Cian O'Callaghan
Dublin Bay North · Social Democrats · Ireland
“Unification presents distinct challenges that need to be carefully planned for and managed. The analysis done by Professor Doyle shows that the cost of pensions would be unlikely to transfer to a united Ireland straight away. Following Brexit, the UK and Ireland signed a bilateral convention on social security in 2019.”
“Ireland spends less than that defending a much larger territory and has decades of underinvestment to catch up on. We need increased investment, particularly in systems and technologies, including sonar and air surveillance radar.”
“I welcome this important discussion on the topic of Irish unity and its fiscal implications. It deserves analysis and fundamentally respect for the people, who will ultimately decide the future of this island. There are real challenges in any transition to unity but there are also very significant opportunities.”
“These are highly skilled jobs with union representation and apprenticeship programmes. They are of fundamental importance to the local economy and community. They should never have been left exposed in this way.”
“The Tánaiste must surely know that these exports are feeding Putin's war machine. Does he not think it is unusual that Ireland is one of the very few European countries where our exports to Russia have increased since Russia invaded Ukraine? That has been driven by the exports of alumina that have more than doubled.”
“We know from the investigation carried out by The Irish Times and the organised crime and corruption reporting project that alumina from Ireland is ending up in Russian owned smelters in Krasnoyarsk. Krasnoyarsk is Russia's only smelter producing high purity aluminium.”
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“Níor cheart deifir a chur ar an aontú. Níor cheart moill a chur air ach an oiread. Sin é an fáth gur gá dúinn an comhrá a thosú anois. Sin é an fáth gur gá dúinn áireamh a dhéanamh ar dhaoine agus éisteacht le tuairimí difriúla. Unification should never come down to simply a question of who pays. We should be asking what kind of future we want to build. We can build a future where prosperity is shared and communities and different traditions are respected. We need to begin planning for that future now.”
“Ireland spends less than that defending a much larger territory and has decades of underinvestment to catch up on. We need increased investment, particularly in systems and technologies, including sonar and air surveillance radar. Unification may also bring additional security challenges that will need to be planned for and funded appropriately. Even with these increases, we will not replicate the British model of defence spending. These challenges should not blind us from the opportunities. Northern Ireland has underperformed economically for a century. It is the poorest region in the UK. Unification and the reintegration into the European Union present the people of the North with incredible economic opportunities. Tá sé fíor go bhfuil deis iontach againn. Tá dúshláin agus tá rioscaí ann, ach tá go leor le gnóthú.”
“Unification presents distinct challenges that need to be carefully planned for and managed. The analysis done by Professor Doyle shows that the cost of pensions would be unlikely to transfer to a united Ireland straight away. Following Brexit, the UK and Ireland signed a bilateral convention on social security in 2019. This confirmed that pension costs would be shared based on the ratio of years worked in each jurisdiction. Ireland should only take over the liabilities accrued after unity. While there should be no cliff edge, this transition must be thoroughly planned to protect pensioners. The North has also experienced decades of underinvestment. Levelling up will require sustained funding but it will also unlock future potential and prosperity. The UK allocates almost £1.6 billion in defence spending to Northern Ireland.”
“It includes €1 billion per year in extra spending for at least a decade to improve health, education, welfare and infrastructure. It includes a gradual equalisation of public sector wages, starting at €152 million per year. It includes a phased transfer of pension liabilities, rising by about €115 million per year over 40 years. When we put all of that together, the year 1 cost of unity is about €3 billion. It is certainly not an insignificant figure, but it is less than the 1% combined modified GNI of a united Ireland. More importantly, the same modelling shows that a united Ireland could break even within a number years. By year ten, depending on growth, the model suggests that unification will generate between €2.9 billion and €6.7 billion in annual surplus.”
“Any suggestion that this bill would just be transferred to a united Ireland is reductive and fails to account for the economic opportunities of unification. Professor John Doyle's research provides a much clearer picture of the potential initial costs. It shows that when we strip out the UK-specific costs, such as national debt interest, defence spending, including on nuclear weapons, and the cost of a global diplomatic service and when we properly count Northern Ireland's tax take, the real figure that would transfer to a united Ireland is about £1.5 billion or roughly €1.75 billion. That is a very different starting point. Professor Doyle and his colleagues' model then adds the costs of levelling up public services.”
