Garret Ahearn
Administrative Panel · Fine Gael · Ireland
“The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No.”
“I am very conscious that No. 10 is to be taken at 11.30 a.m. and it is now 11.30 a.m. I will be brief. I will make a note of any contributions relating to debates for when we come back in September. There were a lot of calls for debates.”
“We have been here for a number of years and she is correct; a lot of it has come through in July. Technically, it is for the Leader to set out the timeline of debates but I understand the frustration when it comes late or when there is little scope for debate. The motions, in fairness, were referred to committee for debate.”
“9, whichever is later, and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 75 minutes by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government, the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister at th…”
“5, motion regarding Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 4) Regulations 2026, back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 4 without debate; No. 6, motion regarding Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No.”
“We will have a busy time coming back in September with an expected by-election to this House, which will create more work for them. To all colleagues across the House, on a personal level, I thank them for the last number of weeks since I took over as Leader of the Seanad. It has been a busy number of weeks for all of us.”
The complete record
Every one of 712 lines we hold for Garret Ahearn, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 15.
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.””
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No.7) Regulations 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.””
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No.6) Regulations 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.””
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No.5) Regulations 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.””
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No.4) Regulations 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.””
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No.3) Regulations 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 14th July, 2026.””
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No.2) Regulations 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.””
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Regulations in draft: Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.””
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Order in draft: Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026, a copy of which was laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.””
“I am looking forward to coming back in September to work on important stuff, as people outlined in their contributions, which we can get stuck into when we come back.”
“We will have a busy time coming back in September with an expected by-election to this House, which will create more work for them. To all colleagues across the House, on a personal level, I thank them for the last number of weeks since I took over as Leader of the Seanad. It has been a busy number of weeks for all of us. I wish them, their families and their staff, who have put in incredible work, a happy summer. We spoke about positivity. If you just talk about soccer to Senator Andrews, the positivity comes out naturally straight away. That is my strategy with him every time and it seems to work. There is positivity there; you just need to find it in people. I say that half-jokingly. I wish everyone a happy summer.”
“We have been here for a number of years and she is correct; a lot of it has come through in July. Technically, it is for the Leader to set out the timeline of debates but I understand the frustration when it comes late or when there is little scope for debate. The motions, in fairness, were referred to committee for debate. It is not like they just arrived this morning, but I accept exactly what Senator Higgins said. Like everyone else, I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach, Aileen, Martin and all the staff in the Seanad. They have done incredible work over the past number of months. There has been a lot of legislation coming though the House, particularly in the past month. They have put a lot of work in. I wish them and their families all the best over the summer.”
“I am very conscious that No. 10 is to be taken at 11.30 a.m. and it is now 11.30 a.m. I will be brief. I will make a note of any contributions relating to debates for when we come back in September. There were a lot of calls for debates. I will make sure there is a significant amount of time for a debate about drugs, in particular, because it is an important piece of legislation. To anyone who has called for a debate, I hope we will have opportunities when we come back in September. I will record those requests and try to facilitate them as much as psosible. Unfortunately, I cannot accept the amendment proposed by Senator Andrews. The Order of Business has been lined out and I cannot accept it. I understand Senator Higgins's point about planning and the Department of housing.”
“10, whichever is the later, and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after two hours by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government.”
“9, whichever is later, and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 75 minutes by the putting of one question from the Chair, which shall, in relation to amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Government, the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister at the debate on Second Stage shall not exceed five minutes, all Senators shall not exceed five minutes, and the Minister shall be given no less than five minutes to reply to the debate, with Committee and Remaining Stages to be taken immediately thereafter; and No. 11, Development (Strategic Gas Reserve) Bill 2026 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 12.45 p.m. or on the conclusion of No.”
“9, motion regarding Planning and Development (Licensing of Outdoor Events) Regulations 2026, back from committee, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 8 without debate; No. 10, Health (Provision of Contraception Prescribing Service in Retail Pharmacy Businesses) Bill 2026 - All Stages, to be taken at 11.30 a.m. or on the conclusion of No.”
“5, motion regarding Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 4) Regulations 2026, back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 4 without debate; No. 6, motion regarding Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 5) Regulations 2026, back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 5 without debate; No. 7, motion regarding Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 6) Regulations 2026, back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 6 without debate; No. 8, motion regarding Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 7) Regulations 2026, back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 7 without debate; No.”
