Cormac Devlin
Dún Laoghaire · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“That brings me to the fiscal implications. Members will have noticed that the estimates vary enormously. In 2025, researchers at Dublin City University and Ulster University published the first peer-reviewed study of the cost of unity over its first ten years. They put the cost in year one at approximately €3 billion.”
“There are also gaps that we can start closing now through greater co-operation and engagement. Second, we should build prosperity in the meantime. The Government has announced €377 million in new shared island investment across 12 cross-Border projects.”
“It benefits communities North and South today, irrespective of the constitutional future people choose tomorrow. It is important that we recognise the success of that co-operation today. The third point is that we must keep asking the right questions.”
“I welcome the debate and the contributions from all Members of the House, as well as the varying views. As Cathaoirleach of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, I believe this is exactly the type of debate and discussion that we should be having in this House.”
“The studies make different assumptions about pensions and the UK national debt, and very different assumptions about how quickly the Northern economy could grow and converge with our own. That is the honest position. The true scale of the cost is yet unknown. Anyone who claims certainty on the figure is not being straight with anybody.”
“We should certainly do what we can now, and I am suggesting three things. First, we should build an evidence base. Much reference has been made today to the shared island unit in the Department of the Taoiseach, which has published extensive research on two economies, two labour markets, education, health and other areas.”
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“It is important that we try to link in as much as possible on a regional basis the benefit of those local tourism strategies. I ask that we keep backing the tourism sector, implement the night-time economy reforms, hold the line against unnecessary red tape and deliver practical supports for tourism businesses in budget 2027.”
“That support must now be matched with practical measures in budget 2027, including targeted help with energy, employer and insurance costs, and marketing investment through Tourism Ireland on an all-island basis to win back European visitors. I mention Tourism Ireland and investing on an all-island basis as I am the Chair of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The investment by the shared island fund in the likes of the Ulster Canal and the Narrow Water bridge project is going to bring huge investment and opportunities to that whole region, which is very welcome. However, at times the local councils' tourism strategies jar or do not necessarily link in with the overall national picture. I am sure this is a frustration to the Minister as well as to local officials.”
“The night-time economy task force reported back in 2021. Towns like Dún Laoghaire would benefit directly. A visitor who stays overnight spends twice as much. I ask the Minister and his officials to set out a clear timeframe for implementing those reforms in full, including the modernisation of our licensing laws. That straddles not only the Minister's Department but the Department of justice as well. As for the third, in budget 2026 the Government listened to the tourism sector. In the most recent budget the reduction in hospitality VAT to 9%, which the Minister referred to, was a significant, welcome and necessary intervention.”
“The People's Park at weekends has a market. There is the Dalkey Castle and Heritage Centre, and Killiney Hill. All are great and fantastic amenities. Then there are the businesses that anchor the town. There is the Royal Marine Hotel, which has stood over the harbour since 1828. Teddy's ice-cream is known to generations of Dubliners. The Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel overlooks Dublin Bay. Our wonderful pubs, restaurants and cafés, with their fantastic employees, make every visit to Dún Laoghaire very special. What do the businesses need from the Government? There are three things, in my view. The first is support without over-regulation. There are small businesses but every new form, levy and inspection regime lands on the same kitchen table. Yes to sensible regulation but no to micro-regulation. The second is the night-time economy.”
“More than four in ten of those passengers spent time in the town itself. That is footfall through our local shops, cafés and restaurants from April right through to September. The town has invested in itself. The DLR Lexicon, for example, is now the most visited public library in Ireland, welcoming around 1,300 people a day. The restored Dún Laoghaire baths facility has been brought back to life and has brought life to the seafront as well. Our visitors' offering is real and distinctive, with the east pier, the Forty Foot and the James Joyce Tower. Interestingly, next week is Bloomsday and I commend entrepreneurs like Peter Caviston and volunteers like Margaret Brown on all the work they have done keeping that event going over the decades. We also have the National Maritime Museum of Ireland in the Mariners' Church.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate on tourism. Tourism is worth almost €9 billion a year to our national economy. It supports jobs in every county, town and community across this country. Last year, almost 6.5 million visitors from overseas came to Ireland, spending an estimated €5.5 billion. We should, however, be honest about the trend. Visitor numbers in 2025 were down 3% and spend was down 9%. Cost is a factor and access is a factor. We cannot take this sector for granted. In my constituency of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, tourism generates an estimated €126 million a year, according to the council's tourism strategy. It supports more than 3,000 jobs locally. At the centre of it is Dún Laoghaire Harbour, a great regional amenity. Last year, more than 80 cruise ships called to the harbour.”
