Erin McGreehan
Louth · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“The Tánaiste might have heard that there is a bit of excitement in Louth at the moment. I do not know if anyone has missed it, but Louth is into its first All-Ireland football semi-final since 1957. This is not just one brilliant season for Louth GAA, however. Louth GAA is on the rise and, thankfully, so too is our stadium.”
“Our stadium is becoming a field of dreams for all of us Gaelic lovers and sports lovers in County Louth. The county board, players and supporters are all doing their part and we ask the Government to finish the job.”
“It is great to have the Minister in the House this morning. I very much welcome the opportunity to have a discussion of a practical nature that will solve this issue and have really positive impacts on patients, staff and the wider health service across the north east.”
“The unit's reputation is such that people regularly travel there from well beyond Louth. There were lots of Dublin accents to be heard in the accident and emergency department when I was there last Saturday. They did not even know that Louth was playing on Sunday. It was all about Dublin.”
“There is one significant limitation, however. That is why I am speaking here this morning. It is slowing down or delaying some of the excellent work that is being carried out. At weekends, the X-ray department only operates from 12 noon until 8 p.m.”
“Every patient who can successfully be treated in Dundalk is one less patient for another hospital to treat. Extending X-ray availability across the entire opening hours of the minor injuries unit seven days a week would improve patient flow, reduce waiting times, enhance the patient experience and further reduce the pressure on the emerge…”
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“Our stadium is becoming a field of dreams for all of us Gaelic lovers and sports lovers in County Louth. The county board, players and supporters are all doing their part and we ask the Government to finish the job. Louth has shown we are ready to compete with the best on the pitch and I want the Government to help us build a stadium that matches that ambition and success. Who knows, if we keep winning we might come back here and ask for more money for a bigger stadium, but we will be happy with the money for our current plans.”
“The Tánaiste might have heard that there is a bit of excitement in Louth at the moment. I do not know if anyone has missed it, but Louth is into its first All-Ireland football semi-final since 1957. This is not just one brilliant season for Louth GAA, however. Louth GAA is on the rise and, thankfully, so too is our stadium. We have a valid application under the large-scale infrastructure fund for phase 2 of our project. Phase 1 is being built and is nearly finished. We are ready and we need to keep this funding going. Where projects elsewhere are not in a position to draw down their allocation, will the Department consider reprioritising funding towards projects that are ready to proceed? There is little point in having money sitting idle when communities are ready to deliver.”
“It is very rare one gets a really positive response like that in the House. This is great news for everyone in the entire north east. As I said, the minor injury clinic in Dundalk is an incredible resource for all families and people who live in the area. This is really positive news which shows that the work of the staff in Louth County Hospital in Dundalk has been seen to be successful. The HSE and the Minister are going to invest in that success in order to make sure that the clinic can maintain and expand its excellent services at weekends. I very much appreciate the Minister's work in this area and thank her for it.”
“Every patient who can successfully be treated in Dundalk is one less patient for another hospital to treat. Extending X-ray availability across the entire opening hours of the minor injuries unit seven days a week would improve patient flow, reduce waiting times, enhance the patient experience and further reduce the pressure on the emergency department in Drogheda. For that reason, I ask the Minister to examine the recruitment of an additional radiographer to allow full radiography cover throughout the unit's opening hours every day of the week. This is not about creating a new service. It is about strengthening and extending a service we already have. Gabhaim buíochas leis an Minister. I hope her response will be positive.”
“There is one significant limitation, however. That is why I am speaking here this morning. It is slowing down or delaying some of the excellent work that is being carried out. At weekends, the X-ray department only operates from 12 noon until 8 p.m. As a result, people who attend in the morning can face unnecessary delays while waiting for imaging. Those delays inevitably increase waiting times, creating frustration, and place additional pressure on staff who are doing everything possible with the resources available to them. This lack of service before 12 noon has a negative knock-on effect. This is not a resourcing issue. I hope it can be looked at and addressed. We all know that weekends are a really busy time for injuries units as a result of sporting events and family activities.”
“The unit's reputation is such that people regularly travel there from well beyond Louth. There were lots of Dublin accents to be heard in the accident and emergency department when I was there last Saturday. They did not even know that Louth was playing on Sunday. It was all about Dublin. People are travelling from north Dublin to County Louth because our minor injuries clinic is so good. As the Minister will know, the unit opens from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. It provides a really vital alternative to a really busy emergency department for patients with fractures, sprains, burns, wounds and other minor injuries. It is exactly the type of service we should continue to invest in. It has the same goal as many of us, which is to deliver the right care in the right place at the right time.”