“In particular, I want to mention the work done by Fintan O'Toole and Sam McBride in their book, For and Against A United Ireland. It is a very accessible format which sets out some of the complexities and the opportunities of unification. There is also very valuable work being done by the Analysing and Researching Ireland North and South, ARINS, project, led by the Royal Irish Academy and the University of Notre Dame. I also acknowledge the work done by Professor John Doyle and his colleagues in DCU and Ulster University who have provided detailed economic modelling that has made the fiscal implications tangible. For years, we have heard that Northern Ireland receives a subvention of between £10 billion and £14 billion.”
“I welcome this important discussion on the topic of Irish unity and its fiscal implications. It deserves analysis and fundamentally respect for the people, who will ultimately decide the future of this island. There are real challenges in any transition to unity but there are also very significant opportunities. The future of this island should not be reduced to a balance sheet. Fiscal implications are important and must be planned for. However, any future Border poll should focus primarily on the people of this island and the opportunity to build a shared home that works for everybody. It is essential that we begin to plan and prepare now for transition. A great deal of excellent work has already been done. I want to mention some of the academic research that has been done. The ESRI has already been mentioned.”
“The Tánaiste must surely know that these exports are feeding Putin's war machine. Does he not think it is unusual that Ireland is one of the very few European countries where our exports to Russia have increased since Russia invaded Ukraine? That has been driven by the exports of alumina that have more than doubled. Where does the Tánaiste honestly think that alumina is going? It is going into the smelter that is feeding the companies in Russia that are supplying the Russian military. The Tánaiste knows that. He has slept walked into this crisis. He has had ample time to deal with it with more than four years. Has he done anything proactive at all over the past four years or in recent months or weeks to work with the company to find alternative markets for alumina to protect the jobs at the plant?”
“There is huge concern in the region about jobs. Will the report be published? When will there be engagement with workers at the plant? Given that the Government has ruled out nationalisation, what measures are being considered to protect jobs? Is the Government seeking EU help in sourcing alterative markets for alumina that is currently being exported to Russia?”
“These are highly skilled jobs with union representation and apprenticeship programmes. They are of fundamental importance to the local economy and community. They should never have been left exposed in this way. The Tánaiste's Government had the power to step in years ago to ban the sale of alumina to Russia and help the plant to find alternative markets. This would have been much easier to do in 2022 when exports to Russia were much lower. We saw this happen in Australia as soon as Ukraine was invaded. Alternative markets were found. Exports stayed stable and are now forecast to grow. They acted decisively to protect their industry and jobs. In contrast, this Government's inaction and indecision has led to this crisis and existential threat to jobs. Hiding behind the unpublished report is not good enough.”
“We know from the investigation carried out by The Irish Times and the organised crime and corruption reporting project that alumina from Ireland is ending up in Russian owned smelters in Krasnoyarsk. Krasnoyarsk is Russia's only smelter producing high purity aluminium. This high purity aluminium is essential for the production of fighter jets and missiles. Krasnoyarsk is a major supplier to the Russian arms industry. Exports of alumina to Russia has skyrocketed since the invasion of Ukraine. We know it is being sent to a smelter that supplies the Russian war machine. The Government should not be waiting for a report to lay out what has been staring it in the face for years. Alumina from Ireland is being used to make Russian weapons. The Government's inaction is putting jobs at risk.”
“Now we know, the Government's report into Aughinish Alumina will be a classic fudge. On the one hand it will say, it cannot rule out the possibility that Irish alumina is ending up in the Russian military supply chain. On the other hand, it will fall short of making any concrete conclusions. This is despite that exports of alumina to Russia have more than doubled since the war broke out. The Tánaiste does not need a report to figure out that alumina from Auginish is ending up in Russian patents. Irish alumina exports to Russia rose from under 400,000 tonnes in 2020 to over 800,000 tonnes in 2024. The latest figures published today showed that these exports are continuing to soar.”
“A parent from Galway described what it is like, at almost 70, to look at your 30-year-old daughter, who has tried so hard to live a good life despite her multiple challenges, and yet keeps giving to those around her. The parent said that they know in their heart that this country, and especially the policymakers, have abandoned her now and will continue to do so just because she is not characterised as a valuable voter. The parent went on to say that "heartbroken" is often a term loosely used, but as elderly parents they live a life of being exhausted and heartbroken.”
