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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“I know people have been told this is funded. I know that the bus is purchased. People have been employed. If we can get it started earlier, we will do so. I will go back and specifically ask why that was advised previously. What the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I have tried to do - and I think we have done it pretty well - is to get that big uplift so we are starting from a higher base and then we can really be sustainable. As to what happened over the past five years, it was great to see the increases in services but there was no certainty around any of them-----”
“I want to grow that further. We are seeking additional funding for next year to roll out services like the 199. If I get additional funds this year - and it is an if - any of the services that we can roll out additionally we will do this year. I am trying to give the Deputy a realistic timeframe for her constituents. I am confident that we will be able to get this up and running early next year. We will be in our Estimates negotiations pretty soon. I want to get additional funding for that. We are looking at how that funding is made up between PSO and fares to be able to deliver new services like this, and the Deputy is right that people are responding to it.”
“I have outlined that this is an important service for people. I have outlined what has been done in just the past two years in relation to Local Link services in Wicklow. I think everyone acknowledges that there has been a significant increase. This route, this service, is a priority. I want to see it in place as soon as we can. I am trying to give a realistic timeframe for its implementation because the Deputy is right that people need certainty around it. They do not need to be told it might be next week and next week and next week. What I and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, have been able to do is significantly increase the funding for these types of services to get this onto a sustainable footing, with a 42% increase and record public transport passenger numbers right the way across the country and continued growth.”
“I want that on a sustainable footing; I do not want to have to go back looking for supplementary funding every year. That is a record level of funding we have provided and that underpins the new routes we have brought forward. It is a priority to roll out the 199 service, which is part of the NTA's service plan. The service is subject to the same considerations around funding. To be straight, I expect that, as part of the Estimates process, with the additional funding we will receive, routes like the 199 service will operate from early next year.”
“I am pleased to state that passengers are responding to this continued investment, with TFI Local Link services recording a combined 6.97 million passenger journeys just last year, marking a record and a 19% increase on the previous year. That is just short of 7 million journeys. In counties Wicklow, Carlow and Kilkenny, funding increased by 25% between 2024 and 2025 to over €4.6 million, boosting passenger numbers by 81%. A great example of this can be seen in route 183, which was enhanced from Arklow to Sallins. The enhanced route offers connectivity to Avoca, Rathdrum, Rathnew, Wicklow, Roundwood and Laragh and improved connections to regional public transport, including a morning connection to Arklow. The PSO allocation, as I mentioned earlier, has risen to €940 million. That is 43% up on 2025's allocation.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue again. I know there is a campaign on the ground supported by her. This is an important service that we want to get into use. I mentioned in my previous answer that this year has been a year to ensure that we got an increase in the PSO funding, which is very significant. There has been considerable investment in services throughout the country under the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan. I think everyone is agreed that has been a real success. I have met many of the Local Link services across the country. The plan is improving how rural communities access public transport.”
“Now that we have stabilised an increased service, which is good, and we have seen significant increases, we have a much higher base. We will seek additional funds for 2027 in order that we can roll out those additional services in 2027, subject to the NTA's service delivery plan. That is my intention.”
“I have spoken on the record of the House about the 6.50 a.m. train. The Deputy has raised it. Deputy Albert Dolan has raised it with me as well. That service is being retained, and I will relay that information. I am not sure how it got to the stage where there was uncertainty around it. The broader point, which I have explained, is that about €1.6 billion is the operational cost of our public transport network across the board, most of that being PSO and fares. That is what it costs to run what we have, which is a greatly expanded public transport service, including Local Link services, trains and buses, right the way through our whole network. What I am doing now with the Ministers of State, Deputies Buttimer and Canney, is entering into the Estimates process for next year.”
“I have taken on board a lot of the different feedback I have got from Deputies about specific services and that will be in the NTA service plan.”
