Edward Timmins
Wicklow · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I thank the Minister for his response. We have interacted quite a bit at committee level on the same topic and will continue to do so. The starting point is a detailed, accurate and complete budget.”
“I will list some specific items, but the list is not exhaustive. Regarding funding given to quangos, can we review whether there is overlap between these organisations and if the Government is funding them to do the same things?”
“We should use data and KPIs to monitor the cost and outcomes of services, encourage the use of shared buildings and dispose of underused properties to reduce overheads and waste.”
“The 132 bus service is the only bus to Dublin for most of west Wicklow. A year ago, I was told by the National Transport Authority, NTA, that the frequency of the service would be doubling. Nothing has happened since then. How do different Departments and Government bodies talk to one other?”
“Never has it been so important to highlight the close relationship we have with the United States. This trail would promote our close ties. It is a perfect example of the use of soft power.”
“I thank the Minister of State. I am glad that progress is being made. The actions announced are the start of what will, hopefully, be a fully-fledged tourist route. I strongly believe that this proposal could be a positive North-South project.”
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“It is important that in all discussions here we choose our language carefully. We must not say anything that might inflame situations or give encouragement to any extreme positions. We must stick at all times to facts and remember that we are talking about fellow human beings. The most important thing is that we have open and frank discussions. By having open discussions, we lessen the possibility of false information and extreme positions taking hold. Two years ago, I stated publicly that we should have an open discussion on immigration. To date, we have failed to do so. We have nothing to hide. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, on the steps he has taken, which have already resulted in considerable improvements. I wish to make a few points. We need to deal with applications quickly.”
“The only public transport for most of west Wicklow to Dublin is the No. 132 bus, which travels only four times daily, with the last bus leaving Baltinglass at 3 p.m. and the last leaving Dublin at 5.30 p.m. Last April, when I met the NTA I was told that a very significantly increased service would be put in place later in April but nothing has happened since. The NTA is now saying that this cannot progress as the Department of Transport has placed a hold on uncommitted expenditure for new public transport services. Can this issue be resolved? Similarly, I want to raise the issue of two Local Links that have been promised and are overdue. The Bray to Glendalough route was promised for September. The provider is ready but there is still not start date. The same applies to the proposed route from Knockananna to Carlow.”
“Can they build closer relationships with industry, as discussed earlier, and plan their training programmes to align with industry needs? This is a dynamic situation and should be kept under constant review. Regarding transport, can students access these courses and are transport links being developed?”
“ETB courses are by and large free or very low cost. ETBs offer a range of short courses along with longer duration courses. Are these courses achieving their aim? What is the workforce-entry success for people who do these courses? Are the short-term courses achieving their aim or are they just being done as a tick-box exercise by people who are unemployed? Are they contributing to these people entering the labour market or following on to some apprenticeship or PLC course? In the area of disability, Ireland has the lowest labour participation rate in Europe. I understand some ETBs offer work-ready courses. Can the ETB play a bigger role in improving labour participation rate within the disability sector? How closely aligned are the ETBs to industry?”
“This is a fantastic opportunity for those who are determined to go to third level, but who did not get the required CAO points for the course they wanted. These opportunities need to be promoted more.”
“I ask that all ETB schools promote these courses within their schools, but also that the ETB colleges and courses are promoted within non-ETB schools. The ETBs also offer apprenticeships. Could relevant funding be allocated to promote these apprenticeship courses? The apprenticeships have been encouraged and have grown since the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, was Minister for higher education. Our leaving certificate is very academic orientated, and it is not suitable for everyone. School leavers who do not wish to pursue the CAO route need to be considered. Not everyone wants a college degree. On the other hand, as the Minister said, many ETBs offer tertiary courses that offer an entry to third level college, giving a new pathway to degree courses in many fields.”
“The education and training boards, ETBs, offer many different post-leaving certificate, PLC, courses that often lead into third level education. In many cases these courses are suitable for leaving certificate students. What is the role of the ETBs in higher education and where they sit in the education hierarchy?”
