Jack Chambers
Dublin West · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“We have been clear about the absolute necessity to protect the huge ecosystem of digital and infrastructure investment in Ireland over the past ten to 20 years. Part of that has been the wider and ongoing discussion on the security of subsea cables.”
“Progress in achieving balanced regional development and detailing the delivery of the NDP is monitored through regular updates on the capital investment tracker and the MyProjectIreland interactive map viewer.”
“The tax strategy group examines the different options that are available to the Government during the summer. That informs the respective tax package that will advance. We have to honest about the measures we take in terms of taxation. They have to be sustainable and affordable in the long term. USC brings in about €5.5 billion per year.”
“I am not privy to the interaction the Deputy had with the Minister for housing on this, but the Local Government Fund distributes the respective funding across different local authorities, and Galway County Council and Galway City Council would receive allocations through that. I was clear in my initial response to Deputy O'Hara.”
“My Department has taken a proactive and co-ordinated approach to supporting the responsible and effective adoption of AI across the public service.”
“More broadly, the achievement of balanced regional development is a key priority of this Government and is at the heart of Project Ireland 2040, which includes the national planning framework, which sets out the wider spatial strategy for the next 20 years, along with the national development plan, NDP.”
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“I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I know the Taoiseach had a meeting with some of the survivors in the past number of days. A process was put in place around the appointment of a mediator, which was wanted by all sides. The update I received on this yesterday was that a specific issue had arisen for the mediator who was due to be appointed but a recommended, very experienced alternate had agreed to be in place. It is my understanding that a meeting was due to take place at some point towards the end of yesterday or today so that a mediation process can advance. In the aftermath of the meeting with the Taoiseach, the Government certainly wants to see that mediation to occur and engagement with the survivors relating to some of the issues they are raising.”
“Our enterprise agencies have shown in other instances where there is an announcement such as this that they help to provide alternative employment and opportunities in terms of their wider client base and other indigenous companies through Enterprise Ireland. That is something they are working on in the context of the announcement the Deputy referenced.”
“I acknowledge the Deputy's concern in terms of the announcement by Merck. On, Wednesday, 22 October, IDA Ireland was notified of Merck's decision to wind down operations by the end of 2028. Staff were made aware on the same day. It is important to say this decision does not affect the life science employees. Our foremost concern is for any of the potentially impacted employees during this time. To be absolutely clear, the Government is on hand to any of the employees. We will be providing a range of supports for those affected, including assisting with appropriate training and development opportunities or, indeed, any other income supports. IDA Ireland continues to keep close contact with Merck management to offer support during the process.”
“I acknowledge the significant difficulty for many of the Deputy's constituents when there is such disruption over a weekend, exacerbated by other events. There should be better co-ordination. There is capital investment in particular events. In terms of public transport no-shows and issues with levels of services, the National Transport Authority, NTA, has brought in a regime of fines for bus operators that do not operate on time or where there are no-shows. It is quite punitive for a lot of the bus operators, and rightly so, if they do not deliver a service on time or if there are no-shows. I will ask our colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to engage with the NTA to ensure there is better co-ordination around major events, which is a fair point, and also to ensure we have an ongoing focus on efficiency.”
“I share Deputy Murphy's objective of ensuring we accelerate the delivery of the warmer homes scheme, which has made a real difference for many families affected by energy poverty across our country. In recent years, the SEAI has received a significant increase in demand for the warmer homes scheme. The increased supports for the scheme have resulted in a significant increase in applications, with 45,000 received over the period from January 2022 to the end of September 2025 and a total of 24,000 homes upgraded under the scheme. The waiting times are too high and that certainly is something I will ask the Minister for the environment to reflect on. However, to be fair to the SEAI, it has significantly reduced its waiting times from what they were. I understand the average waiting time was significantly higher in previous years.”
