest in peace. The challenges of rural life in Ireland are very real, including the lack of water services. I think of residents in Newport, who are still waiting on their wastewater treatment plant. I think of frequent power outages. I think of the islanders in communities like Achill. I think of the struggles with transport, the need for upgraded roads like the R312 from Erris to Castlebar and the fact that Mayo is facing double-digit school closures. That is why we need to continue to invest in our rural towns and villages, expand digital connectivity, strengthen transport services and improve essential infrastructure. I welcome the recognition in this plan that communities in rural areas are different. The needs of the islanders on Clare Island are very different from those of the residents in Ballinrobe. In these rural communities, sometimes smaller investments can make the greatest difference. I think of TFI Anseo in Achill, which I know the Minister of State is quite involved in. It has surpassed 11,000 journeys in its first year. I think of the roll-out of the national broadband plan to Inishturk, which has literally bridged the digital divide across the ocean for its 50 residents and is now enabling enterprise, education and a host of opportunities. I want all rural parts of Mayo to have a vibrant community, vibrant community centres with digital hubs, safe footpaths and roads, and reliable transport. I want young people to be able to build on their own family land, something that has come up repeatedly today. Of course, they need to adhere to policies, but we need to guide them and help them rather than see them engaged in what can be a costly, drawn-out process that can often end up with a negative result. I want accessible and affordable childcare. In rural parts of Mayo, too many parents, often women, are unable to return to their careers due to a lack of childcare. Mayo has really ambitious plans like the breakwater in Roonagh, the suspension bridge at Downpatrick Head and the regeneration of the Westport convent site, which is well under way. Last week, we saw work start on 18 age-friendly homes. Of course, we really need to see the strategic development zone at Ireland West Airport. I look forward to working with the Minister of State and the Minister to see many of these delivered while ensuring we are not overwhelming our volunteers. They need consistent and accessible funding and less bureaucracy."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Peter 'Chap' Cleere","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Peter-'Chap'-Cleere.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere I welcome the opportunity to speak on Our Rural Future. I commend the Minister, Deputy Calleary, and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, on their work on it. I am very proud to have lived my whole life in a rural part of Kilkenny. I know that if a plan like this is executed properly, it can mean a whole lot for towns and villages like mine. As Fianna F\u00e1il spokesperson for rural affairs, I believe this plan has potential to address the most pressing issues facing rural areas. I want to set out what I would like to see delivered in rural areas, particularly in my constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny. Everybody deserves to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. We need more garda\u00ed on the streets of Carlow and Kilkenny. People on the ground are telling me that they want to see more garda\u00ed on the beat, particularly in our smaller towns and villages. The funding in the budget for an additional 1,000 new garda\u00ed next year is a really important start, but we need to see a greater geographical spread of these resources. People want to see a garda on their main street. It helps the community to thrive when people know their local garda by name and it makes them feel safer where they live. More than 2,200 pubs in Ireland have closed in the last 20 years, the majority of them in rural areas. When the pub in a village closes, people lose a vital place to meet. In particular for older people living on their own, that is a huge loss. I have been pushing for support for rural pubs since I was elected and I was absolutely delighted to see \u20ac15 million allocated in this year's budget. The details have to be right and the money has to go to the rural pubs that are struggling most. Keeping these doors open is one of the best ways we have of tackling isolation, a key aim of Our Rural Future. I look forward to working closely with all those stakeholders to come up with a scheme to benefit all. I also welcome new Government guidelines to make it easier for people to build one-off rural homes in their locality. These changes are the biggest overhaul of our rural housing policy in more than 20 years. The guidelines strike the right balance between supporting rural communities and ensuring vibrant towns and villages while protecting the character of our countryside. The reality is that someone born in a rural area, living in a rural area or working in a rural area should be entitled to build in that rural area. As well as saving our pubs, there are other ways that this plan can tackle isolation. Farming can be a lonely life, and I welcome the new pilot to tackle isolation in farming communities. Our community centres matter just as much. Making the community centre investment fund permanent means these centres can plan ahead instead of scraping by from year to year. I also urge every sports club in Carlow and Kilkenny to get their applications into the community sports facilities fund before 26 February of next year because every club that gets funding is another place for people to come together in and we need that in rural areas. This plan commits to publishing progress every year. I will be keeping a very close eye on it to make sure it delivers for Ireland, but more importantly, for the people of Carlow and Kilkenny."},{"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 I will follow on from the previous speaker and start with rural planning, which is important in dealing with the housing challenge. I have worked through four country development plans in Wicklow and made many changes. I welcome the proposals brought forward by the Minister of State, John Cummins, which should come into force in January. Many aspects are making it difficult and we must make changes. Social or economic need must trump views and prospects in planning decisions. Individual councils can insert this in their development plans, as I did in Wicklow. We need to identify hamlets to allow clustering of houses in rural areas and broaden the qualification for building in hamlets to include nearby villages and towns. Housing need criteria should not be applied to someone who owns a house in an urban area and wants to move back to their rural area. On multi-unit housing, there should be more support to make it economically viable to build estates in towns and villages in rural areas. The development levy waiver scheme meant that some developments that were not economically viable to develop suddenly became viable. We should look at reintroducing this waiver; otherwise, the only housing developments that can happen in these places are social housing. I know that Local Link has been discussed a lot this afternoon. While Local Link buses are a great addition to rural areas, I ask that the timetables be reviewed so that they can be availed of by more people. I am particularly talking about connectivity, for example linking in with other buses that go to third level colleges. Many of our student population travelling to college could avail of the service if it was better aligned to existing college-going buses or linking the timetables with train timetables. The 132 bus is the only public transport from west Wicklow to Dublin. The Minister of State is familiar with it. The promised increase has still not materialised. The proposed 199 link bus from Glendalough to Bray has still not happened and hopefully it will in the new year. Another subject has not been mentioned today and is not widely known around Ireland. It is known only in Wicklow and the south Dublin uplands. It is called the PURE project. PURE stands for protecting uplands and rural environments. It is an environmental project established to combat illegal dumping, fly-tipping, in the Wicklow and Dublin uplands and was officially launched in September 2006. It has been a massive success and has hugely reduced the amount of rubbish seen on the sides of rural roads. It also brings together members of the communities who help to pick up this rubbish. I ask the Minister of State to consider rolling this out across the country. The rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, is a great scheme but it is not working as well as it should be. It needs to come with funding for a dedicated person in the council to oversee. In my experience, nobody is taking responsibility and nothing is getting done. Money is not being spent. This loses value over time because of inflation. It is incredibly frustrating."},{"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 I looked through the five pillars earlier. I want to reflect on those pillars when I make my comments about what urgently needs to happen for our inshore fishing communities. There are about 2,000 inshore fishermen throughout the State who have licences and a tradition. That tradition dates back hundreds of years in some families. It is a noble tradition. It is an integral part of the culture and the identity of not just our coastal communities but also our country. I have toured the country as Sinn F\u00e9in's spokesperson on fisheries and the marine. I have met fishermen at piers and harbours across the State, and what one man said is burnt into my mind. He broke down in tears as he told me that he had to tell his son that there were not the resources for both of them any more and that he would have to fish alone. The tears flowed as he reflected that he would be the last of his family, the members of which have fished for hundreds of years, to stay on the water. It is that serious. When I started out as my party's spokesperson six years ago, there were very few fishermen around the coast who talked about financial assistance, because that is not what they are about. They are about fishing. The truth is that with the cost of fuel, the cost of bait and the unpredictability of markets, they just cannot sustain themselves any more. There have been welcome initiatives in recent times, including the basic income for the arts scheme. That is a welcome scheme. We need more money and for more artists to be able to avail of the scheme. The National Inshore Fishermen's Association is proposing a similar scheme for fishers. That scheme would reflect the integral cultural heritage that is so important to the Irish people. It would keep them at sea, but they need some financial assistance to do that. We have been assisting farmers for decades through the Common Agricultural Policy. We can do this. I appeal to the Minister of State and to the Government to come forward with a scheme to assist inshore fishermen. Sinn F\u00e9in brought forward a proposal in its alternative budget. Approximately \u20ac35 million is what it would cost. That is not a huge amount of money to keep all of our active inshore fishermen on the water, as well as contributing to environmental sustainability. There is so much to the scheme that has been proposed. If we are serious about Our Rural Future's five pillars and plan, we have to bring forward a scheme to financially assist our inshore fishermen and to contribute to sustaining everything that they and they families have done for hundreds of years."},{"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":"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 After years of lecturing rural Ireland, Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael have finally realised something, namely that the people who built their parties no longer trust them. Rural communities have watched decision after decision being imposed on them and being presented as both inevitable and the price of progress. For years, Government policy was shaped around a political consensus that treated rural concerns as obstacles to be managed. Farmers, motorists and communities dependent on employment in the area of peat were told that they were the problem. The Green Party was allowed to run the show in the previous Government. There is no serious focus on the midlands - as a TD for Offaly, that is of great concern to me - despite it being the region that carried the heaviest burden of the so-called just transition. In fact, the word \"midlands\" is not even mentioned in the document we are discussing. We know now that the Government's territorial just transition plan did not directly assess employment prospects in County Offaly, which was the county that bore the greatest brunt of the unjust transition. It is the county that is most affected by the end of peat harvesting and peat-fired generation. Thousands of workers were told that new opportunities would replace what was lost. Yet, years later, the Government still cannot tell us how many equivalent permanent jobs have actually been created in the midlands. The document also avoids another uncomfortable truth. Over recent years, rural Ireland has been subjected to a relentless stream of policy proposals aimed at reducing livestock numbers and restricting agricultural activity. Farmers listened to discussions about herd reductions, methane targets, rewetting programmes and land use. The Government did not listen. Suddenly, however, it is changing its point of view."},{"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 Many young boys and girls cannot get planning permission to build houses for themselves in order to put a roof over their heads. This is happening in areas like Killarney, Killorglin, Kenmare and Dingle. In many places, they cannot get the basic right to planning permission. Draft proposals have been put in place by the Minister. They are supposed to come into force next year. I hope that happens, because many people are depending on it. They have a right to get planning permission, or at least to have a fair chance of getting it. As stated, they cannot get it at present. This is one of the most important things. If we do not have people in rural Ireland and do not have houses for them to live in, we are not going to have rural communities."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Healy-Rae.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Michael-Healy-Rae.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Michael Healy-Rae I thank the Minister of State for his helpful visits to Tuosist GAA Club, R\u00e9alt na Mara, the national school, Pobalscoil Inbhear Sc\u00e9ine and other places during the summer. Soft talk by any of us is no use whatsoever to rural Ireland. We have a serious problem with depopulation. I thank the people and their voluntary groups, such as the GAA clubs, the small schools that are keeping life in rural areas and South Kerry Partnership, North and East Kerry Development, for their efforts. I refer also to the small businesses and people involved in self-catering establishments that we will be discussing over the next number of days. Rural planning is an important issue. I welcome the initiatives that have been taken in that regard. I refer to small shops, pubs and post offices. It is important to enhance those businesses in order to keep them alive and help them to grow."},{"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 am delighted that the Minister got this portfolio. I compliment him on his work so far. He mentioned the community hubs. I hope he will accept my invitation to visit Ballylooby in south Tipperary, where the community is undertaking work on an old pub as a community hub project. The members came together. I hope he will come and see for himself. South Tipperary has benefited from some schemes relating to rural areas in the past. They are good schemes. I know the Minister of State is a practical man. He is a rural man, so he understands what is involved. I look forward to giving him a c\u00e9ad m\u00edle f\u00e1ilte to Tiobraid \u00c1rann theas. Beidh m\u00e9 ag caint leo. I hope he meets the committee in Ballylooby. It is an energetic and ambitious project, and there is great energy among the community to try to resurrect the pub. They had three pubs and a shop there. They have nothing at all now - gach rud imithe. They have ambitious plans to restore that old pub as a cafe and as a centre for the community to operate out of. Beidh f\u00edorfh\u00e1ilte roimhe."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Jerry Buttimer","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","memberCode":"Jerry-Buttimer.S.2007-07-23","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (Deputy Jerry Buttimer) Ar dt\u00fas b\u00e1ire, gabhaim bu\u00edochas le gach Ball a ghlac p\u00e1irt sa d\u00edosp\u00f3ireacht iontach seo chun an tuarasc\u00e1il maidir le \u00c1r dTodhcha\u00ed Tuaithe a phl\u00e9. I welcome the debate. I thank all Members for their contributions. The essence of the debate is that we can agree on many different strands of where we have been, where we are and where we will go. I will work backwards for a moment. I apologise that I will not get to reply to all the Members' contributions. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae referred to people in rural Ireland. He is right. We need people in rural Ireland. I look forward to visiting him and Deputy Michael Healy-Rae in Rathmore in a couple of weeks' time, because I grew up on a small rural farm with my grandparents on the Cork-Kerry border. I understand the importance of what the Deputies are talking about. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae is right. Soft talk is no good. We need to have a plan. The plan is here. Depopulation did not happen yesterday or today; it has been going on for a long time. The Minister, Deputy Calleary and I met with the GAA demographics committee in south Kerry. Deputy Cahill referred to it earlier. This is not the plan that was conjured up for a glossy magazine, as Deputy Lawless said. We are continuing the work done when we created the Department, recognising the importance of rural Ireland. The Minister and I, and the whole of government, are committed to making rural Ireland a better place to live, which needs to happen and which is why the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, is drawing up the draft statement and guidelines on Gaeltacht housing and planning. Everybody who says we need more people living in rural Ireland is correct. Second, it is about work. Some Members who referenced rural Ireland are no longer present but I make the point that the majority of Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland jobs are outside of Dublin. To be fair to the majority of Members present, I have met them on visits to constituencies. They are committed advocates for their areas, working to pursue development of people and communities. As Minister of State with responsibility for community, I see first hand the gargantuan spirit, an fuinneamh, the energy, the enthusiasm and the creation of community that is so important. Linked to that is the piece we have been doing around being able to have people work, raise a family and run a business. This is not a glossy magazine. There are commitments and actions that are accountable and there will be a mid-term review. Some 84% of the previous plan was implemented. Some will not like me saying this but the national broadband plan was delivered on time and in budget, connecting Ireland. The 400-plus remote working hubs give people a hybrid working model where they can choose to work one day, two days or whatever number of days and then commute. Deputy Gogarty spoke about this and he is dead right As Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, I recognise the importance of rural transport. I will give Members some figures. There were 11 million passengers under Connecting Ireland last year, a 225% increase in six years, while TFI Local Link provided 6.97 million passenger journeys last year, a 20% increase. With the Ministers, Deputies O'Brien, Canney and Calleary, I am about connecting people to services and adding new routes. Deputy Wall referred to school transport. We are in discussions to change the delivery model of school transport to ensure we have it linked to rural transport. I am fully aware of the points made by the Deputy - I commend him on his contribution - and Deputy Kenny on the importance of rural transport. Deputy Daly referred to the rural hackney licence. We have changed it. I modified that earlier this year. I am looking to get more people to become drivers and to transport people. The piece around the pub in the budget came from the conversation about the centrality as a hub of the community. The new planning guidelines are central to having people living and raising their families in rural Ireland. It is about consistency of approach, as we heard from Deputy Timmins in the context of planning. It is the overhaul of rural planning guidelines that Deputies Mattie McGrath and Danny Healy-Rae spoke about. It is about ensuring people with a connection to rural Ireland remain there. Post Covid, we have seen an increase in the number of people back on the roads stuck in traffic. I gave Members independent figures showing the importance of rural transport. I will certainly take up Deputy Ward's invitation to Donegal. My good friend, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, and I have a long-standing commitment to go back to Donegal. Regarding the fishers, the rural social scheme provides the opportunity for low-income farmers and fishers to undertake work in local communities. I refer Deputy Mac Lochlainn to page 100 of the document in terms of the actions around what he spoke about. I share his point of view. He is right to raise it and he has articulated it well about inland fishing. I will happily sit down and talk to him further about it, even though it is not my area of responsibility. He is right to raise the point and he has raised it repeatedly. I see first hand in his county, Donegal, the importance of that connectivity. All of us in this Chamber are proud of rural Ireland. I am optimistic about rural Ireland. Given the day that is in it in the United States of America, I will paraphrase Bill Clinton: we are always thinking about tomorrow and the importance of tomorrow for people. That is why part of what we are doing is developing and increasing our commitment to rural Ireland. Deputy Butterly spoke about the importance of transport and connecting people. My ambition and motivation as Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport is to connect people to people and people to place. We speak about ending social isolation. Deputy Butler, the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health, with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has put in huge work. We have had conversations across Departments about enhancing the transport offering. We are ambitious. The priority for us in government is to deliver and to have more people working, staying and living in rural Ireland. The debate has been very clear. We are, as a House and as politicians, vested in our local areas and that Kickhams pride in the local place we see every weekend in our sporting and GAA clubs. That is why we need a plan. That is why the document is produced to continue the next iteration of Our Rural Future. It is about addressing the challenges articulated by many Members, which we as a Government face and it is about the core challenges under rural planning, investment in housing and connectivity. It is about continuing that investment and seeking to address the complexities of the challenges. I was smiling at Deputy Lawless's reference to the five pillars. The five pillars are interconnected. They are about a thriving rural place where people can flourish, which means we invest in our towns, as in the example of the RRDF. We have high-quality public services in healthcare and education. Listening to some Members, excluding those present, you would not realise we have never had more teachers, SNAs and investment in schools and in the physical public realm. What we are committed to and have achieved up to now is that resilient rural community. Deputy Clendennen is right. I have not heard from anybody in the debate about the fundamental issue we must all face, whether we are urban or rural, which is how we must address the change in consumer behaviour and attitude. I pose the question: how many people in the Chamber use their local post office? How many go into their bank branch? How many go into their local shops and buy there, as opposed to going online? Government has changed and has supported local post offices. There is much more that unites us than divides us in this report. I thank Members for their contributions. I look forward to us being held to account and to delivering not just a document, but a real plan for the future development of rural Ireland."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Our Rural Future: Statements"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_22","debateType":"motion","bill":null,"showAs":"Hospital Overcrowding: Motion [Private Members]","counts":{"speechCount":61,"speakerCount":40},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_22","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}},{"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","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":"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":"R\u00e9ada Cronin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/R\u00e9ada-Cronin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"R\u00e9ada-Cronin.D.2020-02-08","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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.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":"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 Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Healy-Rae.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Michael-Healy-Rae.D.2011-03-09","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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"Johnny Mythen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Johnny-Mythen.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Johnny-Mythen.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":"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 We move to Private Members' business. It is a motion re hospital overcrowding, safe staffing and winter preparedness. The Minister for Health has tabled an amendment to the motion. In addition, Aont\u00fa has tabled an amendment to the Minister's amendment. I call on Deputy Cullinane to move the motion."},{"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 move: That D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann: notes that: \u2014 the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation recorded 12,274 patients without a hospital bed in September 2026, the worst September on record, including 1,994 at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and 1,008 at Cork University Hospital (CUH); \u2014 the number of recorded emergency department experiences lasting more than 24 hours increased from 33,843 to 36,410, up 7.6 per cent, and for patients aged 75 and over, the number exceeding 24 hours increased from 10,019 to 12,106, a sharp increase of 20 per cent; \u2014 recruitment restrictions, unfilled essential posts and delays in offering graduates permanent jobs are undermining patient safety and winter preparedness; and \u2014 there is a significant bed deficit across our hospitals as acknowledged in the Government's Acute Hospital Inpatient Bed Capacity Expansion Plan 2024-2031, especially in the Mid-West which faces continuing capacity risks at UHL; considers that overcrowding robs patients of dignity, endangers lives, exhausts staff and safe discharge requires appropriate support along with patient and family involvement; condemns successive Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael Governments' failure to deliver sufficient capacity and reform, and recognises the Minister for Health's responsibility to sustainably fund the health service, address capacity shortages, and ensure safe care across every hospital; and calls on the Government to: \u2014 remove recruitment restrictions blocking the filling of urgent and priority vacant posts, replacement, leave cover, and redelegate recruitment authority to health regions with adequate funding linked to patient needs; \u2014 honour permanent contract commitments to nursing and midwifery graduates, and improve staff training, recruitment, and retention through a funded workforce plan; \u2014 legislate for safe staffing, fully implement the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix, and fund multidisciplinary staffing and surge capacity, ensuring financial controls cannot override patient safety; \u2014 take urgent action on the capacity and patient safety concerns raised at CUH and UHL, with clear responsibility for resolving priority vacancies, addressing service restrictions and providing additional staffed capacity; \u2014 deliver the promised 3,000 additional acute inpatient beds, funded through a multiannual capital plan with hospital-by-hospital capacity targets to meet population needs; \u2014 accelerate elective hospitals in Cork, Galway and Dublin and the opening of surgical hubs to protect scheduled care from cancellations; \u2014 deliver a funded Model 3 hospital with a second emergency department for the Mid-West, alongside immediate improvements and expanded urgent care at UHL, Ennis, Nenagh and St John's hospitals; \u2014 expand regular and out-of-hours general practitioner, pharmacy, primary care, home care and community services to reduce pressure on overcrowded hospitals, deliver care closer to home, and improve early intervention; \u2014 fully fund the National Ambulance Service strategic workforce plan; and \u2014 publish funded regional winter plans and multiannual improvement plans with clear responsibility, published deadlines, demand forecasts, staffing and capacity targets, targets to end trolley waits, and escalation arrangements with a target of achieving consistent population-based capacity levels across each region. The situation in our hospitals and the context we are having this debate in have never been so stark. The Minister might have noticed that last month that we reached the milestone of 1 million people on some form of acute hospital waiting list. We have 260,000 more on community waiting lists. The month of September, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, was the worst on record, quickly followed by October, which was also the worst on record. People are bracing themselves for this month and for December and January. I have spoken to a lot of healthcare staff who work in hospitals, including in emergency departments, and they are bracing themselves for a really difficult number of months ahead. Last year, we saw over 12,000 patients over the age of 75 waiting 24 hours in an emergency department and tens of thousands left without being seen. That is the context. I know that lots of good work is being done in hospitals and staff are doing their best to bring down waiting lists but the people with whom I spoke - staff, patients, healthcare trade unions, advocates and campaigning organisations - are saying that things are not getting better. In many ways, they are getting worse. I spoke to a nurse a number of weeks ago. She works in an emergency department. Almost every day she goes into work, she is confronted with patients on trolleys, patients on chairs and, in some cases, patients on the floor and she has to treat and manage those patients in those circumstances. She said to me: I treat the patients. I manage them in some cases. I toilet those patients. There's no dignity for the patient. There's no dignity for that staff member. There's no dignity for anybody in that circumstance. I am sure I do not have to remind the Minister that when we have chronic overcrowding in our hospitals, it comes with consequences for patient safety. We saw it come into very sharp focus, particularly in the mid-west and Limerick, in the past and I sincerely hope we never see tragedies like that again. The only way we can avoid all of that is to properly equip our hospitals for the winter ahead. In an unprecedented move because I have not seen it in the time I have been health spokesperson, CEOs of hospitals and regional executive officers of hospital groups are raising red flags and telling us that things have never been so bad. They are talking about urgent posts as they see it - priority posts - that are not being filled. The last time this was raised, the Minister compared hospitals and put it back somewhat on hospital managers but if one talks to the staff in those same hospitals, they will tell you that they are working to the maximum. I put down a parliamentary question that the Minister might have seen regarding the amount of money the HSE has spent on overtime, particularly in the area of nursing but also elsewhere. It has gone up each and every year and is at a record amount for this time of the year so that pressure is falling back on existing staff. What is happening at the moment is very dangerous. It is dangerous for patients and it is not good for staff in terms of burnout and morale. When hospital managers say to me that there are very serious patient safety risks because urgent posts are not being filled, I take that very seriously but I do not see the same urgency coming from Government. I and others have raised with the Minister in this House the case of student nurses who have not been given proper contracts. I have never been given an answer as to why that happened. I have not been given a suitable answer as to why it is still the case and why that was allowed to happen in the first place. The Minister cannot pass the buck all of the time and blame everybody but herself. I accept that hospital managers obviously have their job and the HSE and the Department have their job but the buck ultimately stops with the Minister. I am looking at a situation where one million people are on acute hospital waiting lists; 260,000 people on community waiting lists; and a national children's hospital now stands as a monument to Government failure. This hospital should have been opened years ago but we are now hearing that it could be next year or the year after. The whole thing has become very chaotic and I have not even mentioned the chaotic way in which we fund the health service. I hope that despite the amendment tabled by the Minister, she recognises how difficult things are in hospitals at the moment for patients - for every single patient who is not being treated quickly enough and for those coming to emergency departments and being left waiting for too long and in some cases then getting worse. Their condition worsens because they are not being seen. That is not a good outcome for anybody and it is certainly not a good outcome for patients so I very much hope that the Minister will listen to what has been said, lift the restrictions on recruitment and ensure that hospitals have the capacity and the staff that they need to get them through a very difficult winter."