“This funding would be far better invested in housing, upgrading public transport services or EV-charging infrastructure, which is critical to support the shift to green energy. I look forward to engaging with the Minister over the coming months ahead of budget 2027 to ensure it reflects priorities and supports hard-pressed households and indeed businesses.”
“Given the increase in the population in my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, the Government must increase investment in local infrastructure that provides for critical services, such as the construction of a new Garda station in Cherrywood and a primary healthcare centre in Loughlinstown. Value for money is important and I call on the Minister to examine some of the disruptive road interventions being planned across Dublin to ensure they deliver a real public benefit. Removing bus lanes, turning lanes, roundabouts or sliplanes along the N11 in particular, which was recently refurbished at a very significant cost, do not strike me as good use of public funds, particularly at this time.”
“It has not been increased since the euro was introduced quite some time ago. I support calls for a more general overhaul of the inheritance tax system to give everyone a lifetime allowance which would be far more equitable. In the limited time available, however, it is not possible to cover everything I would like to raise. I have highlighted a range of measures via parliamentary questions but I would like to see supports increase for schemes such as the cycle to work programme and to expand them to the self-employed. I would also like to see increased investment in capital projects, particularly in public transport. We badly need more buses, trains and Luas lines, and especially the expansion of the Luas line to Bray.”
“Turning to budget 2027, I call on the Minister to ensure working families and individuals are supported in the budget with a decent tax package. I was disappointed income tax bands were not adjusted last year. This had a negative impact on workers and must be rectified in this year’s upcoming budget. Further progress must also be made on the USC. Equally, given inflation, we need to see a decent package for social protection with particular emphasis on fuel allowance. A general energy credit should also be examined if energy prices remain high as we enter the winter. More generally, I echo calls for adjustments to capital taxation rates and bands. I hope the Minister will consider the call I made last year to increase the small gift exemption from €3,000 per year.”
“It protects households heating their homes with kerosene, natural gas and solid fuels and is targeted relief at the moment people need it most. I also acknowledge the supports provided for the transport sector. The diesel rebate scheme has been increased from 7.5 cent to 12 cent per litre and backdated to January. There is new road transporters support scheme worth €40 million a month. There is also €100 million scheme for farmers, contractors and fishers. Our hauliers, coach operators and farmers keep this country moving. They deserve that backing. The situation in the Middle East seems to shift on an almost hourly basis. We all hope that a durable ceasefire can be achieved that gives way to permanent peace in the region. However, it is clear the energy shock caused by the conflict will continue in the short term.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Finance Bill 2026, which gives effect to the cost-of-living package introduced by the Government earlier this year. These supports include 32 cent off a litre of diesel, 27 cent off a litre of petrol and other measures which are not small adjustments. They are part of a significant €750 million package to support families and businesses as we deal with the energy shock caused by the continuing conflict in the Middle East. The Government’s €750 million intervention was a serious response to the situation and one of the most significant across the EU. The Government also deferred the carbon tax increase that was due on 1 May. That deferral runs until 14 October and may need to be extended if energy prices remain elevated.”
“The educators at Dublin College and those in Blackrock, Sallynoggin and, of course, Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology, IADT, which the Minister visited recently, are up to that challenge. Speaking of recent visits, the Minister also visited the community training college on York Road in Dún Laoghaire, where educators such as Ms Catherine Bell and her colleagues do fantastic work upskilling students and preparing them for their next stage of life in the exciting decade ahead. I thank the Minister for his commitment to his role and for the visits he has made across the Dún Laoghaire area.”
