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 10 of 15.
“That is an opportunity for them too, which we should welcome because we have seen over the past four years the incredibly positive contribution Ukrainian people have made to our country at all levels, including in instances where they have opened up businesses. I know businesses that have opened up in Cahir, Clonmel and right across Tipperary. They have built really good businesses for themselves and integrated within communities, including small communities. There is no better image than seeing Ukrainian children in school, in particular in primary school, develop and integrate. They play GAA and integrate with Irish culture. They also bring their culture to young Irish children. It is a really good thing to see. I have seen it for myself.”
“It is really important to recognise it. They certainly do not do it for financial gain, albeit there is a financial contribution to recognise what they have done. They do it in the interests of helping other citizens. It is incredible to think that we have people in this country who have given over their homes to citizens of Ukraine for more than four years. Obviously, we do not want that to continue forever. We want peace and we want Ukrainian people who want to go home to have the opportunity to do so safely. There will also be Ukrainian people who have set up lives here and who want to live here in the long term.”
“The measures we have and that we are extending are important for those people who are very generous in putting up their homes or rooms to accommodate Ukrainians who came to this country. Many people did it on the back of the images they saw in 2022, in particular those of innocent young children being evacuated from their cities and homes and being killed. As Irish people do, we reached out the hand of friendship and love and opened up our homes to support them. People did it not knowing how long it would be. Certainly, no one anticipated that we would be into the fifth year of this conflict. It is an extraordinary thing for so many people across the country to do what they have been doing. There are people in these Houses who have done it very quietly. There are loads of people across the country who have done it.”
“As students of media and journalism, I am sceptical of them already. I am fearful about how they might misinterpret what I am going to say. That is always the paranoia in politics. Our guests are very welcome. I hope they enjoy the day. I will not speak for too long. We spoke about this matter last year when the measure to which it relates was extended. I will raise one point with the Minister of State. I do not know if it is possible, but it was an issue last year and the year before. The decision that is made to extend the measure is not taken until the very last day. There is always a fear - obviously unfounded - because the Government will always support the Ukrainian people, but I wonder if it is possible to make the decision slightly earlier.”
“Amendments Nos. 19, 37 to 42, inclusive, 45, 46, 48 to 52, inclusive, and 53 to 57, inclusive are related. Amendments Nos. 49 to 57, inclusive, are physical alternatives to amendment No. 48. Therefore, amendments Nos. 19, 37 to 42, inclusive, and 45 to 57, inclusive, may be discussed together by agreement.”
“If Tusla is setting up a standardised model across the country, it is very difficult to provide exactly that co-designed service that is provided at St. Bernard's. I acknowledge and appreciate that the proposal is being rolled back and the service will continue, but I am not convinced that the specialised service provided at St. Bernard's can be provided by Tusla in a standardised model. That is a discussion that needs to be had throughout the year with Tusla.”
“It has talked about having a co-designed model and the Minister of State said that is an important word but that is not an easy thing for Tusla to do because the strength of this service is it supports both the child and the foster family together and that holistic approach is not easily replicated in a standardised model. The concern is whether replacing a specialised, relationship-based service with a standardised model can genuinely meet those principles in practice. One of Tusla's core emphases is that if services are removed services of equal or better standard are provided somewhere else. From my knowledge of the foster service provided, no service in the country provides the type of personal support that St. Bernard's does to foster carers and the children in the area.”
“I thank the Minister of State very much for her response. As she said, it needs to be acknowledged, through the Minister's intervention. The work the Irish Foster Care Association has done and the support it has given me over the past week on this issue played its part in Tusla rolling back on that decision of ending the service with St. Bernard's. It is hugely welcome that has been done, as was the acknowledgement from Tusla that not enough consultation had happened. However, we do not want to be in this situation this time next year when Tusla decides again that it is going to end the services.”
