James Geoghegan
Dublin Bay South · Fine Gael · Ireland
“I say, in a non-partisan way, that it would be helpful if other political parties carried out an exercise similar to the one we are carrying out and if they presented different papers.”
“I welcome the opportunity to debate such a significant issue. It is helpful that this debate is being framed from a line Department perspective in that it has begun by looking at the fiscal implications of a united Ireland. It would be helpful if we also had a debate on the implications for education and health of a united Ireland.”
“Obviously, none of that will be sufficient unless we can demonstrate to every community in Northern Ireland that the country will be an inclusive place, but we in Ireland have shown just how inclusive we can be. I am 41 years old.”
“With the passage of time, however, any fair and impartial observer would recognise that institutional benefit of ensuring that Ireland and the United Kingdom had a joint role in the affairs of Northern Ireland proved to be instrumental in all the subsequent peace agreements we ultimately arrived at.”
“However, nobody can underestimate the challenges the State faces in persuading a population that is very sceptical that we would we welcome them to this country and that we could provide a state that would function.”
“He highlighted the euro, which is important. If we think back to the Scottish referendum, one of the biggest reasons it failed was because the Scottish people were not certain whether they were going to have the British pound or the euro.”
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Every one of 352 lines we hold for James Geoghegan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 8.
“As a man in public life, I firmly believe that gender equality is not just a woman's issue. It is an issue for all of us. True progress requires male allyship, and history has shown that when men stand shoulder to shoulder with women in the fight for equality, transformative change happens. In the 19th century, John Stuart Mill stood in the British Parliament advocating for women's suffrage, challenging those who dismissed the political rights of half the population. In the United States, Frederick Douglass, a man who had fought against slavery, took to the stage at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 and declared that women's rights were as fundamental as any human right.”
“One of the biggest examples of that would be the GPO itself. The task force report includes a recommendation that by the end of the first quarter of this year, decisions will be made on what use the GPO will be put to. More than 800 people used to work in that place. When they left that place, that reduced the number of people coming into an area of our city that has proven to be the most challenging when it comes to antisocial behaviour and crime. It is such an historic and beautiful building. There are so many uses that it could be put to. Yes, people from the Civil Service could be redeployed into that building, but there are some bigger ideas too, not least having elements of RTÉ or other museums move into that building. Does the Minister have his own thoughts as to how the GPO could be put to best use?”
“A huge part of the cultural offering that Dublin can offer could be delivered through an aggressive meanwhile-use strategy, in particular by imposing on private landlords to use their vacant buildings for cultural uses.”
“I thank the Minister, and I wish him well in his brief as well. I thank him for his reply. It is very encouraging to see both the alignment of the existing night-time strategy with the recommendations that were already in the Dublin city task force, and the emphasis that both the Minister and the Department have placed on the use of meanwhile-use strategies. Ultimately, when we talk about the challenges in Dublin city around safety and security, it is not just a policing problem. Yes, we need more gardaí on our streets. Yes, we need more arrests, detections and prosecutions but everybody who works and lives in the city, and everyone who visits the city, recognises that the challenges for Dublin city are much greater than simply a justice problem. A big element of this is about giving people good reasons to come into the city.”
“I wish to ask the Minister if his Department could support the Dublin city task force recommendation for a meanwhile-use strategy for privately owned lands in Dublin city centre to utilise the city's vacant space for musical, artistic and cultural events, artists' workspaces, community spaces, and if he will make a statement.”
“They are men and women who are bravely putting themselves in harm’s way in order to protect our safety and security and they need to be championed for the work they do in all our communities. We need to do more to support the work they do because we cannot police our way out of the problems of security and safety across the country, and in my city of Dublin in particular. There is a plan for dealing with safety in our city and it is not all on the shoulders of An Garda Síochána, but by increasing patrols in the city, which has happened over the last year, we have seen an increase in detections, arrests and prosecutions. Despite this we still have major safety challenges in our city. The ways to address those challenges are precisely written in the Dublin city task force report.”
“Those of us who are public representatives, which is every single one of us in this room, deal with community gardaí every day of the week. The public watching this listen to and deal with community gardaí every day of the week and the public have huge faith and trust in community gardaí. They do not view gardaí as something to be featured on social media. That is not what this is about. We need more gardaí. Everybody recognises that challenge. We have to recruit more gardaí. That is exactly what the Government is doing in its recruitment campaign. We must persuade people to come into the Garda, but we must also protect our gardaí. Over 300 gardaí were assaulted last year.”