“This shows that the system is working, but, of course, there is more to be done. Further investment will expand the number of places and ensure that they are relevant in the context of a changing Ireland. The next big challenge is AI and the impact it is going to have on society and the labour market. AI will not replace skilled workers but it will reshape every job they do. As a result, we must prepare young people not only to use AI but also to develop it, interrogate it and think critically alongside it. Foundational digital literacy, AI literacy and critical analytical skills must be embedded as the core of every further and higher education programme, not merely bolted on. I welcome t he establishment of AI Ready and the advent of the Springboard+ AI places. The harder task will be reforming the curriculum right across the system.”
“Skills, training and innovation are the foundation of Ireland's competitiveness and of every young person's opportunity in life. The investment of €1.5 billion in the National Training Fund, including €37 million to SOLAS for construction, manufacturing, healthcare and the green transition, is the single most consequential reskilling investment of this Government. Apprenticeship registrations in construction and related fields have grown by 57% since 2020. I see this on the ground in my constituency, in Dublin College, Loughlinstown, where craft apprentices from across south County Dublin and beyond do their phase 2 training. I raised in the House previously the phase 2 backlogs that existed post-Covid, and it is great to see progress in that area, with the numbers down from 5,300 in October 2023 to 1,800 or thereabouts today.”
“It would relieve pressure on a road network that is at breaking point and capacity on the green line needs to increase. Yet, the most recent projections push delivery of the expansion of the green line into the 2031-36 window and that is simply not good enough. The people of north Wicklow and the area south of Dún Laoghaire have been waiting too long. The DART+ Coastal South to Wicklow, the Luas Finglas extension and the planned extension of the green line to Bray must all be advanced with urgency. We need the same focus and the same statutory drive on rail, including heavy rail, that this Bill provides for BusConnects. I support this Bill. I ask the Minister to bring forward, as soon as possible, a clear delivery timetable for the Luas extension to Bray and a published plan to address the ghost bus problem on the Dublin bus network.”
“The underlying causes, that is, driver and mechanic shortages and the congestion that delays buses across the city, must be addressed. The NTA’s contracts with operators must be tightened. Reliability must come before expansion. We also need increased frequency on Sundays, which I have raised on previous occasions in the House, and integrated ticketing. Third, there must be far greater urgency on rail and on Luas. The greater Dublin area transport strategy provides for the extension of the Luas green line from Bride’s Glen to Bray. That extension was identified as a priority more than a decade ago. The Bray Luas would serve Cherrywood, Old Connaught, Fassaroe and Bray DART station and it would transform travel along the N11 corridor.”
“Second, on bus reliability, while looking to expand the network we must not lose sight of reliability on existing routes. The so-called ghost bus problem in Dublin, in particular, is one I have raised on multiple occasions in the House. It impedes and undermines public confidence in public transport as buses disappear. Passengers see them on the app and screen and then they simply disappear. In recent months, cancellation rates on some routes have reached 8%. Fines for PSOs are one thing, but the public simply require dependability. To be fair, the ghost bus phenomenon originated under a previous Minister and this Minister has said that is unacceptable, and I agree. The new Trapeze automatic vehicle location system is being rolled out, and that is welcome.”
“I want to use my time to make three points about that. First, on balance, the NTA must prioritise sensible solutions. Public transport investment is welcome. Road safety investment is welcome and necessary. However, schemes must be designed in a way that does not create excessive congestion, does not push traffic onto residential streets and does not undermine access for older residents, people with disabilities or local businesses. In my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, communities have raised legitimate concerns about the design of specific schemes. Those concerns deserve to be heard. The NTA delivers better outcomes when it engages early, listens properly and adjusts where the evidence supports it. The same goes for local authorities.”
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. It is a short and technical, but necessary, Bill. The purpose is straightforward, namely, to extend the powers the NTA exercises in the greater Dublin area to cities such as Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. It enables the NTA to deliver the infrastructural elements of BusConnects Cork and removes the statutory gap that has held up a major project for far too long. I thank the Minister and his officials for bringing the Bill forward. We are committed to the development of a strong, modern and integrated public transport system across the State. The programme for Government commits to expanding bus services in our cities and the Bill is part of delivering on that commitment. Expanding the NTA’s power is one thing; how those powers are used is another.”