“We are now entering into the annual Estimates process, and I will obviously be looking for additional funding in that space to provide those new services that many Deputies are asking for and that I am looking for in my area, but we need them to be set up on a sustainable footing. We have managed to do that this year. There are resource constraints too, but this year is a stabilisation year. Even though we are seeing increasing passenger numbers, which is great, I want to provide additional services, and that is why we are entering the Estimates process shortly to provide additional funds next year to roll out new services. This year has been a year to stabilise the services that we have added to already.”
“The 6.50 a.m. service is not going. Let us be clear on that. I know that the Deputy has been running a bit of a campaign locally. The 6.50 a.m. train service will be retained; end of story. What I was trying to explain in my answer was that we got a big uplift in PSO funding. For the past five years in the Department of Transport, a big supplementary budget was requested at the end of the year to basically backfill new services. I did not want to do it that way, which is why we got a big uplift - a 42% increase - in the PSO allocation to stabilise those services across this year.”
“Funding for new services in 2027 will be determined through the annual Estimates process, which we will be entering into shortly. Within the constraints of the reliable resources available, the NTA will be responsible for prioritising its service plan, taking into account operational readiness, demonstrated and anticipated passenger demand, and the need to deliver value for money.”
“To underpin this, my Department secured an unprecedented €940 million allocation for PSO services in budget 2026, which was a 43% increase on the previous year. This significant investment provides a robust foundation to ensure that existing public transport services are delivered reliably and sustainably throughout the year, enabling the system to meet rising passenger demand and assist in absorbing growing operational costs. The NTA is managing the 2026 allocation by prioritising delivery of existing programmes in line with operational readiness and resources. Enhancements within the current allocation are prioritised. Some changes are cost neutral while others require additional resources, and all are subject to funding, readiness and capacity.”
“Sustained investment in the public service obligation, PSO, programme has driven record public transport use, with passenger numbers up 23% and continuing to grow this year, alongside an expanded network serving over 240 towns and villages. As demand rises and congestion issues remain, Ireland’s public transport system has reached a pivotal point, with an increasing need for reliable services. A fundamental reset in funding was required to place the PSO programme on a sustainable, long-term footing in line with the programme for Government commitment. Accordingly, the 2026 PSO allocation was structured to eliminate the need for supplementary in-year funding, providing greater certainty and stability for service delivery.”
“To answer the questions some Deputies have raised about the wind energy guidelines, the revised guidelines will be published and made available this year. I get the point in that regard. The revised guidelines will be produced this year through the work I am doing with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne. I thank Labour Party colleagues for the motion. This has been a decent debate. I will not be accepting the motion but I look forward to continuing to work with the Deputies on a constructive basis.”
“This one piece of infrastructure will do more for the resilience of our electricity grid than any other project, and that needs to start. I expect cross-party support, from both the Government and Opposition, to commence work on this and to deliver the project by 2031, which is still exacting. That will deliver affordability. On offshore wind, the target was 5 GW by 2030, as Deputy Gogarty mentioned. There have been planning consent delays all the way through. We hope to have positive planning decisions on two projects this year. My target is to get them to construction this year. That would be a game-changer for us. I absolutely agree in this regard. In the meantime, we need more onshore wind and more onshore solar.”
“I have asked the ESB to examine the whole area of balcony or plug-in solar, as it is called. These are things that are critically needed. What is also critically needed is investment in our grid. For argument's sake, I will use the example of a capital project that should have been completed already and that needs to be completed without delay, namely, the North-South interconnector. There have been four reviews of the interconnector, including in respect of whether it should be underground or overground. The reviews are done now. There are no more and it needs to happen. Three local authorities need to discharge the planning consents and we need to get building it. I returned from a conference this morning with my colleague in the North, Caoimhe Archibald. The Executive in the North is in absolute agreement on this as well.”
