Eileen Lynch
Agricultural Panel · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I thank the Minister for being here this evening. This is an important motion. It is vital to discuss rural Ireland and its continued and ongoing development. It deserves policies that recognise its value and invest in its future. I am from north-west Cork, which is quite rural.”
“They are community hubs as well and it is vital that the Government supports them because we are seeing so many closures in villages which now do not have places for people to meet. Many of them provide a community service and the scheme needs to be looked at in budget 2027.”
“I welcome the progress made under the rural safety plan, including the roll-out of local community safety partnerships. It is an area we need to focus on where we have seen increases in rural burglaries. We need to look at how we could make people feel safer in their own homes.”
“They are being addressed through a whole-of-government approach, rather than with piecemeal measures, and that is vital. In north-west Cork, we have seen the benefits of this investment. The completion of the Macroom bypass has transformed travel on the N22. It has improved safety and made Macroom town a much better place to be.”
“It has improved Local Link services, supported regional enterprise and invested in community facilities across the country. I commend the Minister on the work he is doing on community facilities as well as previous Fine Gael Ministers in that Department, including former Deputies Heather Humphreys and Michael Ring.”
“It is great that the building has been brought back into use and the services it now provides will be invaluable to Gaeltacht Mhúscraí. My colleagues who have spoken have raised the matter of agriculture. This is very much at the heart of rural Ireland.”
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“The job is not finished and there are still challenges to address. We must continue to invest in housing, healthcare, childcare, transport and further economic opportunities, but it is important to acknowledge what has been achieved. Rural Ireland is growing and investment is reaching communities. More people are choosing to live and work in rural areas. I believe the amendment recognises this progress while committing to build on it. I look forward to seeing the next phase of Our Rural Future and I hope we will continue to strengthen rural communities throughout the country.”
“They are community hubs as well and it is vital that the Government supports them because we are seeing so many closures in villages which now do not have places for people to meet. Many of them provide a community service and the scheme needs to be looked at in budget 2027. Looking ahead more generally to the new Our Rural Future strategy for 2026 to 2031, there was extensive public consultation, which is to be commended. Policies need to be fed into by the people they will affect and there was quite an extensive consultation period on this new policy. The record allocation of €611 million for the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht in budget 2026 shows the Government is backing its commitment with real investment. We are following through on what we said we would do.”
“I welcome the progress made under the rural safety plan, including the roll-out of local community safety partnerships. It is an area we need to focus on where we have seen increases in rural burglaries. We need to look at how we could make people feel safer in their own homes. It is not simply a matter of increasing Garda numbers, and we cannot have a Garda in every house or every area of every housing estate, but a cross-departmental approach to rural safety is required. This is something we can continue to focus on and progress. I appreciate it is not in the Minister's portfolio but I want to mention the Vintners Federation of Ireland's proposal on rural pubs and its sustainability scheme. I appreciate it is a finance issue but we are seeing many closures of rural pubs.”
“It is great that the building has been brought back into use and the services it now provides will be invaluable to Gaeltacht Mhúscraí. My colleagues who have spoken have raised the matter of agriculture. This is very much at the heart of rural Ireland. Our farmers are central to our economy and to our communities and it is important that the Government continues to support family farms while helping the sector adapt to future challenges. I was at the IFA briefing today and there are challenges facing the agricultural industry when we talk about generational renewal, food security and the uncertainty of the new CAP. It is important that we continue to support our farmers who for so long were the backbone of our rural economy.”
“There has been a lot of Government investment through the various schemes, including the town and village renewal scheme, CLÁR, the community centres investment fund, CCIF, and the outdoor recreation infrastructure scheme. They have supported many projects across the country in smaller communities. Remote working has also created new opportunities for rural Ireland. Better broadband, although there is still work to do on it, and connected hubs allow people to work closer to home while supporting local businesses and reducing long commutes. Recently, we saw the former Coláiste Iosagáin building in Ballyvourney being repurposed as a fantastic development hub with hot desks and meeting rooms as well as office space.”