“I thank the Minister. He certainly seems well aware of the importance of the third level link with industry so he has certainly answered my first question. I want to make another couple of points. I have seen examples over the years where third level institutes have linked in with industry. This has worked really well. It also offers graduates employment opportunities in industries located close to their colleges. This is especially true in the areas of technology, science and engineering. As well as benefiting graduates in the institutions, it also means the industries are more embedded in the area. Both the third level institutions and the industry feed off each other and offer huge benefits to both sides. I ask the Minister to do everything in his power to develop these relationships.”
“That huge success has led to the challenge of housing. There is no simple fix to the housing shortage. There are a hundred or more things that can help deliver enough houses. This budget proposes another part of solving this challenge. It is right to use targeted tax measures to help deliver housing. The Government will do everything it can and make all necessary changes to deliver housing. It will be done in a pragmatic way, not in any ideological way. I will finish by repeating what I said at the beginning. This budget represents the first of five budgets and is step one in the implementation of the programme for Government. It is not possible to deliver everything in year one.”
“When it comes to the finances of running a country, in an ideal world, one runs a surplus, reduces national debt, puts money aside each year - €6 billion this year - invests in infrastructure, education and health, and supports the most vulnerable. That is exactly what this budget does. If I was asked what struck me most forcefully on my first budget day, I would say it was the exaggeration of some of the Opposition spokespersons. It was reported that at People Before Profit's alternative budget launch, the party said it would introduce a €9 billion wealth tax on multinationals. This must be called out for the reckless policy it is. I referred earlier to the issue of jobs. This is the biggest contribution to taking people out of poverty. This country has been transformed for the better by huge job creation.”
“The Opposition is fond of selecting one item and saying that our costs are the highest compared to other countries, but by so many measures, we are at the top or close to the top in class. Other countries look on and wish they had our public finances. Our nearest neighbour, the UK, is in danger of going bust while in France they cannot even agree on a budget. We are a beacon of stability and we display a sensible middle ground. Long may this continue. Many Opposition TDs speak on different issues and take very extreme and radical positions. These comments represent a threat to our successful country. Their aim is to make people feel miserable. That is their policy. Of course we have challenges, but there will always be challenges. In the past, it was employment and the public finances, and we solved these.”
“Sinn Féin never once mentioned job creation in its budget day contributions. Without this, there would be no money for our health service, education, pensions or social welfare. We would become a basket case without wealth creation. I understand this, but I feel the need to state it explicitly so that those who do not understand it start to think about it. Many on the Opposition benches think this money will always be there, but it may not be. That is why we must protect jobs and industry. That gives us the wherewithal to fund our services. The reason we have this budget is that it recognises these realities. Sinn Féin says that we are not spending and taxing enough. The Labour Party says we are spending too much. It is clear we have got the balance just right.”
“This budget represents the first of five budgets and is step one in the implementation of the programme for Government. It is not possible to deliver everything in year one. Financial changes, as anyone with a grasp the finance knows, happen over a period of time. This is something the public understand, but it is not recognised at all by much of the Opposition. This budget is possible because of the massive taxes we earn due to full employment and because we support multinational industries by above all being pro-business and giving corporations certainty. These multinationals are crucial to all the spending we have discussed over the past two days. Our Government promotes wealth creation. It is something that much of the Opposition does not recognise or understand.”
“I could not agree more. I strongly believe my proposal for an American presidents trail could be a hugely positive North-South project. It would fit the whole purpose of the shared island fund, boost the economy of Northern Ireland and deliver benefits that we cannot predict. It would improve co-operation between both parts of these islands and develop relationships that do not exist. This is the best way to unite our island. If we bring people closer together, then borders will simply melt away.”