“I wish the Minister of State well in his new brief and also wish my constituency colleague Jim O'Callaghan well in his new brief. I was going to start by giving praise to gardaí and the work they do, but having listened to Deputy Lawless's contribution I find it really frustrating that somebody in this Chamber would stand up and belittle gardaí in the way-----”
“There were 62 occupational therapists and 21 speech and language therapists. Obviously, this is a process that has worked very successfully for nurses and midwives where we recruit up to 1,000 internationally every year. Is this something the unit could look at and we could expand on further?”
“I very much welcome this whole-of-government approach to disability services which is so essential to meeting needs. My question relates to recruitment and retention. The critical skills list was expanded in 2022 so that occupational therapists and speech and language therapists could get employment permits. I have received replies to questions which show the figures are quite small. Just 62 occupational therapists and 21 speech and language therapists in the last three years have been given these permits.”
“Whether on Gaza, Ukraine or our leadership in peacekeeping missions in the Lebanon, the Golan Heights, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Mali and Congo, our commitment to the rights of the preyed upon is unwavering. That is why I must conclude by turning to the current events. Some parties have accepted the false narrative that Ukraine and the West provoked Russian aggression. Putin and others are using it to justify an unacceptable peace offering. This is nonsense. Ukrainian kids and families are not here because the US forced their hand. They are here because Putin is a revisionist and a despot.”
“In my constituency the volunteer-led Rathmines Ukrainian centre has offered a remarkable range of services to Ukrainians in the community, fostering inclusion and trust between locals and those who have had to relocate. These are clear examples of how integration enriches us all. We are a small, open country in a world where big players have become increasingly assertive and willing to override norms. If we are to influence anything internationally, it is imperative that we remain at the heart of the EU. The Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, are working hard on this as we prepare for our EU Presidency. We also have a conscience.”
“While this demonstrates the strength of bonds in Ireland, the State must develop a better capacity to link individual citizens and hosts with potential guests. As the Irish Red Cross has noted, it costs the Government €45 a day to run State-provided accommodation. The host-led model of providing accommodation to Ukrainians costs €13 a day per person and is more socially sustainable. In the round, our integration efforts have been profoundly successful. There are thousands of examples of this throughout the country. Many Members will have seen the recent video on Joe.ie of Misha who was relocated to Kerry. He is a ten-year-old Ukrainian boy who, I am both delighted and slightly embarrassed to say, speaks better Irish than I do. It was moving to see the joy that our national language and culture can bring to those who came here to flee war.”
“I thank the Ukrainian ambassador and the delegation for attending today. Three years ago, Irish people looked on in horror at what was taking place in Ukraine. In different ways we tried to respond to the challenges faced by the Ukrainian people. In a symbolic gesture, Dublin City Council of which I was a member initiated a process that ultimately twinned Kyiv with Dublin. More recently, when I was Lord Mayor of Dublin, we opened up the house to celebrate Ukrainian independence day. In much more than symbolic terms, Irish people put their hands up to support those who fled war. Almost 19,000 hosts welcomed Ukrainians. Three quarters of those hosts were people who had never hosted refugees and more than half of them were matched with guests through independent channels rather than through official partners or local authorities.”
“This is very welcome. I am sure the club will be delighted to hear all of the Tánaiste's contributions to this debate. As he said, this shows in a positive way how the Defence Forces and barracks can become integrated in an urban community. The best way in which Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines can be integrated in the community is through the level of support the barracks has always shown the two GAA clubs operating in the area. Demonstrating this investment in the future will make a massive difference to so many children in the area. Ranelagh Gaels have pioneered autism-friendly sports through the Ranelagh Rockets, which the club runs every Saturday and which makes a massive difference to the children who engage with it as well as for inclusion generally in the entire community. It has been such a wonderful initiative.”
“It has grown the sport not just among young boys but in particular among young girls and teenage girls. We know that to ensure we retain teenage girls in sport the changing facilities are a big part of it. This is why having this long-term arrangement would make such a big difference to the club.”
