Frankie Feighan
Sligo-Leitrim · Fine Gael · Ireland
“Among patients reviewed after 12 months of treatment, there was an 88% reduction in episodes of cellulitis, an 80% reduction in hospitalisations associated with cellulitis, significant reductions in GP and public health nurse visits, and reduced demand on both acute and community services.”
“This will deliver an additional 263 positions to the service and will particularly help to support capacity building in our front-line emergency services.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this important matter in the House. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I am aware of the issues raised by the Senator. He will appreciate that neither I nor the HSE can comment on any individual case.”
“I can confirm to the Seanad that we are currently progressing development of a third HEMS to serve the west and north west regions, including the mid-west, and planning for the new HEMS is well advanced.”
“In my opening statement, I focused mainly on aeromedical services in Ireland, particularly the helicopter emergency medical resourcing, HEMS, to provide access to emergency patient care for the people of the mid-west region, including west Clare.”
“On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, I thank Senator Conway for the opportunity to update the House on the delivery of aeromedical services for the people of west Clare and the surrounding area.”
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Every one of 489 lines we hold for Frankie Feighan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 10.
“I thank Senator Curley for his passionate and informative contribution. Provision of school places, including special education places, to meet the needs of our young people is an absolute priority for the Department. It is a priority for the Senator. The Department will continue to work with and support schools to ensure there are sufficient places for all students. I will bring the Senator's very important message back to the Minister. Again, I thank him for raising this important issue in the Seanad.”
“Budget 2026 recently provided funding for a further 3,000 special class and special school places to be provided for the 2026-27 school year. The NCSE sanctioned 407 new special classes, and over 300 new special school places are being provided for the 2025-26 school year. To improve future planning for the next school year, families were encouraged to engage with the NCSE by 1 October 2025 for the 2026-27 school year, four months earlier than in previous years. The earlier timeline will assist the NCSE in approaching local schools to open new special classes earlier. The earlier timeline is also being introduced to provide more time for the establishment of new special classes and additional special school capacity.”
“The project will provide 14 mainstream classrooms, three science laboratories, a textiles room, a design and communications graphics-technical graphics room, an art room, one technology preparation area, ancillary accommodation and a four-classroom special educational needs base. This project is currently at stage 2a of the architectural planning process. A stage 2a submission was received and reviewed by the Department, but as the submission did not include all the necessary information, a revised stage 2a report was requested. This has been received and is undergoing review from both a technical and a cost perspective. Once this review is complete, the Department will contact GRETB and provide guidance on the next steps for this project.”
“The project has progressed and the Department is awaiting the confirmation of project completion to issue the final payment. The school was also previously approved to enter the Department's pipeline for a project under the additional school accommodation scheme to provide six mainstream classrooms. This project was completed in September 2022. St. Brigid's College was approved to enter the Department's pipeline for a project under the additional school accommodation scheme and is devolved for delivery to Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board, GRETB. A design team has been appointed to progress the project through the necessary architectural stages of design, statutory approvals, procurement and construction.”
“Again, I thank the Senator. I am sure his timely intervention today has helped to bring the project to stage 2a. I thank him for that. This is what politics is all about. We meet our communities and stakeholders on issues and bring them to the Oireachtas. I am delighted that the project has reached stage 2a. The Senator said he is not going to rest on his laurels. I look forward to his working with the school management team, the principal and the parents and to his raising this matter with the Minister and on the floor of this Chamber. That is what it is about. Sometimes departmental units and design teams do not reach a certain stage, for one reason or another. Therefore, it is no harm to have the Senator on the ground to keep us all in touch and motivated. I know myself that this is what it is about. I thank the Senator very much.”
“With regard to the roll-out of large-scale projects and additional school accommodation scheme projects, the approach will be to continue to maximise the capacity of the existing school estate as much as possible in the first instance and provide necessary additional capacity through targeted and prioritised project roll-out over the course of the period 2026 to 2030 to meet the most urgent and prioritised needs. The Department remains committed to providing ongoing guidance and practical supports in the delivery of the project. The Senator has raised the very disturbing issue of bats, rodents and other pests and feels the school is deteriorating rapidly. I will relay the issues raised to the Minister.”
