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days, I spoke to the managing director of Blueacre Technology. This is a company that provides specialist components to the medical device industry. Its labour force is highly skilled as the company has invested significantly in upskilling and training its employees. As its CEO, Dr. David Gillen, pointed … weeks or for the announcement last week but tried to make changes to lessen the impact of any trade tariffs. It has been exploring other opportunities for some months, as it felt the trading relationship was about to change. It was changed forever last Friday when the company

which is guaranteed into the future in a world where few things are. There is a version of our fishing industry that can be all of those things, namely, indigenous, stable and sustainable, but this vision is not yet the reality. Instead, the reality … feel that their interests are being represented and fought for at national and EU level. We have seen the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea call on the EU to significantly reduce fishing quotas and our fishing stocks have drastically reduced. We are in a dangerous

sharing information in relation to vulnerable people. However, it did more than just acknowledge it. Some of the recommendations of the review include exploring outreach structures to ensure communication is possible with vulnerable and isolated people in the event of an emergency, where typical challenges of communication … emergency planning. The Department will continue to engage with relevant processes developed as a result of Storm Éowyn and, where appropriate, link industry with developments in State response measures, including central government and local government. The review recognises the importance of the role that An Post played during

autumn negotiation on fishing opportunities for the forthcoming year. The sustainability impact assessment highlights the potential for significant impacts on the Irish fishing industry. I am committed to working across Departments to assess what supports may be available to the seafood sector at this very difficult time … Fisheries and Oceans. I have obviously spoken to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation to explore options within the constraints of EU and national Exchequer funding and the relevant EU and national legislation, in particular taking account of constraints imposed

safeguard rural employment. Diversification and innovation are important. Government investment in research and innovation can help farmers to adopt new technologies, improve yields, explore alternative markets such as protein crops and regenerate farming practices. Alignment with EU policy is important. The EU's push for greater sustainability through … policies, including direct financial aid, incentives for land use in tillage and investment in research are crucial to sustaining and growing this vital industry. By acting now, we can secure the future of tillage farming, strengthen rural communities and contribute to Ireland's long-term food and environmental

water quality in Lough Neagh catchment areas North and South, with €33 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 … 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

priority actions. Of those priority actions, transparency in the insurance sector is a key priority, with a transparency code for the insurance industry well advanced and to be published in the coming weeks. The code will require insurers to provide simple, understandable explanations of how premiums are formed … insurance market to enhance competition. Meetings have taken place with insurers to address capacity issues. The office has established a speciality forum to explore the speciality insurance sector and examine how Ireland can be effectively positioned and promoted as a leading jurisdiction for speciality insurance business. My Department

life itself.” If we take those words and we look at why we are educating people, it is not to send them into industry or do all of those things. It is great if that is a by-product of that but students who are sitting here … learn for the love of learning, we want to enhance ourselves and our society and we want to have the time to explore and the freedom to develop thoughts, hypotheses and time to create and innovate. However, I am afraid the students I meet are not able

companies. At the very least he should be making the case to the European Commission. Another avenue that I think might be worth exploring, one closer to home, is the powers conferred on the Minister under section 10 of the Electricity Regulation Act 1999, which allows a Minister … intended to achieve a permanent rebalancing of network tariffs by shifting part of the transmission and distribution network costs away from large industrial users and onto domestic customers. It reduced costs for around 1,500 corporate energy users and was ended in 2022. Perhaps the Minister could consider

transmission capacity. That congestion means a couple of things. First, renewable projects elsewhere struggle to connect because capacity is consumed by non-flexible industrial demand. Second, ordinary consumers face higher costs as new infrastructure is built primarily to serve that demand. When data centres disconnect from the grid … participate in demand response programmes, installing on-site storage or flexibility technologies to ease strain on the grid. In addition, we need to explore the introduction of a large-user capacity levy, earmarked specifically to offset household and small business network costs. In our alternative budget, the Labour

programme for Government stated that the Government will explore new mechanisms for the creation of football academies with the FAI and the League of Ireland, so I am not going to stand here and give the Minister plaudits for doing what he has committed to doing … country before a jump to €8 million annually with the hope of creating 340 full-time and part-time jobs to kickstart an industry. If the Government makes the investment now, we could have the days like those I referenced earlier of Euro 88, Italia

against the Dutch Government as part of a set of arbitration cases demanding billions of euro for its decision to phase out gas exploration in Groningen in the Netherlands. A fossil fuel company, Klesch Group Holdings Limited, is suing the EU, Germany and Denmark for at least … Government was sued under an ISDS process because it proposed to increase the minimum wage. The Uruguayan Government was sued by the tobacco industry because it tried to put in better health warnings. This is about giving corporations the power to get massive amounts of money from states

presents numerous benefits that can positively impact individuals, organisations and society as a whole. The discussion we have today on this Bill must explore the various aspects of the issue, including the economic, social and psychological implications, as well as the challenges and considerations that come with … capable of working, if they wish, beyond the traditional retirement age. This will help to alleviate labour shortages in various sectors, especially in industries facing demographic challenges. Older workers often bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to their roles and, by allowing them to continue working, organisations