“I am pleased to announce that I have developed a roadmap for the potential American Presidents’ trial. I have pinpointed several key counties to consider, along with a suggested route. Ultimately, this map would benefit all parts of Ireland, enhance relations between the two countries and boost tourism. Tourism numbers in this country are down this year. This project should be a part of a national strategy of Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland. Never has it been so important to highlight the close relationship we have with the United States, and this trail would promote closer ties. It is a perfect example of the use of soft power. Soft power is something we have with the US and we need to constantly remind ourselves of this fact. We must develop it and not take it for granted.”
“A total of 23 US Presidents have Irish heritage, with many coming from Northern Ireland. As the Minister knows, I first floated the idea of an American Presidents’ trial in this country earlier this year in the House. This proposal could be a highly positive North-South project and a massive attraction for US visitors, especially those with Irish links. It could be comparable to the Wild Atlantic Way. Will the Minister provide an update on any progress?”
“I want to address the homemaker's scheme, which is often confused with the home carer's scheme. This only applies from 6 April 1994. Again, this date is an arbitrary cliff edge. It discriminates against people who cared for children who were 12 years of age before that date. It is completely unfair and illogical. It should apply to all caring for children and not only those cared for after 6 April 1994. Similarly, the home caring periods are only applicable from 6 April 1994. Will the Minister look at including all years prior to 6 April 1994?”
“I also want to address the fact that the home caring scheme does not allow for any additional credits. This is unfair as a mother often gives up work in order to care for her children and is given no increased credits for this time. Can this be revisited as it penalises a parent who makes the decision to give up work, a decision which actually saves the State money?”
“I ask the Minister to review the contributory pension entitlement for someone with fewer than 520 contributions and look to give them a pro rata pension. This policy imposes a cliff-edge cut-off. It is very unfair. Someone with 519 contributions gets nothing but 520 would entitle them to get between €99 and €120 per week, and sometimes much more.”
“Even if exit taxes were reduced, the rate would still be 33% higher than the 0% we have proposed for an incentivised saving and investment account scheme, which would be subject to an investment limit of €40,000 and which we believe would have a much greater impact on shifting domestic savings into productive investments in the real economy.”
“Only five of these happened in Ireland. The problem is not the scale of delisting but the lack of a pipeline of new companies seeking to list. From other European and Euronext markets with pipelines of new listings, we have seen that government policy has significant influence. Reducing exit taxes on exchange-traded funds, ETFs, may incentivise investment in such funds and lead to more trade on exchanges. Unless there are accompanying policy initiatives to increase the number of new listings, however, reducing these taxes will not guarantee the future of the Irish Stock Exchange and ETFs will be of no benefit to Ireland's real economy or Irish companies. There are not enough Irish stocks or stocks traded in Ireland to put into an ETF basket.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The threat of US tariffs has made it even more urgent for us to support Irish indigenous companies, and the Stock Exchange is crucial to this goal. While foreign multinational companies have created great prosperity in this State, geopolitical difficulties have underscored the need to ensure a positive regulatory landscape for Irish companies to grow and succeed in. Ireland will assume the Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2026. I hope that the implementation of the EU savings and investments union will be a core priority of our Presidency. There has been much media attention - indeed too much - on delistings from the Irish market. Delistings are a natural part of the cycle. Last year, there were 129 delistings across seven Euronext markets.”
“In Ireland, none of our retail banks offer equity products to retail investors. In the UK, the ISA is used widely by people to save money and let it grow over many years. In Ireland, there is €60 billion sitting in current accounts losing value. This is money that could be put to work and would allow people to generate additional income over the years, while incentivising financial security. An Irish saving and investment account would help achieve this. I look forward to hearing from the Minister of State about his planned engagement with Euronext Dublin and the Government's plan to support this vital source of equity capital ahead of budget 2026.”
“These proposals include introducing a stamp duty exemption on the trading of shares in companies valued under €1 billion; increasing the lifetime limit for capital gains tax entrepreneur relief by €1 million to €2 million, specifically for disposal of shares on approved EEA markets; creating an incentivised saving and investment account scheme; and establishing an Irish equity market growth fund to provide equity finance to companies listed or intended to list on Irish markets, with a particular focus on Irish scale-ups. Ireland currently employs a stamp duty of 1% on the trading of shares. However, Ireland's rate is an outlier when compared with other European states, many of whom have a 0% rate or at most, a 0.2% or 0.3% rate. Stamp duty should be exempted from the trading of shares for smaller and mid-cap companies.”