“Approximately 80% of new special classes in the 2025–26 school year are being facilitated in repurposed classroom accommodation. In July, the Government announced a capital allocation of €7.55 billion for the Department of Education and Youth for the period 2026 to 2030 under the national development plan. As part of the plan’s allocation, the Department will place a strong emphasis on provision for children with special educational needs, with a particular focus on meeting annual school place needs.”
“The project for Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty, has recently been granted approval to progress to stage 2a, the developed design stage, of the architectural design process. At this juncture, it is not feasible to give an indicative timeline for delivery. However, the Department will continue to engage directly with CEIST to provide assistance in respect of the project, as required. Since 2020, the Department has invested over €6 billion in schools throughout the country under the national development plan, involving the completion of over 1,300 schools building projects. In addition, repurposing and optimisation of existing accommodation capacity across the school estate has been the key enabler of timely, local provision of special-class capacity in a way that supports best practice in inclusion and integration.”
“I thank the Senator for raising this important issue, namely the need to provide an update on the proposed building works at Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty, and when those works will be progressed to the next stage. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. I thank the Senator for his congratulations. It is great to be back in the Seanad. I was elected to the Seanad on two occasions and believe a Commencement matter is an important way to address issues that arise in all constituencies. This is a very new and vibrant Seanad and it has many first-time Senators. I see five of these in front of me from all parties and the Independents. The Seanad is a wonderful platform to work from.”
“The Minister thanks the Red Door Project for its important work in the area to date. I will bring the Senator's concerns back to the Minister. She talked about a local initiative and I think all the stakeholders can work together to achieve what is best for the people in Drogheda. I will take her message back to the Minister.”
“Again, I praise the great work done by the Red Door Project, other agencies and all stakeholders to put Drogheda in a much better place after the horrific events of a number of years ago. I assure the Senator that the Government is committed to building stronger safer communities and is deeply aware of the impact that drugs and drug-related crime can have on communities. The Government's approach to the misuse of drugs is set out in Ireland's national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery. It is a health-led approach to drug and alcohol use in Ireland. It represents a whole-of-government approach to reduce demand and associated harms. I appreciate the great work the Red Door Project and the Ana Liffey Drug Project have done. The work of community-based organisations is vital to achieving these aims.”
“It is the intention that the Ana Liffey Drug Project, which has previous experience working in the region, will have a number of staff based on site in County Louth delivering services locally.”
“The EOI process stipulated a number of specific requirements from the successful organisation, including to: work with the Louth Probation Service team to deliver services within the drug treatment court model and the joint agency response to crime model; be available for priority individual referral from the County Louth probation team; and have a restorative justice focus and ethos throughout its service. Several applications were received from community-based organisations, including the Red Door Project. The process has now concluded and a preferred service provider has been selected by the Probation Service. The Ana Liffey Drug Project was chosen as part of this process, due to its extensive experience in this field of work.”
“Several actions from the implementation plan related specifically to the Red Door Project and the delivery of services to the community through that project. Among other interventions delivered by a variety of agencies, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration resourced a drug court liaison worker and administrative supports from October 2021 to October 2025 through the Red Door Project on a temporary basis. The Probation Service launched an expression of interest, EOI, process earlier this year to provide support and interventions to Probation Service clients assigned by the County Louth Probation Service team and to expand its services in the area. The closing date for receipt of applications was 17 October 2025.”
“I was very anxious to support them in every way. The project has great governance and does great work on the ground, which is something I am very aware of. The Probation Service has never directly funded any services provided by the Red Door Project. The Red Door Project received funding for specific posts under the Drogheda report implementation plan, published by the Department of Justice in 2021. The Drogheda implementation board was established in 2021 to oversee the implementation of the report, Drogheda: Building a Bridge to a Better Future, and is an example of how the Government is prioritising building stronger, safer communities. The Drogheda implementation board's term came to an end in December 2024.”
“It was great to see the Senators in the Dáil yesterday for the visit of President Zelenskyy. It was nice to see the Acting Chairperson, Senator Nicole Ryan, name-checked by the political commentator Gavan Reilly. The Minister thanks the Senator for raising this important matter for discussion. As we are all aware, the Red Door Project is a community-based organisation in Drogheda, County Louth, providing assistance and support to those individuals, families and the wider community affected by drug use. As the Senator said, it is not just another service. I am very aware of the Red Door Project and all the great work it does. When I was Minister of State with responsibility for the national drugs strategy and health and well-being, I met people from the Red Door Project on numerous occasions. I am very much aware of the great work they do.”
