Alan Dillon
Mayo · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Landlords are generally not in a position to supervise day-to-day waste management practices within occupied properties. The Government therefore has significant concerns regarding both the practicality and effectiveness of these provisions.”
“The Government has commissioned an independent study to examine the feasibility of moving Ireland's household waste collection system from the current side-by-side competition model to a franchise-based system. That study is examining the environmental, economic, operational and consumer implications of alternative market structures.”
“If the evidence supports significant changes to the market structure, the Government will consider those recommendations carefully. If the evidence suggests improvements can be achieved through strengthened regulation, enhanced enforcement or targeted reforms within the existing framework, those options should also be considered.”
“We also want to see a well-designed waste collection system that not only delivers environmental benefits but also provides householders with the opportunity to reduce their own household waste costs through reducing residual waste, correctly segregating recyclable materials and correctly segregating organic materials.”
“We have a lack of capacity so we need to continue that, and investment certainty is really important in that regard but also to enable Ireland to meet both our national and European obligations, which are far reaching. These will all benefit from a stable and predictable policy framework.”
“Ireland requires continued investment across the waste and resource sector. We need investment in collection infrastructure, recycling capacity, material recovery technologies, organic waste treatment, digital systems and innovation. Those making long-term investments require certainty regarding Government policy.”
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“I am sure we will be in touch and I know the Deputy is a huge advocate for business, enterprise and ensuring we create the jobs to ensure people have that quality of life to live and raise a family within their locality.”
“The fact that the tourism function has moved into the enterprise Department means there is a role to expand within the agrifood and tech sector. In my county, agritech is an important sector. We have McHale Farm Machinery and Malone Farm Machinery. The west must be a focal point and have centres of excellence. It is great to hear about such positive developments such as CREW and the other sectors within Galway. It has a really strong ecosystem and that is down to the hard work with the local authorities, public representatives and key State agencies on development and investment. Indeed, I want that to continue within the new west regional enterprise plan.”
“I agree with the points and the principles the Deputy has presented. The regional enterprise plan for the west is very much a collaborative initiative and must be focused on digitalisation and decarbonisation and on ensuring that the region itself is put to the fore. We have a good story to tell about sectoral growth in ICT, agritech and medtech. It is great to hear about the large multimillion euro investment in Deputy Dolan's town of Athenry, where Dexcom created 1,000 jobs. We want to support that even further in regard to artificial intelligence. We will shortly publish the cluster programme, which will be important. There will also be a new life science strategy. AI will be central to both our indigenous and FDI investments. Following the publication of the Indecon report on the framework for the new regional enterprise plans-----”
“The REP national oversight group, or NOG, met last week, with the Minister, Deputy Burke, the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, and me co-chairing the meeting. The NOG brought together the chairs from the regional committees and other key stakeholders to discuss implementation of the REPs and related policies. We will ensure that we also develop a new policy statement in the second half of this year. In turn, that will lead to the development of the next set of regional enterprise plans.”
“This extension provides an additional year for the continued implementation of the current plans and time to consider the best approach to the development of successor plans throughout 2025. There is a clear commitment in the new programme for Government to publish and resource new regional enterprise plans. Before we develop these new plans, I am assessing our approach to date so I can set a clear framework for the future and engage all of the relevant stakeholders in each region. An independent review of the regional enterprise plan initiative is currently under way. The review began in January 2025 and the final report is due to be delivered by the end of this month. A steering group was established to oversee the review.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question. Balanced regional development remains a key Government priority. One central aim of the White Paper on Enterprise 2022-2030 is to support balanced regional economic development. My Department and its agencies contribute to this agenda in several ways, including through the nine regional enterprise plans or REPs. These are bottom-up plans developed and led by regional stakeholders, which focus on collaborative initiatives to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem in each region. As mentioned in response to a parliamentary question during Question Time on 20 February 2025, with agreement from the regional enterprise plans national oversight group at its meeting of 25 April 2024, the current REPs have been extended for one year to the end of 2025.”