“Thirteen new tourism projects were approved under the shared island coast to coast capital investment scheme worth €2.7 million. In sport, about which I have spoken to the Taoiseach previously, there is €1.9 million in funding under the shared island civic society fund. The sport element is so important to communities, reconciliation and a greater understanding across the island. It is something that we should be looking to fund further. Hopefully, in the Taoiseach's response, he might outline how best it can be done under the shared island funding.”
“Funding for the shared island initiative - an initiative brought in by the Taoiseach in 2020 - increased by €1 billion in the last budget, which is very welcome. It has supported a wide range of projects, cultural and community groups and infrastructural projects, which the Taoiseach outlined his reply. As Chair of the Good Friday Agreement committee, I have seen first hand the benefit and improvements it has made and, indeed, the popularity of the funding itself. Some €100 million of the shared island fund is for a new multi-annual programmes that deepen co-operation and connections across the island. The Taoiseach mentioned sustainable tourism, nature restoration, the important Dublin-Derry airlink service and the shared island media fund.”
“The aside I am asking the Minister to consider is the third leg of that stool. To return to the Bill before us, this is good legislation. It is carefully drafted. It has been developed in consultation with the families who lived through events it addresses, with civil society and with the Data Protection Commissioner. It places child welfare where it belongs, in the public law arena, not in the private negotiations of grieving families. It honours Valerie French. It honours every child who has been left in legal limbo while the State worked out what to do. That is welcome in this legislation, and I am pleased to support it.”
“The answer for them is support, not sanction, but that is why this conversation cannot be separated from continued investment versus intervention. I welcome the record €43 million allocation for youth justice services in budget 2026, which is a 22% increase on the previous year. I welcome the achievement of full nationwide coverage of youth diversion projects, with 94 in operation. I also welcome the continued funding of the Greentown programme, which targets children subject to coercive control by criminal gangs. These are the right investments. They must continue and they must reach communities such as those in Dún Laoghaire and across the country. However, intervention works best when responsibility is shared by the State, the community and the guardians of the children concerned.”
“Will the Minister to examine, as part of the ongoing implementation of the Youth Justice Strategy 2021–2027, what further measures can be brought forward to hold guardians meaningfully responsible for their children who continue to engage in serious antisocial and criminal behaviour? Section 111 of the Children Act 2001 provides for a parental supervision order where the court is satisfied that a wilful failure of a parent to control the child contributed to the child’s offending. The principle is on the Statute Book. The question is whether it is being used, whether it is being resourced and whether it can be strengthened. The vast majority of parents of children in difficulty are doing their best in circumstances none of us would want to face.”
“The Bill addresses the most extreme end of the spectrum, where the duty has been violated in the gravest way imaginable, but the principle that guardianship carries responsibilities as well as rights is one this House should be willing to examine across the spectrum, not only at the extremes. There is a real concern in communities across the country, including in my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, about a small but persistent cohort of young people who are engaged in serious antisocial and criminal behaviour. We all know the pattern. It is the same names, the same addresses and the same incidents. In too many of these cases, the guardians of those children have effectively disengaged from any role in steering their behaviour.”
“Tusla is the body with the expertise, the statutory remit and the institutional memory to make these applications properly. The data-sharing provisions in section 12H, developed in consultation with the Data Protection Commission, will allow it to do that work on a sound legal footing. I welcome too the retrospective application provided for in section 12I. There are families already living with the consequences of these convictions. They should not be excluded from this protection because their cases predate commencement. Taking a step back for a moment, guardianship is defined by the Courts Service as the rights and duties of parents in respect of the upbringing of their children. Rights and duties are the two halves of the same legal status.”
“First, the best interests of the child are the paramount consideration, and rightly so. Section 12C and Section 12D both require the court to weigh both the failure of duty and the welfare of the child before any order is made. The court can restrict a guardian’s powers or remove the guardian entirely. It can impose conditions, which can be reviewed over time. Second, the voice of the child is heard. Section 12F provides for the appointment of a guardian ad litem in line with the Child Care Act 2022. The child is not a footnote in proceedings about their own future; he or she is a party to them. Third, Tusla is placed at the centre. Section 12C requires the agency to apply to the District Court within six months of a conviction where there is reasonable cause to believe parental duty has failed. This is appropriate.”
