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.”
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“I welcome the Taoiseach’s comments and the news on Gaza, the ceasefire and the release of hostages. We called as well for the return of the remains of the deceased hostages to their families, which is very important. We have played a key role in the Gaza conflict in calling out things that have been wrong. I know the Taoiseach has limited speaking time, but he will have an opportunity to finish up. I am interested in hearing about the timeline of the occupied territories Bill and the advice of the Attorney General. I was on the foreign affairs committee, along with a number of colleagues in this room, and I went into that discussion regarding the eight weeks with a very open mind on which way to go. I was not decided one way or the other.”
“A call has been put out to a number of EU countries, but not yet to Ireland, essentially to appoint an envoy to Ukraine. Ten of the 27 EU countries have already appointed an envoy. The UK has also done so, with the Labour MP for Leeds, Alex Sobel, being that country’s envoy. Even in the six months since Ukraine started this initiative, it has noticed a dramatic increase in the number of companies from those countries where a state has appointed an envoy from its government to work with and get companies to invest in Ukraine and start the rebuilding process. If the Taoiseach could, this would be something he might look at in the next number of months. Once a request comes in from Ukraine, he might consider a precedent to look at appointing an envoy on behalf of this Government.”
“I welcome that the Taoiseach said it looks promising that President Zelenskyy will visit Ireland. That would be a very significant move by him. I had the opportunity as the Vice Chair of the foreign affairs committee, along with my colleague, Deputy Barry Ward, to meet President Zelenskyy for an hour in August, along with the chairs of other EU committees. He knows Ireland's support, the support the Taoiseach has given to his citizens over the last three years and the continued support that will happen. One of the requests, and it might be worthwhile if we were to do it before President Zelenskyy visits, concerned the fact that Ireland can play a key role in rebuilding Ukraine and supporting companies rebuilding in Ukraine.”
“While it is welcome to have a bit of certainty on trade and a 15% tariff with America, it is important, as the Taoiseach said, to note that 70% of WTO trade has not changed, and we need to look beyond America and look east at opportunities. Recently, I travelled to Japan and visited Ireland House, which the Taoiseach, when he was the Minister for Foreign Affairs, granted approval to build and he opened it in July. As the Taoiseach will know, Japan is a country that looks at other countries that show long-term commitment, and a lot of Asian countries are like that. The fact that this Government has showed that commitment by investing in Ireland House has really made a significant difference, and half the Cabinet have visited Japan in the last nine months. When we look at opportunities, we need to do so in that context.”
“The Taoiseach is very welcome to the Chamber and I thank him for his contribution. He spoke about the budget first and I acknowledge the budget. It seems from the outside that the budget seeks to protect the economy, jobs, FDI, that this is one of five budgets and that not all measures that were in the programme for Government can be delivered. Initially, some were, such as 9% VAT rate for businesses because that is critical at the start, and other measures will be delivered over time, like the fee for higher education and more. When we look at this budget, we need to look at it in the round and in the context of a five-year in terms of delivering on the programme for Government, and this is on the back of volatility in the world, especially in America.”
“A programme for Government has been agreed which is ambitious and needs to be delivered, instead of wasting two hours of Dáil time on a motion which is totally political and is hypocritical in the sense that the Dáil spent three or four months debating the lack of speaking time and opportunity to speak. Now the Dáil will waste another two hours on a motion that the dogs in the street know is just a political move.”
“Irrespective of your views on people running, the very least elected representatives could be doing is voting when there is a vote on. We all know this is a populist move. The Tánaiste has worked incredibly hard in recent months as Tánaiste and Minister for foreign affairs, particularly on trade negotiations with the US and trying to get certainty on that. I have no doubt in the two-hour debate that will happen at 1 p.m., the Tánaiste and his colleagues in government will be well able to defend their record over the last number of months of this term. We have a busy four years ahead as a State. Much work needs to be done.”