“I thank the Minister. It is great to hear his own personal commitment to this advancement in addition to the Department. I wish to highlight our gratitude to the Department for the good faith negotiations they are having with Ranelagh Gaels and Portobello GAA, and for the years of community supports that the Defence Forces and the Department have offered up to the area. As the Minister said, it is about the long-term facilities there. Ranelagh Gaels is a club that started when I left school, although I might have been a bit better on the round ball than the oval ball had it been there when I was there. What has developed in our community is a club where more than 1,600 people are now members of Ranelagh Gaels. Every child at every door we knock on has a Ranelagh Gaels jersey.”
“Does the Minister accept that the wording she has read out and which her officials have supplied to her directly conflicts with the commitment in the programme for Government to extend the national childcare scheme to childminders who work in the family home? We all understand the current legal position and the current status quo . The Minister was part of the negotiation of the programme for Government. It is contained in the programme for Government and is a new policy. Unless she can point me to language in the programme for Government that somehow I am misinterpreting, I ask her to explain how that programme for Government commitment to extend the national childcare scheme to childminders working in the family home will be fulfilled.”
“Is the Minister committed to instructing her officials to change the regulations to ensure she fulfils this programme for Government commitment to extend the childcare scheme to childminders working in the family home?”
“I am disappointed in the reply that the officials have written for the Minister. It is the same as a written reply I got to a parliamentary question on this specific issue. The reality is that the childminding services regulations do not apply to the care of a child by what the Department terms as a nanny or an au pair, but what normal people term as childminders working in the family home. This is a new policy that is in the programme for Government. It is brand new and did not exist in the past five years. The programme for Government has committed to introducing sensible regulations to facilitate this brand-new policy. Both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have made very clear that this will be a government of delivery and will be assessed against delivery.”
“I congratulate you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, on your election. While I congratulated her in her absence, I also congratulate the Minister on her appointment. When does she intend to implement the programme for Government commitment to extend the national childcare scheme to childminders working in the family home with sensible regulations that fit home-based care?”
“When one engages with parent support groups, what one learns from speaking to them is that they are banding together to support parents of children with a disability. Often, the services these groups offer in getting access to occupational therapists and speech and language therapy supports at schools are superior to the services that people are getting through the CDNT service. This school-led approach is a very good one. I support it, but we need significant changes in the CDNTs. I hope the Government will request that of the HSE.”
“One of the requests I have of the Minister and Ministers of State is to inquire whether the HSE will carry out a root-and-branch review of every CDNT service in the country to hear from parents who are lucky enough that their children are in the service. We all know the challenges for the parents of children who are awaiting the outcome of the assessment of need to get into the service. If a child gets into the service, regrettably the child in many cases does not get the kind of service he or she needs to progress in life developmentally. That is one request I have. If I think of my own constituency, Neurodiversity Ireland largely covers the Sandymount area, Involve Autism covers Dublin 6W and the Terenure-Rathgar area while Irishtown, Ringsend and Pearse Street are covered by the neurodiversity, NIRP, group.”
“I thank the Ministers of State for being in attendance. I wish them both well in their briefs. I also wish the Minister, Deputy Foley, well in her brief. One of the things I urge all three of them to do is to listen to parents of disabled children, engage with parent support groups in every constituency and listen to their lived experience. One of the big issues we see throughout the country is that what the CDNT service says it is delivering and how the parents of the children receiving those services feel they are getting are miles apart. For the Taoiseach to make the statement he made the other day that the CDNT is a service that is not working is a significant statement to make.”
“The task force makes clear that we need a strong local authority, a strong Dublin city, which can raise its own funding and can fund the rejuvenation that we absolutely need to ensure we have a safe city and a city we can all be proud of.”
“Notwithstanding the challenges that Dublin city faces, at the moment about 20,000 bed spaces have planning permission granted and are in the pipeline in Dublin city. Respectfully, it is my view that if the Government, as it will be, is faced with the funding choices for these recommendations, ultimately the choice will be whether local property taxpayers should pay for the rejuvenation of Dublin city. Will smaller business ratepayers pay for the funding of the rejuvenation of Dublin city or will we find an alternative means? I do not think the approach that has been adopted in recent years where so much of the funding for our local authority in Dublin city and throughout the country is reliant upon big government block grants will work.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The introduction of any new tax or levy will never be a popular initiative. I fully acknowledge that if the Government took a decision that the way in which the recommendations of the Dublin city task force were to be funded is through the introduction of an accommodation levy, the Department and the line Minister would have a huge role in engaging with the hotel sector and the tourism sector on such a proposal. However, I think we could get buy-in from that sector. I know from my previous role as Lord Mayor of Dublin that they are just as concerned about the issue of safety in Dublin city as everyone else is. They are just as concerned about dereliction and decay as everyone else is.”