“The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 9(2)) (Amount of Financial Contribution) Order 2025 (Revocation) Order 2026, to be taken on the conclusion of the Order of Business without debate; No. 2, motion regarding Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) Regulations 2026, back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 1 without debate; No. 3, motion regarding Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 2) Regulations 2026, back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 2 without debate; No. 4, motion regarding Planning and Development (Exempted Development (Act of 2000)) (No. 3) Regulations 2026, back from committee, to be taken on conclusion of No. 3 without debate; No.”
“That is what they should be doing. This is a significant day for this House and for the people of Palestine. That is why the ambassador is here. Senators can give their views. I have no issue with that. We did so during the committee meetings, but they should not throw out phrases like "watered down", "lack of courage" and "no vision". There is no minister in Europe who has pushed harder to try to be a voice for the people of Palestine. All I heard yesterday at the UN was that Ireland is the country that can be trusted to stand up for values and international law.”
“The Minister has outlined strongly what she wants to do. The Opposition's problem is with how she does it but we are all in alignment in that we want to do the right thing. We want a full ban but how we get there is important. The Minister has been doing that for the past 18 months. She has been almost on her own doing it. She started with just one or two countries supporting her and now has 17 countries. The Opposition criticises her and says she is not doing enough when 17 of the 27 EU member states have come on board. We have difficulties with some. Rather than putting their energy into criticising the Minister, I ask some of the Opposition Senators to put energy into influencing their sister parties in countries that do not support it and call them out for a lack of courage, as opposed to the Minister here.”
“She has thanked us for our courage, not our lack of courage. It is an incredible thing to say. The Senator asks that we stop patting ourselves on the back and not to talk about being the first Parliament to introduce it. That is significant. It is not just done by the Government. All of us in this House are introducing it. That is important. Rather than asking us to stop thanking ourselves, I ask the Senators to stop talking about Spain. When the Opposition does so, it is as though Spain has introduced everything entirely. If the Senators on that side of the House were on the opposition side of the Spanish Parliament, they would be accusing the Spanish Government of a watered down Bill and a lack of courage. Do not paint Spain as though it has done absolutely everything, because it has not.”
“Ireland has been called antisemitic and everything under the sun, which is totally unfair. In fairness, Senator McDowell has mentioned it a few times. Those are awful things to say about a State and its people. It is incredible to suggest we lack courage, when, knowing the implications it could have on our relationship with America in a political sense and possibly an economic sense, we still have the will to do what it right. It is amazing the Senator talks about a lack of courage. I am just back from the UN in New York where I met representatives and we will talk about it in the committee the Senator and others in this House are on. They thanked us for our courage. They did not talk about lack of courage. They thanked us for our courage and for standing up. Everyone welcomed the ambassador here today.”
“I find it incredible that people say the programme for Government says this. I have it in my office. I can bring it down and show it to the Senators. At no point does it say that it would be Senator Black's Bill that would be introduced. I cannot remember how many times the Taoiseach and Tánaiste said at the time that the Bill was not workable and that it needed to be looked at and changed. That was said numerous times. The programme for Government said the Government would bring forward an occupied territories Bill on goods. I find it incredible for people to talk about a lack of courage. I do not know whether the Senator has read, listened to or seen any of the comments by American politicians about Ireland because of what we are looking to introduce.”
“Next week we will have an opportunity on Committee and Report Stages to go into the finer detail of it. From my perspective, over the last year in the foreign affairs committee, working with colleagues from both sides, we have developed a huge passion to try to make an impact that can go worldwide and encourage other countries to deliver on that. I want to thank people who gave their time to the foreign affairs committee to help and support us in delivering that report.”
“Norway is doing something but it is not part of the EU and so is not bound by the Single Market rules. The Netherlands have started legislation but it is only at a public consultation stage. Belgium is drafting legislation. Slovenia had a general election recently and the new Government has dropped plans, which also included services. The important thing here is that this is a massive statement that I think other countries will follow our lead on. We can do more from a European level, the more of an impact that will have on this conflict. At the end of the day, what everyone wants - and there is a united approach on this - is an end to a conflict where innocent children are being slaughtered and murdered almost on a daily basis. The work the Minister does behind the scenes plays a key role in that and I thank her for it.”
“That advice trumps any expert or academic opinions in terms of how a Government makes decisions. We cannot act on legislation knowing that the advice being given is different. I welcome the fact that the Minister is trying to work with EU partners to do something in this regard. Many people say that we are possibly in breach of EU law by not including services, but that is not entirely the case. The ICJ opinion provides us with an opportunity under EU law and allows for public policy moves only in respect of goods, not services. That is important to acknowledge. Sometimes it is not mentioned. When we talk about other states having included services, the first thing is that we are the first Parliament in Europe, hopefully, to pass any legislation and that is very significant.”
