Darragh O'Brien
Dublin Fingal East · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The appropriate next time to do that is once the ANCA decision is finalised and the public consultation is concluded, which will be on 3 September. Obviously, there will be a period required after that when the submissions to ANCA will be looked at. That is where the consultation is. That will happen over the coming months.”
“I have already mentioned the more than 3 million passengers who flew through Cork Airport and the growth of Shannon Airport, which has just had its best half a year and which now has over 40 routes. However, a small number of people are impacted and they need to be listened to.”
“Others did not want it at all. I think Shane Ross was Minister for transport at the time. That has been done. That is in place. This decision will be made. I do not have a timeframe. Hopefully it will be soon after the submissions from the public on the draft noise decision is made. That would feed into both.”
“An Investec report published in, I believe, 2022 said that to maintain the cap at 32 million between now and 2030 would jeopardise up to about 19,000 jobs. That is the reality of it. I support the workers in the airport. I am from the community myself. The airport has to grow in a sustainable way.”
“I have also made it clear that even though, and this is a fact, international aviation emissions are outside the scope of the climate action plan, we are taking actions aligned with the global approach to decarbonisation of the aviation industry, which is based on the International Civil Aviation Organization's basket of measures to ensur…”
“I have already highlighted the planning decision on the DAA’s infrastructure application. We discussed that at some length over the course of the last nearly two hours. That application seeks to raise the passenger cap to 40 million and provide for much-needed additional infrastructure at Dublin Airport.”
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“Twenty-three former employees completed this programme, exited the company and started their own businesses in the midlands. Collectively, those businesses are now generating more than 40 jobs. Regarding Bord na Móna Recycling, the Department was made aware in 2024 that the company was undertaking a strategic review of this business. The board informed my Department on 7 February 2025 that after conducting the strategic review, it proposes - I want to be clear on that - to sell its shares in Bord na Móna Recycling Limited to Irish recycling provider, KWD Recycling, a waste collection, recycling and recovery operator in the south west.”
“The board has significantly invested in just transition initiatives, such as the Accelerate Green programme based in the midlands, which continue to foster innovation and sustainability leadership across the Irish business community. Companies on the programme span industries such as renewable energy, land management and biodiversity solutions. Since its inception, the programme has supported 60 companies, with many achieving substantial growth and industry recognition. To date, more than 600 jobs have been enabled through the Accelerate Green programme. Bord na Móna has provided a new beginning, a start your own business programme, for former peat operations employees, which includes business mentoring and support to develop a business plan.”
“The board has commenced the largest peatland rehabilitation programme in Europe, potentially securing storage of up to 100 million tonnes of carbon, which also enhances biodiversity and enables amenities. Bord na Móna has rehabilitated approximately 18,000 ha to date. The board has transitioned employees from primarily operatives in peatland operations to a skilled workforce focusing on renewable energy, peatlands rehabilitation and biodiversity. As part of that transition, Bord na Móna has upskilled employees. For example, employees previously employed in peat operations now work as community liaison representatives on renewable energy projects.”
“Bord na Móna has commenced development of a €2.7 billion pipeline of renewable energy projects across wind, solar and hydrogen to deliver 3.5 TWh of renewable energy by 2030 and has delivered a 1 GW pipeline of renewable energy projects, generating 1.7 TWh of energy powering the equivalent of 350,000 homes. I state that to show where the company is going and its direction. I commend it on the work that is there. It has developed amenities as part of its infrastructure projects, including facilities for park runs, educational school tours and sensory gardens, and contributes €1.2 million annually to communities through community benefit funds, near neighbour schemes, scholarships and grants.”
“Bord na Móna's brown to green energy strategy has seen the company conclude all former peat operations and use of peat as an energy source in its operations and succeed in the delivery of renewable energy infrastructure at scale. Bord na Móna has transitioned from the largest fossil fuel provider, previously emitting 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year, to a leading renewable energy provider. Bord na Móna continues its transition into a climate solutions company, with a focus on renewable energy and peatlands restoration, committed to helping Ireland achieve its renewable target by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050, which we all support.”
“I thank the Deputy for this important question. I propose to take Questions Nos. 72, 73 and 75 together. Bord na Móna is a commercial semi-State under the aegis of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, established under the Turf Development Act 1998. Bord na Móna is a corporate body and a separate legal entity to the Department, as Members will know. The board and management of Bord na Móna are accountable for the strategic direction and management of the organisation. My Department is responsible for the corporate governance oversight of Bord na Móna, including the provision of consents relating to certain activities. I will return to that in a moment. I intend to meet with the chair of the board in the coming weeks, I hope next week, to discuss all governance matters, including this matter.”