},{"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 Can the Minister answer one simple question? Can she guarantee the people of Limerick that it will be safe to use University Hospital Limerick, UHL, in January and February? That is my simple question to her. As she knows, UHL remains the most overcrowded hospital in the State. To date, 19,215 people this year have been on trolleys there. I have warned that the hospital could face up to 400 emergency department presentations every single day during the winter and it cannot cope with that. My greatest concern relates to January and February when flu, winter illnesses and increased demand will put an already stretched hospital under even greater pressure. If UHL is struggling now, what will happen at the height of winter, which in hospitals is normally January and February? We cannot wait for a serious tragedy before Government acts. These are not just numbers. They are people. They are families and elderly patients who deserve safe, dignified and timely care. The crisis is a result of decades of underinvestment - too few beds and persistent staffing shortages across the entire mid-west. That is documented. We have been underfunded for decades. We need immediate action - more staff, more beds and recruitment of essential staff while the embargo has to go. We need better discharge arrangements and a credible winter plan. We also need a long-term solution. The people of the mid-west cannot continue to depend on a hospital that is consistently overwhelmed. For the Government to say it is doing all it can is simply not true. It is a lie. The warnings are there. The Minister cannot say that she is not aware of the risks facing the hospital. The people of Limerick deserve much better, our healthcare workers deserve our support and our patients deserve safety. What is the Minister going to do to ensure that UHL can cope in January and February?"},{"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 thank Deputy Cullinane for bringing forward this motion. This motion followed a briefing from the HSE but I would say that this briefing was more of a warning on the failure to address the overcrowding crisis in our hospitals, particularly in the mid-west. How many more warnings must be received before the Minister takes action and how many more avoidable deaths must occur before patient safety becomes a priority? The situation in the mid-west is simply unacceptable. According to the CSO, people in my own county of Clare must travel further for treatment than people in any other county in Ireland, and that is assuming the service even exists. We do not even have a sexual assault treatment unit in the mid-west. How can the Minister justify such a lack of essential services? What was her response recently when my colleague Deputy Doherty raised the issue of overcrowding, staff safety and the warning of avoidable deaths? She chose to pit hospitals against one another. Pointing fingers and shifting the blame will not put beds or staff in our hospitals and it certainly will not save lives, so let me shift the focus back on the Minister. On her watch, trolley numbers have reached a record four-year high and the number of recorded emergency department experiences lasting more than 24 hours has increased by 7.6%. UHL has been described by patients as chaotic - even like a war zone. I have constituents who are genuinely terrified of being sent there. No patient in this country should have to fear entering a hospital. We have a significant bed deficit across our hospitals and, with overcrowding and the recruitment freeze, patient safety is once again being put at risk. This crisis is not inevitable. It is a result of years of failure to provide the capacity, staff and services that our communities desperately need. Comparing hospitals and making excuses will solve nothing and ignoring the warnings will put more lives at risk. I urge the Minister to listen to healthcare workers and patients and to support this motion and the actions within it, such as a second emergency department for the mid-west as close as possible to Ennis for those in the west and north of Clare. I ask her to immediately remove recruitment restrictions and legislate for safe staffing. These are just some of the much-needed life-saving actions because people deserve better. Patients deserve dignity and staff should feel safe at work but, above all, nobody should have to lose his or her life because this Government failed to act on those warnings. We have already had too many avoidable deaths and we cannot and must not allow there to be another."},{"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 Mayo University Hospital is heading into winter in a dangerously vulnerable position. I have read the Minister's response to the motion that has been put forward tonight. When she refers to safe staffing, she says that the framework continues to demonstrate positive impacts for patients. That is just not true and it is not true in Mayo University Hospital. The hospital has 85 vacancies, the emergency department is under relentless pressure, patients are facing unacceptable delays, with 42% of patients seen within the six-hour target, and exhausted staff are expected to do the work of three or four people. Let me say unequivocally that they and all public sector workers have Sinn F\u00e9in's full support and solidarity in the industrial action they have been forced to take to get a fair pay deal from this Government. The current crisis is not just a staffing crisis. It is a national patient safety crisis. That is what the Minister is presiding over. I hate to say this because when she became Minister for Health, I thought, \"Great, changes were going to be made here. We're really going to see the results of this,\" and what do I get? The Minister promised me last January when Stephen Lavelle died in agony waiting for an ambulance that it would not happen again, yet last week somebody else was six hours waiting for an ambulance - six hours with chest pains and no care, just waiting for an ambulance to come. The ambulances are backed up in accident and emergency because the staff are not there, as the Minister is refusing to put the positions in place. In some cases the positions were given to people. Young nurses were told they could start. They gave up their other jobs to take up positions in Mayo University Hospital but a clamp has come down from a national level to say they are not now going to get the jobs. It is absolute chaos that is happening at the moment. There are other letters here from people. One person wrote about their mother who was on a hospital trolley from 1.30 p.m., and at 9.36 p.m. she was still on a trolley. What is going on here? I believe there is one carer to get food for all of these people, to get them a drink of water, and to check them in. It is really heart-breaking and it is absolutely wrong. This is what the people I am dealing with and the people of Mayo have to put up with in hospitals on a daily basis. The Minister promised it would be better; it is worse, and we are only in November. It is much worse."},{"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 There are some things that we know for a fact. Number one is that recruitment freezes do not work; they hurt patients and they make working conditions incredibly difficult for staff. The second thing we know is that you cannot gaslight healthcare workers into believing there is no recruitment freeze when they can see it with their own eyes. Fianna F\u00e1il tried this in 2007. Brendan Howlin and the Labour Party tried it in 2013. It did not work then and it will not work now. I only have a short time to speak this evening and I would like to appeal to the Minister to do what it says in our motion and to expand regular and out-of-hours GP services. There is no hospital in my constituency. The Government has confirmed that it will not be providing a minor injuries unit for Dublin Fingal West, and we have no out-of-hours GP service. There are no private sector providers willing to step into the breach. With the Minister's ideological outlook I understand that might be her preferred option, but there are no private sector providers stepping into the breach here. Could the Minister give consideration to appointing HSE doctors to provide a D-Doc out-of-hours service to serve the people of Balbriggan, Rush, Lusk, Skerries and surrounding areas because, as it stands, once the GP's surgery closes the people in my constituency have to travel to Beaumont, Swords or Drogheda for any service at all, as however minor or major they cannot get it locally? That is wrong. It is a fundamental breach of what was committed to in Sl\u00e1intecare. We spent hours \u2013 weeks and weeks \u2013 devising the Sl\u00e1intecare strategy as a way to deliver for communities and it has been completely set aside. The latest recruitment freeze is one that completely goes against what is contained within Sl\u00e1intecare. It is bad for patients. Recruitment freezes hurt patients. We know this. Recruitment freezes also hurt staff. What the staff on the picket line a few weeks ago wanted was to be in work but they want safe staffing. They want the health service to be a decent place to work so that there will be sufficient staff there to deliver for patients. That is all they want. Why should that be in conflict with the Minister? It should not. She should be working with the workers. She should work with the Opposition and ensure this is delivered. Instead, it falls on deaf ears every single time. Healthcare workers deserve so much better than this Government, but so also do patients. It is the patients who will suffer because we know that when a recruitment freeze is put in place the impact is felt by the vulnerable, the elderly and the sick."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Sorca Clarke Every year, like clockwork, we hear the same thing: winter is coming; hospitals tell us they are under pressure but the Government tells us it has a plan. This winter has barely started and already October was the worst on record for patients waiting on trolleys, on chairs and in corridors. In Mullingar hospital last Tuesday alone, 21 patients were waiting for a bed \u2013 16 of them were waiting in the emergency department. These are sick people who need to be admitted to the hospital but there are simply no beds for the hospital to be able to take them. It is impossible for anybody to say that they did not see this coming. The hospital in Mullingar serves a population of around 200,000 people, yet according to the HSE's own figures, it had the exact same number of beds at the end of 2025 as it had at the end of 2024, and a 98% occupancy rate throughout 2025. There are 48 beds promised but they are not scheduled to be delivered until 2029 at the earliest. There was not one extra inpatient bed last year in the regional hospital in Mullingar \u2013 48 were promised but none are due to come before the end of 2029. Where are patients supposed to go for the next three winters? What exactly are they supposed to do? What are the staff supposed to do? Beds are only part of the problem. I have spoken to newly qualified nurses across my constituency who were led a merry dance at the HSE job interview and then blindsided by bureaucracy. While we are crying out for nursing staff, we are leaving newly qualified nurses so uncertain about when they may start the job that they are now looking at Australia and the NHS. I need somebody to make sense of that for me because I just cannot do it. The staff in Mullingar, like in every other hospital, are doing their absolute best, but they cannot be expected to continue to plaster over gaps in a system where the system simply does not have enough capacity. In essence, that is what this motion is about. We need safe staffing. We need the beds to go with it, and we need a properly funded winter plan with deadlines. When I speak to my constituents, they say to me repeatedly that they pay the same taxes as everybody else, and they ask why they are not getting the same levels of services. They have a point. They should not have to settle for less. No patient waiting on a trolley can safely say they are being serviced to the best of what their taxpayer funding should be doing."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire I spoke to a lot of staff in Cork University Hospital, CUH, during the recent public sector strike. They are extremely worried. It is not just hospital management alone; the staff and the people of Cork are extremely worried about what they are potentially facing this winter, and rightly so. It is very clear that there are significant challenges there. I commend our spokesperson, Deputy Cullinane, on this motion. I would have hoped that when a hospital leader brought forward concerns about patient safety, the response of the Minister for Health would have been to say: \"I hear what you are saying. We are not going to have those patient safety issues because I'm going to address them with these resources. We are going to make sure that does not happen. We are going to make these interventions, investments and the support the hospital needs.\" I would not have expected a Minister for Health to come down on the hospital and ask it to get back into line. It seems nobody is allowed to shoot from the hip or talk straight except the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. If anyone else does it, it seems to me they are brought back into line. We have heard about the additional staff. It is very clear that they have been linked to the surgical hub \u2013 something that will be of benefit in the long term - but, ultimately, the hospital is looking for 1,000 positions. It is not expecting all of those to be provided overnight but only about seven positions have been filled recently. This is not particular to CUH. To be totally honest, an awful lot of it is just upside down. Direct pay costs are down but they are being swallowed whole by increases in overtime and agency staff \u2013 swallowed four or five times over. Instead of permanent staff coming in, taking up positions and increasing the capacity, the Minister is spending twice or three times the amount on time and a half, agency staff and money going out of the system. It gets even worse. We have things like two CT scanners lying idle while we are looking for radiographers to take up the positions to try to ensure they work. What is happening there is that we are going to have agency staff eventually bringing them back into use while people are waiting on a panel for permanent positions. They are people who want to work for the State and the HSE but the Minister is going to take them on as agency staff, even though she will not take them on permanently. It is absolutely upside down."},{"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) I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after \"D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann\" and substitute the following: \"acknowledges: \u2014 the increased pressure on urgent and emergency care (UEC), given that there has been increased demand in emergency departments (EDs) with patient attendances up 7 per cent (+98,500) nationally, and attendances by people aged 75 plus up 9 per cent (+18,000) compared with 2025; \u2014 the commitment in the Programme for Government to further reducing EDs overcrowding and enhancing urgent care services nationwide; \u2014 the ongoing and important work undertaken by our nurses, doctors and wider healthcare workforce in our hospitals and across the health service, often in challenging and difficult conditions; \u2014 the progress being made providing more care in the community, consistent with the objectives of Sl\u00e1intecare, and the significant reforms being implemented in primary care, general practitioner (GP) and pharmacy services; and \u2014 that there has been substantial and sustained investment in health service staffing and funding in recent years, with Budget 2027 allocating \u20ac29.1 billion for health services as the Government continues its investment in more care, closer to home; notes that: in relation to the urgent and emergency care plans that: \u2014 during the first ten months of the year, ED attendances rose by 7 per cent, with 98,300 additional presentations nationally when compared to the same period in 2025, with effective governance and oversight essential in ensuring operational grip is maintained at national, regional and hospital levels; \u2014 for 2026, the top six sites accounted for 51 per cent of the daily average 8 a.m. trolleys, University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Cork University Hospital (CUH), St Vincent's University Hospital, University Hospital Galway, Mayo University Hospital, and Sligo University Hospital; \u2014 the next seven sites accounted for 29 per cent of the daily average 8 a.m. trolleys, Mercy Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital (TUH), University Hospital Kerry, Letterkenny University Hospital (LUH), Mater Misercordiae University Hospital, St James's Hospital and Naas General Hospital, this means that 13 out of 29 sites accounted for 80 per cent of 8 a.m. trolleys; and \u2014 to respond to the winter season demand, the Government is progressing with implementation of additional patient safety and patient flow steps, including a GP respiratory support programme, additional specific ED plans for each of the ED sites and identifying key unblockers of patient safety flow for the winter period; in relation to safe staffing and safe care that: \u2014 the Government supports and has invested significantly in the Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix (the Framework), noting that the Framework is an evidence-based approach to determine the appropriate nurse staffing levels and skill mix in acute hospital settings and EDs across Ireland; \u2014 the Framework continues to demonstrate positive impacts for patients, staff and organisations where implemented, for example, reduced length of stay, reduction in staff intention to leave, and efficiencies through reduced agency usage; \u2014 Ireland's approach aligns with the World Health Organization guidance, utilising a blended model of Benchmarking and Patient\/Acuity-based staffing, the Framework is grounded in a needs-based care principle, measuring nursing workload by systematically assessing individual patient care requirements and levels of dependency, this enables staffing to be dynamically adjusted in response to patient complexity and care intensity, rather than relying on fixed ratios; and \u2014 significant progress has been made, with baseline implementation achieved in all 26 adult EDs, and across 39 acute hospitals nationwide, this means that 96 per cent of identified baseline staffing requirements have now been delivered nationally and is a critical measure of patient safety; in relation to the Winter Vaccine Plan that: \u2014 vaccination is recognised as one of the most impactful public health interventions available and has led to many lives being saved dramatically reducing the impact of infectious diseases also protecting finite hospital resources, noting that the flu and Covid-19 vaccination programmes are already currently underway for the winter season; \u2014 the flu vaccine is available free of charge to eligible groups from local GPs and pharmacies throughout the flu season, eligible groups include, adults aged 60 years and over, individuals in specified health related at-risk groups, children aged 2 to 17 years, and healthcare workers; \u2014 Covid-19 vaccinations are available to certain eligible groups without charge through local GPs and participating pharmacies; \u2014 the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infant immunisation programme is also being delivered this winter, helping to protect babies from serious RSV illness and reducing the risk of hospitalisation during the respiratory virus season, uptake to date has been encouraging, with high levels of immunisation reported through maternity hospitals; \u2014 in the week ending 25th October, shows the following - Influenza activity continues to increase but remains at baseline-low levels overall, noting there were 139 cases notified in week 43, with incidence highest in those aged 80 years and older, in terms of uptake, it can be noted that, of adults aged 60 years and older, there are 34.6 per cent vaccinated compared with 36.9 per cent last season; \u2014 RSV activity has remained stable at baseline levels in recent weeks, with 16 cases notified in week 43, (down from 17 cases in week 42), with incidence highest in infants aged under one year, in terms of uptake, it can be noted that, there is 88.3 per cent cumulative uptake in our maternity hospitals; \u2014 for Covid-19, activity was stable and remained at low-moderate levels, with 203 cases notified in week 43 (up from 191 cases in week 42), incidence was highest in those aged 80 years and older, in terms of uptake, it can be noted that, of adults aged 80 years and younger, there are 37.4 per cent vaccinated, compared with 38.3 per cent at the equivalent campaign stage last season; and \u2014 it is widely recognised that flu and Covid-19 vaccinations can significantly reduce hospitalisations by preventing illness and serious complications, in mid-January this year, it was reported in Ireland that around 76 per cent or three quarters of intensive care unit admissions due to the flu were in people who had not received the influenza vaccine; in relation to investment and recruitment that: \u2014 there has been substantial and sustained investment in health service staffing and funding in recent years, between 2019 and the end of 2025, overall health funding increased by approximately \u20ac10.6 billion, or 68 per cent, while the health service workforce increased by more than 30,000 staff, or approximately 30 per cent; \u2014 within acute hospitals specifically, real expenditure increased by approximately 52 per cent and staffing by 33 per cent over the same period, compared with an increase of approximately 14 per cent in hospital activity; \u2014 investment continued in 2026, with Budget 2026 providing for an additional 3,300 Whole-Time Equivalent (WTE) staff, by the end of September 2026, the actual workforce had increased by over 4,000 WTE since the beginning of the year, and by over 6,000 WTE in the past 12 months; \u2014 there has been continuous significant increases in funding of the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome since 2022 to this year's budget of \u20ac292.9 million, which is providing for an additional 263 service posts; \u2014 significant Government investment is being provided to expand healthcare education to address future supply of healthcare workers to ensure Ireland can meet growing healthcare needs, including an investment of \u20ac28.5 million to support the delivery of more than 1,100 additional healthcare training places by 2028, representing a significant increase in training capacity across medicine, nursing, pharmacy, social care, and Health and Social Care Professions; \u2014 there is no blanket recruitment freeze in place, the purpose of the workforce and financial controls in place are to ensure that available staffing is directed towards patient needs and priority services, while preventing recruitment and other expenditure from creating unfunded and unsustainable commitments, this arises from recruitment activity that is greater than sanctioned by the Government and the Houses of the Oireachtas; \u2014 each Health Region must manage recruitment within their available pay allocation, taking account of the cost and mix of staff, agency expenditure, overtime and allowances; and \u2014 the most recent Health Service Executive (HSE) data shows that nationally, 1,145 of 1,375 graduate nurses and midwives have been offered positions to date, an offer rate of 83 per cent, and more than 1,000 have accepted, it is likely that this offer rate has improved as we know through the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland registration data, that 1,184 graduates have now successfully completed the registration process and the Department of Health is looking for further ways to enhance graduate recruitment; in relation to multiannual capital funding that: \u2014 the enhanced National Development Plan provision for the health sector for 2026 -2030 is \u20ac9.25 billion, this multiannual capital allocation is the largest ever capital investment plan in the history of the State and largest investment ever in health infrastructure in the State, this multi-annual investment is translated through the HSE annual Capital and Digital plans; and \u2014 the establishment of the Mid-West Health Planning Board is central to the medium to longer term strategy for the Mid-West Region, the Board is made up of senior regional HSE leaders and multidisciplinary expertise across service delivery, clinical care, infrastructure, finance, and enterprise, it also includes patient and service-user representation to ensure that community needs and lived experience inform the Board's work, it is tasked with developing a robust service configuration and capital development plan for the Region and to put in place a credible roadmap for safe, accessible and sustainable healthcare in the Mid-West, it will focus on how services can be organised across hospital, community, primary care, and pre-hospital services and at how care can be provided closer to home, where appropriate, how pressure on UHL can be reduced, and how existing and future locations can best work together for the whole region; in relation to moving care closer to the community, that: \u2014 our health service continues to make steady progress towards providing more care in the community, consistent with the objectives of Sl\u00e1intecare, for example, reforms in primary care through the Enhanced Community Care Programme, the structured chronic disease management programme in general practice and the continued evolution of community pharmacy services have strengthened the healthcare system's ability to meet population needs closer to home; \u2014 notwithstanding demand pressures that remain significant, these investments are creating stronger alternatives to hospital-based care and providing a foundation for more integrated, person-centred services as close to home as possible, \u2013 creating a 'home first' approach as opposed to a 'hospital first' approach to the provision of health services, when it is clinically appropriate to do so; \u2014 the Government continues to expand community-based and digitally enabled models of care, offering increased choice and improved outcomes to patients, these approaches focus on preventing avoidable hospital attendance and admission, supporting earlier discharge and are key avenues for relieving pressure on our health services; \u2014 technological advancements such as remote monitoring and telehealth are transforming how healthcare can be delivered, creating new opportunities for remote monitoring and virtual consultations; and \u2014 virtual wards are now operating in every HSE Health Region and have provided care to over 5,300 patients, freeing up over 48,900 virtual bed days, these services are helping to relieve pressure on EDs and acute hospitals while ensuring that hospital capacity is available for those who need it most; in relation to Surgical Hubs and Elective Hospitals, that: \u2014 significant progress has been made in increasing elective care capacity through the development of new Surgical Hubs and Elective Treatment Centres (ETCs), known also as Elective Hospitals, under the National Elective Care programme; \u2014 four Surgical Hubs are currently operational at TUH, Mount Carmel Community Hospital, Swords and Cork, with hubs in Limerick, Galway and Waterford due to open in the coming months, additional new surgical hubs for Sligo and LUH are in design phase; \u2014 once all surgical hubs are fully operational, the Surgical Hubs will deliver additional capacity across 12 specialties: Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Ear Nose and Thorat (ENT), Pain Relief, Plastic Surgery, Urology, Vascular Surgery, Dermatology, and Maxillofacial Surgery, examples of elective procedures include Biopsies, Steroid injections, Carpal tunnel treatments, Hernia repairs, Tonsillectomies and Cataract Surgery, some of the benefits already delivered or underway include: \u2014 the Reeves Day Surgery Centre opened in late 2020, and has become the blueprint for Ireland's Surgical Hub Programme, up to end August 2026, the Centre has treated more than 20,000 patients since opening and was delivering almost 5,800 procedures annually by 2025, the facility has supported a 17 per cent reduction in TUH's total day-case waiting list, with three in four patients waiting less than the 12-week Sl\u00e1intecare target; and \u2014 the South Dublin Surgical Hub at Mount Carmel Community Hospital is demonstrating that dedicated elective capacity can deliver measurable reductions in waiting times and waiting lists, while simultaneously releasing capacity within acute hospitals; \u2014 since opening in February 2025 to end of August 2026, the Hub has delivered 8,006 procedures, including 4,275 procedures in 2026 alone, reduced average waiting times in participating specialties from 8.5 months to 4 months, a reduction of more than 50 per cent, reduced the number of long waiters by 63 per cent, from 330 patients to 121 patients and supported patients from across the wider Dublin Midlands network, including hospitals with significant concentrations of long waiters; \u2014 the Dublin and North East Surgical Hub commenced operations during the week of 29th June, 2026, and is currently in the early stages of implementation, it commenced activity in specialties with some of the largest waiting lists in the region, including Plastic Surgery, General Surgery, Urology and Pain Management, most importantly the Hub is being targeted at a region with one of the largest concentrations of long-waiting patients nationally, particularly in Beaumont and the Mater hospitals, where more than 3,100 day-case patients are waiting over 12 months for treatment; \u2014 the Cork Surgical Hub opened on a phased basis from 29th September, with Gynaecology amongst the first procedures delivered, expanding to include General Surgery, Dermatology, Ophthalmology and Neurology, Hernia repair, Carpal tunnel Surgery and pain relief injections; \u2014 plans are progressing for Elective Hospitals in Cork, Galway and Dublin, a Planning Application for the ETC at St Stephen's in Cork was lodged on 12th October, while an application for planning permission for Galway at Merlin Park is expected to be lodged in early 2027, work on the Preliminary Business Cases for Dublin is advancing; and \u2014 separating elective from emergency and acute care means fewer cancellations and delays for elective care and frees up hospital theatres and day beds in Model 3 and Model 4 hospitals for more complex cases and better addresses unscheduled care needs.