“I follow on from colleagues who have spoken on the motion of confidence in the Tánaiste, Deputy Simon Harris, in the Dáil today. This is clearly a populist move at a time when a presidential election is happening and there is only one candidate from the Government side - from Fine Gael - running in the election. This is being used to try to attack Heather Humphrey's campaign and the Tánaiste and leader of Fine Gael. It comes from a person who has very little credibility in this. He was out in the past week or so saying he is not even going to vote in the election. This is a person who talks of defending democracy, yet he is not using the right our predecessors and founders fought for, which is to vote in an election.”
“What we need to do, and what the Minister of State has done, in fairness, is set out not just a one-year emergency measure but a long-term plan on how we can support this sector. As has been outlined, there are 11,000 people working directly or indirectly in it and there is a knock-on effect for our economy. In every sector in agriculture, we grow the best quality of food and grain in the world. We need to be able to make sure these good tillage farmers are being supported to produce that going forward.”
“If the Minister of State is going to be tightening the measures or working with farming organisations to make sure people who really need it get it as opposed to everyone getting it, that increases the individual level per acre that people are going to be paid, which is very welcome. We all know it is an incredibly difficult time for tillage farmers. I was speaking to one tillage farmer of five or six generations. He said that, for the first time in his life, he was really not sure if there was a future in it. He loves the farm and loves working on it. As the Minister of State would understand, the farmer has an appreciation that he is just holding the farm until the next generation comes along but he said he was very worried about it.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his detailed reply. He is correct. His Department has been very supportive over the past number of years in introducing new schemes to support the tillage sector, in particular the straw incorporation measure and the protein aid scheme. Those schemes, in the last year, amounted to roughly €10 million each. The announcement of the €50 million is very welcome and there seems to be, within the tillage sector, a kind of understanding that, of the €50 million, €10 million will go to the straw incorporation measure and €10 million will go to the protein aid scheme, which leaves around €30 million for the tillage scheme.”
“I call on the Minister of State to talk to farming organisations and outline as quickly as possible the payments they will receive for the first year.”
“The price for wheat last week was €200 but was €340 in 2022. There has been a decrease of over 40% in the price for farmers. No other business could manage that. This comes on top of a price increase in fertiliser from €300 to €400, or 33%. Rental costs for land over the past number of years have increased from €200 to €250 per acre to €350 to €400 per acre. All of these are added costs. Machinery costs have increased by about 20% or 25% in the past number of years. Farmers have had a reduction in prices combined with a massive increase in costs, which means an Armageddon of challenges for many farmers. They understand that the Government recognises that and that is why the permit scheme is being put in place.”
“Obviously, farmers work in the expectation of an income that is coming through and need those decisions as much as possible. Whether it is €100, €120 or €125 per hectare, if farmers know that as soon as possible, they can budget after Christmas and into the setting season. In fairness, funding last year was provided around February or March. If that could be done again, it would be very welcome. Last year, the money was given to everyone with no conditions in place because it was the first year of the scheme and, therefore, things could be done quickly. We have an opportunity to set a base for how we support the tillage sector and people who are really struggling. It has been an incredibly tough number of years. As the Minister of State knows, the price for barley this year is €190 but was €320 in 2022.”
“As the Minister of State knows, tillage has had a very difficult couple of years. It is a sector that needs some support. I welcome the announcement last week by the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Heydon, in terms of supporting the tillage sector and recognising that it does not need a one-year investment, but a base level that can be used going forward. Tillage farmers across the country want to know what they are getting per hectare, but they do not yet know that. There is a good reason they do not know that. I welcome that the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Heydon, want to sit down with farmer organisations and thrash out how we get the scheme right so that farmers who really need money can get it. I ask for that to happen as soon as possible.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber this morning and thank him for agreeing to take this Commencement matter. It is important to point out that, in last week's budget, the Department of agriculture - the Minister of State's Department - received a 9% increase in its overall budget. Aside from the Department of Defence, which was obviously going to get a massive increase, it is the highest increase of any Department. I acknowledge the obvious good work the Minister of State and his colleagues put into working with the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers, in increasing the funding. It will have a massive impact on rural Ireland. The Minister of State knows from Galway, as I do in Tipperary, that the money feeds back into the local community. There was major funding for TB and an investment of €50 million in tillage.”
“The Minister of State is busy, the Tánaiste is busy and there are a lot of things that have been done, but if we appoint someone with the responsibility of helping the rebuilding of Ukraine from Ireland, we can speed up that process and help our friends abroad.”