“He says she helped him so much through a space and time in his life when he was old enough to know what he wanted but not old enough to go and speak to a judge about it. Samantha also came to the Adoption Authority of Ireland with him. He thinks this service from St. Bernard’s helped him a lot and he would not want it to close because just that one worker helped him so much throughout his time in care, so imagine what 15 per county would do. That is a young guy who is 16 and has been going through the St. Bernard’s service, as his carers have been, for a decade. It is one example of many I am aware of that show this service is so vital for the area.”
“The adoption process took four years and nine months. At the start of his adoption his parents did the therapeutic fostering service course and he said he is so lucky he got Samantha O’Doherty as his therapeutic support worker from St. Bernard’s. She was amazing. At the time he had a social worker who did not listen to him or have his best interests at heart. Samantha was the only person at the time who was working with him who cared about what he had to say and what he wanted. She was one of the only professionals he had over the years who cared for him and fully trusted him. Every Monday after school she would come to his house to make stuff with him and to talk with him.”
“If a service is contributing to placement stability removing it without clear evidence of an equal replacement risks undermining one of Tusla’s core objectives. In addition, moving the service to north Cork raises access issues. For someone in my hometown of Clonmel who perhaps gets a bus to St. Bernard’s in Fethard, access will become a significant challenge. The service is working and is trusted. It is retaining placements. Removing it is incredibly risky and not a decision Tusla should take without offering a very clearly superior service in its place. There are so many who have gone through the service. One child, who I will not name, wrote to me asking me to read out his experience of the service. It will only take 20 seconds or so. He said he came into foster care when he was six days old and was finally adopted in September 2021.”
“For children who have already experienced instability, losing that consistent therapeutic relationship is not a small change but a significant disruption. The high staff retention within St. Bernard’s is not incidental; it is what allows those relationships to develop over time. That level of continuity is extremely difficult to replicate in large centralised systems with higher staff turnover. Tusla’s own foster care standards emphasise the need to support carers and maintain stability for children. The question here is whether an internal, standardised model can genuinely provide the same level of support and trust because for many of these children St. Bernard’s is not just a service but their person, their safe place, their constant. Removing that is not a neutral change.”
“Bernard's to learn its approach and attempt to replicate it elsewhere but a therapeutic service built on relationships, trust and independence cannot simply be replicated through observation. The model used by St. Bernard’s is unique in that it prioritises continuity of care. Children and foster carers are supported by professionals who know them well, understand their history and have built trust over many years. In some cases, these relationships has been in place for over a decade. Tusla’s own standards emphasise stability and relationship-based care. The concern is that moving to a more standardised model risks replacing that continuity with a more transactional service where families engage with whoever is available rather than someone they trust.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and thank her for being here. I acknowledge the good work and intervention by the Minister, Deputy Foley, last week in relation to an issue in Tipperary with St. Bernard's therapeutic fostering support service, which provides foster care support across counties Tipperary, Kilkenny and Carlow. Tusla, because of the Minister's intervention, has agreed to continue that service for 2026. This is a service that is critical and extremely important in the area. While the decision to retain St. Bernard's therapeutic fostering support service for 2026 is very welcome, the underlying issues have not gone away. I met Róisín Stewart and Andrew Kennedy in St. Bernard's this week and Tusla has informed them it is its intention to move towards a standardised model from 2027. Tusla staff will engage with St.”
“There is an awful lot of work involved but there is so much we can get back from it. There is a lot of work being put into it and a lot of money being spent on it but the benefits that come back to this country are huge. I commend the Minister of State, his Department and the Government on the work they are doing to try to promote Ireland's best interests during the Presidency.”
“I am sure the Minister, Deputy Heydon, will be hosting a lot of meetings. I think the agricultural committee will be involved. I heard during the week that there will be an EU agriculture summit of some kind. That is really important. This will be a challenging time given the reduction in the overall budget but we need to make sure our farming community is supported. In that context, I ask the Minister of State to say a few words on progressing a review, during our Presidency, of the Common Fisheries Policy because that has had a real impact and is a worry for people in Killybegs, Castletownbere and other fishing communities. We must make sure we have a fair quota going forward. Holding the Presidency gives us an opportunity to put pressure on in that regard. It is an exciting time to have the Presidency starting in July.”