“They are being addressed through a whole-of-government approach, rather than with piecemeal measures, and that is vital. In north-west Cork, we have seen the benefits of this investment. The completion of the Macroom bypass has transformed travel on the N22. It has improved safety and made Macroom town a much better place to be. It has improved things for businesses and residents. The continued progress on the M20 from Cork to Limerick, albeit a little slow, will be equally important in improving connectivity across the region and supporting economic growth. I welcome the initial funding granted for the N22 Macroom to Ovens route. It needs to be treated with a level of urgency. I hope the pace of progress will not be as glacial as it was with the Macroom bypass.”
“It has improved Local Link services, supported regional enterprise and invested in community facilities across the country. I commend the Minister on the work he is doing on community facilities as well as previous Fine Gael Ministers in that Department, including former Deputies Heather Humphreys and Michael Ring. They did fantastic work. Another village near my home, Rylane, received €1.8 million. The Minister was there for the opening of our new community centre, which will make an invaluable difference to the community. There is still work to do. We need to focus on access to housing, healthcare, childcare and transport because they are all challenges in many areas. However, I do not agree these challenges are being ignored.”
“I thank the Minister for being here this evening. This is an important motion. It is vital to discuss rural Ireland and its continued and ongoing development. It deserves policies that recognise its value and invest in its future. I am from north-west Cork, which is quite rural. I see every day the strength of rural communities in Mallow, Millstreet, Macroom and the village I am from, Aghabullogue. There are many people who keep rural Ireland going, from community groups to farmers and school groups. They are the soul of rural Ireland and are breathing life into these villages. I acknowledge the launch of the Our Rural Future policy in 2021. It brought real progress in the development of rural Ireland. It brought record investment into communities, with expanded broadband and the development of more than 400 connected hubs.”
“I ask that we would have the Minister come in to discuss minority sports, and, more particularly, the role of women within minority sports and the way in which we can promote them more. Road bowling, for instance, is a fantastic sport. I really would like to see more young people going out getting involved in it. It is a serious test of skill and is really a community endeavour. Finally, it would be remiss of me not to wish both Kerry and Mayo the best of luck in the All-Ireland final. I have decided not to pick a side.”
“I attended a score last week which was the senior ladies' Munster final where our local lady, Denise Murphy, was unfortunately defeated, but to see the number of people out in support was just incredible. I commend Denise who, as I said, is from home. She is from Ballinagree. She has an under-18 world title and an intermediate all-Ireland title and she is a fantastic representative for women in sport. We are also lucky that Briege Corkery, who has numerous all-Ireland medals for Cork camogie and football, officially opened the competition on Saturday. These women in sport need to be promoted an awful lot more than they are. My colleague, Senator Ní Chuilinn, does a lot of work on this.”
“The all-Ireland road bowling championships were held in my local village, Ballinagree, over the weekend. Many Members may not be familiar with the sport of road bowling. It is very much a minority sport. It is very popular all over Cork, in many parts of Northern Ireland and some western counties. The gathering that was there at the weekend was of hundreds of people. There were six major competitions varying from under-18 men and women, to junior men and women and intermediates. It was such a fantastic display of our community and of the sport. I commend Ballinagree Bowling Club which was the club hosting the competition. A lot of these minority traditional Irish sports do not get the recognition they deserve.”
“We need planning and infrastructure that support sustainable growth, particularly in rural Ireland where many people simply want the opportunity to remain in their own communities. I hope that the rural planning guidelines, which were published last week, will have a big impact in that regard. This Bill improves the administration of the housing system. It provides greater consistency, strengthens the legal basis for eligibility decisions and introduces sensible reforms to the residential tenancies system. For those reasons, I am very happy to support the Bill on Second Stage. I hope that the Minister will commit to reviewing its operation after 12 months and that he will remain open to further reforms, should they be necessary.”