“It is great to have the Minister in the House this morning. I very much welcome the opportunity to have a discussion of a practical nature that will solve this issue and have really positive impacts on patients, staff and the wider health service across the north east. The minor injury unit in Louth County Hospital, Dundalk, is one of the best services in the country. It serves the people of Louth well and we are immensely proud of it and grateful for it. I have spent many a Saturday there when my sons have been injured. We are very grateful that we do not have to go to Drogheda. Day after day, patients receive excellent care from dedicated doctors, nurses, radiographers, administrative staff and support staff. They are professional, effective and really efficient. I want to recognise all of them in this House.”
“Technology companies must be properly regulated and high-risk AI systems carefully monitored. We must also ensure that workers whose jobs may be affected by AI are supported to retrain and adapt, including through greater use of the National Training Fund to provide flexible upskilling and reskilling opportunities. Ireland has a huge opportunity. I am hugely ambitious about our role in this. We can be a leader not only in AI innovation, but also in AI readiness. This legislation is a really important step in building the foundations for that future. I am very pleased to support it.”
“If we get this right, AI could help us improve public services, support innovation, increase productivity and deliver breakthroughs in research, healthcare and education. However, those benefits will only be realised if we invest in people and equip them with the confidence and skills to engage with AI effectively. We must ensure transparency, accountability and inclusion remain at the heart of all of our approaches. New technology must empower people and not exclude them. That means paying particular attention to accessibility, disability inclusion and equal opportunities as AI systems become embedded in everyday life. AI must always serve the public good. Innovation cannot come at the expense of public trust, child safety or the rights of vulnerable people.”
“The office should become a national co-ordination hub, working closely with organisations like Skillnet Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, our local enterprise offices, higher education institutions, further education and training providers, schools and industry partners to drive AI awareness, adoption and skills development across our entire society. The reality is that AI is not something for the future; it is already here. Our challenge is to ensure that individuals, businesses, public services and communities are prepared. We need to build AI literacy across the population so that people understand both the opportunities and all the risks. At the same time, we must ensure that workers, students and enterprises have the practical skills needed to harness the benefits of these technologies.”
“It establishes the AI office in Ireland as an independent statutory body and ensures that appropriate oversight, accountability and enforcement mechanisms are in place. Importantly, it does not create additional burdens beyond those already provided for under EU law. Rather, it ensures that Ireland can meet its obligations effectively. As Chair of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, I particularly welcome the establishment of the AI office. I believe its role should be extended beyond regulation alone.”
“I very much welcome the opportunity to speak on the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill. I commend the Minister of State on bringing forward such important legislation and congratulate her on all the work she does in her brief. I wish her continued success in this area. As we all know, artificial intelligence is transforming how we live, work, learn and access services. It offers enormous opportunities in healthcare, education, scientific research, agriculture, and business innovation and productivity. However, those opportunities come with significant responsibilities. This Bill provides a necessary framework to implement and enforce the EU Artificial Intelligence Act in Ireland.”
“Such a partnership could support joint research projects, research and mobility, doctoral training programmes and innovation-led collaborations in areas where both our countries share strategic interests, such as healthcare, climate action, food security, AI and advanced technologies. The academic relationship between Ireland and the UK took a hit during Brexit and this an opportunity for us all.”
“There is a significant opportunity to place research, innovation, higher education and collaboration at the centre of any future conversations we have with regard to any UK-Ireland summits. The UK’s return to Horizon Europe is an important and welcome development. Restoring those research links will benefit both our islands. It should also encourage us to think more ambitiously about what additional bilateral initiatives could achieve. I propose that between now and the next UK-Ireland summit we consider the establishment of a dedicated UK-Ireland innovation and research partnership to complement Horizon Europe and deepen collaboration between our universities, researchers and industries.”
“I ask that the Cabinet consider expanding eligibility for the septic tank grant scheme so that every household with a defective system can access support regardless of geography. If we do not take that step, we are asking people to protect water quality without giving them the means to do so. There are close to 500,000 septic tanks in use across the State. The recent grant of €12,000 is welcome but the scheme remains far too narrowly focused. Most of the time, people fall outside the criteria. In practice, households can only access support if they fail an inspection or fall within specific priority areas. If we are really serious about protecting water quality, we cannot rely on this reactive scheme. We want to be proactive. We need to take a preventative approach that supports homeowners before pollution occurs.”