“My response will be six minutes for three questions. I asked about this group. It is the first time I have seen priority questions grouped. We queried that yesterday and apparently it is appropriate. We might work that out post this round of questions.”
“This debate and these statements are timely, and we will listen intently to contributions from all parties, be they in government or opposition, and to suggestions of how we can work together in continuing to reduce road fatalities. As I said earlier, any fatality on our roads is one too many. Our condolences obviously go to all those families who have lost people over the course of this year and the past number of years in tragic road fatalities.”
“I intend to bring forward legislation to enable these measures this year, as will legislation that will remove data protection barriers to local authorities directly receiving collision data, to strengthen the legal underpinnings for access to the data on the national vehicle and drivers file and to provide for abolition of the requirement for paper road tax, insurance and road worthiness discs. Before handing over to the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, I acknowledge the work of all stakeholders across the road safety sector. This is a complex cross-cutting area, and we can only make progress with co-operation and commitment from all those involved, inside and outside Government.”
“This important reform will encourage safer driver behaviours and vehicle maintenance standards across the range of penalty point offences, and ensure there is no benefit to drivers from, so to speak, stacking up offences. A key commitment under the new programme for Government is continued support for the consolidation of the Road Traffic Acts. I am pleased to say that from the start of this month, we have had a dedicated team fully in place within our Department working on this important project. That team will bring this long-standing commitment to fruition. The programme for Government also calls for the introduction of graduated driving penalties and speed awareness courses as an alternative sanction for those who are caught speeding.”
“In response to the concerning rise in drug-driving, the Act introduced mandatory drug testing at the scene of serious collisions on the same basis as would happen with alcohol. The evidence indicates that drink- and drug-driving are now similarly prevalent, and while neither is acceptable it makes no sense to treat drugs in any way differently. To increase the deterrent effect of penalty points the Act introduces a major reform of the system first introduced in 2002. A driver previously caught committing multiple penalty point offences in a single stop would receive only one set of penalty points. Going forward, they will receive at least two sets of points, and potentially more, in the event of an unsuccessful court challenge where three or more offences are detected in the one stop.”
“To date, there have been several commencement orders covering BusConnects, dangerous driving, the antisocial use of scramblers, road infrastructure, provisions relating to the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland and provisions for e-scooters and e-bikes. From this year, insurers will be permitted to access endorsements on driving licences, meaning that if someone is renewing their licence, insurers will be able to see if that person has penalty points. I will also support the important work to bring the provisions contained in the Road Traffic Act 2024 into effect. This Act is concise and focused; it seeks to respond to the trends we have witnessed on our roads over the past number of years in a more robust and systematic way. The Act addresses a number of key areas of road safety concern.”
“This plan, which will be adopted in the coming months, will set out high-impact actions which will contribute to Ireland achieving its goal of reducing road fatalities by 50% by 2030 and putting Ireland on track to achieve Vision Zero. To support this work, the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Authority established a new road user safety forum comprising road safety advocates and road users, representing a range of interests and perspectives, to serve as a consultative body for the emerging action plan. In terms of legislation, I am committed to commencing the remaining provisions of the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, which was signed into law by the President in June 2023. This is a large body of legislation, which took several years to complete.”
“The Government's current road safety strategy, which runs to the end of this decade, follows international best practice and aligns with EU targets and the Vision Zero ambition for 2050. Vision Zero is the aspiration to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2050 while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all. As an interim target, countries across the EU are aiming to halve road deaths and serious injuries this decade. Together with road safety partners, my Department is leading on the development of the phase two action plan under this strategy, which will run from this year to 2027.”
“It also makes it more likely that when collisions happen, they will lead to death or very serious injuries. The Road Traffic Act 2024 also legislated for safer default speed limits on various parts of Ireland's road network. While the final decision on the speed limit on a given road is an important devolved responsibility for each local authority with due regard to the national guidelines, last Friday, 7 February, new default limits of 60 km/h came into effect on rural and local roads. I am pleased that the reaction to this change has been broadly positive. The roll-out of future changes to default limits will be informed by analysis of this phase. Across government, we are working on multiple fronts to address these problems.”
“Drivers should be aware that gardaí throughout the country can now rapidly test for the presence of drugs and that drugs stay in people's system for many times longer than alcohol does. Simply put, drug driving is not worth the risk to you or to others. Speeding remains one of the greatest risk factors on our roads. One in four drivers thinks that speeding 10 km/h or more over the limit is acceptable, yet studies show that even small reductions in speed can have outsized benefits. WHO research shows that a 5% reduction in average speed results in a 20% reduction in fatalities. Most people know that speeding is dangerous, yet all too many continue to do it. Speed reduces the time people have to react and makes collisions much more likely.”