“When I was there, Deputy Barry Ward and I had a one-hour meeting with President Zelenskyy. We discussed many issues. One of the points I wish to put to the Minister of State is that, in terms of rebuilding, every country can play its role. The first deputy minister for development of communities and territory development, Ms Aliona Shkrum, is writing to all departments of foreign affairs in the EU asking that each country appoint an envoy to Ukraine. Ten of the 17 countries have done that. The UK has done it. The Labour MP for Leeds, Mr. Alex Sobel, has been appointed as an envoy. The thing they have experienced in the past six months is that having an envoy on behalf of a country speeds up the process of companies coming in to invest, develop and rebuild Ukraine. We cannot rely on Ministers.”
“As would happen in any country, the reason is people at some point have to try to get on with their lives and live their lives. The only way to feel some way normal is trying to get up in the morning, go to work and give their children an education, but in the back of their minds, they know of the possibility of sirens going off. The frustrating part of it is that, from my experience, most of these sirens are going off at night-time. This impacts on sleeping and the daily lives of Ukrainian people who are trying to live a normal life. When we talk about rebuilding the country, that is where Ireland can play a role. We have had a number of companies already that have invested in Ukraine. As the ambassador said earlier, Ukraine is open for business, and it is open for investment. That is where we should be looking at the moment.”
“The point is that while this war has been going on for the past three years, the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian Government have consistently tried to rebuild the country to build back that confidence with the Ukrainian people. On my last visit to Ukraine, for all the world Kyiv looked like a normal city, as Senator O’Loughlin and others would agree. Restaurants and coffee shops are open and people are going to work. If you did not know any better, you would think everything is fine, but that is just not the case. As other Senators have mentioned, there is an app that sets sirens off to let people know a missile is coming within the next five minutes and everyone needs to go to a bunker or the underground metro network to try to find shelter. People ask all the time why it is looking like it is a functional city.”
“We were the first delegation of European parliamentarians to visit and stay overnight. At that time, the city was absolutely empty. There was nothing happening; there was no life. It was very clear we were in a war zone. I spoke about this at the committee today. The second time I visited was in August of that year, maybe five or six months into the war, and the rebuilding of the country had already started. The first time I went to Bucha, the bridge had been bombed. To travel to Bucha one had to go around the bridge and down a dirt track. I came back six months later and the bridge was built again and you could travel out.”
“I have a child in senior infants in a tiny school in a small village in the countryside. He has friends who are Ukrainian. They go to school and integrate. It is brilliant for his development as a young child to understand that the world is bigger than Ireland and that people who come from different diversities and backgrounds can become friends. We actually have a couple of Ukrainian kids who we think could be good GAA players as well. They are integrating very well at a young age. Other speakers spoke about their visits to Ukraine and their personal experiences there. As Leas-Chathaoirleach of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, I was there a couple of months ago. I have seen quite a substantial change in the past three years. My first visit to Kyiv was in April 2022, just two months after the war started.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber, his old home. I thank my Fianna Fáil colleagues for tabling this very important motion. Obviously, we in Fine Gael support it. As Senator O’Loughlin mentioned, we had a very good and productive meeting with the Ukrainian ambassador here in Ireland that finished about an hour ago. I welcome her and thank her for all of the work she does on behalf of Ukrainian citizens in Ireland, and for keeping us informed on what we can do to help. It is lovely to see some Ukrainian friends in the Gallery, particularly those of a very young age. Oftentimes I hear Ukrainian people thank Irish people for welcoming them in, but we want to thank them for the positive contribution they have made to Irish society, and in particular to young people.”
“When we talk about opportunities, that is one we should deal with. I had the opportunity to meet the Mayor of Hiroshima who wanted to pass on his gratitude at being able to speak in this Chamber to Members last year. He wished everyone well. He knew there had been an election. He acknowledged the Cathaoirleach's re-election and noted that our former Cathaoirleach had progressed onto a higher level. He had fond memories of last year when he was here and he wanted to pass on his regards.”