\". I want to acknowledge at the outset the very real pressures facing our emergency departments. This year, attendances have been almost 7% higher than the same period last year, with admissions increasing by more than 5%. First of all, I want to acknowledge the thousands of healthcare professionals working every day across hospitals, community services, primary care teams, ambulance services and throughout the wider health system, in particular those in emergency departments and emergency care services. Their commitment, professionalism and dedication are extraordinary. We know what the demand growth means in practice. It means that we have to protect our patients' dignity and we have to protect patient safety. That means we have to manage patient flow even better because patient flow matters and we can all see the impact where it works and where it does not work. I see it for myself. Other Deputies see it for themselves. We visit emergency departments and speak to staff right around the country, sometimes with notice, sometimes without notice. I know the impact of overcrowding on patients and their families and on staff working in the hospital. I know what good looks like and I know what bad looks like. Every patient in an overcrowded or red hospital is one hospital patient too many. Comparisons matter because transparency matters. It matters as much to point out the good practice as the bad practice. That is why that is relevant and important. That comparison of performance across the board is specifically enabled by the regional structure, which I know the Deputy agrees with. Today, at 8 a.m., there were 454 patients waiting on trolleys for admission from emergency departments, which is lower than 544 on the same day last week and higher than the 375 patients yesterday. That is too high. It is a number that is greater than the demand increase and we have to acknowledge that, but there are three important elements. First, that is not a uniform experience across the country. For example, today, of the 29 hospitals, 17 of them are completely in green. Therefore, what the Deputy describes is not a uniform experience. Eight hospitals out of 29 today have zero people on trolleys and 50% of all of the patients on trolleys today come from five hospitals. In that context, it is very relevant it to make comparisons. There are 34 people on trolleys in the whole HSE Dublin and North East region, which includes Beaumont and the Mater, which are two busy hospitals. It includes Cavan, Drogheda and Connolly. It is a really busy area. There are 34 in the whole area, but there are 44 in St. Vincent\u2019s. Comparisons matter because it matters how we measure progress. Second, that there has been progress in 2025 and 2026 and those hospitals have stayed improved. There remains serious work to be done at a number of sites. I see, as do patients, the hospitals that are doing well, notwithstanding huge demand pressures, such as Navan, Connolly, Drogheda, Tullamore, Portiuncula and Waterford. There are many with no patients waiting on trolleys. The reality is that performance varies considerably. That matters and it matters that somebody articulates that. Some sites have demonstrated consistently strong patient flow, effective seven-day discharge practices and robust operational management and they maintain effective patient flow throughout the week by focusing relentlessly on demand and capacity management. However, patients also see, as the Deputy does, hospitals that are not doing so well. Today, just five out of the 29 emergency departments account for 50% of the trolley congestion total. These include Galway, which had been doing much better but had a slip today, St. Vincent\u2019s, which has been in persistent difficulty, and Cork, which has recruited 324 people this year and has more radiographers than any other hospital in the country. Cork has recruited more people than Beaumont, the Mater, St. James's and Tallaght combined this year and has more radiographers than those hospitals as well. We have 29 hospitals with emergency departments. Our persistent problem is with eight or nine of them. Patient flow is the key challenge. It begins with prevention and care in the community. It includes ambulance services, emergency departments and acute hospitals, and it also includes moving people out of hospitals safely and promptly when they can. We have a specific challenge to improve patient flow at specified sites. This year, out of the whole of 2026, 13 hospitals accounted for 80% of the 8 a.m. trolleys. What I am saying is that we have different issues in different hospitals. Let me highlight, though, some of the additional important patient safety steps we have taken and for which Sinn F\u00e9in has called. Let us just acknowledge that we have a shared perspective on that. We are committed to the safe staffing framework. Baseline implementation has been achieved in all of the adult emergency departments. That is a key marker as agreed with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, and I know that is what Deputies want. It has also been implemented in 39 acute hospitals nationwide. In practical terms, 96% of baseline staffing requirements are now in place. In relation to recruitment, the only reason there is a freeze on recruitment or that there is any restriction on recruitment in the last two months of this year is because the HSE has already recruited 5,000 people in the last 12 months. There has been no stoppage in recruitment, and what we will do is make sure that any additional recruitment this year delivers on agency conversion, which I know is a priority for Deputy Cullinane, tries to stay closer to the budget, which I know is a priority of all of the Deputies on the Joint Committee on Health, and responds to specific areas. For example, we are looking at specific positions that can assist with patient flow and patient safety in the winter period along with graduate nursing hiring. Some 83% of graduate nurses have an offer. That figure was actually from a couple of weeks ago and has, in fact, increased in the last number of weeks. We have approved additional graduate nursing requirements. They should not have had the uncertainty, however, and that will not happen next year. The truth of all of this is that we are experiencing and will experience a much bigger challenge. Our population will grow from 5.3 million people to potentially 7 million in 2057. More significantly, the number of people aged 65 will continue to grow rapidly. That is a good thing, but we will have to provide care in different ways. Therefore, we have to do two things at the same time. We have to address our current pressures and plan our resources for the future. Yes, we need more resources, but we have to change how care is delivered. Adding resources, while important, is not going to keep pace with future demand. We have to become more productive. We have to separate scheduled care from unscheduled care. We have five surgical hubs opening this year and in the early part of next year in the hope of taking pressures off everywhere. They are already making a difference. In Mount Carmel, waiting time for surgeries, for example, plastic, general and orthopaedic, has fallen by approximately 50% from eight and a half months to four months despite increased demand. The number of patients waiting more than two years has fallen by over 60% in relevant specialties. Therefore, the surgical hubs relieve pressures on hospitals because those procedures would otherwise have to happen in those hospitals. This measure relieves waiting times for the many people who need that care. It is also why we are trying to shift towards community-based care throughout our network of 180 primary care centres. It is why, in addition to delivering new bed capacity, we are trying to deliver additional innovative ways to help get people out of hospital and help them avoid hospital through virtual care. That is now operating in every HSE region. We have 115 people on a virtual ward today who would otherwise be in hospital. We have provided nearly 49,000 virtual bed days in St. Vincent's, Limerick, Tullamore, Drogheda, Mercy, Kilkenny and Galway. It helps prevent unnecessary attendance. Then, there is also the community care virtual ward in Letterkenny, which is reducing hospital reattendances by 83% for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, following their diagnosis and keeping them out of hospitals. It is also why we are trying to make sure that we have full use of facilities and equipment in which taxpayers have invested. That means using all of the four CT scanners that have been invested in by the taxpayer in Cork. It means Beaumont using its CT scanner. It means using what we have on weekends and in the evenings. That is enabled by the significant investment we have made in the public-only consultant contract, now accepted by more than 70% of consultants. Yes, we will take additional steps this winter, as we always do, as is in Sinn F\u00e9in's motion, and as we did last year. We will have an additional targeted GP respiratory illness support programme to coincide with the flu season and reduce pressures on emergency departments. Each hospital with an emergency department has a dedicated additional patient flow and elder care support plan tailored to its own circumstances, given that they all have slightly different needs and pressures. They will have an individualised plan, which is very important. However, the central point around operational grip is the key one. There are hospitals that have improved and sustained that improvement from 2025 into 2026, even during rising demand. There are hospitals, such as Galway, which went through a complete reset in March of this year. Although it has had ups and downs, it has a completely different approach - a totally different wraparound care - to how it manages patient flow. It was routinely having 50 and 60 people on trolleys last winter. Where it goes into red, it is more often in the 20s now. That is too many, but it is such an improvement within one year. The investment did not increase by that amount. It had increased recruitment, as all hospitals did. Rather, there was a massive process change and cultural change, and those have been sustained. Limerick has improved enormously. There are 34 people on trolleys in Limerick today. That is too many, but it was routinely 70, 80 or 90. It has improved so much."},{"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 I would disagree with the Minister's figures."},{"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 What it needs is additional GP support before people come to Limerick because there are too many people presenting who are not sufficiently acute to be in an emergency department and who need better care in other places. That is what Limerick needs. The hospitals all need something slightly different, but it is those eight or nine hospitals where we have not approved patient flow in the way that has happened across the HSE Dublin and North East region, across the midlands, largely, and across many different hospitals just within that period. That is because of the dedication and focus of staff, which happens in every single hospital. However, there are key enablers to how patients move through the hospital that reduce the pressure on the entry point, which is the emergency department. That matters very much. There is no automatic correlation between increased staff and patient flow. It is about processes."},{"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 We are very fortunate in Ireland to have among the most highly trained, qualified and dedicated healthcare professionals in the world. However, the Minister is not heeding the warnings in relation to serious and life-threatening risks that will happen this winter and deaths that will occur unnecessarily. This situation arises from the lack of respect for front-line workers, such as the paramedics in the National Ambulance Service who are made to reapply for their jobs or the newly qualified nurses and midwives in Galway and Dundalk being left without job offers. They do not want gradual employment. They want jobs today. Of course, there is the ongoing recruitment freeze. In the same breath, the Minister tells us about front-line workers and that she wants to talk about productivity before she talks about pay and conditions. Let us talk about productivity in the Department of Health. All I can see is serial waste, which will escalate to nearly \u20ac3 billion being spent on the children's hospital, money that could have been used to prevent people from striking and prevent recruitment freezes or front-line staff. This could all have been prevented. What impact or risk is the Minister willing to accept in terms of patient safety? The Minister needs to think about this urgently. Commitments to our nurses, midwives and paramedics must be honoured. We need a funded workforce plan to reduce reliance on expensive private agency cover. In Monaghan hospital, we need a medical assessment unit. The Minister spoke of how, in Cavan hospital, there were hardly any people waiting on trolleys in its accident and emergency department today. I can tell the Minister from experience that queues of people are waiting in the emergency room - hundreds of them - although they may not be waiting on trolleys. I am asking the Minister for a medical assessment unit in Monaghan hospital, which would prevent people from going near Cavan hospital. They would be assessed in Monaghan hospital and not have to go near Cavan hospital."},{"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 Every day, doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and other healthcare workers do their best to deliver quality care to patients. However, the Government has completely failed to ensure that our health service is adequately staffed and resourced to respond to demand. We see the consequences of this failure across the State, with record numbers of people waiting for hospital beds. The INMO has reported that University Hospital Galway, UHG, saw over 1,100 patients treated outside of a bed last month. This reflects the worst month of October in the last ten years. Despite these worsening trends, the Department is actively obstructing the recruitment of staff, including graduate nurses and midwives in UHG, Portiuncula and other hospitals across Ireland. At a time when our hospitals are operating under severe, unsustainable pressure, when many vacant posts remain unfilled, when there is excessive reliance on agency staffing, when emergency departments are overwhelmed, when patients are suffering long delays on trolleys and when staff are burned out to the point of exhaustion, how on earth can the Minister justify these recruitment restrictions? How can she justify the appalling treatment of graduate nurses and midwives, who worked so hard to qualify with the firm promise and commitment that once they graduated, there would be permanent positions waiting for them in the health service? What has happened to that commitment? These are talented professionals who have much to offer to our country and our healthcare system, yet they are being pushed away by their own Government. They have not received any updates or acknowledgment from the HSE in weeks, yet the Minister comes in here trying to throw around statistics, denying that there is any problem at all and trying to shift the blame onto others. She is the Minister for Health and the buck stops with her. She owes these young workers an explanation as to why her Department is actively trying to frustrate their recruitment prospects and leaving our health service in a state of constant chaos. Lift the recruitment restrictions, honour the permanent contract commitments that were given and make our hospitals safe for staff and patients."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"R\u00e9ada Cronin","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/R\u00e9ada-Cronin.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"R\u00e9ada-Cronin.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy R\u00e9ada Cronin Hospital care in Naas General Hospital is at breaking point. Kildare's population has recently exploded, yet the Department is not providing sufficient resources at Naas General Hospital. I have submitted countless parliamentary questions specifically on Kildare's population increase and the need for more resourcing at Naas, but the Government has been far too slow on this. Kildare also has one of the lowest rates of GPs per capita in the State, which is having a huge impact on accident and emergency departments in our hospitals. People who cannot see a GP, tend to go to an accident and emergency department. The average emergency department wait time at Naas is 11 hours. Half of all admitted patients wait for longer than the six-hour target. I spoke to a constituent who is a friend of mine whose father had been waiting for more than 24 hours in the accident and emergency department there last month. This October was the worst on record for hospital overcrowding in Naas. According to the INMO, Naas General Hospital is now short 80 nursing posts, yet we seem to expect the hospital to continue to deliver services with these staffing shortages. It is unsafe and completely unsustainable. Earlier this year, an agreement was reached between the HSE and nursing unions to address the staffing shortages. However, that agreement is being undermined by the recruitment freeze that remains in place across the health service. Faced with no meaningful progress, nursing staff have understandably decided to take industrial action at Naas since last week and there has been disruption to services. The Department of Health and the HSE must release these posts without delay so that full services can be restored. The nurses did not take this strike action lightly. Their actions reflect the seriousness of the situation. A constituent of mine who was an agency nurse worked for one day in Naas but is now working as a nurse in a GP's surgery. It should not be hit and miss. Some hospitals are great but Naas is just not-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Sorca Clarke) I must call Deputy Pa Daly."},{"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 am not sure whether the Minister wants to call it a moratorium, a pause, a blanket recruitment freeze or whatever, but this motion, which I support, calls on the Government to remove the recruitment restrictions because if it does not do so, patients will die or else they will remain sicker for longer. I want to tell the Minister about the Castleisland-Farranfore community care area. It goes from Abbeyfeale down to outside Killarney, west as far as Firies and east as far as the Cork border. Traditionally, there were two senior physiotherapists in the area working for five days per week, but that has recently been reduced to one senior physiotherapist, who is expected to cover all outpatient department referrals, often 80 per month, the vast majority of which require numerous appointments. That physiotherapist is also covering a domiciliary post that has been vacant since 2023, so they are doing all of those home visits. That is not enhanced community care. It is not Sl\u00e1intecare where patients were supposed to be seen in the right place and at the right time. It is very regressive because the delay may increase falls and injuries and patients may present with more chronic issues. In University Hospital Kerry, staffing for acute services has been prioritised with the result that outpatient departments and elective procedure waiting lists have lengthened. One of the junior Ministers will be in Killarney to finally open - three years late - the community nursing unit. I am wondering what kind of reception he will get because while that is being waited for, there is no minor injuries unit in the whole of the county, there is no promised primary care centre and the whole system seems to be in a seachr\u00e1n."},{"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 chief executive of CUH, Jennifer Kearney, bravely came out and highlighted the serious risks that the people of Cork and CUH are facing this winter. People are at risk and the Minister chose to come out and attack that lady, who is highlighting this and standing up for ordinary people because she is the chief executive and she knows that people are at risk in Cork. The Minister decided to attack her. I also want to extend my solidarity to all the staff in the CUH, the Mercy hospital, the south infirmary and all of the other facilities. I was treated in CUH for sepsis and nearly died. I know myself that the staff there are unbelievable, from housekeeping, administration, nurses to the surgeons and everyone in between. I stood proudly with them a couple of weeks ago outside the CUH. They are so angry with the Minister and the rest of this Government because of the way they are being treated. They know. We see the midwives being pulled from the brilliant domiciliary in and out, DOMINO, scheme to the Cork University Maternity Hospital, CUMH, because of the embargo. Not only that, but Heather House's new dementia unit is not open because we know the Government is blocking the recruitment there. St. Finbarr's new unit is not being opened. Both should have been opened by now but they are not, all because of a recruitment embargo by the Minister and her Government. Cork has no elective hospital. There are no out-of-hours services in Blackpool. Those were virtually closed down by this Government. The Government is closing the Sarsfield Court dementia unit at the moment. It is closing beds because it is not recruiting. I will ask the Minister one thing tonight. Will she give a guarantee that the people of Cork will not be at risk and will she put in place the money, staff and resources to protect those people who are at risk?"},{"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 Sinn F\u00e9in for tabling tonight's motion. Every day our hospitals are operating under constant pressure, with overcrowding and shortages of both beds and staff. This is made worse by the lack of alternatives in the community. Patient safety and outcomes are being compromised by this chronic overcrowding. The Minister must start listening to the first-hand experiences of front-line staff and management rather than reverting to the default, which is complete dismissal. Let us look at some of the facts. According to Eurostat, Ireland had around 290 beds per 100,000 people in 2024, the fifth lowest in Europe. The EU average is 507 beds per 100,000. We know that of the 297 beds delivered in 2025, only 196 were open and operational at the end of last year, leaving 100 promised beds unopened. This year's figure is even lower, with 177 beds promised. Where is the ambition from the Government to build up the capacity? The ESRI has told us we need 300 additional inpatient beds every year because of changing demographics, and this year we are going to fall far short of that. It is going to get worse and worse until we actually build up the bed capacity. Clearly, we do not have enough beds in the system. We have just had the most overcrowded September and October on record. In relation to staffing, it is clear that our health service is dealing with the impact of the post-crash period and a decade of austerity cuts. Now, despite the supposed commitment to Sl\u00e1intecare from Fine Gael, it has returned to type, imposing a de facto recruitment freeze and austerity-style cost-saving measures. It is incredibly short-sighted. Is the Minister content to return to a policy of training healthcare workers only for them to have to leave the country to get jobs elsewhere? Too many graduate nurses have been left in limbo, with job offers withdrawn or put on hold, leaving the HSE in breach of contract in some cases. Despite all the talk about record recruitment, the reality on the ground is that there are vacancies and unfilled posts right across the health service. In April of this year, 468 posts from the 2024 national service plan had still not been onboarded, while 1,636 posts from the 2025 plan were still not filled. Overall, 6,420 posts that could have been filled under the HSE budget were not. Of those, 1,020 were previously filled posts that are now vacant. At the same time, \u20ac522 million had been spent on agency staff up to the end of August, and we know that agency staff cost about 40% more than permanent staff. I spoke to a speech and language therapist in Cork who applied for a job in St. Finbarr's Hospital and came first on the panel but was told the job could not be progressed. Now there is somebody employed through an agency sitting in that post, costing us far more money. We should have filled the post, offered the person a permanent job and continued filling those posts. With respect to CUH, I would like to question the Minister's constant comparison to other hospitals because I believe it is disingenuous. Comparing CUH to Beaumont is like comparing apples and oranges. Beaumont is one of two model 4 hospitals in the HSE Dublin and North East region, and it is in a city with five other model 4 hospitals, while CUH is the only model 4 hospital in the entire south-west region. Furthermore, CUH is a super-regional service. It is critical for stroke, heart attacks, cancer, dialysis and neurological services. It is also co-located with maternity, paediatrics and mental health services. It is not just the south-west region that it is crucially important for. It is also important for all of Munster and parts of south Leinster. In the Department's own bed expansion plan, the largest deficit was identified at CUH, with 341 extra beds needed in that hospital by 2031. Only 18 were delivered last year, and now an additional 21 are stuck in limbo. It is not just the south west where there is a crisis. The mid-west is also raising alarms. UHL management has warned that demand for services is outstripping available resources, while the decision to implement major curbs on recruitment has compounded the situation. Will these concerns be dismissed out of hand too or will the Minister engage with the local management? Ultimately, we need to fully address overcrowding in our hospitals. We need to reorientate and expand capacity in the community."},{"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 thank Sinn F\u00e9in for this motion and the opportunity to discuss the staffing crisis in our hospitals. In 2013, my brother and I accompanied our father through the emergency department at UHL two weeks before he died. It was the most harrowing experience of my life. My father endured a prolonged, nightmarish ordeal on a trolley, the lowest point of which was when we had to use his coat as a makeshift blanket. In May of last year, my elderly mother had a similar experience in the same hospital. Those experiences were 12 years apart, and Fine Gael has been in government throughout that time and longer. I commend HSE Mid West management for sounding the alarm two weeks ago to local Oireachtas Members about its staffing crisis. Political leadership requires humility as well as capability and decisiveness. It requires recognising the limits of one's knowledge and listening to people with decades of professional experience. Humility has been entirely lacking in the Minister's treatment of CUH. Setting hospitals and health regions against one another, using selective statistics to praise some while publicly castigating others, is a damaging and divisive way to assert authority and instil fear. We need real leadership in our health system, trust and an honest appraisal of all the factors influencing hospital performance. I imagine the Minister will be in Cork this weekend for her party's Ard-Fheis. If she has the courage of her convictions on CUH, why does she not take two hours out of that event to meet the nine clinical directors who wrote to the Taoiseach this week, together with their chief executive officer, and engage in good faith? Why does she not, on a separate occasion, meet the Irish Hospital Consultants Association? It represents approximately 5,000 consultants, yet has secured only one meeting with the Minister, in March 2025, despite repeated requests over 18 months. The Minister's simplistic critiques of CUH and defensive recruitment restrictions are delivered with overpowering rhetorical confidence in short set pieces here and on the airwaves. Those arguments would dissolve in a sustained dialogue with senior clinicians equipped to challenge them. I suspect that is why the Minister is avoiding that engagement. The Minister's treatment of CUH is damaging patient safety and staff morale. She is also damaging her own party in Cork. How many of the thousands of CUH staff and their families will vote for Fine Gael in 2029 if she continues depriving their hospital of staff and trashing it for supposed underperformance? Deputy Colm Burke has long championed neurological services. How does he explain 20 specialist neurorehabilitation beds lying idle in Blarney because the Minister has not funded the staff? How does one of her Ministers of State, Jerry Buttimer, explain to his constituents why a superb outpatient facility on the Curraheen Road remains unused because she will not fund the relocation of CUH's fracture clinic? Both of those services would substantially ease pressure on CUH. Are Deputies Burke, Buttimer, McCarthy and O'Shea and Senators Lombard, Kelleher, Lynch and O'Donovan all signed up to the Minister's approach to CUH? The Minister seems more concerned with demonstrating who is boss than engaging respectfully with those confronting the challenges in our health service. If she aspires to lead Fine Gael, she needs to become as adept at building bridges as she has shown herself to be at burning them. The Minister's treatment of CUH is blatantly unfair and distasteful, and we are not going to stand for it. The clinicians and managers at CUH are not the Minister's political enemies. Their collective experience, expertise and dedication to patient care should humble all of us who are privileged to engage with them. Why does the Minister not meet them, commission the independent staffing assessment they have requested and address the shortages that are causing such unnecessary suffering for patients?"},{"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 thank Sinn F\u00e9in for tabling this motion. We do not have a properly funded, adequately resourced public health system in this country. Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael have failed to create it because they have never invested properly, never prioritised it properly and never truly believed in it. The result is that we see nursing graduates being exported from this country. We have 1,000 nursing vacancies across the two Dublin HSE regions. The scale of overcrowding is something that Fianna F\u00e1il and Fine Gael have promised year after year, decade after decade, to solve. We have the worst figures in terms of patients on trolleys since January 2023. Some 111,000 patients have been treated on trolleys in acute hospitals so far this year. Patients are unsafe. It is wrong that nursing staff and other healthcare staff have to try to operate under these conditions. We are failing, and the Government is failing, patients. The Government also has an effective recruitment embargo in place that is having massive impacts, and it should honestly accept that. Staffing decisions should not be driven by financial controls but by clinical need and patient safety. We are not seeing that. What we are seeing in hospitals, and what patients and staff are experiencing, is unsafe. Patient safety should be paramount. What we are seeing is something that is completely unacceptable and a failure to value our nursing staff. My mother was a nurse, and I know the reality of her trying to deliver care within a public health system in this country that has never truly been delivered as a public health system. The Social Democrats believe in Sl\u00e1intecare and in delivering a public health system, and we would put the investment behind that. We would respect the staff, respect the hospitals and allow them to deliver a system that would provide the patient care required. I have one more issue to raise. In Beaumont Hospital, in my constituency, there are people on trolleys right now. It is wrong, it is not acceptable, and we need a proper public health system."},{"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 Sinn F\u00e9in for bringing forward this motion. I also thank my colleague Deputy Rice for all the work he does on the health committee and in trying to get information about the health service. I will start with the permanent contracts for graduate nurses and midwives. We are training highly skilled individuals who are leaving the country. The INMO reported in October that there were 80 nursing and midwifery vacancies in Cork University Maternity Hospital and 23 vacant midwifery posts in University Hospital Galway. However, posts were not offered to graduates. The INMO stated earlier today that 35 graduates of the Technological University of the Shannon, TUS, in Athlone have not had their contracts fulfilled. That is a disgrace. They will leave and our hospitals will continue to be overcrowded and understaffed. There are a number of hospitals in my constituency, including St. James's Hospital, the Coombe, Crumlin children's hospital and Cherry Orchard Hospital. My colleague Deputy Rice has discovered the incredible challenges relating to waiting times. In St. James's Hospital, for example, just over 39,000 patients attended the emergency department. Some 40.2% of those were seen within six hours. Some 17% did not wait over the 24 hours because they could not wait any longer. Some 4.5% were seen after waiting for more than 24 hours. The 1,764 people involved waited for more than 24 hours. I was recently contacted by a woman who went to the Coombe hospital. She was 36 weeks pregnant and needed an MRI. She, a pregnant woman, waited on a trolley for 40 hours. That is absolutely ridiculous. It should not be the situation. The final thing I would like to say is that the issues of overcrowding and understaffing in hospitals have nothing to do with the staff who are there. It is the responsibility of the Minister and the Government to ensure that these issues do not arise."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Marie Sherlock I thank Sinn F\u00e9in for bringing forward this important motion. I will start by paying tribute to the staff who are working across our health services. They go to work every day, many of them in difficult conditions. They are there for the best of reasons. I must say from talking to many of them that they are not feeling supported now. They see a situation where we have hospitals pitted against each other. Apples are often being compared with oranges. The general public are confused. They are told, on the one hand, that great progress is being made, as in the countermotion put forward this evening by the Government, and, on the other hand, their experience on the ground is very different. Some 90,000 people in this country are waiting for a physiotherapy appointment. The Mater is supplying a fantastic service, much better than most other hospitals, but I recently visited a woman who last week spent 36 hours in the accident and emergency department waiting for a bed. People have been waiting for hip replacements for six years. The stories go on. It is a pity that the Minister has walked out during my contribution. We constantly hear about Galway, Cork and St. Vincent's hospitals. The Minister should name what she believes is going on here. Is it incompetence or is it something else? Many of us believe that very serious resource issues account for the trolley numbers in those hospitals. The reality is that matters are getting worse, rather than better, in our health system. For the first time this year, the numbers on hospital waiting lists crossed the 1 million threshold. There were 538,000 on waiting lists this time ten years ago. Our population has not almost doubled in that time and yet we have seen an enormous increase in waiting lists. One in seven people is obliged to wait for more than a year. The waiting times that people are facing is the most damning indictment of all. That does not even cover the waiting lists in primary care. Over 250,000 people are waiting on primary care lists at this point. To listen to the Minister, we would think that recruitment is the main driver of the deficit, which will move beyond \u20ac1 billion by the end of this year. The reality, when we see the facts from the internal HSE documents that I have seen, is that non-pay is running at three times the pay deficit within the HSE. When we look into the non-pay issues, we see that the category of other, amounting to \u20ac170 million, is the main driver. Drugs only accounts for 15% of the non-pay deficit. There needs to be a serious and honest conversation about what is happening within our health service. The public message from the Government is that the south west has recruited outrageously and that this is driving the deficit. We see that the reality is very different. We see that direct pay is being suppressed and that the agency bill has rocketed when, in fact, it should have been going down. In the context of the financial control measure that was put in place in September with regard to the four regions, there are very serious questions about the legal basis for that measure. This is crossing a line. The 2004 Act set out the basis for the establishment of the HSE. The Department of Health is now getting involved in operational and day-to-day matters. That is wrong. There is no legal basis for that. I would like to hear from the Minister of State on this issue. The second key issue is that it is reckless and is going to endanger both patients and staff. So much has been asked about the south west. I want answers from the Minister of State as to what has happened with regard to recruitment. I am looking at a letter, dated 8 August, from the regional executive officer, REO, to the chief executive of the HSE. It talks about a requirement regarding 154.5 posts. It states that is the minimum amount required to deliver safe care. It states that without those posts, the system will not be able to function effectively. Those posts are considered essential in the context of maintaining safe, effective and sustainable services across the south-west region. Those 154.5 posts are for older persons, home care assistants and those who provide home support, interventional radiologists, paediatric neurologists and the regional medical workforce. Were those posts put in place? There is a clear message from the REO stating that safety would be compromised across the south west if there were a failure to put these posts in place. We need clear answers. The Minister talked about planning, but the reality is that there has been a complete failure to plan on the part of the Department. We heard from the Minister that the budget is set on the basis of a 2% demographic increase for this year and yet we know that emergency demand is up by 7%. In places such as Cork it is up by 12%. In the Mater, it is up by 6%. There is also the complexity of care. The reality is that the Department is failing to plan based on demand and is instead applying an arbitrary figure to the health service."