“That will allow for a lot more school buildings, special education places and, indeed, the critical social infrastructure in terms of schools delivered in communities across our country. I can ask the Minister for education to respond back to the Deputy's particular needs. There are pressures the Minister needs to manage in-year around the pipeline of projects that are there-----”
“I acknowledge that Deputy Dolan would like to see projects delivered quicker over the next number of years for the schools that he has raised in Galway East. What we have tried to do in the national development plan is to significantly prioritise investment in education and in particular special education for communities where we know there is serious pressure on school places from a special education perspective. That is why the capital allocations have gone from, on average, €1 billion a year in the Department of education to €1.5 billion over the next five years. The capital allocation over the past five years was €5 billion; over the next five, it will be €7.5 billion.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I regret that households and businesses have been seriously and repeatedly impacted by this. I will certainly relay that to Irish Water. I received just a brief update on this before I entered the Chamber. I know there is work ongoing to ensure it is part of the mains replacement project. I will ask for a more detailed response to issue to the Deputy. I appreciate that this issue should not be arising repeatedly, particularly with the capital uplift we are giving to water infrastructure across our economy. We need to ensure there is a quicker delivery and a better response to communities that are affected by such issues.”
“There is a long-standing legal mechanism when it comes to receivership and when a person is appointed. As I said to our two colleagues, the Departments of both enterprise and Social Protection are engaged in this. One is part of the notification and the other is engaging in the context of the real issues and challenges that I know the workers are facing. I will reflect on what the Deputy and others have said and bring it to the Minister for Social Protection. That is why the Department is engaging in this. We will allow that to continue over the coming days. The Minister will be able to set out further details.”
“The report sets out over 2,000 scenarios and it is not a projection. The Deputy needs to be factual about what it is and what it is not. It has been made on a no-policy change basis and this is reflected in that. We will take further decisions in terms of delivery of infrastructure and housing right across our economy. That will be the new housing plan and the infrastructure reforms it will underpin. There are issues that we need to be honest about. For example, parts of EU law do not allow us to deliver levels of housing and infrastructure which are required.”
“To answer the Deputy's question, I welcome the outcomes from the European Commission proposals. Europe continues to be a leader on climate action in a world that is, unfortunately, backsliding in many instances. The new targets will be challenging for many member states, including Ireland, but we are taking action in the context of the national development plan that we reviewed. Consider the focus on energy and transport in particular, with more than €20 billion in transport investment over the next five years. That is a real opportunity for transformational investment and delivery of transport infrastructure and public transport across our economy. Ensuring that we accelerate the planning and design process for many of the projects that cannot be started-----”
“I thank the Deputy and acknowledge all of the workers who are here. I regret what has happened in the past number of days. I know how concerning and difficult it is for everyone involved. To answer the Deputy's question, receivership is a long-standing legal mechanism around the independence of functions when a company enters into that process. I was asked about this yesterday by Deputy Murphy. The Department of Social Protection is engaging directly with the receivers in the context of the information that has emerged and a collective redundancy notification has been received by the Department of enterprise as well. There are limitations given the independence of the receivership process. Of the two respective Departments, one has been notified and the other is engaging directly. That work is ongoing in the context of what is emerging.”
“The HSE should continuously engage with local TDs representatives around healthcare needs and the feedback they are receiving from constituents and also on the critical point the Deputy made on demographics and deprivation playing a really important role. The Deputy mentioned the huge amount of construction in other parts of his constituency where we will see an inevitable rise in demand over time. That should be a factor in the HSE's overall consideration of how primary care centres are deployed. The HSE is conducting a review. It is unfortunate the process collapsed. I will ask the HSE to reflect on the feedback the Deputy has given and, in its engagement with local TDs, to reflect on the wider work we will do over the next five years as part of the capital investment programme.”
“There is also deprivation and we know education and healthcare are critical to enabling opportunities for people and also to mitigating a lot of the risks of intergenerational poverty. That is why deprivation should be a critical focus in the wider deployment of this capital funding. The HSE has confirmed a review is under way and HSE capital estates is looking at the best location for the primary care centre and then the most appropriate method of delivery for expedience, value for money and delivering for the local community.”