“I thank the Deputy for his focus on this important area. The consultation will open shortly. We will make that announcement in due course. It will open for an eight-week period. There will be an opportunity for employers, representative bodies and Departments to make submissions. This is very much a transparent, data-driven process. It is open to all sectors. Most recently, we opened the eligible occupation list for town planners in order to deliver the infrastructure and the housing we need, and for social and home care helpers because it is really important we continue to invest in the care of older people. We also have a shortage of HGV, coach and bus drivers. The single application procedure for employment permits and the immigration permissions will be central in terms of how we have one system fit for the State.”
“The employment permit system is demand-led and designed to respond to the real labour market needs. The occupations list is reviewed periodically. The next formal review is scheduled for the summer. It will be open to all sectors. We invite many representative bodies, Departments and NGOs to make submissions. It is evidence-based. It is reviewed and overseen by an interdepartmental group on economic migration, the skills and labour market research unit and Department of Social Protection. We recently made 43 changes to the occupations list. That reflects the new critical skills required. We are making changes including in key sectors such as science, engineering and health. I will come back to the Deputy about his question on the ongoing performance of the current system which was implemented as part of an action plan.”
“This means that in times of economic expansion, eligible occupation categories may be expanded to provide for labour and skills shortages. During a period of economic contraction, eligible occupation categories can be narrowed and other restrictions applied.”
“The critical skills occupations list prioritises specific in-demand professional roles crucial to the functioning of Irish society such as healthcare and IT. Minimum annual remuneration for roles on the critical skills occupations list start at €38,000 for those with a relevant degree and €64,000 for those with relevant experience. The ineligible occupations list identifies roles for which a labour supply should be available in the Irish or EEA labour market and so are ineligible for consideration for an employment permit. All roles not on either list are eligible for general employment permits which have a minimum annual remuneration of €34,000 for most roles. The occupations lists are subject to periodic review.”
“The programme for Government outlines our commitment to addressing skills shortages and supporting economic growth through a strategic migration approach. Ireland’s general policy is to promote the sourcing of labour from within Ireland and the EEA. To fulfil this policy, Ireland operates and manages an employment permits system designed to fill critical skills and labour shortages in the short to medium term where those skills are not available within Ireland or the EEA. This targeted approach ensures that Irish enterprise has access to the talent it needs to remain productive, competitive and innovative, particularly in the context of near full employment. The employment permits system is managed on the basis of two occupations lists.”
“If he wants to send me a note in relation to them, I will be happy to take the matter up. As stated, there is a more modern and integrated system now. We are working with the Department of Justice to try to streamline matters more. There is also a single application process for visas. We have made significant progress in relation to labour shortages in many sectors. The Minister and I have made additions - most recently in April - in the context of permits for HGV drivers and vehicle repairers. We will look at the review relating to the employment permit occupations list that is scheduled for the summer. It is an important step forward. Overall, we have invested heavily in the permit system. It has shown huge benefit in trying to fill the skills shortages in certain sectors of our market.”
“We recognise the pressures faced by many in the licensed haulage sector. I assure the Deputy that the Government is responding to those concerns. We have made significant progress with the new online employment permit system. It is delivering an effective and responsive system to provide the maximum benefits of our economic migration system. Over the past three years, we have increased staff resources, streamlined internal processing and introduced the new online digital system. It is very user-friendly. General employment permits are being turned around in 19 business days, while critical skills permits are being turned around in just 12. That is significant progress. Since the new system was launched, more than 3,700 applications have been received and more than 3,100 permits have been issued.”
