Emer Currie
Dublin West · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I wish to begin by recognising the substantial work undertaken by the Government-led shared island initiative, the ESRI, academics and opinion leaders. Without that work, we simply could not have a debate of this quality.”
“This is not simply about replacing old buildings; this is about building a modern educational campus that reflects the needs and the wishes of the families in Dublin 7 and Dublin 15 for generations to come. The community has waited long enough.”
“Rather than simply replacing the existing buildings, they have come together with an ambitious proposal to create one educational campus on the existing site. This project has the potential to be one of the most significant primary school developments in the State. However, the project has been stalled at stage 2a since 2024.”
“Many of the economic gaps that will likely be highlighted in the wider debate as barriers to unification - productivity, earnings, disposable income, tax revenue and educational attainment - are not as inevitable as some would like us to believe.”
“However, Northern Ireland has outperformed many UK regions since Brexit, helped by the competitive advantage created through dual access to the UK and EU goods markets under the Windsor Framework. More recent research suggests the productivity gap is narrowing.”
“If you believe in a united Ireland, then making Northern Ireland more prosperous, a better place to live and a more attractive proposition for the people who are undecided about how they would vote in this referendum should not be a secondary objective; it should be central to achieving a united Ireland.”
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“We need revisions to the town and village renewal scheme and the new towns and cities investment fund or the urban regeneration development fund to enable this much-needed regeneration work across urban communities. It is not just my constituency that would be impacted by this. I raised this with the Taoiseach previously and he acknowledged the problem. He suggested I speak to the Minister for public expenditure. I am now coming to the Minister of State. There is a systemic funding gap and it requires a clear and practical solution. The solution is simple and we are staring right at it. We need to revise these schemes, especially for those identified for health checks under the town centre first policy.”
“The key challenge is that the funding streams for the delivery of projects in rural areas, the town and village renewal scheme, the RRDF, CLÁR, LEADER or funding for gathering more elaborate data and doing research under the town centre first scheme is not available for urban villages, which limits the capacity of the council to deliver transformative or regeneration projects. We are caught in a funding gap. Our villages are too big for schemes like the town and village renewal scheme, yet too small to qualify for the urban regeneration and development fund. We will be able to diagnose the problems in Blanchardstown and Castleknock, but not necessarily fix them. Suburban villages in my constituency are simply falling through the cracks of the existing funding streams.”
“However, following my representations, and recognising the value of the town centre first framework and what it would bring to urban communities, Fingal County Council agreed to step outside the box and proceed with health checks for urban villages, funded from the council's resources, later this year or in 2026. This was to include Castleknock and Blanchardstown villages. I am grateful to the council for taking this step. However, it also has a request for me. Its resources will be limited.”
“Its town regeneration office is delivering town centre first programmes in several rural Fingal communities which qualify for funding under the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. It uses a toolkit, including a health check, in collaboration with the community, businesses and the council, to set out potential solutions and projects for the village. The town and village renewal scheme, rural regeneration and development fund, RRDF, CLÁR or LEADER funding are then used to fund those projects. Obviously, a rural designation would not apply to villages in Dublin 15.”
“During last year's election campaign, one of the most frequently raised issues on the doors of Dublin West was the vibrancy of our suburban villages. The villages of Clonsilla, Ongar, Castleknock, Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart and Tyrrelstown are more than just residential areas or urban sprawl; they are distinct communities with their own character, identity and history. My constituents want to live in places with thriving and safe main streets, quality public facilities and amenities and a genuine sense of community. The reality on the ground can be one of congestion, homogenous main streets, unutilised or derelict heritage properties or features and, sometimes, retail vacancy and turnover. Earlier this year, I had some positive engagement with Fingal County Council on this issue.”
“There is no point saying the system works well, which I hear in responses to my parliamentary questions, and that most people find it very useful if it leaves customers stranded on the side of the road expecting a bus when none is coming, with no explanation or apology. Sometimes, it is the last bus due that does not turn up, which is unacceptable when travelling alone and in the dark. So many young people contact me to say this is the case. It should be a simple ask to tell passengers if a service is not running, not just in the automatic vehicle location system but also in the current system.”