“They want their loved ones established in supported living or residential care while their parents are still alive and healthy so they can visit, help them to adjust to a new routine and ensure a smooth, trauma-free transition. That is not too much to ask. I will read what was stated by one of the parents who contacted us as part of our survey. The parent, who is from Dublin, said that as an elderly parent, they are absolutely terrified about what will happen to their lovely son when they cannot care for him anymore. They do not want him put out to tender to the highest bidder like he is a job lot. He is, the parent said, a beautiful, loveable human who deserves better than this.”
“They will, sadly, die sooner rather than later because they get zero respite and never get a chance to recoup their energy. They were told that their son could be put anywhere in the country. That is the experience of parents all over the country. When parents die, an adult with an intellectual disability, their family member whom they love and care for, is left stranded. At that time, the person with the intellectual disability loses their mum or dad, their carer and advocate, their home and community, and potentially their friends too, all at the same time. It is incredibly traumatic and distressing. It is cruel. There needs to be ring-fenced funding and a clear plan. The survey that was carried out showed that caregivers are asking for a proactive, multi-year transition model.”
“There needs to be ring-fenced funding and a clear plan directed by the Government. Without that, all we are going to be doing is making piecemeal progress. I thank Deputy Quaide for his work on this motion. I thank everybody who is involved in the Before We Die campaign. I have had the privilege of meeting families and parents of adults with intellectual disabilities in my constituency. They have shared their stories and experiences. Of course, they should not have to do that. They should not be put through that to get access to what are basic human rights. One parent who contacted Newstalk earlier in the year described being in an elderly couple, struggling significantly with health issues. They were told by a very good day service that there were simply no places.”
“It is customary for a copy of the Minister's speech to be provided during Private Members' business and it is regrettable that was not done on this occasion. It is also regrettable that in a ten-minute speech, it was after eight minutes that the Minister decided to turn to the substance of the motion. Not all of it, but a lot of the contribution did not specifically address the items in the motion. That is regrettable. On the approach of putting the responsibility on local authorities, they obviously have a role to play. However, it is not clear from what the Minister has said, and families will be asking and wanting to know, what targets are being set for 2027 to 2030. Are those targets going to meet all unmet need? What is the situation on that? While local authorities have a role to play, all responsibility cannot be shifted onto them.”
“The Irish Government is leading the Council of the European Union at the moment. We are looking for more European sovereignty, for example with the digital euro, so why are these things not being considered? I am not saying they should be moved en masse overnight but surely the alternatives should be explored in terms of value for money and whether there are better options out there.”
“What I do not understand is why alternatives to Microsoft have not been at least explored as part of this process. The German state of Schleswig-Holstein recently moved 30,000 staff from Microsoft to LibreOffice, Linux, Thunderbird and Open-Xchange. It is saving more than €15 million a year. The senior Minister has just told us we should always be looking for efficiencies and reforms and I agree. Why have they not been looked for in this process? The French police, the Gendarmerie nationale, switched over 100,000 desktops to Linux. They will save roughly €500 million, half a billion, over 15 years. Are these not the efficiencies and reforms that should at least be considered by the Government? The German Federal Chancellery moved to openDesk purely to enhance its digital sovereignty.”
“They are going for alternatives in other European countries, not just so they are no longer beholden to Trump and what he does - he does not just interfere in terms of red cards but in other areas as well - but also because it is better value for money. They are achieving actual reductions in the cost. Are alternatives being looked at and if so, what alternatives? If not, why has that not been part of the process?”
“I thank the Minister of State for the answer. Have alternatives to Microsoft actually been looked at as part of the process? That is what I am asking about it. There are a number of alternatives out there that other European countries and states are moving towards. They are doing so for value-for-money reasons and so they are no longer technologically dependent on the US but can rely on European-regulated services and products. There is LibreOffice, Collabora Online, Open-Xchange, Nextcloud, Thunderbird and openDesk by Germany's Zentrum für Digitale Souveränität der Öffentlichen Verwaltung, ZenDiS, which is a readily assembled government-grade suite. Have any of these been looked at? Are alternatives being examined?”