“As the Minister said in her contribution, when other countries are asking about the legislation that we are bringing forward, asking to look at it to see what they can do, it shows the kind of leading role that we are playing. We also saw that in the foreign affairs committee when speaking to Palestinian officials, who thanked Ireland for the role it is playing. There has been a lot of talk about this legislation, for obvious reasons. It can be very emotive. I can understand why people wanted services to be included. However, there are frameworks around the decisions that we make as a Government, which is important to note. The Attorney General's advice is very important, and that is why it was in the report that we needed the Attorney General's advice.”
“If we are looking to have a real impact on Israel economically, that is significant and important. As the Minister said, to go from two or three countries only 12 or 18 months ago to having 17 countries open to this is a cause for huge optimism. I was in Germany recently speaking to parliamentarians there. Unfortunately, they see things differently. It can be quite depressing talking to them sometimes. I know the history and the view they have, but it seems incredible that they are still not open to discussing it. I know the Minister is working hard. I know the other foreign affairs ministers of Europe are working hard to try to convince them. That is important, and what we do here is important.”
“Over 20,000 children have died, more than 2,000 of them under the age of one. They are clearly not members of Hamas or any terrorist organisation. They are the innocent victims of a brutal attack on people simply because of where they are from. That is why Ireland has played a leading role in recent years in calling out the actions of Israel, and in calling for other member states to join us in calling out this atrocity. We were one of the first states to recognise the State of Palestine, to recognise its ambassador and to join the South African ICJ case. As the Minister said in her contribution, one of the most important things that we have done in the past 12 or 18 months, and that Deputy McEntee has done as Minister, with some of her colleagues, is to convince so many member states to review the EU-Israel Association Agreement.”
“Obviously, there are differing views on how far we go, but this is a real statement from Ireland in standing up against genocide and actions that are against international law. As a member of the foreign affairs committee, I acknowledge the good work of all 14 members of that committee this time last year, when we spent more than 30 hours discussing this legislation. We did it in a collective way and produced a report, although we did not have the Attorney General's advice at the time. Nonetheless, we produced a report that was helpful for the Minister when putting forward this Bill. As the Minister said, everyone can see the images of what has happened in recent years since 7 October. We could not help but be outraged by the atrocities that are happening and the people who are dying, in particular, the children who are dying.”
“I thank the Minister for bringing this important legislation to the House. We have an opportunity to discuss it today and we will have an opportunity next week on Committee and Remaining Stages to discuss it in more detail. I acknowledge our colleague in the House, Senator Frances Black, for the work she has done on this in recent years. She and some of the other experts in this Chamber have educated me in recent months on this Bill that she started and progressed. Many people did not expect it to get this far, even when it was put into the programme for Government, and the Minister was the one leading our group in putting forward the programme for Government. I do not think many people thought it would be delivered, but we have progressed it.”
“Senator Sarah O'Reilly spoke about the tragic case of Kelly, who died a number of years ago through circumstances that were determined but where there are conflicting views as to what happened. It is not appropriate for me to speak too much about it but I welcome that the case is being reopened. I will take on her request regarding the Minister for justice meeting the family. I will speak to him directly to see if that is possible. I am sure he will be more than open to doing it.”
“It is a good opportunity to bring the Minister for higher education into this Chamber to speak about that as he has not been here for a while. The Senator also spoke about Shannon Airport and regional development. Regional development of the airports at Shannon and Cork is always a challenge. Dublin is our number one airport. We will have a debate on that later on in terms of the passenger cap. Dublin is the key for us in terms of tourism coming into this country, attracting people and businesses, and having a top class airport as our number one airport. There is more that we can do in terms of regional development and Shannon, Cork, Waterford and Knock can play a role in that.”
“What we do not want is to have people doing something that takes away from that investment. We want to make places as aesthetically pleasing as possible but instead of just vilifying these people, we should try to encourage them and ask what we can do to support them. Some of them are very talented and it is about directing them in the right way. Senator Andrews spoke about dogs. I touched on that at the start. We obviously all have different views on this one. It is important that, when everyone speaks here, they speak factually. As we all know, people have the freedom to say whatever they want in this Chamber. I do not think that should ever end. Senator Maria Byrne spoke about the apprentices in Limerick. It is the same in Tipperary. It is a real challenge to get new apprentices to come in and to see the opportunities that are there.”