“Related to the Deputy's specific question, the HSE has confirmed the proposed delivery mechanism for a primary care centre in the instance he referenced was through the HSE primary care operational lease model. A tender process was undertaken and a preferred operator was selected. The HSE further advised that, unfortunately, the selected preferred operator then encountered difficulties in relation to the economic viability of the proposed project, which resulted in the collapse of that process. The HSE has confirmed that a service-led review is under way and that is to validate some of the questions the Deputy referenced. He spoke to the importance of age demographics being critical to managing the broader trends we see in communities across our country.”
“That is the work that is ongoing in terms of the regional health areas. A central objective in the programme for Government is to deliver increased levels of integrated healthcare and that is towards general practice, primary care and having a home first approach, as I have referenced. Integral to this is the development of primary care centres across the country, in local communities such as Loughlinstown and in the Deputy's own community. They form a critical part of our healthcare infrastructure, providing a single point of access to primary and community care services for individuals. Progress has been made during the past number years. One hundred and eighty primary care centres have opened across the country and a further seven are under construction.”
“I thank Deputy Devlin for raising this very important issue. It is one he has been consistently raising and campaigning for on behalf of all of his constituents. Of course, the HSE and Department of Health should, in any instance, focus on deprivation and demographics when it comes to the positioning of capital investment in terms of its overall allocation. As I mentioned previously, over the next five years, there will be an overall capital budget of over €9 billion. I think we will see a significant acceleration of investment in primary and community care right across our country. All of that is to manage the broader risks we have on demographics, ensure we can treat more people in the community, anchor more primary healthcare workers and embed more healthcare professionals in the community.”
“Looking at the data over two to three decades, we have had a transformational improvement in that area over the last number of years. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to respond to the Deputy's specific question about radiation oncology. I believe there is significant scope over the next five years, through the investment we have put aside in the national development plan, to have a significant replacement programme for a lot of the health equipment which is required.”
“I share with the Deputy the focus on ensuring that our health infrastructure, including radiation oncology machines or building better bed capacity across our health system, is achieved in the next five years. That is the work we are doing with the sectoral investment plan with the HSE to ensure we replace the equipment that is required and build additional capacity. We are now funding a public health system which should become less reliant on the private health system over the next series of years in terms of outsourcing and some of what the Deputy referenced. I want to commend the enormous work and leadership of many people in our health system who have transformed outcomes. It is important, when we talk about the national cancer strategy, to note it is a strategy that has worked. It is delivering improved outcomes.”
“However, successive Governments have resourced and significantly reformed our health system and its cancer treatment. We are seeing the positive outputs from that due to the great work of the people the Deputy mentioned.”
“The Minister is now developing a sectoral investment plan, working with the HSE on the capital needs in our system. Some of that will relate to radiation oncology or treatment interventions around replacing existing equipment. Others will obviously relate to new beds and building bed capacity across our system. As a Government, we have prioritised funding our health system, funding more workers and beds in our health system and also funding the technological improvements that I think will yield greater improvements in life expectancy. That is why we are taking digital health seriously and prioritising that from a capital perspective over the next five years. I will ask the Minister to respond in time to the Deputy's specific question and take a note of the work that is happening and the capital plans for the next five years.”
“We have tried in recent years to build and resource a public health system that responds to the needs from a workforce perspective. That is why in the past five years we have nearly 30,000 additional healthcare workers in terms of whole-time equivalents working in our public health system to support and rapidly respond to diagnoses or particular incidents as they arise from cancer and a lot of other health perspectives. Next year, we will have an allocation of over €27 billion in terms of the overall allocation to the Department of Health. The Deputy asked specifically about radiation oncology, which I will respond to. In my negotiations and engagement with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, we will have over €9 billion of capital in our health system over the next five years. That is a record level.”