“If we want more people to provide homes in the private rental sector, they need confidence that the regulatory framework works for responsible landlords as well as protecting responsible tenants. There is potential scope to examine the overall accountability of the RTB. While it performs an important statutory role, it must also be responsive to those who rely on its services. A more transparent relationship between the RTB, local authorities and other relevant agencies would benefit everyone involved. While I fully support the measures contained in this Bill, we should recognise that legislation is only one part of the solution. The biggest challenge we face remains increasing our housing supply. We need more affordable homes, more social homes and more private homes.”
“I am aware of one case in particular where the RTB refused to progress an eviction action because it could not serve the tenant despite the landlord providing the address of the tenant to the RTB from the council, as the tenant was in receipt of HAP from the local authority. The local authority had the information but the RTB was not willing to pursue it. Equally, landlords who have invested in providing rental accommodation need confidence that when serious problems arise, the system will respond in a timely and proportionate manner. We need stronger mechanisms for information sharing while fully respecting due process and data protection requirements. I am not saying that there are not rogue landlords but there are also rogue tenants, and we cannot have an RTB that is one sided.”
“While these changes are a positive step, I am not sure if they go far enough. In recent years, I have dealt with a number of landlords who have found themselves in extremely difficult situations after their properties were seriously damaged by tenants or where antisocial behaviour continued over prolonged periods. Many of those landlords have told me that the process through the RTB is slow, complex and can often be disconnected from the realities they face. Having dealt with the RTB when I was practising as a solicitor, that is an experience I echo. There also appears to be a lack of effective communication between the RTB and local authorities in circumstances where information could assist in resolving cases more quickly. Greater co-operation is needed.”
“I would also like to comment on the welcome reforms to the Residential Tenancies Acts. In particular, I welcome the changes that will make it easier for evidence to be presented in cases involving antisocial behaviour. Allowing An Garda Síochána and housing authorities to provide evidence in proceedings before the RTB should assist in addressing some of the difficulties that have previously existed where landlords or neighbours may have been reluctant to come forward. As we all know, antisocial behaviour can have a devastating impact, particularly in smaller towns and rural communities where neighbours know one another and persistent problems can affect an entire estate or village. Those who engage in serious antisocial behaviour should not be allowed to hide behind procedural barriers that make it difficult to resolve cases.”
“That is not in anyone's interest. A person should not receive a different assessment merely because of the fact that they live in a different county to somebody else. Having a consistent national framework gives certainty to applicants, assists housing officials in their decision-making and helps strengthen public confidence in the overall system. I would, however, encourage the Minister to review the operation of these provisions after 12 months. I believe that a review should examine whether the habitual and legal residence provisions are being applied consistently across all local authorities, whether decisions are being made in a timely manner, and whether the legislation is achieving the intended policy objectives. If adjustments are needed, we should be prepared to make them.”
“Whether these concerns are based on individual experiences or broader perceptions, they should not simply be dismissed, as they affect public confidence in the housing system. Public confidence in the housing system depends on people understanding that there are clear rules that are applied fairly and consistently. The legislation makes it clear that eligibility for social housing and certain homelessness supports is subject to the habitual residence condition as well as lawful residence, while also ensuring that Ireland continues to meet its legal obligations to those who are entitled to protection under Irish and European law. The Bill rightly brings consistency to how these rules are applied nationally by local authorities. At present, there can be differences in interpretation between local authorities.”
“Habitual residence is already a well-established principle across a range of social protection schemes but this Bill provides greater legal certainty by placing that requirement on a statutory footing for housing supports. It also clarifies the application of habitual residence in relation to emergency accommodation and access to homelessness services. I come from a rural constituency and I regularly hear concerns from constituents who feel that people arriving in Ireland receive preferential treatment when it comes to housing supports ahead of those who have lived and worked in their communities for many years. It is important that we have legislation that clearly sets out the eligibility criteria so that everyone understands the basis on which housing support is provided.”