“When we are doing the CAP reform during the EU Presidency - the Minister, Deputy Heydon, will be very influential in regard to it - we need to look at quality of life for farmers. We do it in every workplace across the country and for some reason we think farmers just get on with it, but there is an issue in terms of prioritising quality of life. Senator Nelson Murray spoke about the graffiti in Navan. Is there an opportunity to speak to those involved about murals or different ways of using their artistic skills? There is a place in Brooklyn, New York called Williamsburg that is amazing for artistic people who have done up the area and it has become so popular now. There is an opportunity to reach out to these people. We spend so much money trying to redevelop towns and villages.”
“That is a big day for Caroline and the Senator. I wish her a happy birthday. She is a great asset to him when she comes up here to help him out every so often. I come from a farm and I know how it is. The harvest is starting at home this week. Our winter barley looks like it is ready to go, today or tomorrow. There is huge excitement but there is also pressure as well. Senator Brady spoke about the role of the family in the work. That is what happens at home with us as well. It just has to be done when it has to be done and everything else has to be put aside. Most other jobs are not like that. What often gets forgotten about is taking time off with the family and going away, bereavement, and things like that.”
“As Senator Nelson Murray was informed last week, that commitment has been made by the Minister, which is to be welcomed. Senator McCarthy spoke about insurance reform. Again, a lot has been done in this area but more could be done. As he said, we have seen a reduction of 30% in claims but we also need to see a reduction in the cost of insurance for people. If claims are reducing, then people's premiums should be reducing. The overall goal of the Government is to reduce the cost of insurance, particularly on businesses because it has a huge impact on them if their insurance costs increase dramatically and unexpectedly in the space of one year. Senator Brady spoke about the CAP. He gave a really good account of the family aspect of a farm and the impact it had. It is a big day for his family, as his daughter Leona is turning 18.”
“That will be a good opportunity for Senator Boyle to raise the concerns he is seeing in Donegal in relation to people who are not getting enough home care. Senator Duffy spoke about passport renewal notifications. Senator Nelson Murray raised this in a Commencement matter last week and got a very positive response from the Minister's office. A lot has been done in the Passport Office. It has invested a lot in recent years in personnel and the speed of turnaround, in particular for the renewal of passports. We now have a new top-of-the-range style of passport that has gone into operation since 1 July. Notification is a simple thing that would be very helpful. Everyone knows it is done for car tax and there is no reason it cannot be done for passports.”
“I was talking about accessibility yesterday in terms of beaches but town centres are another key element of this matter. Senator Clonan requested a change to the Order of Business. I am happy to agree to that. I do not oppose it. I look forward to the Bill coming to the Seanad. As he says, it is important that we align ourselves with our EU colleagues. Let us see what they put forward and how we can work with it and ensure that it works for all of society. It is very important. I thank Senator Clonan for that. Senator Boyle spoke about the lack of home care services for people who had just come out of hospital. These are very vulnerable people who need our support. As I said in response to Senator Tully's request, we will have the Minister for Health in after the recess.”
“As a Government, we want to increase infrastructural development and the speed of development. Hopefully, that will shorten the timescales on such roads. Senator Scahill spoke about the accessibility of towns and villages. The Department of rural affairs was set up a number of years ago and good money is being put into rural towns and villages across the country, in particular in the public realm. Within that, priority should be given to accessibility. When we are transforming a whole town from being a more car-reliant town to a more pedestrian-friendly one, accessibility should be a number one issue. Councillors put an awful lot of work and consultation into it but accessibility for people with disabilities sometimes seems to be forgotten.”
“Senator Cathal Byrne spoke about the important route of the M11 between Belfast and Rosslare. The port in Rosslare being categorised as a category 1 port brings huge advantages and opportunities for the area. We need good infrastructure in the area. The Senator outlined the problem on the M11 due to the fact that a lot of important road infrastructure projects could happen. We see it on the N24 from Limerick to Rosslare where landowners are blocked from developing their lands simply because they are on the chosen route or in the buffer zone of where a new road could potentially be built. However, even though the roads have not been developed, people still cannot build on their lands. It is a huge frustration for landowners. The Senator outlined how people had been in that position and waiting since 2009. It is just not acceptable.”