“We are actually building up a really good domestic sector and domestic expertise, with new Irish companies, particularly in our rural areas. This really speaks to regional development. What are we doing at a national level regarding our grid and energy? We have now reached a really significant figure of 8 GW of renewable energy integrated into our system. Yes, of course we need to do more. One gigawatt powers about 500,000 homes. That is what we are talking about. Our wind capacity has doubled in ten years. We have added 5 GW of renewables in just a ten-year period. The figure for solar will probably be 3 GW by the end of this year alone, with over 1 GW from rooftop solar. We want to continue to support households in this regard. I am considering measures with regard to domestic batteries.”
“In the first quarter of this year, 12,000 homes were upgraded under the scheme, including 1,500 under the warmer homes scheme for those at risk of energy poverty. Since the formation of this Government, 70,000 homes have been retrofitted. The purpose of the change in the grants is to ensure that households can access them. We have seen an absolutely incredible response, with over 50,000 applications in the first four months of this year, including significant applications for solar. We want to do more with regard to batteries. That is the position on households. Five thousand businesses have been retrofitted. Of course, we can do more, but we are targeting 73,000 households to be retrofitted this year. It will be the largest number done in any given year.”
“Retrofitting is critical. Many people, including Deputy Healy, were talking about middle-income families being able to access grants. That is why I have specifically brought forward the retrofitting passport for households and broken down the grants such that we are not just doing deep retrofits but are allowing for the inclusion of windows and doors, attic insulation, wall cavity insulation and all those different things, including solar at scale as well. If we go back to when we started retrofitting, about 268,000 homes across the country have now been retrofitted to different degrees. That protects them to a large degree against future price shocks, reduces their energy usage, reduces their emissions and makes them warmer and more efficient. We need to accelerate that.”
“That is why we brought forward the large energy user action plan and the decision of CRU in relation to large energy users. It is a plan-led approach going forward. Any new data centre connections will have to be on the basis of using 80% renewables - new renewables, not existing renewables. This idea that existing renewables will be used up is not correct. We need that plan-led approach. I support the ICT sector, new jobs and new technologies. It is good for us as a country and a small, open economy. We cannot be complacent about that. The idea that we would pull the shutters down again on this area is not correct, but it has to be done in a planned way. I agree with many contributors from the Opposition who have said this. The question now is how we can continue to protect families and businesses in the short term.”
“The figure is 19,000 people in the data centres, but they support all those other jobs at the leading edge of technology. Many of our young people are the best in the world at this. We need an infrastructure that supports that, and data centres are part of that. When people say 22% of our energy is used by data centres, that is correct. If we went to Germany, however, we could ask how much energy there is used for large industrial developments, including car manufacturing and all those various things.”
“It is still too high, absolutely, but let us deal with the facts and not go down that route of effectively looking at the bigger figure because it will get more prominence. It is good that we are having a discussion, particularly on data centres and ICT. It is a pity Deputies Paul Murphy and Coppinger are not here. They are always giving very constructive remarks here in the Chamber. They opposed the climate Act, by the way, which has been able to ensure that Ireland is moving towards meeting those climate obligations that we have. On data centres, Ireland is not a large industrial nation. We do not make cars or military equipment and do not have large industrial companies. We do, however, have a substantial ICT sector employing just short of 200,000 people. It is around 185,000 people.”
“Arrears are too high and energy prices are too high, and we need to get them down. I do not dispute that at all. All that has been done to get that 500,000 figure, though, is adding the figures for gas arrears to those for electricity arrears. Unfortunately, many households are across both, so saying 500,000 households are in arrears is just not true, and the record should be corrected on this. It should have been corrected on our national broadcaster but it was not because it did not suit its narrative. Everyone in arrears is counted from the first day, from day one when a bill is not paid. When we look at the figures for those who have been 90 days in arrears, and we do need to help people to get out of that situation, we are looking at about 8% of electricity customers, which amounts to 184,000 households.”