“I thank the Minister for being here with us today. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. It is a very practical Bill that seeks to improve the operation of both our social housing system and our residential tenancies framework. While it will not solve the wider housing crisis, it contains a number of measures that will improve consistency, provide greater legal clarity and strengthen confidence in the way the system operates. As has been outlined, one of the most significant aspects of the Bill is the introduction of a statutory habitual residence and legal residence requirement for access to social housing supports.”
“The system has to be capable of supporting housing growth, balanced regional development and investment in infrastructure, while continuing to uphold proper planning principles and environmental standards. The Bill will not address every issue within the planning system, nor is it intended to. However, the measures before us represent sensible improvements that should make the system more effective and provide greater certainty for local authorities and those seeking to deliver housing. For those reasons, I am happy to support the Bill and I look forward to its continued progress through the House.”
“It ensures that decisions are made lawfully and fairly, and that principle has to remain protected. However, it also important that the process operates as efficiently as possible and that judicial review does not lead to delays. Delays can have significant consequences for housing delivery and essential infrastructure projects. The changes proposed in the Bill seek to make the judicial review process more efficient while maintaining these appropriate legal safeguards, and that balance is important. We need a planning system that protects people's rights but also provides timely decisions and greater certainty for those delivering housing and public infrastructure. More broadly, this Bill reflects the need to continually improve our planning system as demand for it evolves.”
“I also note the comments of the Minister, Deputy Browne, that he hopes local authorities will bear the new guidelines in mind going forward, even before they are formally adopted. I was incredibly disappointed to be advised by a councillor from Cork that a planner had told them that they would not implement the guidelines until they were adopted and did not believe they would make any difference. We need local authorities - that is, the chief executive and personnel - to support these fully. I have yet to speak to a councillor across the country who disagrees with them, so we need to ensure that executives are on board with this. I welcome the reforms relating to judicial review. Judicial review, as we all know, performs an important function within our planning system and our Judiciary.”
“If we want people to continue living and working in rural communities, we need a consistent pipeline of housing delivery, and ensuring appropriate financing is available is an important part of that. I would like to welcome the publication last week of the rural housing guidelines. Coming from the rural village of Aghabullogue in Cork north-west, I know these guidelines can make a real difference to the provision of rural housing, making the system less bureaucratic and decreasing the subjectivity and differing opinions of different planners. These guidelines will allow for uniformity. I urge the Minister of State to ensure that the guidelines are implemented as soon as possible. I note they may not be adopted until early next year.”
“There was also a disregard for the consideration of social infrastructure in the context of increased housing infrastructure and this needs to change. I would very much like to welcome the increase in the statutory borrowing limit for the Housing Finance Agency outlined in the Bill. The Housing Finance Agency has become an increasingly important source of finance for local authorities and approved housing bodies. As housing output continues to increase, it is important that the agency has the capacity to continue supporting new delivery. This is relevant in every part of the country, including rural Ireland. Housing need is in no way confined to our cities. Smaller towns and villages are experiencing massive shortages of affordable and private housing.”
“For rural counties where infrastructure projects and housing developments often take a number of years to progress, a longer planning horizon makes practical sense. It gives communities, businesses and developers a clear understanding of the direction of development over a longer period. I also believe a longer county development plan will give greater certainty to councillors. I would like to note that we need to give greater powers to local councillors. They work with people on the ground every day and know the challenges in their local area. For successive years, we have seen the continual erosion of their powers and have allowed this to happen. In my time on Cork County Council, I found the county development plan process to be very frustrating and at times it was difficult for councillors to have any meaningful impact.”
“While many of the provisions are technical, they are important because they will help to provide greater certainty in planning, support housing delivery and improve the efficiency of the system. From the perspective of rural Ireland, these are incredibly welcome developments. One of the provisions I particularly welcome is the move to ten-year county development plans. Local authorities make long-term decisions on housing, infrastructure, transport and economic development. Expanding the lifespan of county development plans provides greater stability for those decisions while reducing the frequency of full plan reviews. It allows local authorities to focus more on implementation, while still retaining mechanisms to review plans where circumstances change.”