“The Office of Government Procurement's Microsoft licensing framework expires on 13 September 2026. The estimated value range of the proposed new framework is between €750 million and €1 billion according to a reply the Minister gave me. Has his Department carried out a risk assessment in advance of publishing the tender for this new framework? I ask this at a time when other European countries are moving away from technological dependence on American companies.”
“What more evidence does the Government need before it acts? When will it act on this? When will it stop these exports? When will it take the kind of action that is needed to show that we actually do as a country stand in solidarity with Ukraine in everything we do?”
“Australia acted more than four years ago, as soon as Putin invaded Ukraine, because it did want to have anything to do with the supply of raw material to Putin's war machine. It was abundantly clear to Australia that it needed to act and it did so. More than four years later, the Government has not acted. That is despite the growing evidence staring the Government in the face. Exports of alumina from Ireland since the invasion began have at least doubled, if not tripled. According to Swedish tax authorities, the plant in Aughinish is controlled by a Russian oligarch who is a supporter and close ally of Putin. We had the independent investigation published in March showing that alumina going from Ireland was being sent to Russia to smelters where it was making aluminium that was then being used by the Russian military.”
“If the Government is scrambling around trying to find alternative markets for the company, that work is now much more difficult. The Government cannot keep beating its chest about support for Ukraine in public while, in private, it knowingly facilitates the export of alumina to Russia, which is ending up in weapons that are killing Ukrainians. I ask the Tánaiste to be specific in answering my questions. When will the Government's investigation be completed, what kind of evidence is it looking for that it does not already have and when will it stop this pretence and ban the export of alumina to Russia?”
“They did not need to conduct any investigation before they acted back in 2022. As soon as Putin invaded Ukraine, they banned all exports of alumina to Russia. They did not want to be complicit in the murder of men, women and children in Ukraine. More than four years later, exports of alumina from Ireland have at least doubled and the Government is still burying its head in the sand and refusing to do what everybody knows is needed. It needs to ban the export of alumina to Russia. These delaying tactics are not just immoral and damaging to Ireland's international reputation. They have made the risk to the almost 500 jobs at Aughinish Alumina much worse. When Putin invaded Ukraine more than four years ago, 23% of exports from the plant went to Russia. That figure has at least doubled since then, if not tripled.”
“He criticised the EU's failure to sanction companies still under the effective control of Russian oligarchs. He said: "Every tonne of raw material that ends up in Russia is used against us in this war." In March, The Irish Times published details of an extensive investigation it carried out with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project. It revealed that alumina produced in Ireland is being used by Russia to manufacture weapons that are killing Ukrainians. The Government is fully aware of this but has refused to act on the evidence. Instead, it has commissioned its own inquiry into the matter. How much evidence does the Government need? What exactly is it looking for? The foot dragging by the Government is in sharp contrast to the actions of the Australians.”
“I was waiting for both of them to stop. President Zelenskyy's visit to Ireland yesterday was cut short due to another deadly attack on Ukraine. At least 17 people were killed and more than 50 injured overnight after missiles rained down on Kyiv. As we speak, emergency workers are at a collapsed nine-storey apartment searching for survivors in rubble. This is the biggest attack on Kyiv since the war began. The mayor has declared a day of mourning tomorrow to remember those killed. This has been the reality of life in Ukraine for more than four years now - death, destruction and devastation from attacks by Russia. According to an independent investigation, some of the weapons used in those attacks are made with raw materials manufactured in Ireland. Yesterday, President Zelenskyy said as much.”
“I move: That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to Standing Order 33, and with effect from 1st July, 2026, approves the Thirteenth Report of the Standing Committee of Selection, copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 26th June, 2026.”
“Is the situation where the management of the hospital is telling consultants on the public-only contract to continue to do private work where they have a backlog and where people's tests are being delayed? People are not getting the results in a timely fashion. The lab has no longer got national accreditation because it is not meeting the targets. That is not acceptable. Does the Tánaiste agree that is not acceptable and the public-only contract needs to be adhered to now, not later in the year?”