“An Coimisiún Pleanála will be the organisation that evaluates the environmental assessments and not me as the Minister. This change needs to happen if we are serious about growth in jobs and protecting our connectivity and competitiveness. This needs to happen, and I would warn against a move towards populism in that regard. On energy pricing, I was at the Energy Ireland conference earlier, so the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, took the first half of the debate but I listened to it on the way back. Many Deputies threw out this figure of there being 500,000 households in energy arrears. That is not correct. What was reported on RTÉ was not correct, and it took it quite a while to even correct it. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities actually called that out.”
“Even in advance of the debate on the Dublin Airport (passenger capacity) Bill 2026, it is clear that this is not a side that the Labour Party is taking any more, which is regrettable. If I take the example of the airport, and I will move on to data centres and ICT in a moment, 130,000 direct and indirect jobs derive very good incomes from Dublin Airport alone. We are growing Shannon, Cork and Ireland West airports as well, so it is not just one instead of the other. I do not think anyone can argue that an 18-year-old planning condition is appropriate and serves Ireland well right now. I agree with much of what Deputy Michael Healy-Rae said in that regard. I ask people to reflect on this issue. It does not set aside environmental considerations either. That is purely incorrect in the motion. I ask people to look at the legislation.”
“Even if one were to argue, therefore, which I never would, that fossil fuels do not impact the climate, which they do, Ireland is still too dependent on imports of fossil fuels. To state the very obvious, we are an island nation. We have low interconnection rates. We import 80% of our gas from our nearest neighbour. We produce the other 20%. What do we need to do? We need to accelerate the deployment of renewables. I will return to this aspect later in my remarks. We have tabled a countermotion. I do not do that lightly, but there are elements in the Labour Party motion that I profoundly disagree with. It is interesting that things like the airport cap were thrown into this debate. As someone who represents an airport constituency, I remember a time when the Labour Party was a supporter of airport workers.”
“I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion, and I will deal with elements of it in my response. I have been struck by many of the responses, many of which have been constructive and well-meaning. Others have not been. Turning specifically to Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, climate change is real and is happening now. The science is indisputable and climate action is critically important to counter climate change. Climate action is also important because it affords us great opportunities here. There are great opportunities in the context of climate action in relation to new technologies for the electrification of our country, which will make us more competitive and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”
“However, anyone who does find themselves in arrears should make contact with their energy provider. Plans are there and will be put in place to help households. The last thing anyone wants, and I have said this to energy providers, is for people to be cut off from the energy they need. People should engage with their providers. I thank the Deputy for his support.”
“The meat of that report will feed into our budget considerations and deliberations. I expect to have that by the end of July this year. We have done a lot of work on it. It looks at some potential structural changes and short-, medium- and longer-term measures, as well as further improving measures that are in place. We know we are not in the position we want to be in with regard to energy costs. That is why it is so important that we accelerate delivery of renewables across the board and reduce our dependence on wholesale fossil fuel markets. Fundamentally, that is the major problem we face. The figures out today do not deal with long-term systemic arrears. They are arrears from day one to post-90 days, so the figures themselves need to be interrogated more.”
“I will keep Members informed on this. I have a further meeting this afternoon with the team specifically relating to the SEAI action plan.”
“On the warmer homes scheme, and I listened to the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's intervention on that, approximately 34,000 homes have been fully retrofitted with 100% grants. It is a great scheme, but waiting times are too long. To be fair to the SEAI, as Deputy Murphy said, it has submitted an action plan. I have a meeting later this afternoon in that regard to see how we can speed that up. We have made two specific changes for people on the warmer homes waiting list who can now access certain grants, which will not affect them while they are waiting for the overall grant. We are also retrofitting social homes at a level that has never been seen before, which is also a good thing. This protects those at risk of energy poverty, it is good for the climate and good for their pocket, as well as being good for our energy system.”
“On the business side of things, we had 5,000 business retrofitting grants approved. We need to focus a lot more of our resources in that space because it protects people against future price shocks. When people get retrofitting done, their energy bills come down and they are protected against future shocks. They are also pivoting towards renewables and we are making good progress there.”