“The Minister of State stated that it is hoped that at the start of our EU Presidency, the negotiating clusters will have opened for some of the applicant countries. This is a brilliant opportunity for Ireland. We are one of the best examples in the European Union of the positive impact that joining the European Union can have on a state. Everyone can see the benefits across the country every day, whether it is driving on good roads or open markets and business. Joining the European Union presents so many opportunities and Ireland can play a key role in trying to speed up the process for those states that want to join, and those that need to join for their own security and benefit. During our Presidency, negotiations will take place on the Common Agricultural Policy, which is critical for our agriculture and food sector.”
“We need to emphasise that when people feel there is no hope, whether that is the Palestine-Israel conflict, the current conflict in the Middle East or the Ukraine-Russia conflict, there is a pathway through good diplomacy to achieve peace. One of our strengths during the Presidency will be to emphasise again the power of soft diplomacy behind the scenes that can work really well. I know priorities will be announced in June, but another big issue for all European countries is online safety. It is an area we need to prioritise. The Digital Services Act is being implemented but that has limitations and this is a changing issue. It is something we can highlight and work on because it predominantly affects young people.”
“We need to remind people that there is no EU country that can single-handedly be secure and have enough defence on its own. Member states rely on allies and supports and Ireland is no different. The Minister of State gave the example of what happened in Cyprus last week. When we hold the Presidency we rely, as Cyprus does, on our neighbours and supporters to help us out, whether on land, at sea or through cybersecurity. We have a wonderful opportunity during our Presidency to learn from our past and our peace process over 28 years. There are so many conflicts happening around the world and so many people who do not see a solution to those conflicts. We were in a position 30 years ago where no one could see a solution to the conflict here and we have now had peace on this island for 28 years.”
“Obviously, that brings challenges from a security point of view for the Garda and the Army, but it is important to be able to show off the whole country and not just Dublin. As the Minister of State said, we are in a changing world. In his contribution he talked about how we will ensure the EU strengthens its role as a principal global actor which supports democracy, human rights and the international legal order with the UN at its centre. I ask him to expand on the types of things we will be doing. We will always have issues and priorities, but nothing at the moment is more important than defence and security for all EU countries. In previous days, there have been contributions in the Seanad suggesting that our defence and security coming up to our Presidency are not at the level they need to be.”
“Most of the meetings then were in Dublin Castle and were important nonetheless. The opportunities we have for this Presidency are much greater than those in 2013. The Minister of State spoke about all of the events that are due to happen. He said extensive work is under way for 270 EU Presidency events across the country over the six months, which is phenomenal. It is really welcome that the Government has decided to branch this out to the wider country. The Minister of State can correct me if I am wrong but I think it is planned to have about 25% of the meetings outside of Dublin. It is wonderful for other parts of the country to have really significant meetings with top people from the European Union.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and thank him for coming in to speak about the upcoming EU Presidency. I do not think we can start a conversation about the EU Presidency without acknowledging our diplomats across the world and the officials working in the Department of foreign affairs. The work they do on a daily basis is very impressive. It makes us proud to be Irish when we go abroad, as Mary and I did in September, to see the professionalism of our diplomats right across the world. The work they are doing on this, in particular, is very important and it is good to see. This Presidency will be very different from the last one in 2013. At that time, we were coming out financial crisis and did not have an economy as strong as we have now. Decisions at that time had to be made to keep it as minimal as possible.”
“We are now removing services from a region for those parents and adults willing to do it. It can have a long-term impact on people who put up their hand and say they will do it. Foster Carers Ireland is a great support network to support and encourage people to get into foster caring. However, if the wider supports Tusla provides are not in the region, why would people do it?”
“I am seeking clarity on whether sufficient capacity exists in north Cork to absorb the additional demand without delays. Has there been an impact assessment carried out regarding placement stability and foster carer retention? Given the State's role as corporate parent, therapeutic continuity must be protected during that reform. Will the Minister for children reconsider the termination of this service for St. Bernard's in Fethard? Tusla will not confirm to me if the service provided in Cork will be of the exact quality as that in Fethard. St. Bernard's provides support for carers and children. This will have a real impact on people who want to get into foster caring. We are desperately crying out for more people to put up their hands. Vocation is what we are asking for to support really vulnerable children.”