“This must now be backed by decisive action. Ahead of budget 2026, I urge the Government to deliver on these commitments by building on the progress made in budget 2025. Specifically, Euronext Dublin has proposed targeted, relevant and costed measures for budget 2026 that would support more Irish companies to accelerate their growth by raising finance in capital equity markets by way of IPO.”
“Ireland has been losing out by not supporting more indigenous enterprises to access private capital through public markets, which is evidenced by the relatively small number of initial public offerings, IPOs, here over the past decade. Many Irish companies choose to go abroad, particularly to the US. I know the Government is prioritising improving our competitiveness. I suggest a vibrant Stock Exchange here in Dublin is essential to achieving those goals. If we are serious about growing our indigenous enterprise base, we must build the right environment to allow companies to scale using all sources of capital, including public equity markets. The programme for Government commits to exploring ways to enhance the Irish Stock Exchange as a vital source of equity and growth for indigenous businesses.”
“I thank the Minister for the opportunity to raise the importance of the Irish Stock Exchange to the economy and to the growth of our indigenous Irish companies. I welcome the commitments in the programme for Government to support the Irish Stock Exchange. However, I would like to see this commitment followed up with concrete action to ensure its growth and success. I am glad to see the Tánaiste met the Stock Exchange team on Tuesday and I hope he will take away some of their requests. I know a request is with the Minister for Finance for a meeting ahead of the budget. Many brilliant companies have come through the Irish Stock Exchange, including Ryanair, Smurfit Kappa and the Dalata Hotel Group. The Irish Stock Exchange also supports a thriving ecosystem of brokers, advisers and legal services, etc.”
“I will list some other items but the list is not exhaustive. Many schools run the mini-company programme in conjunction with the student enterprise programme supported by the local enterprise offices but this programme is only offered to a limited number of students in schools. Could we offer a programme to all students on the following: the skills and steps required in setting up a business; the driver theory test; online safety and the risks and benefits of the online world; and communication, including both verbal and written skills? People who have real-world experience in the above-mentioned areas could contribute to many of these programmes. They could also offer an element of mentoring to young people and bridge the gap between the school and world they live in and the realities they will face when they become adults.”
“I will mention in particular some items that should be included, for example, knowledge of finance and how to manage finance. This is important as it affects everyone. It should cover understanding of income tax and all other taxes. It should also educate about loans and mortgages and explain the difference between different types of loans. Second, it should include legal education and understanding of one's legal rights. It should also include how the political system works, how democracy and elections are conducted and the difference between Departments and local authorities. It should educate our young on the political systems all over the world and the whole area of critical thinking.”
“We have a great secondary education system. It is one of the cornerstones of our success as a nation. However, given it is largely academically based, we need to look at ways of bringing life skills to our children that will better prepare them for the real world. In particular, I refer to the transition year programme. This is a great programme which offers students an opportunity to learn new skills. Can it be extended to cover more aspects of daily life that will benefit our children as they enter adult life?”
“On a related matter, this programme can help with the running costs of primary schools. Schools have severe financial difficulties. Many schools are in deficit. I have seen how the ancillary grant, for example, does not cover the cost of caretaking. Could this be increased to match the cost? Additionally, I believe we need to look at increasing the capitation grant further from the new rate of €224 per child. The Parliamentary Budget Office has said it would cost approximately €40 million per annum to increase the amount to €299 per child.”
“I thank the Minister. The schools are currently given a 25% credit at, say, 18 cent per kilowatt hour. The schools are closed most of the year. Their generation during this time is huge, and more so since they are closed during much of the peak solar times in the summer. The other issue is that the 10 kW roll out is too small for many schools. They require a much greater coverage of solar panels. I am not saying that larger systems should be fully funded, but they should be supported to some degree, for example, to 50% or 75% of the cost. This will save schools large amounts of money. A small 10 kW system is not appropriate for a large school. We should have a programme appropriately sized for the schools. The one-size-fits-all model is not the best way.”