“Over 120,000 homes now have rooftop solar systems. Those grants have been increased, as have heat pump grants. The focus on rural areas, which the Deputy mentioned, is critical. We have brought forward things to be able to break down the grants, like attic insulation or cavity walls, which can be done separately. The windows and doors grants were also not available before unless you retrofitted your whole home. To be frank, many people could not afford to do that, even though the grants were substantial because these still needed to be matched with substantial funding. That is why we have broken them down. We have had over 8,000 applications for that grant alone, based on the last numbers I had, in just a two-month period. These are practical measures we are taking for people.”
“We have discussed a number of measures this morning, including directly funded retrofitting for families and the grants we can provide to reduce energy usage. Those measures are good for our climate because they reduce emissions and they reduce costs for households. We have been able to retrofit approximately 264,000 homes so far. Earlier this year, the Minister of State and I, along with our team, looked at the grants that were available and broke them down to make them more accessible, particularly for middle-income families. In the first quarter of this year, there were more than 50,000 applications for home retrofitting. We need to support that because it takes pressure off our energy system. It is good as well because we are pointing families and householders in the direction of renewable energy.”
“I agree we need to increase port capacity for construction but also, really importantly, as the Deputy mentioned, for the maintenance that will be required. I see we will be ready. The Port of Cork has moved forward. I see Belfast as part of our offering as well and part of that solution, and, indeed, other ports that may come forward as well.”
“Ports will be critical. In the coming couple of weeks, certainly before the recess, we will be bringing the new national ports policy to Cabinet. A lot of work has gone into it, and fed in by stakeholders as well. The east coast will be very important on that. That will come to Cabinet and then we will publish it. That will go out for consultation and every party and all stakeholders will get to see it. Right now, Belfast is the only port that one could say will be able to carry out both. Belfast will be important to the island of Ireland and I see it being utilised. Cork is well advanced as well. I have visited the Port of Cork on a number of occasions. There has been really good work on the extension of piers, and good assistance from the European Union in that regard.”
“I commend the officials on the work they are doing. The decisions are coming out quicker and more efficiently. The Deputy made a very fair point. Tthese were large projects that had not been seen in the planning system previously. The learnings from them have been acknowledged. With the new planning Act, I expect that planning for new offshore wind projects will go through much quicker and much more efficiently.”
“To be fair, on the Deputy's first point, that is acknowledge by what was then An Bord Pleanála and is now An Coimisiún Pleanála. Certainly, those were the first type of projects that they ever had to deal with. I agree there are learnings and they have learnt from them. Second, the planning environment is different now. New applications will come under the Planning and Development Act 2024, which sets strict timelines on planning decisions and sets timelines around requests for further information and how often further information can be requested. In short, that will improve the situation. In relation to resources, I can tell the Deputy, given my previous portfolio, that we have increased resources in An Coimisiún Pleanála by over 50% and we have restructured an coimisiún. An coimisiún is meeting approximately 90% of its targets.”
“Suffice it to say, it is getting these ones out of planning and getting the phase 1 ones into construction. Tonn Nua is now done. I want to move on Lí Ban, for an auction there, and then conclude the national DMAP work by 2027, which is what we said we would do.”
“We also have the 900 MW Tonn Nua project off the coast of Waterford. It was the only successful auction in the EU. If Britain is included as part of the European Continent, it was one of only two, along with allocation round 7, AR7. I expect that to be energised in 2033. Tonn Nua was the first of four sites to be brought to auction from the south coast designated maritime area plan, DMAP. We are making preparations to bring the remaining three south coast DMAP sites to auction over the coming period. Separately, we are in the middle of the national DMAP process, that is, mapping our full maritime area to build that pipeline of sites into the future to be able to continue with regular auctions. That is to facilitate a further 20 GW. I am not being evasive but I cannot say this we will have in 2030, 2032 or beyond.”