“Bernard's Children's Services. It is a community-based service that works directly with specially identified foster carers and the children placed with them who are 12 years old or younger on referral. From the commencement of the service in September 2014 until June 2021, they provided a 24-hour, seven days a week service to families. In June 2021 that operation was reduced to a five-day service because of financial cutbacks. Since 2014, 133 foster carers and families have completed their two-year programme. Some 196 children were supported as part of their participation and 28 foster families are currently on the two-year programme, with 40 children being supported. However, the carers have been informed that the services that will now cover the area are being moved to north Cork.”
“This week is foster carers awareness week. I acknowledge the work Foster Carers Ireland does to support around 4,000 foster carers and families who care for about 5,600 children across the country. I want to raise the decision by Tusla to discontinue the funding of the St. Bernard's therapeutic fostering support service in Fethard as part of its move to a standardised national model. Foster carers in south Tipperary have expressed real concern about the removal of this specialised therapeutic, relationship-based support. St. Bernard's provides integrated support to foster carers and children, particularly those in complex placements that involve trauma and neurodevelopmental needs. They deliver an invaluable service to foster carers and foster children in Tipperary. The fostering support service is one of three services operated by St.”
“I remind the Senator and the Minister of State that there are six amendments in this group being discussed together, namely, amendments Nos. 9 to 11, inclusive, and 21 to 23, inclusive. Does the Senator wish to respond?”
“Before I call the Senator, I welcome to the Gallery some girls from Scoil Mhuire in Ballincollig, County Cork, who are here as guests of Senator Kelleher. In particular I welcome Mary, Kadija and Mrs. O'Brien. As is the tradition in this House, on the next day they are due to have homework, they officially have it off. They can remind Mrs. O'Brien that they have homework off the next time. I hope they enjoy the day. Does Senator Collins wish to respond?”
“I thank the Senator. Before I ask the Minister of State to respond, I welcome Liscarroll Women's Association, who are guests of Deputy John Paul O'Shea, and the Shamrock Men's Shed, guests of the Ceann Comhairle. You are very welcome and I hope you have a lovely day.”
“We are playing on the back foot after the war commenced. The European Union needs to learn the lesson that we have to hold a position in support of small countries that are very vulnerable.”
“When we talk about decision-making, one of the faults of the European Union is the speed of decision-making. I just came back this morning from the World Forum in Berlin where I spoke on defence and security and what allied countries can do to support Ukraine and position ourselves to support of other countries that are vulnerable. Taiwan will be an obvious country in 2027. Taiwan controls 90% of semiconductors. If it is invaded by China, it will have a massive impact throughout the world. However, a deterrent to that would be the EU and America having a position before a war starts, not afterwards. Mr. Kelleher has done an awful lot of work on Ukraine sanctions coming through, but the European Union should have had a position well before the war in Ukraine started to try to deter what happened.”
“It has been well planned and managed. The European Union has a role to play in this regard. We have very important elections across Europe this year, in Armenia, Bosnia and, obviously, Hungary. Comments made yesterday by Marco Rubio endorsing Viktor Orbán were outrageous. No state should be interfering in any election but America has given its view. Senator Clifford Lee tried to get information on why people hold their positions. When people come here, whether we agree with them or not, it is a good opportunity for them to outline their position and, in this case, for some MEPs to outline why they abstained in a vote on Iran and voted against supporting Ukraine in a financial package. People can have different views, but this is a very good platform to outline that.”
“I thank all the MEPs for being here today. We have seen from the debate back and forth that although people have very different views and positions, it is extremely helpful to have all five MEPs here to be able to outline their position and views and the work they are doing to represent Ireland South. Mr. Kelleher said this is a changing world. It is absolutely changing, and the EU's position and role are so critical in that. One particular issue is the rise of the far right and how Europe, as a Continent, manages that. If we are honest with ourselves, it is not accidental. It has been planned, it is strategic and there are people behind it, whether it is Tommy Robinson in the UK or the AfD party in Germany, particularly in eastern Germany. These are organisations that are being funded by Putin and Musk.”