“Until recently, there was an operational agreement that this Department would verify the driving licences of HGV drivers before issuing an employment permit. However, following legal advice on this issue, the employment permits unit will no longer be verifying driving licences in that manner. Consequently, the unit has recommenced processing permit applications for this role and all applications which have been on hold have now been processed. The regulation of who is licensed-----”
“The role of coach and bus driver is subject to a quota of 1,500 general employment permits, with over 1,000 remaining available. Following a surge in demand for employment permits across 2021 and 2022, the Department implemented an action plan which increased resources and introduced more efficient methods of processing permit applications. The measures have resulted in significant reductions in wait times and a vastly improved user experience. As of 16 June 2025, my Department is processing general employment permit applications received and critical skills permit applications received, with approximately 2,000 applications awaiting processing. Applications for HGV drivers were temporarily placed on hold in the first half of this year due to an external delay in the licence verification process.”
“My Department is committed to delivering an efficient and responsive employment permit system which supports businesses and ensures that we are well positioned to maximise the benefits of economic migration. The system is designed to facilitate the entry of appropriately skilled non-EEA nationals to fill skills and-or labour shortages required to develop and support enterprise for the benefit of our economy. The Department has responded to labour shortages reported by the haulage sector by making the role of heavy goods vehicle, HGV, driver eligible for a general employment permit without restriction. In April 2025, the quota for HGV-bus mechanic was extended by 200 permits in direct response to identified labour shortages.”
“We need to ensure that this well-intentioned regulation does not become an ill-timed disruption to many of these exporters at a time of real uncertainty.”
“We are very much committed to a whole-of-government approach not only to public health but also to economic sustainability. The national alcohol labelling regulation, while rooted in public health objectives, must be implemented in a way that does not jeopardise Ireland's export-led recovery. Indeed, the alcohol beverage manufacturing sector employs more than 5,500 people and is a strategic contributor to our national economy. In one sense, we do not want to abandon the public health goal but we are asking for more pragmatic sequencing and economic realism in terms of its implementation. We will not apologise for standing up for Irish jobs and Irish businesses within this sector and ensuring that we maintain Ireland's global competitiveness.”
“This is not about undermining public health; it is about a sequence around policy and a way not only to protect jobs and to preserve competitiveness but also to ensure that businesses have economic resilience within their sector. The proposed legislation is very much at a time when many of these companies are struggling with uncertainty.”
“Let us be absolutely clear that the introduction of alcohol labelling is a Department of Health function. If the Deputy wants to ask this question during oral questions to the Department of Health, she is welcome to do so. Ours is the Department of enterprise, however, and I am responsible for small businesses. As a result, I have a duty to defend the interests of Irish indigenous SMEs, which are facing unprecedented global trade pressures not of their own making. The Deputy is right that the US market accounts for nearly 40% of Irish global exports of alcoholic beverages, with exports of Irish whiskey alone worth nearly €450 million. Indeed, in the context of the Deputy's question about alcohol labelling, the Minister, Deputy Burke, has written to the Minister for Health about the introduction of the new labelling requirements.”
“Through its team in Ireland and across its seven offices in the US, Enterprise Ireland is working with Irish companies and business owners and providing them with the latest in strategic market intelligence, information and resources through webinars and guidance on accessing advisory and financial supports. Enterprise Ireland has also published a trade disruption checklist. This is a practical tool for SMEs to assess their exposure to tariffs and prepare mitigation strategies.”
“It will also consider actions which can be taken in established markets where there is value to be maintained and, potentially, more value available. My Department has been preparing for tariffs and economic shocks. We are working with Enterprise Ireland, our dedicated agency that provides support to exporters. Enterprise Ireland has established a bespoke team that is engaging with exporters and supporting businesses around tariffs and mitigation measures as well as offering advice and support on diversification measures. Enterprise Ireland stands ready to support exporters through its current range of supports and is focused on assisting businesses in developing a response to trade tariffs.”
“The introduction of alcohol labelling under the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. As regards the question more broadly and measures to support businesses in response to tariffs, the Government recognises that this is a dynamic and evolving situation, which is being monitored closely by the Government. A key element of the Government's response is the forthcoming action plan on market diversification that is being developed jointly by my Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The action plan provides an opportunity now for new ambition in our approach to market diversification. The action plan will provide a whole-of-government approach to enhance Ireland's economic and trading relationships with new and emerging markets.”