“I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to present the Bill. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to Second Stage of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026. As the Minister of State has outlined, the Bill implements the reforms agreed in 2024 which should accelerate the supply of housing. The housing crisis is the defining challenge facing this country and we all see the impacts in our constituencies. The Planning and Development Act 2024 was the largest reform of our planning legislation in a generation and it is vital that we expedite those changes. The Bill contains a number of targeted amendments that will improve how our planning system operates.”
“When that forward planning is not there, somebody who has been on a list is going to be superseded by somebody who is in dire need because their carer is no longer with them or no longer has any form of capacity. That is something that should be highlighted. I very much welcome the Minister of State's news regarding co-ordination with local authorities and the HSE. Does she have an update relating to the recruitment of the HSE housing co-ordinators and the residential placement planning and review teams? This is very good news, and hopefully it is something that will have a big impact on this area.”
“I thank the Minister of State for such a comprehensive reply. I welcome that there is a lot of positive news as regards investment, and I am delighted to see there is progress being made. As I said, it is maybe not as fast as we would like. I commend the Minister of State; I know the volume of work she has been doing on this, particularly when she has been in this particular ministerial role for such a short period. I know she is doing a lot of work on this issue. I am concerned about the €40 million to deliver 199 residential responses, and 152 new residential placements. This year, there were 250 residential placements but 72 of those only went to planned placements; the rest went to emergency crisis situations whereby a carer became incapacitated or passed away.”
“We need to look at the needs of the individual. We previously had a policy of decongregation but that does not necessarily work for everyone. There are certain people with high-volume care needs who will work better on their own whereas those with a lower care need will work better in housing where they are not isolated and they have shared services, and where integration is a better option. We need to take all of those things into account. Fundamentally, though, we need a place right now.”
“If we do not deal with it now, we will be dealing with it in a crisis situation where we have no choice but to provide. Ireland’s residential provisions for adults with intellectual disabilities, IDs, cost significantly more per person than comparable systems across the EU because our current model is inefficient. The cost of a new residential placement rose from 284,000 in 2019 to 332,000 in 2022, and 63% of placements were done through for-profit businesses. I accept that the Government is putting money into this but I question whether it is being put into the right places. I am not sure it is economically efficient, but it is certainly not working for caregivers and service users. It is also vital that we listen to carers and those who have the lived experience. They have to be involved in this process.”
“Simple issues like how long it can take to get a HMD form 1 filled out can delay applications. I acknowledge that we have seen progress recently in the joined-up approach and initiative that has been taken by Cork County Council and Cork City Council in relation to providing social housing for those with intellectual disabilities. One fairly basic thing they have done is appoint a dedicated liaison officer for social housing in each council for those with intellectual disabilities. This is something that needs to be rolled out in local authorities across the country. This is not an easy problem to solve and we need a multifaceted approach. In the very short term and in the upcoming budget, we need to introduce an emergency funded plan for carers aged over 70. These families simply cannot wait.”
“According to a survey carried out by Before We Die dealing with the families they represent and the members of their organisation, 78% of families have no formal housing plan, 20% are progressing informal conversations about housing and only 2% have a formal written housing plan in place. We need a cross-departmental approach to ensure a functioning housing plan is in place for those with disabilities. A record of those seeking accommodation provision needs to be created and I am aware that is something the Minister of State is working on but the vast majority of families are unaware they need to ensure their child is on the housing list in order that they can be provided for and that those in the Department are fully aware of the need and the level of need they are dealing with.”
“The Minister of State has met them, as have an Tánaiste and an Taoiseach, and the Minister of State is aware of their recent survey, their report and their eight demands. This group represents concerned parents and caregivers all over the country who do not know how or where their children will be cared for when they can no longer care for them. There are currently over 110,000 people with intellectual disabilities. Almost 30,000 of them are aged 15 and over and live in the family home. Based on CSO figures, 2,314 carers are over 70 and at least 500 of them are over 80. Almost 300 of those are based in my county of Cork.”