“Over many years when I was growing up, I saw the great work that a lot of the leaders did for all the young men. Unfortunately, there were some who stepped absolutely out of line and those issues are being dealt with today. I again thank Deputy Buckley for raising this issue.”
“As previously outlined, child safeguarding in Scouting Ireland and all funded organisations working with children and young people is a matter that is taken extremely seriously by the Department. Departmental officials are satisfied that safeguarding is a priority for Scouting Ireland and that the organisation has appropriate safeguarding structures in place. There continues to be ongoing engagement between departmental officials and Scouting Ireland and this engagement, including the continued effective implementation of the processes and governmental structures that I have outlined to the Deputy, provide assurance that robust safeguarding measures are in place in Scouting Ireland. Deputy Buckley raised some very historical issues. I am sorry that was not the case many years ago. However, I compliment Scouting Ireland.”
“Its 2024 progress report showed that 33,985 young people were taking part in scouting as members of 392 groups, led by over 7,000 volunteers. The Department is committed to supporting the important work carried out by Scouting Ireland. I hear Deputy Buckley's message loud and clear. There are some aspects of it that the Department maybe cannot deal with, but I will bring his views back to the Minister.”
“It is a requirement for renewal of funding under the youth services grant scheme that funded organisations, including Scouting Ireland, meet the following conditions: that the organisation adheres to national child protection guidelines and procedures; that the organisation has policies in line with legislation, on the Children First Act 2015 and Garda vetting; that the organisation's recruitment and selection processes are in line with the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012-2016; that the organisation has a child protection policy and accompanying procedures; that the organisation's board review their child safeguarding policy, to ensure it abides by all legal requirements, and have written procedures in place. Scouting Ireland is an important part of the youth sector in Ireland.”
“In 2025, €251,377 of Scouting Ireland's overall YSGS grant of €1,504,312 was ring-fenced for this safeguarding office. Since 2023, Scouting Ireland has been submitting regular reports to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and, following the transfer of youth functions, to the Department of Education and Youth. The reports received to date have been reviewed by officials and have been deemed satisfactory. Ongoing engagement between officials and Scouting Ireland indicates that safeguarding is a strong focus and priority for Scouting Ireland, and that robust safeguarding structures are in place.”
“Today, Scouting Ireland has a well resourced safeguarding office, supported by dedicated funding from the Department of Education and Youth. As a major recipient of funding under the youth services grant scheme, YSGS, officials from the Department engage regularly with Scouting Ireland to ensure proper governance in relation to funding from the Department and to ensure that the organisation has adequate child safeguarding structures in place. Officers from the youth affairs unit, which administers the youth services grant scheme, hold biannual governance meetings with the board and senior management of Scouting Ireland. Safeguarding is a standing item on the agenda for these meetings. As I mentioned, since 2019 dedicated funding has been provided to Scouting Ireland to support its safeguarding office.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this very harrowing and distressing matter, which I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton. Child safeguarding in Scouting Ireland is a matter that is taken extremely seriously by the Department. As the Deputy is aware, Scouting Ireland is a voluntary organisation and a registered charity governed by an independent board of directors. It receives an annual grant from the Department of Education and Youth under youth services grants. Scouting Ireland receives the majority of its funding through membership subscriptions and fund-raising. I believe that Scouting Ireland would acknowledge that young people were not always properly protected in the past in the scouting movement.”
“Again, many thanks to the Deputy for her best wishes in my new role as a Minister of State. She has made some very important interventions regarding her area. I am familiar with that area and new schools are only established in areas of demographic growth as the resources available for school infrastructure have to be prioritised to meet the needs of areas of significant population increase to ensure every child has a school place. The Department continues to liaise with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in respect of the county development plan and any associated local area plans with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across school planning areas. The Deputy has brought very important issues to the House and I will raise them with the Minister.”