“The question I am asking here is: what exactly is the system to monitor and ensure full implementation of the public-only contract? Clearly, there is a number of breaches around the country. They are arising one by one. What system has the Government in place to ensure this contract is being enforced? In relation to Galway, the Tánaiste seems to be okay with the situation that this breach will continue for a number of months. The contract was signed. It was put in place in 2023 and meant to be fully enforced and fully implemented by January of this year. That has not happened. The breaches are continuing. Is the Tánaiste okay with them continuing until later this year? Should the public-only contract not be enforced now?”
“Instead, we are discovering breach after breach and there is no evidence of any proactive monitoring from the Government to enforce this contract. My questions are: why has University Hospital Galway not immediately stopped this breach of the public-only contract? Is this happening in any other labs across the country? What has the Government done to check? What system has been put in place to ensure full implementation of the public-only contract?”
“Galway University Hospital lab is one of the biggest in the country and in a major cancer centre and yet it has no official accreditation. The Department of Health and HSE officials we in the Joint Committee on Health yesterday. The CEO of the HSE told my colleague, Deputy Rice, that they were completely unaware of the service level agreement between the hospitals. It is a remarkable statement from the very top of the health service. It raises serious questions about the scale of the issue and how many of these service level agreements are violating the public-only contract. These contracts were signed in 2023 and were meant to be fully enforced by January of this year. Their entire purpose was to put an end to this kind of behaviour.”
“I raised the significant and dangerous delays this is causing for public patients in the Dáil last week. A statement released by hospital management has since confirmed that there is a backlog of 3,449 samples waiting to be tested. These delays are not abstract. They involve people waiting for cancer diagnosis, people whose lives depend upon timely results, people who cannot afford to be pushed down a queue because 25% of the laboratory's workload is taken up by work from a private hospital. These consistent delays resulted in the laboratory losing accreditation from the Irish National Accreditation Board. The lab does not meet nationally set guidelines for turnaround times despite the Trojan work of its dedicated staff.”
“Last week I raised with the Tánaiste serious concerns about breaches of the public-only consultant contract in the Rotunda, Cork University Maternity Hospital and University Hospital Galway. I acknowledge the excellent work done by my colleague, Deputy Rice, exposing these systemic breaches - breaches that pose a risk for public patients. A quarter of all work carried out a Galway University Hospital lab comes from the private hospital, Bon Secours. This extra work is overwhelming the system to the point that samples are being outsourced to private labs. This is done at enormous expense to the taxpayer. Due a service level agreement between Bon Secours and University Hospital Galway, private work is being washed through the public system. The taxpayer picks up the bill.”
“Is the Tánaiste not concerned about these things, which were seriously flagged in the national risk assessment? How come they are not reflected in the action plan? Why have them in the national risk assessment but not in the action plan? How did that happen and why?”
“The other key gap is the national risk assessment identified serious issues and significant risks with regard to crypto assets, yet the action plan only has two measures on such assets and misses a whole range of risks. It misses, for example, any scrutiny of peel chains where criminals break large crypto amounts into small, tiny transfers to hide the trail. It misses any analysis of unhosted crypto wallets that are not tied to any regulated provider making transparency harder to trace, as well as any mention of the use of crypto to buy high-value goods, which is a common laundering method. It is fine to have the action plan and references to crypto but key crypto issues identified in the national risk assessment plan are missing from the action plan altogether. Why are they missing? Why are they not being addressed?”
“The resourcing of enforcement has to be looked at if the Government is going to take this area seriously. I have no reason to think it is not but if it does not put the resources into enforcement. then I can legitimately ask how serious it is about this.”
“As the Tánaiste said, there are 30 actions in the action plan but none of them address the chronic under-resourcing of enforcement. This has been flagged for years and we have a situation where billions and billions are being funnelled through Ireland. The Garda has a backlog of tens of thousands of money laundering cases waiting to be examined. The financial intelligence unit and the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau are grossly under-resourced. It is fine to have the action plan and the aspirations but we have tens of thousands of unexamined cases. It is have been flagged that the area is chronically under-resourced but nowhere in the action plan does the Government commit to putting the resources into enforcement, so it does not add up to much.”
“There is a significant issue with the amount of criminal money laundering going through Europe. There is €647 billion in crime proceeds washed through Europe every year. We have €5 trillion in domiciled investment funds hosted in Ireland. The Garda has warned of an explosion in the recruitment of money mules. What is the Government doing to address dark money? I am aware of the action plan but there are significant gaps in it I wish to highlight, including on enforcement. What is Government doing to address that?”