“Our enterprise agencies are already active in this space. Our local enterprise offices offer tailored supports for entrepreneurs with disabilities. Enterprise Ireland has an open door mentoring programme, which provides mentoring and capability supports, while IDA Ireland connects companies with talent from under-represented groups, including those with disabilities. I hear what the Deputy is saying. We hope to continue our engagement with the office of the Minister, Deputy Foley, to get the national disability strategy published and to launch the Minister-led disability employment forum. That subgroup of the enterprise forum is key. It will provide a platform for collaboration, innovation and problem-solving with employers and promote best practice in ensuring that people with disabilities can enter the workforce.”
“The first meeting of the group is envisaged as happening later this year, following the publication of the strategy. We want to address employers' concerns, showcase best practice and promote awareness to support those with disabilities and to ensure legal obligations to them are upheld.”
“Narrowing that employment gap for people with disabilities is a Government priority. The Minister, Deputy Burke, the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, and I are very much focused on this. The forthcoming national disability strategy, which will be published in the coming months, is really important in respect of employment. That strategy is a whole-of-government framework and relates to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The finalisation and co-ordination of the strategy is being led by my colleague the Minister, Deputy Foley. I commend her work in ensuring that the voices of those with disabilities have been central to that development. My Department will lead on the employment pillar of the strategy.”
“It is my hope that these dialogue processes will enable a better understanding of the range of supports available to employers and of employers' legal obligations to provide reasonable accommodations to workers and job candidates with disabilities. The specific commitments from my Department will be set out in the strategy once it is finalised and approved by Government.”
“It will contain a number of actions from my Department, including engagement with employers and employer bodies to raise awareness and to foster positive attitudes towards the employment of people with disabilities, which the Minister, Deputy Burke, has mentioned in the House previously. After the strategy has been published, the Department will establish a new Minister-led forum that will provide a platform for a more structured consultation and engagement with employers on the employment of people with a disability. It is intended to be a subgroup of the Department's enterprise forum and will serve as a means of advancing that employment by discussing employer concerns and potential obstacles. The forum will also showcase best practice examples from both private and commercial semi-State companies.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question. It is a priority for the Government to narrow the employment gap to which the Deputy refers. Working to enable people with disabilities to pursue freely chosen employment is an important personal priority for me. The forthcoming national disability strategy will include employment as an important consideration as one of its five key pillars. The national disability strategy is intended as a whole-of-government framework for the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Ireland. It is intended to publish this strategy in the coming months.”
“That work is currently being undertaken. This Government recognises the vital role that SMEs play within local economies, towns and villages. I am sure that Deputy Healy-Rae has been a big advocate for the SMEs in Kerry. We want to ensure that we can alleviate some of the significant pressures they are under. That is the importance of ensuring that SMEs get a cash injection. We placed a particular focus on the retail, hospitality and beauty sectors because they were the most impacted. A paper commissioned by the Department detailed rising operational costs and identified that the greatest cumulative burden fell on those sectors in terms of cost changes and regulatory burdens. The Department will continue to work with local authorities to ensure that there is a speedy process put in place to deliver for those businesses who need it most.”
“I again thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. As outlined, my Department is actively working with local authorities and the LGMA to finalise the details of the appeals process. This process will allow businesses that were misclassified to have their cases reviewed and, where appropriate, be given access to the supports. This is a priority for the Department. We want to ensure that we do everything possible to commence the appeals process without delay. We need to get it right, and we are finalising matters with the local authorities. We will contact eligible businesses in that regard. Under the first phase of ICOB, over 75,000 SMEs registered and were given a flat payment. Under the second phase, 39,000 were eligible. We need to determine how many of those who were deemed ineligible were actually eligible.”
“We will inform those businesses of the necessary steps to reapply for the second phase of ICOB and the power up grant in the coming period.”