“If the Minister of State is engaging with the NTA, I would like specific answers about the pilot and how it is going to work. There are currently two issues: the forthcoming automatic vehicle location system and real-time information on the app. I was assured that the team was reviewing the end-to-end process of cancelling services on the current real-time passenger information system to see where improvements could be made. Apparently, there are six technical staff working collaboratively with a similar number of personnel from the transport operator. They are in regular contact. I would like to know what improvements have been made in 2025 regarding the communication of cancelled services.”
“In what areas will it work, how will it work, and will customers be a part of it? I suggest using Dublin West. The new system can rebuild trust in the bus network, with no guesswork and no contradictions. Real-time information must mean real accountability.”
“The TFI app has a star rating of 1.4 in the app store, and that is pretty damning. The Minister of State might remember that the last time we were here, we exposed that in one year, 2022, only €97 was spent enhancing Dublin Bus services in Dublin West. Since then, I have had a commitment that €700,000 will be spent in 2025 on addressing capacity and punctuality issues on routes 39A, 37 and 38. I had previous commitments here about route 70. That investment cannot come soon enough, and we actually need more now. I welcome the confirmation that the new automatic vehicle location system will undergo a pilot. It had been mooted for this year, but now it is to be early next year, with the full roll-out thereafter. I would like to hear more information about that pilot.”
“I ask the Minister of State for an update on the upgrade of real-time tracking of Dublin Bus services through a new national automatic vehicle location system, which was due to start testing this year, roll-out next year and be completed in early 2027 to improve customer communications, particularly around ghost buses.”
“A modern, equitable approach would be to consider distance-based, time variable tolling, tax relief for commuters or scrap it altogether. The Government needs to step in here and request a TII feasibility study, drive reform and put an end to this highway robbery.”
“The M50 toll is going up again. Since 2018, eFlow's annual revenue has increased by about 37%. Total revenue up to August was roughly €1.3 billion. It is a staggering sum. It highlights a system that is extracting more and more from motorists year after year. A single fixed toll point at the West-Link Bridge means drivers pay the same charge whether they travel 2 km or 20 km or whether they drive at 8 a.m. or midnight. This flat rate model is economically regressive, much like a flat tax, placing a disproportionate burden on short-distance, lower-income users, the same commuters going to work and the same communities who also live with the impact of toll avoiders through more congestion, more pollution and more frustration.”
“Does that mean that we will hear in the coming weeks that we will get the green light for funding for DART+ West and it can then commence work?”
“I accept that the Minister and the Department are working on the action plan for childcare. I am trying to ensure that the big thinking that is required to deliver childcare at the scale that we need is reflected in the NDP and will be ready to be activated to deliver the spaces that we desperately need. We need systemic change and a new model of childcare. I am looking for reassurance that there will be funding behind it to deliver those plans based on the ambitions that we have and that parents and families need at this point. In relation to transport, we know DART+ West has cleared the legal challenges. I heard the Minister's update that the Department of Transport is working on funding envelopes for his Department. He said that those envelopes will become clear in the coming weeks.”
“Capital funding and infrastructure are absolutely key to that. Will the money be there to fund the delivery at the scale we need?”
“That is 2,200 places and it is still not where we need to be. We have over 13,000 children under three on waiting lists, with infant places especially scarce due to a 35% drop in baby rooms over the term of the last Government. According to Dublin Chamber, 90% of firms claim a lack of affordable childcare is damaging recruitment and retention. Parents, primarily women, are struggling to return to work, as we know from talking to our constituents in Dublin West. This is an economic issue and an equality issue. It is biting and it is hurting families now. Childcare fees are still a second mortgage for families, particularly those whose fees have increased substantially because their crèches pulled out of core funding. We need a big vision of childcare but we also need big delivery. The Department of children is working on an action plan.”