“Five phase 1 offshore projects are currently in planning, as the Deputy will be aware, off our east coast, with planned capacity of 3.8 GW. All five have submitted planning applications and first determinations from An Coimisiún Pleanála are anticipated on at least two of these by the end of this year, with the others to follow in 2027. The reason for that is they received detailed requests for further information, particularly around bird surveys. Subject to planning approval, I anticipate that some of these projects will be in construction by 2030. I do not see any of them being electrified, although there is the possibility of one, with a fair wind, if the Deputy will excuse the pun. I have said that publicly. Our focus is in getting them into construction and operational by the early 2030s.”
“I expect to bring heads of Bill back to the Government well in advance of the summer recess. I completely understand the urgency of this legislation and I will keep the Deputy directly informed. I am aware of the impact this issue has had on areas of the country where there are large amounts of forestry, including the Deputy's area. Some of that forestry has not been managed or managed appropriately. I will keep him directly informed.”
“The work of our emergency services is exceptional. We saw the difficulties they had to operate under following recent storms, including Storm Chandra and Storm Éowyn. This work needs to be concluded. There is complexity in it. I hate even using the word because it seems like it is an excuse, but there is genuine complexity here. It involves updating legislation but also updating the operation and management of forestry. I agree with the Deputy completely that forestry owners have an absolute responsibility. That is why we need to get agreement now that we want re-afforestation across the country, with forests planted and maintained in such a way that we do not create a problem further down the road. We have nearly concluded that work and I will be convening stakeholders again in the next week or so.”
“We are dependent on other stakeholders and Departments to work with us, which they are doing, but this needs to be done really quickly. I share the Deputy's sense of frustration with the pace heretofore but I assure him the legislation is being afforded priority. We need to get it done.”
“I agree with the Deputy. This is a priority. It needs to move quicker but there are a lot of stakeholders. To be frank about it, this is being made more complex than it should be because we are respecting the views of other stakeholders. We need to ensure the regulatory changes needed for new forestry are in place because the State is not going to be able to, nor should it, manage every private forest or private piece of land in the country. The State should not pay for it all either. The agreement with the Irish Farmers Association that was in place, which was a relatively loose agreement on forestry management, needs to be updated and put in legislation. We are operating under the 1927 Act and grey areas have been identified with respect to right of access. We are bottoming those out now. I met my team earlier this week.”
“That is under way while, as the Deputy has recognised, we are investing in critical grid infrastructure across the country. The updated draft heads of Bill are currently being revised and the team in my Department continues to engage, as a matter of priority, with stakeholders, in particular the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, but also ESB Networks, forestry representatives, landowner organisations and the Office of the Attorney General.”
“The Bill will make provisions for a number of amendments, which include enhanced proactive vegetation management measures to protect the electricity network, including powers to clear vegetation likely to interfere with the network; the establishment and maintenance of forestry corridors to improve resilience and operational safety for the network; and statutory regulation of future forestry planting in proximity to the electricity network. The Bill is informed by lessons learned from Storm Éowyn and other severe weather events where we have seen specific vulnerabilities in parts of the country. The proposed legislation seeks to provide a clear statutory framework to facilitate the proactive management of vegetation and forestry risks, while balancing environmental considerations, forestry interests and the rights of landowners.”
“I thank Deputy Smith for raising this important matter. The Bill to which he refers, the Electricity (Supply) (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2025, is being progressed by my Department as part of a wider programme of work to strengthen the resilience of Ireland's electricity network in the context of climate change and increasingly severe storms. Lessons have and must continue to be learned from Storm Éowyn. We have seen significant work done in relation to the clearing of forestry corridors and debris. That work is under way. The overarching objective is to ensure that overhead electricity networks and forestry can coexist in a manner that delivers a secure, reliable and climate-resilient electricity supply for homes, businesses and communities.”
“We want to focus on middle income families and families who actually need that assistance. Under the scrappage scheme, the grant is €8,500. New EV cars can now be bought for close to €20,000. I will not mention which brands; people can have a look. There are good cars available there. I will keep an open mind on second-hand cars but we need to do this through dealerships for certification and application reasons. It is something we will continue to look at.”