“We have been delayed by two years because of the decision by the former Minister, Eamon Ryan, which I was absolutely against at the time, and now that we have common sense back in the Department of Transport, we just need that announcement as quickly as possible. There are people living on that road who are in a buffer zone and cannot build or develop. Children cannot build houses in those areas because they are in a buffer zone for a road that had been off the priority list for building, which is incredibly frustrating for people living between Cahir and Waterford. Will the Minister make the announcement as soon as possible because Tipperary County Council, along with Kilkenny County Council, is ready to go again and get this moving? People in our area have been waiting over 20 years for this road to be developed.”
“It would have gone through that stage by now if the funding had continued. In fairness, the current Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has put it back on the priority list, but what we need now is funding to get it going. The announcement needs to be made as soon as possible because Tipperary County Council is leading on the Cahir to Limerick section but Kilkenny County Council is leading on the Waterford to Cahir section and its dealings with the contractors are at the very end. They are down to weeks in terms of keeping them working and paying for their resources and we need the funding announcement as quickly as possible to continue that so there are no further delays.”
“Could we prioritise the announcement by the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, of road funding for national, regional and local roads in order to have it as soon as possible? There was an indication that it would be announced a number of weeks ago. This is a critical announcement in terms of infrastructure right across the country, particularly in my county, Tipperary. As the Leader will be aware, the N24 goes right through Tipperary, between Waterford and Limerick. It has been something that I have been very vocal on over the last number of years. Unfortunately, the previous Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, excluded half of that road from the priority list - the section from Waterford to Cahir. That has been stalled for two years. It has almost gone to planning stage.”
“Unfortunately, it is just a reality that some people cannot afford it and cannot get it and then suffer on the back of it and have a very traumatic and challenging time with shingles. I am looking forward to the Minister of State's response. I thank Senator Conway for tabling the motion.”
“We want to be a country where people look at our health service and decisions we make, particularly for people over the age of 65, in terms of protecting them. We want to be seen to be ahead of other countries rather than as an outlier. This proposal by Senator Conway is a very good one. It affects people and families in communities right across the country. It is something we need to support and that we need to do. I am looking forward to the Minister of State's response but I ask that he treat this with as much priority as possible, as I know he will, to make sure we can support these people so that they are not left in limbo where they have to make a decision on whether they spend €500 to get a vaccine.”
“That has to be found from the resources we have. Luckily, at the moment, as a country and as a Government, we have funding and the economy is strong and we are able to consider these things. However, it should not be a reason we do not do it. Sometimes there are things that are the right thing to do, and cost should not be a factor in determining whether we do it or not. These are people who have lived their lives and done everything right. They have paid their taxes and are good decent people who need support. We cannot expect a pensioner to have to spend two weeks of his or her pension in the year just to get a vaccine when people in almost every other country in the EU and further abroad are able to receive that. As Senator Conway said, we do not want to be an outlier.”
“The Minister of State is very welcome to the Chamber. I thank her for being here. To follow on from Senator Costello, the Government is not opposing this motion. Fine Gael is not opposing it and there is good reason for that other than it being the right thing to do. The presentation of it and the balanced approach that Senator Conway has put towards this Private Members' motion outlines very well why this should be taken seriously by Government. When we speak of how it affects one in three people right across the country and particularly vulnerable people more so, the Government needs to find a way to make sure it is possible to fund it. There are two very strong arguments or issues that need to be overcome. One, obviously, is the cost; €218 million is not a small amount of money that the Government needs to find to be able to fund this.”
“This is a sector where we have done an awful lot in the last couple of years, but there is certainly more to do. We certainly should not be creating more anxiety for people who are just trying to care for their loved ones.”