“I thank the Minister for his update. I agree with him that a lot of delivery has taken place. I want to speak specifically about childcare, early learning and school-age care. I believe €795 million has been ring-fenced until 2030 for capital funding for the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. Over the last two years, €45 million was allocated to expand childcare capacity, which is positive. I think we all recognise that is not enough. In this year's budget, €36 million was set aside for 2026 to develop a new programme of acquisition and fit-out of State-led early years and school-age care settings to provide 700 additional places. We have the building blocks extension scheme, which will open in 2026 for extensions and modifications to deliver approximately 1,500 places.”
“If such a school had 70 teachers, it would have a huge staffing team to manage that but special schools do not have that and they really need it.”
“I would also like to give a voice to those parents in terms of post-primary choice. I take the opportunity to mention funding resources for special schools. I thank the Minister for the increase in the capitation grant in the budget. It is something that we had discussed at the education committee and I know it was on her agenda. I am always pushing for more resources. As I have mentioned previously, on the allowances for special schools, they may have 70 staff but the allowances for principals are based on how many teachers they have, whereas special school could have 70 staff made up of SNAs, escorts, cleaning staff and caretakers. They obviously then do not get those allowances. One of the suggestions coming from our principals is the introduction of an AP1 for special schools because that would help manage all the staffing.”
“We have two single-sex Catholic schools and a mixed non-denominational school, which is growing and growing well, but will not serve the needs of the whole community for some time. Local capacity is not serving local families. What is the plan after the primary schools? How will this impact secondary schools? Will there be a follow-on survey for secondary schools?”
“I thank the Minister. I also thank her for launching the survey. It is an issue that impacts the Dublin City Council part of Dublin West at primary and secondary school level. The area is not served well enough in terms of access to or choice of secondary schools. Pelletstown has a Dublin 15 postcode but is not in the catchment area for Dublin 15 schools. People there live in the Cabra-Glasnevin electoral area but are in the Finglas school area. For our Dublin 7 neighbourhoods, only 40% of the children living in the area attend local schools because the geographical area is not prioritised enough in school admission policies. There simply is not enough choice, which is driving students further afield.”
“I am looking for an update on the survey for primary school parents and guardians on their preferences for school provision and choice in their community that was launched today. I thank the Minister for that. Will she include in her response what happens if a need is established through the survey? What impact will this have on secondary school choice? Will there be a follow-on survey for secondary schools? It does impact on my Dublin City Council part of Dublin West.”
“Learner drivers never have to sit a driver test to roll over their learner permits. They just have to show they have booked or joined a waiting list for a test. Some have permits for years, contributing to a culture where learner permits are treated like full licences. The Road Safety Authority has had more than a decade to prepare for the closure of this loophole. The Minister of State, Deputy Canney, has made progress, promising learner drivers will have to take a test before getting their third permit, once test waiting times drop to ten weeks by September. That is a target that he achieved. Now we are playing another waiting game. The Department of Transport says regulations are effectively ready. The RSA says it is finalising an implementation plan and it does not have a timeline. I say no more delays.”
“By modernising the rules and treating ETF investors on the same basis as other asset holders, we can foster a stronger culture of long-term saving, deepen our domestic capital markets, and, ultimately, deliver more resilient growth for the State. I thank the Minister.”
“Building on the implementation plan for the funds sector 2030 review, I ask the Minister to ensure, as part of this roadmap, the operation of the deemed disposal rule is examined in detail, with a view to delivering a fairer and more effective framework for long-term retail investment. I would very much welcome the response of someone with his vast experience on ETFs. I have put quite a bit of work into researching it but I know the Minister's insights will be very valuable for my response to constituents who have raised this issue with me in detail. Reforming this area is not simply a technical adjustment. It is about giving ordinary savers the confidence to invest, ensuring their money works harder for them and for Ireland.”