“The Government has options to take domestic restrictive measures that would mean the Central Bank would then have a legal basis for taking restrictive measures regarding the Israeli war bonds. Will the Minister take these? It is imperative that the Government act owing to the ongoing killing of Palestinian people in Gaza, and also in the West Bank. Will the Minister do that?”
“I support any engagement the Minister is having with the EU Commission on this. However, we have independent advice from the Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers that Ireland could indeed take action to restrict Israeli bonds. It concludes that there is a case for unilateral Irish action on this if it is framed on public policy grounds. I have given the Minister the reasons it could be framed on such grounds, and I have also cited the relevant article of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The Minister has options on this beyond EU-level engagement. It would be great if something positive came out of that, but he knows well that it may not because achieving consensus at European level is very difficult.”
“The Irish Government has made its position clear in terms of recognising the State of Palestine, the submissions to the International Court of Justice and calling for EU action. There is the ability for the Government to act and put legal restrictive measures in place on public policy grounds, and then the Central Bank would follow those. It is welcome that the Minister is engaging with the EU Commission, but who knows if anything concrete will ever actually come out of that? I am asking whether the Minister will take on board the measures called for by the Oireachtas joint committee for the Government to take action on restrictive grounds.”
“I welcome any engagement the Minister has with the EU Commission on this but there are actions the Irish Government can take. It was very clear when the Central Bank officials were before the Oireachtas finance committee about a year ago that the bank was saying it would comply if there were any domestic law or instruction on this. Indeed, in the Minister's reply he spoke about the Central Bank following its legal obligations. The key is that there are no national restrictive measures put in place by the Irish Government when it comes to this, and the Government could be doing that. Article 65.1(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union allows restrictions on grounds of public policy or public security. Clearly, there are public policy grounds here.”
“Israel is still issuing war bonds across the EU and using the money to fund the genocide. While the role of approving these bonds has been moved to Luxembourg, Ireland remains the home member state for Israeli bonds. I am asking what steps the Minister is taking to ensure the Central Bank is acting in accordance with international law regarding its role as home member state for the Israeli bonds.”
“I move amendment No. 3: In page 8, after line 34, to insert the following: “Report on NAMA managed properties 10. The Minister shall, within 6 months of the passing of this Act, lay a report before both Houses of the Oireachtas that provides a table outlining all NAMA managed properties, their value at the time of their sale, compared to their current or most recent valuation.”.”
“Whatever about at the start, as prices were recovering and as there was a change going on in the housing supply conditions and prices, at that point, at the very latest, the Government should have intervened and redirected NAMA towards not just recovery in terms of price, but also in terms of making sure one of its key aims was affordable housing. To this very day, while things are done in terms of affordable housing, if we look at our planning system and our housing system in general there is not enough of that at all directed at affordable housing. It should be one of the core aims we are trying to achieve. It should have been for NAMA and it should be something we are trying to do through the planning system and through our housing delivery system.”
“Instead, we saw land banks and in some cases housing almost completely finished and unfinished housing sold on at discount rates that was then often bought back by the State or financed by the State through long-term leases and so forth. It was a terribly bad use of money and terrible value for money. I think a report like this would help shed some light on this and on some of the impact of this failure. As I have said before, it is not the individuals working in NAMA where the failing was here. The failing here was the political direction given to it by Government.”
“Yes, but thank you for the encouragement. My amendment No. 3 is very similar to amendment No. 1 from Deputy Doherty. There is a slight difference in that I am being move generous in the timeline being afforded to the Minister to make this report. The fundamental point here is that the public has a right to know. They should get this information. I made the point on Committee Stage that, with NAMA there was a massive lost opportunity in terms of what could have been delivered in affordable housing for people. NAMA took on 60,000 individual assets, sites, land banks that should and could have been used to create affordable housing for the people of this country. That would have made a massive difference and would have meant we were not in the housing crisis that we are now.”
“Is it waiting for a drip feed of things to emerge around the country? Is it being proactive in ensuring that the taxpayer and public are getting the service that they are paying for and deserve?”