Search the record

each motion separately - International Protection Bill 2026 (Second Stage) (to adjourn after 3 hours and 24 minutes) - Revised Estimates for Public Services 2026 [Votes 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17-19] (back from Committee) (without debate and to be moved together and decided by one question; any division … conclusion; and (c) members may share time; and 5. the following arrangements shall apply to the proceedings on the Motions for Revised Estimates for Public Services 2026 [Votes 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17-19]: (a) the motions shall be moved and decided together by one question which

move the following Revised Estimates: Vote 11 — Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €151,551,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December … come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2026, for Secret Service. Vote 17 — Public Appointments Service (Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €26,794,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure, Public Service Reform, Digitalisation, and Taoiseach has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimates for Public Services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2026: Votes

Select Committee on Defence and National Security has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimate for Public Services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2026: Vote

Select Committee on Defence and National Security has completed its consideration of the following Revised Estimate for Public Services for the service of the year ending on 31 December 2026: Vote

establishing a dedicated State body governance unit within the Department. Transparency regarding departmental use of funds is ensured via publication of the annual budget books, the annual Revised Estimate and the annual appropriation account, as audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Each of these bodies under … which are subject to audit and laid before both Houses. The Department and the bodies under its aegis, where relevant, appear before the public accounts committee and both Joint and Select Committees on Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport. My Department continues to advance work to improve oversight

heretofore but, second, there has to be a balance between attracting private sector investment in addition to the enormous public sector investment in housing. The Department of Finance estimates that to get to 50,000 houses a year, we need about €20 billion in the economy allocated

spent an estimated €1.2 billion on IPAS for the past year. That is an estimation for 2025. It means a large portion of that money - that €1.2 billion of the public's hard-earned money - is going to speculator cowboys throughout this country. If it puts

young people, the Quit4Youth programme offers a dedicated seven-week support pathway. Public health is only part of the story, however. Disposable vapes are also an environmental problem. In 2022 alone, an estimated 12.5 million single-use vapes were sold in Ireland. Most were simply thrown away. These … This Bill is a positive and necessary step forward. It reflects our commitment to a tobacco-free Ireland, youth well-being and responsible public health policy. I commend the Minister of State on bringing it forward and I am pleased to support

hotline and, ultimately, to prosecutions. Unquestionably, having the law in place acts as a deterrent against the sharing, recording, distribution and publication of intimate images. However, there is a lack of certainty regarding whether the 2020 Act covers the generation or creation of intimate images … photos or videos of real people and then Grok could remove their clothing, generating and posting these files to the platform for its estimated 650 million monthly active users to view and save. Some 99% of the sexualised AI images and videos produced targeted women and children. Experts

Government has set out annual sectoral allocations for 2026 to 2030, and overall Government capital expenditure ceilings to 2035, leading to a total public capital investment of €275.4 billion over the period to 2035. This includes €202.4 billion in Exchequer voted capital expenditure from … capital investment in 2025 was €16.6 billion. This will be increased to an allocation of €19.1 billion for 2026, as outlined in the Estimates published in December. It represents the highest annual spend on capital investment in this country. Capital expenditure has increased by almost €9.5 billion

supposed benefits but conveniently do not mention the high cost to upgrade our electricity network, a cost borne by Joe and Josephine Public in their electricity bills. We know that an AI search consumes between ten and 30 times the amount of energy of a normal Google search … data centres to facilitate AI is using up electricity capacity and adding to the risks around energy costs and climate targets. They estimate that these centres, to power AI, will devour 31%, or just under one third, of Ireland's electricity by 2030 and that this will affect