“I thank the Deputy and again welcome him back. I welcome the fact he has raised issues relating to cancer services and the national cancer strategy. It is important just to take a step back and look at the progress we have made over many years since the national cancer strategy was introduced. Over 65% of patients live for five years after a cancer diagnosis, compared with 43% in the 1990s. A lot of the difficult reforms that were introduced by Ministers in previous years around the centralisation of particular services and hubs have yielded much greater outcomes for citizens across the country. Like the Deputy, I commend all the workers across our hospital system who provide that daily care, compassion and support for people as they go through their treatment journey.”
“A significant amount of auctions have happened for offshore wind generation, as the Deputy is aware. They are working their way through their respective development processes. What we are trying to do is to accelerate that so we can deliver greater offshore renewable energy. Part of the problem with bringing people with us on climate change is reflected in the Deputy's remarks on farmers and agricultural. The Deputy has attacked the nitrates derogation. There was a meeting of 2,000 farmers in Fermoy, Cork earlier this week. They desperately want and need to hold onto that derogation. They are making massive efforts at farm level to make that transition and to build sustainable food systems. I am sure many of the farmers in west Cork would not welcome the Deputy's remarks, which will put them out of a livelihood.”
“Last January, Ireland hit a really important milestone of hitting 5 GW of installed onshore wind capacity. That is significant progress towards our 2030 target. We were ranked second in the world in 2023 for onshore wind generation.”
“If you take our comparators with many of the European economies that have populations which are relatively flat, or economic growth which is relatively flat, we have had extraordinary economic and population growth and we are still managing to reduce our emissions profile overall. What the Government is focused on is delivering a just transition for communities, enabling opportunities through the action we are taking in terms of climate change and focusing on the huge opportunity that renewable energy represents. I mention the work that is being done to build a grid that can be connected to that renewable energy as it is being advanced through the respective processes.”
“We also need to be resolute in the work the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, is doing in protecting our nature and biodiversity. We need to prepare in terms of climate resilience as well. It is not only action in terms of the emissions profiles but also ensuring our critical infrastructure is protected and is more resilient for extreme and adverse weather events which are happening. The 2024 data from the EPA showed that Ireland's emissions continue to fall for the third year in a row and are at their lowest level in three decades compared with 1990 levels. Ireland's emissions decreased in 2024 and have decreased by 10% from 2021 to 2024. That is against a growing economy.”
“We have seen in the Future Forty report the huge risks that will crystallise if we do not take the action now on climate change. That is why it is central in the work we have done as part of the national development plan review. We have prioritised critical sectors in our economy. When it comes to energy, for example, that is why €3.5 billion of an equity injection is being given to ESB and EirGrid, all to accelerate the need to build a grid that can match the renewables that we want to see onshore and offshore. It is also the work we are doing when it comes to reform of infrastructure in our economy. The report will be published in the coming weeks to try to enable much greater acceleration of renewables across the board. We are absolutely committed to addressing the climate crisis.”
“I share the Deputy's concern, as I know everyone in this House does, about the ongoing climate crisis. The work ongoing at COP at an EU level is all to ensure the European Union continues to show leadership when it comes to domestic policies but also to be responsible internationally when lots of world leaders and countries are backsliding on climate action. The work the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has done in the context of budget 2026 and the funding he has secured for his Department is all about trying to accelerate Ireland's energy transition and to underpin our journey to a net-zero future. It includes record funding of over €500 million for home energy upgrades and solar PV. This will help make homes warmer, healthier, more comfortable and less expensive to heat. It is the most pressing change in our society.”
“That is why the reforms the Minister, Deputy Browne, has introduced to enable the market to function to complement the State's role in housing delivery is central to deliver the overall level of housing supply required in our economy. The Deputy can attack the Government and talk about failure repeatedly but ultimately her approach would probably impose greater regulation, more stringency and more rules on the market.”