“The Department is aware of planned residential developments and has regular engagement with local authorities regarding the progress of the proposed developments. I take on board what the Deputy said about the topographical issue in the area and the fact she has asked the Minister to visit Our Lady of the Wayside National School. Is it Ms Leahy or Ms Touhy?”
“A lower threshold of 400 students may apply to Gaelcholáistí, having regard to the alternative of establishing an Irish-medium unit in an English-medium school. There are fewer than 600 post-primary schoolgoing children and young people living in the Kilternan school planning area. Capacity has been provided in post-primary schools in neighbouring areas to cater for this demand. The demand for primary school places is being catered for in the three existing primary schools in the Kilternan school planning area, including, as the Deputy mentioned, Our Lady of the Wayside National School, which has a capital project to extend from 12 to 16 mainstream classrooms and SEN facilities. Therefore, there are no plans at present to establish new primary or post-primary schools in the Kilternan school planning area.”
“Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the circumstances of each case and may be provided through utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools, extending the capacity of a school or schools and provision of a new school or schools. If additional accommodation is required, the aim is to try and facilitate this as much as possible by way of expansion of existing schools rather than establishing new schools. The expansion of existing schools is consistent with wider Government objectives under Project Ireland 2040 for an increased emphasis on compact growth. In respect of post-primary schools, new post primary schools must have a student enrolment capacity of 600 to 1,000 students and must be coeducational.”
“Major new residential developments have the potential to alter the demand for school places at a local level. In that regard, as part of the demographic demand analysis, the Department monitors planning and construction activity in the residential sector. This involves the analysis of data sources from local authorities and the CSO along with the engagement with local authorities and the construction sector. In this way, up-to-date information on significant new residential developments is obtained and factored into the demographic analysis exercise. This is necessary to ensure schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes at a local level where there is a constantly-evolving picture with planned new residential development.”
“I thank the Deputy very much. I thank her also for raising this very important Topical Issue on the need for schools in the Kilternan school planning area. I am pleased to have the opportunity to describe, on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Naughton, how the Department keeps the requirement for school places under review. In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a geographical information system with data from a range of sources, including CSO census data, child benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.”
“In these circumstances, however, the Minister for Transport has proposed a counter motion as outlined earlier by my ministerial colleague.”
“A total of 27 incidents involved mountain rescues, 21 incidents involved medical evacuations of personnel from vessels at sea and the rest involved missions, such as assisting An Garda Síochána with missing persons searches. I reiterate the continued delivery of safe, efficient and affective aviation services for the Irish Coast Guard is the overarching priority for the Government and the safety of SAR crew is of paramount concern. On behalf of the Minister for Transport, the Minister does not have any role in the regulatory oversight of this essential State service or the contracted service providers as the Coast Guard services are regulated by the Irish Aviation Authority. However, I have listened. There have been some interesting and informed submissions here. I will bring them back to the Minister.”
“Consultation on the draft aeronautical notice is ongoing. The application of the fatigue risk management system regulation, which is in accordance with the international best practice for aviation, will be reflected in the draft aeronautical notice and further underlines the increased focus on crew member safety. The Coast Guard search and rescue aviation service has and will be significantly enhanced when this new contract has fully transitioned. Over the past 12 months, the Coast Guard aviation service was deployed 929 times, saving 461 lives and assisting another 376. Approximately half of the deployments were assistance to the health service. Over 120 involved evacuations of injured or sick persons from offshore islands.”
“Bristow Ireland Limited continues to actively engage with CHCI staff who wish to take up a position with Bristow in advance of them moving to the new positions and contracts. Crews continue to operate 24-hour shifts under flight time limitation rules and a fatigue risk management system as required by the IAA. The Department of Transport has been invited to comment on a draft IAA aeronautical notice that will set flight time limitations and rest requirements and will better reflect the application of fatigue risk management systems for the Irish Coast Guard operations replacing the current aeronautical notice No. O.58 for generic helicopter operations. This draft regulation does not alter total flight time, duty periods or standby treatment, which remains aligned with council directive 2000/79/EC and SI No. 507/2006.”