“At least on the recent Mastercard data we have, expenditure in Dublin has increased for the last 17 consecutive quarters so it could be weathered. Ultimately, this is about a choice. Should local property taxpayers pay? Should small ratepayers pay or should it be a combination of providers that can contribute to the rejuvenation of our city?”
“Edinburgh has introduced this following the enactment of legislation in Westminster in 2024 and Edinburgh has now imposed an accommodation levy. That is a city that all of us associate with a high dependency on tourism. It hopes to generate £50 million to fund local services and the rejuvenation of its city, which would represent one of the largest boosts to local government spend in Edinburgh. A 5% levy is imposed an accommodation providers and 2% of that levy goes back to the accommodation provider to pay for the administrative burden of having to impose the levy. Ultimately, we are talking about a couple of euro on a sector which in Dublin city, at least, is thriving. Investment in hotels is thriving. The hotel bedroom occupancy rates are at their highest level, demonstrating the need for more hotels.”
“His response stated: I would, however, add that a tourism accommodation levy is not a matter I believe appropriate to my Department. It is an issue very much separate and distinct from our general taxation system... In other Member States where city taxes and accommodation levies are applied, the levy is collected at local level, by Local Authorities, who oversee the collection and redistribution of funds for projects locally. If such a levy were to be introduced here, the same system should apply... In conclusion, this is an important issue which is being given due consideration at the moment and further engagement is required before any decision is made. What is helpful about this discussion is that we do not have to look far to find how a model could work.”
“Another suggestion is in respect of congestion charges, but I do not believe they would generate the revenue, nor is it a policy designed for revenue raising. The third recommendation was the introduction of an accommodation levy. I want to set the context of why we are even discussing this. On the Government position in respect of this levy, I have tried through parliamentary questions to establish where this is being considered. In the Minister of State's own Department, the line Minister responded to me that it could not be considered independently of our general taxation system, which is primarily the responsibility of the Minister for Finance. I agree with this. I then asked a parliamentary question of the Minister for Finance. I received his reply today which was very helpful.”
“I thank the Minister of State and wish him well in his new brief. The context of this discussion about an accommodation levy in Dublin is really straightforward. It relates to the funding of the recommendations of the Dublin city task force. The task force identified that the capital costs to fulfil those recommendations would be between €750 million and €1 billion and that the ongoing operational expenditure would be €150 million. It is stated in the report that there are a number of ways in which the operational revenue could be generated. One is that Government buildings would pay commercial rates. In replies to questions I have asked in this Chamber, the Taoiseach has made pretty clear he is not in favour of that proposal; that one is gone.”
“That type of demand can in turn drive the type of investment that we need to see in renewable energy in this country. We need to see improvements in the amount of offshore wind that we will develop over the next five, ten or 15 years. Data centres have a role to play in fuelling AI and innovation but also in contributing to the investment that we need to see in the renewable energy sector. This is not a zero-sum game. The debate has complexity. We have to be honest about that and reflect that. As Mario Draghi's recent report highlighted, Europe is falling behind the USA and China on AI due to over-regulation. The former ECB governor warned that Europe has effectively imposed tariffs on itself.”
“We have to be honest and acknowledge that the technological advancement that we all rely on day to day is fuelled by data centres. We cannot have this approach where data centres should just be somewhere else. That is the negative philosophy of NIMBYism that prevents homes from being built in all our constituencies across the country. We have to be honest and truthful about that. In the same way that we should not be fearful about AI when it comes to the innovations that it will bring, while ensuring that we regulate it in an appropriate and balanced manner, it is not just one side of the equation where data centres consume and sap so much energy and therefore we must oppose them at all costs, but that data centres create and fuel demand.”