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Sorca Clarke) Deputy-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Marie Sherlock Earlier this year, we heard about the disgraceful situation around the radiation therapy being provided in our hospitals in the context of the waiting lists and, in particular, the machinery. We know that some of that machinery is 18 years old."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Sorca Clarke) Thank you, Deputy."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Marie Sherlock It is the oldest equipment in the country. I hear that progress is being made-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Sorca Clarke) Thank you, Deputy."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Marie Sherlock","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","memberCode":"Marie-Sherlock.S.2020-03-30","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Marie Sherlock -----to put a steering group in place. Is the funding going to be put in place for the replacement of the LINAC machines across our radiation therapy services?"},{"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 It is a pity that the senior Minister left because she needs to hear what people are saying. She liked the idea of having a freshness to her style of management, and indeed there probably was a freshness and directness. I appreciated, in particular, the way in which she was dealing with constituents. However, the honeymoon is certainly over and we are heading into a serious winter of discontent. I have a serious concern about what has happened with regard to CUH in the past few weeks. The CEO down there is refreshing. She is very good. She has been outspoken. I am seriously alarmed by some of the sinister developments in response to her having the courage to speak out in the manner she did. There was a suggestion that there were somehow going to be consequences and some assessment of her management performance. We do not want to live in a country where somebody who speaks out is treated like that. I would like to hear more from her in that regard. Approximately a week and a half ago, I met representatives of the HSE in Limerick to discuss the mid-west. There is no topic I have spoken on more. I got into politics because of the state of the health service in the mid-west. It was a cry for help. The senior management team were getting their retaliation in first. They said there would be clinical and governance issues because they simply cannot sustain what is going on. The mid-west has been discriminated against for more than 20 years. We have one model 4 hospital. The south east has four model 3 or model 4 hospitals. It does not have the same issues on the same scale. We are looking at 400 emergency department attendances. Beaumont, at most, will be looking at 260. It is not on the same scale. We are facing into absolute hell. I once stood up here and explained how my father would not go into that hospital. He said he would never come out. Do you know what? He never did. He came out to die. There are many people in the mid-west who are faced with the same issue. What we are heading for in the coming winter is worse than what I spoke about here two years ago. That is how bad things can be."},{"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 also want to express my frustration at the senior Minister not being here to hear everyone's contribution to this debate. I want to focus my contribution on what is happening at Cork University Hospital, CUH, because it demonstrates the reality of the crisis facing our health service, especially as we enter winter. The INMO confirmed that October was the worst October on record for hospital overcrowding. At CUH alone, 1,215 patients were recorded on trolleys during October. I also want to highlight something that goes to the heart of this crisis. Last month, through a parliamentary question, I revealed that CUH had lost 50% of its CT scanning capacity in 2026 because of staffing shortages. At the time, 701 patients were awaiting scans, including 292 urgent cases. Patients are waiting for potentially life-changing diagnoses while essential scanning equipment cannot operate at full capacity because the staff simply are not there. The consequences go much further than diagnostic waiting lists. These delays affect patient flow, prolong hospital stays and contribute to overcrowding. We have patients waiting on trolleys because beds are unavailable, while others remain in hospital longer because essential diagnostic procedures are delayed. That is the vicious cycle we are witnessing in our health service. Rather than a clear plan to address these staffing shortages, we have witnessed a public dispute between CUH and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. Yesterday, my colleague, Senator Laura Harmon, raised serious concerns following a report that CUH's chief executive, Jennifer Kearney, was warned of possible performance management action after raising concerns about staffing and patient safety. Those reports require a full and transparent explanation. I do not believe the Minister for Health can provide that. I believe it has to be independent because hospital managers, doctors and nurses must be able to raise legitimate patient safety concerns without fear of repercussions. Has this State learned anything? Tomorrow we will have a debate in this House on whistleblowers. When we speak about people working in our health service raising legitimate concerns and then the possibility of facing repercussions, what is that telling the staff in our health service? My colleague, Deputy Sherlock, also referenced the legal basis of the Minister's new recruitment sanction controls. This exposes the fundamental contradiction in the Government's approach. The Minister cannot demand that hospitals improve patient flow while restricting recruitment. There are serious issues in our health service, but I emphasise one matter: do not undermine hospital chief executives and clinicians. They deserve to have their voices heard because they are also the voices of our patients. They should not be undermined."},{"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 recent figures for the number of people on trolleys are shocking. The figures from the last week of October have broken all records and have been rising sharply to dangerous levels. There were 824 on one day last week, a new record. There is overcrowding in 28 hospitals, with patients on trolleys and chairs. In Portlaoise, while the figure was quite low at eight patients on trolleys, that is eight too many. Those are the facts. The figures in Portlaoise are only kept low by the exceptional efforts of staff working flat out and under huge pressure, including pressure to discharge patients as soon as possible. At one end of the hospital, patients have to be discharged, which everybody understands. At the other end, patients are waiting to come in and there are no beds for them. The pressure this puts on staff is leading to burnout. It can also lead to negative patient outcomes. Portlaoise's emergency department is now dealing with more than 40,000 people per annum. Bearing in mind the daily numbers of 100-plus on trolleys in October, what will it be like in January, in the middle of the flu season? The reality is that our hospitals do not have the capacity. That is acknowledged in the Government's bed capacity action plan. It is widely accepted that having people endure long waits to be seen at emergency departments or on trolleys, and a lack of capacity in hospitals, is bad for patient outcomes. This issue has been building up for decades. There are no shortcuts. The solutions are clear. The promised 3,000 additional critical care beds have to be delivered. We have been hearing about them, but we do not see the delivery. Earlier this year, the Minister for Health promised a new 48-bed wing in Portlaoise. That is the promise, but it needs to be funded and constructed to deal with the population increase in the county, which is putting huge pressure on the hospital and the excellent staff in Portlaoise. The number of front-line staff needs to be increased and the Government needs to remove the recruitment block, particularly for nurses and midwives. Hundreds of nurses and midwives, some of whom have been interviewed and placed on panels, have been told by the HSE that they have no job. I have another letter here today from one of them. Bed blocking is an awful term used for delayed discharge. The Minister of State and I know why that is happening. It is due to the lack of transitional care. In Abbeyleix, we have an excellent step-down facility, but its bed capacity needs to be increased. To get people home and out of hospital, we need to beef up the home help system. Public health nurses, in particular, need to be out in the community, rather than in offices filling out paperwork. They need to visit clients, see the conditions in which they are living, monitor their ability to look after themselves and ensure that critical warning signs are flagged and are seen or acted on. We need bed capacity in hospitals and the staff. We need home care and transitional step-down care, all beefed up, if we are to avert a crisis this Christmas and into the new year."},{"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 Cullinane for this motion. I fully support it. I could not agree more that overcrowding robs patients of their dignity, endangers lives and exhausts staff. I am becoming increasingly concerned about the situation in Letterkenny University Hospital. It is simply diabolical. There were 701 patients on trolleys in Letterkenny last month, while the figure for Sligo University Hospital was 951, giving the north west a total of 1,652. We know from the INMO that this was the worst October on record for overcrowding. The crisis is consistently worse than in previous years. In 2026, 111,000 patients have been treated on trolleys, yet the Government still fails to deliver a fair pay agreement. Hospital staff across this country are on their knees. There is a cost-of-living crisis and they are in trouble. They go into work every day and perform miracles, yet can hardly put food on the table. That is the state this country is in. A strike in hospitals next week would be a disaster, particularly in Letterkenny, where overcrowding has reached a dangerous, critical point. We must do everything, and the Minister of State must do everything within her power, to make sure this does not happen. I hear devastating stories every day from constituents waiting in emergency departments, being sent home and then having to be readmitted the next day because of capacity issues. Week after week, overcrowding in Letterkenny only seems to get worse. Last week, one elderly gentleman sat in the same chair for 28 hours in that hospital. Councillor Tom\u00e1s Se\u00e1n Devine of the 100% Redress Party visited him and came back 24 hours later. Four hours after that, 28 in total, the man was given a bed. This is not the fault of the staff. It is the ongoing situation in Letterkenny and it is becoming dangerous and, indeed, critical. Another woman was admitted twice to the emergency department. She was discharged the first night and her doctor sent her straight back the next morning. There are no care packages available for people, with some, unfortunately, being unable to leave hospital because there is no provision to look after them. This is a consistent problem and it negatively affects patient care. The staff are under immense pressure, with which they should not have to deal. This issue is particularly concerning in the north west, where limited hospital capacity and staff shortages are now coming to the forefront. We are facing potentially dangerous situations going into the winter. It is only a matter of time before there is a death. We cannot allow this to continue. Patients must be provided with fast and effective treatment as soon as they arrive at a hospital. We cannot have people waiting for 28 hours. Patients deserve dignity and proper treatment. There is an urgent need for increased hospital capacity, improved staffing levels and better access to community-based healthcare, particularly in the north west. I ask the Minister of State to do her best to address these issues. If they are not addressed, we will be facing a catastrophic situation, not just in Donegal but all over Ireland. We have a responsibility in this matter. We know what is coming down the line. The public sector pay dispute, with strike action planned for next week, must be resolved. What kind of message are we sending to the people in this country who provide front-line care services when we cannot even pay them their wages in a cost-of-living crisis?"},{"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 I welcome and support the motion brought forward by Deputy Cullinane. There are record levels of emergency department attendances and admissions in hospitals throughout the country. For the month of September, the number of patients without a bed was 12,274. Just last week, on 28 October, 824 admitted patients were on trolleys, 100 of whom were in University Hospital Limerick. Obviously, this is a very dangerous situation. There have been numerous difficulties, not just at University Hospital Limerick but in major hospitals throughout the country. In 2006, former Minister Mary Harney declared an emergency when there were 495 patients on trolleys. A number of factors have given rise to this situation, one of which is the effective embargo on staff recruitment, with most posts now required to be approved by the Department of Health. I wonder how legal or legitimate is that requirement. There is such a paperwork trail now ending up with the Department that there is, in effect, an embargo on the filling of posts. Student nurses are being left without jobs. Many of the 2026 graduates have not been offered employment. There are vacancies at midwifery level in University Hospital Galway. There are 80 nursing and midwifery posts vacant at Cork University Hospital. It is the same right across the country. This is in breach of employment commitments set out in HSE circulars and in 2026 graduate employment memorandums. While I welcome the increased graduate intakes in recent years, we are now in a situation where those graduates are not being offered jobs. Highly sought after graduates are being actively recruited to Australia, the UK and Canada. That situation cannot continue. Centralisation has been an absolute disaster, particularly in the mid-west. The closure of the emergency departments at Ennis and Nenagh general hospitals, against the wishes of the vast majority of the population and almost all the public representatives, local and national, in the area, has turned out to be a complete disaster. Hardly a day goes by without something like 100 patients being on trolleys at those hospitals. There have been various reports and proposals to address the situation but the only proposal that really will address it is to reassign Ennis and Nenagh general hospitals as fully fledged model 3 hospitals with emergency departments. There are significant bed capacity deficits throughout the country. As has been noted, the Government's own bed capacity plan states the need for an additional 3,000 beds. We also need fully funded hospital-based winter plans. The lack of provision of what used to be called home help assistants and are now called home care assistants is a huge problem. Not a day goes by without someone contacting me who has been approved for home care assistant hours but is not receiving them because the HSE cannot provide the staff. That is happening on an ongoing basis and it is seriously undermining the work of hospital services. I commend all the staff of Tipperary University Hospital. As a team, they are working above and beyond on behalf of patients and the people of south Tipperary. They are doing so against all the odds. We are looking for additional staff, additional funding and an extension to the emergency department."},{"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 a pity the Minister is not here for this debate. She is at the Mansion House celebrating the 30th anniversary of the operation in Ireland of the pharmacy chain, Boots. I wish the company, which has an outlet in every county in Ireland, well. However, what we need in Limerick are boots on the ground. Together with colleagues, I was at a meeting last week with HSE Mid West, where we heard that 180 people offered positions in UHL are waiting for sign-off on those posts. Those health professionals can help people in our hospital in Limerick. UHL is a lot different from other hospitals because it not only serves people in Limerick city and county but also the people in counties Clare, Tipperary and north Kerry who come there for care. What we do not have are adequate staff and facilities to care for those people. That is what is wrong. People are always talking about the overcrowding at UHL. That overcrowding is caused by a lack of staff and facilities. That has been spelled out as clear as day. We were offered an 80-bed unit for people in long-term care in order to free up beds at UHL. However, according to the budget, the funds are not there to do that. Yet, it is being done in Waterford, with a step-down facility available there for long-term care. Will the Minister of State confirm that? We are not being allowed to do that in Limerick for the people who need the same care as those in Waterford. It comes down to budgets. No price can be put on a person's health. In 2009, when UHL was designated as a centre of excellence, the HSE forgot to allow for the population to rise. For God's sake, will the Minister sign off on the appointment of the 180 staff who are needed now at UHL and ensure the rest of the staff who are needed are also appointed? Agency staff are great but they come in for one day here and there and then they are gone. There is no follow-up and no accountability in that regard. We need long-term appointments of health professions to ensure we can look after people in Limerick."},{"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 situation in our hospitals is getting worse, not better. Overcrowding at CUH remains a daily reality, with patients waiting on trolleys, waiting lists continuing to grow and staff being asked to do more with fewer resources. I received an email today from a woman who was due to undergo a mastectomy in CUH last week. She arrived for her operation, having prepared herself physically and mentally - anyone who has gone through that knows it is torture - only to be turned away on the day and sent home. That is the reality facing patients. Procedures are being cancelled and people are left waiting and wondering when they will finally get the treatment they need. The pressure is also being felt across west Cork. Bantry General Hospital provides a vital service for rural communities, yet it, too, is operating under significant strain. Strengthening services in Bantry would help reduce pressure on CUH, but progress remains far too slow. I thank the management team, doctors, nurses and all the staff who do such an excellent job in Bantry under pressure. I also want to raise the withdrawal of the Domino and midwifery service in Cork. This service provided continuity of care through a dedicated team of midwives during pregnancy, labour births and the early days at home. More than 400 mothers used the service last year. The service is now being withdrawn because of staffing shortages. There are over 18 vacant midwifery posts in the maternity hospital at CUH and the staff providing the Domino service have been redeployed to other wards. As a result, many women have been left uncertain about their upcoming maternity care. I have also raised before the disgraceful situation facing cancer patients across Cork and Munster who are still being forced to travel to Dublin and Galway for stem cell transplants and CAR T-cell therapies because CUH does not have the facilities it needs. We are constantly told that Cork is Ireland\u2019s second city, yet patients battling blood cancers are travelling the length and breadth of the country to access life-saving treatment. Families are taking time off work, travelling hundreds of kilometres and facing additional stress and expense while dealing with serious illnesses."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Ken O'Flynn Since 2011, four Fine Gael Ministers have run the Department of Health, namely Dr. James Reilly, Leo Varadkar, Simon Harris, during whose tenure we watched the cost explode on the children\u2019s hospital, and the current Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who leaves her own special legacy of 1 million people on hospital waiting lists for the first time ever in this country. The children\u2019s hospital was due to open in 2022, but its opening date has moved countless times. We are now expecting it to open, possibly, in 2028. Looking at Cork, on 28 September, the Minister for Health came to CUH hand in glove with the Taoiseach to open the \u20ac90 million surgical hub, two years later than planned. On the same day, she told us that Cork was safe all year. Almost straight away, that hub was shut down for a fortnight having failed air quality testing. Since its reopening, reports have come to us that only ten patients have walked through those doors. That seems like an expense photocall. A total of \u20ac90 million was spent. I find it bizarre that the Minister attended because it was in her diary knowing it would have to be shut down within hours. It tells us one thing about her, namely that she is more interested in headlines rather than hospitals. I will provide her with another headline. This has been the worst October ever, with a total of 12,672 people on trolleys, 1,215 of whom are in CUH. Last Thursday, 90 people waited over 24 hours on trolleys in the hospital for a bed, the worst in the country. The answer from the Minister is to blame the hospitals. She has previously told this House that the hospitals that consistently do not improve are, bizarrely, in Cork. There is nothing bizarre about it. In the summer, consultants cried out for help from this senior Minister about staff needs. Instead, the HSE has turned down financial and restricted medical posts across the CUH and other hospitals."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Sorca Clarke) I thank the Deputy."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Ken O'Flynn Meanwhile, the Minister is playing in her own soap opera about who rang who. She has been talked about-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Sorca Clarke) The Deputy is way over time."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Ken O'Flynn","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Ken-O'Flynn.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Ken O'Flynn -----as the next Fine Gael leader but, obviously, she is more interested in the next job than doing her current job."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Sorca Clarke) Before Deputy Lawless proceeds with his contribution, is he moving Aont\u00fa\u2019s amendment to the Government\u2019s amendment?"},{"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 move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1: To insert the following after \"better address unscheduled care needs\": \"; and calls on the Department of Health to approve all contracts which have already been signed by the HSE, and the prospective employee's which are currently awaiting approval by the Department of Health under the newly introduced recruitment pay-bill requirements, and to immediately offer clarity regarding the start dates of each individual who has signed a contract or offered a job by the HSE.\". I want to talk about the absolute shambles of recruitment in the HSE at the moment. What we are witnessing is, effectively, a recruitment freeze in all but name. It appears the HSE has overrun the budget for the west and north west and, as a result, the Department has introduced a recruitment freeze. While this is happening, there are 85 vacancies in Mayo University Hospital, 50 of which are nursing and midwifery positions. Just down the road in Galway, 88 graduate nurses from Galway University Hospital were offered contracts and positions. They were offered specific jobs on specific wards. Days before induction was due to begin, however, those contracts were, effectively, shelved. When I raised this issue with the Minister in the D\u00e1il, she blamed the HSE. What she failed to mention, however, was that her Department was reneging on these contracts and slowing the entire process. This situation is not refined to graduate nurses alone. Over the past couple of weeks, my office has been inundated with healthcare professionals, physios and occupational therapists. They were offered jobs and positions, with start dates and contracts signed, but those contracts have been shelved. The Department has given no indication as to when those contracts will come into place. I spoke to one lady this week who was offered a contract, which she signed. It was suggested to her by the line manager in the HSE to hand in her notice, and she did so, given she had a contract and start date. That individual is now without a job because her current employer has already recruited and put in place a new hire, and she is still waiting for the HSE to implement her position that was due to commence. Let us imagine a young mother with young children approaching Christmas, who signed a contract with the HSE, handed in her notice based on the good faith of that contract and is now without a job and faced into jobseekers\u2019 benefit. It is the same for many of the nurses who graduated from Galway University Hospital. They undertook four years of an undergraduate programme as well as a nine-month internship programme. For the nine months of that internship, they were being told that there are jobs there for them but, instead, they have had to sign up for social welfare. It is totally unacceptable. I am asking the Minister to intervene before many of our young people go off to Australia and Canada."},{"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 another winter of discontent amid failing healthcare by this coalition. T\u00e1 na scannail dhorcha a bh\u00ed ag caitheamh os cionn \u00e1r dT\u00ed i l\u00e1thair ar\u00eds tar \u00e9is an bhuis\u00e9id dheireanaigh. Our brows are furrowed with rising patient numbers, while the bruised and battered are left hanging in accident and emergency departments. T\u00e1 cruinnithe de chuid an lucht oibre, a bhfuil m\u00edsh\u00e1stacht ioml\u00e1n orthu, ag m\u00e1irse\u00e1il agus ag dul ar stailc. Grim are the public health workers who were promised jobs in graduation. T\u00e1 siad ag imeacht go Dubai agus go dt\u00ed an Astr\u00e1il. Caillfear an chuid is m\u00f3 d\u00edobh orainn, agus is m\u00f3r an trua \u00e9 sin. They have been cheated of a working life here because of incompetence and pound-foolishness that send our best off and import at higher costs. T\u00e1 12,000 duine ar liosta\u00ed feithimh agus easpa leapacha ospid\u00e9il ar fud na t\u00edre. In this time of growing crisis, why does the Cabinet pass away the hours ag seinm an fhidil agus an Roinn Sl\u00e1inte tr\u00ed thine? T\u00e1 s\u00e9 ag cruth\u00fa ollph\u00e9iste d\u00edfhoirmithe i nd\u00e1ir\u00edre. We need to honour contract commitments and remove needless recruitment restrictions. N\u00ed m\u00f3r feabhas a chur ar acmhainn agus sh\u00e1bh\u00e1ilteacht na n-ospid\u00e9al. We must fund a winter plan that will work year on year; grow capacity that will save money in the long run; agus a chinnti\u00fa go bhfuil maoini\u00fa cu\u00ed ag an tseirbh\u00eds otharchairr. Let us make more glorious each summer with the right policies. Let us value our workers and protect our patients. Iarraim ar an Aire spl\u00e9achadh solais a thabhairt d\u00fainn. D\u00e9an an rud ceart."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Michael Healy-Rae","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Michael-Healy-Rae.D.2011-03-09","memberCode":"Michael-Healy-Rae.D.2011-03-09","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Michael Healy-Rae First, I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for the kind way she personally dealt with the serious issue of CAMHS in south and north Kerry. It was an awful situation, but I thank her for it. We have an awful situation in Kerry at the moment with regard to accident and emergency services. The people working so diligently in our university hospital in Tralee are under so much pressure and strain all the time. The answer to that problem is to try to divert people away from accident and emergency departments so that only those who need to be there are there. When people have to attend, however, they do not want to go because they know they are going to be waiting such a long time. We need to enhance our hospitals, such as those in Kenmare, Cahersiveen, Listowel and all of our other hospitals, including in Dingle and Killarney. I am glad of them. We are having an official opening on Friday of our new hospital, and I welcome that. We need to enhance our services in the community to try to take the pressure away from the university hospital. This is so important for our young nurses. I heard a quote today from nurses whose take-home pay equates to 63 cent an hour. That does not make sense. How are we going to keep young nurses in Ireland if they are going to be treated that way, with the worry and torture they went through in recent months with regard to contracts? In other words, there are young nurses who wanted to stay at home in Ireland but, unfortunately, they are being offered no full-time employment. That is very wrong. If we want to get young nurses to stay in Ireland, we have to treat them and pay for them properly. To highlight accident and emergency again, I know of an incident in Kerry today where a person was injured at work - a young girl. She did not want to go in any circumstances. She was a case to go to accident and emergency but did she want to go? She knew that because that incident happened today at around 10 o'clock or 11 o'clock, she would be there until tomorrow morning. That is no fault of the people working in accident and emergency but it is our fault."},{"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 supporting this motion because many of the concerns it raises reflect the issues I have been raising in this House directly with the HSE and the Minister for Health over recent months. However, I believe this debate should not be confined to trolley numbers alone. The overcrowding crisis we see every winter is a visible manifestation of capacity deficits that exist right across the health service. Earlier this year, the HSE confirmed to me that Ireland is operating significantly below recommended levels of specialist neurorehabilitation capacity with a deficit of more than 300 beds compared with internationally recognised standards. That is of serious concern, particularly with the prevalence of Parkinson's disease and people who need these services. I have called for a dedicated neurology team in the midlands and to make sure there is a neurology unit at Tullamore hospital. Such a unit has to be put there because the demand is increasing. I also raised concerns regarding neurological services provided through Beaumont Hospital and the bad experiences people had. In response, the HSE confirmed that there were more than 14,000 complaints on Beaumont waiting lists, that is, 14,000 complaints from patients waiting on neurology services while dozens of patients from Offaly alone are dependent on that particular service. Likewise, after raising concerns regarding dermatology services, I was informed that additional clinics and staffing measures were being introduced in an effort to reduce waiting lists, which in some cases were approaching two years. More recently, I sought clarification regarding stroke rehabilitation services in the midlands. The response made it clear that further expansion of early support discharge services remains dependent on future staffing and resource reviews. That is a common thread running through all of these cases and it is just not good enough."},{"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 this motion. Ar an gc\u00e9ad dul s\u00edos, gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis na banaltra\u00ed, na docht\u00fair\u00ed and the professors in the Dunmanway unit in Cork University Hospital. My wife has been going there for treatment as a public patient for the past number of months and she is getting exceptional treatment there. I have been in St. Vincent's University Hospital myself a couple of times over the years and got exceptional treatment, and in Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel as well, where there have been huge issues recently with trolleys waiting. We never hear the good stories but we hear of that. I salute the front-line staff, doctors, nurses and cleaners but the mismanagement in the HSE executive is just intolerable. From the children's hospital to the latest fiasco with the \u20ac90 million regional unit, nothing is delivered on time and everything is over budget. We do not have an optometry service at all in Tipperary. Dr. Hillery, an excellent woman, gave a year's notice that she was retiring. They did not both to reply until she left. We have had three rounds of advertisements and nobody is there. Young children are suffering and will suffer into the future from being neglected like that. This is up and down. I am not taking from the motion but there are issues of sincerely reckless and disastrous management and nobody is held accountable. The waste of money with Covid was just inexplicable and there are many other issues as well around the incompetence there at senior management level and maybe lower management as well. It is just impossible and the HSE is cannibalising itself with management. We have no bother recruiting management. There is a definite recruitment issue with nurses and everybody else but not management. It is, \"Fill all the positions you like\". Managers are going around with files and this, that and the other but what are they doing? They are just bringing trauma on people and the staff they should be looking after."},{"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 glad to get the opportunity and I will be supporting this motion because it is very apt as regards what we want to represent. A lot of what has been said here is happening in Kerry as well, day after day. For many elderly people, it is a daunting thing to leave a warm bed and have to go back to accident and emergency and wait there for maybe a day or two in a trolley, a chair or somewhere but not in a bed. They left a warm bed to start out with and this is where they finish up for a long number of hours. I have said this here several times before. That is the worst scenario happening in our health system. Enough money is being given to the HSE but it is not being accounted for and the people who are spending it are not held responsible or accountable. It is very wrong because the Department of Health and the Minister should be spearheading this and nailing the HSE down in regard to how it is spending its money. Almighty God, the Minister of State can go into any hospital and see the number of beds that are empty because they do not have a workforce to man them. It is no different with the new hospital that is to be opened in Killarney. A great number of beds have been left unopened. That is not right. It is not on. We have a population that is sick and they cannot get a GP at home so the next thing that has to happen is they are taken to accident and emergency in an ambulance. I commend the ambulance workers and the staff who go out. They do great work and sometimes they do things for people so they actually can be left at home. In any case, they do great work. They finish up with these people-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Sorca Clarke) 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 -----in admissions and waiting to be left in. It is very wrong and until we have it sorted out we do not have a proper health service."