“Those are to make the carer’s allowance and carer's benefit tax exempt, to end the means test and taxation of caring payments, to improve communication and tone in official response, to increase payment levels to reflect real care costs and inflation, to reform tax credits to reflect caregiving realities and to update carer policies to reflect modern economic and social conditions. We can all appreciate the amount of work carers do across this country to look after and support people. From an economic perspective, the work they do means an estimated €20 billion a year in savings for the Government that it does not have to pay in hospital, caring and professional fees. An awful lot of this is done by families, and by women in particular.”
“There are issues in relation to the carer’s allowance and carer's benefit that are taxable, unlike the carer’s support grant. That reduces already low household incomes and penalises full-time carers financially. They also spoke about the high out-of-pocket costs for carers. Carers are facing substantial, ongoing expenses, the likes of therapy, speech and language and physical therapy, mobility aids, medical equipment and specialised consultations. There are a number of requests the carers who spoke last week and Family Carers Ireland in particular have.”
“I ask the Leader to invite the Minister, Deputy Calleary, to come in to speak on his portfolio and particularly on family carers. There was a very good briefing last Wednesday from Family Carers Ireland as part of the cross-party interest group. There is a lot of concern and distress among family carers across the country and there are a number of issues they have had to deal with in recent months and years. One is the automatic reporting of carer payments to Revenue. Approximately 34,000 letters have been sent to carers, which have created anxiety within that community. There is fear and confusion around tax liability because of media reports and Revenue correspondence. More than 2,000 phone calls were made to helplines by distressed carers who believed they might have historic tax liabilities.”
“Amendments Nos. 12 to 14, inclusive, are related. Amendment No. 13 is a physical alternative to amendment No. 12. Amendments Nos. 12 to 14, inclusive, may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.”
“I understand. I am just reminding the Senator that amendment No. 12 is on the way. Before I bring in Senator Craughwell, I welcome to the Public Gallery guests of Deputies Malcolm Byrne and Roderic O'Gorman and the Minister, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. They are very welcome to the Chamber today. I hope they are enjoying their visit to Leinster House.”
“Thank you, Senator. Before I call Senator Craughwell, I remind Senators that we are on amendments Nos. 9 to 11 inclusive, with amendment No. 10 consequential to amendment No. 9. There was a bit of confusion before I took the Chair. For clarity and the information of Members, please note that the House, by agreeing to motions to recommit, allows Committee Stage-style of discussion on section 11. That means Members may speak more than once on section 11 and the amendments do not need to be seconded. Essentially, from amendment No. 9, which we are on at the moment, up until amendment No. 14, it is Committee Stage and there is no need for a seconder, and Members can speak numerous times as opposed to just once.”
“Here is a simple analogy that the Minister of State will understand well. There are sports capital grants coming out some time this year. I hope some Tipperary applicants will be successful, including my local GAA club and the Minister of State's in Clare. If they are successful, we want local builders to get the jobs so the money stays local. It is no different in defence spending. If money is being spent, it should be spent in Ireland.”
“I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Dooley, for his comments. Like me, he has visited Ukraine many times and has a keen interest in the country. I welcome the line from the Minister, Deputy McEntee, that a well-designed local participation framework is both pragmatic and beneficial to Ireland and Irish companies. This is common practice in other EU states. Spain requires significant industrial participation in defence contracts. Finland mandates industrial co-operation for large procurements. Denmark links industrial co-operation obligations to contract value. Germany embeds domestic industry involvement in major programmes. This happens right across the European Union. We would not be an outlier. What we are essentially saying is that the increased investment in defence should remain in Ireland.”
“we do have industry that could have a defence application ... Irish industry should be in a position to take advantage of the significant growth opportunities in this sector. I strongly encourage the Minister of State and the Government to do two things. First, formally introduce local participation requirements in defence procurement - make it a requirement that Irish SMEs must be involved. Second, publish a clear policy framework setting out how this will be delivered. Doing so will strengthen our Defence Forces, support Irish enterprises, deliver better value for the taxpayer and ensure that increased defence investment builds lasting national resilience.”