“To address this, the Government recently approved an appeals process that will give those businesses in the retail, hospitality and beauty sectors that were not eligible for ICOB and the power up grant because of the misclassification issue the opportunity to register for these grants. I emphasise that this is not a reopening of the grant scheme. This is designed solely to allow those who were originally misclassified the opportunity to register for the grants. Subject to the agreement of the local authorities, we are working extensively with many of the local enterprise offices, LEOs, and intend to open the appeals as soon as possible. Local authorities will contact eligible businesses. They are currently working through those who were misclassified and did not receive a second payment under ICOB.”
“As part of budget 2025 last October and in recognition of the continued high energy costs the Department introduced the power up grant. Under this scheme over 39,000 SMEs in the retail and hospitality sectors received a flat grant of €4,000 in the final months of the year. In total, over €158 million has been paid out through the power up grant. Taken together, the grant schemes paid out over €400 million to small and family-owned businesses right across the country in a very short period. Following the launch of the power up grant, the Department and local authorities became aware of issues where many businesses were misclassified and were subsequently not eligible for the second ICOB payment and the grant.”
“I thank Deputy Healy-Rae for raising this important issue. Last year, the Government introduced two business support schemes that were designed by my Department and administered by the local authorities. The increased cost of business, ICOB, scheme was launched in March of 2024 and was delivered in two phases. The first phase was a broad scheme that distributed over €154 million to 75,000 SMEs in all sectors of the economy in recognition of the higher costs of doing business. The second phase was targeted specifically at businesses operating in those sectors that were most impacted by increasing costs and was focused on the retail, hospitality and beauty sectors. Almost 39,000 SMEs in those sectors received their second ICOB payment. A total of €90 million was paid out in the second phase of ICOB in 2024.”
“The Department is currently working with the district heating centre of excellence in the SEAI and we want to ensure this vision is clear and that we can deliver district heating so it can become a mainstream low-carbon solution for many Irish communities.”
“I suggest Deputy Ó Murchú write formally to the Department about the specifics of the scheme he is interested in. We will certainly get a response to him. To add to Deputy Byrne's point, we are building momentum in this regard and we can see there are practical realities on the ground in many communities. He talked about the large-scale operation in south Dublin. There is also one in Blanchardstown. Fingal County Council uses waste heat from a data centre to serve public sector businesses and residential customers. There is also a strong pipeline outside Dublin. In Waterford and Galway private developers are working with local authorities to submit preliminary project scopes to the SEAI. There are also feasibility studies in Dundalk, Drogheda, Naas, Maynooth and Arklow and more towns are expressing interest.”
“The Minister is also progressing the heat network Bill, which will provide the regulatory certainty but also customer protections and licensing frameworks. What we need to do is come together on this.”
“We are currently actively working to enhance the support scheme for renewable heat to better support district systems. Included in that is ensuring we have industrial waste heat from sectors like pharmaceutical manufacturing and data centres. The SEAI, which administers the scheme, has already completed its 2024 annual review. That made clear recommendations on adapting the scheme for large-scale district heating. That includes raising the investment aid cap to reflect the current intensity of district heat infrastructure. Others were ensuring the eligibility for key components like pipework, energy centres and network connections. We are looking at working to ensure we can support these recommendations.”
“As part of this process, and in line with the infrastructure guidelines, my Department, in partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's district heating centre of excellence, is preparing a business case seeking to establish future State funding from 2026 to 2030 to support efficient district heating projects in suitable locations, usually urban areas with high heat density.”
“In line with the district heating steering group report recommendation to provide financial support for district heating, the Department and Ministers are seeking a multi-annual financial allocation for effective district heating projects over the period 2026 to 2030. Investing now in the early phase infrastructure will deliver key backbone elements for district heating networks that will decarbonise heat for larger anchor customers within the decade and can be further leveraged, through future investment, to target smaller heat loads in the medium to longer term.”
“District heating can play a key role in improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Government policy is supportive of the expansion of district heating to contribute to the diversification of fuel supply to decarbonise the heat sector. A district heating steering group was established to support the development of district heating in Ireland. The steering group report, which was approved by Government in July 2023, contains a range of recommendations setting the future policy direction for the development of the sector, including with respect to providing financial support for district heating infrastructure.”