project, especially on migratory fish including trout and salmon. Businesses along the River Shannon and Lough Derg that rely on the tourism industry are worried about what this could mean for their livelihoods. I am speaking about accommodation providers, local pubs, cafés and small shops. Many of them … updated on the project's development over the years, I understand why the people impacted need certainty that all alternatives have been truly explored before we risk damaging this critical waterway. We should look, for instance, at improving storage capacity closer to where demand exists and at upgrading

shaping the education landscape, we risk marginalising disciplines not seen as commercially useful and obscuring the social or environmental harms of the same industries. Inclusion must remain a pillar of our education system. The National Youth Council of Ireland, representing 54 national voluntary youth organisations, understands this … case, though, if we continue to support the research ecosystem. This means public investment in laboratories, early career researchers and interdisciplinary exploration. Innovation does not happen in isolation. It is born where education meets immigration. I cautiously welcome the roll-out of the global talent recruitment initiative

goal of the Al strategy is to equip all our people, young and old, with the skills required to manage these potential disruptions. Exploring how Al might reshape our labour market, impact the future prospects of our young people and the skills we need to equip our workers … innovate and scale. The good news is that we have introduced bold measures in the past that have attracted cutting-edge, high-value industries to Ireland. Changes to our corporation tax system, as well as initiatives to educate our population, led to technology and pharmaceutical companies locating

misused at times - there will be a specific, stand-alone offence. The Bill will also protect a lot of those within the creative industries by ensuring that their intellectual property that has been created by their voices would also be protected. It is important that we have many … Minister of State for artificial intelligence - that we consider establishing a special committee on artificial intelligence, as I have called for before, to explore all the possibilities. I suggest we set up a programme of education on artificial intelligence for all Members of the Houses so that people

funding, frankly, and finance will not be an issue here. What is an issue is the procurement timelines, both within the European defence industry and more generally. We are working to see if we can accelerate procurement. We are doing that with the radar. That … society security approach that is required here. It is not the traditional, conventional approach to defence and security. We need to consider and explore that point more, perhaps. On the Dublin-Monaghan bombing, Deputy Boyd-Barrett is correct insofar as the summary of the Denton report was produced

Boston and I propose to send further attachés around the world to partner with institutions and bring some of that research and industrial and innovation talent home. We are also advancing partnerships in Europe, such as the European Universities alliances, and through the shared island dimension … that AI computing and high-performance computing are now supported and propelled to be the next foundation stone of our technological journey of exploration. The implications are huge and the potential is unlimited. They include drug discovery, cancer treatment, life sciences, weather modelling, climate prediction, climate mitigation, financial

need to do so. If our technology prevents us from doing that, this is a barrier. It is incumbent on the Government to explore strategies for maximising the potential of artificial intelligence to benefit businesses, the economy and society at large, as the Minister of State has said … about the damage that has been done in contracting out. The Minister of State has probably read The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies, which is about how we have contracted out so much decision-making and expertise

development compass in the coming weeks, which will consider targeted changes to the research and development tax credit to better align with industry practices, for example, in the areas of outsourcing and qualifying expenditure definitions. It will also set a pathway for development of innovation supports. Participation Exemption … exposed to external economic downturns or volatility. The foreign earnings deduction is an important incentive for employees that supports Irish firms in exploring and expanding into new export markets. I will extend the scheme for a further five years. I am also increasing the level of relief available

have committed to engaging with colleagues across Government to assess what framework of supports may be available to the seafood sector and to explore options within the constraints of both EU and national Exchequer funding and the relevant EU and national legislation, taking particular account of the constraints … also tasked with developing a framework of measures to respond to these challenges. The Food Vision seafood sector group's membership includes industry representatives and relevant Departments and State agencies. Our aim is to draw on the collective experience and expertise of industry stakeholders to identify practical supports

evolving forms of abuse, including as part of the transposition of the EU violence against women directive. Looking ahead, Ireland will continue to explore ways to strengthen victim reporting systems and raise public awareness. Of course, during our upcoming Presidency of the European Union, we will use that … girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, subjects, both in school and beyond. This not only reduces the talent available to STEM industries, it also limits the range of perspectives and innovations that are essential for social progress and economic growth. In recent years, Ireland has taken

carried out by our marine agencies towards the economic and environmental sustainability of the seafood sector. Last week’s International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, recommendations on 2026 fish stocks, particularly those of importance to Ireland, will pose a significant challenge to the Irish fishing … been caught. I want to see market access conditional on compliance with sustainability rules. The Department and Government will work with the industry to find a pathway through to longer term viability and sustainability of our coastal communities. As Minister of State with responsibility for the marine affairs

communities. As such, the Government simply has to recognise the need for a strategic and multifaceted response to challenges faced by the industry and everyone involved. We must conduct a thorough analysis of the factors contributing to the decline. Is it the geopolitical situation? Is it the cost … tourism sector to gather insights and recommendations on how to better support businesses in coping with the downturn. This may involve exploring financial aid programmes, grants and training initiatives aimed at helping businesses to adapt to the changing landscape of tourism. There must also be collaboration with