“Valerie's brother David, whose advocacy has carried this issue through years when it could easily have slipped down the agenda, has spoken with dignity and persistence. The State owes him a debt of gratitude and we remember Valerie and her loved ones today. Fianna Fáil supports this Bill. The principle at its heart is straightforward. A person convicted of killing the other parent of their child should not automatically retain guardianship rights over that child. A person convicted of a serious offence causing serious harm against the other parent should not by default continue to hold those rights either. Until now, the law has been almost silent on this. Families have been left to navigate it themselves. That is not acceptable and this Bill ends that practice. The legislation is built on three sound foundations.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. While it is a short Bill, it is a very significant one. I thank the Minister and his officials for bringing it forward. It delivers on a clear programme for Government commitment. It implements a key recommendation of the independent Study on Familicide and Domestic and Family Violence Death Reviews. It does so under a name, Valerie's Law, in honour of Valerie French, killed in June 2019 by her husband, James Kilroy. I welcome David French and the wider French family to the Gallery and I offer my deep condolences to them. I commend them on their commitment, courage and persistence in relation to this legislative change.”
“NAMA is ending the way it should: quietly, in profit and on time. That is unusual for any State intervention and it deserves to be acknowledged. I want to express my thanks to the majority of the hard-working staff and management that delivered this result for Ireland. We need to ensure the lessons learned are remembered and that a NAMA-type bad bank is never required or needed again.”
“The clarity of NAMA's statutory mandate and the way it was implemented made a major contribution to minimising the cost of the crisis. That is a lesson worth carrying into every State body we establish from hereon in. On the Bill itself, the provisions are sensible. The full repeal of the NAMA Act 2009, and the insertion of a new Part 6A into the National Treasury Management Agency Act 2014, gives NAMA a clean, consolidated statutory framework to bring the residual matters to completion. The scale is small. NAMA officials told the joint committee on finance last month that the resolution unit will begin with assets of less than €30 million, manage roughly eight outstanding litigation cases, and operate with eight staff for an estimated two years. That is the right scale for the job.”
“I want to flag three. First, light-touch regulation does not work. The Central Bank has powers and independence today that it did not have in 2007. That must be protected, not eroded, and this should be remembered the next time the industry argues that rules are too tight. Second, concentration risk in our banking system remains real. The exit of Ulster Bank and KBC reduces competition further. I have highlighted this point in the House many times previously. I also note what Deputy Nash has just said in terms of PTSB and the recent developments there. The Department of Finance and the Central Bank must keep a careful eye on this particular aspect. Third, when the State takes on a complex tasks, clear statutory objectives matter. Professor FitzGerald again was very clear on this.”
“The regeneration of the Dublin docklands for example, a strategic development zone that was a wasteland a decade ago and is now one of the most successful urban quarters in Europe, would not have happened without NAMA. However, we should not allow the orderly end of the agency to become a story that flatters us into forgetting how we got here in the first place. NAMA existed because this country experienced a catastrophic failure of banking, regulation and political oversight in the years before 2008. Hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost. A generation emigrated and the €5.6 billion surplus is a fraction of what the wider banking collapse cost the public. NAMA succeeded in the task it was given but the task should never have been necessary. The question for this House, as we close out NAMA, is whether the lessons have been learned.”
“That is the legacy of the former Minister, Brian Lenihan. It worked in the end and it did more than balance the books. Of course, it did not get everything right. NAMA facilitated the delivery of over 44,500 new homes, though. It delivered nearly 3,000 social housing units directly. It transferred the National Asset Residential Property Service, NARPS, social housing portfolio and two major development sites with capacity for around 4,000 additional homes to the Land Development Agency last year, keeping those State assets in public ownership, which is important. In my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, NAMA-secured sites at Cherrywood and elsewhere played a real part in the housing that has been delivered in recent years.”