“As a result, ETFs are less tax efficient than individual shares in a mixed portfolio despite their broader diversification benefits. The issue must also be seen in the wider economic context. According to the Central Bank, Irish households held €162 billion in deposits at the beginning of 2025. In an environment of inflation and modest interest rates, these savings are steadily losing value. Redirecting even a portion of this capital into productive investment through ETFs would support households, deepen our capital markets and benefit the wider economy. I also welcome the commitment in the budget to publish a funds review roadmap in the new year.”
“After eight years, investors face a tax liability on unrealised gains, often forcing them to sell part of their holding to meet the bill. This not only reduces their position in the fund but also undermines the power of compounding the very principle that underpins long-term investing. Alternatively, if investors set aside cash in advance, that money is denied the chance to generate additional returns. In both cases, a real opportunity cost arises. Removing deemed disposal would address this inefficiency and improve outcomes for savers. A further inequality lies in the treatment of loses. Under the capital gains tax regime, investors can offset loses against gains, reducing their overall liability. Under the exit tax applied to ETFs, however, no such offset is allowed.”
“Over recent months, many of my hardworking constituents have highlighted this rule as a significant barrier to effective financial planning. At a time when we should be encouraging responsible long-term saving and investment, the current system acts as a disincentive. I welcome the reduction in the exit tax rate announced in the budget from 41% to 38% but until we remove the deemed disposal rule, the problem remains. As the Minister will know, the funds sector 2030 review recommends the removal of the eight-year deemed disposal rule for Irish-domiciled funds and life assurance products and the alignment of tax rates for investment undertakings with the standard capital gains tax rate. The difficulty with deemed disposal is clear.”
“Budget 2026 has come at a time of global uncertainty with risks of tariffs and instability on the European Continent. This is a budget that seeks to invest in our future while securing the jobs, prosperity and stability that families and businesses depend on today. I also recognise that the programme for Government outlines progress on issues such as reducing childcare costs and college fees and removing the means test for the carer's allowance over multiple budgets. While these are longer term commitments, it is important we continue to take concrete steps each year to ensure families, carers and students see steady improvements in reducing the cost of vital services as well as the expansion of key supports for those who need them most. I take the opportunity to raise the issue of the deemed disposal for exchange traded funds, ETFs.”
“It is not even about Simon Harris; it is all about Peadar Tóibín, who demands democratic accountability while trying to convince the country that Ireland's democracy is broken because his preferred candidate for the Presidency could not convince enough Independent Oireachtas Members to help her to secure a nomination. The fact is that Ireland's democracy works because of its citizens. Irish voters make our democracy work.”
“I welcome the announcement by the Minister for Health that there will be an inquiry into the spina bifida and complex scoliosis service at Children's Health Ireland and that it will form part of a wider reflection on paediatric services. The Government must confront these failures openly and honestly, and is doing so. Peadar Tóibín said he would use the presidential election as a referendum on Simon Harris. His actions are not about families and children.”
“I raise the deemed disposal rule for exchange traded funds, ETF. I welcome the reduction in the exit tax rate announced in the budget, but the rule itself remains the difficulty. Under the deemed disposal rule, investors are taxed every eight years on gains they have not realised. This creates an opportunity cost for savers. To pay the tax, investors may need to liquidate part of their ETF holdings or use cash that otherwise could have remained invested, meaning the long-term growth is reduced and the benefits of compounding are not fully realised. In both cases, I am told, it penalises prudent, long-term investments. Will the Taoiseach indicate whether the Government has any short- or long-term plans to address the rule?”
“The level of the communication I have received on this shows that people appreciate their postal delivery service. I am fully aware of the period of transformation that An Post has been undergoing in recent years, which is a positive transformation, and the areas of potential growth. Nevertheless, we have to keep the basics working. When issues have been directly raised with An Post and people are told there has been no designated post person for that area for several months, that is quite frustrating. I recognise the changing role of An Post, but we have to get those basics right. I appreciate the Minister raising this directly on my behalf with An Post because these are issues that have been going on for over one year. They are not just affecting one part of the constituency; it is sporadically all parts of the constituency.”