“They see a real opportunity to enhance business between both countries but that can only be done by having direct flights between Dublin and Tokyo. That sends a message of confidence that both countries can work together. Japan is a country where you do not really get a deal today or tomorrow but once you show commitment, they really buy into it. That is why Ireland and the Department of foreign affairs has spent almost €20 million on a new embassy in Tokyo, Ireland House, and the ambassador is doing phenomenal work. In the last number of months, half the Cabinet have visited expos over there. The Taoiseach opened the embassy in July. Japan is the biggest country in Asia financially, it is part of the G7 and it is a country with which we have built up a really strong relationship over the past 70 or 80 years.”
“Opening up new markets across the world was mentioned in the budget statements yesterday, and one aspect of that is getting direct flights between different countries. I ask that we have a debate with the Minister for Transport about that. Obviously, relationships with America are unstable - that is probably the best way to put it - and we need to diversify our markets. Tokyo and Japan are really good opportunities for Ireland. I was there last week as part of the foreign affairs committee. Japan is very similar to Ireland in terms of its nervousness about having stable relationship with America. They are looking to the European Union, and they see Ireland as the only English-speaking country in the bloc.”
“There is certainly more we can do here, and there is certainly more we can do to convince, in particular, some of our European colleagues and friends to be able to stand up and call this out for what it really is, which is genocide. It is wrong, and it must stop.”
“In our foreign affairs committee meeting yesterday, we had Mr. John Whyte from UNRWA, who gave us an understanding of what it is like on the ground for workers from UNRWA and for the people of Palestine. He was talking about the State of Palestine being the size of Louth and how 2.1 million people are confined to 18% of the Gaza area. Aid, food and medical supplies are being blocked by Israel from coming in to help those people. We need to call that out. You could not but be emotionally impacted by the contribution of John Whyte yesterday, in my view, if you watched it. He and the UNRWA staff are so committed to trying their best to support the Palestinian people. We have, as a country and a State, done a number of significant things over the last number of months but there is always more we can do.”
“That needs to be legislated for as soon as possible. There was an awful lot of good work done on that. Just like we have seen with Ireland recognising Palestine as a state, delivering on the occupied territories Bill gives the opportunity to other countries to follow Ireland's lead on it. What is very heartening as well is the diplomacy behind the scenes with regard to the EU association agreement. That is a very powerful tool against Israel. Even opening up the conversation about reviewing that agreement with Israel is very important. What has happened in Gaza in the last couple of months in particular, but almost since 7 October 2023, is genocide. That has been called out by Ireland from the very start. The images are abhorrent and we as a country need to be as vocal as we can in supporting the Palestinian people.”
“Since then, over the last two years, with regard to the reaction we have seen and the level of response from Israel, any fair-minded person in the world could not but be outraged by it. As Senators O'Loughlin and Comyn have said, Ireland and the Irish people have led as a nation in their outrage. There are a number of things we have done as a country that are now being followed by other countries, which is very positive, such as recognising Palestine as a state and appointing a Palestininian ambassador to Ireland. We have seen recently that Canada, France, the UK and many others have started on that journey, which is incredibly positive because the more that come on board, the stronger that message is. We on the foreign affairs committee worked hard over two or three months on pre-legislative scrutiny of the occupied territories Bill.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and thank him for being here for this very important debate. I thank my Fianna Fáil colleagues for putting forward this motion today. As has been said, it is important to acknowledge that what happened on 7 October was wrong. It was outrageous. More than 2,000 people were murdered. Hostages were taken and that was all done by a terrorist organisation, Hamas. Those hostages need to be released but we need to see a ceasefire. It is important to say that because it is true. Sometimes, on international media, Irish politicians on all sides are portrayed as people who do not recognise that what happened on 7 October was wrong.”
“Amendments Nos. 32 and 47, amendments Nos. 1 to 5, inclusive, to amendment No. 47, amendments Nos. 48 and 49, and amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 49 are related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.”
“The Cathaoirleach ruled amendment No. 24 out of order because it would have made the commencement of certain provisions of the Bill contingent on non-statutory actions such as the preparation of reports and confirmation of compliance with the Aarhus Convention. It is a long-established precedent that making commencement contingent on non-statutory administration action which is external to the provisions of the Bill itself is in conflict with the provisions of the Bill. The amendment must be ruled out order in accordance with Standing Order 165, as it is in conflict with the principle of the Bill as read a Second Time.”