“The Labour Party spoke earlier about having a moratorium on data centres. That is a Trumpian policy. It is essentially saying to stop funding something altogether because we have a concern about it and that we will worry about all the problems when we have decided what the solutions should give. To add to that whataboutery, it was highlighted how, in the constituency of the Deputy who made that contribution, there are benefits from data centres in the form of district heating that can flow from data centres. We need to have an honest and clear debate about data centres. There are jokes about people having mobile phones meaning they do not have a right to debate. I do not accept that contention. If you own a mobile phone, you can still criticise data centres.”
“We have the highest number of STEM graduates per capita in Europe and more than 40 companies developing AI technologies. Two thirds of Ireland's 2,200 indigenous tech startups employ more than 52,000 people, so when AI sceptics shrug their shoulders, I say that turning our backs on AI is turning our backs on Ireland's future. It does nothing for the tens of thousands of people whose jobs depend on the tech sector or for the millions of Irish citizens who will be impacted by AI's advancement. As many Deputies have already said during this debate, we cannot separate AI from energy, but unlike what I heard from the Labour Party speaker, in my view data centres are the backbone of AI infrastructure. They are vilified, as we heard earlier this afternoon, in a way that is filled with much whataboutery.”
“In healthcare, AI is diagnosing cancer, tuberculosis, and diabetes faster and more accurately than ever before. During the Covid-19 pandemic, AI-accelerated drug discovery and patient management, saving lives. In finance AI-powered algorithims by Visa and MasterCard are detecting fraudulent transactions in real time. In agriculture, AI-driven drones are optimising crop yields and soil health. In my own field in the legal sector, AI is expediting justice by automating document review, which is cutting costs and delays. These are not projections, they are realities. PwC estimates that AI will add €1.8 trillion in value to northern Europe while Accenture predicts €148 billion could be added to Ireland's GDP by 2038. Ireland is uniquely placed to lead. We are home to 16 of the world's top 20 tech companies.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to her new role. Having witnessed her handling of RTÉ, her response to the AI revolution will be child's play in comparison to the challenges she faced as Chair of that committee. I welcome her appointment to this post and it is a very good decision by the Government to have a Minister of State dedicated to this important issue. I welcome this debate on how we can harness AI for the greater good in business, the economy and society. Let us be clear: this is not a speculative conversation. It is not on the horizon, it is here right now. As the Taoiseach rightly stated, the AI revolution is the most profound economic shift since the industrial revolution. We heard pithy remarks and saw eyerolls during Leaders' Questions when that statement was made but let us look at the facts.”
“We need to commend the responsiveness of An Garda Síochána, particularly in the way it carried out the investigation into the incident on Saturday night and its speedy response to the significant danger it faced in Stoneybatter. However, we need this task force to be up and running and the recommendations need to be implemented. The only way those recommendations can be implemented is if they are matched by funding. I very much welcome that it is coming to the Government in the next few weeks and I sincerely hope it will include funding commitments.”
“The events on South Anne Street late on Saturday night were some of the worst and most shocking scenes we have seen in our city since the Dublin riots. As the Taoiseach said, we are all thinking of the family of the victim and of the victims who were subjected to the violent attacks that took place in Stoneybatter. The pretext for the Dublin city centre task force established by the Tánaiste was safety in our city. It was a recognition and a reflection that increased numbers of gardaí in our city centre alone will not be enough to improve the outlook of our city and make Dublin the city we all know it can be. There was a lot of discussion here about the lack of Garda resources and the lack of gardaí in the city centre. There has been an increase in Garda patrols.”
“That would go a big way towards meeting one of the major recommendations of the task force, which is to increase the funds available to the council to deal with dereliction and vacancy. I know the Department is likely to oppose a change like this but this is why it is in the Taoiseach's Department. I hope he might be able to support us on this change.”
“GeoDirectory data recorded by The Irish Times identified 14,500 derelict buildings in Dublin city. As the Taoiseach knows, in the programme for Government we have committed to implementing the recommendations of the Dublin city task force. The only way in which that task force can work is if it is fully funded. I acknowledge from replies given by the Tánaiste last Thursday that the interdepartmental group met on four occasions, including as recently as last Tuesday. There is, however, a big change that could be made immediately, which is that Departments that occupy buildings in Dublin city and across Ireland would pay commercial rents. That would generate approximately €30 million for Dublin City Council.”