“Investment in these therapies is not simply a cost, it is an investment in better outcomes, longer lives and better quality of life. We must strengthen our commitment to clinical trials and research. I met Cancer Trials Ireland recently and heard how clinical trials are not only improving patient outcomes but also saving the State millions. They provide patients with access to cutting-edge treatment and help to build a stronger and more innovative health service. For patients living with rare diseases and cancer, every day matters and every delay is excruciating. Our responsibility is to ensure innovation does not stop at the laboratory door or the factory gate; it must reach the patient. It is a standard our healthcare system should be judged by and the standard our patients deserve.”
“Patients who are treated privately can often access new therapies far sooner than those who rely on the public health service. That is not equity. It is not what Sláintecare promised. It is not what the Irish healthcare system should be. Healthcare should be based on need rather than income. The chance of accessing a life-changing treatment for cancer, for example, or, indeed, a rare disease should never depend on a person's financial circumstances. That is why an early access programme for innovative medicines is essential. Patients with rare diseases and cancer should not have to wait for years to access treatments that have already demonstrated significant benefit elsewhere. We also need a greater and more sustainable budget for new and innovative medicines.”
“Too often, however, Irish patients are upon the last to benefit. We have seen this recently in the context of heartbreaking battles to get people care and treatment. The drugs highlighted in the media recently are givinostat and Skyclarys. I congratulate my colleagues Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan and Senator Teresa Costello on the strong and diligent work that they have done in relation to these two drugs. Thankfully, givinostat has been approved but people with Friedreich's ataxia are waiting for Skyclarys to be approved. This inequity is to be found across the entire healthcare sector, including in the areas of rare diseases and cancer. We have effectively developed a two-tier system where access to innovative medicines can depend on whether a person has private health insurance or on their ability to pay.”
“Patients need to see real and tangible improvements. One of the greatest frustrations for patients is that scientific advances are moving faster than our ability to deliver such advances to the people who need them. Ireland is a global leader in pharmaceutical innovation. We manufacture some of the most advance medicines in the world. We are rightly proud of the jobs this creates, the investment it attracts and the contribution the sector makes to our economy. There is a desperate contradiction at the heart of our system that we cannot continue to ignore. The medicines are developed here. The innovations happen here. Our researchers, scientists and healthcare professionals are helping to drive breakthroughs that are changing lives across the world. Our economy benefits enormously from that innovation.”
“I very much welcome the opportunity to speak on rare diseases. An estimated 300,000 people in Ireland are living with rare diseases. For their families, the challenges are absolutely immense. Too many face long waits for diagnosis, fragmented care and difficulties accessing treatments that could significantly improve or extend their lives. While each rare disease may affect a small number of people, collectively, rare diseases affect one in 17 people in this country. This is not a niche issue; it is a national issue. The Oireachtas and the Government need to work together to make sure that there is a national response. I welcome the National Rare Disease Strategy 2025-2030 and the commitment to improving diagnosis, care, research and access to medicines. Strategies alone do not change lives, however.”
“I very much welcome the publication of the revised national digital and AI strategy. It recognises that AI and digital technologies are transforming how we do business and compete in the global economy. Will the Taoiseach outline how the strategy will support our SMEs in County Louth and across the country to adopt AI and digital technologies in a practical way? Skillnet is at the forefront of this process. It works directly with businesses and workers to help develop the skills needed for improved productivity and to remain competitive. I believe we need to front-load funding to unlock this potential. This strategy needs to strengthen collaboration between industry, Skillnet and our higher and further education sector to build the talent pipeline needed for Ireland’s digital future.”
“I appreciate the Taoiseach's Department's ongoing work on disability. One aspect that is often overlooked is funding to support local authorities to have disability access officers and funding to back up their work by making accessibility a default and improving the quality of life for many people, including their access to towns and villages. I would like to see dedicated funding for those people.”
“On the other hand, those who rely on the public system may face delays and fewer options. I accept that more money is going into access to drugs than ever before. However, the next cancer strategy has to keep pace with science. The reimbursement schemes have to improve.”
“We have a problem. I am deeply concerned that our health service is falling behind when it comes to access to advanced cancer treatments, modern medicine and orphan drugs. Science innovation, as the Taoiseach knows, is moving at an extraordinary pace. New oncology medicines are helping people to live longer and survive cancer. In the context of diseases that once involved devastating outcomes, people now retain a far better quality of life after treatment. However, in Ireland, access depends far too often on whether people have private health insurance. This is not the health system we want. It is not the health system Sláintecare envisioned either. We are increasingly seeing a two-tier system in cancer care. If people have private cover, they can often access new treatments earlier.”