“There are the same issues in Carpenterstown and Luttrellstown, where residents have said they have been getting extremely erratic deliveries for several months, including no letter deliveries for several days and parcels sitting in our delivery office for up to one week. The same issues are happening in Castleknock and Clonsilla when people are on holidays.”
“I welcome the Government's ongoing commitment to continue to provide the nationwide network of post offices with funding to ensure their sustainability and enhance the value they bring to local communities. As the Minister knows very well, it is not simply about delivering post; it is increasingly about connections and access to the world through a local service. My constituency is one of the largest in the country and is continuously growing, with a total of 4,000 homes built over five years. As the area expands, new estates, such as Kilmartin Grove in the area of Hollywoodrath, have recently faced problems with postal deliveries. The estate has not been logged for regular service by An Post, resulting in irregular deliveries and missed notices.”
“I ask the Government to look at reform and a tiered system of grants, and to give an update on any plans to reform the scheme to deliver more effectively for Irish SMEs. They need access to digital supports more than ever.”
“The trading online voucher was previously available to businesses of up to ten employees to help them move online, boost sales and access new markets. The Grow Digital voucher was then launched in September 2024 to be available to more businesses for more services, with more funding. In the 12 months since, there were only 150 applications across Ireland, with 139 approvals, so something is not working. The upper grant limit of €5,000 does not seem enough to incentivise cash-strapped SMEs to invest more of their own reserves in digital transition. It is not about the size of the budget allocation for the grant scheme; it seems to be the design. This is at a time when the EU Digital Decade reports are pointing to a worrying slowness in the pace of digital transition among Irish SMEs.”
“Approximately 10,000 people in Ireland develop shingles every year, two thirds of them over the age of 50. One in three of us who had chickenpox as children will develop shingles in our lifetime. The national immunisation advisory committee recommends five vaccines for older adults - flu, pneumococcal, Covid, shingles and RSV - yet only three are publicly funded. The shingles vaccine is available only to those who can pay for it, the cost being almost €500. This creates inequity, leaving many unprotected. Ireland is now an outlier, with 15 European countries, including the UK, France, Germany and Italy, already funding shingles vaccination for older and vulnerable people. Will the Taoiseach please consider adding shingles to the vaccination programme?”
“It is actually more of a policy document. It goes into the detail required to bring our remote-working policy to the next level, and it does include enhancing skills. It covers continued investment in digital infrastructure and community hubs. London School of Economics recently said that to make remote work more inclusive, governments and employers should focus on reskilling, promoting remote-capable sectors outside cities and improving digital infrastructure. Ireland is already leading the way. Let us keep going and capture the opportunities others are leaving behind.”
“The Minister of State has confirmed what I had set out, that Ireland is a leader in remote work. We cannot take that for granted, however, particularly when we see announcements about companies rowing back on hybrid arrangements. There are great benefits to diversifying the tax base while revitalising local economies and communities. There are 100,000 remote jobs advertised on job sites across Europe monthly. We can continue to position Ireland as a leader in remote work, but we have to actively target the jobs. We can do that by creating this pillar as part of our job creation strategy. We have FDI, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland but we can focus on landing more remote-work jobs in Ireland because of all the benefits that brings to local economies and communities. Grow Remote has published its pre-budget submission for 2026.”
“If we secured just 10% of the 100,000 fully remote jobs currently advertised across Europe on a monthly basis, it would generate an additional €100 million annually to the Exchequer.”
“The four-year-old making remote work framework has been successful but we now need a new national strategy that treats remote work as a pillar of job creation alongside foreign direct investment, FDI, and indigenous enterprise. That strategy should embed remote work into national job targets. We should create a unit within our enterprise ecosystem to attract international locationless jobs to Ireland. We must improve data collection so we know which jobs are truly remote, who is benefiting and how we can spread that. We should deliver a national remote work skills training plan for workers and SMEs to ensure that remote work is as accessible as possible. We need to continue investment in digital infrastructure and community hubs.”