Target Reduction in Ireland and the Role of Work and Social Welfare", will be given due consideration when progressing this work; and — a public consultation process on how a cost of disability can best be delivered will also be launched shortly; notes that: — there is already a broad … approximately 231,000 recipients of disability income support payments and 170,000 recipients of caring payments, including the Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA), with estimated expenditure of €6.5 billion across illness, disability and carer's schemes combined in 2026; and — Budget 2026 provided for a €1.15 billion package

sold each year in Ireland. Most are not recycled. Many enter our general waste streams. Others end up in our streets and public spaces. Our litter monitoring already reflects this trend. As well as being eyesores, discarded vapes have a hugely damaging impact on our environment and wildlife … nature to completely break down. Instead, they break into tiny pieces of microplastics, which can enter our food chains. Last year, Material Focus estimated that almost five million single-use vapes were either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK. That

protect people in this country. In those two areas, the Government has been a disaster. Two years ago, I asked the Minister for public expenditure the timeframes for the delivery of flood defence schemes in the country. He did not give an answer. Government Ministers are allergic … look at a couple of those. In Midleton in 2023, during Storm Babet, 600 homes and 300 businesses were flooded. The damage was estimated at €200 million, which is incredible. People came within a hair's breadth of losing their lives in Midleton. The damage was unprecedented

aged 65 and older was likely to reduce the burden of flu. However, whether such a switch would represent a good use of public money would depend on the price of enhanced vaccines when compared with the standard flu vaccine. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control … older people met the criteria set out in the HTA for net monetary benefit compared with the standard flu vaccine. The HIQA HTA estimates that procurement of the enhanced influenza vaccines would cost between €4 million and €19 million per year. However, the actual costs remain commercially confidential

with energy, even if they are only metres apart, without going through the ESB or Eir. That need to change. I welcome the publication by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, of the heads of the private wires Bill. That legislation really needs to progress. It will reduce congestion … costs down for ordinary people, we must be honest about what is required. Germany has 1.5 million balcony solar systems installed, with some estimates putting the number even higher. The model is simply: allow plug-in systems, finance them through savings in affordable housing and privatise them

sectors. These include business and professional services, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery, medical devices and advanced manufacturing. The agreement would also improve access to Mercosur public procurement markets, offering Irish companies new opportunities to compete for major contracts in rapidly developing economies. There are also potential benefits for parts … June 2021, found that the agreement could have broadly positive impacts for Ireland overall. Taking into account direct and indirect effects, the assessment estimated that Ireland's global goods exports could increase by approximately 0.24% or €1.1 billion. It is also important to consider what this could mean

about improving the service. Deputy John McGuinness raised the funding model. Based on the regulatory impact that was done, it was estimated that the cost would be €1.1 million over the first three years for HIQA to be able to bring in the legislation and the process itself … important that Members are aware that the legislation is to regulate home care providers, regardless of whether they are in the public, private or voluntary sector. That is going to bring about an increase in the quality, safety and consistency of service delivered throughout the length and breadth

independent economic and sustainability impact assessment, ESIA, which both my Department and Teagasc fed into. The ESIA, which was published in July 2021, estimated that beef imports from the Mercosur countries into the EU would increase by approximately 53,000 tonnes. The study noted that, assuming the additional … value of Irish beef output of between €44 million and €55 million based on export figures available at the time of publication. On sanitary and phytosanitary, SPS, standards, the study notes that the implementation of the agreement does not in any way lower EU standards regarding market access

look forward because new trends and products will continue to come on the market. We cannot be left trying to catch up again. Public policy must be balanced. Vaping should not be made as expensive or penalised as much as smoking. Nor should it be made more attractive … such as lead and mercury and flammable lithium-ion batteries. They pollute waterways, hurt wildlife and harm people. In Ireland in 2022, an estimated 12.5 million disposable vapes were sold. With use on the rise, we must ask where these devices are. They are being binned, thrown

they support this. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, told the Dáil last year that she fully agreed that algorithms need to be switched off. Public opinion definitely strongly supports this. An Ireland Thinks opinion poll last September found that 68% of people want these toxic algorithms turned … that Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg can make. For girls, they recommend content promoting self-harm, suicide and eating disorders. Research in 2022 estimated that Meta makes over a quarter of a billion euro a year from pro-eating disorder accounts and related advertising on Instagram, most