“I thank the Minister of State so much for being with us to discuss this important issue. It is one that affects many families countrywide, namely, the lack of a clear plan for provision of accommodation for those with intellectual disabilities. Many families, parents, siblings and guardians provide care at home for loved ones with intellectual disabilities. This is saving the State millions in service costs ever year, but the question that has been asked for quite some time is what happens when the carer can no longer care. These people have been failed by successive governments due to lack of planning for something that is entirely foreseeable. I appreciate we cannot come up with a solution overnight but recently I met a group called Before We Die.”
“Pubs are facing a barrage of ongoing costs. If we want them to remain open as rural hubs in our communities, we have to give them the support they need. Many pubs around the country are pretty much just providing a community service at this point. The proprietors are not making any profit out of it, but they are providing a community service. If we continue on this current path, many of the pubs we are talking about today simply will not be open by the end of this year. For that reason, I urge the Minister of State to bring forward this proposal.”
“I note the content of the reply and there are a few things I will respond to. This proposal from the VFI is compliant with the alcohol structures directive. Obviously, there is a question to be answered in terms of state aid but I would be confident that, given the role of the pub in rural society, the proposal does not fall under the state aid provision and would not interference through state aid. The Minister of State's reply does not specify whether it is. I take the Minister of State's point on excise. We have seen a reduction in excise and, as a proportion of the price of a pint, it has fallen over time, but the cost pressures facing pubs have not. Electricity costs have increased by 17% over the last five years. Wage costs have increased by 40%. Water tariffs increased by 30% in 2024 and a further 10% this year.”
“Importantly, it is specifically designed to support smaller pubs and help to protect the viability of businesses that are under the greatest pressure. As part of the reply Senator Kennelly received, the Minister of State raised the point as to whether this measure would be compliant with the EU alcohol structures directive, which does not allow a reduction, rebate or offset to excise duty. If that is a concern, I would like to confirm that the proposal is compliant with it. It is a targeted business credit, similar to schemes we have seen introduced in other sectors such as film, television, unscripted television and gaming. I urge the Government to consider this matter ahead of the budget.”
“I also want to acknowledge the important step that was the 9% VAT reduction, but that only helps pubs that are serving food. It does not help these "wet pubs" - I hate that phrase. Two thirds of pubs do not actually serve food, so they will not benefit even though they make up the vast majority of pubs across our towns and villages. That is why VFI has proposed a practical and targeted solution. Senator Kennelly has spoken about it already this morning but I am asking that the finance be found for it in the upcoming budget. The proposal is very straightforward. It would provide a tax credit to pubs based on verified purchases of draught products, with supports capped at €20,000 per premises per annum. Credit could be offset against tax liabilities or paid where liabilities are insufficient.”
“It helps a lot with rural isolation and we have to acknowledge that important role of the pub. It is important to say that our drinking habits as a nation have changed and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Therefore, there is less of a market there for pubs. That is why we also need to encourage pubs to diversify. I welcome the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan's night-time economy grant that was announced recently. I am aware of pubs in my vicinity that are taking advantage of that and it is a way of diversifying your business. A lot of businesses are starting to do more trade in terms of book clubs, tea and coffee evenings and these kinds of thing, so there are measures like that that pubs need to look at. We need to encourage them.”
“It is a cultural thing for us and when a pub closes, a community loses far more than just a business. In my own area of rural mid-Cork in Cork North-West, my local pub has been closed since March. We have seen the impact that has had within the community. We are hopeful it will open again. This is a pub in a village called Bealnamorive. There is a school and a church; that is it. We do not have a community hall. We do not have anywhere else within that area where people can gather. The pub was a fantastic social outlet. A neighbouring village, Rylane, has not had a pub since 2016 and in my other neighbouring village of Aghabullogue, the pub is open four nights per week. That one pub that is open four nights per week provides a serious social outlet for many people who are living on their own in the area.”