“I would challenge the figures the Deputy outlined. In 2024 alone, Re-turn collected up to 12,000 tonnes of PET plastic, 34% of which was processed by Irish companies, and, separately, Repak funded the recycling of more than 8,300 tonnes, which represented 42% of reprocessing in Ireland. Is it enough? No, it is not. We are well aware we need to make a significant step forward. We fully recognise that Ireland's recycling infrastructure needs to grow. The Minister and I are very conscious of that. The enhanced producer responsibility schemes like Repak and Re-turn are investing in domestic capacity. We want to grow that but it is a challenge in terms of the scale. The most recent regulations by way of the single-use plastics directive and the packaging waste regulation are driving market demand for recycled materials like PET plastics.”
“We are looking to incentivise the building of the infrastructure and building the partnerships needed to ensure Ireland leads the way in regard to waste management, especially for PET and plastic bottles.”
“We are absolutely committed on this side of the House to moving to recycle more plastic in Ireland. We need to be honest about the current reality that the waste management sector, including plastic recycling, operates in a global market and that a large part of the plastic recycling collected, including under the deposit return scheme, is traded internationally, based on volume and quality and on economic viability. That is why we introduced the enhanced producer responsibility schemes such as Re-turn and Repak. In fact, Repak provides subsidies of €100 per tonne for plastic reprocessed in Ireland. We certainly recognise that we need to do more. The Government is very much focused on solutions.”
“For the first time, a separate high-quality stream of PET is now available for recycling. Together with the requirement under the single-use plastics directive for incorporating 25% of recycled plastic in PET beverage bottles from 2025, rising to 30% from 2030, the case for investing in recycling here has never been stronger. In keeping with the polluter pays principle, extended producer responsibility schemes have a key role in meeting national collection and recycling targets and supporting investment to ensure as much as possible can be recovered and recycled domestically. Repak, the extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging, and Re-turn, which operates the deposit return scheme, are both working with investors to maximise the recycling of all types of plastic packaging here in Ireland.”
“In 2022, the most recent year for which EPA statistics are available, Ireland recycled 32% of plastic packaging waste. This exceeds the current target of 22.5% but meeting the stricter targets of 50% and 55% for 2025 and 2026, respectively, will be more challenging. These figures are in respect of all plastics, including PET. The EU list of plastic waste codes does not isolate individual polymers. Given the volume and grade of materials collected through our waste collection system, plastics are mostly recycled abroad for reasons of economic viability. However, measures are under way that will help to boost recycling rates for plastics, including PET, and make recycling on the island a more attractive proposition for investors. These measures include the national deposit return scheme, as the Deputy mentioned.”
“The biomethane sustainability charter is the priority deliverable. It will chart the Government's commitment around many of the actions to which the Deputy has referred here in relation to ensuring that biomethane production in Ireland is environmentally sustainable. The charter will undergo extensive consultation with key stakeholders and will inform the guidance of the biomethane implementation group. We want to have the best practice guidelines for the sector, covering water quality, land use and ensuring biodiversity protection and health and safety standards. The charter is all about ensuring we can scale biomethane production to ensure we meet our climate commitments, that it is done in a more environmentally sustainable manner and that we strike the balance between community concerns and our ambition to meet climate targets.”
“We are working closely to align our Departments' commitments and the national planning policy that can evolve the timely and responsible development of these anaerobic digestion facilities.”
“I am conscious that the Deputy is raising a question around the streamlining of the planning process. Certainly, I fully recognise the need for correct planning guidelines. Anaerobic digesters themselves are significant infrastructure projects so we need to ensure that these developments are sustainable, sensitive to local communities and are aligned with land use and ecology considerations. We want to improve clarity and consistency on this matter and included in the biomethane strategy is a commitment to developing an online information hub and to support public understanding and planning authority awareness of anaerobic digestion technology. Planning policy is in the remit of my colleague, the Minister of State Deputy Cummins.”