“A little over a year ago, as the Minister knows, the Government started to roll out a scheme of supplying free solar panels to schools. This is a very worthwhile initiative. However, there is a problem. Many schools do not have smart meters, which means they cannot sell excess electricity back to the grid. This installation is taking way too long. I know of a school that will not get a smart meter until 2028. Many schools are now only getting 25% of the electricity generated as a credit, whereas they should be earning much more. Can the Government work to improve the time for installation by the ESB?”
“Regarding delivery, a new infrastructure division group has recently been established. For the current national development plan, a delivery board was set up in 2018. The national development plan envisages five or four - it is not clear - additional outside experts being added. It only meets every two to three months, which seems way too seldom. I wonder how successful it has been. Another body was set up in 2012, the Irish Government Economic Evaluation Service, IGEES, which has taken on 150 analysts. By the way, this is all in the current national development plan. EY's report, entitled "Supporting Excellence", has many recommendations to help infrastructure delivery. All these groups appear worthy but I wonder if they have worked.”
“I want to emphasise how spending on infrastructure is an investment, in that it gives a return. For example, I recently attended the opening of the new wastewater treatment plant in Arklow, County Wicklow, which cost €140 million and came in on budget. Much of that €140 million comes back to the State immediately through taxes. This plant has a capacity of 24,000 population equivalent with an expansion possibility to 36,000. This can cater for over 10,000 new houses. When these houses are built, the State will recoup much more than the €140 million investment. VAT on new houses, development levies, and the taxes and spending involved in construction will flow back to the State, before even valuing the environmental benefits.”
“I have met people working for State bodies involved in asset procurement for long-term infrastructure projects. One of the points they constantly raise is the lack of long-term financial planning and commitments on projects that take a long time to deliver, for example, ten years. They say that more certainty is needed and this would help improve the efficiency of delivering the projects and gain the commitment of suppliers to the projects. Can we move away from the short-term approach and put more emphasis on long-term financing and certainty?”
“The birth rate in Ireland fell from 75,000 in 2010 to 55,000 in 2023. We now have the lowest birth rate ever. This low birth rate has clear negative impacts on sustaining our economy and public services. It will lead to a lower tax intake and inevitable cuts to our welfare state. Will the Government look at strategies to help increase the birth rate? This could be done by financially supporting people who want to have children. Additionally, we need to look at more imaginative strategies and not just financial ones. This is a really difficult challenge, as all countries in the world are experiencing, it but we must start having this conversation and face up to this reality, which is already well underway.”
“The legislation states the property tax must be reset to the base rate every year. This means if a council has a rate above the base rate, for example, 6%, as it is in Wicklow, it has to restate every year the rate is increasing whereas in actual fact the rate is not increasing. Could the legislation be changed to eliminate the requirement to return to the base rate each year and have the actual tax as the starting point? A positive development is the use of the discretionary fund to the municipal district. This allows a greater say over spending locally. It is something I promoted when I was chairman of Wicklow County Council. Spending in Ireland is too centralised and there is much benefit in spending being done by people close to the issues, namely, local councillors and local officials.”
“This percentage is set to ensure the balance is calculated to reduce the amount a council can retain. It is an arbitrary percentage with no basis. Both of these complex formulae need to be scrapped to allow councils to retain all their property tax.”
“I thank the Minister. In my county, Wicklow, €3 million of the €23 million tax raised will not be kept locally next year. This is an improvement on the €5 million in 2025 but it needs to be eliminated. I do not suggest it be taken from the other counties which receive more than what is collected but that it ultimately comes from Exchequer funding. Two aspects of the system need to be changed. The first is the baseline figure, which is used to deprive local authorities of the tax raised in their counties. This is based on a complex formula with very low weighting given to population. Counties with half or less of the population of Wicklow with similar areas have similar baselines. This makes no sense and needs to be scrapped. Second is the local property tax surplus calculation.”