“Even more concerning than that is that the rate of closure is actually accelerating. The average annual rate of closure now stands at 128 pubs per year. Recent survey findings from the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland, VFI, show that 65% of publicans believe rising business costs are having an unsustainable impact on operations. Forty-one percent of them say trading conditions are worse than what they were 12 months ago and almost 42% lack confidence in the future of their business. Twenty-two percent of pubs report reduced staffing levels over the past year as they struggled to absorb rising costs. The pub is at the heart of community life in many of our villages across the country. It is a key part of our national identity. It is a social spot. It is a local employer. Pubs are part of the social fabric of rural Ireland.”
“Yes. It is a big weekend ahead. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. I am raising the matter of the introduction of budget measures to prevent the closure of rural pubs. It is very similar to the matter that was just raised by my colleague Senator Kennelly, which was directed at the Minister for enterprise, whereas this is directed at the Minister for Finance. Senator Kennelly has raised the idea and now I am looking for the funding. The Minister of State is well aware of these issues within his own constituency. It is an issue not just across all of rural Ireland but also increasingly in our towns and cities. Since 2005, more than 2,200 pubs have closed across Ireland. That is a decline of 25% in the total number of licensed premises nationally. It is an incredibly stark statistic.”
“A larger problem in this regard is rural isolation, that communities are probably not as strong or as close as they once were and, therefore, it is difficult for communities to work together against these kind of things. We are seeing that Community Alert groups and Muintir na Tíre groups, while still a big part of rural life and rural Ireland, are not as strong as they once were. I am calling for us to have the Minister for justice in here to discuss this issue, not so much for statements but on how we tackle it and what we can do to prevent it, for example, whether we need to look at stronger sentencing and better community awareness and to discuss the rural safety plan of 2025.”
“Over the past few weeks, in my own area of mid-Cork, across Dripsey, Aghabullogue and Rylane, we are seeing a spate of car thefts late at night in rural country yards but also in village housing estates. We need, I believe, a cross-departmental approach to dealing with this. It is a Department of justice issue but it is also a Department of rural affairs and community development issue. There is a rural safety plan, which was published in 2025, but we need to take more measures. We need to give more supports to groups, such as Muintir na Tíre and Community Alert. We need to provide more information and awareness to residents in rural areas as to how they can make their property more safe at night and how they can protect themselves.”
“I wish all the Senators a happy St. John's Day. St. John's Day is a religious festival which we celebrate quite strongly at home in Aghinagh. There will be a mass celebrated at St. John's Well tonight at 8 p.m. and following that, there will be a platform dance on the Mushera platform on Mushera mountain between Aghinagh and Millstreet at 8.45 p.m. RTÉ will be there also, briefly, to do a clip, because it is doing a piece on traditions in the area. I wish well everyone who is attending it and the group behind the Mushera Platform dance and the maintenance of St. John's Well. I want to speak about another local issue, but one which I am sure affects constituencies all across the country, and that is the rise we are seeing in rural crime.”
“I am seeking a debate with the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment on how Ireland intends to respond to the report's recommendation to accelerate digital growth, how best we can work with our SMEs to achieve this goal and ensure that all existing supports are accessible.”
“The report also points out that while the adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence, AI, cloud computing and data analytics is increasing, many SMEs continue to face barriers in accessing and implementing these technologies. Only 20% of Irish businesses are using AI on a productive level. We need to ensure that the digital transfer of information is not something just associated with multinationals and large companies, and that family businesses, retailers, farms and tourism enterprises are all able to embrace new technologies and improve productivity.”
“In particular, I mention its assessment of the digital transition of Irish small and medium enterprises, SMEs. While Ireland continues to perform strongly in many areas of digital skills and online commerce, the report does highlight some concerns. This is mainly about the growing gap between digitally advanced firms and those falling behind. This could impact Ireland’s long-term competitiveness. SMEs are the backbone of our economy. They employ thousands of people across towns and villages in County Cork and the rest of Ireland. They are central to job creation, innovation and, of course, regional development.”