“The new contract operated by Bristow Ireland Limited will increase the capacity and capability of the Coast Guard to provide a range of essential services of strategic importance to the State, including maritime and inland search and rescue, aeromedical support, maritime environmental monitoring and aviation support to other State entities. As stated, a key feature of the transition to date has been the engagement by the new service provider, Bristow Ireland Limited, with the employee representative organisations, Fórsa, Unite and the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association, IALPA. This engagement resulted in Bristow subsequently concluding collective bargaining agreements, CBAs, with three organisations.”
“The transition to the new aviation contract with newer, more technologically advanced helicopters is delivering a better service that is able to respond and operate in a wider range of areas. The Coast Guard's new fixed-wing aircraft services has enhanced search and rescue and pollution monitoring capabilities and is available to support other State agencies where necessary. The Minister particularly recognises the critical importance of this service to our offshore island communities which rely on the Irish Coast Guard to provide day- and night-time aeromedical support.”
“Both service operators have the necessary IAA approvals to operate search and rescue services on behalf of the Irish Coast Guard. These include approvals and compliance with the Organisation of Working Time Act. The Department of Transport is prioritising the safe and effective transition of the aviation contract without interruption of service and is ensuring the two contracted operators, CHCI and BIL, are providing the capacity, expertise and resources to maintain safe search and rescue operations on a 24-7 basis across all areas of the country throughout this process and continuing to provide a high standard of service to mariners, maritime and offshore communities and wider State support, particularly to the health service.”
“To reiterate, the Minister for Transport has no regulatory oversight of the contracted services provided by the Irish Coast Guard aviation service. The Irish Aviation Authority, IAA, is the competent regulatory authority and it is tasked, for the purpose of this lifesaving aviation service, with ensuring oversight, compliance and enforcement of all relevant national, EU and European Union Aviation Safety Agency regulations. As previously stated, currently, two contracted service providers provide the Irish Coast Guard search and rescue aviation service in the State. The service is currently transitioning from CHCI to the new service provider, Bristow Ireland Limited, BIL. The transition will be completed in the first quarter of 2026.”
“In certain rare cases where an appropriate person cannot be identified, the office will follow up on the information received directly and the Act has suitable powers to this effect. This ensures that there is always a prescribed person in place to report for any matter within the scope of the Act. I will bring the Deputy's concerns, views and helpful information and interventions back to the Minister and to Government. I thank the Deputies for their attention for today's discussion. I understand the proposal put forward by the Deputies. However, we must oppose this motion and support an amendment to continue to support the full implementation of the Protected Disclosures Act and the protection of whistleblowers generally.”
“Funding for TII in 2025 amounts to €368,500, which is the same amount as was provided in 2024. The OPDC commenced operation on 1 January 2023. The commissioner is designated to assist reporting persons wishing to make a disclosure to a prescribed person, either by directing them to the most appropriate prescribed person or by receiving the disclosure and referring it on to the most appropriate prescribed person. With 100 prescribed persons, this will make it easier for workers to get their reports to the right person. It also exists to support Ministers in accessing and following up on protected disclosures they receive by referring them on to the most appropriate authority to deal with the information reported.”
“Penalisation includes unfair dismissal, unfair treatment, such as suspension, demotion, loss of pay, change of working hours, reassignment, disciplinary action, etc., and coercion, intimidation and harassment. All employers have a duty of care to ensure their workers do not suffer penalisation. All workers have a duty of care to ensure that workers do not suffer penalisation. The Act provides for criminal penalties for penalisation of reporting persons, taking vexatious legal proceedings against a reporting person and disclosing the identity of a reporting person. Exchequer grant support has been provided to Transparency International Ireland, TII, since 2016 for the provision of a free speak-up helpline and legal advice for persons considering making a reported disclosure or who have made a protected disclosure.”
“In general, this channel should only be used as a last resort if the other channels fail to operate as intended. In addition, workers in public bodies can make protected disclosures to a relevant Minister of the Government. Under the amended Act, all protected disclosures made to Ministers will be sent to the Protected Disclosure Commissioner for onward transmission to the most appropriate person to address the concerns raised. There are also special channels for the reporting of wrongdoing related to law enforcement, security, defence, international relations and intelligence. The Act prohibits the penalisation, or the threat of penalisation, of a worker for having made a protected disclosure.”