“Of course, Ireland's digital connectivity strategy will deliver high-speed fibre broadband to over 1 million homes, farms and businesses by 2026, which is ahead of schedule. We need to protect and grow that success. Remote work needs to continue to be supported by targeted policy. There seems to be a global rowing back on remote work, often driven by hunches rather than evidence. Some argue that remote workers are less productive but studies, both at home and abroad, simply do not support that claim. For every remote job posting, there are more than twice as many applications compared with office-based roles. Workers want it and employers who want to attract top talent will continue to offer remote options. What comes next?”
“Remote work has given us the flexibility to juggle school drop-offs and pick-ups and still be present when it matters. It has allowed us to be the parents and professionals we want to be. Flexible and remote work arrangements have contributed to record levels of labour force participation. A recent Department of Finance report credited these arrangements with increasing the number of women in the workforce despite the ongoing challenges in childcare provision. Our success has not happened by chance. It has been driven by targeted policy. Our Rural Future rolled out nearly 400 connected hubs across the country. We had the making remote work strategy, which included Europe's largest State-funded remote work training scheme through Grow Remote, equipping workers and SMEs with the skills they need.”
“According to Grow Remote, the average salary of remote workers in Ireland is €63,000, which is significantly higher than the €43,000 average in the five lowest income counties. For every remote job, there is an additional 0.7 jobs created indirectly in the local economy. Securing more of these remote roles locally not only strengthens the local economy of towns and villages but also plays a vital role in driving balanced regional development across the country. Of course, it is not just about regional balance and renewal. On a personal note, as a mum of two children who lives in Dublin, I do not know how I would have managed to get elected or to keep up with the always-on nature of political life if my husband did not work remotely.”
“Ireland is a leader in remote working, and that is not by accident. Approximately 15% of people in Ireland work remotely on a full-time basis. That compares with an average of just 10% across Europe. Access to any form of hybrid or remote work stands at 37%, which is also higher than the European average. I want to speak specifically about the benefits of fully remote and locationless work, distinct from hybrid models. Hybrid arrangements, while highly valuable, still require proximity to the office and, therefore, have limitations on where employees can live. Fully remote work, however, opens up opportunities to every corner of the country, bringing the same high-quality job to Boyle in Roscommon as it does to Blanchardstown in Dublin West. It means that where you live no longer limits the work you do.”
“She is still €100 under the county average while the two nearest services can charge €250 and €300 more per month because they were established after her. How does the Minister envisage addressing sustainability issues and an equity between services through the action plan? We want to keep trusted services that have been operating for 20 years open.”
“Is it envisaged that the review will form part of the action plan? I am looking forward to that action plan because to address any of the issues in childcare, whether that be affordability or availability, we have to address all the issues in childcare, such as infrastructure, staff and retention and funding models. Does the Minister agree? Some of our small providers are struggling with core funding. I wish to give one example. A service opened in 2004 and it is a Montessori and after school. In those 20 years, the owner raised the fee twice. Each time it was less than 5%. She applied for a fee adjustment because she is desperate to keep her service open and stay in core funding. She was permitted to increase her full-time monthly fee by €4.40.”
“This is not just happening because developers want to sell crèches as houses. It is because we currently do not have a joined-up planning system that views the provision of childcare in local communities as essential. We have the opportunity to address that through the programme for Government. What are the timings? Will it be part of the action plan?”
“We have a rudimentary system from 2001, which provides that for every 75 homes the developer must provide 20 childcare places, but it is not working for a variety of reasons. The provision of childcare infrastructure cannot be based on such a basic formula alone. Like schools, we need a proper forward planning system based on demographics, assessment of need, new residential developments and that delivers appropriate childcare buildings based on the needs of that community. Instead, what we have now is crèches being built that are not fit for purpose or too expensive to be bought, kitted out and made financially viable for providers. We have empty crèches in areas of massive childcare demand. We have developers building crèches as future houses because they view them as a liability. They are trying to get out of building them.”