“It involved over 800 debtor connections and 60,000 properties spread across multiple jurisdictions. Those are not ordinary numbers. They are the numbers of Ireland’s exposure to the international financial crisis and the result deserves to be noted. NAMA fully repaid the €32 billion in debt it issued to acquire those loans. It was self-financing throughout its lifetime. It has returned a lifetime surplus of €5.6 billion to the Exchequer. Not one cent of taxpayers' money was lost in the operation of the agency itself. Professor John FitzGerald in his independent review last year described that surplus as appropriate and reasonable. He concluded that NAMA was "broadly successful". International studies place it among the best examples of a State-backed asset management vehicle anywhere in the world.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Second Stage debate on the National Treasury Management Agency (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. This is, in effect, the Bill that closes the book on NAMA. It dissolves the agency, concludes the special liquidation of IBRC and transfers the small amount of residual activity to a new resolution unit within the NTMA. It is a technical Bill but it deserves a serious debate because behind it sits one of the most consequential interventions in the history of the State. NAMA was established in 2009 in the worst economic circumstances the State faced since the 1980s. It acquired 11,500 loans from five Irish banks. The par value of that loan book was €74 billion. The acquisition value was €31.8 billion.”
“I raise again the status of the long-promised primary care centre for Loughlinstown on the existing health centre site. The HSE confirmed last year that the operational lease process for the new Loughlinstown primary centre, along with full planning, collapsed when the preferred operator withdrew for viability reasons. The HSE advised that it was carrying out a service-led review before deciding on the next steps. However, the process seems to be stalled as there has been no consultation with public representatives. This is an area with one of the oldest populations in Dún Laoghaire. These are precisely the communities that most depend on an accessible, local primary care centre. Will the Taoiseach provide an update and will he ask the HSE to urgently engage with the local representatives?”
“Traditional sampling takes between 24 to 48 hours as many sea swimmers would know but UrbanDip is trying to close the information gap and is one of only three pilot sites across Europe. When I welcomed the reopening of the baths in this House in 2022, I called for such real-time information for swimmers so UrbanDip is exactly the kind of innovation we need and I commend the council and DCU on getting it off the ground. Nature is not a problem to be managed. It is a system to which we belong. National Biodiversity Week is a reminder of that and the work happening in Dún Laoghaire is a reminder that responsibility is local as much as it is national.”
“Dublin Bay is a UNESCO biosphere - the only biosphere reserve in the world that contains a national capital city. Through the Dublin Bay biosphere conservation and research strategy, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council are working as one to protect the bays' salt marshes, the dune systems, Brent geese and the harbour porpoises and terns. Last week, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council launched a new project at Dún Laoghaire Baths called UrbanDip, which is a partnership with DCU that is fully funded by the European Regional Development Fund. UrbanDip combines low sensors with an AI model that forecasts bathing water quality in near real time.”
“The tern project on Dalkey Island also helped protect breeding sea birds on one of the most important coast line sites in our constituency. The eco grazing project at Fern Hill is restoring a working wildflower meadow through which local children walk every weekend. Beekeepers are doing great work to support pollinating across the county and indeed the country. In Cherrywood, an orchid-rich grassland was translocated ahead of the development in that area and is now flowering again with over 200 stems of orchid recorded since then. Booterstown Marsh in my constituency continues to be studied and the county's invasive alien species action plan is treating giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed and the American skunk cabbage on roadsides and in our parklands. Our coast is also home to something that belongs to the whole country.”
“A total of 90% of Ireland's protected habitats are in unfavourable status while 51% are deteriorating. The Minister of State was right to say we cannot lose hope because where we act, we see results such as peatlands recovering, the otter and pinemartin thriving and hay meadows expanding through the all-Ireland pollinator plan but the gap between what nature needs and what nature is getting remains very wide and closing that gap is the test for all of us. In my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, that work is happening close to home. The council's second county biodiversity action plan is being delivered in partnership with BirdWatch Ireland, Coastwatch Ireland and others. As chair of the strategic policy committee many moons ago, I brought in the county's first pollinating plan so this is a very welcome new plan by the council.”