},{"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 At the outset, I wish to mention that we have a very busy accident and emergency unit in University Hospital Kerry. More often than not, it is crowded. Where I have a particular issue is elderly people in their 80s and 90s being left waiting 24 hours and longer. That is simply not good enough. There are plans for a 96-bed block in University Hospital Kerry. That will, when developed, help ease the pressure. I ask the Minister of State to do everything possible to have that project expedited. It is very much in the pipeline. We have a trolley crisis. The Minister for Health saw it with the staff first-hand when she visited Kerry recently. We were delighted to have the Minister in our county hospital. Staffing is a huge issue in all our hospitals. In response to a parliamentary question earlier this year, I was told that there were 163 vacant positions in University Hospital Kerry. That is obviously putting huge pressures on all the other staff and services as well. The same can be said right across all our community hospitals, including the community hospitals in Dingle, Cahersiveen and Kenmare and, indeed, the new community nursing unit in Killarney. It is a shame that beds are closed there. There are beds that have never been opened in the other three community hospitals I mentioned. I ask that everything possible be done to address 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 I thank Sinn F\u00e9in for bringing forward this motion. The Minister of State knows I am going to mention Beaumont Hospital, and I thank her for the work she did with the solace caf\u00e9s in north Dublin. With regard to Beaumont Hospital and its emergency department, it is one of my main priorities after being elected and after the mandate I was given from north Dublin. I welcomed the announcement last year from the HSE capital plan but what I am hearing from constituents in my clinics and across all my emails and phone calls is simply not acceptable. Elderly patients are spending hours or sometimes days on trolleys waiting for care. I know there is work in the HSE with virtual wards but we need to expand it and have a Covid-level response to this. Constituents have got on to me about the accident and emergency unit. Sadly, because of their experience in accident and emergency, they were discouraged from going there and they lost their lives. A wife rang me whose husband would not attend accident and emergency because of the previous experience they had. I raised it with the Department at the time. That man got ill. Sadly, because he wanted to fight his illness instead of going to the hospital again, by the time the ambulance arrived he had passed away. That is from me speaking directly with patients. Another family described how their father spent 27 hours on a trolley. These are people. I know the Minister of State will work with me, and I want this to be urgent. They deserve to be treated with dignity, particularly when they are elderly and at their most vulnerable. I acknowledge the extraordinary doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and cleaning staff at Beaumont who continue to provide under enormous pressure. They deserve facilities that will allow them to do their jobs properly. The new emergency department and the 95-bed block are essential. We know the redevelopment was approved and progressed through the detailed design phase in 2025 and 2026. We urgently need clarity on what happens next."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Sorca Clarke","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Sorca-Clarke.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Sorca Clarke) Thank you, Deputy."},{"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 Beaumont does not just serve north Dublin. As other Deputies have mentioned, it serves a wide area of Ireland and this needs to be done urgently."},{"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 Health (Deputy Mary Butler) Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach. She is an able Cathaoirleach, I must say. I welcome the opportunity to conclude this debate on behalf of the Government. At the outset I acknowledge the real concerns that patients and families experience when they face long waits for care. Overcrowding can never be acceptable. As we know, it places pressure on the patients, on their families and on our health and social care workers alike. None of us, especially in the Government, are in any way complacent about these challenges. As the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, outlined, our health service is dealing with unprecedented levels of demand with almost 100,000 more patient attendances so far this year compared with the same period in 2025. There are 18,000 more attendances by people aged 75 and over, many with more complex health and social care needs and requiring additional care. It is unacceptable to me that older people are left for long times on trolleys. Nobody wants to see that. This House cannot ignore the fact that despite this growing demand, our health and social care workers continue to provide high-quality care every single day, often in challenging circumstances. I place on the record my appreciation and that of the Government for the extraordinary work of nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, support staff and managers throughout our health service. My colleague opposite can put down a motion with rhetoric about a lack of investment in staffing and capacity across the health service, but the facts tell a different story. There are 4,000 more staff in our health service today than at the start of the year. That is a fact. There are 6,000 more staff today than 12 months ago. That is also a fact. There are 30,000 more staff now than at the start of 2020. That is another fact. Within our acute hospitals staffing has increased by one third. Since 2019 health spending has increased by more than two thirds, or \u20ac10.6 billion. The motion from the party opposite ignores these facts because they cannot accept the Government is making sustained and substantial investment in our health services, in staffing and in patient care. They cannot accept that major investment is also under way through the largest healthcare capital programme in the history of the State. Surgical hubs are being rolled out across the country to separate elective and emergency care. Four hubs are already operational and further hubs, including the new surgical hub in Waterford, are due to open in the coming months. These facilities will help to reduce waiting times and ensure that planned procedures are less vulnerable to disruptions arising from pressures in emergency departments. I want to correct an earlier comment that there had been eight people through the surgical hub in Cork. As of yesterday, 2 November, 87 patients had attended the hub. This Government has also continued to develop and grow alternatives to hospital care through the enhanced community care programme, the chronic disease management programmes, more services in our community pharmacies and virtual wards providing care in the home. Home support is an important part of our response to pressures on hospitals, including over the winter period. The triangle of supports of home care, day care and meals on wheels has grown exponentially over the past six years, supporting many people to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. It helps people to remain in their homes and enables those who no longer require acute hospital care to return home with appropriate supports. Priority is given to people in the community with acute needs and to those assessed and waiting in acute hospitals who can return home with supports. As a TD for Waterford and as a Minister of State in the Department of Health I also want to acknowledge, as was mentioned tonight, the outstanding work taking place at University Hospital Waterford. It has maintained a green status throughout the first ten months of 2026. This is effectively a zero trolley status that it has held for years, despite having the same increasing demand for services that is being witnessed nationally. University Hospital Waterford is demonstrating what can be achieved through strong leadership, effective patient flow and a whole of health services approach. It is important to state again today that just five out of the 29 emergency department sites account for 50% of the national trolley congestion total. We have 29 hospitals with emergency departments. Our persistent problem is in eight or nine of them. Waterford demonstrates that good patient flow is about knowing who is in the hospital and having a plan for every patient. It is about having strong operational oversight, having a senior manager focused on bed capacity every day, being proactive in the management of diagnostics and infection prevention and control, and facilitating timely discharges. It is about maximising the use of all available capacity, including community supports such as community intervention teams and home first services. The entire health service needs to recognise and learn from University Hospital Waterford's successes in dealing with trolleys. In my role as Minister for State with responsibility for mental health, I am particularly conscious that emergency departments are not always the most appropriate setting for people experiencing a mental health crisis. In recent years we have made significant progress developing community-based mental health supports. We are continuing to invest in crisis resolution teams, crisis caf\u00e9s, enhanced out-of-hour responses and stronger community mental health teams so that people can receive support closer to home and at an earlier stage. We now have seven crisis resolution teams in place. There are two in Cork, one each in Waterford, Galway, Sligo, Limerick and Dublin, and five more funded for Donegal, Kerry, the midlands, north Tipperary and Wexford. We have six Solace Caf\u00e9s open with nine more funded to open in the coming 12 months. Where we have Solace Caf\u00e9s in place, which are crisis caf\u00e9s for people with enduring mental health conditions, we have seen a reduction of between 14% and 18% in presentations to emergency departments. We are also investing in our suicide crisis assessment nurses, SCANs. These experienced nurses work to support people who present to GPs in distress, often providing support in GP surgeries and even in people's homes. In budget 2027 I funded a further 24 of these nurses to expand this programme so it has a presence in every county, bringing the total number to 69. Our objective is clear. Where appropriate, people experiencing mental health difficulties should be able to access timely support in their communities without having to attend already under pressure emergency departments. By creating additional pathways to care, we can improve outcomes for individuals while also helping to reduce pressure on acute hospital services. As we continue this major expansion of community-based supports, we know some people in distress may need to present to a hospital where they have both a physical and mental health need. That is why we are also investing in building the capacity of our emergency departments to better respond through the development of new specialist crisis nursing teams. These teams are made up of experienced clinical nurse specialists and advanced nurse practitioners working out of hours at night and over the weekend to support the non-consultant hospital doctor, NCHD, on duty. I funded teams for all model 4 hospitals and the Mercy in Cork in this year's budget and new teams for six of our model 3 hospitals for next year's budget. As we enter the winter period, the public can be assured that extensive work is under way across the health regions. Region- and hospital-specific plans are being implemented. Additional patient flow measures are being put in place. Vaccination programmes for influenza, Covid-19 and RSV are already under way and will play a critical role in protecting vulnerable people and reducing avoidable hospital admissions. The Government does not underestimate the challenges ahead. Our responsibility is to focus relentlessly on what works for patients. These are safety, safely staffed capacity, reducing delayed discharges, seven-day services - which are important - strong patient flow, alternative care pathways, innovation and accountability. That is the approach set out in the Government's countermotion. It acknowledges the challenges. It recognises the outstanding contribution of healthcare staff. It provides a practical path to improvement through investment and reform. We want patients to be seen quickly, treated safely, and cared for in dignity. We want families to have confidence that the health service will be there when they need it. We want our healthcare workers to have the facilities, staffing, and support they need to do their jobs. The Government\u2019s focus will continue to be on delivering the mission of universal healthcare. We did not hear much about that tonight. We will continue to build capacity, strengthen our community services and improve patient outcomes. We will continue to invest in and support the dedicated health and social care workforce who treat patients every day. This winter, every single available resource must be focused on the patient, every part of our health and social care service must work together, and every opportunity to provide safe care in the right setting must be taken. I commend the Government\u2019s amendment to the House."},{"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 spoke to the nursing team at Usher\u2019s Island in Dublin 8 and I send my best wishes to Dr. Kevin Kilbride, who built a fit-for-purpose homeless mental health service from scratch over decades. He is the epitome of public service and I am sure this House sends its best wishes for his speedy recovery following the serious injuries he sustained from an horrific knife attack last week as he carried out his duty. The health of our service depends on people and investing in people to carry out care with compassion in treatment and therapy. This is compromised when staffing vacancies are left unfilled and while a recruitment freeze damages the capacity to deliver a duty of care. Health and safety are weakened and patients made more vulnerable. I spoke to the Psychiatric Nurses Association. It is alarmed at the vacancies in mental health across all sections. Services are now at a critical juncture where the next step is the serious consideration of closure of some services. Despite what the HSE has stated, recruitment restrictions are in place. We can take the tier 4 controls as an example. They have resulted in an embargo on recruitment, especially in mental health, which historically has had poor resources. Mental health services are the forlorn Cinderella of the health service. There are between 650 and 700 vacancies in mental health nursing alone, and services are heavily reliant on agency staff and overtime hours at a cost of almost \u20ac1 billion across all sectors. Our 2026 graduate nurses experiencing the snail\u2019s pace of contract signing are heading to the private sector or packing their bags and moving abroad. This blatant crawl to recruitment is destroying the health system."},{"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 Many other Deputies have alluded to the population growth. The population of Tallaght and surrounding areas has exploded in the last 20 years. We have not seen anything like the increase in funding for Tallaght University Hospital needed for the growing population. This puts significant pressure on the emergency department, inpatient beds and staffing levels. A new 72-bed unit was approved for funding in 2023. We were told that these additional beds would solve the problem in accident and emergency services in particular, but they have remained in limbo ever since because of the bureaucratic nightmare that is the HSE capital project system. I do not know and hospital staff do not know where we are in relation to that. I do not understand a system \u2013 I have only two minutes \u2013 where a hospital delivers additional services for patients and reduces waiting lists but is then expected to operate with the same resources. It does not make sense, but that is the system we are operating. There is a lot wrong with our system and one of the issues is clearly that we are not planning for the future and for population growth. It is patients and people living in areas where there is population growth who are suffering. It makes sense that if there is population growth in an area, staff working in the local hospital cannot get accommodation and have to live farther out. We have a broken system and it does not seem to be getting fixed any time soon."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Johnny Mythen","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Johnny-Mythen.D.2020-02-08","memberCode":"Johnny-Mythen.D.2020-02-08","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Johnny Mythen The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Every winter, we have the same major problems. Hospital figures go sky high, patients wind up on gurneys in corridors, and others end up languishing for hours on chairs. Staff capacity is at a dangerously critical level, with severe emergency department delays. In my own area, Wexford General Hospital has highlighted that approximately one in three patients spends more than six hours waiting for admission - that is roughly 11,800 people - with more than 6,000 waiting more than nine hours. The INMO has stated that withholding permanent contracts from 2026 graduates due to employment control fails to address the real and tangible problem of permanent staff and bed capacity. The Government has failed to honour these commitments. It must implement and publish regional winter plans, incorporating staffing and capacity targets, along with a safe staffing framework protected by law. Lifting recruiting restrictions on priority vacant posts is essential for patient safety and the delivery of world-class health services. I have spoken to staff in Wexford General Hospital. From the canteen employees to the cleaners, to the nurses and midwives, they are saying the same thing: they are doing their best but there is no planning laid out for hospitals during the winter months. An increase in sickness levels through flus and viruses and a new strain of Covid is overwhelming. It is time to listen to our doctors, nurses and midwives who have no choice but to face each winter with a deep sense of frustration, anxiety and exhaustion that puts both themselves and their patients at high risk. It is time that the Minister's actions reflect the reality of what is happening on the ground. She must publish a winter working plan that lifts embargoes, promotes staff levels and, most of all, delivers a safe environment for all who will be hospitalised this winter."},{"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 If Fianna F\u00e1il is wondering why it has collapsed in opinion polls, its TDs should listen back to the speech that the Minister of State gave a few moments ago. It was utterly delusional. She spent most of her time talking about what she said was my and Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s failure to accept what she saw as reality. Most of it was untrue. What I do not accept and the Minister of State needs to understand is that we have a real crisis in our healthcare system. One would not think that at all from her response. The reality as we go into the winter season is that people are waiting longer to see a GP and many cannot even register with a GP. Some people who cannot get an appointment with a GP end up going into a hospital\u2019s out-of-hours service, emergency department or minor injury clinic because they are waiting too long. There was no mention of it in the Minister of State\u2019s speech, but for the first time in the history of the State, we have 1 million people on acute hospital waiting lists. We also have, again for the first time, over 260,000 people on community waiting lists. There was no mention of that in the Minister of State\u2019s speech. That is not to mention waiting lists for mental health, CAMHS, disability and other services. We have a national children's hospital that is still not built and people waiting far too long for treatment and in emergency departments. The Minister of State is right to point to examples where things have improved, including in some emergency departments. She cited University Hospital Waterford. I have acknowledged a number of times the fact that we do not have patients on trolleys. However, she should not get overly excited about that. If she visited the emergency department on a busy night, she would see people sitting on chairs. If she were to leave and come back hours later, she would see the same patients sitting on those same chairs. One person said to me recently when I was in the emergency department that a hospital trolley was actually a luxury. She was with her older parent who was on the same chair for ten hours without being seen. When I went off and came back later - I was there with a relative myself - the same elderly person was in the same chair. Simply saying that a patient is not on a trolley does not paint the full picture. That is the problem with overcrowding, which is why the INMO counts not only the number of people on trolleys, but also those who are not in beds and who just have been moved. We have to look at how long people are waiting in emergency departments and at the many more people who have left. In the Minister said that we did not have a recruitment embargo, but recruitment controls. People will see that as essentially gaslighting patients, staff and management of hospitals because what is the purpose of controls but to prevent recruitment for essential posts? That is what is happening. No amount of spin from this Government is going to avoid that reality. We have priority posts, urgent posts and necessary posts that cannot be filled because the Government has decided it is not going to fill them. That is the reality of it. The Government is playing fast and loose with people's lives because the reality in emergency departments and in hospitals more widely is that there is a patient safety crisis. The Minister of State does not have to take my word for it. Hospital managers, patients, advocate groups, campaign groups and healthcare trade unions are saying it. There is no acceptance or reality of that at all from the Minister of State sat opposite or, indeed, from the Minister for Health. They say that we have never spent more money in healthcare and tell us to look at all of the staff that they have recruited. Well, riddle me this. If that is the case, then why in God's name have we 1 million people on acute hospital waiting lists? Why are people waiting so long? It is also a case of mismanagement, inefficiencies, \u20ac1 billion spent on agency and hundreds of millions of euro on overtime, and all the while we cannot recruit the staff that we need. The Government is the one that needs a reality check and needs to start accepting a bit of reality as regards what is happening in healthcare as we go into a very difficult winter for patients and staff."},{"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":"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) We must move on to the decision on the amendment to the amendment."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment to amendment put and declared lost."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"Amendment 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) That division is postponed until the weekly division time tomorrow evening."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Hospital Overcrowding: Motion [Private Members]"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_23","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_23","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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_24","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Defence Forces","counts":{"speechCount":24,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_23","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_23","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_24","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.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}},{"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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_24.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire Is l\u00e9ir leis an bpl\u00e9 at\u00e1 ar si\u00fal i measc an phobail go bhfuil fonn ar dhaoine a gcuid a r\u00e1 faoin gceist seo. Among the Irish people, in my engagement with them, there is a huge appetite for a referendum on this question. People want their say on this. They had it in the past and they want it again. Regarding the Minister's proposals to get rid of the triple lock, and it is to get rid of it, it is my view that the Government should put it to the people."},{"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 Defence (Deputy Helen McEntee) I thank the Deputy for the question. We have had an opportunity to set out in detail over the last number of weeks in the D\u00e1il and, indeed, the Seanad the purpose of the Defence (Amendment) Bill. This is to broaden the range of international missions to which Ireland may contribute, where appropriate, in support of international peace and security. Importantly, it is to make sure that we, as a country and as a Government, have the right to make those decisions ourselves. The Government's proposals do not seek to end Ireland's participation in UN-mandated missions, which is something that has been conflated with this matter, nor will they prevent Ireland from continuing to deploy personnel to missions authorised by the United Nations. In fact, they broaden the basis on which to deploy our peacekeepers to UN and other missions. I want to clarify to the Deputy that the legislation specifically proposes to amend the current reference in legislation from an \"International United Nations Force\" to the broader term \"international force\". This reflects the reality that peacekeeping and crisis management operations are conducted in a variety of international frameworks. This includes the United Nations, the European Union and other international organisations. In fact, some of the missions are led by NATO but are still UN-mandated missions. It is, therefore, not accurate to characterise, as many have, these proposals solely as ending a UN-mandate requirement. The objective is to provide Ireland with the flexibility and sole responsibility in making decisions to participate in a wider range of international missions, which importantly will continue to include the UN, where there is a clear legal basis and where such participation is consistent with Ireland's foreign and security policies and in line with our values and international obligations. We have heard for decades, time and time again, in particular from those who are opposed to the EU, that we are going to EU defence armies, that we are going to send our men and our boys to war, and that we are going to become warmongers. None of this has come true. In fact, we have been always clear. We have participated in UN-mandated missions and we have removed ourselves from UN-mandated missions where they have not aligned with our views, values and propositions, but we want to make sure that that decision is ours and ours alone. In terms of the overall suggestion around a referendum, that is something I want to come back to because there is something in our Constitution that the Opposition continues to overlook."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire There is absolutely nothing whatsoever preventing the Government from putting this to the people. I was out in Cork over the course of the weekend talking to people. People have lots of different views on this. The vast majority want to protect our neutrality and keep the triple lock but the thing that unites almost everyone is that people want to have their say. That is based on the fact that commitments were given to them in past referendums. Even the Taoiseach, in discussing the Lisbon treaty and how it was that they managed to persuade people the second time around, put it down to concessions that people got in relation to confirmation of neutrality. The triple lock was a central part of those debates. People want to have their say. It should be put to the people. The Minister says that it is wrong to state that this is getting rid of the requirement for a UN mandate. It plainly is getting rid of the requirement for a UN mandate. That is literally what the legislation does. That is the bit that the Government is taking out of the Defence Acts. I again emphasise that these are Defence Acts and are decided here. If the Minister were so concerned about sovereignty, it 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. You will have a further opportunity."},{"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 What I said clearly was that this did not prevent us from participating in UN-mandated missions-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire No one said it would."},{"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 -----which is what the suggestion is."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire Not a one said-----"},{"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, namely, 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 Article 29.4.9, introduced in 2002, sets out that the \"State shall not adopt a decision taken by the European Council to establish a common defence pursuant to Article 42 of the Treaty on European Union where that common defence would include the State\u201d, that being, Ireland. That was put into our Constitution in 2002 following the Nice treaty and was upheld again in the Lisbon treaty. What would we be putting into the Constitution? What is it that the Deputy wants to put to people? We have legislation that was enacted after we were very clear that we were a neutral country. Our neutrality is based on our non-military alliance. We have set out already in our Constitution, under Article 29.4.9, that we will not adopt any decision taken by the EU where it aligns with a common defence that would include our State. How can we be any clearer in that regard? What we are proposing here is that we would put forward a mechanism that would allow us to make our own decisions. Nobody would make any decision as to where we sent our troops and, also importantly, where we kept our troops. It is important to point out that since we had our debate two weeks ago, another UN-mandated mission has lost its mandate. There are now ten, not 11. That is three in the last couple of months."},{"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. You will have another opportunity. A Theachta."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire There are many more situations that could potentially compromise our neutrality than simply that common defence point. In fact, I would say that our neutrality is frequently compromised by our failure to check warplanes that fly through Shannon and over Irish airspace. That is certainly something that the Government should return to. Certainly, it is something that we will return to. This is another paper tiger. There are so many of these arguments that the Minister throws out that nobody is actually making. I have not heard a single person, left, right, middle, media or Deputy, suggest that we would have to pull out of UN missions because of this. I do not know where that came from. Add that on top of the fact that there is this constant implication that we are prevented from doing things that we are not, such as the rescue of Irish citizens, humanitarian evacuations and investing in our Defence Forces should we deem fit. We should take our security seriously. That is appropriate but that is not prevented by the triple lock. The Government should put it to the people."},{"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 Deputy has not answered, in any response, what I have just set out in Article 29.4.9,-----"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire The Minister has not-----"},{"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 -----which clearly sets out that we will not join any defence alignments. If we were to do that, we would have to have a referendum. Unless the Deputy wants to change that himself and actually take that out, that is what he is talking about."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire That is not the only-----"},{"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 Minister has the floor."},{"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 Deputy is saying that I am running away and we are not engaging with the people. I put it to the Deputy that his own colleagues are running away. For two weeks, Fianna F\u00e1il, Fine Gael and Government colleagues have engaged with Deputy Conway-Walsh, who is the Chair of the defence committee, on tabling Committee Stage of the Defence (Amendment) Bill but she has ignored us and has not responded. Potentially we will have a meeting on Thursday of next week to talk about when we might take Committee Stage. There are many ways in which it can be brought through the House."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire What deadline are is the Minister working to?"},{"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 and the Minister has the floor."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire What is the rush?"},{"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 If the Deputy's party is intent on frustrating this, it is not for a committee Chair to decide what they want to bring forward or not bring forward. There is an agenda and it is up to the committee Chair to respond to committee members. Sinn F\u00e9in is clearly trying to frustrate and delay the Bill so that when we try to bring it through the Houses, it will accuse us of rushing."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire By discussing it at the next scheduled meeting agreed at the previous meeting."},{"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 It is a political tactic. That is all Sinn F\u00e9in is trying to do."