“Some 85% of protected disclosures are made in this manner in the first instance. The second is external disclosure to any person prescribed by the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation or the Protected Disclosures Commissioner. Prescribed persons are usually regulatory bodies with powers to investigate and take enforcement action in relation to the wrongdoing in the particular sector. For example, the Health and Safety Authority, HIQA and the Data Protection Commission are all prescribed bodies. The third channel is disclosure to any other third party. This could include public disclosure to a journalist or a Member of the Oireachtas. This channel is subject to more stringent conditions to qualify for protection.”
“Persons who make protected disclosures, often referred to as whistleblowers, should not be treated unfairly, lose their jobs or face legal proceedings because they have made protected disclosures. The Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended by the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, provides these statutory protections for workers. Protected disclosures can be made by workers in both the public and private sectors, including not only the ordinary employees of an organisation but also any persons engaged under contract by the organisation, such as contractors, agency workers or paid trainees, as well as volunteers, board members, shareholders and job applicants. There are three main channels for making protected disclosures and they are open to all workers. The first is internal disclosure to the employer.”
“The directive states that the European Commission must furnish a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the impact of the national law that transposed the directive. The Commission has confirmed that this report will be finalised sometime in 2026. The statutory review of the Act that is required by the same Act must be completed in 2027. That will commence in 2028. The main point I am making is that there is already much work going on in this area, on top of the legislation that has already been updated recently. To clarify for the House, the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 protects workers from penalisation for speaking up about wrongdoing in the workplace.”
“I want Deputies to be clear that the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 is intended to protect workers from penalisation for speaking up about wrongdoing in the workplace. We can all agree that a person who truly and sincerely acts as a whistleblower should not be treated unfairly and should not lose their job or face adverse legal proceedings. This Government remains committed to the fundamental aim in line with our EU colleagues and the relevant EU directive. However, the last enhancement to this legislation, the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, is very recent. That was not a long time ago. Even more recently, the Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner, OPDC, was established. It commenced operations on 1 January 2023.”
“Those obligations include acknowledgement within seven days and follow-up within three months, extendable only in exceptional cases. Our framework also includes strong enforcement provisions. For example, under section 14A of the Protected Disclosures Act obstruction or bad-faith conduct attract criminal sanctions, including fines of up to €250,000 and imprisonment for up to two years. Introducing so-called reward mechanisms or punitive publication requirements would go beyond the directive, raise significant legal and ethical concerns and risk undermining the impartiality of the system. Ireland's approach prioritises transparency, accountability and fairness, consistent with EU standards, rather than adopting models designed for fundamentally different regulatory environments.”
“I would also like to respond to some of the points raised, in particular the claim that comparative evidence from other jurisdictions demonstrates the need for additional measures, such as reward schemes, punitive penalties for delay and mandatory publication of outcomes. This does not reflect Ireland's legal and policy context. While countries such as the United States of America and Canada operate reward-based systems, these are linked to specific enforcement models, such as securities regulations and tax recovery, which are not applicable under Irish or EU law. Ireland has fully implemented directive EU 2019/1937, which sets out clear obligations for the timely handling of disclosures, for confidentiality and for feedback within statutory guidelines.”
“I thank all Members for the informative and constructive debate on protected disclosures legislation. I welcome and thank the whistleblowers in the Public Gallery for their great work and service. I also thank the members of the Independent Technical Group for the proposals they have put forward for this debate. Having reviewed the proposals, I would like to reiterate the issues regarding the flaws evident in some of these proposals, as was highlighted by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. I am in full agreement with the need to adhere to the current timetable for the completion of a statutory review of the national legislation and the EU Commission review of the EU whistleblowing directive.”
“I urge the Taoiseach to get what is owed paid and ensure the equalisation fund is not diluted for the smaller local authorities with a small rates and LPT base.”
“Local government budgets will be challenging for many councils across Ireland this autumn. I am particularly concerned that the local authorities in both Sligo and Leitrim are awaiting payment from the Department of housing for the damage caused last January due to Storm Éowyn. I understand the figure is up to €1.5 million. The same local authorities have raised the local property tax, LPT, by 15% over the past six years and members have raised the commercial rates every year, including last year, by 5% to borrow money to meet the core funding obligations under capital plans for expansion. Local authorities in the north west, particularly in the north and western region, should not be left short-changed.”