“In budget 2026, the Minister of State secured a 20% increase in funding for the NPWS bringing its core funding above the €100-million threshold for the first time. Staffing at the NPWS has grown by 68% since 2020 and last December, the Minister of State published the Article 17 report on Ireland's protected habitats and species. Three weeks ago, he received 46 policy recommendations from the independent advisory committee on Ireland's natural restoration plan. That draft plan is due to go to the European Commission by 1 September. This is the most significant single act of restoration planning ever undertaken in this country and the work is being done from the bottom up. Farmers, fishers, foresters and local communities are all engaged and I welcome this progress but the Article 17 report is honest about where we stand.”
“I welcome the opportunity to contribute to statements on National Biodiversity Week. Across the country this week, hundreds of free events are bringing people into contact with nature on their doorstep. These events include guided walks, photography competitions, scavenger hunts and farm visits. It is a chance to learn, enjoy and be reminded that nature is not a backdrop to our lives but the foundation. Fianna Fáil has an enduring legacy in this area. It was a Fianna Fáil-led Government with Charles Haughey as Taoiseach that introduced the Environmental Protection Agency Act, which established the EPA. Protecting the natural environment, air quality and wildlife was an issue that Charles Haughey championed in this House as far back as 1972 and we continue to take that legacy seriously.”
“I thank the Taoiseach for the update. As Cathaoirleach of the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement committee I have seen first hand the value of the shared island initiative from my visit last June with the Taoiseach to Narrow Water Bridge in County Louth, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, to the ongoing restoration of the Ulster Canal. Closer to home, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown chamber and Bangor chamber signed the shared island economic partnership memorandum of understanding in April and presented jointly to the committee on the cross-Border economic corridor. Will the Taoiseach indicate how the Cabinet committee on Northern Ireland will support business-led partnerships of this kind? Will he confirm when phase 3 of the Ulster Canal is expected to be completed?”
“He meant it as a description of what economic growth, properly directed, could do for Irish people. A century on from the founding of Fianna Fáil, that ambition remains. This Bill is a modest and technical step, but it is a step in the right direction. It strengthens our agencies, modernises our framework and gives us better tools for the work of transformation that lies ahead.”
“That means decisive investment in renewable energy - onshore and offshore wind and solar - and grid infrastructure. It means a public transport system worthy of a European capital and of every town in this country. It means honest investment in the housing and water and energy infrastructure that our economy and society need. It also means giving clear direction to the public service, because when clear direction is given, our public service can and will deliver. It did it for Lemass in 1959. It implemented structural reforms in concert with social partners from 1987. It also delivered during the pandemic. The public service will do it again if we in this House are clear about what we are asking it to do. Lemass once said that a rising tide lifted all boats.”
“The substantive safeguards, export controls, ministerial oversight and Government approval of overall policy all remain in place. The deeper point of this Bill, though, is in the first of those three reforms. It is in the recognition that the next phase of Irish industrial development is going to be defined by transformation in solar, wind, public transport, energy and the digital transition. That is where the investment and jobs are going. That is why Ireland needs to position itself to lead or it will find itself being left behind. Societies that transform do best, those that rely on hope decline and those that adapt just survive. If we want our children and grandchildren to inherit a country that is prosperous and secure, then we need to be the country that transforms.”
“Second, it allows the IDA, with ministerial consent, to co-invest in property and infrastructure with third parties, including ISIF. The availability of serviced industrial property is one of the deciding factors in major investment decisions. If we want to keep winning the competition on a global stage, our agencies need the tools to deliver. Third, it removes section 8(5) of the Science and Technology Act 1987, which I mentioned previously, a provision written for an agency that no longer exists and that has had a chilling effect on the work of our agencies in defence, security and resilience. In a Europe investing heavily in cyber, satellites, maritime security and hybrid threat monitoring, Ireland cannot afford to have one hand tied behind its back.”
“It was the product of steady, serious Government policy that has guided this country through a pandemic, a war in Europe and now a more uncertain global outlook, with the calm and conviction the moment demands. This Bill before us is part of that work. It does three substantial things. First, it gives the IDA and Enterprise Ireland a new power to award environmental protection aid grants assessed on environmental criteria. For the first time, our agencies will be able to support projects on carbon abatement grounds alone without having to force them through criteria designed for a different purpose. That is a sensible and overdue reform. The IDA has described the current arrangements, quite bluntly, as an onerous constraint. The Bill removes that constraint.”