“Amendments Nos. 20, No. 1 to amendment No. 20, 29, amendment No. 1 to No. 29, 30, amendment No.1 to No. 30, 31 and amendment No.1 to No.31 are all related and may be discussed together by agreement. Is that agreed? Agreed.”
“The work they do saves the State an awful lot of money and gives these vulnerable children the protection they need. I ask the Leader to raise this issue so that foster carers can be treated equally to other carers throughout the country, and that their submission be taken seriously with regard to the budget in October.”
“The association's pre-budget submission on fostering for a better future contains a number of requests, one of which is on pensions. Essentially, it is about taking the years of caring for foster children into account when calculating the foster carer's State pension. Family carers will receive this, so foster carers should be included. There is almost an element of foster carers not lobbying or asking for things. There is a paranoia that if they start asking for things, they will be viewed as though they are only doing it to be able to get some money. This is so far from the truth, but because of it, they are very slow to ask to be compensated. We see the figures and there is a reduction in the number of people becoming foster carers.”
“Irish foster carers play a vital role throughout our country in terms of caring for children and the most vulnerable. There are 3,600 foster carers in the country. Unfortunately, this is a reduction from 4,800 five years ago and there are a number of reasons for this. These 3,600 foster carers look after and protect 5,800 children in care. That is approximately 87% of children who need foster care. The other 13% are in institutions. The Irish Foster Care Association has launched its pre-budget submission and the new CEO, Corrinne Hasson, who took up the role a number of months ago, has a number of very important plans to increase the number of carers and promote foster care as a very worthwhile service to the State. What we need to do as a Government and as politicians is recognise the contribution that foster carers play.”
“Yet in the very first budget and first opportunity he has as the Minister for higher education, he throws a fee of €1,000 on every child that goes to college. It is not acceptable. It is not fair. We are meant to be a supportive Government. Certainly the Fine Gael Party supports families and education. It is what we stand for. The fee needs to be reversed. The Minister needs to be brought back in line with what the programme of Government negotiated on. He was in those negotiations and he signed off on it himself. We call on the Minister to clarify his position, and roll back in line with what he said in this Chamber two months ago and reopen his door so that he can listen to people who know what is happening on the ground.”
“In fairness to my colleagues, this issue was highlighted two months ago in this Chamber because we got wind that the Minister might do a solo run and increase the fees. He came into this Chamber, said he had an open door, would discuss it with people and nothing would be done without talking. Since 7 May, it seems like the door has been closed and he has just done this himself. When he spoke in this Chamber two months ago, he said: The programme for Government commits to reducing the student contribution fee in a financially sustainable manner over the lifetime of the Government. I fully intend to do that. That is what he said in this Chamber two months ago. He fully intends to reduce the college fees because of the burden it is on parents.”
“I too support my party colleagues' comments on the messages from the Minister for higher education about increasing fees in the next budget. I have got hundreds of calls from parents who are absolutely terrified of the cost that college fees will impose on them come September if there is an increase of €1,000. We know a lot of families who have two, three and even four people going to college at the same time. That is a massive increase for people. This reduction is something that was introduced by Deputy Simon Harris when he was the Minister for higher education and was continued by Deputy Patrick O'Donovan. I remember when the programme for Government was being discussed that it was a priority for Fine Gael to reduce college fees and get it in the programme for Government.”
“Before I call Senator Stephenson, I welcome guests of Deputy Barry Ward, sixth class from Kill O'The Grange National School and Mrs. Harris. I hope you have a lovely day. You are very welcome. I hope Deputy Ward is looking after you. As is tradition in the House, you have no homework this evening.”
“There is no opportunity under Standing Orders for the Senator to intervene. That concludes the statements. I thank the Minister of State for his time. Before I call the Deputy Leader, I welcome guests of our colleague Senator McCarthy from the school of law in Quinnipiac University and New York. I hear they are studying in Trinity College, so they did not have to come too far. They are welcome. I hope they have a lovely day. I also welcome guests of Senator Kelleher from the Ballincollig Tidy Towns committee, who are the all-Ireland champions of Tidy Towns. I congratulate them on their success. I am tempted to ask them to come to Tipperary to show us what we are doing wrong. I wish them well and hope they have a pleasant visit. When is it proposed to sit again?”