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Defence Forces"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_25","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Legislative Measures","counts":{"speechCount":37,"speakerCount":5},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_23","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_23","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_25","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}},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.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":"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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_25.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 I am sure the Minister's email inbox, like mine, is full and chock-a-block with people asking her to urgently reconsider the plans to abolish the triple lock. They point out, as I and many others have, the generosity of the wording of the Act of 2006 and the solemn guarantees of the Nice and Lisbon treaties. The will of the people is clear. Will the Minister listen and keep the triple lock?"},{"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) As Deputies are aware, the Defence (Amendment) Bill is progressing through the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Bill will be proceeding to Committee Stage. We are awaiting a date for Committee Stage, as the Minister said. It is important to address some of the claims that have been made about this. Much of the criticism advanced on Second Stage was based on a mischaracterisation of the legislation and an inaccurate portrayal of its consequences. The Bill does not impact on Ireland's neutrality. It does not provide for unrestricted overseas deployment of Defence Forces personnel. Nothing in the Bill does this."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire It does allow for this."},{"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 central reform contained in the Bill is set out in section 4, which replaces the existing concept of an international United Nations force with the term \"relevant international force\", which is then defined in the legislation. In practical terms, the law that we want to pass sets out clearly that Ireland can continue to participate in peacekeeping, peace enforcement and conflict prevention on overseas missions which, crucially, operate in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the UN and international law, whether specifically authorised by the Security Council or subject to a UN General Assembly resolution or, in addition, by organisations such as the European Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe or other regional arrangements. The reform will ensure that Ireland is not prevented from contributing to legitimate international peace support operations solely because agreement cannot be reached at UN level. The legislation will, of course, continue to permit participation in UN and UN-mandated operations. Should the Security Council authorise, or the General Assembly recommend, future peacekeeping missions, Ireland will be fully able to contribute to them but we will have greater flexibility to participate in peace missions organised or led by bodies such as the European Union, as we had in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the OSCE or other regional arrangements where such participation is considered appropriate by the Government and approved in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the UN."},{"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 principles of the Charter of the UN were tested in 2003 when the US and the UK chose to go to war with Iraq. These exact principles were invoked when they went to war. The Minister's colleague in the Department of Defence said at a committee meeting in response to Deputy Murphy that had this legislation been in place in 2003, neither Article 29 or anything else would have prevented Ireland from sending troops to Iraq and engaging in what was described at the time as action in line with the principles of the UN Charter. This is exactly what was said at the time. It is the Government that is being inaccurate and disingenuous. It is putting forward this tired rhetoric about sovereignty and taking back control. Solemn guarantees were given in the Nice and Lisbon treaties. It is clear that the public view is pro-triple lock and it is clear that the current trajectory is exactly what people were afraid of when they voted in the Nice and Lisbon referendums. If the Government is confident about this legitimacy it should put it to the people."},{"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 It is time to call out the scaremongering and misinformation about reform of the triple lock. The Iraq war was not in conformity with the principles of the United Nations Charter."},{"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 They said it was."},{"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 They said it was."},{"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 UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said at the time that it was not in conformity with the charter. Therefore, this claim is false. The Opposition tells us we will end up fighting in foreign wars. This is false. It tells us that Ireland will end up in NATO. This is false. It talks about the end of Irish military neutrality. Again, this is false. Nothing in the Bill affects our neutrality. Decisions on military alliances and on the Defence Forces of this State are for the D\u00e1il and the D\u00e1il alone. This is what the Bill is about; it is about decisions. Either we do nothing, which is what the Opposition wants, and peacekeeping from an Irish point of view ends, or we act to reform the triple lock-----"},{"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 You are not reforming it."},{"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 -----and provide ourselves here in D\u00e1il \u00c9ireann with the power to make decisions-----"},{"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 Pull the other one."},{"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 -----on Irish peace work abroad, here in the D\u00e1il and not elsewhere."},{"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 example of the UN Charter being invoked in 2003 is exactly what I said; it was used by the US and the UK to justify that war. It was clear that the UN did not agree and this is the whole point. The UN is the only game in town when it comes to multilateralism. It is the only body that can offer a mandate to serve under the blue helmet or blue beret. It is the only body that can guarantee that the work of the Defence Forces is peacekeeping. The Government is taking this away. It is as though the Government does not understand what a guardrail is. Of course, the Opposition is not saying this will immediately send us to war but the point is that the guardrail is in place so that we do not go to war and we stay in line with our values of neutrality, diplomacy and peace, and achieving peace through peaceful means, which the Government seems to have forgotten completely. Once again, the Government cannot continue to maintain that removal of the triple lock, which is what the Bill proposes, in any way allows us to remain a neutral state. It is farcical."},{"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 has said repeatedly that the Iraq war was in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter-----"},{"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 No, that is not what I said. The US and the UK said it was."},{"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) One speaker and the Minister of State has the floor."},{"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 Secretary-General of the United Nations at the time said specifically that it was not. This legislation requires us to act in accordance with international law-----"},{"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 And who determines that?"},{"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 Minister of State has the floor."},{"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 -----with the Charter of the United Nations-----"},{"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 It does 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) The Minister of State has the floor."},{"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 -----and with our Constitution."},{"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 the principles? That is the whole point. The Minister of State will vote down amendments."},{"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) Deputy Murphy, the Minister of State has the floor."},{"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 The Minister of State will vote down amendments to say it should be in line with the UN Charter. Mark my words."},{"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) Deputy Murphy, there is only one speaker."},{"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 Tell us now that he will not vote down amendments that propose it will be in line with the UN Charter."},{"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) Deputy Murphy-----"},{"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 Tell us he will not vote down amendments to say it should be in line with the UN Charter. Tell us how he will vote on those amendments."},{"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) Deputy Murphy, there is only one speaker."},{"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 am looking forward to the answer."},{"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) Right now the only speaker is myself as Cathaoirleach and Deputy Murphy has no right to speak. The Minister of State has the floor."},{"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 Deputies opposite completely ignore the Irish Constitution. As the Minister said, the Constitution prevents us from becoming part of a European Union common defence. The Leader of the Opposition talks about Ursula von der Leyen's wars but if the European Union were ever to do this, and it has never done this because it is a peace project, Ireland would not be permitted to participate under the Constitution."},{"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) We will move on."},{"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 Our Constitution requires us to conduct our international relations in accordance with moral principles with the objective of friendly relations among the states of the world. The argument the Deputies are putting forward is that somehow we will all go to war. What war are we talking about? It is completely ignorant of what is in our Constitution and what legally prevents us from doing that."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Legislative Measures"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_26","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Defence Forces","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":2},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_23","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_23","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_26","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_26.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire The First Line Reserve is a very important element of the Defence Forces, particularly for former Defence Force members. It ensures the Defence Forces continue to get the benefit of their skills. The issue I am raising relates to NCOs who have left the Defence Forces and potentially want to re-enter. At present they can only remain attached to the Defence Forces at the rank they held on leaving."},{"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. When we speak about modernising our Defence Forces, it is essential that we look at the revitalisation of the Reserve Defence Force. This includes the First Line Reserve, which is a vital part of the overall transformation process. As Deputy \u00d3 Laoghaire is aware, the First Line Reserve comprises exclusively former members of the Permanent Defence Force. It provides a pool of trained former personnel and specialists who are available to supplement the Permanent Defence Force in times of emergency. The regeneration plan for the Reserve includes a commitment to streamline induction and assignment of the First Line Reserve. The regulatory mechanism to induct former Permanent Defence Force officers to the First Line Reserve is provided for and is already being utilised. The military authorities have advised that 20 officers joined between 2020 and 2024 and a further five joined in 2025. There are also enlisted members of the First Line Reserve who serve out the balance of their term of enlistment. Legal advice was sought on the matter of former enlisted members voluntarily joining the first-line Reserve outside of their term of enlistment, which is what the Deputy referred to, in line with the goals of the regeneration plan. Unfortunately, there is currently no regulatory or legislative pathway for former enlisted Permanent Defence Force, PDF, personnel to join the first-line Reserve at their former rank, so they come in at the rank of private. An amendment to primary legislation is required to facilitate such enlistment. Work is under way in my Department to develop proposals. I am keen to bring forward legislation that would allow former enlisted personnel to rejoin at the rank they held when they left. We are talking about very experienced personnel who can contribute, and have contributed, a huge amount to our Defence Forces. I want us to be in a position where they can do so but where they are coming back at the rank they had when they left. I am eager that this legislation be brought forward without delay so that the skills and expertise of former enlisted personnel can be fully utilised. Former enlisted members may join the second-line Reserve. Pending the introduction of primary legislation, it is hoped they will be able to join the first-line Reserve."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire The Minister understands the issue. Could we get more clarity on the timeline for the legislation and what type of legislation it might be? Could it, potentially, be tied in with the proposed legislation relating to command and control? I have another question on that, but it might not be reached. This issue that we are trying to resolve here arises frequently. There are people who served for a number of years and who served out their time with the Defence Forces. They have particular skills. They could be marine engineers or engineers of other kinds, or they could have skills in aircraft maintenance and other areas. They leave the Defence Forces, go off and are then only permitted to re-enter. At the moment, they can enter the first-line Reserve when they exit, but they cannot currently re-enter it later. Being able to do so could have huge potential benefits, particularly for the Naval Service, where many former members have gone into life sciences and pharmaceuticals. We want to get the benefit of their skills. When does the Minister expect legislation on this issue to be introduced?"},{"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 cannot provide a specific timeline, but I can say that these amendments are being worked on by my Department. The most efficient approach is often to bring forward a miscellaneous provisions Bill or to add it to another Bill. I would be keen to do that. The Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026 is going through now but will not include these provisions. I will seek to bring forward the necessary legislation as quickly as possible. Like the Deputy, I think this is important, particularly when we look at the overall objectives of the plan to revitalise the Reserve Defence Force. It is about making sure that we supplement the Permanent Defence Force where there are gaps and provide opportunities for those who have left but who want to continue to contribute. We also need to incentivise them. I do not know why personnel above a certain rank were not included in this initially or why they are unable to join the first-line Reserve, but I am very keen to amend the situation. These are the types of changes that encourage and support us in respect of overall recruitment and retention in the Reserve Defence Force. We are going well in that regard, and I can touch on that aspect in my final response. It is changes like this that will encourage more people to come forward and ensure we are not losing important skills."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire As I said, there is a whole category of people available. Parts of the Defence Forces are very reliant on contracted services. We should be trying to eliminate that reliance if people with the necessary skills are available, particularly in situations where surge capacity is required. There is a benefit in ensuring that people who have gone on to do something else with their lives but who still want to contribute can do so. Finally, if a miscellaneous provisions Bill is to be introduced, I ask that Army chaplains finally receive the recognition they deserve and the appropriate rank they ought to hold."},{"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 final point, I am committed to bringing legislation forward. It has transpired that it is a much bigger piece of work than may initially have been thought. I conveyed that at the recent RACO conference and to our colleagues in PDFORRA. In terms of legislation more generally, all Ministers like to bring forward a steady stream of Bills. I hope to move again in this regard once the current legislation is enacted. Turning more generally to the Reserve Defence Force regeneration plan, this was published in July 2024. It co-ordinates 27 actions across four objectives: recruitment and retention; resourcing; training and education; and integration and deployment. Twenty-six of the 27 actions are deliverable by the Office of Reserve Affairs, ORA. Importantly, 13 actions have been completed and significant progress is being made on all the remaining actions. There has been very good progress. I have had very good engagement with the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association, RDFRA, and it is my intention, as I think it is the Deputy's, to continue working with the association to make as much progress as possible for our Reserve Defence Force."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Defence Forces"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_27","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Defence Forces","counts":{"speechCount":6,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_23","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_23","showAs":"Ceisteanna ar Sonra\u00edodh Uain D\u00f3ibh - Priority Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_27","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.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}},{"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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_27.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire I do not have much more to add on this topic, but I intend to keep raising it. It does not make sense to me. I just cannot get my head around it. The Minister keeps saying that she is precluded from acting as a result of litigation. I am not asking about litigation. I am asking the Minister to provide a health assessment for an entire category of people. They were exposed to dangerous chemicals. That is hardly disputed. What might be disputed is the extent of the health implications for them, so let us assess that. I do not think there is anything at all in that which would cut across litigation."},{"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. We have spoken about it many times. The Deputy said that he does not believe his proposal affects anything separate that is happening. However, it is important to state that multiple legal cases are before the courts. These are all based on claims of alleged exposure of people in the Air Corps to hazardous chemicals. I have sought advice on and discussed this matter many times. I am limited in what I can say publicly without potentially prejudicing the litigation that is ongoing. That applies to anybody the Deputy is suggesting may be in similar circumstances or impacted in the same way. I appreciate that the Deputy contends that it is possible to discuss this issue generally without straying into individual legal claims. I am advised, however, that any view I express outside the process could cut across the State\u2019s position in the overall proceedings. The State Claims Agency is independently managing these claims on my behalf, as Minister, under a statutory delegation. It has engaged formally with a number of plaintiffs to see if a mutually agreeable set of terms could be reached to bring their cases to a conclusion. Unfortunately, that process has not yet yielded an agreement. I encourage all sides to engage positively. As I informed the Deputy in a previous update, a number of these claims have been taken under active case management by the courts. This means that a judge can actively compel engagement by the parties, seek papers and testimony, and set binding deadlines, all of which is likely to see the cases progress through the courts more quickly. By way of a further update, I can share a development with the Deputy since this matter was last raised with me in the House. In the event that an agreement cannot be reached between the parties, some of these cases may be listed for hearing in the near future. This is all the more reason I need to be careful in engaging in any public forum about any issues that could cut across or otherwise influence or interfere with the independent role of the courts. Consideration of these matters by the courts through civil proceedings will allow the necessary case-specific analysis of the allegations to be conducted, with the benefit of legal representation for the plaintiffs."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire I know that this has been discussed by the Minister and her officials. It is obviously the Department's stance as opposed to the Minister's. A departmental decision has been made to be obtuse about this matter. If I steered any further clear of the litigation, I would be in the Shannon. I have not touched it or gone anywhere near it. There is an entire category of people whose health needs to be assessed, and the appropriate decisions taken on foot of that. It was done in Australia and the Netherlands. The Minister will say that the situation in Australia involved different types of airplanes and chemicals. There was still chemical exposure among aircraft maintenance personnel. I am not saying the exact circumstances were the same. I am saying it is an appropriate process. The State has dealt with whole categories of people in the past. The Magdalen laundries issue is an excellent example. Litigation continued through the courts while these Houses decided to put a package in place. Perfect or imperfect, a package was put in place that was totally separate from and independent of the litigation. There is no reason the Minister could not do that. She should do it because it is the right thing to do. I have not been too confrontational in the past few seconds, but, ultimately, some of these people have very serious health problems."},{"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 will have another opportunity."},{"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 This is not an attempt to be obtuse. The situation has not changed. That is why what I am saying is not changing. I do not like coming into the House and not being able to discuss things at length. It is very clear, however, that what the Deputy is referring to, while not specific to those current legal cases, relates and is specific to other potential cases he is talking about. Again, the intention is not to evade questions. I am here answering questions, but a process is under way. In the context of that process, I have to be clear and sure. The advice I have is that anything I stray into or discuss could have an impact. An analysis was done by my officials with additional information and consideration from the State Claims Agency. It was provided to me specifically in light of the ongoing legal cases. It was never intended for publication and was not drafted with that in mind. The information contained in it is confidential and legally privileged but on foot of that, as I said to the Deputy and as he just said, I convened a meeting with the Attorney General, senior officials from the State Claims Agency and officials from my Department. We had discussions on this and, again, the advice is that as these cases are ongoing, we have to go through this particular process as it currently stands."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","memberCode":"Donnchadh-\u00d3-Laoghaire.D.2016-10-03","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Donnchadh \u00d3 Laoghaire I will leave it at that."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Defence Forces"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_28","debateType":"questions","bill":null,"showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions","counts":{"speechCount":0,"speakerCount":0},"parentDebateSection":null,"containsDebate":false,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_29","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Defence Forces","counts":{"speechCount":43,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_28","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_29","speakers":[{"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":"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":"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":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","role":null}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_29.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"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 heart of the recent propaganda effort by the Government to try to convince people that we need to scrap the triple lock while pretending it has nothing to do with neutrality has been the attempt to portray the EU support mission in Lebanon as being some sort of continuation of UNIFIL of which, obviously, Irish people are supportive. UNIFIL has positive support for the idea of our peacekeepers playing a real peacekeeping role there. The question is to explore the differences between these two things. Indeed, when she was in Ireland, Kaja Kallas said the EU is not seeking to replace UNIFIL. It is a very different beast that is being proposed."},{"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 propose to take Questions Nos. 98, 105 and 175 together. I want outline very clearly that although both UNIFIL and the recently established European Union Support Mission in Lebanon, EUSM Lebanon, are intended to contribute to stability and security in Lebanon, they differ significantly in their mandate, legal basis and operational tasks. Nobody is suggesting otherwise. They are different and I am saying that very clearly. UNIFIL operates under the authority of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) and subsequent mandate renewals. Its primary tasks include monitoring the cessation of hostilities, supporting the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon, accompanying and supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces as they deploy throughout the south, assisting in ensuring humanitarian access to civilian populations and contributing to the creation of conditions conducive to a permanent ceasefire and a long-term solution. We know that the situation has changed, so we know that many of those duties are not possible at the moment because of the changed environment, in particular in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL conducts patrols, operates observation posts, liaises between the parties, monitors developments along the blue line - now, we have a yellow line, which is essentially an occupation in the south - and supports de-escalation efforts in a challenging security environment. I want to acknowledge that. I travelled to Lebanon and south Lebanon last week and witnessed the environment in which they are operating. I commend all of our personnel, not just those who are there now but those who have served in Lebanon for many decades. While UNIFIL is fundamentally a peacekeeping mission, it is important to recognise as well that the mission is also authorised to take necessary action within its capabilities and area of operations to protect United Nations personnel and civilians under imminent threat and to ensure its area of operations is not used for hostile activities. By contrast, the EUSM is a non-executive training mission. It has been established as an EU Common Security and Defence Policy mission focused primarily on capacity building, training, mentoring and strategic advice. The mission is intended to support Lebanese state institutions, particularly the Lebanese Armed Forces and, again, having engaged directly with our political colleagues in Beirut only in recent weeks, it is very clear that a lot of support is needed. Many who are working in the Lebanese Armed Forces are working on a part-time basis. This mission is, therefore, intended to support them and enhance their capabilities, and other Lebanese security bodies, in strengthening their ability to exercise effective control over Lebanese territory, improve border security, enhance maritime security, counter illicit trafficking and smuggling and improve command, planning and operational capabilities. This is what we are setting out at the outset. The tasks envisaged for EUSM Lebanon include the provision of training, mentoring and advisory support; assistance in areas such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; support for border management and security sector reform; enhancement of logistics and command structures; and co-ordination between Lebanese security institutions. It will be a much smaller mission. It will be focused primarily north of the Litani river. There is no suggestion that we are going to be sending troops to the south or, in particular, the occupied part of the south. Therefore, a separate UNIFIL area of operations will exist yet will nonetheless operate as an important indicator of EU and international support for Lebanon following the end of the UNIFIL mandate. If there are any future elements to that, in particular around fourth protection, which is another element that is being discussed but has not been agreed, we would, of course, have to look at that and take it on its own in the round. There was no suggestion that we are going to propose anything other than a mission that would align with our values, with the UN Charter and with international law, making sure we are focused on peace and security. Both missions reflect the international community's commitment to supporting a secure, stable and sovereign Lebanon, albeit through different mechanisms and mandates. In addition, other potential missions in support of Lebanon are being planned and they may provide opportunities for Irish peacekeepers should the triple lock requirement be removed and, again, should they align with our national policies and legislation. However, any decision taken in that regard would have to be a decision taken by Government and would likely have to be a decision taken by the D\u00e1il as well. In terms of the UNIFIL mission, which will conclude at the end of this year, the 69th infantry group is currently completing its final preparations for deployment to Lebanon, with approximately 294 personnel due to depart later this month as part of what is expected to be Ireland's final infantry battalion rotation to the mission following the end of the mandate at the end of this year. They will not be carrying out the same level of actions that the previous and current missions have taken. This deployment will be mainly focused on the withdrawal arrangements for the Irish-Polish battalion. I look forward to attending the ministerial review in Aiken Barracks this Thursday and meeting the personnel, in particular, and thanking them for their contribution but also recognising their families. We know that when troops travel abroad, whether it is to Lebanon or anywhere else, their family members are behind them, they support them and, of course, they are a crucial part of that overall commitment to our State. Furthermore, I reassure this House and the general public that the upcoming end to our participation in UNIFIL does not mark the end of overseas service opportunities. One of the things the troops asked me repeatedly when I met with them two weeks ago was that we would continue to provide them with opportunities to serve overseas. Many of these people joined the Defence Forces so that they can contribute to international missions overseas. They are trained and have the required expertise in this field. It is so important that we work to provide them not just with opportunities but that our long-standing history and proud tradition of peacekeeping and supporting vulnerable communities, not just in Lebanon but in other parts of the world, can be continued. That is a commitment I made to them."},{"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 Minister. I welcome the clarity, in fairness, that this is something very different than UNIFIL. It is not a continuation of UNIFIL in any way. It is not a peacekeeping mission. I will just dig into it a little bit in terms of what the Minister's position is. If this is a trade mission, and I agree that is what the EU mandate is, is it her position that she could not send Irish troops to participate in this training mission without her proposal in getting rid of the triple lock or does it require the triple lock at all? As I understand from media interviews, her position is that it does not actually or would not require the triple lock effectively and we could send troops there. If that is the case, then why has she said things like our ability to take part in missions in, for example, Lebanon, is now being diminished? Can she explain why she told the media that a future Lebanon operation could be undertaken on both a peacekeeping and peace enforcement footing when, in fact, what she is talking about here is neither but is a training mission?"},{"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 Is this not a shared 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":"An Cathaoirleach Gn\u00edomhach (Deputy Aindrias Moynihan) It is grouped-----"},{"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 The other Members are not here."},{"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) -----but the Deputies are not here."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Maeve O'Connell I am here"},{"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 They are here."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Maeve O'Connell I am taking Deputy Currie's. She did contact the Ceann Comhairle's office."},{"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 may go ahead."