“We are absolutely fronting up to our responsibilities. I welcome any constructive suggestions on policy but a lot of the policy that is coming from the Opposition is just for more spending. The State has fronted up to that question when it comes to the national development plan - over €100 billion of spending in the next five years. The strategic focus is on infrastructure, housing, water infrastructure and energy infrastructure, all to enable more homes to be built across our economy. What the Deputy refuses to do is to be honest about proposals to also enable the market to function. We have viability gaps in terms of delivery of apartments. That is why guidelines should change. We have viability gaps in other areas of housing supply.”
“We have fronted up to the question of spending when it comes to the national development plan on infrastructure and housing, but we also need to reset a wider policy when it comes to regulation in our economy by examining rules, regulations and structures in terms of infrastructure and housing so we can deliver more homes quicker. That is the focus of the Government when it comes to the challenges set out in the Future Forty report.”
“We need to complement the State investment in housing with a market that is viable and can work. The Labour Party has attacked builders and developers in relation to the VAT cut. That is all about having viability in the market. If we are serious about delivering housing and more apartments, we must have a viable market to deliver more homes. Many families and workers across our economy want to see the delivery of more supply and we have to be honest around using taxation, regulation and other policy levers - not only more spending - as a means to deliver more homes.”
“That is a measure which enables infrastructure and growth to be developed to build more homes across our economy. I ask Deputy Bacik to look at her own party. One of her own councillors is involved in judicial review proceedings against the new apartment guidelines, which will deliver more apartments and more units in our economy.”
“That is why when we bring forward measures, like the Minister, Deputy Browne, did yesterday on enabling private sector input in wastewater treatment plants, for example, what we heard from the Labour Party was total negativity.”
“We know the trends on deglobalisation and how they will impact our wider long-term economic growth. We know the impacts when it comes to digitalisation and also the upside of that, if we can embrace that in the public service and also across all elements of the economy. When it comes to housing delivery, if you look at the national development plan, you will see that next year we will have over €11 billion between current and capital spending for the Department of housing, which is a significant increase in overall spending to deliver more social and affordable homes. That mix of funding will be set out in the new national housing plan to really drive the delivery of more homes for families and people across our country. It is not just about what the State is spending and allocating to housing.”
“The report from the Department of Finance is not a projection. It looks at over 2,000 scenarios on a no-change policy basis. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, was very clear yesterday that we are changing policy on an ongoing basis when it comes to infrastructure and housing, and we have more to do. We have a new housing plan being published in the coming weeks. We will have significant infrastructure reforms being published in the coming weeks, all to enable greater delivery of more homes and more infrastructure right across our economy. That is why it is important that we have that broad examination of the various economic and fiscal scenarios. It helps to set out the broader choices that we have as a Government and, indeed, as an Oireachtas around the risks which will crystalise.”
“Sinn Féin's approach to everything is providing for a massive increase in expenditure, abolishing and narrowing different areas of taxation, and imposing greater taxation on jobs and enterprise in our economy. It would undermine all opportunities for growth.”
“I will not take lectures from Deputy Cullinane or anyone from Sinn Féin when it comes to economic management. Their party leader has said in recent years that demographics will look after themselves. Has she read any report? Have any of their finance spokespeople read any report on the wider long-term trends for our economy?”
“I am being very honest with people when it comes to the need to have a broad-based system of taxation to manage the economy. The Deputy is being dishonest when it comes to his approach to managing the economy. Sinn Fein’s alternative budget would have increased net expenditure by up to 14%. That is a reckless approach. It would undermine the foundations of our economy and it would cause serious risk into the long term.”
“It is a significant, progressive and targeted intervention for those most in need in our society. It is not credible to attack every area of taxation and then to attack every area of expenditure for it not being enough. Sinn Féin's position on the economy would seriously undermine the foundations of our State and undermine the future. We all need to be honest-----”
“In the absence of any change to valuation bands or rates, there would have been a much bigger increase in the overall local property tax. That is why a significant number of homeowners will remain in their present bands for 2026 to 2030. The new annual charge for many households could be between €5 and €25 higher. We know there is discretion at local authority level to reduce or amend the local property tax depending on the decision of each local authority. That is why there has been significant work by the Department of Finance in terms of how it manages this self-assessed tax. The bands have been broadened and the Government did take measures in the budget to protect working families. The social protection budget, which the Sinn Féin leader dismissed yesterday, is €2 billion. The Deputy says it is insignificant.”