“We need tougher inspections, stronger regulation and meaningful fines for those who continue to sell invasive plant species that damage our ecosystems and waterways. Prevention, as we all know, is cheaper than restoration and once invasive species take hold, communities are left fighting the consequences. County councils and governments are caught paying the bill. National Biodiversity Week should remind us that nature is not separate from us. It is part of who we are as a people. If we fail to protect it now, future generations will not forgive us.”
“In places across the Cooleys, bracken is growing out of control, choking the natural growth of our native heathers and slowly changing the character of the mountains. Anyone who knows the Cooleys knows they should carry a distinctive purple plume across the hillsides in late summer. The beautiful bell heathers are unique to these uplands and so important to pollinators, wildlife and the identity of the area. If we lose that habitat through neglect or lack of support, we lose something culturally and environmentally irreplaceable. We also need to be far more serious about how we deal with invasive species. I welcome the establishment of the new invasive species bureau, but it cannot become another strategy to sit on a shelf. It has to come with proper enforcement.”
“Without pollinators we do not have functioning ecosystems, secure food production and healthy biodiversity. That is why I call for the Protection of the Native Irish Honey Bee Bill to be progressed and passed through the Dáil. This legislation is necessary. It is about protecting Ireland's native honey bee population from further decline and safeguarding biodiversity before irreversible damage is done. If we are serious about it, we need to protect pollinators. We must also recognise the importance of supporting farmers and local communities who are custodians of landscapes like the Cooley Mountains. They cannot be expected to protect biodiversity without being given the proper tools, training and financial support to do so.”
“Hundreds of insect species depend on it for food and shelter, while its blossoms feed pollinators and its berries sustain the birds through winter. Long before biodiversity reports existed, communities understood that protecting those trees meant protecting life itself. Under Brehon Law, native trees were protected because they were understood to be a central part of society. Today, modern science is confirming what our ancestors already knew. Healthy ecosystems protect communities, agriculture, climate resilience and human well-being. We cannot speak honestly about biodiversity without speaking directly to our pollinators. Our native honey bee and wild pollinators are under enormous pressure of habitat loss, pesticide disease and invasive species.”
“One that stayed with me was that of the holly tree. Associated with strength, sportsmanship and champions, in ancient Ireland the holly symbolised endurance and leadership. It could symbolise the Fianna Fáil party as well. Cú Chulainn carries a sprig of holly and Lú the warrior god, after whom County Louth is named, made his spears from holly. It is not only attached to Fianna Fáil but to County Louth. There is something Irish about the idea that true strength is steady, protective and deeply rooted. I also think of the lone hawthorn trees standing in fields across rural Ireland. Many farmers would sooner move a road than interfere with one. Some people dismiss these traditions as superstition but there is wisdom in them. The hawthorn is one of the richest native trees we have for biodiversity.”
“It is great to be here to acknowledge and mark National Biodiversity Week. It is clear in this House that there is huge interest in this as an environmental issue. It is all around us, in our hedgerows, boglands, rivers, coastlines and the native trees that have shaped the story of this island for centuries. Biodiversity is our national heritage, particularly our native Irish trees. That is not just for their environmental value, but for the history, folklore and identity attached to them. That interest has led me to start Míle Crainn Na hÉireann. That was an initiative encouraging communities, schools and families to plant native Irish trees and reconnect with their ecological heritage, spreading the knowledge and the importance of our native flora. Growing up I always loved the stories attached to our trees.”
“There are a huge number of opportunities for all-island co-operation. This Government has led on the first all-island university in the partnership between DkIT and Queen's. We work together, study together and live together and all along the border it is seamless. However, when it comes to healthcare there are a lot of barriers. There are examples of where you can get dialysis in the North if you are a southern patient. Increased co-operation can only be good for Border communities. If we are looking at furthering the health and well-being of all our people on the island, increased capacity in our healthcare North and South can only be better if we work together. I would love an update on that.”
“We have to stand tall and ensure we put pressure on the digital media companies to stamp it out. They have responsibility.”
“I appreciate the strong line the Minister is taking on this. It is positive that this will be the single line of importance for his Department during the European Union Presidency. It is important we take a zero-tolerance approach to this and that we look after our children. As I said, it is a public health issue. The damage it has caused to our children will stay with them. I also extend that to online social media in general for all of us in the country. People would not dare say the things they say online to people as they walk down the street. If they cannot say it to someone's face, they should not say it online. Everyone in this House has been a victim of nonsense being said about them online. When we meet those people in person, however, they are as quiet as mouses.”