“Just to let Senator Flynn know, as Senator Kelleher has pointed out with regard to the wording, amendment No. 44 says "to insert" the term child pornography, whereas Senator Flynn wants it to say "to replace" the term. However, the Senator cannot change the amendment now. The option is either to withdraw the amendment for the moment or-----”
“They had coaching at Spurs, Liverpool and clubs like that – the top-quality, best-in-the-world-type coaching one could get. Now, because of Brexit, players cannot go to the UK until they are 18, which means we have players in Ireland who have been signed for record fees but are still playing in League of Ireland. We have players who are 16 and 17 going to the UK in a year or two but who are still in Ireland now, and they need the same quality of young-age coaching to be at that level when they go over to those clubs to achieve great things in the future for Ireland.”
“I thank the Minister of State for the response. He is right that there has been an awful lot of money given over the past number of years to support the FAI and grassroots level in terms of the €30 million. It is important to note that the people leading the FAI now have, as the Minister of State said, delivered on the memorandum of understanding. Some 98% of that has been completed. They have shown they are willing to commit, once the funding is put in place, on Government suggestions. There has been a big change since Brexit. Essentially, back in the day, the likes of Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and people like them went to the UK when they were 14 or 15, became great players, played for Ireland and played for great clubs.”
“Some 81% of that funding will go right back into the clubs on the ground. It does not stay in Dublin. It goes right back into the ground to promote players. I look forward to the Minister of State’s response.”
“Instead of having one player here and there breaking through, there would be success right through. This plan is over an 11-year period, with continuous investment from the FAI, but the hope is to get investment from the Government. At the moment, €8 million a year is put in. Under the plan, we are looking at €16 million a year, so there is an €8 million multiyear investment being sought from the Government, starting in this upcoming budget. What that essentially will do is close the gap from where Ireland is positioned from a grassroots level compared with other countries across the world. We currently have a situation where players do not have the opportunity to get the top-quality level coaching they need to be able to get to the level they need to reach. The FAI is asking that we put that money forward.”
“They will be almost everywhere in the country. The reason for this is to try to create an opportunity for young children throughout the country because one of the challenges the League of Ireland and the FAI have had is losing talent in certain areas because we do not have that centre of excellence. What the organisation is trying to do is to build that opportunity and build a pathway within those academy locations so as to have a pyramid system where there is an opportunity for young talented players to be able to progress to a level at which they can achieve, which could be at international level, League of Ireland level or a lower league level, and to have a more structured base to create those opportunities. It also means there would be more sustainable success over the years.”
“That goes back to the success of the women's game internationally when playing in the World Cup in Australia a number of years ago. Sponsorship has been increased, being doubled in recent years, and the ticketing from national games and League of Ireland has been increased. There has been a lot done. What the FAI is putting together is a programme and plan for the next ten years which will transform the League of Ireland and the underage and academy levels. Essentially, it is planning to set up 26 centres of excellence academy locations across the country. Six of them will be in Dublin city - people will be familiar with the likes of Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians and Shelbourne - and there will be 19 around the country in the likes of Wexford, Waterford, Kerry, Cobh Ramblers, Cork, Galway United and Finn Harps.”
“I welcome the ambassador as well and acknowledge the work she has done over recent months and years. We had a productive meeting yesterday in the foreign affairs committee. It could have gone on for two or three more hours it was so impressive. I am happy to see Senator Andrews in the Chair now because League of Ireland and grassroots soccer is something he and I are passionate about. The FAI has done excellent work over recent years, particularly in its 2022-2025 strategy, 80% of which is completed. This work has been led by the president, Mr. Paul Cooke, and by the CEO, Mr. David Courell. There has been a lot done on increasing participation. We now have 234,000 people in the country playing soccer, an increase of 7% in three years. In terms of female participation, we have seen an increase of 27% in participation.”