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Maeve O'Connell I thank the Cathaoirleach. I thank the Minister for updating us on the position. I certainly regret that after 50 years, Irish involvement in Lebanon is potentially going to come to an end. Many men and women, including our Fine Gael colleague, Deputy Callaghan, have served proudly in Lebanon, providing an essential security presence to protect a hard-won and very delicate peace, as we can certainly see today. It is a humanitarian mission, which Irish personnel have provided with pride. As the Minister outlined, while the EU countries may maintain a presence, without a UN mandate, the Irish have no option but to withdraw. Is there any other country currently participating in the Lebanon mission that, due to the withdrawal of the UN mandate, is intending to withdraw its involvement in Lebanon?"},{"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. There are two elements to what we are proposing. The EU has been clear and I have been clear on this. There is a civilian side to it and a training element. I have outlined all of the different areas of that. It is still a relatively small number when we compare the 360-plus we have plus all of the other missions. We serve with Polish and Hungarian colleagues in our area alone. Indonesia, Italy, Spain and every other country are contributing. It is a relatively small element. There is a second proposal, which will likely be around force protection. To restate, we are already contributing to force protection elements within the current mission. On peace enforcement, I have said clearly - perhaps it has become muddled up with everything because a lot of that is happening - that we have taken part in peace enforcement missions across the UN for many years. There are 11 missions at the moment, one of which ended on Friday. Five of them are peace enforcement missions. They are all UN-mandated missions. As a country, we have engaged in peace enforcement. However, that is not what we are talking about. Anything we would agree to or even consider would have to be in line with the UN Charter and its principles and with international law. It would have to go through a process similar to what we have now but without the requirement for the UN mandate. We are clear. I must push back on a narrative that is being pushed. Time and again, I have heard the Deputy, other Deputies, Senators and people on other platforms suggest that when we remove the triple lock, we are going to be sending our troops to fight with the IDF against Hezbollah. That is an absolutely ridiculous narrative. I received a report from the senior management of the Defence Forces, which has received reports from senior personnel on the ground in Lebanon. Defence Forces troops are concerned that the kind of narrative the Deputy is pushing, which is completely false and inaccurate, to the effect that we are going to send our troops to fight with the IDF against Hezbollah, which is what the Deputy is saying-----"},{"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 No, it is not."},{"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 That is exactly what the Deputy has said. He said, \"If they get away with [it] ... sending soldiers to Lebanon on the same side as Israel against Hezbollah will just be the start.\" That is exactly what the Deputy is saying. I am saying to him that our troops are saying that is putting them at risk. I have just come from the region. They are surrounded by troops from Hezbollah and the IDF who are in conflict with each other. The Deputy is actively saying that we are going to be sending our troops to fight with Israel against Hezbollah. It is completely false and inaccurate. If he had any respect for our troops, he would not be making up that kind of nonsense."},{"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 Will the Minister answer the question about the triple lock?"},{"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 Deputy O'Connell also asked a question. I apologise, but what was it?"},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Maeve O'Connell Has any other country withdrawn?"},{"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 A number of countries that have people there are re-emphasising their desire to be a part of civilian training and are considering what other type of element of force protection might be a part of any future mission. A number of countries, including Ireland, have already put up our hands for the civilian side. That is not a matter that requires the triple lock. Any future mission would require highlighting a desire to be a part of that mission. We are not yet at that stage. However, I have no doubt but that the vast majority of those on the ground will continue to want to be on the ground."},{"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 We did not get clarity there. What is the Minister's position? Do we need to get rid of the triple lock in order to send troops to participate in the EU support mission? Do we or do we not? It is a simple question and people deserve an answer. The Minister is saying that we cannot go to this mission because of the triple lock when I think her position is that we can and it does not require the triple lock because it is a training mission. There is deliberate confusion coming from the Government. There is going to be mission creep here. It is about getting the training mission agreed, which may not require the triple lock. We are then going to get into peace enforcement. Listen to what Kaja Kallas said when she was talking about the EU mission: Our objective is to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces and the ability of the Lebanese state to provide security across its territory ... That also means moving towards disarmament of Hezbollah. I do not want our troops involved in the armed disarmament of Hezbollah. I do not think our troops should be involved in that. I do not want to put our troops at risk of that. I do not know if the Minister wants to do so. She might clarify."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Maeve O'Connell I thank the Minister for clarifying the position. The closure of Camp Shamrock is an absolute failure of our serving personnel. We have a duty to them to ensure that this does not happen. However, we also have a duty, and the Minister is trying to fulfil it, to ensure the public understands that without political action, legislative change and amending the triple lock, this is exactly what will happen. We hope there will be a training mission, but there will be other types of missions, too. This is a delicate piece in Lebanon and it will require more than just training missions. Why would we abandon people when they need us most? It is their most difficult time of need. How will we explain to future generations that we left Lebanon because we allowed foreign powers to decide whether we could go there and we, as a sovereign state, could not choose where to support those who need our protection? The Opposition says that this Government does not do enough for the people who are suffering in Gaza, even though we have done more than any other EU country. How does the Opposition then argue to retain the very measure that is forcing the withdrawal of Irish protection from the people of Lebanon?"},{"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 Are we going to send troops to fight Israel? Is that the proposal? I would be surprised."},{"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 Deputy O'Connell's last point, it is absolutely devastating to see what has happened in south Lebanon and, in particular, in what is referred to as the \"buffer zone\". It is an occupation. The IDF has come in and occupied a significant part of southern Lebanon, south of the Litani River. It has demolished entire villages. Some 99% of certain villages is gone and has been demolished. There are small minorities of Christian communities. There are orphanages. Very vulnerable people are now left in the south. What will happen when we pull out is that there will be nobody to monitor what is happening. None of us wants to be in that position. I am not suggesting that we are now going to be a part of any mission that is south of that border. That is not what we are suggesting. I am suggesting that we are a country which has spent decades contributing to peace and stability in Lebanon. The result is that every person in Lebanon knows where Ireland is, knows our troops and knows the contribution they have made over the decades. The idea that we would not go to every means possible to participate in security and peace in that country is beyond me and beyond what is being suggested. I am clear. There are two strands to what is being proposed. There is a civilian strand, which does not require the triple lock, and a military strand, which does."},{"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 Military training does require it, from the Minister's perspective, but it did not in Ukraine."},{"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) Please, the Minister has the floor."},{"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 No, not military training; a military strand. I have said that force protection could be a part of that. This is what our troops are trained for. This is what they take part in. There should be no suggestion that this is something different or a departure. As part of their current mission, there is an element of force protection. That would require the triple lock to be removed or a UN mandate. To those who say we are not trying, I say that there will be discussions at the UN in the next week or two. Countries are specifically advocating to try to put in place-----"},{"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 Does participation in the EU support mission require the triple lock or 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) Deputy, please."},{"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 The Minister is saying \"No\"."},{"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 Minister has the floor."},{"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 have answered that question twice. I am not sure if the Deputy is listening."},{"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 Is the Minister saying that the military element-----"},{"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) Deputy Murphy-----"},{"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 -----is a part of the EUSM or 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) -----you had an opportunity-----"},{"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 Is it something separate?"},{"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) -----to ask the question."},{"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 This would be actually useful."},{"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) Deputy Murphy, the Minister has the floor."},{"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 have answered very clearly. The EU mission has two strands. There are two strands to one mission."},{"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 Okay, the Minister is saying-----"},{"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) Deputy Murphy, please. I ask the Minister to continue."},{"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 attempt that is being made by Opposition parties which oppose this consistently is to fire accusations, shout and suggest we are going to be dragging everybody onto this slide and into this mission creep. We have been hearing that for decades. We have been hearing that we are going to join an EU army but it has not happened. We have been hearing that we are going to be sending our men and sons off to war. It is not happening. We have been hearing that we are going to be forced into all of this. It is not happening. I am saying that there are two strands to the one mission. We are choosing to be a part of the civilian side. I hope everybody agrees with that. It is training. Much of it is office work. It is about supporting through surveillance, cybersecurity and all of these other elements through which we want to support the LAF. If we wanted to take part in the other element - the military element, which could include force protection - we would not make a decision until we saw what it involved, what its boundaries were and whether it aligned with our values, international law and the UN Charter. We would not make that decision unless we were satisfied, but we cannot decide if the triple lock is in place."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Defence Forces"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_30","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Defence Forces","counts":{"speechCount":7,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_28","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_30","speakers":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","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":"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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_30.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Maeve O'Connell Have the members of the Reserve Defence Forces received an allowance for the additional duties they are undertaking during Ireland's term as EU President?"},{"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 Deputies whose questions are being taken with Deputy O'Connell's are not here."},{"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 propose to take Questions Nos. 99, 136 and 137 together. I thank the Deputy for raising the question. There is no specific allowance that is being provided or that we are proposing to provide for duties undertaken during Ireland's term as EU President. However, a number of different strands have been worked on this year. There are other strands that I hope to progress in the months ahead. As I mentioned in response to a previous question, a key priority for the Defence Forces' revitalisation and modernisation programme is that we support our Reserve Defence Forces in that transformation process. This summer, I was pleased to introduce supplementary military service, SMS, for the Reserve Defence Forces. The launch of the SMS on 1 June provides for support military service, within or outside the State, and is remunerated. Members of the RDF deployed on supplementary military service are entitled to the benefits of the working time directive, where appropriate, as well as allowances and subsistence. There has been strong engagement from RDF members since its launch on 1 June, with 494 requests to volunteer to undertake SMS, all of which I have accepted. Members of the RDF can volunteer for SMS, both at home and overseas, where there is a particular deficiency in skills or expertise in the Permanent Defence Force that can be addressed by the deployment of a member of the Reserve or where it is otherwise in the best interests of the PDF to do so. In terms of activities specifically linked to our EU Presidency, they are limited to maritime defence and security operations conducted by the Naval Service reserve in support of the Naval Service and, in certain instances, ceremonial activities such as motorcycle ceremonial escorts. Where possible, Reserve members will step into general positions of Permanent Defence Force members to free them up to take part in Presidency duties or activities. There is no specific allowance for this duty but, as I said, we have introduced a new allowance that had been sought by the Reserve Defence Force. The allowance has been backdated and we are already seeing quite a significant number of members applying for it."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Maeve O'Connell I am delighted to hear about the many measures the Minister has introduced to support the Reserve Defence Force, including the supplemental military service allowance. It is great that the numbers applying for it are increasing. I have a question about the security duty allowance, which would enable payment when reservists support An Garda S\u00edoch\u00e1na. I do not know whether any such duty is being undertaken as part of the EU Presidency. It might not have arisen thus far but it certainly is something the reservists have been seeking. I take this opportunity to raise another issue of concern to members of the Reserve. I refer to the risk they take, not as part of their duties but in respect of their day jobs. As we know, reservists are part-time volunteers, which means they also have careers and day jobs. However, they are not protected by the Unfair Dismissals Acts or equivalent legislation. Some reservists are lucky to work for an employer who is happy to release them for duty but many are concerned that they may be putting their day job at risk. We could lose some of these wonderful men and women on that basis."},{"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 It is important to stress a point on which we all would agree, namely, that we must move to implement the actions set out in the regeneration plan and ensure we continue to engage and work with the union and with Reserve members to try to make improvements, where possible, in order to recruit more members and retain current members. The security duty allowance to Defence Force Reserve personnel for regimental duties was agreed in principle by my Department and by the office of Reserve affairs, ORA, which is continuing its work to implement the allowance. The Defence Forces have advised that the mechanism to codify the conduct of security duty by members of the RDF has been developed and implemented in the personnel management system, PMS. The ORA is currently drafting a concise guidance document for the security duty allowance, which will be aligned to the current practice and procedures in place for the Permanent Defence Force. It is anticipated that this document will be completed in the near future. I am very keen to see it progress and be applied as quickly as possible."},{"speaker":{"showAs":"Maeve O'Connell","uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/ie\/oireachtas\/member\/id\/Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","memberCode":"Maeve-O'Connell.D.2024-11-29","role":null},"textType":"speech","text":"Deputy Maeve O'Connell That is very good to hear. As the Minister may be aware, I am a former reservist, having joined during the first recruitment of women to the FCA, as the Reserve was then known. That is why I am so delighted with the many measures she has introduced, including the work that is ongoing on the security duty allowance. I would also like to see work done on the employment protection aspect. The Minister mentioned earlier that she intends to bring forward a defence (miscellaneous provisions) Bill some time next year. I hope to see some of those measures brought through in that legislation. I would also like to hear about other measures the Department is working on to encourage recruitment and retention in the Reserve Defence Force, particularly to attract more women and a greater diversity of skills."},{"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 the current status of recruitment efforts, between 2020 and 2024, we received 20 first-line Reserve applications for commissioning as officers, all of which were approved. In 2025, five first-line applications for commissioning as officers were received. More broadly, from 2020 to 2024, overall inductions each year were 69, 41, increasing to 90 in 2023 and 65 in 2024 to give a total of 268, with an additional 135 in 2025. Those numbers continue to go in the right direction this year as well. The various measures that have been taken include trying to attract female members to the Reserve Defence Force. While that number probably still is not where we want it to be, similar to the overall recruitment campaigns for the Permanent Defence Force, there are particular measures within the four strategic objectives of the regeneration plan that specifically target and highlight the opportunity for women. I acknowledge the Deputy's role in that regard."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Defence Forces"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_31","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Legislative Process","counts":{"speechCount":27,"speakerCount":8},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_28","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_31","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}},{"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":"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":"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":"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":"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":"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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_31.xml"},"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 Will the Minister provide a timeline for the progression of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026, given it was published in late June 2026 and is due to come before the D\u00e1il early in this Oireachtas session? Does it remain on track for enactment by the end of the year?"},{"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. 100, 111 and 113 together. As the Deputy stated, the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026 was published in June of this year. It is a priority for the Government and we are committed to progressing it through the remaining Stages in both Houses as early as possible. While the precise scheduling of legislation is ultimately a matter for the Oireachtas, the Bill is on track and it is our objective that it be enacted by the end of the year. The reforms contained in the Bill do not alter Ireland's policy of military neutrality. They do not impact it in any way. They do not change, weaken or qualify in any way what is set out in the Constitution regarding Ireland's participation in any potential European common defence mechanism, which does not currently exist. Ireland's policy of military neutrality is characterised by our non-membership of military alliances. That position remains unchanged. The purpose of the legislation is simply to address a practical problem. Under the current system, larger overseas deployments require a mandate from the UN Security Council. In certain circumstances, that can prevent Ireland from participating in missions that are fully consistent with the principles of the UN Charter simply because a permanent member of the Security Council has exercised, or threatened to exercise, its veto. That happened again only last week in respect of a mission in which we are not involved. The Government's view is that we make the decisions on whether our personnel serve overseas in the interest of peace and that such decisions should not be blocked by external powers acting in pursuit of their own geopolitical interests. Unfortunately, such pursuit is happening at the Security Council. That is why the Bill proposes to replace the existing concept of an international United Nations force with the broader concept of a \"relevant international force\". This will allow Ireland to consider participation in missions conducted in accordance with international law and the principles of the UN Charter whether they are organised by the UN, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, or other international organisations. This is consistent with what is required in neutral countries such as Switzerland and Austria. It is important to note that the key safeguards remain. Government and D\u00e1il approval will continue to be required. Compliance with international law and the principles of the UN Charter remains central to the framework. The Bill broadens our options in pursuit of peace while preserving democratic oversight and accountability. The question of overseas deployments is completely unrelated to the issue of participation in a common EU defence. We inserted a provision in our Constitution following the Nice treaty referendum, which was reaffirmed by the Lisbon treaty referendum in 2009, stating that we cannot take a decision to join a common defence if the European Council were to make such a decision. We cannot do so without a referendum to seek the approval of the Irish people. Before even doing that, there would have to be a unanimous decision by every single EU member state to establish a common defence, of which there is very little prospect. The legally binding Lisbon treaty protocols remain in place, despite what some in the Opposition seemed to think in the debate two weeks ago. The same parties opposed the protocols at the time, although one of them claimed credit for them in that debate. Security and defence are matters for member states and we have full sovereignty and control over all such decisions. The Defence (Amendment) Bill expressly states that nothing in it shall be construed as authorising the State to become a member of an international organisation of which we are not already a member. To be clear for the benefit of the Deputies who asked these questions, the Bill is not about joining military alliances, it is not about joining a common European defence, which does not currently exist, and it is not about changing our military neutrality. The constitutional protections secured by the Irish people in the Nice and Lisbon treaty referendums remain intact. Nothing in the Bill changes that or can circumvent those provisions."},{"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 thank the Minister. We have debated this issue extensively within our own party. I am sure similar conversations are being had right across the Government. The focus of my question is explicitly on the timing of the legislation. The Minister reiterated what was stated in the reply to a previous parliamentary question I submitted a number of weeks ago, namely, that the intention is still to enact the Bill by the end of the year. With that in mind, I have a couple of direct questions. I do not expect the Minister of State to be able to answer them all, but he might give his views. The first is on Committee Stage. How quickly is that likely to come about? Are we talking about two, three or four weeks' time? The second question is on Report and Final Stages and when he expects those to be taken in the House. Third, will the Seanad and the Senators who anticipate a debate on this be allocated appropriate time? Finally, on the powers in the Bill to make commencement orders, once the legislation is enacted, when does the Minister of State envisage signing those orders? I am asking these questions about timing because there is an awful lot to fit in before Christmas. My concern is that we will try to rush this through instead of allowing meaningful debate."},{"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 Many people at home are worried that the assurances they voted on in the Nice and Lisbon referendums are somehow being eroded. Those assurances were about Ireland retaining control over its own defence policy and preserving our traditional policy of neutrality. The Seville Declarations provided further reassurance on those points. Will the Minister of State confirm clearly for the House that those assurances remain unchanged, that Ireland retains full control over its own defence policy and that the proposed reforms to the triple lock do not affect the constitutional protections relating to an EU common defence endorsed by the Irish people through the Nice and Lisbon treaties?"},{"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 acknowledging the RT\u00c9 production last night, \"Busted\", a three-part series on anti-drug operations. We see the best of our garda\u00ed, our Defence Forces and our customs officials, and the skills, expertise and sophistication with which they execute their job, while we have a debate here about keeping them at home and not allowing them to fulfil their true potential. It is astonishing to observe the charade of the Opposition in recent weeks on this. I will ask three questions. Is there any risk or any potential circumstance in which Ireland could abandon its neutrality as a result of this legislation? Is there any risk or any potential circumstance in which we would no longer recognise the United Nations? Is there any risk or any potential circumstance in which the Government could send troops anywhere overseas without the consent of this House?"},{"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 On the timing of the legislation, whenever we want to pass legislation or change a law, there should be a reason to do it. There should be a problem we want to solve. That is always what we are trying to do with legislation. The problem here, as the Minister has outlined clearly, is that the UN mandate for UNIFIL has ended. Our troops want to continue their service abroad if the Government decides it is appropriate. The Minister also said something important earlier about the safety of Irish soldiers in Lebanon in the context of this debate. I urge Deputies opposite, Senators participating in the debate and certain sections of the clickbait media to listen carefully to what the Minister said tonight about the safety of Irish troops abroad. It is important to keep our debates in the House to facts and to what is written in the legislation."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"(Interruptions)."},{"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 It is our ambition to finish this legislation before Christmas. Time is a matter for the Houses, but there has been adequate time so far. Nobody was refused speaking time the last time. One thing is clear, and this is key to the misinformation: the constitutional-----"},{"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 The Government has given three-minute slots. That is a joke. The Government tried to pretend it did not guillotine it because we were all forced into one slot. That is a joke. It guillotined it and tried to ram it through. It keeps trying to ram it through."},{"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 We have all read \"Nineteen Eighty-Four\". We do not need to hear the Minister of State's doublespeak."},{"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 constitutional protections the Irish people voted for in the Nice treaty and Lisbon treaty referendums are fully intact. They are still there. Every time the European Union talks about anything to do with defence policy, because of the Lisbon protocol that is still in our Constitution and in the EU treaties, it says this is without prejudice to the defence policies of certain member states, in other words, Ireland and three other member states of the European Union. Every time an utterance or a publication is made, our officials make sure that is written in the document because we are a neutral country, and our officials and Ministers make sure that continues. The protections we voted for in Nice and Lisbon that are in our Constitution are still in our Constitution. Decisions on the dispatch of Irish troops abroad are a matter for the Government and the D\u00e1il. They can only be made in accordance with the Constitution and the law. The Constitution mandates that we work towards peace and friendly relations among the nations. That is what is required by our Constitution, the fundamental law of this land. It is written in Article 29. This legislation provides for peacekeeping, peace enforcement and conflict prevention. Peace enforcement, which is something our soldiers have always done in many missions-----"},{"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 With the UN."},{"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 -----was inserted into the legislation at the request of the defence committee, which is chaired by Sinn F\u00e9in."},{"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 anticipate there will be hundreds of amendments when this progresses. To reiterate my question about timing, those amendments should be heard and given a platform. Second, the Minister of State is right that there is a lot of misinformation in this debate. We, as well as the Government, have to hold our hands up and say we can do a better job of explaining it to people. I suggest an information campaign explicitly going through the facts of what this legislation is likely to change would separate fact from fiction. That would be a worthwhile exercise for the Government to consider."},{"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 would like to speak again about the genuine concern among people at home listening to this that changes to the triple lock could somehow lead Ireland into becoming part of what many describe as the EU army. It is important that we address those concerns clearly in this House because people deserve to understand what this legislation does and, just as importantly, what it does not do. Whatever anyone's view of the triple lock, participation in an EU common defence remains a separate constitutional matter. Will the Minister of State confirm that the Irish people would have to approve a constitutional change before Ireland could participate in any EU common defence arrangement and that the proposed reforms to the triple lock do not in any way, shape or form alter that requirement? That reassurance would be particularly important to the Irish public at this moment in light of the misinformation constantly being spread by members of the Opposition."},{"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 do not believe that any one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council should effectively have the power to prevent Ireland from participating in overseas peacekeeping missions. I agree with the Minister of State on the clickbait media. Bad news travels around the world before good news gets out of bed. We have a problem here. Deputy O'Sullivan has touched on the misinformation. The Government will have to apply resources and run a campaign to address this and ensure the facts are filtering through because, at the moment, they are not. Deputy Callaghan spoke about an EU army, but there are also concerns that we will explore NATO as an option in the near future. Will the Minister of State give us categorical clarification that we will not explore either of those options at any time in the future?"},{"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 I believe there is \u20ac200 million floating around in the communications Department."},{"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 Minister of State has the floor."},{"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 O'Sullivan is correct that there will be lots of amendments, but when we read the Bill and the parts of it that relate to this, it is short. It could not be simpler. It concerns peacekeeping, peace enforcement, conflict prevention, the types of organisations with which we can go on a mission and the other long list of items we need to provide for. Deputy Clendennen mentioned drugs. There is an organisation called MAOC (N), or Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre - Narcotics, of which we are a founding member, that intercepts drugs in the Atlantic. It is in Portugal. We have a garda there because we do not need a UN mandate to send garda\u00ed abroad. When we joined as a founding member, we told them we would give them a ship. We said we could help out, but we could not. We could not send a naval vessel into the Atlantic because of the triple lock, because it did not have a UN Security Council mandate. A separate provision in this legislation will allow that. It is these types of practical things with which we are mostly concerned. If there were ever to be a European army - it will never happen - or a common defence arrangement, in the first instance, every member state would have to agree to it. Second, any member state could veto such an arrangement. There is no prospect of it ever happening. If it did and if everyone said that it could go ahead, we would have to have a referendum on the matter. We could not join in the absence of a referendum of the people. That is in our Constitution."