“I thank the Minister for that overview. As a parent, I am supremely worried about online technology harms. To a person on the street, it seems we have a wait-and-see approach. I feel child welfare is quite often dismissed due to our dependence on technology companies in the Irish economy, not by the Government but that is what it is seen as quite regularly. We see younger and younger children accessing mental health supports. We have to acknowledge the correlation between social media and online harms and our children's mental health. I see this as a public health issue, on which we must act fast. I am glad to hear the Minister is making this a priority during the European Presidency because we have to make it a priority. He mentioned that the code of conduct came into effect in 2025. Does it work? What are the results?”
“It shows why it is important to listen to victims. It shows why it is important to have proper safeguarding in our hospitals. It shows why it is important that victims be believed, trusted and minded. An awful lot of this is just about minding people, looking after them and giving them some dignity. We owe it to the victims and to those who were abused as wee children to see this through fully, properly and without delay.”
“We have to make sure this is being done not only for the victims who came forward but also to ensure that what occurred never happens again, that there is safeguarding and that there is a trusted structure to report abuse. Victims are always silenced. They are always afraid that they will not be heard and they will not be believed. If there is a process in place as a default, they will come forward. We cannot change what happened in the past but we can change what could happen in the future and ensure the statutory inquiry has a strong focus on patient safety and sexual abuse prevention. Lessons must not simply be documented and thought about but acted upon. It would do us all well to listen to the stories and testimony of victims of Michael Shine because doing so grounds us in a dark, dark time for this country.”
“It shows what can occur when Government actually listens, properly engages and places survivors at the centre of the process rather than at its margins. That is where it is at. As a Senator in the previous Seanad, I worked very closely with an awful lot of victims of the mother and baby homes. They very much felt outside every single framework. That is where we failed miserably regarding the related scoping inquiries. We forgot the victim. We cannot move on to the next stage if we do not do well on this stage. We have to make sure that all the buildings and settings in which Michael Shine abused the children are taken into consideration. This has to be the first part of a two-stage process.”
“It is important that the Government continue to listen to Dignity4Patients. I echo what other representatives have said here today about supporting and funding Dignity4Patients because of what it has been doing over decades, on a shoestring, to support so many victims. There are hundreds of victims. I hope a statutory inquiry is to come. The victims trust Dignity4Patients and we owe them respect. We owe Dignity4Patients so much in this House and we need to respect that. I very much acknowledge the work of Mr. Lorcan Staines SC and Gemma McLoughlin-Burke JC because the feedback I am getting from the survivors is really positive. The work is very important and really matters after years of frustration and mistrust. We have to keep it up and keep listening to the victims.”
“Thank God we have had representatives like Deputy Nash and others to speak out about this and represent, in these Houses and other places, the people affected, the whistleblowers and everyone who, against all odds and to the detriment of their careers, spoke out against this absolute demon who abused so many. I cannot use the words I wish to put on the record of the House because they would be very unparliamentary. It is only when you hear the stories and look into the eyes of the men involved, the victims, that you realise what occurred. It is those eyes that I look at. I look at the wee pictures of what the men looked like as children. You look at your own children and think, “Jesus, it could be my wee boys. It could be my brothers.” It could be anyone. It could be any of us.”
“You want to do justice to them and their trauma every time you come into these Houses to speak about them, but the truth is that none of us in here really can. The only way in which we can push for them is to make sure we listen to them now. Having listened to Deputy Nash, who has been to the forefront of this since he entered elected office, I note it is very rare that all the Louth TDs stand in this place in complete agreement. All of us knew what was going on. Everyone from County Louth and from our home knew about it. Even I, as a child, knew about Michael Shine nearly as a verb, not understanding what was involved, the abuse or its consequences. The reason we did not understand is because the victims were silenced and everything was in place to protect Michael Shine, the hospital and the authorities.”
“I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O’Donnell, for being here today. I welcome the opportunity to speak on the long-awaited and much-needed scoping exercise on the disgusting paedophile Michael Shine. He abused his position. In a depraved manner, he took advantage of his perceived respectability, and the trust we usually place in the medical profession, to abuse hundreds of patients. Today, I acknowledge and pay tribute to the courage of those victims – the survivors who have carried this burden for decades and who were denied not only justice but also any semblance of support in dealing with the pain and trauma of their abuse. I always get nervous when I speak about these things because they are so deeply personal to so many.”