“In a nationally representative survey conducted last year, 11% of motorists said they had driven after consuming an alcoholic drink and 1% of motorists said they had driven after consuming illicit drugs in the past 12 months. Data indicate that Irish drivers arrested for drug-driving are typically male and under the age of 45. Cannabis, cocaine and benzodiazepines are the most detected drugs. The Road Traffic Act 2024, which was signed into law last April, and the subsequent introduction of mandatory drug testing at the scene of serious collisions in May, were real systemic interventions on drug-driving. Allied with the new legislation, the Medical Bureau of Road Safety is working closely with An Garda Síochána, with 45,000 DrugWipe kits available this year.”
“High levels of mobile phone usage by drivers in Ireland have been reported. Research from 2022 indicates that approximately one in four motorists is not only checking their phone but also writing text messages while driving. This distraction can be deadly. World Health Organization research has found that a driver using a mobile phone is approximately four times more likely to be involved in a collision. Let me be clear that no level of distraction, multitasking or mobile phone use while driving can ever be considered safe, nor should this behaviour be accepted in society. We need to tackle and transform societal norms, making it clear that using a mobile phone while driving is as unacceptable as drink-driving. This shift is paramount to saving lives and preventing the heartache caused by so many road traffic collisions.”
“That is 175 families and communities experiencing tragedy and loss. Not only that, but for every fatality, there are eight serious and possibly life-changing injuries. I know all of us would say that one fatality on our roads is one too many. It is a tragedy for the family and community. That drives us to do whatever we can to improve road safety. The four main causes of fatalities are speeding, distraction, not wearing a seatbelt and intoxicated driving, all of which come down to driver behaviour and personal responsibility on the part of the road user. Irish data from a range of sources, including self-reported surveys, observational studies, analysis and collision figures show concerning levels of these dangerous driving behaviours and, in some cases, I am sad to say, a deterioration in attitudes surrounding them.”
“In the following year, 1998, implementation of the first national road safety strategy began, to tackle this serious issue in a co-ordinated and systematic manner and to bring about road safety improvements in our country. Over the course of that strategy, and its successors, we have witnessed an improvement, which some would say is remarkable, in safety on our roads. In 2005, there were 396 fatalities on Irish roads. By 2012, this had reduced to 162, with a further reduction to 133 by 2021, which was the lowest level since records began in 1959. However, we must not be complacent or take any of that progress for granted. Three of the last four years have seen an annual increase in road-related fatalities and serious injuries. As of this morning, there have been 18 fatalities on our roads so far this year. Last year, there were 175.”
“I am sharing time with the Ministers of State, Deputies Canney and Buttimer. I welcome the opportunity to address the House this afternoon to update it on road safety measures. As we all know, travel is an essential component of economic and social life. It needs to be available, accessible, sustainable and, above all, safe. This Government is committed to reducing road deaths and creating safer roads for everyone in Ireland. In 1997, which is almost three decades ago, we saw 472 fatalities on Irish roads. I think we would all agree that would be an unimaginable figure today. That was at a time when we had a smaller population and far fewer vehicles on our roads than today.”
“I acknowledge the efforts of the 3,000 workers across ESB Networks, contractors from the countries I have mentioned, our colleagues in Europe and Britain, and extend my thanks and appreciation to them for the work that they are doing and have done to restore power to the country. I assure colleagues regarding the investment for the remainder of this year that we will look at expediting projects where we can with a particular focus on vegetation and forestry corridors. Our main focus over the course of the remainder of this week and into early next week, however, is restoring power to those who still do not have electricity. That remains our main focus in this regard.”
“This will now need to be reviewed in the aftermath of the storm, and I have requested that this be done - and it will be done - to identify those specific projects and investments that are needed to future-proof Ireland's energy grid and to adapt to the challenges of climate change. It is essential that companies and regulators responsible for protecting our citizens are appropriately resourced to deliver. Both ESB Networks and CRU have plans to significantly increase their workforces over the coming year, and I will work closely with both the Minister, Deputy Chambers, and the Minister, Deputy Browne, in this regard.”
“Our crews have assisted our European colleagues and colleagues in Britain following storms there, and we are grateful for the support we receive, but we need to review that further. Second, I am requesting a full review by ESB Networks and CRU by the end of quarter 1 of the planned grid enhancement and priorities developed by ESB Networks under Price Review 6, which I just mentioned. This runs from 2026 to 2030 and is an investment of €13.4 billion in capital across that period. That builds on a significant investment of €5.5 billion in the grid network between 2021 and 2025. The ESB, as I mentioned, is also working on a programme to progress projects and accelerate timelines where possible. The PR6 business plan also includes investment in network resilience and climate adaptation.”