“There is ongoing work in the context of the local property tax changes from 2026 to 2030. It is important that we have a broad-based taxation system as we plan for dealing with the long-term effects on the economy. All Deputy Cullinane has given is a platitude of negativity and attacks against the Government, but very little in terms of solutions as to how his party plans to pay for what must be paid for in the medium to long term. Sinn Féin must be honest about how it would manage the economy and pay for all the commitments and promises it is making across nearly every area of government. Its statements are not credible and that is why the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, made changes in the context of the local property tax, including the widening of the bands.”
“Deputy Cullinane’s party leader, Deputy Mary Lou McDonald, previously said that demographics will look after themselves, which shows the short-termist approach of their party when it comes to economic management and its inability to see the strategic long-term risks in our economy. As we see from alternative budget scenarios, the Opposition wants to abolish the property tax, narrow our overall position on taxation and increase expenditure. This presents serious risks for our economy. The local property tax is a key source of funding for many local authorities across our country. It pays for services and amenities in each local area. It is a progressive tax linked directly to the value of properties. Higher-value properties are subject to a higher tax. By law, the local property tax is revalued every five years.”
“I want to start by welcoming Deputy Boyd Barrett back to the House. It is wonderful to see you back healthy and well. You spoke with enormous candour and bravery publicly, which has helped many people who are experiencing cancer in their own lives or their families’ lives. I acknowledge that. It is great to have you back. You are certainly back in action, and I look forward to our engagement later on today. On the local property tax, it is important to speak first about the Future Forty report, which sets out the wider economic and fiscal scenarios and the broader risks and megatrends that could crystallise over the coming decades. We know demographics are changing.”
“I thank the Deputy. I go out to Portrane-Donabate and know the area very well. There has been a wonderful transformation in terms of housing, construction and work happening across the community. I will ask the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, to respond directly to the Deputy on the increased demand for public transport and, in particular, the bus service that has been mentioned. I understand the acute need and demand in that area.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Taoiseach met with the survivors. I understand there was a plan to have a mediator in place. Due to the personal circumstances of the mediator, that was not possible today. The mediator who was due to be in place has recommended an alternative. I understand the intention is that the meeting could go ahead as proposed and an email will issue to that effect. That is the latest update, as of the past couple of hours. I understand the sensitivity and urgency of having engagement on this.”
“I thank the Deputy. I know from engaging with the Ministers of State, Deputies Christopher O'Sullivan and Moran, how seriously they take the issue of flooding in terms of capital allocations for the OPW. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Moran, to respond directly to the Deputy. He wants to accelerate many flooding schemes and, as part of his capital settlement for the OPW, has prioritised flood relief schemes across the country. Uplift for the OPW is being prioritised to respond to the needs across communities. I will ask the Minister of State to respond to the Deputy on the timeline and the urgency in terms of Bantry. I appreciate the Deputy raising the issue.”
“That is how you prioritise your resources. We are able to hire media trainers and we have every right to do that. It is for Ivan Yates to respond to any issue in terms of his own conflicts of interest.”
“I absolutely refute and reject what you are after saying there. All political parties and many politicians who are not part of one receive media training. It has been a matter of public record that Ivan Yates was providing media training to various politicians within Fianna Fáil over a series of years. Fianna Fáil has every right to hire contractors or media trainers as it sees fit. It is a matter for Ivan Yates to disclose any potential or direct conflicts of interest in his interaction with or contribution to media organisations or as a commentator. I am sure Sinn Féin hires media trainers. It spends a lot of time hiring expert lawyers down in the High Court when it comes to defamation actions.”