},{"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 NATO?"},{"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 That is written in the sacred text."},{"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 No one is talking about NATO."},{"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 That is written in the sacred text of our basic law."},{"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 are not thinking of joining NATO."},{"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, namely the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne."},{"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 am not saying it. Miche\u00e1l Martin said he would not need a referendum. I was just checking."},{"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 Minister of State has the floor."},{"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 reform of the triple lock does not in any way impact on that. To be clear, nobody on this or any side has suggested that we would join NATO. That is not happening. We could not join it anyway. It has a 5% of GDP spending commitment. We could not pay that. It is not going to happen. It would not let us in. That is the reality, because we could not meet that spending target. We want to increase defence spending and we are doing that but there is no way we would meet the conditions of membership of NATO. It is not going to happen. It is not on the horizon. What we are trying to do here is solve a practical problem whereby Russia, in the case of the west African mission that was stopped last week, China, in the case of North Macedonia 25 years ago, and the US, in the case of UNIFIL, have stopped peacekeeping missions and, effectively, made decisions for us. That is what the legislation is trying to achieve and what it will bring to an end."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Legislative Process"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_32","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Rights of Way","counts":{"speechCount":8,"speakerCount":3},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_28","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_32","speakers":[{"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":"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":"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\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_32.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"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 This question relates to access and connectivity through and around Renmore Barracks. The walkway along the railway line at the front of the barracks was closed. I understand why that happened. I have asked for the Minister's engagement in allowing access in the vicinity of the barracks to provide for greater connectivity for the community."},{"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 also thank him not just for his interest but also for his proactivity in raising it and in working with our colleagues on the council and in the D\u00e1il. It was good to meet with Deputy Kyne, Councillor Forde and the Minister, Deputy Naughton, in recent months in the interests of specifically seeing how we could move this forward and what progress could be made. In 2021, Galway City Council, GCC, shared proposals with the Defence Forces to clear away, resurface and carry out ancillary works to the existing road on GCC lands to the east of Renmore Barracks in order to make a new permeability route linking Ballyloughane-Renmore to the Lough Atalia-city area, which, as the Deputy set out, would have involved using Defence Forces lands. Since then, the Department has engaged quite a number of times with the council and its consultants on the proposals, with several site visits being held. Over the course of this engagement, the Defence Forces highlighted a number of concerns regarding the development's potential impact on security at the barracks and on road and pedestrian safety. They noted that the proposed route past the main gate would bring pedestrian and cyclist traffic into conflict with heavy vehicles leaving and entering the barracks. Additionally, security concerns were raised regarding the proposed route, particularly following a well-documented attack on Defence Forces personnel in August 2024. Following further engagement in April 2025, GCC, the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces held a very positive discussion regarding the development. A further meeting was held in March this year at Renmore Barracks to discuss the future interaction between Defence Forces lands and the development of the Renmore neighbourhood project. I am advised that the meeting was very positive. As part of proposals for the Renmore neighbourhood project, a new separate foot-cycle route which could address the Defence Forces concerns requirements, including in relation to security, was suggested. I am conscious that this matter has been ongoing for some time. I am also very conscious that there is still a lack of clarity as to what happens next. I have instructed one of my senior officials to meet with the city council-----"},{"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 Aire."},{"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 -----its chief executive and, I hope, members of the council and local representatives to determine definitively what role, if any, the Department has."},{"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 I thank the Minister for the response. We acknowledge that there are security issues, in particular following the attack on Fr. Paul Murphy. Thankfully, he has recovered. It is important to acknowledge that there were security issues. We respect the fact that a decision has been made to close access at the front of the barracks, but there needs to be an alternative in order that there is connectivity between the Ballyloughane-Renmore area and the Lough Atalia-city area. The city council has lands that were previously Department of Defence lands, and there are possibilities in terms of the acquisition or sale of those lands and the construction of an alternative link over the railway crossing into the D\u00fan na Mara area. However, there needs to be engagement and agreement between the Minister, her officials and the city council to try to get this sorted quickly."},{"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 Deputy referenced Fr. Murphy. I was honoured to present Fr. Murphy and those who came to his aid following the attack with medals. Deputy Kyne was present at the ceremony. Those medals were to recognise the contribution of those who came to the assistance of Fr. Murphy and the dangerous position in which they put themselves. We all understand the reason for the decision of the Defence Forces not to allow the initial route that was proposed to go ahead. I assure the Deputy and all of those who want to progress this project that the Defence Forces and my Department will be as constructive as possible. My understanding is that the next step is for the local authority to engage locally and to set out the proposed route it has discussed in order to see what funding and possible options are available to try to progress this project. I have asked my officials to meet with the chief executive in person in order to see if there is a role for the Department to play in trying to resolve this matter. I will revert to the Deputy separately when I have received my Department's report. We are really keen to make sure that this project progresses and to support the Deputy in his aim."},{"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 My colleague Councillor Shane Forde has taken the lead on this. He is from the area in question. He is very familiar with it and knows the impact that this closure has had on the community. Instead of being able to walk to the Liam Mellowes grounds and Ballyloughane, people now have to drive there. That is bad for the environment, causes traffic congestion and increases the carbon footprint. We want to encourage people to exercise, so the closure of this lane has had a huge impact locally. We need a solution. There needs to be proactive engagement by the Minister and her Department with Councillor Forde and the city officials in order to ensure that we get a such solution. If that is going to involve a new walkway over the railway track, the question arises as to who is going to pay for it. Is there a possibility of the Department of Defence engaging and acquiring some of the city council lands, which were previously its lands, for use for security purposes, accommodation or whatever else for the barracks at D\u00fan U\u00ed Mhaoil\u00edosa?"},{"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 again acknowledge the work Deputy Kyne has done on this project. I also acknowledge Councillor Forde and the ambition to move it forward. For so many different reasons, including ease of access and providing a walkway and cycleway to encourage people to get out, be more climate-efficient and climate-friendly and improve their health and well-being, it is really important that this route be reopened. It is also important that we move this project forward. There is a way forward and there is an option open to the local authority. What I want to ensure is that if there is a role for the Defence Forces in helping to move this forward, we will be front and centre in providing assistance and support. I hope the meeting that has been requested will be of assistance in moving the matter forward. It is really important that the Deputy and local representatives are part of the discussion and are able to move things forward after the meeting at a local level."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Rights of Way"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_33","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"Defence Forces","counts":{"speechCount":14,"speakerCount":4},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_28","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_33","speakers":[{"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":"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":"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":"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}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_33.xml"},"pdf":null},"text":[{"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 Can the Minister please confirm if peace enforcement is a new departure for the Irish Defence Forces or if there are some historical examples of missions in which they have been involved that entailed peace enforcement or other robust mandates?"},{"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. As the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and I have set out this evening, there is a lot of disinformation and attempts to suggest that what is being proposed in the Defence (Amendment) Bill is new and represents a departure from what we have already been involved in and for which our troops have been trained. That is quite simply not the case. There is a requirement to remove the UN mandate, but that is to ensure that we can continue to operate on these types of missions. I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As I said, since 1990, the majority of overseas deployments by members of the Defence Forces have been peacekeeping - that is, Chapter VI missions - including service with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, in the Golan Heights and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, UNTSO, in the Middle East. However, Irish personnel have also served on quite a number of UN missions operating under more robust authorisations for the use of force, under what is known as Chapter VII. Examples include the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, and East Timor. Irish personnel have also served in UN-authorised and underpinned missions such as KFOR in Kosovo, the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, in Afghanistan and EUFOR Tchad\/RCA in Chad, all of which operated under robust international mandates. I will outline and explain the distinctions between peacekeeping and peace enforcement to the House. In simple terms, peacekeeping involves helping to maintain a peace that already exists. Peacekeepers monitor ceasefires, support political agreements, protect civilians and help create the conditions for long-term stability. Such operations are generally associated with the principles set out under Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter. Peace enforcement involves the use, or threatened use, of force to restore peace and security where violence is ongoing or where parties have not agreed to stop. I want to highlight that one of the significant developments in UN peace operations over the past two decades has been the increased use of more robust Chapter VII mandates. Of the 11 mandates - I mentioned this earlier - five of the UN mandates, which Deputies in this House are suggesting we should be looking towards-----"},{"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 Aire."},{"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 -----already have peace enforcement elements to them. It is part of what we do. It is not black and white; there are different elements to peace, security and support."},{"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 Gabhaim bu\u00edochas leis an Aire. It is very clear that peace enforcement is not, therefore, a new departure for the Defence Forces. It is unfortunate that much of the Opposition's messaging around this debate has left some people genuinely believing that Irish soldiers are going to be sent abroad to fight another country's war. This is not what peace enforcement means and it is important that we have an honest debate about it here in this House. Our Defence Forces have served with distinction in some of the world's most dangerous conflict zones, where civilians are often caught in the crossfire. It is in those situations that the protection of civilians may sometimes require the use of force against armed aggressors. That does not mean force will automatically be used. It means our personnel have the authority to act when innocent lives are under threat. Would the Minister agree that there is a world of difference between using force in the service of peace to protect innocent civilians and taking sides in somebody else's war?"},{"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 They are very clearly two different things. We are setting out clearly, through the proposed changes to this legislation, that we are not suggesting - as some in this House are suggesting - that we are going to take sides in any conflict. I am going to read from an article written by Senator Tom Clonan, who seems to have a lot to say on all of this at the moment. He wrote this and many other articles back in 2003, when he referred specifically to peace enforcement by Irish troops. He said: Significantly, the Irish \u2013 despite being peacekeepers as opposed to peace enforcers \u2013 fought a conventional battle in the south Lebanese village of At Tiri in 1980, preventing its ethnic cleansing by an Israeli-backed Lebanese militia under the command of Major Saad Haddad. More recently, Irish men and women participated in robust peace enforcement operations in Somalia in the mid nineties, in East Timor in 1999 and currently in the Finnish-led Battle Group in Kosovo [which we are currently still a part of] and in the UN UNMIL peace enforcement mission in Liberia. It has been the case, as has been set out by the Senator who now seems to think the complete opposite of this, that we have been part of these types of enforcement to protect civilians and innocent people."},{"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 have no difficulty whatsoever with Members of the Opposition disagreeing with this legislation - that is democracy - but I do have a serious concern about the misinformation and unnecessary fear that has crept into this debate. Parents and grandparents are genuinely worried that their children and grandchildren could be sent to fight somebody else's war. People at home are worried about one simple thing: if the United Nations is not involved in approving a mission, does that mean that Ireland is stepping away from its traditional policy of being militarily neutral? Those concerns are real and people deserve straight answers based on facts, not fear. Can the Minister assure this House and the public that our soldiers will continue to serve under very clear and lawful mandates, regardless of which international organisation is leading any future mission? Could she please confirm to the House that Ireland's traditional policy of being militarily neutral will not change?"},{"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 To the Deputy's last question, I can confirm and will continue to reaffirm that our position of military neutrality, which is our non-alignment with a military alliance, will continue. I will repeat that Article 29.4.9\u00b0 sets out that: The State shall not adopt a decision taken by the European Council to establish a common defence pursuant to Article 42 of the Treaty on European Union where that common defence would include the State. That is in our Constitution. I am not sure what those who seek a referendum on this want to change because it is very clearly set out there."},{"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 An ordinary referendum on the legislation."},{"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 If we were to join a military alliance, we would have to change this and we would need a referendum. Unless that is what the Deputies are suggesting, that is not where we are going."},{"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 No. An ordinary referendum on the legislation."},{"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) Please, Deputy."},{"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 The Minister is asking a question. I am telling her."},{"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 Second, I want to make this clear. Anybody who serves in our Defence Forces serves in a voluntary capacity in that they choose the path of the Defence Forces. They choose to serve our State and we are indebted to them for the security they provide at home but also the contribution they make overseas. Many of them choose to serve because they want to take part in peacekeeping missions. They want to support those who need our assistance. That is what we are trying to ensure by removing and changing that element of the triple lock, so we can continue to do that but on our own terms."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"Defence Forces"}]}},{"debateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_34","debateType":"question","bill":null,"showAs":"United Nations","counts":{"speechCount":23,"speakerCount":5},"parentDebateSection":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/dbsect_28","formats":{"pdf":null,"xml":null},"debateSectionId":"dbsect_28","showAs":"Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions"},"containsDebate":true,"debateSectionId":"dbsect_34","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}},{"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":"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":"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}}],"formats":{"xml":{"uri":"https:\/\/data.oireachtas.ie\/akn\/ie\/debateRecord\/dail\/2026-11-03\/debate\/mul@\/dbsect_34.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 As I have raised already and we have all discussed many times this evening, I am very concerned about the pivot away from peacekeeping by this Government. The Minister maintains that moves to abolish the triple lock are not about sidelining the UN or peacekeeping. What has the Minister's Department done to engage with the active missions around the world that she referenced multiple times tonight and which continue to enjoy that UN mandate - there are ten, I believe - so that Irish troops can participate in them?"},{"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. 103 and 148 together. As Deputies will be aware, overseas deployments by the Defence Forces can only considered on a case-by-case basis. Any proposal for participation in an international mission is assessed on the basis of military advice, the nature and requirements of the mission, capabilities that we have, international law, our policy of neutrality, the safety and welfare of personnel, and our wider foreign and security policy objectives. Any deployment abroad has to have recourse to Government to decide, on the advice of the Attorney General and with D\u00e1il approval, where that is applicable. These decisions are not taken without due consideration of the range of factors I have just set out. Some missions will be suitable for Ireland and others will not be suitable for members of the Defence Forces. That remains the case. The Department and the Defence Forces remain in regular engagement with the UN, the European Union and international partners regarding current peace support operations. When I attended various meetings - and I am sure the Minister has had some discussions as well - the options, for example, for increasing troop numbers in KFOR have been discussed by me. No request has been received, and no decision has been taken, in relation to participation in any specific additional UN or UN-mandated mission. We will always examine opportunities to contribute to international peace and security where appropriate and where we have the capability to make a meaningful contribution. The Minister for Defence and the Government need to be assured that the necessary safeguards and mitigations are in place when it comes to the safety of our personnel. Even though it is peacekeeping, peace enforcement and conflict prevention, it can be dangerous, as we know. Some have lost their lives and we need to continue to remember them. Defence Forces personnel continue to serve with pride with UNDOF in the Golan Heights, EUFOR ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina and KFOR in Kosovo. When I met the Prime Minister of Kosovo two weeks ago, the first thing he said to me was to thank the Irish soldiers and the thousands of soldiers who have contributed to peace in Kosovo over the years. I am happy to pass on those thanks from the Prime Minister of Kosovo. Ireland remains firmly committed to supporting international peace and security through multilateral engagement, including in UN-led and UN-mandated peacekeeping operations. All options can be explored by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces. Ireland has engaged with planning for the EU support mission in Lebanon. While no decision has been taken regarding participation - that requires Government approval - the mission could offer opportunities for our Defence Forces to support stability in Lebanon through training, advisory support, border security assistance and capacity-building with the Lebanese armed forces. I again emphasise to the House that Ireland will always be able to participate in UN-led and UN-mandated operations where there are UN resolutions underpinning them. The reform we are doing provides what we believe to be necessary flexibility to participate where appropriate, and where those considerations are taken into account. This is not something the Government decides on a whim. These are carefully made decisions. We could take part in missions organised by other bodies such as the European Union, the OSCE or other international organisations as is the case for neutral Austria and Switzerland. The purpose of these reforms is not to weaken our commitment to UN peacekeeping or to the UN. We are one of the most committed to the UN, and that is recognised across the system. It is to ensure we have the flexibility to contribute to peace and security in a changing world. We are, and remain, neutral. We are, and remain, committed to the principles of the UN Charter and supportive of UN peacekeeping. Our Constitution provides that we are committed. We affirm our \"devotion to the ideal of peace and friendly co-operation amongst nations founded on international justice and morality\" and \"the principle of the pacific settlement of international disputes\". We \"accept the generally recognised principles of international law\". I have just read out of the Constitution, which is the law of the land. That is what governs all of these decisions."},{"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 With respect, the Minister of State has spoken a lot about the Government not making these decisions on a whim. He has talked about the Attorney General, the analysis that goes into it and the guard-rails. That is all the triple lock is. It is another guard-rail that exists outside of the control of the Government. We talk about the other elements of the decision-making. There is the Government and the D\u00e1il, but of course the D\u00e1il is controlled by the Government when it has a majority, which it does. It is ridiculous to suggest, as the Minister of State does, that these guard-rails are just as effective or as strong. They are not. They simply are not. We asked for this mandate so we would have that guard-rail, and the Government is just chucking it away. While I hear the Minister of State's assurances about how much this Government respects and values peacekeeping, its actions tell a completely different story. The prioritisation of participation in EU battle groups, which do not have a peacekeeping function, meant that we had to pull out of the UN-backed peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, a UN mission that continues to this day. The Government's proposed plans after abolishing the triple lock are devoid of any proposals for peacekeeping or for new and expanded involvement in UN missions. Instead of supporting the UN and championing multilateralism we are seemingly following in the footsteps of other EU countries that pursue regional and non-neutral interests first and foremost."},{"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 The UN mandate is an article of faith in this House. It has been for a long time, and I have always supported that. However, it is no guarantee of success. I was in my first year of work when I watched Srebrenica unfold on television. Some 500 Dutch UN troops were totally overrun by Bosnian Serb forces and that was followed by the ethnic cleansing of 8,000 people. It was one of the worst atrocities of that entire conflict. They had a UN mandate. It did not protect them. It did not work. UNAMIR, which was a UN-mandated force, got to Rwanda in late 1993. It could not prevent the genocide that happened in 1994. By the time it got a revised mandate and the support and troops it needed it was too late. More than 400,000 Rwandans were dead."},{"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":"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 My question is about UN reform and our commitment to following through and looking to use our soft power to get the UN to reform itself."},{"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 What does reform of the triple lock do? It allows us to continue to do what we have always done, which is to service peace abroad. It allows us to undertake peacekeeping, peace enforcement and conflict prevention including in UN-led or UN-mandated operations. It allows us to participate in missions organised or led by the EU, the OSCE or other regional arrangements."},{"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 Like NATO."},{"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 It allows Ireland, and Ireland alone, to make decisions on where we deploy Irish personnel in the service of peace abroad. Any decisions on peace missions will have to be done in accordance with our Constitution, in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter, and in accordance with international law. The guard-rails that Deputy Gibney has spoken about have been abused by the permanent members of the Security Council, most recently last week by Russia. They have been abused by China with regard to the North Macedonia peace mission. The US, working with Israel, has effectively ended UNIFIL. That is what this legislation is trying to achieve. The Deputy has complained about us leaving missions, which actually demonstrates the point. These are not easy decisions for the Government. On some occasions the Government has had to tell the UN or other people that something is not suitable for our soldiers. On some occasions they may be suitable. Bringing in the Iraq war to saying we definitely would have done that-----"},{"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 That is not what I said. It was the opposite."},{"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 -----and on the other hand asking why we are not doing other UN peacekeeping missions-----"},{"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 But you could have."},{"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 Minister of State has the floor."},{"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 think shows the absurdity this debate is reaching."},{"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 think it shows the Minister of State does not understand-----"},{"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 Minister of State has the floor, Deputy. You will have an opportunity in a moment."},{"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 looking forward to Committee Stage of this legislation where we can go through it line by line and test the assertions of the Opposition, which I think are complete and utter bunkum."},{"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 First, it is not reform. It is the abolition of the triple lock. It is not reform of the triple lock. The Minister of State talks about accordance with the Constitution and international law, etc. The Minister of State mentioned the proposed new mission in Lebanon, which he will consider, and which has no peacekeeping function. When he spoke to Deputy Murphy about that new EU training mission in Lebanon, he assured us that it is just training and that any claims otherwise are scaremongering and he referred to mission creep. I draw everyone's attention to a previous EU training mission in Mali introduced in 2013, which ended up supporting not one but two military coups by the Malian army. It was suspended in 2024. If that is the track record in EU training missions I think we need to question that. The other point is that we are not saying that we would not go to the Constitution with the EU defence army. However, the Minister of State has to acknowledge the \u20ac800 billion of EU ReArm funding and the ways in which Kubilius, the EU Commissioner speaks about-----"},{"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) Thank you, Deputy. I call Deputy \u00d3 Muir\u00ed."},{"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 -----European defence union. This is not scaremongering. That is the direction of travel of the European Union."},{"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) Teachta \u00d3 Muir\u00ed has the floor."},{"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 I say again that I want to hear a strong commitment to the UN from Ireland, which I think does exist. I want to hear a strong commitment to multilateral co-operation and the development of multilateral relations, which as far as I recall we have always tried to do. We have always boxed above our weight, to use that awful clich\u00e9. We have done that. I want to hear that we accept the UN has to reform itself. It has a big job of work to do. It is hard to see how it can be delivered, but we are committed to it. Obviously, we have a commitment to the International Criminal Court, ICC. These are all important commitments from this House, the Government and the State. I want to hear that we are committed to multilateralism on all its fronts, working with international partners."},{"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, I pay tribute to four Italian military personnel who were killed last week in Bosnia taking part in Operation Althea. It is important to remember them. That is an EU mission keeping the peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Irish people have died over the years too. Ireland has one of the strongest commitments to the United Nations. That is why we have consistently been elected to the UN Security Council. We have pushed for reform of the United Nations. We are well known as advocates for reform. We work on issues of international justice all around the world. We are well known for it and we are highly respected for it. We are highly respected because we are seen as a neutral country. There is nobody outside this country saying our neutrality is going to change in any way because of this legislation. None of the member states of the United Nations that sometimes depend on us to be advocates for them have ever said that, and they are not saying that. They do not agree with what the Opposition is saying. Ireland has the strongest commitment to the UN. We have an incredibly strong commitment to multilateralism. We have strong teams of diplomats in the UN, the OSCE and all of the multilateral organisations. We have just joined the United Nations Human Rights Council. We are such an important player because we put the effort in. I pay tribute to all of our civil servants who work really hard in the multilateral bodies to which they are assigned, with the support of the Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, myself, the Taoiseach and the entire Government. They do incredible work. One is so proud when one goes to these multilateral organisations and sees our officials or diplomats with \"Ireland\" in front of them, or on occasion when \"Ireland\" has been in front of me. It is an incredibly proud moment. We are all conscious of the history we have and we will continue to work within the system that is there - the international multilateral system - but we are very much convinced of the need to reform the UN. However, in the meantime, while that veto remains, we have to be able to make our own decisions and not allow them to be made by Russian, China, the US, the UK or France."},{"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":"summary","text":"Cuireadh an D\u00e1il ar athl\u00f3 ar 10.31 p.m. go dt\u00ed 9 a.m., D\u00e9 C\u00e9adaoin, an 4 Samhain 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"summary","text":"The D\u00e1il adjourned at 10.31 p.m. until 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 4 November 2026."},{"speaker":null,"textType":"heading","text":"United Nations"}]}}]},"contextDate":"2026-11-03"}]}