“It includes forestry corridors, as the Taoiseach has mentioned earlier today, including action this year to address overhead line corridors in advance of the winter in 2025 to 2026. It is also looking at the identification and acceleration of specific, near-term projects that would improve resilience this year, and to progress projects that are already identified in this area under Price Review 6, PR6. That is effectively bringing forward any projects that we can, which are in the 2026-2030 ESB investment programme, to see which one of those can be brought forward into this year, and a review of the potential support available from other electricity network companies across Europe.”
“It is to be implemented by ESB Networks between March and October of this year. This is increasingly important in the wake of a trend that we are now seeing of increasing strength of storms crossing Ireland, which points to the need for an increased focus on ensuring the resilience of the electricity network to more powerful storms. ESB Networks has already identified some initial actions in this regard. For the information of the House, I will summarise them briefly. It is looking at substantially increasing the materials or stockholding of spare parts for the electricity network. Spare parts and materials are already held, but we are reviewing that inventory to see what additional stock would need to be held in reserve.”
“On Friday, 31 January, I met again with representatives from the ESB, ESB Networks and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, CRU, to discuss increasing the resilience of the system once the immediate impact of the storm has passed. I assure the House that I have received assurances from ESB Networks that it is taking all actions necessary to restore power to customers. Both the CRU and ESB Networks confirmed that there are no financial barriers or budget constraints impacting on the Storm Éowyn response, as the regulatory regime makes full provision for force majeure events. A number of actions emerged from these discussions, and I outlined these earlier today in a memo to Government which was considered this morning. First, an enhanced winter 2025 grid resilience plan is to be developed within one month.”
“Furthermore, ESB Networks is engaging with An Garda Síochána, the HSE, the Defence Forces and the subgroup on humanitarian support to ensure vulnerable customers are prioritised and communicated with. All sectors need to understand who their vulnerable customers are and for the relevant agencies and Departments to work together to ensure there is a co-ordinated approach to dealing with this cohort. Of course, learnings will emerge during the course of the review of the storm response by colleagues in the Minister, Deputy Browne's Department, my own Department and across government. I will fully support this review process. While there will be areas for the whole of Government and relevant agencies to consider, there are also specific learnings for the electricity system that have emerged already.”
“Approximately 3,000 ESB Networks crew members, contractors and the crews who came to assist us from Britain, France, Finland, Germany, Austria, Norway and the Netherlands have worked non-stop since 24 January to restore power to customers as quickly and as safely as possible. I have, and will continue to engage directly with ESB Networks and the ESB to ensure they have the full support of the State to respond to the storm. ESB Networks has also been instrumental through the work of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group subgroup on infrastructure in restoring critical services and assisting in the restoration of services such as telecommunications and water impacted by the widespread outages.”
“As mentioned, thanks to the efforts of ESB Networks crews since the storm occurred, this number was down to 18,000 this morning. That means power has been restored for a total of 750,000 customers. I know, however, and all of us know, that some customers are still without power for nearly two weeks, and in some areas, due to the scale of the damage to the electricity grid, the work has been incredibly intricate and difficult. I assure the House and our citizens without power that every effort is being made to restore electricity to these remaining customers as soon as possible.”
“I know that colleagues in ESB Networks are working with An Garda Síochána, the HSE, other Departments, such as the Department of Social Protection, local authorities and agencies to ensure every vulnerable customer gets assistance. As the Minister, Deputy Browne, said, Ireland experienced an unprecedented storm, one that none of us has seen in our lifetime, that led to damaging, dangerous and destructive wind gusts, causing widespread power outages on our distribution system. Reports from ESB Networks indicate that the worst affected counties were Galway, Roscommon, Mayo, Longford, Cavan, Leitrim and Sligo. In parts, the electricity grid has been destroyed, requiring crews to replace more than 3,000 poles and hang 900 km of new conductor cable. At the peak, 768,000 customers were without electricity supply.”
“I thank the Minister, Deputy Browne, for opening the discussion on the recent unprecedented storm. The Minister has focused on the response to the storm from a whole-of-government perspective and I will focus my remarks on the impact this storm had on the electricity network. Before I turn to that impact, I acknowledge that, as of this morning, 18,000 customers still remain without power. The priority for this Government has been and remains to ensure the safety and well-being of our citizens by assisting in the restoration of power to all as quickly and as safely as possible. We also need to continue to provide support to vulnerable individuals who are without power.”