“With a focused effort from all of us in the House, particularly those of us representing Dublin constituencies, more people in Dublin can live in warm safe homes situated in safer and more bustling communities. This is what is pledged in the programme for Government. I look forward to working with all sides of the House to achieve the recommendations as set out by the task force.”
“One immediate step the Government could take is to increase the level of independent funds available to Dublin City Council and require all Departments occupying buildings in Dublin to pay commercial rates. According to replies to parliamentary questions I have submitted, more than 100 buildings in Dublin city pay no commercial rates to Dublin City Council. I hope that, working with the Minister for housing and local government as a Government TD, I can advocate for the change recommended by the Dublin city task force that would see these buildings pay rates just like every other building in our city. This would go towards funding all of the necessary changes we need in order to make Dublin a safe city, a clean city and a city of which we can all be proud.”
“This is especially promising, given that social housing complexes in Dublin city are among the most energy inefficient in the country. These policies will combine to make far better use of our existing housing stock as well as aligning with our climate targets and the national development plan's preference for more transport-oriented development. These policies will enliven Dublin. This is not to mention the programme's other commitments to improve cleanliness, empower community decision-makers, collaborate and review the concentration of services in the city centre. All of these plans require funding and not only from central government. Dublin City Council must have independent control of more money if it is to effectively deliver the reforms to which we aspire.”
“The programme offers a wide and holistic range of commitments that do just this. One example is the emphasis placed on increasing the number of people living in our city centre. Evidence from around the world shows that having more people and thriving communities in city centres improves safety through a self-policing effect. The programme for Government's new towns and cities infrastructure fund will help to rejuvenate Dublin and the north Georgian core while other vacancy and dereliction grants will be extended. Further living-above-the-shop incentives will also be rolled out. Local authority powers to bring vacant properties back into use will be strengthened and our retrofitting programmes will be enhanced, including for group retrofit projects that reduce costs for people living in denser settings.”
“Achieving this target will significantly increase Garda visibility, which we know will enhance both perceived and actual safety in our capital city. I am sure Deputies on all sides of the House will support this initiative. That is why I was delighted last week to attend the launch of the Government's Garda recruitment campaign for 2025 with the Minister for Justice in Irishtown Garda station, which plays a crucial role in keeping the people of my constituency safe. I am confident the launch marked a continuation of the outgoing Government's commitment to increase Garda numbers in our capital city. However, I am acutely aware we cannot simply police our way to a safer Dublin. The causes of crime in our capital are complex and deep-rooted. To make Dublin safer, we must also pursue policies that get at the root the problem.”
“Every TD who represents Dublin supported the task force when it emerged and every councillor on Dublin City Council supported the recommendations, so I sincerely hope the implementation of these recommendations is something the whole House can get behind in a non-partisan way and we can deliver the type of city we all want our capital to be. The task force report is laden with constructive recommendations, but one issue the voters of Dublin Bay South raised consistently with me during the general election was safety in our city. All stakeholder groups consulted by the task force cited safety concerns as essential to the future success of Dublin. Perhaps the headline recommendation to improve safety in Dublin is the commitment to fund a minimum of 1,000 additional gardaí for Dublin city over the next three years.”
“As a recent Lord Mayor of Dublin, I especially welcome the programme for Government's commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Dublin city task force through the Department of the Taoiseach. Very often in this House, derisory remarks are made about the people in Dublin, what is going on in Dublin and that everything is about Dublin, but Dublin is for everybody. Dublin is our capital city. It is for the whole country. It is in the interests of the entire country that Dublin thrives. Everyone in the House would acknowledge there are challenges in our city centre that need the type of focus this task force has provided. It is not only Government TDs who wish to have the Dublin city task force recommendations implemented.”
“Only an hour ago I was with the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, in Wanderers rugby club in my constituency to see the extraordinary work the Together Academy does in providing training for Down's syndrome adults and ensuring Down's syndrome children and adults have the same opportunities in life as everybody else. I also want to highlight more homes and home ownership, the retention of the help-to-buy scheme and delivering better infrastructure faster. Some of the key priorities I ran on in the general election were supporting local businesses, tackling crime, supporting our neurodiverse communities and helping working families. These are all areas included in the programme for Government and that I hope, as a Government TD, to advance during the lifetime of this Dáil.”