“I welcome some aspects of the revised calculation of property tax and the calculation of the amount retained by counties. I recognise that the expected average increase of 5% is way below the inflation rate of 16.7% over the past four years. However, more needs to be done to make it a more equitable tax. In particular, some counties do not retain all of the tax collected in their county.”
“We need to reduce their cost base as many are not financially viable and will continue to close, resulting in a loss to the community.”
“Much of small-town Ireland has a shortage of housing yet no house building. House building would provide valuable employment. Currently, it is not viable to build houses as the cost to build exceeds the selling price. This is never mentioned in discussions on housing. However, it means that much of Ireland has no house building and yet there is a demand. We must look at strategies to allow house building in these areas through increased affordable housing, and reduce the cost of building a house, such as through the development levy waiver and other measures. I also want to mention pubs, coffee shops and small businesses in rural Ireland. These small businesses provide valuable employment and bring life to our rural communities.”
“Employment brings life to rural Ireland and helps support our unique culture, including things like the GAA and many other traditions that are part of our culture and such a positive part of our society. In particular, can the Minister look at ways of supporting the economic development sections of our county councils? Some have significant resources but many, including my County Wicklow, have limited resources. We also need to be careful regarding the tourism sector and Airbnbs. Airbnbs bring tourists to parts of Ireland and parts of rural Wicklow that are not on the tourist map. In a recent poll carried out across the country, an average of 93% of Airbnb hosts cannot or will not release their property to long-term letting.”
“Many people in Ireland commute to work and spend a long time in traffic. Many of these people's jobs are not conducive to working from home. This is a cost in terms of finance, time and family life. Rural employment must be supported. I welcome the successful roll-out of the national broadband plan, which is ahead of schedule and under budget. What strategies do the Minister and his Department have to deliver long-term employment in rural Ireland?”
“From a national point of view, councils must be closely involved in the delivery of housing. Delivery must be micromanaged. These county targets must be drilled down further, with monthly figures produced by all local authorities of actual homes built versus targets and explanations given. This is the only way to deliver large numbers of houses. The Minister must then meet the CEOs of the councils and the heads of planning on a quarterly basis. This method is exactly the way a business would aim to achieve its targets. Tiered zoning refers to lower tiers with fewer services. However, in many current plans, it is tiered, even when they both have access to services. There should be no tiered zoning in these cases. If tier 1 is not developed, it often stops tier 2 from being developed.”
“On a related matter, I want to bring up the issue of headroom. At this stage, no guidance has been issued on this. From my experience of development plans, the previous directive from the Office of the Planning Regulator was 0% headroom, which is very misguided. It is imperative that there is a considerable percentage headroom because in practice many sites will not be developed for various reasons. All landowners are not ready to be developers and in the real world, site development often has many obstacles, including costs, and may lead to planning refusals. I suggest a headroom of the order of 70%.”
“Following the publication of the national planning framework, NPF, will the Minister of State advise when the local authorities will receive their revised population figures? It is important that these guidelines are rolled out to county councils as soon as possible to allow them to amend their county development plans and local area plans. Because of the delay, I have seen a planning application for 335 houses in Blessington, County Wicklow, which is supported by the council and all elected representatives, being refused by An Bord Pleanála, because the local area plan was not up to date with the new housing targets.”
“The N81 national road runs from Tallaght in south Dublin through west Wicklow and onward to Carlow. It functions as the principal transport artery for west Wicklow and parts of counties Kildare and Carlow. I will make two major points. The N81 is one of the most dangerous roads in the country, as proven by several studies. Second, the N81 is the only national road out of Dublin that has never been upgraded. It carries major traffic volumes. A preferred route option was chosen but shelved in 2018. This needs to be put into the national development plan, NDP. I ask that it be considered for inclusion in the new NDP.”
“Finally, the main focus must be on all the State agencies and local authorities working closely together to solve this big problem.”