terms of infrastructure. Of course, we need to provide people with alternatives to our road network, such as better and improved public transport and of course continued investment in our active travel routes across the country. We also need to invest in our road network. We need … will be transformative and make huge difference but we need to speed up the delivery of this project. It has been estimated it could take up to ten years for this to be constructed and become operational, which is far too long. A final preferred route

infrastructure. Our housing system is in crisis. We do not have a motorway between the second and third largest cities in the State. Public transport is inadequate and our electric grid is so inadequate that we are losing potential investment. Trade wars are bad for everyone but nothing … situation facing deprivation and hunger. There was potentially one of the largest slaughters we have seen in this century in El Fasher. Some estimates are suggesting that maybe as many as 100,000 were killed. It is certainly in the tens of thousands. This is a kind

administrative burden in the funding provided to these organisations, through the tendering process. My last point relates to HIQA. In 2024, HIQA estimated that it would cost €1.1 million per annum to introduce licensing. In the first instance, we must get a commitment from the Minister of State … with greater powers to cancel the licence of a provider if wrongdoing is found. A much clearer message must be sent to the public that much swifter and more comprehensive action will be taken by HIQA if there are concerns. Right now, there is a belief among

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth given the publication of the revised estimates volume in December 2025, if she can provide detail on how and where planned youth service infrastructural development will be included; the reason there is no reference to youth service

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth given the publication of the revised estimated volume in December 2025, if she can outline the Departmental funding allocation for youth affairs for 2026; if she can provide a breakdown of this funding in terms of existing

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth given the publication of the revised estimated volume in December 2025, if she can provide a breakdown on how the figures for the number of children and young people to benefit from engagement in a youth service

Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education and Youth given the publication of the revised estimated volume in December 2025, if she can provide detail of where the allocation for the EU Presidency is coming from and for what it will be used for within

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport the estimated total fare revenue nationally if public transport fares are to increase by 10%, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1642/26

Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport the estimated total fare revenue nationally if public transport fares are to increase by 20%, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1643/26

Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the estimated cost to his Department and to each agency for which it is responsible arising from Ireland’s Presidency of the European Council; the line items or events for which a cost

Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance the number of public houses in Ireland in December 2024; the estimated amount of alcoholic beverages sold, by category, by pubs in 2024; the total amount of VAT collected from pubs in 2024; and the total number

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the date on which a Supplementary Estimate or Supplementary Estimates were sought in respect of his Department’s Vote for each of the past ten years, and to the date

water taxis from Dublin Port along the River Liffey to Chapelizod as a means of public transport, similar to TFL operated river boats in London; if so, the estimated cost of establishing such a service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5909/26

Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the value of expenditure originally allocated in the Estimates to specific programmes or staffing measures that could not be spent as planned within the year for each of the past five years

Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Health the estimated full year costs to recruit three additional WTE epidemiologists, and three additional principal epidemiologists to work in the public health services. [5747/26

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to expedite the Tralee flood relief scheme in County Kerry; when works will commence; the estimated timeframe for the proposed works to be completed; the estimated cost of the scheme

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to expedite the Kenmare flood relief scheme in County Kerry; when works will commence; the estimated timeframe for the proposed works to be completed; the estimated cost of the scheme

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to expedite the Clieveragh flood relief scheme in County Kerry; when works will commence; the estimated timeframe for the proposed works to be completed; the estimated cost of the scheme

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to expedite the Abbeydorney flood relief scheme in County Kerry; when works will commence; the estimated timeframe for the proposed works to be completed; the estimated cost of the scheme

Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will expedite the Thomastown flood relief scheme in County Kerry; when works will commence; the estimated timeframe for the proposed works to be completed; the estimated cost of the scheme

Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation if he will expedite the Graiguenamanagh flood relief scheme in County Kilkenny; when works will commence; the estimated timeframe for the proposed works to be completed; the estimated cost of the scheme

Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to expedite the Cromane flood relief scheme in County Kerry; if the proposed works will commence prior to the summer season; the estimated timeframe for the proposed works to be completed; the estimated