“Will the clearing house be expanded to look at all renewable energy options, including how we can scale up and de-risk renewable energy generation, produce things like green hydrogen, develop biomethane and use alternatives like hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, for transport, which allow us to replace imported fossil fuels across the economy and not just in electricity?”
“I welcome the establishment of the offshore wind energy clearing house. This shows how important the Government thinks energy security is and how important it is that we achieve it. As we all know, Ireland is dangerously exposed when it comes to energy. We are still far too reliant on imported fossil fuels, leaving our citizens and the economy at the mercy of global volatility. We have seen the consequences of that in recent weeks with soaring bills, uncertainty and pressure on households and businesses. We must move decisively from volatility to stability. Offshore wind is, as the Taoiseach will be aware, central to the transition, but we must match ambition with delivery. There are huge opportunities for Ireland to scale up.”
“We need to derisk that transition. We need to clear the funding pathways and the timelines that industry can work to. We have an incredible strategy from the Department of environment on hydrogen and alternative fuels, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil, HVO, for heavy goods vehicles, HGVs, and all of these things, but we have to make sure we are working on it. The Minister of State will be leading out on many of our meetings during the European Presidency. Ireland needs to lead on this. Europe needs to lead on this. Energy and renewable energy need to be a key target and aim of the European Presidency.”
“If we do not step up, not only will we fail ourselves but we will also weaken Europe’s overall energy security and competitiveness. If we talk about creating the resilience to move to stability, we know that oil and gas markets are hugely volatile and that geopolitical shocks can trigger sudden price hikes. We also know there will be another oil crisis. It is not a question of if but, rather, whether we will be ready for it and whether we are preparing right now because we are too exposed. This is why we need to move faster. Other speakers have spoken in this regard. We need to ensure we are moving on this. With regard to Deputy Ó Cearúil’s contribution around nuclear energy, it is 40 years away in Ireland if we look to it, but hydrogen energy is not. It is a new technology but it can be a huge part of the solution.”
“It would support offshore wind deployment, create jobs and anchor long-term economic activity in the region. Potential does not deliver jobs, however; decisions supported by Government and made in this House do. I have huge ambition for this country. We can be a global leader in renewable energy, not just a participant in it. We can harness our natural resources to not only create energy but export it. We have that expertise. In reality, we have been talking about this for far too long. The European Council has set out the direction to accelerate renewables, invest in infrastructure and build the systems that will allow us to reduce dependence on the volatile fossil fuel markets, but Europe needs countries like us to deliver on it. We are not just part of the solution; we can be absolutely central to it.”
“That is not a strategy; it is a risk. Other speakers have spoken about how this is a risk we can do something about. We are not short of resources. Rather, we and the European Union are short of urgency. I hope this latest crisis will ensure the EU moves faster. I see these opportunities in County Louth every single day. We have wind and water resources as well as the geographic position. We have a skills base. The Minister of State knows the county very well. Crucially, we have the infrastructural potential, particularly in places like Greenore Port. Greenore Port, as the Minister of State knows, has the potential to become the key operations and maintenance port for offshore wind in the Irish Sea. That is not pie in the sky; it is a practicable and deliverable project. It has planning permission.”
“It is great to have an opportunity to speak about the European Council meeting. The message could not be clearer from Europe and Ireland that we are operating in a far more volatile and uncertain world. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are driving our instability, and that instability is driving directly into energy prices and supply chains. People are facing the consequences of that in the form of cost-of-living increases. Energy is right at the centre of that. The Council has acknowledged as much. When fossil fuel prices spike, Europe suffers. We remain far too exposed to forces we cannot control. We have a huge challenge and crisis at the minute, but we have to take this as an opportunity to move from volatility to stability. Ireland cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels and hope for that stability.”
“It is important that we do. With the EU Presidency, Ireland has a real opportunity to be a leader. Ireland is an economic success story, but with Ireland's Presidency of the EU let us make sure that we are cushioning ourselves and that we have a strong Europe, a strong Ireland and a strong economy.”
“I thank the Minister. It is really good to hear about all the work that is going on in Ireland and the EU. We know the Minister is in agreement that our economic future and our social cohesion really depends on how we maintain those strong trade relationships and how we respond to real pressures that people are facing on the ground with energy costs and food security. I am very glad to hear that the EU Presidency has a clear focus on this. We need a strong focus on diversification to cushion our economy from shocks. The latest energy crisis is only the latest, and there will inevitably be another one ahead. Before the next crisis, Ireland and Europe really need to stand up to make sure we protect our economy and citizens from the whims of global leaders.”