“Family Carers Ireland has a number of asks, some of which are in the programme for Government and are to be delivered over the lifetime of this Government. I have no doubt that they will be. I will meet Family Carers Ireland afterwards and speak to it about what we can do as a group of Senators. Senator Tully spoke about an 18-year-old girl who seemed to have been in hospital four times for a combined total of 18 weeks. She had a lot of complications. This is not the first time Senator Tully has spoken about Cavan hospital. I will say again today what I said the last time, which is that we will have a debate on health. We will make sure that the Minister for Health comes into this Chamber for a debate in the autumn to discuss many issues, but in particular the number of cases raised by Senator Tully that have happened in Cavan.”
“I see how it has an impact on our town every February when we have coursing in Clonmel and the impact it brings to our town throughout the year. For people who are involved with dogs, horses or any animals it is all about care and love for those animals. People love what they do. That being said, we need to make sure these animals are treated right and treated fairly. We can have differing views on this and still protect our heritage and support people. Senator Boyhan spoke about family carers and after I speak here I will be going out to meet Councillor Richie Molloy who is a great councillor in Tipperary. He has been a supporter of Family Carers Ireland and worked there for a long time.”
“These festivals in general right across the country, whether in Roscommon, Rush or anywhere else, are hugely important to local communities. They bring people together. I know we say it jokingly here in this room but genuinely, the more we can do to highlight good local festivals run by volunteers and promote them our communities, the better. Senator Kennelly spoke about the greyhound industry, which was followed up by Senator Andrews and there are obviously differing views on it. Every year we have an opportunity in this House to talk about the greyhound industry when deciding on the horse and greyhound fund. It is tradition and something people are really passionate about, particularly in rural areas. I know this myself being from Clonmel.”
“When we have an increase in population to the extent we have in north Dublin because it is a beautiful area to live, we have to make sure it is financially viable for people to be able to do their daily business. I will speak with the Minister to see whether these constant increases can be delayed, or at least that this one could be reconsidered by TII. It is not fair on the public. Senator Clifford-Lee started a trend here on festivals. The Rush festival is the only festival that is having an air show and when I go home to my kids that is the one they will want to go to. I wish Rush festival well with this and with the sandcastle competition. If I brought my little son to that he would stand over all of the sandcastles and break them so it might be best if he does not come.”
“I thank all of the Senators for their contributions. When Senator Maria Byrne was speaking her guests came in and I acknowledge Councillor Noreen Stokes, a very good councillor in Limerick, and her team of supporters who are here with her today. She is a great friend and advocate for Senator Byrne and myself. Senator Lorraine Clifford-Lee spoke about the announcement by TII on increasing the toll at peak time from €13 to €14. This increase also happened in 2025 and 2024 and essentially it will have increased by almost 50% in the space of three years. As Senator Clifford-Lee said, people do not necessarily want to use the tunnel as it is an expensive route to take when going to or coming from work or doing normal daily business but there is no other option and this is a problem.”
“4, Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Prohibition of Importation of Goods) Bill 2026 – Second Stage, to be taken at 4 p.m. and to conclude at 6.30 p.m., with the time allocated to the opening remarks of the Minister not to exceed ten minutes, group spokespersons not to exceed ten minutes, all other Senators not to exceed five minutes, time may be shared, and the Minister to be given no less than ten minutes to reply to the debate; and No. 5, Private Members' business, Protection of Children (Online Age Verification) Bill 2026 – Second Stage, to be taken at 6.30 p.m., with the time allocated for this debate not to exceed two hours.”
“The Order of Business is No. 1, Insurance (Disregard of Certain Medical History and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025, changed from Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025 – Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 12.45 p.m.; No. 2, National Treasury Management Agency (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026 – Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken on the conclusion of No. 1; No. 3, Dublin Airport (Passenger Capacity) Bill 2026 – Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 2 p.m., and the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 4 p.m. by the putting of one question from the Chair which in relation to amendments shall include only those set down or accepted by the Government; No.”
“I move: That Seanad Éireann approves the following Order in draft: EirGrid, Electricity and Turf (Amendment) Act 2022 (Section 10) Order 2026, a copy of which has been laid in draft form before Seanad Éireann on 2nd July, 2026.”
“It is all well and good having capital funding but when you cannot maintain it afterwards, that is a real issue. We now need to look at how we can make sure operational costs can be supported whether through the council or the Department. There is no point in putting capital funding into something that will then have to close five or ten years later because operational costs are too high. We will try to have a debate on that when we come back.”